Epiphone Casino

The Chinese made Casino I have is just a fine guitar. I paid around $700 for it case and all. I.ve never put any different keys or pick-ups on it. The pick-ups by the way, on mine at least, are just excelleny. Even the bridge pick-up has a good "throaty" sound, not tinny at all. The only change I made was taking off the white pickguard, which I think made my cherry finish Casino look better. That's just an opinion though. I got the case that goes w/ it, black w/ Epiphone written on it.

I play a "Beatle-ish" style. I use a Fender Twin, a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and I use a Morley Wah and a Boss Rotory Speaker Simulator. I also use an old Boss Delay-Pitch Shifter effect. You can't get 'em anymore, don't know why. I have a Boss 1180 studio that I've been running the guitar through w/ an Ampeg bass amp, getting all the different effects and amp sounds. The Casino sounds good w/ that although if I turn it up too much it'll feed back. That's single coils for you.

The finish is just great, very comparable to great old Gibsons. I like it. The pick-ups were amazingly just about right, right outta the box. I did raise the screws on the lead pick-up.

There's not a thing wrong w/ this guitar. Since Epiphone sold to Gibson way back in the early '60s, it is only now that they again have their very own designated Epiphone factory. until recently, Epiphones have been farmed out to Samick etc. So the Chinese Epiphones are the best that have been made since they were made here in the US so many years ago. Totally dependable.

Never dealt w/ customer support.

I,ve been playing almost all my life and I'm 55 now. I have all kinds of other insruments. I just got this Casino because I thought it'd be a good one and I was right. I really mostly just liked the way it looked though. I also knew the Beatles liked 'em and used them a lot. I relly didn't, for some reason, expect it to be so good. I don't have a vibro bar on this one. I kinda wonder if they stay in tune good w/ a hollow body and all.

1995 korean made casino ch. made at peerless plant korea. bought it used, today. For $450. the original owner put new sperzel tuners on it. thats good, since the stock tuners arent super. This is my third casino. i really want to say. the second casino i bought was made in china. IT WAS HORRIBLE. JUNK. even unpluged, it acoustically was a dud. The korean ones are a better instrument. My favorite guitar is a casino. And i have gibson les paul std., special and american strats. Oh yeah check your serial number here: http://www.guitardaterproject.org/epiphone.aspx

i play 60's style original brit rock...if you like the sound of the kinks, or the beagles (the beatles) this is it. Put on a set of flat wound strings and play through a ac30 or your favorite tube amp and it is phenominal...p90's is the sound of the 60's. Warm rich tone, that you really can only get from this guitar. i use a vox ac30, ac50 and a marshall jcm2000. mostly i use amp dist. but also really like the fulltone ocd.

well this guitar is 15 years old. actally made in 1994. The set up that the previous owner has is pretty good. has a set of 9's standard round strings on it. the bridge, neck, body and head stock seem good. no manufacture defects. but it is used and there are a few scratches and maybe a ding or two. But i think that i gives the guitar more character. i only buy old used guitars. Because their made better and more interesting than new ones.

These guitars hold up nicely. this is a completely hollow body guitar. and just like acoustic guitars their tone improves with age. ive played many shows with this as my main guitar and never had any problem.

I really like this guitar. the only thing better than this would be a gibson 330. which probably sounds a little better. and would be made out of better materials. but that is for a guy with $3000+ to spend. john lennon played one these. and he was a millionare. who could have easily bought one. so there must be something to them.

Made in China, 2008.
22 Frets.
Laminated Maple Top.
2 Volume, 2 Tone and 3-way selector.
2 single coil pickups.
Alnico V P-90 pickups.
Passive Electronics.
Maple body, Mahogany neck.
I believe the finish is polyester.
The body is similar in shape to the ES-335 (or ES-330 which is what this guitar is modeled after) and is completely hollow.
The bridge is Tune-O-Matic and the tailpiece is trapeze.
Tuners are Epiphone stock chrome tuners.
Rosewood fingerboard with parallelogram inlays.

Features sufficient for this type of guitar.

I play mostly 60's music but the best way to describe my style is clean with little or no effects. Tremolo, reverb and light overdrive or distortion is the most I'll use for now.
I am playing through a Peavey Bandit 112 'Solo Series' amp made in the U.S.A.
Now before you shake your head and tsk tsk tsk about Peavey, bear in mind that this amp is made in the U.S.A. is is a much older Bandit than the ones presently being made. It is an incredible amp for the price I paid with a very nice and deep reverb, surprisingly good sounding distortion and crystal clear clean channel.
The guitar sounds like every guitar sound that ever caught my ear and many more that did not. Great classic tone.
It is capable of a myriad of tonal varieties ranging from thick Gretsch-like twong to nasal country twang. Pickups are very bright and glassy although noisy due to their being single coil. Hum does not bother me at all and the feedback can be subdued. The tone more than makes up for this minutiae.
This guitar covers all bases. Rock, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass, you name it.

This guitar needed to be set-up. Period. Never expect a guitar to be perfect when you get it. Thankfully the tune-o-matic bridge made intonation easy. The neck did not need adjusting, thankfully. Action was fine when I got it but it can be set very low without string buzz even with thick strings.

However, there are flaws that really shouldn't have been (especially on what is supposed to be Epiphone's signature electric guitar) but for the most part this may be just nitpicking on my part:

The input jack was loose
The poly finish is nice for the most part but there is a spot on mine where it looks rough.
The wood is very nice with nice grain but in certain areas the contours of the body on the top and bottom have inconsistencies in the wood.
The contours of the f-holes are painted black and they could have done a much neater job.
For a guitar that costs eight-and-a-half bills at the store they could have used some better quality knobs and seated them correctly on the pot (some were loose, some seated lopsidedly). This can be fixed by removing the knob and using a flatheaded screwdriver to gently pry apart the pot shaft.
E logo is flimsy and pointless and should have been moulded or set flush into the pickguard.
Selector switch feels cheap and loose.
Tuners could be better.
The pots could be better as well.

Despite the cosmetic flaws guitar seems well built and sturdy.
I don't know how long the poly finish could last. It seems thin and already has inconsistencies. However, if the guitar is well-cared for it will provide years of playing enjoyment. Strap buttons are solid. I do not play live but I don't see the guitar falling apart on you while on stage.

Never dealt with the company.

I have been playing off and on since 1998. I own an Epiphone Viola bass that is a factory 2nd and must admit that it fells like it was built better than this guitar although the bass was made in Korea. I may just be comparing apples with oranges.
This guitar was a great purchase and I am thoroughly satisfied. I was looking for a semi-hollow guitar and I like it much better than the Epiphone Dot 335 that I was looking into. I recommend it to anybody looking for classic tone.

My Casino is a 2008 model made in China with a Vintage Sunburst finish, which looks stunning by the way. It has 22 frets, although it is extremely difficult to reach much beyond the 17th-19th frets where the neck joins the body.
If there's one thing I can fault about this guitar it would have to be the tuners, they don't hold tune very well and it can be very difficult to tune right.

This is where this baby shines, it's tone cannot be faulted at all! Really full, rich and warm sound. It does give out some quite versatile tones, think The Beatles 'I Want You (She's So Heavy), the bright intro progression part as well as the Bluesy lead solo sounds from the verses. At the moment I'm just using a Vox AD50VT-212 amp with it, saving up for a Marshall 1962 Bluesbreaker although I might be waiting some time. However, the Vox does seem to bring out the tone of the guitar beautifully (the Boutique Clean setting is really nice, especially if you crank the gain all the way up, great crunchy tone).
I've read people complaining about the P90 pickups being a bit noisy but for me they've been surprisingly clear. Haven't had any trouble with the infamous bridge rattle as of yet.
Although this baby's strongest feature is her clean tones, it can handle some moderate distortion quite nicely, as someone else on here said, think along the lines of Paul Weller's 'Sunflower' and 'The Changingman', as well as The Beatles 'Taxman' and 'Revolution'.

Mine was brand new from the factory and the action did need lowering a little, and of course the strings needed changing. Only had to make a few minor adjustments to the intonation as well, otherwise it was set up pretty nicely.
The Vintage Sunburst finish is absolutely stunning! Although I wish they'd bring back the more orangey sunburst of the late 60s, that was gorgeous.

So far this guitar hasn't let me down, everything is sturdy enough.

Haven't needed any customer support as of yet.

Overall this is a fantastic guitar, the neck is nice and fast (although nothing beats my old strat), and most importantly its a real tone monster!
I've been playing for about 6-7 years and have had a few guitars since the Casino, I started off with an old Squire Strat, although the pickups were cack I've never found another guitar as comfortable to play. Also had an Epiphone Firebird, which was good for studio recordings as the humbuckers on it are silent, but the neck on it was far too fat an awkward for me, plus I hate the shape of it, just wont stand up anywhere. So far the Casino has to be my favorite, nice and comfortable to play, plus the most amazing tone!

It's a new guitar "hand crafted" in China. I've always wanted one and got the plain wood version(John Lennon 1968 onwards). The finish was fantastic; gleaming wood and brightwork, no blemishes at all. However, I thought it was worth paying for a setup and got the standard machine heads replaced with chrome Grover Rotomatics. The guitar now plays like a dream, the action and intonation is great. I bought the guitar new for GBP 347 and spent about another GBP 100 setting up and replacing the heads. Well worth it! As far as I'm concerned, the guitar sounds great, the P90s deliver that authentic Sixties sound and the iconic status of the Casino is a bonus. Overpriced John Lennon "Special" anyone?

It sounds great, either clean or through an effects processor. I've used the Casino through a V-Amp 2 and old combo and you can get a very pleasing range of sounds and tones. Is there a problem with feedback ? - likely if you're cranking up the volume in a limited space. I've yet to try it live on stage. The pickup combination means that you can get a bright, chiming sound on lead and middle settings and a chunky rhythm setting.The mid to late Beatles guitar sound is easily achievable with a bit of experimentation and practice

Paid for a professional set-up. I was happy with the guitar finish and appearance, but had reservations about the action and the machine heads. The set-up cured any minor problems and was well worth it. I would particularly recommend upgrading the standard machine heads to Grover or Gotoh as this will practically eradicate tuning difficulties.

The guitar is equal to long term playing in my opinion and will age well. However, I'm an amateur musician, and not in a position to assess long term durability. The guitar is well made with simple electrics- what's to go wrong?

I've been playing guitar for over 40 years. I have had a variety of inexpensive guitars, some of which are still going strong after 35 years. My amp is an old Laney combo which has seen better days. I have an Epiphone J-200VS which I think sound like its Gibson sister. I researched the guitar fairly thoroughly and sourced it through a reliable and well established online company

Mine says "limited edition custom shop" on the back of the headstock, but it's just a standard Casino. I heard these necks were originally made for the Casino with a Bigsby added. By the way, I installed my own Bigsby on this, more on that later.

The tuners are high-quality kluson-type (made by Kluson?), the hardware, electronics, and pickups are all of medium quality and work fine. The pickups are decent, not really worth switching out for anything else unless you have good ones laying about. Why put $200 pickups in a $400 guitar? I don't get it, but that's what a lot of people do. Just buy a 70's vintage or custom shop guitar - they already come with better everything for not that much more. I saw someone selling one of these Korean Casinos with better parts for $1200 on craigslist and it just blows my mind...

I like the P90's that come with the guitar, but they are not balanced in output and not too adjustable. I would like a higher output for the bridge pickup because I like that one to be louder. If you adjust the screws too high on the pickup the low E string hits the screw with your palm and sounds less than great. If you adjust them too low it tends to have a weaker sound that becomes unacceptable at a certain point (especially since P90's buzz a lot anyway).

There is noticeable hum with these guitars but I would argue that hum isn't a factor when playing with a band or making recordings (just turn at the right angle where there is the least hum) because it blends and gets lost in the mix. I only notice it if I play alone at home, and even then I'm too busy paying attention to the music than being bothered by a little hum.

It does feedback at very low volumes which is awesome for live performances (especially with the Bigsby to manipulate the feedback). What you can't do with these is crank up your amp too loud or with too much gain and stand within a 5 foot radius of it. I learned that the hard way last Saturday night - it squeals like a pig. Hollowbodies are powerful tools in the right hands (is Ted Nugent really powerful, though?), but if you aren't ready to ride the balance, or you play through some expensive overdrive something or other all the time (instead of just cranking your amp like you are supposed to), expect to be humiliated by your guitar. I'm sure you will sell her immediately to find another victim and someone like me who appreciates such things will pick her up and make her sing like she should.

I'm a huge fan of the quality control of Korean CNC Manufactured Epiphones these days, even though they're not perfect by any means. If you've ever played a vintage Kay or Harmony or even a Silvertone, you will know that the cheap "US Made" vintage guitars that are so highly coveted (and overpriced) now were made with crappy whammy bars, thin and sharp-edged frets, horrible sunbursts, non-adjustable pickups, necks without trussrods or that were just plain horrible designs, bad neck-to-body joints, and cheap nuts and bridges that broke and fell apart (that's why people pay top bucks for replacement parts on eBay - suckers!).

Let's put it this way - there were several dead spots on the fretboard when I dropped the action low, partly because the nut was too low and the frets weren't leveled. The pickguard flew off in the middle of a gig one night, and one of the saddles kept breaking high E strings. But I haven't played a better guitar in this price range for action, playability and construction. The neck joint is flawless, the cherry finish is quality without any visible flaws, the knobs all stay on and the jack hasn't come loose after an initial tightening. The pots are smooth (better feeling than my Gibson SG Standard), and the neck is dead-on straight with well-finished frets. All the hardware (screws, plastic pieces, etc.) were properly installed and the tuners are pretty straight (although one of the screws was stripped out - I think that was my fault from hitting it against a cymbal or something). I think it's reasonable to assume that if you want this guitar to play like a Gibson you will need to level the frets, replace the nut with a Gibson one, and file the saddles. This can all be done by a luthier for under $100, no? It's worth it if you play professionally and demand playability from your instruments. If you just play for fun or aren't that serious, a basic setup would suffice, too. I am going to do the work myself because I am poor.

