Epiphone Casino NA

"Assembled in China", whatever that means. All the usual Casino features, but most definitely NOT past Epiphone quality inside! I was thinking about changing the pots, so naturally, I removed a pickup and took a look inside. Talk about "SHOCK...HORROR!" I wish I could include a photograph, because it appears that when they were fitting the bracing, they placed one piece of wood directly (vertically) under the top, traveling under the pick-up cavities, sawed half-way through the brace, and then snapped it off at both ends! Immediately in front & behind the bridge p/u hole, half of the bracing is missing!!! I immediately repaired it, but shouldn't have had to! This is certainly no ELITIST!

As I bought it used, (only 3 months old) I had no warranty to fall back on, so it's just as well I'm a bit of a handyman.

I realize that this ranting has little to do with the opening questions, but I thought I'd better clear the air first.

The polyester finish is pretty good, but as another reviewer said, sanding scratches are visible through it. Maybe better off with the Sunburst or Cherry finishes.

Tuners are dreadful. I replaced them with Grover "Klusons", and what a difference. You'll only have to do a minor drill-out on the peg-holes, as the Epiphone ones are about 1/16" smaller.

Bridge & tailpiece are good, fret-work is better than you'd expect in this price range. Epiphone gig-bag is good quality, but the optional hard-case is on my shopping list.

BTW, the pots are B500K volume and A500K tone, and are crap. Replace them with good quality CTS equivalents and you'll notice one hell of a difference. Pick-ups don't need changing as far as I'm concerned.

That's it.

It's mainly for Jazz and a little soft-Rock, so I don't need a great range of tones(which is just as well, 'coz they aren't there!)
Suits my purpose well enough however.

I use it with an old Polytone and an E-H "Holy Grail" Reverb. Very nice, thank you.

I've covered all the likes & dislikes I think.

Hopelessly set up, but remember, I bought it from someone who liked Noel Gallagher. Speaks for itself.

FLAWS? Well, apart from the sanding marks on the face, the sides and back looked really nice (allowing for belt-buckle scratches!)
BUT...... that interior! Even before I noticed the crummy bracing, I was listening to flotsam floating around inside. I shook some out (Sawdust, that is) before buying it, but at $200, who cares? Mind you, splinters (big ones) fell out when I removed that pickup. At least I knew where some of the bracing was!!!

Live playing? Probably a yes now that it has 50% more bracing than an original! The hardware is good, as I said, but if you're a handyman, I'd suggest going for a "Switchcraft" short/straight pu selector switch at the same time you do the pots. The original is definitely sub-standard, and won't last long if you're changing pu's regularly.

I guess the need for a backup if playing live is relevant if you need alternative sounds, but I'd trust it.

No need, no warranty!

I've been playing a long time, so this only supplements an already excessive collection. I've bought & sold quite a few Epiphone SG'S & LP's after modifying the p/u's and electronics (usually purchased from Stewart McDonald's), because the solid-bodies are actually quite well made, and can be turned into very good (and occasionally excellent) stage instruments at a third of the price of the equivalent Gibson.

Would I buy another of these? Not on your life! This one is going the way of its earlier bought & modified brothers (after a year or so).

I don't think anyone could realistically expect to purchase an instrument as good as this for such a ridiculously low price! I've been playing for 43 years, and only bought one of these on a spur of the moment decision. I had a genuine article years ago which I loved, but always found the neck somewhat narrow. Something that many players (some of note) have mentioned.
I did not particularly care for the Korean made versions, but these new Chinese made Casinos are a different ballgame altogether. After handling one in a local store (here in Tokyo), I had a good look at a dozen or more others, and the one thing I noticed was consistency!
I only bought this one because it had the best fret job, but in all honesty, they were all pretty damn good!

I'm sure that I don't have to go into detail about the instrument itself, as anyone reading this is well aware of its features, but I do have to say that the slightly wider/thicker neck, which is more reminiscent of an ES-335 than earlier Casino's, is much more to my liking.