One thing to be aware of when purchasing this guitar, or an ES-330 (Gibson's version of the same thing), is that the neck is hard to reach after the 15th fret because the body connects right there. So you can't play up high (like in A). I don't do that much on this guitar, but it's something to be aware of. Gibson woke up to this and just reissued the 330's with the neck connected the same as the ES-335. If Epiphone has any geniuses working there that read this, they should do the same...

One last thing. If you want to put a Bigsby on this guitar (which I HIGHLY recommend), then you buy the B7 or B70 and DON'T bother buying a new bridge. I installed a B70 in about 30 minutes and bought another bridge that was the wrong size from StewMac. The existing bridge stays in tune just fine for me, and I use this guitar so much more now. You can get a Bigsby B70 for around $90, and they do not cause the top to cave in or anything like that. For me this has been a 100% safe operation. Just make sure that you line up the Bigsby with the old strap button hole (should be dead-center), and make sure the poles that you put the string eyelet on lines up with the saddles (you can pretty much eyeball this or use a piece of string.

Super reliable and durable, I needed a backup guitar for my last tour and put all the old funky "vintage" guitars for this one because it was new. I've had a few minor issues with it (always do with a new guitar), but I can depend on the guitar and the hardware has roughed it through thirty gigs or so without fail. The pickguard is cheap, so it flew off, but you don't actually need that I realized. This is a great workhorse guitar that sounds professional and I don't have to worry about leaving it in the car for more than fifteen minutes or sleep with it next to my head on tour like I do with my Gibson. Once you've had a guitar stolen, you never fully trust anyone ever again...

I bought a guitar. It doesn't come with or need customer support.

Great guitar for the money, sounds great - leave the pickups in and learn how to play the guitar instead of blaming the "cheap overseas" crap on it. Do you know how pickups are made? Do you know what makes a Lollar pickup better than an Epiphone one? Just because things are made on machines with minimum labor doesn't mean they don't sound good. Some of the best pickups I have ever played were on cheap no-name Japanese guitars from the 70's. The original pickups for Fender were made by women who weren't musicians or guitarists, and each one is radically different from the next. Don't believe in hype, and learn to play your ******* guitar before you waste money on **** you don't know anything about!

Love your guitars for what they are - pieces of wood that are fussy and fragile that may not do everything you like all the time. If you're lucky and you treat them right and love them often enough, you might actually get laid by that pretty girl standing under you.

I bought a used 2001 Made In Korea (Peerless factory) Epiphone Casino NAT.

The fit is practically flawless, it is lightweight, has 2 P90 pickups, fully hollow-body, separate V & T controls for each pickup.

The pups have been replaced, and I think they are Seymour Duncan P90s (from discussion on the Epiphone forum).

It has a tune-o-matic bridge, and the tuners are Grovers.

The neck is superb, touch and go. The action is low. It has the famous Gibson Slim Taper neck.

I also have a Gibson ES-330, basically the same guitar, and the Casino is 90% the guitar that the Gibson is for about 1/4 the price.

I would have given it a 10 in features, but I guess you could have added a Bigsby or something else. It is a basic, 2 pickup electric guitar.

The sound is awesome. Note: The previous owner changed the Pups from the stock Epi P90s to what I believe are Seymour Duncans (judging from my description and the responses on the Epiphone forum).

The sound us super clean, bright or mellow, with lots of overtones. From Beatles or early Rolling Stones bite, to mellow jazz tones, to blues sounds, this is one versatile guitar. I wouldn't use it for metal, but I'd use it for just about anything else.

I play in a middle-of-the-road duo http://www.s-cats.com doing mostly country clubs, yacht clubs and private parties for the adult audience (baby boomers and up). IMHO It is the perfect guitar for those ears.

The only flaw I could find on this guitar is a slight gap between the dog-ear pickup cover and the body of the guitar itself right at the spot where the neck almost touches the pickup. Since the original owner changed the pups, I cannot fault the guitar. Besides, the gap is so small, it would take a thin pick to get into the gap.

I am gigging with it without a backup. 'nuff said.

Never had to use support.

I have been playing guitar off and on for over 30 years. I also own/play sax, wind synthesizer (WX5), flute, bass (faux P-Bass), keyboards and drums.

The other guitars Leilani (my wife) and I own are, Gibson ES-330, Parker PM-10, ESP/LTD EC50, Ovation, Alverez Classical, and Epi flat-top.

If I was restricted to one guitar, I would own either a Casino or a Gibson ES-330 (they are basically the same guitar). I'd also choose the 330 since it is worth more for resale.

If anything happened to the Casino, I'd replace it.

Why did I choose this one? (1) P90 tone (2) lightweight (3) great neck (4) "Gibson" scale and radius (5) Gibson style V & T controls (6) I love my 1970 Gibson ES-330, but the 330 is now a collector's item and worth about $4-5K. Since I double on sax, flute, wind synth, guitar, percussion controller, vocals and sometimes keyboards on stage, and since I often have to switch instruments in a hurry, I didn't want to ruin the 330, so I go the closest thing to the 330 that was available at the time. I'm very happy with it. (Note: Gibson just re-issued the 330 so if I had to make the choice now, I'd have to weigh having the genuine Gibson for $2K or the Epi for 1/4 that amount

2008 made in china, vintage sunburst model.

All standard features - fully hollow, 2 p90 pick ups etc..

Not overly feature Laden but great for what I use it for and an absolute steal for ??350 brand new.

Having now had it for 2 weeks and put it through its paces, it's time to review.

Having read practically all of the reviews on here before even ordering the Casino, then waiting for the thick end of 4 months for it to arrive after ordering, it was with some trepidation that I opened the big cardboard box, plugged in and started to play.

I have to say that I fell in love with it instantly, even though I'd pretty much set it up to fail. I use it with my Fender Blues deluxe amp and its like they were made for each other. On clean and on the bridge pup it rings out like a bell. Neck pick up is pure chunky rhythm, or fat blues lead. With the amp on Overdrive mode, I get fantastic lead sounds in the bridge and Neck and great rhythm sounds when the selector is set to the middle.

I play in a band and so have tried the casino with a couple of other amps - Marshall JCM 2000 again sounds very good clean and overdriven, but if you want to use heavy distortion, then it does get noisy (a bit of hum and certainly a whole load of feedback). And some Fender stack amp which suits the casino very well also.

On the issue of feedback, much has been written on these pages, some of it unfairly, some justified. As already written, this thing will feedback - its hollow, no getting away from it. However, its very controllable and very musical. I've been using it as an atmospheric addition to some of my bands tunes and even the other guys in the band think it sounds awesome. However, if you really don't want feedback at all, then look for something else.

The style of music I use it for is similar to early Verve, mid 90s sound. I can get fantastic Paul Weller sounds ranging from great chunky rhythm parts to fairly dynamic leads - think Changing Man or Sunflower - spot on.

If you want it to nail your beatles stuff from 65-68, then you don't have to worry - but it's so much more capable than that.

It doesn't give you a whole spectrum of variety admittedly, but as I have mentioned, for my needs it seems to fit the bill and I love the fact that it feels half the weight of the les Paul, looks beautiful and sounds sweet as a springlamb or as fearsome as a Lion depending on what you're after.

The set up straight out of the box was pretty good if a little high for my taste - it took 2 minutes to sort this out. there is a little string buzz that will take some fine tuning concerning the height of the strings from the fretboard, but nothing to worry about.

The finish is beautiful, the wood grain is lovely and the paintjob immaculate. I have seen better finished fretboards, but they have generally have been on guitars worth at least double this one.

The white pick guard looks ok, but I removed it as a matter of taste.

I will certainly be using this at our next gig, but I would never gig without a back up, because of the spectre of string breakage...

I can't comment on whether it will stand up to the riguours of live performance, but should it fail I will post an update.

I agree with a number of posts here that remark on the quality of the selector switches on their casinos...it seems to be the trade off for the relatively cheap price tag, again the tuners could be better but presumably, you will have tried and tested this guitar before making your purchase, so if these factors are important to you and you go ahead and buy anyway, can you really complain too much?

N/A

Been playing for 11 years now, I also own a Fender Tele '72 deluxe and an epi les paul. Two very good guitars, but this Casino just looks the business and seems to cope with exactly what I want it do (maybe its still the honeymoon period talking) and being the only guitarist in my band allows me to stick with it, rather than change between the other two depending on the needs of the song. I find the P90's very adaptable.

Its my first hollowbody and I would definitely consider investing the money in another of these as I cannot remember feeling this excited about the overall feel from either of my other two guitars. Maybe there's now a little experience coming into play, some refinement into what it is I'm trying to get out of a guitar - this is ticking all of those boxes so far.

If you are currently reading this and mulling things over heres a summary:

Excellent value (350 quid)
beautiful - people respond to this guitar
P90s offer a unique alternative to humbuckers and normal single coil
Will not cope with screaming distortion
Prone to 'musical' feedback
switches, tuners not particularly sturdy
Light!!!!
Provides a real 'kid in a sweet shop' factor

Its a Casino! I'd buy again, I wouldn't change a thing about it - it is what it is and it's for me.

Standard 2-pickup Gibson features.

My custom strat is my main axe, but this work really well for a lot of specialty work. When I bought this guitar I was disappointed in it's sound. For being used by Lennon on every album from 1966 on...it didn't sound much like it to me. Then I discovered Thomastik-Infield flatwound strings. It nails the Beatles. (Try a Boss Blues Driver set pretty light and play Revolver tunes.) It's great for jazz. It's been called the perfect rhythm guitar and after 8 years of owning this guitar, I may finally agree. It's hums. It does suck that it hums. But it's so versatile. The bridge does rattle. I gotta fix that. Once your plugged in and playing though...
In short, put some high quality flatwounds on it and hope for a venue without much hum.

It's a damn good thing sound is most important. The finish around the f-holes is awful. The tuners were badly set and don't hold tune very well. I replaced with grovers. Neck feels unstable. Electronics are cheap and should be replaced. Bridge buzzes. Can't...make it....STOP!
You can't tell from the sound of it, but this is a cheap guitar.

It's lasted me 8 years. It's not my main guitar though. I don't trust this guitar to be a main axe like Lennon's. I plan eventually retire this guitar to the living room in favor of an Elitist Casino for stage and studio. I've seen and played one and it is very much an upgrade.

Great entry level jazz guitar or first beatle guitar. Then you learn to play over the course of time and tune in to a guitar's strengths and weak points. You'll move on to a really jazz hollow body for jazz and an elitist casino for 60's british tones. This is, though, a great entry level hollow body. If lost or stolen, I'd move up to the elitist.

Standard casino with case. The rest has been covered.

I love rock and play mainly brit rock. I will say at first i played a casino on honeymoon in singapore and fell in love with the clear crisp clean sound. When i eventually got home and bought one i was so dissappointed cos i couldnt get the same sound there was loads of feedback every time i looked at an amp. However after sitting down for a few hours and playing with my JVM410H I have got it set up beautifully to the point where i am really keen to keep it now. the only dissapointment is that I cannot use the OD1 or OD2 channels now without horrible squealing feedback. I palyed last night at a gig with the casino for the ifrst time worried that it was just going to squeal and low and behold it did when i switched it on, but i reduced the gain on the amp and turned the guitar volume down and it was no problem sounded sweet! Given 6 cos i can only use half of my amp with this guitar.

It looks immacualte, so cool!! There is a small buzzing sound which i believe to be the metal bratcket that holds the scratch board in place or how close the scratchboard is to the fretboard that when it resonates it vibrates the scratchboard. 9 because of this buzz.

Nothing has failed on it yet but the pickup did come loose but just a nip up and its all good.

not used them yet,touch the guitar.

I havent played anything worth a large sum of cash yet, as i am working my way up the ladder. My first guitar was a rockwood strat which i traded in for a epiphone les paul which will soon be part ex'd for a gibson but not made my mind up which. I also own a telecaster which is also going cos i cant be bothered with it, i love my noisey casino too much.

Two P-90s, Gibson style controls, Tunamatic bridge etc. It's the same as all casinos

First up, it does resonate if you turn it up and don't cover any strings you aren't using. As for feedback, it doesn't. Seriously. I know every other review goes on about feedback problems but that's because they are using the wrong terminology. Strings resonate, pick-ups feedback. Try getting one to feedback with all the strings damped, you'll need a loud amp and plenty of gain, much more than you would need to set a telecaster off.

Anyway, now I've got off my soapbox...

I've always though of P-90s as the perfect cross between single coils and humbuckers. These ones are just what this guitar needs. Not as brutal as humbuckers but warmer than single coils. I usually put it through a Laney VC-30 with the mid & bass up to ten, treble on about 3 and just enough gain for blues. Since I've had this guitar I've nearly retired my Tele and my Les Paul. The casino covers everything I can do with them and more.

As with any single coil pick-ups it is prone to mains hum.

I've only raised the action a little and removed the scratchplate since it came from the shop. I could see myself catching the scratchplate when going for the switch as the are very close to eachother

As far as I can tell there are only two weak points with this model. You really do need to bear in mind that this is a hollow guitar, so you can't stand on them like you can with teles and a hard case is a must. Also, it has the Gibson style of switch which should always be left in the middle position when not in use or it won't last too many years.

I only have a backup guitar in case of broken strings.

Never dealt with them.

I can't believe it's an Epiphone, it's just too damn good.

I owned an Epi Casino for about a month. Its a very, very nice guitar but it wasnt for me. Mine was Korean made, 2002.

The P90s on the Casino sounded vintage great, with plenty of bite - but as they hum at the mere sight of an amp, let alone of a computer monitor (in which case they dont hum, they go berserk) I found it to be a really problematic guitar to record with. There is no self canceling wiring, even when the two pickups are used together. Being a true hollow body, its also extremely prone to feedback wildly, much more than models such as the Dot or Sheraton, which have a center block.

Action was good, playability great and the finish very good. A lovely guitar if you dont mind the problems I mentioned above

I havent had it for long, but it seemed very well made and exudede a quality feel.

If you dont mind the inherent noise problems with the P90s and can manage to keep the feedback under control, its a gem of a guitar. Its light, great looking and just wants to be played.
If you use your guitar in a studio environment a lot, you may want to loook at a model with humbuckers. I eventualy chose a Hofner Verythin Standard.

same old features. natural finish. the only reason I gave it an 8 instead of a 10 is because I had to replace the tuners with schallers and the tailpiece with a Bigsby.

I play indie/alt. pop/rock stuff, and this guitar fits that style perfectly. I'm using a Vox AC15 amp with mainly Danelectro pedals (with 1 Boss Compressor and 1 MXR Phase Shifter thrown in the mix). the tubes in the Vox give the pickups (which are fantastic, by the way) a great chimey sound, but it's still alot darker than models like the Dot.

this guitar can be used for loads of different style. the only complaint I have is that it doesn't sound too great when distorted. I don't mind though, I've got other guitars for that.

I don't notice any feedback. there's the typical P-90 hum, but other than that no real noise issues.

the only complaint I have is that the action was too high. a quick set-up, and that was fixed. other than that, the tuners/tailpiece weren't too great, but that's to be expected from a lower priced guitar.

I've been gigging with this guitar for 6 months and I haven't had any problems so far. now that I've replaced the tuners/tailpiece, the hardware is all completely solid. it takes HOURS of playing to get it out of tune. the finish seems pretty good to me. it's slightly worn down but with the way I play, I'm not surprised. the strap buttons seem solid too, they've not crapped out on me yet. I always bring backups to gigs just in case, but I haven't had to use one so far.

I've been playing guitar for about 10 years. the other electric guitars I own at the moment are a Fender MIM Stratocaster, a Fender '62 Reissue Jaguar, and a Gibson SG Standard. as far as I'm concerned, the Casino is right up there with the SG and Jag.

I was looking for a semi hollow/hollowbody guitar, and also considered the Dot, Riviera, and the Gretsch Electromatic. the Casino floored all of them. if it was stolen/lost, I would definitely get another one. hell, I might get another one regardless. the only thing I wish I had done before buying it was getting one in the black finish rather than the natural one.

I own the Korean made version. Features are just as they were when the Fab Four purchased them back in the 60's. Simple, yet effective. P-90's. Finish is poly and not nitro.

The sound is very distinctive and very 60's. This is the guitar I turn to everytime I want to play Beatles or british invasion music. The tone of the P-90's is wonderful. I love the play of all hollow body or simi-hollow body guitars, but there is somtething about the Casino that just stands out. I also have an epiphone Dot that plays beautifully, but I still prefer the Casino.

It was set up fairly well from the factory. I adjusted the tune-o-matic bridge and now it plays like a dream. Nice wood-work, binding, ect....... I have several "High-End" guitars and this model compares very favorably.....

Seems solid enough for live play.... will find out soon!

Limited lifetime warranty!

I own American Fenders, Gibsons, Taylors, as well as many other quality guitars and I proudly put the Casino in the same class with them..... Simply the most enjoyable guitar I have ever played!!!!!!!

I won't really go over it since its been covered. Mine is a Sunburst model made in Korea.

The sound of this guitar is amazing. Its exactly the sound I've been looking for. I primarily play blues/slide and its perfect for that. Very full, rich, creamy, and nasty. I don't play out, but here's my home setup. Casino>Crybaby Wah>OCD>Epiphone Valve JR head w/2x10 cab. I sometimes also use this setup. Casino>Wah>Fender G-Dec JR. To be honest, the guitar sounds great with any amp. I've tried numerous amps with this guitar and it was all good. I love everything about this guitar.

I've had it a little over a year, and its been through a couple of setups that I did myself. One when I first got it, put .11s on the guitar, and when I switched back to .10s. I had some slight buzz, but it went away after fine tuning. Out of the box it was good to go. The sunburst finish is nicely done. No issues with tuning, frets, binding, etc. The jack comes loose from time to time, but its just a quick tighten. Pickups are awesome and I've kept the guitar completely stock with the exception of removing the pickguard. Just thought it looked better.

I don't gig, but I may start soon, and I would have no problem using this guitar on a gig. The whole guitar seems like it can take a lot of playing and was a solid build. The only reason I might not gig without a backup is that it can be prone to feedback. Its very manageable, but every venue is different so you never know.

Never dealt with them but the guitar has a limited lifetime warranty.

I've been playing for about 13 years now, and I really should be better than what I am, and I've owned lots of guitars that I thought would make me play better. I played Strats for the majority of the time, and I just got tired of them. The sound just wasn't there for me. I always wanted a 335 type guitar, but I couldn't afford one or find one I really liked. On a whim, I grabbed a Casino off the wall at my local music store and was simply amazed. Can't remember what amp I plugged into, but it sounded and played awesome. I couldn't really afford the Casino at the time so I had to sell my Strat to finance the purchase. Wasn't a big deal since I was done with my Strat anyway. I really wanted a Sunburst and all the local shops had was Natural. So I had to order from an online dealer. I loved it once it arrived and played it steadily for a month. I got distracted by the Squier '51 which became an obsession for a while, which turned me onto Teles. I thought Teles were the be all, end of all of guitars and the Casino sat in its case for many months. The second time I tried to sell it, I decided to give it one last play before I put it on eBay. I'm glad I did, and its been my #1 ever since. The Tele has been in its case since. I absolutely love this guitar and can't believe I tried to sell it. Its so versatile and sounds great with slide. If it were stolen, I'd definitely buy another one, but I'd probably go with the Elitist version this time. Awesome guitar.

Custom Shop Ltd. Edition Vintage Sunburst with trapeze tailpiece
2 P-90's etc etc
Made in China

Sound is great. Blues, jazz, Beatles stuff. I prefer P-90s to HB's, but that's a matter of individual taste. Neck pickup is very woody; nice bite from bridge. Neither is as hot as the ones on the 2 Korean Casinos I had before.
There's a little P-90 noise, but less than from my 330.
Could stand a little more brightness form bridge PU, but I'm OK with it as is. See no need to replace them - surprisingly close to my 330 in tone. Very resonant acoustically, too.

I tried twice before to replace my Gibson ES-330 with a Korean Epi Casino, but the Gibson always won. Just sounded better, felt better. Then I tried this Made in China model and whoa!!! This is what I wanted. The switch and V & T pots all felt more solid and worked better. The neck is bigger and more comfortable to play. Frets are well finished - not one needed adjustment. Plu topcoat isn't as thick as Korean models, either. Sold the 330 (handsome profit) and am very happy with the Casino and the Eastwood Airline Tuxedo I got with some of the proceeds.

Always had to replace switch and a pot or two on previous Casinos. Not this time. This baby is glitch free. Feels and looks remarkably well made. Had to make a little trussrod adjustment when the weather got cold, but it's fine again.

Haven't used it

Been playing many years. Have lots of vintage stuff. This guitar enabled me to sell my '66 ES-330 and feel good about it. How great is that? The more I play it, the better I like it, too. Less noisy through amps than the 330. Of course, it's not 100% the equal of the old 330. Not quite the 3-D, woody tone of that beauty, but the price differential more than makes up for it.

Standard Korean Casino made in 1996. Beautiful vintage sunburst with cream/yellow body binding; scores 11/10 for finish. It looks old but cared for. Neck a joy, fingerboard bound. Completely as made with no mods.

Needed two slide guitars for laying in open D and open G. Already have one Korean Casino that I had Fralin P90s fitted to and listening to them side by side, my newer Casino sounds virtually identical. For slide, the combination of P90 and semi-acoustic is unbeatable and through my Peavey Delta Blues these guitars sound like a dream. Bridge pickup is correctly louder and clips nicely through the clean channel. Neck pickup has a sweet mellow sound but it's the two-pickup bell-like jangle that sounds so great for rhythm work and chordy lead figures. Overdriven, the bridge pickup has a healthy, mississippi-mud snarl while the treble pickup is pure George Thorogood. You will NOT need to upgrade the pickups.

This is how good modern Gibsons should be. Both my Casinos are FLAWLESS in this department.
All the Casino colours are gorgeous, I have the natural and vintage sunburst but the cherry is a lovely antique shade. Rosewood on neck is healthily dark, not like that cheap, dry, reddish rosewood you sometimes get. Fretting superb. ANother 11/10

Have gigged one Casino for fourteen years and the only breakdown has been the toggle switch; funnily enough, my new one had the same prob but v easily sorted for UK ??20. Tuners stable, both gtrs show no pitting or tarnishing of metalwork. I gig regularly as these are dependable, sturdy and reliable working instruments.

No need for customer support so far.

Have played for forty years and these Korean Epiphones definitely ring my bell. I'd always have one. Neck narrowish for big hands but I can get my large paws round it ok. Got my newer one for about UK ??300 off Ebay. Both of mine are of identically high quality and that says a lot.
GRIPES? Just two minors: The famous Casino vibration which is, I'm told, due to truss rod rattle. The luthier I use says it's all to do with wood shrinkage in the neck. I tightened the truss rod slightly and, hey presto! the noise has all but disappeared.
GRIPE TWO, the pots aren't the best but they are ok rather than poor and don't cause serious problems. Bearing in mind the price of these
guitars I have NO real complaints.
If you are seriously considering one of these, go for it; you won't regret it.

I purchased the vintage sunburst Epiphone Casino nollow body guitar made in Korea. The guitar has laminated maple top, sides and back. It has a three way selector switch and volume and tone controls for each of the two alnico P-90 pick-ups. It did not come with a case bvut I bought an epiphone case that fits it really well.

I really love the sound of the guitar. When I bought the guitar I fully intended to replace the Alnico P-90 pick-ups but in a short time grew to love the sound from them, especially with 50's and 60's music. I also use the guitar on country using the pick up by the fret board. I read about feed back and noise problems from the pick-ups but have experienced none. I play it through a VOX 15 amplifier and couldn't be happier.

The action was okay direct from the factory but I had it set lower and went from the factory .10 strings to .11 D'Addario strings. I also had a bone nut installed in place of the plastic one. For $42.00 these changes gave the guitar a lot more resonance. With these minor changes this guitar is the easiest plying guitar I have owned including Fende, PRS and Gibson Les Pauls. I have played it against a Gibson 335 and I can tell you that the Gibson is not worth $2,000+ more dollars. The finish was top quality - not a mar anywhere and I am very particular with my guitars finsh!

I feel that this guitar will stand up as well as any. I don't know about the eletronics but if it all goes to hell it won't cost that much to replace it. i will be recording an album soon and have picked this guitar over my American Fender stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul to use in the studio. On acoustic I will use my Martin HD28 so that says a lot about this guitar. I have seen and played the Elite version on this guitar and would not pay the additional $700.00 to move up.

I have no opinion since it has not needed repair. I also would use Dave's Guitar in LaCrosse Wisconsin for any repairs I need done on a guitar.

I presently own the following guitars: Martin HD28, Martin D-16, Takamine 2003 Limited edition, Fender American ash strat, and Gibson Les Paul. If anything happened to this guitar I would replace the same day! As I said it is the most playable guitar I own. I love the sound and the level of variation I can get from the electronics. I can't think of anything I don't like about it.

late 90s Korean made - factory bigsby - 22 medium jumbo frets. 24.75 scale - 2 p90s - turqois color. Medium C neck. chrome hardware. Previous owner upgraded tuners to tone pro ( similar to LP tuners sbasically ), and changed to a roller bridge. I guess I'm not really reviewing the original guitar. These are the two changes that change it to a stable tuned guitar unlike stock.

I played teles and strats into tweed fenders since I was a kid until I found this casino a few years ago. I held off until I could find one of these late 90 factory bigsby models. Bigsby's add some magic to the tone on casinos - shimmer and chime. Also the bigsby makes the whole guitar feel balanced - you know what I mean if you ever compared. No buzz at all on this one ( original Korean PUs ) and feedback is only when I want it - well controlled - really use this alot. Like others have said the transition to hollow body from solid fenders took a while - but worth it - also the change to shorter scale length. I even found out that I had to change to a lighter pick. It makes sense because your not pushing against 9-10 lbs of alder anymore. Now I never play my tele or strat. I didn't make the mistake of running out and buying an AC30. Casinos sound sweeter through 10" speakers - especially 4 of them ( tweed bassman ). I stopped using as many effects when I switched to this. Like others said it has 2-3 incredible sounds - and that's all you need. It has all the bark and growl - mid position is great - I have the neck PU volume backed off to 5 and bridge full - can also be sweet - bridge PU on it's own is pretty special - just enough twang but no tele ice-pick sound. I do add a Keeley mod Blues Driver sometimes but mostly it's straight into the amp. I also stopped using a compressor after I started playing this - that 6th string bark is divine.

Impeccable finish ( unlike some others reviewed below ) No defects - Previous owner had this set up incredibly well so I can't comment on the factory set-up. Tuning stability is better than other Casino's I tried before ( the roller bridge and tone-pros ). Of course it has the unavoidable 3rd string intonation issue - but not bad - I tend to tune it so the 2nd fret A is on - so open G is slightly flat
( anybody who says theirs does not have this problem are lying or stoned ) - All controls are well done - no pot noise - PU selector is solid and quiet.
It has awonderful playability - the shorter scale length and balance just feels right. I get no buzz - all the way up - I use tens- love the slightly higher action ( bend up the third string a whole tone above the octave and you can slide under the 2nd sring - feels right.
As far as finish - this is the first guitar I ever played ( and I mean over 100 guitars ) that brings complements on its looks.

Finish has held up - also the crome. I have been fine with the stock strap buttons - no need to change to strap locks.