The various complaints aimed at the Korean versions (i.e. lousy tuners occasionally misaligned, loose screws etc) were not visible on ANY of the dozen or so I looked at, and as I'm writing this, I'm looking at just how well-made, fitted and aligned these (Chinese?) Kluson copies on my guitar actually are. The nut appears to be some kind of plastic, but is so accurately cut that I wouldn't dare replace it. And this comes from someone who has built more than 20 Warmoth "kit" guitars, and made dozens of bone or graphite nuts!

The fret work is absolutely outstanding, without any noticeable dead-spots anywhere on the straight-as-a-die neck.

I've noticed that some reviewers have brought up the subject of buying slightly longer than normal gig-bags due to the long headstock. I can't speak for the States, but in Japan, the standard supplied gig-bag is more than sufficient, and well made. Admittedly, it won't fit in two others I have, so it does pay to go for the original if it's not already supplied with the instrument.

Perhaps my only minor gripe is that some sanding/finishing marks are visible through the clear coat, but Hey! we're not talking about a $3000 John Lennon "Revolution" model here. Otherwise the finish was first-rate.

As it's only being played at home nowadays, and I'm one of the original Beatles generation, needless to say, it fits the bill perfectly.

I'm playing it through a Roland Cube 30, but by-passing the built-in effects (somewhat tinny, even through the very warm Kinman "Hank Marvin" pickups on my Warmoth Strat) in favor of a Boss CH-1 Super Chorus and RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay. Sounds simply great with this guitar, especially for Claw-hammer picking style on Lennon's material.

Undoubtedly, US made replacement pickups would be superior on stage, but to me (in my somewhat limited arena), they sound as clear as a bell, and distort quite nicely thank you! They are also exceptionally quiet.

Set-up was almost perfect. The intonation was spot-on, the action was set at exactly the required height for this style of instrument, and the only adjustment I made to the pickups was to slightly lower the screw on the G-string (both neck & bridge). As it comes fitted with .010-.046 strings, my first inclination was to go slightly heavier (a la the original Casino), but my better judgment told me to simply change to the same gauge in Elixirs for the quieter finger-style work. A great match-up!
Look around for a set of original style knobs though, as the fitted ones are a bit on the cheap side, and I had a couple chip on me.

All other controls work well, but the volume pots do tend to have a sudden drop-off point below around 5. Tone pots are not noticeably different to what I recall from my old '66 version, so pretty good.

Casino's were never really designed to take a lot of punishment, but I couldn't see any real problem if it's looked after.

As I've said, everything else seems to be sturdy enough, and the strap buttons etc look well fitted.

In summing up; if this is what we can come to expect in the future from
Chinese subsidiaries, then all I can say is "Bring it on!" Amazing!

Japanese companies are renowned for their pre/post sales service, so it seems of little relevance to any US buyers. 2 year warranty.

Playing 43 years, and I've had (or repaired) 'em all. Currently still own 2 of my Warmoths, an irreplaceable 1982 K.Yairi acoustic 12-string, a Larrivee acoustic and this phenomenal "Assembled in China" Epiphone Casino NA. I can honestly say it's the best value for money I've ever purchased in an electric guitar, and far surpasses some of the super expensive ones I've owned and gladly parted with (the single biggest mistake being a PRS. Is it possible to build a more boring guitar?)

I'm seriously contemplating buying another of these Casinos (and having it hermetically sealed!) just in case they decide to stop making them! It's that good.

Mine is a 2006 in vintage tinted natural made in Korea and set up in the U.S.A.. See below (or above) for somebody else's review for the specs. They do not change. By now, you probably know what they are anyway...