I have played too long to admit it - let's just say I've played long enough to use coiled guitar cables, 64 DRs when they were new, Sunn amps. When I started you were only cool if you had a tele or SG. Strats were cheap and stupid looking. I play in a cover band now - gig once a month - usually a local dive - all the goofy dance stuff people like. This was the right guitar to change from solid bodies to - never would have believed that my tele would stay in its case for 5 years. I never have like the semi-hollows. Casino's are not 'semi' at all. I would never change out these PUs - very happy with it. If it needed to be replaced I would be in trouble ( not made any more ) I really appreciate the look, feel, balance, action and tone - hard to find this kind of workmanship in the US these days.

follow up review from 5/30/06;
i sanded off the finish of the geetar, just like john lennon did, and its much nicer because i dont like poly coat finishes on geetars! i also put in 2 duncan antiquity p90's and a bigsby b3 vibrato bar, and after those improvements, the geetar is much more fun to play! i get almost no microphonics from the pickups, and i can waggle chords on it, and thats a nice thing for me! i done a few gigs on this geetar, and it shines, unlike when i originally got it, and there was nothing to it! i plan to put locking tuners on it and have a fret set up soon. i also need a new case for it cause the old one isnt that good

now that i got a bigsby and duncan antiquities, it sounds like a million bucks! epiphones are every bit as good as the gibsons of yesteryear with a little bit of love! i wish i can get a quarter inch shim for the neck pickup, so i can raise it up a bit and not just the pole peices (that just pulls the geetar out of tune)

1997 Epiphone Casino made at the Peerless Plant, Korea.

Vintage Cigarette sunburst in colour, REALLY beautifully done.
Tune-o-matic bridge
Epi tuners
Medium width neck, perfect for rhythm I'd say, because top frets at 19th + hard to reach (not that I mind)
Came with Epiphone case used, which is useful as I believe some Epiphone thinlines are hard to fit in some cases.

2 volume and 2 tone knobs and switch selector, for the 2 P-90 pickups.

Overall pretty good, pretty much perfect for this guitar.

Lovely sound for a thinline archtop, glad I got hold of this rather than an Epi Dot.

Suits a lot of my Indie (Libertines-y), Britpop(Oasis-y), 60s (Kinks, Beatles..especially) style music, however, I am buying a Fender Telecaster soon, if that helps show the gap which is missing in its sound, but what do you expect!?

I really have little problem with feedback that most people seem to have, but I bought it second hand from a caring Mod so I think he might have sorted that out a bit.

You can get quite a kick out of this guitar, like I say, you can get a good Beatles-y, Kinks-y, vintage-y sound from it.

I am giving an 8 purely because I am playing it through a poor Marshall amp, unless it on an AC30 and I think it would be pushing 11 !

Was bought second hand, and the guy had had it set-up relatively recently to the time.

I have 4 minor problems from it being perfect:

1. That infamous Casino buzz! Where it comes from I don't know! It is mighty hard to source, but it is only a problem when played acoustically (which still sounds nice by the way)

2. Neck has very slight 'bleeding' on it, but I shall attend to this soon

3. Hardware not perfect looking, and two of the knobs feel off whilst playing, however bit of thread-tape sorted that.

4. The input jack seems a little bit touchy, sometime got to give it a bit of a nudge to work, could do with a looking at this summer, Casinos aren't easy to get hold of inside mind!

I think a good set-up this summer will perfect it.

Has been gigged before, and in the past, I trust the beaut.
I think everything hardware-wise will last for years to come, good enough for me at least, but I hear many people change tuners.

Strap buttons are good, not perfect, as the neck strap button seems to be a bit tricky, luckily no smashes to the floor yet, but almost once! Might invest in 1 strap lock for that button (they ruin the look, of course)

I wouldn't gig it without a back-up, but I never would.
I could gig it without a back-up though.

Never needed to contact, however, I have contacted Epiphone before, and I found them pretty helpful.

I have been playing for 10 years now (I'm only 18 mind, so I'm not a super guitar geek) and I would love to play this with a Vox amp!

If I could I would get an Epiphone Casino Elitist, as good as a Gibson quality, but still keeps that cool Epiphone Beatles style (In my opinion)

I wish that damn buzz would go away, and I will sort it out, but overall a very good guitar.

I much prefer it over the Sherry and Dot's, however I would be interested by a Riviera, especially Nick Valensi's.

It's a hollowbody of course, and because of this I am buying a Telecaster, the world's strongest guitar, to take to uni, as I would cry if this was to crack...

Gloss finish, "trapeze" bridge, p-90s, blond finish, true hollow-body. No bells, whistles, etc - as it should be.

Perfect for powerpop/rock -n roll. I play it through various amps; 72 Super Reverb, 59 Bassman RI LTD, and Sovtek Mig 50.
It's got chime. It's got growl (pickups rate a whopping 12.50). It's got sparkle. There's not a huge variety of sounds, but the sounds you get are ALL great.
One issue the guitar had was a low mid resonance (not a bad thing) which caused some feedback issues at higher volumes. Not a major problem, but I had my guy put a little foam rubber between the pickups and beneath the f-hole on the bass side. Amazing response. cleared up low mids and added a touch of definition. I can feedback whenever I want and play it like an ebow. Astonishing tone from this one.

Just had the frets cleaned up and the action/ intonation set up. It plays better and sounds better than most 70s Gibson 330s I've played. My luthier fell in love with it the few days he had it.

This is a players guitar. The hardware (all of it) is just fine. I'd never play a show without a back up, but the back up (Epi dot with z-90s) stays in the case. I don't even undo the clasps.

Bought it used so I've got no opinion.

Been playing for 22 years and this is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I've had a 59 Junior, a 74 Tele Deluxe, 70s Specials and Standards, a 90s Rickenbacker, and a few odds and ends, and I have found "the one". I've had it for three years and it has and will be my main guitar.
If it was stolen, I would weep like an aging widow, then I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
The only thing I wish it had was some DNA so I could clone it.

Korean made 2000. P90's, cherry red, chrome metal parts. Bought used on eBay cause I wanted something cheap $$ wise, something to play the Bealtes on and see if I would stay with it this time. Got an Epi case with it also. 2 Vol and 2 Tone controls, switch and standard tuners. Nothing special. 22 frets, standard assembly line built guitar.

Well my thought of cheap$$ got me a great guitar, for the price. I play Rock and Roll, Blues, and any acoustic. Led Zep acuostic songs sounds great. It sounds like a more expensive guitar. Playing though a Line 6 SpiderII and a GNX3 processor. I'm just a guy who like to play guitar, not a pro. But I know what guitars and music are suppused to sound like. And this one has sound. With 10's on it and no amp this guitar has acoustic quaility and that is what I wanted. Not a loud as an acoustic, but could also plu into an amp. Wanted something to play without an amp and still jam as I got better. Never indended to keep this guitar if I stayed with it. WRONG. Everytime I think about selling this to support anther purchase, I put new strings on and then remember why I love theis guitar. especially at the price I paid.

Bought use, so I cant rate factory on setup. Once setup buy my local shop it is fantastic. No the shredder, not grease lightning, but this is not a rock lead guitar. But I can play lead just fine with this as long as I dont try to rip the strings. The finish and fit is just great. It is not custom, but there are no flaws, or mistakes I can see or notices now after 3 years of owning it. Once again I bought used. Bad part: The tuners suck alng with the 3 way switch, but this was easily fixed. Changed the 3 way with a Gibson switch and the tuners with Grovers. Now it stays in tone like forever. The strings go first before the tuning. That was the best 70$ I spent. Intonation is perfect and I get good tone all the way up to 20the fret. HArd to get to but sill has god sound. The pick guard did need some attention as it was touching the PUP

So far it has been great. No cracking onthe finish and it looks like brand new. I love way this looks and if it ages properly I hope to pass this on to some in the family many years from now. Button and all hardware, once replaced (see above, are rock solid. I can always count on this guitar when I pick it up to sound and play fantastic.

Never had to use. NO

For the price I paid I have to give this guitar a 10. I know it cant compare to other 10s for higher priced/guality guitars, but for what I expected and got it deserves a 10. Once the tuners and switch were replaced it is rock solid. I've been playing since late 60's, but have quit playing 3 time over the years for around 15 year total due to other activities. Not a pro, but still love to play. I have a 52 Fender reissue, and Gibson SG standard and have had 73 Tele that I started with and and ovation acoustic. This guitar is a keeper for the sound. The luther who set ip up said this was the best Casino he has ever heard. For what ever that means, but the is HO. Would I but again, yes but not off eBay, Don't think I could get so lucky again. What I don't like is the feedback whan playing loud in front of an amp, but what do you ecpect from as hollowbody. $375 deliverd is hard to beat with a case

1978 Casino, made in Japan by Matsumoku. This was the second generation of Epiphones made in Japan (the first being Shiro Arai.) Absolutely beautiful finish - sunburst with deep brown figured maple. Matsumoku reverted to 1965 USA Epiphone Casino specs on every aspect except changed neck material to 3 piece maple instead of the usual one piece mahogany (not sure why.) Over the years and several owners, some parts of this guitar have been changed including the addition of Grover 108C tuners, a Gotoh nylon saddled bridge, and a Gibson ES-345 trapeze tailpiece. The pickups and electonics are original.

Easily sounds like the Beatles "Ticket to Ride." It can also go to a mellow jazz type sound or a cool, almost overdiven treble sound without effects. I have an old Jen Cry Baby and the P-90s sound great with it. Being a full hollow body, it can sound like an acoustic too.

The guitar had many canges when I bought it, and the action is nice as a result of a new bridge, nut, and trapeze tailpiece.

It's already 28 years old and the wood still looks brand new. The hardware was tarnished, but I removed it.

N/A

Been playing guitar and bass for 30 years. I looked at many guitars off and on for a few months until I saw this one. I bought it the next day.

most likely 2002, made in korea, 22 frets, no money above the 12th fret! maple top, sides and back, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, came with 2 vol/tones, 2 p90's, korean made, hollow 335 style, everything else has already been mentioned in previous reviews

ok, this is where this guitar shines.....got it cause we like the sound of p90 pickups on a hollowbody...very sun records/50's r & b/chuck berry/john lennon, the sound of the pickups fits our bands music better than gretsch w/tv jones filtertrons or rickenbacker high gains. using it with vox ac15 (90's uk) and ac30 (cc2, regular speakers, wattage cut to 22 watts)its noisy, but not annoyingly so. the sound is very rich......think all good music. theres not really much variety with this guitar, and the pickups never seem to loose that lower mids fullness to their tone, but after years of playing, we realized thats a good thing, since other guitars fade in and out of the mix, while this one stays in the mix at all times. the korean p90's it came with sound good, full, and rockin, so we dont think were gong to change them (thats a first for us!) we sanded the finish off the body, since john lennon took the finish off his back in the 60's, and he claimed the guitar 'breathed' more, well we attest that this is true, since no finish makes this lighter, and even with the finish off the neck, it plays smoother than ever. the only thing we would do for customization is that we want to put a b6 bigsby on this baby. this right now is our only professional electric guitar without a bigsby, and we miss that! put a little analog delay on this, and youre in sun records heaven. with the vox ac 30 on full power, and more of a clean sound going, we managed to get john lennon's tone on the later beatle records! all in all, great sounding guitar. does psychobilly better, too!

factory set up sucked. we got it used, and the pickups were totally out of balance, but we got them high to the strings, and working well, and they sound very powerful compared to our other axes now! the action was too low when we got it, but that too was taken care of when we adjusted the bridge. there are tons of flaws on this guitar, but they can be removed easily, or smoothed over, so thats not a problem

this is where this guitar isnt such a hot instruments, or at least til we bring it to our repair guy/luthier/person whom can do a mean set up on a guitar. this can withstand live playing, with better hardware, we sanded the finish off it, so we guess that doesnt apply here. the strap buttons are fine, but we will soon invest in strap locks. we can depend on it, only margainally, because it doesnt feel 100% tight, like our gretsch or rickenbacker. we would gig without a backup, since we always trade guitars with the other band we play with!

never dealt with them, never need to, since we got it used! we did the minor 'repair work' ourselves, but when it comes time to put on the bigsby, well have our repair guy help us out with that.

playing for 15 + years, and had a casino before (w/humbuckers, from the 70's) have gretsch, rickenbacker, martin acoustic, you name it effect pedal (which we dont really use!) vox ac15 and 30. if it were stolen/lost, wed eventually get another one, if the price is right, but this is our travel guitar, sicne we dont want anything happening to our gretsch/ric on the road, but found this one has better tone than either of them for what we do right now, which is funny, cause the whole thing, with everything is less than half of the price than we paid for either of the others. we love the tone of this beast, hate the cheap feel of how this came, but that can be changed. we chose this one because the beatles all played them, and liked the tone, and we feel the same way. we also get the 50's sun records/rockabilly tone, and we like that, too! we just wish it had a REAL bigsby, which we plan to obtain upon our next paycheck, to make it a real rocker's axe! played it saturday night with our side project, and people asked how come were not using the usual gretsch, then told us it sounded better, and we liked that, since it cost less!

Ordered this guitar from an internet retailer. BIG MISTAKE ON MY BEHALF. I will never buy another guitar sight unseen or unplayed before I buy it. I reccomend everybody try a guitar before you buy it.
Korean Made Casino with Natural Finish
Lam Maple and Spruce Body
Very comfortable mahagony neck
2 Volume and Tone Controls that are garbage and need to be upgraded
1 garbage, rattling, disfunctional 3 way pickup selector switch
2 useless P90 junk, garbage, rattling, squealing pickups
1 rattling buzzing tune-o-matic ABR style bridge
6 tuners that don't keep the guitar in tune

In my opinion, the guitar sounded terrible. Could not use it live. I am not a shredder, nor do I play loud or with a lot of overdrive/distortion. I play in a Motown, 50's- 60's cover band. The pickups were so microphonic and prone to squealing, that the guitar was virtually unuseable live. I attribute all the squealing to poor wax potting and the the el cheapo chrome pickup covers. I know that full hollowbody guitars will produce feedback, however the picups in this guitar would squeal like pigs. The Neck pickup had zero clarity, clear as mud and the bridge pickup was awfully harsh. the pots for volume and tone are garbage too. They are scratchy and noisy when dialing. Not plugged in, the guitar sounded terrible from all the rattling junky garbage hardware that Epiphone installs on this guitar.

As I said I ordered this guitar from an internet retailer. Out of the box, the intonation was pretty good, and in all actuality the neck felt great, very comfortable the fretjob was of highy quality. The finish was excellent had a very grain pattern. Very sharp looking, and the action was set great. Was a pleasure to play but the all the rattles and buzzes ruined it. ....... READ THE NEXT CATEGORY

This guitar did not withstand live playing as it could not stay in tune, the pickups squealed, and all the the hardware on this guitar is absolute junk, crap, garbage. After a few weeks, the guitar started to develop buzzing at the bridge, did not keep in tune for anything due to the lousy tuners, the pickup selector failed, the neck pickup cover developed a buzz due to a poor solder job. Even the pickkguard that was on the guitar buzzed due to contact with the pickups. I could not rely on this for gigging and always had a backup. IF you are a gigging musician and are looking to purchase and use a Korean Epi Casino for gigs, I highly reccomend stripping this guitar of all its hardware and replacing it with HIGH QUALITY aftermarket replacement parts. The hardware, as is on this guitar, will not keep up with the abuse from gigging. With the money you will spend replacing the hardware, you are better off buying an Elitist Casino, if you can ever find one.

Should have sent it back. Like a dummy, I didn't.

I have been playing over 20 years. I gig almost every weekend.
In a nutshell this is what I have to say about my experience with this guitar. The crappy hardware and pickups on this guitar ruins this guitar. It has a very comfortable neck, great finish, high quality fret job. I did make the mistake of ordering this online without playing it. But like I said over the course of several weeks, I noticed more and more problems, all due to the lousy failing hardware. I recently sold this gutar for a Gretsch Electromatic G5120 in Orange (which I got to play before I bought and absolutely love).
I did not have the energy or the money to track down and buy all new hardware and pickups, then pay someone to install everything the correct way to get this guitar up and running the way it should be.
I do not miss my Casino. Again, if you are a gigging musician looking to purchase a Korean made Casino, I highly reccomend stripping all the hardware and pickups off, and replacing it with high quality parts to withstand the abuse from gigging. These parts will not hold up. By the time you spend the extra $$$ on quality parts, you might as well just buy the Epiphone Elitist Casino, if Epiphone will ever get their crap together and start making them available. Haven't been able to find one since they have released the series. Every retailer that carries the Elitist line is always out of stock for the Casino and for many months at a time, so I give up.

I have a 1961 USA Kalamazoo Michigan made "Original" Casino.
Tobacco sunburst in color, with original black - P90 pickups. Totally hollow, not semi-hollow, Stop tail piece, tune-o-matic bridge.
Original tweed beat up case.

I play mostly Blues and classic rock.
Great guitar, but good only for low volume type gigs due to it's hollow nature.
Smooth as silk about tone. Typical P90 hum.

Awesome quality instrument from the original Gibson factory!

I've had this guitar from 1981 until now ( 2005). It's just now needing a fre job after countless gigs and hours of playing.

NA

I've been playing for 25+ years and own a fine variety of instruments - 1988 G&L SC-3 and 1990 G&l Skyhawk, 1991 LP Studio, 1972 Guild S-90, 2000 American Fat Tele, 1981 Yamaha SSC-550, and a Heritage Stat.
I love the Casino, especially due to it's age and Mojo. John Lennon played one just like it. I've seen pix with him holding an identical colored Casino as mine.
The con is - hollow and it feeds back at louder volumes.

2005 Casino made in Korea. Laminated maple top and body. 2 x volume and 2 x tone controls (one set for each of the P-90 pickups). Mahogony neck, sunburst finish (love that!), classic semi acoustic, two f-hole body style with tune-o-matic bridge and trapeze tail. 1.62 neck width. I bought the Epiphone case and it fits like a glove and got a strap and strings thrown in. The guitar itself is the feature and I got what I wanted.

I've wanted a Casino for about 10 years and really hoped it was going to suit what I play. My concern was that it would only suit a few styles and not be very versatile. Well, I'm not concerned any more! The Casino is incredible.
I mainly play acoustic (Maton 225, being an Aussie) and wanted an electric to round out my sound and add something special and perhaps different. The music I'm into is acoustic rock so Crosby Stills Nash, James Taylor, Joni etc and I wanted something that would fit well in that mix. My live playing nowadays is in a church worship band and after using the Casino for the first time the other night, I can honestly say I've never had so many people tell me how good I sounded.
I'm playing through a Fender Frontman 25R (check them out, an incredible little amp!) and on the clean channel it is beautiful. You get that classic 60's jangle but there's something else that is hard to describe ? it's like a shimmer, a silky velvety sound that just warms the heart. It's really a gorgeous sound. With a bit of overdrive, the Casino goes into a very different realm. I play a bit in open and alternate tunings and play some slide. When I tuned to Open G for some slide and went to overdrive I nearly fell over. The sound of all those classic blues rock bands from the 60's came screaming out of my amp and it was sonic heaven. There was one sound in particular that was really familiar and then I worked it out ? Robbie Krieger. That spun me for a while until I figured he probably had P-90's on his Gibson SG and that's what gave him the unreal Doors slide sound he created (think Moonlight Drive from Alive She Cried). I could be wrong on that but that's what it sounded like. If you like electric blues, you really really need to try one of these!
For most of my own music, the covers I play and what I play in church, the clean channel is best but it's nice to know where I can take it if I need to.
The P-90's can be noisy and a lot of gain will send the Casino screaming as it's totally hollow. For a bright, jangly and warm sound the Casino is beautiful. Reverb is sensational with it and I would suspect some Tremolo and maybe a Chorus or Delay would also add something sweet.
I've found the front pickup a bit muddy and so have the tone on that set to 10. The bridge pickup can get overly bright so dialing down its tone to 4 or 5 suits really well. Combining the pickups at these settings is pretty much plug-and-play for me. Flicking between the two gives a bit more warmth or something a bit brighter. Great if there's variety in your set.

Straight out of the shop the Casino was great. Most stores in Australia set them up before they sell them and I suspect it was the case here. The action is incredibly low with no buzzing. The 1.62 nut width is pretty narrow and it's taking some getting used to. It's not a problem though, just different.
Everything appears fine but I wouldn't say excellent in the hand-made sense. Although there's nothing in particular that I can point to, there is an overall feeling that it is factory made but considering the price, it is a fantastic guitar.
Many folks have complained about the pickup selector switch and I mentioned that when I bought it. Apparently leaving them in the middle position when not in use helps a lot. Mine seems fine for now but time will tell.
Whatever strings they came with are excellent and they feel like 10-46's. Not sure if they are factory fitted or shop fitted but I might ask as they have lasted so well (2 months!). I've got some 11-50's I want to try and see what that does to the sound.
The intonation is pretty out, however, and I'll adjust that when I change strings and decide which gauge suits my style best. Although a bit annoying, those things are usually fixable to well within the acceptable range. With the tune-o-matic bridge, adjustable bridge height etc, I can't foresee this being a problem for too long.

Like anything, if you're rough on your gear then it wont last. Treat it with respect and it will last. There's nothing to indicate that it wont last or not withstand live playing but being hollow, I'd be a bit more cautious. If you're used to playing acoustics it shouldn't be any different.
It seems pretty rock solid I reckon and I'd feel safe without a backup. Depends on your music and the gig I guess.

All good so far.

I've played guitar for 18 years and owning this guitar is a long awaited dream come true. I honestly believe I've found 'my guitar'. I've got a great acoustic and now a great electric and I'm stoked.
I'd buy another one in a heartbeat if the need arose. I was considering a Telecaster as I thought it might be more versatile but the Casino has proven to give me all the versatility I was looking for and much more. Absolute tone city. It even sounds great unplugged! A great feature, by the way, if you want to play without waking up the family and an acoustic is too loud.
I love the look of semi acoustics and love the P-90 sound. Combine the two and you have the Epiphone Casino ? a fantastic guitar.

2005 Korean Epihpone Casino Cherry. P-90x2 No case

Boy this really sounds good. The resonance of the guitar is amazing for a laminate. Everyone keeps saying 'great for Beatles sound' which is true sort of. I didn't approach this guitar looking for anything other than great hollow P90 crunch. It has it much to my suprise. I have never played a '60s Casino but I have picked up and played a lot of guitars. I am not Jimi Hendrix or even a good player, just a hobbyiest that has been playing on and off for 20 years. HOWEVER, I do know TONE. For a sub $700 guitar made in Korea I am AMAZED how good this guitar sounds. Resonates very well and the pick ups (which I planned on replacing right away) are really good and have all the P90 sound most people will want. I first bought an Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II. Totally different I know. Nice but left me flat. Humbuckers. Completely different sound, I was temporarally enamoured with it but woke up and realized it wasn't a fit for me or my style. That's when I decided to try the Casino. I think the Korean semi-hollow guitars are hit or miss. A lot of 'good' guitars and some that are really great. Also some models just seems to be made more consistently than others. The Casino is one of those models. Really good.

Very well set up from the factory. I will have my luthier give it the once over but by all appearances they set it up great.
Only 'flaw' is some slight finish issues where the neck meets the top. Minor. No buzz, nice and clean all the way up the fret board. Top notch.
-1 for the small finish issue.

Seems to be very durable. Nothing feels or looks 'cheap' though I will probably replace the pots, switches and wiring at some point. Tuners are suprisingly good. That is where you usually see serious skimpage.

I really like this guitar. You can get great rock sounds out of it. AC/DC Malcomb Young rhythm? Dead on. Gretchy DeArmond crunch? Yeah. Mellow sweet lead? Hell yeah in neck or neck/bridge. Alt-rock sounds. U-betcha. Slayer? No.

This is a 2004 Epiphone Casino Natural. I bought it new, because I am a huge gear head, and I've always wanted one of these. Didn't need it at all, I just bought it for fun. It's a full hollow body, and its got 2 p-90s, 2 tones, 2 volumes, trapeze tailpiece, tune-o-matic bridge, vintage tuners, 21 or 22 frets, 24 3/4" scale, laminted spruce top, laminated maple sides and back, 3 piece mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard. The neck is a little thicker than a 1960's Les Paul, and a litte thinner than a 1950's Les Paul. It's a good mix.

The only complaint I have about this guitar, is that it could sound just a little brighter, but considering that it's a hollowbody with p90's, I guess I can't complain. The pickups are a litt noisy, like all single-coils, but Epiphone did't reverse one of the coils so it would be hum cancelling with both pickups activated, which is stupid. The pickups kind of suck, but I keep getting good tones out of them, so I haven't replaced them yet. I might not at all. I use this guitar with a variety of amps: Marshall JCM900, 1966 Fender Pro Reverb, Fender Prosonic, & a custom made & hotrodded champ. This amp sounds thick and full through each amp, and it will always sound thick and full until you play it through a solid-state amp. It's clear and distinct, but full at the same time. Nice and fat and mellow, great for blues, fingerpicking, pop, anything where you dont need a biting tone or too much overdrive. This guitar isn't the most versatile thing around, but I get good tones for the following genres: blues, country, blues rock (not too much gain, or it'll feedback, but that can be fun too), fingerpicking stuff, vintage pop, funky jazz tones, surf, rockabilly. It's a really fun guitar to play... it gets more attention than my other 5 guitars, many of which cost more than this Casino by a great deal... Awesome tone for blues rock a la Black Keys, White Stripes...

It's a great looking guitar, cosmetically there are only MINIMAL blemishes, and in a $600 guitar from Korea, that's pretty good. This particular guitar had the best finish and action out of ANY Epiphone or cheap guitar I've ever played... I was surprised because I own other Epiphones, and this is MUCH better than the others. The nut is actually spot on, low action, good playability even though it comes with 9 gauge strings on it, which is stupid on a hollowbody. I've played it with 10's and 11's and 11's are the best by far. They make the most of the hollow body. The woods are pretty good on this guitar, and my only gripe is that the neck is joined to the headstock in a weird way... I can't really explain it in type, but I've never had any problems with it...

I wouldn't use this guitar without a backup, just because of the hollow body, sometimes even high volume will set it into feedback hell. Although at most volume levels, even some concert levels, the feedback is controllable. The guitar doesn't feel flimsy, but it's hollow so you do have to be a little more careful with it; I think this thing could take a beating and live to tell about it. The finish is thick and durable, and for some reason modern Epiphone hardware never rusts, so thats awesome.

Never need it.

Very cool guitar, I really enjoy it. I play it more than my new Gibson Les Paul, or any of my other guitars for that matter.

Good Features. Dont; know what year, Korean made. 22 fret. Laminated top. Two Gibson P 90's, with a tone and volume for each. Three way selector. Neck and fretboard are mahogany.The body is cherry. Cherry finish. Hollowbodied. Trapeze bridge. Non-locking tuners. Very skinny neck, not quite ibanez though. Nothing to complain about here.

I play Classic Rock Blues, and Jazz, and this fits all three. The bridge and neck brige combined positions with some grit make those beatiful screaming p-90 sounds. At lower gains it has more of the 60's pop sound. The neck Pickup with the tone rolsl off works great for jazz. The coils make slightly more hum than a strat, but nothing to worry about, and the two pickups combined together of course cancel hum. Overall the sounds it Dark, Warm, Rich and Full. However it is still possible to get bright, punchy sounds out of it. Personally I love it.

The Guitar is plently playable, although it came with two problems. The action was far to low, although that's not hard to fix. Also the nut was sharp and had a habit of breaking strings. This is also fixable. Still more costly that preferable.

I bought this used, and have had it for three quarters of a year and no problems so far.

haven;t dealt with company

Overall, I love it. Especialy considering it's value. Sure, it's not a LP, but it cost a third as much, and sounds nearly as good. Not good for Metal distortion, but handles everything else wuite well. Great guitar, especialy for the budget minded.

My Epiphone Casino was made in Korea 2004 and I bought it new at Long and McQuade. It has a vintage sunburst finish with chrome Gibson designed Alnico P90's. I had bought this guitar to act as my travel guitar since I didn't feel all that too comfortable bringing my gibson around (if I dented my Gibson I would probably have to die).

This guitar is perfect for the style of music that I play (very Beatlesk stuff). Accoustically it is quite nice due to the fact that it is a hollow body and does't have the wod center block like other archtops have. I've read reviews about people complaining about the Anico P90's and was worried on how awefull they would sound; I had the intention of replacing them immediately with Gibson P90's. However, upon plugging the Casino in I was shocked to discover that they sounded perfect! They totally blew me away! The one thing that I did notice was the buzzing when you are standing idle with it. I havn't had any feedback problems yet but I havn;t had a chance to play this in a gig just yet. I hear a solution to this is to stuff a cloth in the body? Well, if the Beatles could play on stage with it.. Anyhow, fantastic sound especially if you are into Early rock and Jazz.