As for sound, this guitar is very unique. As you should know by now, it is a fully hollow thinline. Unplugged, it sounds great - everything rings and it has a nice, quiet acoustic sound for that playing jones at 1:30 in the morning. Of course this sound translates very well when it is plugged in. Surprisingly, the pickups are darker than I would have expected, but that's better than having them sound thin and brittle. They do have excellent clarity of tone. You can hear your strings ring out clearly. Very nice. There is a difference in volume between the two pickups individually. The neck pickup is noticeably louder than the bridge (I guess because it's closer to the strings). There is no overall height adjustment for these pickups. I could try to raise the pole pieces on the bridge pickup, but since I don't know if that would damage something in the pickup, my alternative fix is to turn the neck pickup volume down to 5. That seems like a good balance. Overall, it's just a quirk that I can live with because I love this guitar. The P-90 pickups are fairly quiet (just a little noise)and I think of a decent manufacturing quality. Epiphone puts these plastic labels on them that extol their virtues, so I think (maybe?) they upgraded the pickups that they now put in these guitars as opposed to the ones that came out in the late 1990's. I play this instrument in an excellent Beatles cover band doing songs from the "Revolver" period to "Let It Be" in clubs in NYC. For what we do, this guitar helps get the songs to sound right. But it needs to used like The Beatles used theirs - basically straight into a Fender Twin or a Vox AC30. Think vintage and you'll be happy. Try to go Marshall 900 and you'll end up with a feedback bomb. Or maybe you go for that sort of thing. To each his (or her) own. It is what it is. Either it is for you or it's not. For the tone, I could see how a jazzbo or a fingerpicker might go for this guitar too. I only knock it back to an 8 because of the volume disparity between pickups.

First the good stuff: the construction is much better than what one would expect from a $599 Korean made guitar. Nice figured natural wood with a good gloss finish. Everything nice, neat and clean. A very straight neck. Great figured abalone inlays in the neck and headstock logo. The fretwork is exceptional, really nothing to complain about. The nut seems to be cut well: no 'pings' when tuning (indicating the string is binding up). Overall, the luthier's construction on this guitar is about as close to a 10 as you're going to get. Great work!

Now the not-so-good stuff: the hardware (not talking about the pickups here) is 'fair' to just 'o.k.', but the assembly makes those things even more dismal. (I just expected it. I read other people's reviews here too). When I got this guitar home from Guitar Center (as a side note: really - how can you check out a guitar in this store when some kid next to you is playing very loudly some insanely distorted, detuned song by Children of Bodom or Avenged Sevenfold or something, while SRV is playing 'Crossfire' over the sound system?) I attacked this guitar on a technical level. First thing I noticed: the poor quality Kluson replica tuners were not in line. Further inspection showed me why: the screws were slipping. Tightening was not working, since they did not stop turning from tightening. Bad news. Luckily, I had replacement screws from a set of Rickenbacker Kluson replicas I had bought a while back but never used. These screws were slightly fatter and longer, so I replaced all of them and that did the trick. If I didn't tell you, you would never know. I would recommend getting at least better screws (if not replacement tuners) as soon as you get yours. Having a problem like this is not a preference issue, it is a matter of whether the guitar can be functional or not. The label on the back of the headstock says "Set up and tested in the U.S.A. by '29'". Really? The other thing was the tuning peg grommets (or bushings, if you prefer) that go into the headstock face were not fully flush into the holes. You can fix this (but be very careful) yourself, even though you shouldn't have to. ???29??? should have made this right. ???29??? also didn't tighten the input jack nut on the face, which left me having to figure out how to tighten it without the shaft barrel turning along with it inside the guitar, twisting the wires in the process. I finally got it to tighten, but once again I shouldn't have had to. One thing that can't be fixed without drilling a new hole is that the strap pin on the back of the neck is a little left of center. I'll live with it. Not a huge problem, but just indicative of ???29???'s ability to compliment this nicely constructed guitar by actually getting this 'screw on' stuff right or even fixing it before it left 29's hands. Shame on you, ???29???. If this was your guitar, you would have been upset to find these things on your new instrument too. I am '45' (and I can't believe that!). I fixed most of these things to my liking, thank you very much. One thing I did get on my guitar that is unique: three knobs marked "volume". instead of the usual 2 "volume", 2 "tone" knobs(at least it is actually functioning the normal way on my guitar). So my guitar has more "volume". Just a funny quirk (because I choose to see it that way). To be fair, some other stuff is not 29's fault: the bridge, tailpiece and (especially) the selector switch are cheap quality and may not hold up over time. The cheap chrome finish certainly will not. Time will tell. I'll deal it with when I have to. So Korea gets a 10 on guitar building and a 7 on components quality. Where as ???29??? gets a 4 at best for allowing this to be shipped in that fianl condition with a good number like ???29???attached to it. Note to Gibson: take the screwdriver away from '29' and substitute a pushbroom. And stop raising your prices. It's geting stupid now.