The one and only real complaint I have about this guitar are the tuners. Put simply, they suck. Those I replaced immediately with vintage Grovers and since then it stays in tune fine. Another thing I noticed was that my vibrato was slightly bent to one side. I found that this caused some buzzing when playing acoustically, but that was easy to fix. The Sunburst finish is absolutely beautifull with no flaws. I was originally going to get the natural finish Casino (like Lennon's) but the difference in the colour of the neck and the body bothered me. All in all I am very glad that I chose the sunburst finish, no complaints there. Some people also complained about the selector switch being terrible, well, so far mine is fine, although a little shaky. So far it hasn;t given me any trouble but I bought a spare Gibson selector switch just in case this one dies on me. So in sum, the tuners suck and should be replaced. Other then that, no major flaws.

This guitar seems to be solid enough. I wouldn't want to drop it or anything but I am pretty carefull with my guitars so I am not all that worried about that. If I were to go on a gig, I would bring it along with my Gibson accoustic. Altough this guitar does play fine accoustically, it is a mere shadow to the Gibson. Electrically however it is superior, so it ballances out.

I have not needed to deal with the customer support yet and hopefully will not have to.

I have 7 other guitars and have been playing for 12 years. In terms of electric guitar, this is my perfect guitar (with a few modifications). This one goes right up there with my Gibson J160E; if either were stolen I would replce them immediatley. Considering that this guitar was relatively cheap, it is definately worth more than it sells for. Overall a fantastic guitar!

I got this guitar used from a guy at a gig. I had been wanting a Casino for a long time as i love p-90's and light weight guitars. It is korean made and the guy said he got it new in 97. It is turquoise with chrome p/u's and the trapeze tail piece. all in all not feature laden, but very nice and awesome to use onstage, although as with all the Epi's me and my brother Ras own, it needed some mods and upgrades to get it where it needs to be. I got this axe for 75 bucks because it got it's head broken at the gig. Cool bargain...now where is that Elmers? hmm..

this Casino, though loaded with my beloved p90's has a drier more woody attack than my epi 56 reissue or LP junior. I use it with my Sovtek head and Sound City 4X12. It is completely hollow unlike a 335 and howled like a banshee at higher volume, so I stuffed it with rubber foam. Problem solved! I like its bright airy clean sound and toothy detailed distortion tones. It has a surprising amount of different tones and is now my favorite guitar for recording demos.

I played this axe several times as we toured with my pals band.I loved it's sound and pimp-o-licious turquoise finish. When my bud accidentally snapped the head and replaced it with a Gibson es135 I snapped it up when he offered it cheap. I reglued the head and stuffed it as well as replacing the nut and crowning the frets-axe has a lot of road wear but no flaws really. If not for a clumsy accident, I'm sure it would never have been sold by this guy-he loved it.

I just got in from 4 months of solid touring so it's definately holding up at gigs-in fact I have used it and my 56Epi goldtop for everything except slidework(doublecut junior Epi handles that), honestly I'd say I used it for 30% of my set. It has become the preferred backup for my LesPaul. I changed the nut and it already had straplocs. the finish is a durable poly, but arm wear and belt buckling are evident. The rosewood fingerboard is fairly soft and looks very worn compared to the frets, but no problem, really.

used gear never dealt with em

My band, 3rd Strike has been working for a while now-we have a ton of gear. I own a Martin DXM, and 4 Epis-a 56 LP, junior,and this Casino, as well as a 58 V reissue that my brother just won't return...dangit!I use a line6 pod at home and the rig mentioned above live. I love its tone and it's looks. I would pay full pop for another if this one was stolen and that is saying a lot as I'm a total cheapskate!

2002 Casino, cherry finish.

Since there are so many reviews already, i just wanted to point out a few things. The sound wasn't great on mine because the pickup magnetism was so strong. It was pulling the low E string out of tune above the 12th fret. (you strat guys know what i mean.) Actually, replacing the strings helped. i don't know why, but the factory strings must be pretty crappy. The biggest change was the pickups. They were replaced with DiMarzio virtual P-90s. The original pickups favored the bass strings. No matter how high i raised the pole pieces and lowered others, this problem was still there. The Dimarzios fixed that. With two rows of pole pieces it's easy to "dial in" the balance. And, they have reduced magnetic string pull. If you want to use the Virtual P-90s, you'll probably need a repairperson because mine had to put in two small wood blocks to support the pickups.

Interestingly, i also have an Epiphone Sorrento with the same pickups, but that guitar doesn't have the problem. Those pickups are balanced and sound great. (built 7 years earlier.)

Everything in the set up was good, escept: the string spacing was too narrow for the fingerboard. We recut some new slots in the bridge and now it's fine. Guitar is almost flawless in its construction, paint, binding, etc. Amazing for a budget guitar.

Great little guitar for practicing, traveling (it's light in a gigbag). I even used it one night on a jazz gig instead of a full depth archtop. Epiphone should just check the string balance on these pickups and cut the bridge slots for a wider spacing. The neck on this guitar is great! Wide and flat like a 1963 Gibson es-335.

I bought the guitar new (serial # says 2004) in vintage-sunburst. I always wanted a Casino because I?m an old Beatles and Merseybeat (early ?60s Brit-ish tunes) fan - these guys played Casinos all over the place. I was considering one of the Elistist series but someone told me that the much cheaper Korean Casinos are almost on par with Japanese quality. That was confirmed by har-mony-central?s user reviews. So I ordered one without having seen and played it before because no store carried a VS Casino in stock. I tested, however, two 2003 Korean Casinos in natural color (like John Lennon?s later version). These ones had some quality problems (e.g. bridge pickups too close to the strings), so that I was a bit worried how my guitar would be.

What can I say? I?m a lucky guy (or Epiphone builds great hollowbody guitars these days). My one is a perfectly built guitar. I can hardly believe that one can buy a quality hollowbody these days for such a low price. My explana-tion: Korea is under intense pressure from the Chinese (think of Ibanez? AF series which is surprisingly good for an even lower price).

My Casino VS has got all the features I expect and want from a classic Ca-sino. It looks like the 1966 Beatles? guitars with the longer headstock. I added a US-made Bigsby (125 euros) myself: I chose a B3 because a B6, which otherwise would look a bit nicer, would produce a very flat string an-gle. A B7 would be historically correct - remember George! - but I hate drilling holes into the guitar?s top. Adding the Bigsby was a minor operation: simply removed the tailpiece and threw the B3 in - even the screws fit on mine.
And I added a DeArmond roller bridge with more weight than the factory T-O-M bridge. It makes the guitar sound even fatter.

Now the pickups: It?s got two P-90s, ?Alnico, designed by Gibson?, as the sticker read. These must be new because they are apparently more powerful than earlier ones: both 11,3 kOhms (measured). And they are perfectly aligned: The bridge p.u. is higher and closer to the strings than the neck p.u. The middle position is not hum-cancelling but you can hardly hear the noise.

It?s the lightest guitar I own: 2900 metric grams with the B3, 2700 with the tailpiece. That is 6,4 resp. 5,9 US pounds.

Friends (among them professional guitarists) and I tested the Casino with some Fender tube amps (Deluxe Reverb RI, Vibrolux RI, an old Super-Champ, a first-series Roland Jazz Chorus etc.) together with two bands and on our own in the living-room. The guitar has got the classic powerful P-90 sound - and it sings!
All strings (10 - 46, Fender 150s) are equally loud on every p.u. The bridge is full and twangy but not harsh or shrill, the neck clear and warm but not muddy. It?s very authentic for oldie music (50s and 60s) and blues. You can use it for modern tunes, too, but a Gretsch (like my new G5125 - look up my review) is more versatile as it sounds a bit crisper.
The sound is a ?10? for a Casino but the restricted use is my reason for giv-ing it only a ?9?.

I have never had a better guitar as far as far as this chapter is concerned. The craftsmanship is outstanding. String action can be set incredibly low without buzz. Painting and fretting are perfect.
Just yesterday I made a tour through some guitar stores and played several guitars, from 500 to 3000 euros. Regular Epiphones are not in the same league as this one. It plays on the same level as Gibsons in the 2.000 euro range.
My impression is that the Casino has a special rank in the Epi product line: it?s a true hollowbody (thus harder to build) and it?s of historic significance (Beatles!). They probably let their best builders work on it.
The only guitar I had (among ca. 30 others) that is equally well built is my Gretsch 5125.
Oh yes, there is one disappointment like one of the latest reviwers said: Epi used one part that is real junk - the pickup switch. That one needs replace-ment soon. It?s flimsy, sometimes not working properly - that?s no honor for this great guitar. That's why it only gets a "9".

I play the Casino for 5 hours on rehearsals without any problem at all - beside the p.u. switch (but I play mostly in the middle position anyway). The Bigsby stays in tune perfectly.
Ranking would be a "10" without the p.u. switch issue.

No idea. I?ll ask the dealer for a new switch (see ?action & fit?). If necessary. I?ll buy one for 10 euros or so and solder it myself.

It?s a wonderful guitar and I?m happy I bought it. I play it almost every day at home (Vox Pathfinder 15) and take it out to the band. The G5125 and the Casino are my main axes now.

Mine is like all the others, however it is finished in gold flake, with a clear coat. The back sides and back of the headstock and neck are also gold flake painted. I assume this one was made in Korea, but I don't know for sure. Really an eye grabber, well applied paint. DOes any one know about these gold flake ones? Were they a limited production, what's the history. Were they made in Korea too? E-mail the info to garyguitar1117@yahoo.com

This is the best part. One of the better bang for the bucks bargains. Upgrade the pickup switch, and pots and maybe pickups.
The pickups on this particular Casino are mighty fine. I have had a Gibson 330 ('62) and also a '66 that I just sold, and these pickups to my ear sound as good.

For the bucks, really well done. Slick gold flake paint job, good looking hardware. Fret work is better than adequate. The worst features are the pickup switch that is loose and sloppy, and the tuners are barely adequate. I bought this on ebay and when I got it, the tone and volume controls were loose, but I had them tightened in 30 minutes. I am going to replace the tuners and switch immediately and later all the pots. Plays fine after I adjusted it a little and put 10's on it instead of the 9's. I also raised the bridge a little, the neck is medium beefy and is almost straight with a slight relief. Plays as good as my Gibson 335.

As I said, fine finish, cheap hardware ( I always enjoy replacing this stuff and seeing the improvement). These true hollowbodies with P-90's will squeal like a pig caught in the gate unless you play quietly, at stage volume, there are few remedies that help. I have already stuffed this one with foam, then covered the foam with black felt with a peel-and-stick backing that I didn't peel. This helped quite a bit. On my '62 Gibson 330, I installed sound posts made from dowel rods and stuffed it too. These remedies help, but you also need to mute with your palm and find the best position and distance in relation to your amp to stand while performing.

Gibson has been helpful to me before, but I am fairly proficient at set ups and minor repairs, and I would rather do them myself.

Been playing since 1955, mostly in a working band. The best feature of this guitar is the tone. It has a very musical, usuable tone. You can get a believeable fat jazz tone, a rude agressive rock tone, and a great blues tone. To my ears, these hollowbodies with P-90's sound better than humbuckers. I have owned MANY guitars from '55 Les Pauls to '57 Strats, PRS's, 335's, ES-175's on and on, blah blah. File this in the "who cares?" file. I wish I had my 1966 ES-330 w/Bigsby back. Let me know if you have info on these gold flake models, thanks.

2004 Epiphone Casino made in korea. I wanted a sunburst but apparantly Epiphone does not make it much anymore, so decided on a cherry. It still looks great, but you must wipe it down occasionally because finger prints really show up on it. It's a semi-hollowbody Gibson 335 look alike. Unlike other semi-hollowbodys, though, it has no center block, which creatves a very unique sound. Has 22 frets but due to the shape of the body the first 16 are most accesable and it gets a little harder drom there. One volume and tone control for each pickup. The pickup selector allows you to switch between the neck pickup, bridge pickup, or a mix of the two. The pickups are very warm sounding P-90s. Neck is thin and well made, and it's easy to quickly move up and down the neck. The stock tuners are vintage non-locking, and in my experience were VERY shoddy. After a few weeks I replaced them with some Sperzel locking tuners which fixed the problems. I'd reccomend changing the stock tuners if you plan to do gigs. Bridge is Tune-O-Matic, which has been fine for me, but I might replace it with a bigsby vibrato one day. No included accessories.

The combined factors of the P-90 pickups and body shape create a very unique mellow sound. It's perfect for 60s and 70s British clean rock (Beatles) and sounds very good overdriven, emulating Classic Rock guitar riffs flawlessly. On clean channel you get a very bright mellow sound. It also sounds superb with my Dunlop Wah pedal and Marshall 30 watt amp, turning out Hendrix like sounds. The only styles of music I cannot see the Casino useful for is metal, grunge, and other styles that use heavy distortion. The Casino can't play that "deep" style of distortion due to the pickups and feedback issues. At high volumes you must stand at a distance from the amp facing away for it, or you WILL have feedback issues. I've heard that stuffing a rag in the body will reduce feedback, but have never tried it.

For what I play (Classic Rock, Jazz, Blues) the Epiphone Casino fits well. I love the sound but will admit the feedback can be a problem if not properly controlled.

I bought my guitar from Guitar Center so they set it up at the shop. The action is set low and the guitar is very easy playable. It's easy to quickly move up and down the neck. I've heard that people have problems with the pickup selector, but have not had one yet and I've used the guitar for 4 months now. I probably will end up changing it anyway. The volume buttons are all fine and work as intended with no problems. The only problem I had with the hardware was the tuners, as I mentioned earlier. I don't know if I recieved a guitar with badly set up tuning heads or if all Casinos are like that, but the tuning problems did become quite bad and it was tedious to have to retune the guitar every 5 minutes.

I wouldn't reccomend gigging with the Casino from it's stock setup. Tuning problems may be an issue. Also, make sure you know of the feedback and how to properly play at high volumes with it. The finish looks great but needs to be taken care of. Wiping it down with a cleaning cloth is advisable. Although the strap bottons were solid, I would reccomend strap locks due to the fact that semi-hollowbodys cannot take a beating like a solidbody and would not risk it falling. With the new tuners I would use it on a gig without a backup with no worries.

Have never had to deal with Epiphone customer service, but the warranty is a year long and gurantees quality. If anything electrical breaks, it will be replaced. I am satisfied.

Overall the Epiphone Casino in my experience has been a great guitar that I can use in many different situations. I bought it hoping to achieve a Beatles and The Who sound and am very pleased. If it were stolen I would replace it immediatly. The only flaw I've experienced is the tuning heads.

Basic standard Casino, '96 or '97 Korean made in black finish. Standard Casino configuration: hollowbody, double cut, 22 frets, 2 P90, standard Gibson style controls (2 volume, 2 tone), laminiated maple back/sides, and supposedly a spruce top (however, I suspect the top is laminated maple). Purchased used...that makes me the third owner.

First thing about this guitar: forget about running this through an effects box as you'll loose much of the character that makes this guitar unique. If you use an amp, use a tube amp. If you use an effects box, be sure it's a good one. Played through a Fender HotRod Delux, this baby kicks ass; played through my Adrenalinn II, this baby still kicks ass (particulary with the class A amp models).

I bought this because I wanted the twang and growl of P90s, controllable feedback, and that spanky hollow body character. Excellent for blues, old-school R&B (think Beatles, Stones, Who), jazz, country -- this guitar is versatile. In comparison to my G&L Legacy, the single coil P90s are slightly warmer yet retain the single coil twang one could never get from humbuckers. And that's why single coils rule the universe.

Well, like I said, this was purchased used. One of the previous owners had some work done on it as the frets were leveled and filed on at the edges of the neck. Epiphone has a bad reputation when it comes to their fretwork, so additional fretwork is often required to make an Epiphone playable. The previous owner had this guitar setup for low action and gauge 9 strings. For the Casino, this is the wrong setup to have: first one needs to use heavier strings (10s or 11s) and the action needs to be raised. This will need a professional setup. And a fret polishing, strictly for cosmetic purposes, would not be all that bad either.

The Casino is a solidly build guitar, just don't pull a Pete Townshend on stage and you'll be fine. Seriously, you'll need stap locks.

My Casino in it's current condition needs some more work before it's gig-worthy: the output jack needs to be replaced, the setup needs to be redone to my specifications, and the stock tuners could use an upgrade to the locking variety (Grovers or Schallers would be a good choice). Once this is done, she's ready to roll.

Backup? Backup? Don't need no steenkin' backup. In a gig situation, I'd trade off with the G&L depending on what we're playing.

Well there's a lifetime warrantee, but this expired two owners ago.

Well, if it was lost, stolen, burned or mutilated, I'd have to get a replacement. I'd probably buy another used one. Casinos generally retail around $600, which is over priced since these generally require additional work. Bottomline: if you want a classic hollowbody sound and you love single coils, this is the bitch for you.

Pretty much as listed in other reviews. It looks like a Epiphone Casino from any era. Thin-line double cutaway hollowbody Gibson ES-330 lookalike. I bought mine from ebay, second hand. The fellow before me did the right things: replaced switches and pick-ups.

This is an affordable alternative to a Gibson hollow body, especially if, like me, you long for a single coil hollow body like the old jaazers and blues men played. There are not enough models being made these days with these features. Even the Epiphone Elite Byrdland sports humbuckers. Forget Gibson. Even their custom shop axes have humbuckers. For rockabilly, swing, and early blues styles one really needs to have that single coil sound. This particular guitar was retro fitted with Rio Grande p90s (Jazzdawgs and Blueshounds). They are HIGH output p90s. Real good sounding but they overdrive my tweed Deluxe too much.

This is an excellent blues-mobile, if we're talking pre-humbucker style B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, et al. I am a Chuck Berry nut and feel his best sound was on his ES 350 pre-Humbucker, and for a time in the late 60s and early 70s when he was liable to show up with a 330 rather than 345 or the other humbucking models. The live stuff on "London Sessions" is a 330 and for me that is THE sound. It has fullness AND bite. Yes the Bealtes played Casinos in '66 and on and off in later years (particularly John). I feel this connection is somewhat over-stated, as the Gretsch/Rickenbacker sound is more classic Beatles, in my opinion, and in the studio they used Les Pauls and Fenders as well.

I put heavy strings on 12's to 52's with an unwound "G" for bending purposes. Had it set up appropriately. No flaws that I can determine. Playable action.

I started out figuring this would be a back-up to my '67 Gretsch Anniversary but lately it has been axe # 1 on gigs. I really enjoy the light weight and thin neck after years of struggling with a big fat guitar with a fat neck. Still new to me but it seems sturdy and reliable.

Not applicable.

A damn good alternative to much more expensive Gibsons (and Epiphones). One would probably want to invest on upgrading the electronics. As far as snob factor, this is something that in the 21 century were all going to have to get over. Just try to buy a quality American made hollow body guitar with P90s on a modest budget. Good luck.

I don't know what year it was made. Not too long ago, anyway. I bought it second-hand with case, absolutely spic and span for 375 euro's, a nice deal. It is a cherry-red one with white bindings and a black head. The transparant red laquer looks more like red wine than cherry IMO. Anyway, it looks gorgeous. Chuck Berry played this version a lot. It has a white-black-white laminated pickguard fitted to it, with a large black and chrome Epiphone trident-E-logo on it. The Casino is an Epiphone original, the Gibson versions came out later, a couple of years after they bought Epiphone.

It is a true hollow-body, which means that it produces quite some sound when played unamplified. This gives the guitar a somewhat other sound than other, comparable semi-hollow-body guitars, like the epiphone Dot, Sheraton and Lucille. Of course this is also largely due to the fact that the Casino has totally different pickups.

The guitar is quite lightweight, but it has some presence, and the balance is good.

The body is made from laminated maple, and is very well built, and nicely finished. The guitar has a trapeze tailpiece.

The two chromed, single-coil Gibson P-90 pickups are wound reversely, so you can turn them both on and then cancel one out with its volume knob while it still cancels the other one's noise. In fact they can act as a gigantic humbucker. The pickups are both height-adjustable per string. They are a bit susceptible to getting scratched by the plectrum.

It has a lovely rosewood fretboard and a mahogany neck. The neck is glued in very, very precise. Aparently, the guitar has been laquered afterwards, in one piece. The action is very easily adjustable, and can be set incredibly low, which i think is lovely. The head has just the standard Epiphone-inlay (done very nicely), the fretboard has parallelogram inlays, which were not placed very accurately, but finished nicely. Every inlay has different dimensions (larger towards the head) which I think is cool.

The Casino features chromed, non-locking tuners, which aren't bad, but could have been better. Fetishists will probably replace them. They look very nice anyway.

Unfortunately, one thing on this guitar absolutely SUCKS: the 3-way pickup selector swith. Within no time the contacts go bad (unexpected silences), it rattles, it feels flimsy, AAARGH! Why didn't they spend $2 more on just a decent switch?! A disgrace to this guitar, which is overall of awesome quality.

The casino is a very versatile guitar, which can produce a vast amount of totally different sounds, from very clean and bright to a deep, warm sound with a lot of Bass. You can use it to play Rock-'n'-Roll (like Chuck Berry did), it is THE typical John Lennon guitar, Reggae, ska, jazz, but it's suitable for almost anything you can think of, except for metal and Slipknot-like music; but hey, wouldn't it look a bit awkward playing Rammstein on a hollow-body?
Further, you have to keep in mind that this guitar has single coil-pickups. No matter how versatile it is, it will never sound like for example a Les Paul. It has a unique sound that some people just may not like.

Coming from a strat, the pickups give high output and a lot of bass, and an overall clear sound. They're not too noisy IMO. As mentioned before, you can cancel the noise a great deal using both elements.

When using overdrive you'll find a whole new spectrum of sounds, from a warm light tube drive to an absolutely awesome, brutal, barking, throaty sound. It's not suitable for metal I suppose (just not the right sound), but to make an incredible amount of ear-shattering noise is not a problem. To get everything out of this guitar, I recommend buying an amp with both tube and transistor drive.

The amp choice is very important, as with all guitars, but especially with this one. I Use a Trace Elliot Super Tramp 100W combo (no longer produced) which features both transistor and tube drive, and a MOSFET (transistor) power stage - and sometimes a somewhat smaller BOSS/Roland transistor amp. The difference between the two sounds, besides volume, is stunning.

Sometimes I use it for playing blues, but I guess a guitar with humbuckers fitted is preferable. The Casino might sound a bit too bright and clean. However, if you want to use some overdrive/distortion, this is definately the one to go for.

I fix the resonance 'problem' at high volume, mentioned in a lot of other reviews, (it's more like a feature you should expect from a true hollow-body IMO) by stuffing a towel into the body.

It's very sensitive to the way you play it, it really responds tremendously to everything you do. An imperfect setup immediately kills this guitar. When you practice a little, you'll be amazed of how many different accents and sounds you can put into your playing. Of couse, this also means that this guitar is very picky. Coming from e.g. a Stratocaster, you'll be disappointed at first - don't blame the guitar; it's your skills and technique.

Dislike: sometimes i find that this guitar produces too much bass - even from the bridge pickup. Maybe an equalizer pedal could be useful sometimes.

I don't know how well this guitar was set-up at the factory, because I bought it second-hand. The guy I bought it from did a terrible job. For this guitar, it's absolutely neccesary to get the setup EXACTLY right - it really makes a tremendous difference. Luckily, everything is very easily adjustable.

The action can be set incredibly low without any problem, and very high as well (e.g. for slide playing). This guitar plays very easily, and it's possible to play incredibly fast on it.

As mentioned before, the pickup selector switch is of absolutely laughable quality, I'm looking for an alternative. I guess my patience will be put to the test when I replace it, because the only way to reach inside the body is via one of the f-holes which aren't that big...

Overall the finish is nice and beautiful. Apart from the switch, and to a lesser extent the tuners, mine is absolutely flawless.

This guitar looks a bit vulnerable at first glance, but now i can say that it will withstand live playing easily. It can take quite some beating and accidents without being damaged at all. Still, it's less violence-proof than most solid-body guitars, of course.

The hardware looks fine overall, maybe I'll replace the tuners one day, the selector switch is a piece of crap, the volume/tone knobs are not bullet-proof, but they're ok.

The finish is downright fabulous and very durable.

The strap buttons are good quality examples of the usual cone-shaped type.

I can depend on this guitar, and I use it without a backup.

N/A

I love it, except for the switch...

I own a Fender strat too, I'd love to have a gibson/epiphone SG or Les Paul.

If it were stolen, I'd definately save up for another Casino.

Sunburst finish. According to the serial # is made in Korea in 1997. Bought second hand, fairly good overall conditions. Price paid (May 2004) Euro 450,00 including hardcase. It has all the stock features.

Since I adore the FabFour I couldn't miss such guitar. Please note: I already have a vintage Casino (1967 - Kalamazoo 230TD cherry) with specs matching tighly the ones owned by certain mssrs Lennon, McCartney & Harrison. Since theirs Casino's sported the sunburst finish I got this last one mainly for a closer visual connection. Once back home with the newer Casino the next thing I did was an A/B comparison between the 2 worlds. Of course regarding the sound I expected the 1967 as being the front-runner: believe or not, the winner is the Korean! Much punchier and a wider range even on the bass side. Those who know the Beatles 1966-1969 repertoire can understand what I mean. Plug this baby into a Vox Conqueror with its built-in fuzz and you are John Lennon playing Revolution or Yer Blues. Or, if like more recent groups, you can get easily an Oasis or Strokes sound. While it's ideal for a Britpop style band this guitar could work pretty well in a jazz/ blues ensemble.

Action: it's where the 1967 Casino claims its revenge. The Korean model is more edged on bindings so its playing is slightly affected when compared to its older relative. Dealing with the fretboard on the ol' brother is like sailing on a sea of oil! When I got the guitar the setup left something to desire especially about the intonation on certain strings (D,B), then after some adjustments on the bridge things got fairly better. Those Kluson style tuners aren't perfect either, they seem sometimes a bit loose so they cannot guarantee a steady tuning for longer times specially on live situations.

Everything is like an average current stock model.

No warranty, no contact! (so far)

I've been playing guitar for 25 years, even though I consider myself mainly a bass player. Gear owned: tons of Rickenbacker, Gretsch, Hofner, Vox, etc. stuff. I can master pretty well sounds a la Beatles. If stolen I'd probaly get another other one. A good instrument to own even for a non-Beatles nuts. My moral of the story: never think that a vintage instrument is 100% better than its current production counterpart!

2004 Epiphone very well made in Korea. I'm sure it's laminate city where the woods are concerned, but then even the expensive Gibson and Elite Epiphones hollow and semi-hollows are laminates. There was not a flaw on it. No space around inlays, the binding is simple but perfect, no extra glue showing through. This one is the beautiful red finish with a bit of grain showing through. Two volume and two tone and a pick-up selector switch. The only improvement over this set-up might be a master volume for those who like to keep a particular blend across all volumes.

It has a wonderful sound. I use it for Chet style finger-picking and favor the neck pick-up. It has single coils but is much less noisey than my strat.

I pulled new out of the box at Guitar Center. I could find no flaws with the factory set-up. The action is right on although they ship it with 9's. When I switched to 10's, I gave the bridge a slight drop in height and the action is still great with no buzz on any fret. The screw and net holding the pick-guard was slightly loose but was easily finger tightened.
The frets are perfect.

This is not the guitar for loud live playing. It is a true hollow body so the top will vibrate and cause feedback. Go for the Sheraton II if you have a loud stage volume. Everything else about the guitar is road worthy. It is a light guitar and may appear delicate as a result fo being hollow.

I've been playing 35 years and own several guitars. The Casion and Sheraton II korean made Epiphones are probably the best deals on the market today.