Other than hardware issues noted, this guitar is suitable for live giging. It is very light and balances well on the strap. It stays in tune very well and for me is good for the purpose I've described above. It is delicate more in the way of a Rick 360 vs., say, a trusty Strat. (You know, the one you've bashed around forever and amazingly it still works fine?) I would not treat this guitar like that, but with a little consideration for what it is it should be fine. I would use it on gig without a backup, just because I 'm too lazy to drag around two guitars on the subway. If it stopped working for some reason, my promoter would get someone to loan me another guitar.

No. Never used them. I wouldn't even try. For the total investment of $672 (with tax and a $30 gig bag)I'd prefer to go somewhere good and pay for any repairs out of my pocket. Having Guitar Center send my guitar off in a box to someone somewhere seems like I would be setting myself up for prolonged aggravation. And the nice Guitar Center saleman even offered me an extended warranty! How wonderful. Thanks, but no...

This is one of the most unique sounding guitars in my collection of 15 (high end Gibson, Gretsch, Fender, Rickenbacker, etc.). I've been playing for over 25 years and this is guitar gets me excited. Paperback Writer!!!

Just a heads up: find a gig bag or case that fits this guitar (because it's a 335 body with an extra-long headstock - a tough fit) before you buy it and realize it dosen't come with either. That was the case when I was thisclose to buying a nice sunburst one at Rudy's on 48th St. and they had nothing suitable for me to carry it out of the store with. Rather than walking down the street looking like I just stole it, I passed on buying that one. Even Guitar Center in NJ didn't have a case. I had to go across the highway (Route 22)to get a 'Guitar Research' gig bag.

It's just an opinion, but I would also recommend a cable with an 'L' plug end for the input jack, so if you happen to swing your arm quickly down or bump hard into something there's less of a chance that you will have damage to the input jack area and the top of you guitar.

I would be upset if this guitar was lost or stolen. I have other much more expensive guitars, but this one is very nice and I would hate to have to try and replace it.

Body is laminated maple, with some very decent figure showing through the transparent gloss finish. Neck is set-in mahogany. This is a hollow body guitar, tune-o-matic bridge, trapeze tailpiece (which I'm growing to like quite a bit). Tuners are fake Kluson-type and aren't very good. Neck is a bit wider than I'm used to, frets are jumbo. It came with zero accessories, but that's ok, that stuff is always lame. Made in Korea in January, 2006 by someone who knows how to make guitars. P-90 pick-ups, regular Gibson switching.

I'm playing sort of mucky pseudo-country rock. This piece fits that bill just right. The overall sound is a little darker than what I'm used to, but I was really aiming for something a little different (been playing no other guitar but my American Tele since 1991). The sound is reasonably balanced and very pleasing, I just am having a hard time acclimating to my new sound. I'm playing through a Fender Deluxe Reverb RI, which kills with the Tele and now kills in a very different way with the Casino. I rarely find myself playing on the bridge pickup. It sounds right, I just haven't found my way there yet.

Uh, well, the finish and fit were exemplary. I looked through loads of these to find this one. It does have a very small weirdness in the poly, but the joinery is top notch and the finish is otherwise at least as good as my brother's 335 RI (don't tell him I said that). The Pickups don't adjustht ,though the pole pieces do. I didn't find that I needed to change anything. The action came too low for my liking and the intonation was really not even close, but those are simple things and were easily remedied. I have to say that, unfortunately I had to change the tuners (to Grover vintage) and the bridge (to a Schaller) because they were unacceptable. The tuners would not hold tune (bad) and the bridge vibrated noisily (also bad). The upgrades were welcome and inexpensive, so, no major complaints.

I have just used this in practice sessions so far, but I feel like it's as sturdy as any hollow-body guitar could be. I am careful enough not to worry about abuse issues and it feels solid through extended and intense practices. Good enough. I put straplocks on minutes after I got it, though the factory buttons were fine. I just like to be careful. I wouldn't gig without a backup with any instrument or amp: it's bad luck.

Lifetime warrenty, I haven't dealt with the company. If anything ever goes wrong with my equipment, I usually just fix it myself. Most of my stuff is very low-tech, and this is no exception to that.

Like I said, my only guitar I have is my Tele. I have tried probably a hundred different guitars in the last 15 years, but never bought anything before this Casino. I play through a Deluxe Reverb, practice with an Epiphone Valve Junior, and have a handful of cool analog effects that I rarely use. When I decided to search out a hollow body, I played quite a few. I like the 335, I like the 330, but for at least a thousand bucks less, I have a very well made instrument that lets my feed my ego with my playing rather than with my look-how-much-I-spent. I can't find much fault with this. The hardware is cut-rate, but they have to trim cost somewhere and hardware is cheap and easy to change.

This Is A 2005 Epiphone Casino, Made In Korea, It Has 22 Frets With Beautiful Trapaziod Inlay. It Has A Solid Top With The F-Holes Cut Out. It Has Two Volume And Two Tone Controlls Which Perform Impecably, Very Smooth. It Has The Standard Three Way Selector Switch, Which Performs As It Should. It Has The P90 Pickups Wch Are Powerful Yet Subtle, With The Passive Electronic Circutry. The Body Is Made Of Maple As I Believe The Neck To Be Maple Too. Very Beautiul Guitar With Natural Finish. The Neck Has A Brown Finish On It, Still Very Beautiful. The Body On Mine Is Rare To Have Been Made Of Birdseye Maple Which Is Even More Spectacular. It Has The Schaller Tuners, With Medium Size Frets With Rosewood Neck. Very Very Nice.

This Guitar Is Awesome For Sound. I Play Through A Marshall Amp With No Effects, Maybe Some Reverb But Not Much, Sometimes Light Distortion Too. The Guitar Sound Very Clean When Lightly Played Very Crisp And Bright, And When You Really Dig Into It It It Growls Very Cool Sounds. You Can Get Just About Any Sound You Want Out Of It. The P90 Pickups Are Sort Of Noisy When Your Not Playing But Not Bad. Its Just Kind Of Like A Hissing Sound But You Can Only Hear It When Your Not Playing. It Helps To Not Stand In Front Of Your Amp While You Play. Mine Had a Slight Buzz On The A Sting When I Played On The Second Fret, But I Fixed That Pretyy Easily By Adjusting The String Hight. I Love This Guitar!

The Guitar Was Setup Great From The Factory, Te Intonation Was Perfect And The Parts Were All Properly Placed. The Only Problem Was The Fret Buzz On The A String But Like I Said It Was Easily Fixed. You Have To Understand With Guitars That They May Be Set Up Perfectly From The Manufacturer, But Then Through Shipping And Temperature Changes And Sitting In A Store And Played And Just Everything Can Change These Settings, So If You Get Any Guitar Thats Set Up Perfectly From The Manufacturer You Either Dont Know What Pefect Is Or You Got It Pretty Fast After It Was Made. So Dont Judge A Guitar Based On What It Plays Like Right Away. Spend Some Quality Time On It Getting It To The Specs You Want, It Makes The Guitar Seem As If Its A Part Of You Then.

This Guitar Is Solid,If You Take Care Of It, Then It Will Take Care Of You. Never Gig Without A Back Up. Not To Say That Its Going To Break, But Strings Will Always Break. The Finish Seems Like Will Last, Ill Tell You How It Looks In About Ten Years.

Lifetime Warranty, Need I Say More?

Ive Been Playing For About Ten Years, The Guitars I Add To My Collection Have To Be Worth A Damn, And This One Really Takes The Cake. It Wont Strike Everyone As The Best Guitar In My Collection But Is Is One Of The Most Significant To My Sound. I Looked At Lots Of Other Hollow Bodie Guitars, Even Gibsons, But For Me This One Was Just Calling My Name, Im Glad I Went With This One. f It Were Lost Or Stolen Id Cry, Then Id Go Buy Another One.

Just like what you read in the other reviews, oh, it's a lefty!

I use it at home vith my Vox AC 30 and it souns fine. I try to play some Beatles stuff, and it sounds great, considering the price. I have far more expensive guitars which don't sound as well. I was also surprised at the good acoustic sound when unplugged. Great for rehearsing.
I like the overall Lennon look (why I bought it in the first place)
No particular dislikes so far...

Setup was done by the good people at Southpaw Guitars Texas for an extra $25, and it's ok. Just a little string rattle, but only heard on the acoustic side. Nothing comes through when playing amplified. I couldn't find any flaws, again, it looks and feels three times the asking price.

Feels pretty solid to me. I haven't gigged since 1975, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it onstage. I'd always carry a backup, if only to show off the nice guitars i have...

No idea, too soon to tell.

As it is hardly possible to find a decent Lefty guitar in Belgium, I order mainly over the internet and have not been disappointed so far.
I play since 1971 and after a long period of inactivity have restarted the old hobby. So far I just play by myself, not too confident about my playing to look for bandmembers yet. My other guitars are
1973 Yamaha FG 160 acoustic
2004 Fender USA Stratocaster
2003 Rickenbacker 350 v 63
2004 Gretsch Tennesean
2003 Hofner 500 '63 reissue bass
2004 Epiphone Les Paul custom
Amlified through Vox ac 30, Marshall MG100DFX, and Vox T60 bass amp

Epiphone Casino, in natural.........normal 2 tone 2 volume controls plus a pickup selector. P90 pickups......Copy Kluson tuners, trapeze tailpiece, parrelelogram inlays, tune-o-matic bridge.....2004 made in korea....23 frets...

Great! as a member of a beatle tribute, I can highly reccomend this guitar....I use the guitar in question with various vox amps and it is great for later beatles stuff...One can get any tone they want
from this guitar. It does feedback if you stand close to your amp, but it really isnt exagerated as it seems from the other reviews. especially on a big stage.......

The guitar came flawless, nothing wrong with it AT ALL, the wood grain is great looking, and I like the glossy finish. I removed the pickguard though (for that lennon look) Plays very well

I played with it the first time the other night and it was great, espescially on "I want you (she's so heavy)" in the middle instrumental bit when you switch to the neck pickup (which defineley dosent sound muddy.....jazzy is a more correct word I think. One thing that I might replace in the future are the tuners, which arent AWFUL but arent great either (as exagerated in other reviews)Toggle switch might need replacing, but i only need it to switch pickups and thats what it is meant to do.........people on this site must flick the selector switch 100 times while playing, because everyone on the site say that its crap

I wont need to deal with the company............the guitar is solid

BUY THIS GUITAR, HIGHLY RECCOMENDED, I WOULD CRY IF IT WERE GONE

AND GET A CASE!

This casino is a 2003 model & I bought it new at guitar center. This model has 22 frets, 2 volume, 2 tone knobs, with a three way toggle switch & 2 P90 pups with nickle plated covers. Thank gawd for the pup covers, for the pups are so bright, the covers tone it down a bit I'm sure. The finish is clear and all natural wood is exposed. I took off the pick guard, for one thing it looks better and it rattles after a while.Also it just about duplicates John Lennons Casino for less than half the price, especially with the natural wood finish. I imediatly new I had two replace the tuners, so I just has a set of locking tuners (sperzel) installed & what a diffrence all around.

The casino is great for classic rock music, which I play exclusively.I use a vintage tube amp (35 yr old Traynor) with two 12 inch celestion speakers. Also,Fender blues jr for practice amp.this guitar has plenty of low end & also has a nice rich sound playing chords.I would recomend this ax for playing rythem guitar.I will end up changing the strap buttons with locking ones for sure.

The guitar had a good set up, straight from the factory. I had my luthier check it out.As far as i can see, the guitar has no obvious flaws. The finish you would find on a Gibson, and there was much care taken in the Casino I bought, which tells me when Gibson took the Epiphone line over, they didn't cut corners. If it were lost or stolen I would absolutly look for another one.

I never use a guitar on a gig without a back-up so I can't really give a good answer. The finish seems like it will last with some care, but the 3 way switch, I believe will have to be replaced down the road.The strap buttons should be replaced with some better quality one's, but its to be expected for the price paid for the guitar

N/A

I've been playing guitar for about 38 years now. I would definatly buy another if lost or stolen. I love the tone of it when not plugged in and don't dislike anything about it. I own a 1993 fender Deluxe strat, a reissued 1972 fender telecaster I use for open G tuning and an assortment of no name guitars I have picked up over the years. I manage to play em all, so rock on, all you guitar nuts like me.

I recently bought this little beauty second hand here in Canada. It is a 1996 Korean natural finish. Its obviously a true hollowbody with no center block. Two single coil P-90's which I believe were the first pick ups Gibson ever invented. Each pick up has a volume and tone knob and the guitar can be played with either pickup or combined. Nothing too fancy but that's what I wanted a simple, classic guitar.

I play a lot of old school type rock and this thing excels at that. You're not going to be thrashing on this but what a great, full tone. If you've got a nice tube amp (AC30) in my lucky case you are in old school heaven. Think British Invasion people. Yummy. It is very sensitive to your playing. Many consider this a fault which is beyond me, if you suck practice.

The action came very low but there was far too much fret buzz. I have adjusted the settings to have the low E end up higher while leaving the high E end much lower. What can I say its personal preference right? Anyway that helped immensely. As for the intonation well frankly when I got it, it sucked. Not to mention the fact that it had ultra thin strings. I set the intonation which has helped a great deal but I find that I cannot move the G string back far enough. Its much better but would be perfect if I could move the saddle back about another half of a millimeter I'd guess.
The quality of the wood was as expected for a relatively inexpensive guitar. The finish is good, not great. Over all no major flaws.
The tuners are different story, I think they're Kluson's but not sure. Anyway they aren't the best and are far too sensitive and can be frustrating when fine tuning, which lets face it is all the time. Definitely putting on some Grovers when I get around to it.
Oh yeah and one other thing I totally understand why John Lennon and George Harrison removed their pick guards. Its a very stupid set up and no matter what I did it seemed lose. I've removed it. It looks better anyway, more wood visible.

It seems very solid for a non-solid body! I am more careful with this than I am with my Stratocaster, it could not take the abuse. Other than something sharp and heavy falling on it it holds up to a full night of serious playing and just begs for more. The only drawback as I've mentioned is the tuners, they MUST be replaced if you plan to gig with this.

Do it yourself I suspect. I'm not worried she seems pretty solid.

Like I said I play mostly older sounding stuff with little or no added distortion so for those reasons this thing is one of the greats.
I love the playability, I love the light weight and I love the neck. I do not love the tuners but they can be replaced.
If it was good enough for John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Lenny Kravitz and Noel Gallagher it is surely good enough for you. No?

This Guitar is the the ultimate hollow body guitar for its price. It's Epiphones version of big sister Gibsons ES 335 with American made Gibson P-90 pickups. When I first looked at the guitar I was a little worried because it was made in korea but when I played it it was truely amazing. and the action on them can be set rediculously low without any fret buzz. I bought mine from the classified add in a news paper along with a Vox AC-30 and it came with a hard shell case, a patch chord, a Boss Distortion, and a soft case for the amp.

I Worship the Beatles (especially Lennon) along with this guitar I also Own a Rickenbacker 325 Lennon knock off and a Epiphone EJ-160 so when I saw the Casino and a Vox AC-30 in the classifieds one day I knew I had to have them and it turned out that they both had less then 10 hours of playing on them. The first thing I did when I got the guitar was take off the pick guard like Lennon, Harrison, and McCartney all eventually did and put strap locks on it. When playing with this guitar I only usually have a danelectro pastrami overdrive pedal(perfect for songs like Revolution, Cold Turkey, and Well Well Well) and sometimes a Dunlop Rotovibe between the guitar and the Vox but when I am using one of my other guitars with one of my other amps I have a Dunlop Cry Baby, Boss Distortion, Danelectro Octive Overdrive. Although this guitar is definitly not for metal/punk/grunge it does still sound good with a bit of gritty distortion or overdrive on it and after a while of playing with it you can make a note resonate for days.

Action on this is set Beautifully. I use extra light strings and set the action on it really low. This guitar had less then 10 hours of playing on it when I bought it so it was in brand new condition and after a year it is still my baby so the guitar doesn't have a single dent or scratch on it.

I play live with this guitar all the time its very dependable. Right after I bought the thing I put strap locks on it and I recomend you do this with any guitar that you love because you can never trust just the pins to hold that strap on. This guitar shouldn't need a back up but you should always have one just in case.