It's a standard Casino in natural finish

I play in a beatle tribute band. So this is an excelent guitar for the lennon parts during let it be and the white album periods. I use a Fender m-80 amp through a Fender vibratone cab. It isn't a noisy guitar. The output is pretty high. It has a very warm sound even wehen i play on the bridge pick up it's is warm. The only thing that's a pitty is that it's feed backing like hell. When i'm performing i can't turn my guitar to my amp and not play a note, cause then the audience will be deaf.

When i bought this guitar the action was pretty high. So this was "fixed" in the store. Now it's lovely. The rest of it was great

I've been playing on this guitar for 4 years now. the last 2 years i've giged with it. never had any problems.

Never had contact with them.

This is a great guitar. if it would crack or something i would buy a new one immediatly. So what I want to say: if you want a good sounding reliable guitar: BUY AN EPIPHONE CASINO

My Epiphone Casino has the usual features, but it dates from the early 1980s and so was made in Japan.

I like semi-acoustics for their looks and versatility. You can get a rock'n'roll or funky sound just by the way you play them, without changing anything on the amp.

I have played the Casino both through Marshall valve amps and a Laney solid state one. It worked well with both, but feedback and noise was more of a problem with the transistor amp.

It has a great sound unamplified and is lound enough for you to practice and learn new songs without using an amp. It is superior in this regard to other copies of the Gibson semiacoutics.

There were no problems for many years. I just had to have the frets leveled after a couple of years since they had developed holes.

I'm probably being a bit mean giving only a 6. I got many years of trouble-free playing out of the guitar. However, I had to stop playing it recently since the electics were shot (it developed a nasty hum and the neck pick-up would stop working altogether sometimes) and it became almost impossible to tune or to keep in tune (the fiddly little knobs don't help). I bought a second-hand Vantage for ?200, since it was quicker and cheaper than getting the Epiphone repaired.

Didn't try. The guarantee had expired long before the problems arose.

If current production is as good as the earlier models then they are good value. They cost the same today as mine did almost 20 years ago!

As mentioned above, I have now bought a Vantage semi-acoustic. It does not sound so nice and is quieter when not amplified, but otherwise it as good or better than the Epiphone (less noise and feed back, lower action, longer neck, larger tuning nobs).

Just for the record: this Casino is a fully hollow archtop with a small peg inside supporting the bridge. Trapeze bridge, P-90 singlecoil pickups, vintage tuners, parallelogram inlays, etc. Check the website for further details.

The sound is very unique. This sounds very different from a 335 with humbuckers. It's hollower, more note drop off, but with more dynamics and an acoustic quality that a 335 just doesn't have. The pickups are somewhat noisy, being singlecoils, but not terribly bad at sane volumes. I found using my Boss EQ pedal with a slight bump at 1.6k and 3.5k through my Deluxe Reverb really did wonders for tone. The guitar is really sensitive to the player's dynamics. Sounds good acoustically, too.

The fretwork was a little poor, some dead spots and choked notes. I got it fixed. The pickups are flush with the body, you adjust the pole pieces. I'm a little nervous about that infamous pickup selector switch, but things have been fine so far.

Stays in tune well. I've gigged twice with it with no problems. It's got a hard case, which I highly recommend. The guitar is extremeley lightweight and a little neck-heavy, so a proper strap helps. In my opinion, it's a professional instrument.

n/a

A nice guitar. Certainly not one for all applications. I think it favors more clean or slightly overdriven tones, but that's just me. The Beatles influence was obviously strong in my choice. I like the shape. It's red. It's nice.

Brand new Korean made thin hollow-body with two single coil pickups.
3 way pickup selector, individual volume and tone knobs.
Mine has the natural finish.
Tune-o-matic bridge.
I bought the hard shell case as well.

I play a variety of styles on live gigs, and home recordings - rock, blues, country,Irish nusic, and soft-rock.
I really like the clean rhythm guitar tone with both pickups on, but with the neck pickup volume down a little from full.
I've used on two gigs recently - one through an amp (73 Fender Deluxe Reverb), and one through a Mesa Boogie V-Twin direct through the PA.
Through the amp, and using a Rat overdrive pedal for occasional distorted leads, I had to back off the gain and the volume on the Rat or I'd get feedback - not surprising, the guitar is hollow, with no center block like on a Gibson 335.
Through the Mesa V-Twin and a PA, on a stage with dimmers for the lights, the guitar was noisy...on some single coil gtrs. with two pickups, the "both on" setting is quiet due to the pickups being reverse wound, but that does not seem to be the case on the Casino.
When I play the same room with the same set-up next week, I will bring a different guitar.
I do like the sounds the guitar produces, but it certainly is not the right guitar for high gain sounds, and I'll bring an additional guitar at least for the first time I bring the Casino into a room I haven't used it in yet, in case the noise is too great.

Action was set up great - I'm used to .010s on Gibson scale length guitars, and this came with .009s, and the action low, but I may stick with the .009s.
I'm not much of an expert on finish flaws and the other things in this category, but I haven't found any flaws yet.
I've heard that the Korean pickup selectors were noisy or defective, but the one on mine seems to be fine.

This would seem to be a more delicate guitar than say a Tele or a Les Paul, so I wouldn't beat on it too hard.
I'd use it without a backup once I determine which rooms it'll be quiet enough in...

I've been playing for over 35 years.
I own 12 guitars including this one (3 acoustics, a bass, and 8 electrics, including a Les Paul Custom, a Les Paul Special, a Telecaster and a Rickenbacker 12 string.
I pretty much knew what the Casino's good and bad points were before I bought it, so there were no major surprises...I might buy another if it were stolen or lost.
One really great feature - it weighs next to nothing compared to a solid body, so wearing it all night on a gig is a breeze.

2003 Casino, in Cherry red, Korean Made, Lamnate maple all around, mahogany neck, pair of p-90's wired in series... The standard as can be viewed on the manufacturers website.

It's a pretty typical no frills 6 string, but I do like that it has lots of ways to adjust your fit, feel and intonation

Ok, here's where it gets interesting. This guitar sounds absolutely beautiful when played cleanly, or with a light drive. It's sparkly, resonant, and beautiful. Quite frankly, it's become my favorite guitar for using on recordings and live when a clean sound in desired.

The bad part is, high gain. This poor critter doesn't do high gain, period paragraph. It will squeal like a wounded beast, and make you want to claw your face off with the noises that pour out from within. This in mind....

Effects like chorus, tremolo, reverbs, and a genuine tube with a touch of overdrive sound truly wonderful. Just a sweetheart of a sound... It's sold as a "retro rock" guitar, but keep in mind that the first real distored lead sounds didn't come around til around 64.... this guitar does what it was made to do beatufully, hook it up to a distortion pedal, or a fuzz tone, and it will give you nightmares.

For a clean rhythm guitar, there's nothing finer in this price range I do believe.

he he... welll.... Setup was mighty fine, except for the 9's for strings... 9's on a hollow body? come on... 10's work great, so that's what I run with on it now... Epi's are quite a bit better than they were a few years back... I can't say that this one is really flawed, a few minor paint lines imperfect, and the pick guard cut-out could be a touch neater. The pickgurd liked to vibrate on the pickup housing, so I added a piece of cloth in there to stop it... now all is happy.

It's light, so for a gig it's be great as to not fatigue me... and the build looks to be quite nice... the neck strap button makes me wonder, but the light weight makes it easier on the straps.

When I first checked it out, I was thinking.... Oh crap... Kluson style tuners... another needed tuner change. However I'm pleased to report that these are better than earlier epi models... they hold tune well for a change, but I wish the gear ratio were lower.

I don't see why it wouldn't hold up, and it will most certainly accompany me to select shows... I'd have to use something else if I wanted to play distortion sounds though.

They've backed up their warranty on other epi's and answered my quiestions satisfactory... not bad

I have 11 guitars now... and about 4 years into playing like an addict... Great guitar for what it does, love the feel, love to play it, gonna get some similar ones like a sheraton or a riviera.. love the feel, awesome sound clean. Play one, perhaps you'll fall in love.

This is a follow up review. Please see my prior review.

O>K> In my first review of this guitar- I ended up returning the instrument due to several cosmetic and quality issues. This is my second Casino purchased from Musicians Friend. This Casino has no cosmetic issues at all that I could find. The toggle swith works on this one and is nice and tight.No misaligned tuners. The bridge is very quiet (no rattle like the first on), although I did put a drop of clear fingernail polish (and old trick) on all of the moving bridge parts to KEEP it quiet.
The neck is extremely straight however the frets were a mess- It needed a full fret level and dressing right out of the box ($80 with set up and a new set of 10's included). My tech found several high frets and three loose ones that had to be reseated. It now plays perfectly with no buzzing and action as low as desired, although I personally like a medium action (5/64" on the 6th string down to 3/64th" on the first string, measured at the 12th fret).
My tech said there are a lot of beautiful guitars coming out of Korea these days, the weak link being the fret work. I'm giving this guitar a 10 for the finish, and a 7 for action and fit before the fret work.

Should you have to spend $80 for fretwork and a set up on a brand new guitar? Apparently the answer (unfortunately) is yes, and it's not just on the imported guitars. I bought a Gibson ES333 that was a total dog. Had that infamous hump on the neck where it joins the body making it impossible to set up. Right out of the box it needed a refret ($275). Total crap. I've played several Gibsons since then from Pauls to 335's and the majority had neck/fret problems as well as among the worst factory setups I have ever seen. I have talked to many luthiers and techs that have had to do refrets on brand new $6000 "custom shop" Gibsons. At least the Casino ,and also a brand new Tobacco Sunburst (rare color) Sheraton I recently bought only needed a level and dressing. I suppose I could have kept returning them in hopes of getting perfect ones, but I'm convinced such a bird does not exist, and since they were cosmetically perfect with nice straight tight necks, the fretwork was a small price to pay. Now both of these guitars (Casino and Sheraton)are 10's, but I'm rating at 9 because of the extra work and expense of making them playable.

2003 Sunburst model with all the features a thinline archtop should have.

P-90's sound great, Nails that classic Beatles "Revolver" sound, ie:Taxman, He Said She Said, Your Bird Can Sing, etc. Also sounds great for Blues, which I play a great deal of. All in all a great, classic sounding guitar. P-90 single coils were much quieter than I expected, and much fatter sounding than my American made Strat. Nothing thin about the sound of this guitar.

Here's where all of the problems arose with this guitar, and the main reason I am writing this review. About a half dozen black specs which went through the polyurethane finish of the top side of the guitar. An area about the size of a nickel on the bottom side had no Sunburst finish at all, just unfinished wood that had been polyurethaned over. Three position toggle switch was defective right out of the box. Bridge rattled more than any I have ever heard. Made me wonder what was even holding it together.Misaligned tuners. Left side in a straight line, right side top tuner positioned out of line. This guitar was NOT a factory second, but clearly should have been.On the plus side the neck was straight with low action and only very slight buzzing.Adjusting the Truss Rod and raising the bridge a bit eliminated the buzz while still maintaining a pretty low action. No excess filler around the trapezoid inlays as some have mentioned.No overspray around the headstock or F-holes. Really nice fret work. All in all, though, very disappointing.

Sent it back immediately so did not have a chance to put it in a gigging situation.

Don't know about Epiphone, but Musicians Friend emailed me a prepaid Fedex label immediately and are sending another guitar. They could save themselves a lot of return shipping by simply checking out their gear before they sell it. I have never experienced a problem dealing with Musicians Friend.

I have been playing approximatly 35-40 years. I had read all available reviews for this model and was really looking forward to getting it. I'm going to try again , but what a disappointment this was! Incidently, I also ordered an Epiphone Deluxe Hardshell case for this guitar which arrived with a defective lock, so THAT had to be sent back as well- C'mon!!! I just bought a Diary at the 99 Cent store for one of my students and the lock worked perfectly- gimme a break! (And believe me, the case lock was no more complex).

I didn't think Gibson's horrendous quality control (which is another story altogether) had bled over into the Epiphone Division, but apparently it has. Hopefully the one I got was a fluke and the next one will be better- I'll let you know as soon as I recieve it!

This guitar was made in 2001 I think, by the SN, in Korea. 21 frets with a laminated maple top, back and sides; 2 P-90 open coil pickups with a volume and tone control for each and a 3-way selector switch. Neck is mahognay with a rosewood fretboard. The guitar features a glossy poly finish over a curly maple top; the body is fully hollow with 2 f holes. The guitar also features a tune-o-matic bridge, trapeze tailpiece and Kluson-type tuners. Like most guitars in this price range, the deal includes nothing else--no case, strap, cable, no nothin'. It seems that someone who can afford a Gibson ES335 or similar guitar would be able to afford the case as well, but the case is always included with guitars at that level.

I've been a folkie, strumming away on accoustics for years and decided to learn to play jazz. This unit has a great jazz tone with 11-guage strings (shipped with nines) and it was just what I was looking for. It does feed back but controlling it is a simple matter of adjusting your position relative to the amp. Not much tonal variety, but I mostly play it on the neck pickup with the tone control rolled down.

Chris at Robert M. Sides in Williamsport, PA where I got it did a great job of setting it up, but it didn't really need much right out of the box. I had to have it set up again (by Jack at Magdon Music in Olyphant, PA this time--closer to home) when I went with the heavier guage strings. Everything is great now--perfectly balanced pickups, low-but-not-too-low action and again, just the sound I was looking for. Now that I think of it, I should have had the pickup selector switch replaced while it was in the shop for that last set up. I am having the usual problems with that.

This guitar would be great for a live gig, but treat it gently--it IS delicate. I would have no choice but to play without a backup, as it is my only electric. The strap buttons seemed solid, but I replaced them with Strap-Loks anyway because I'm afraid that even one hit would knock the guitar seriously out of whack.

Haven't had to deal with customer service yet but I do know from experience on other purchases that Sides backs up what they sell very well, and I would probably never have to deal with Gibson/Epiphone directly.

I have been playing for about 30 years, but as I said, mostly as a folkie accoustic strummer. I have a 1981 Madiera, a 2000 Epiphone AJ 15E acoustic/electric, and a 1934 Gibson L4. This is my only electric and I chose it for its fat jazz tone, looks, price, and reputation. There is nothing that I especially love or hate about it; it was simply the guitar that had the most of what I was looking for at a price that I could handle.

Korean made, cherry coloured Casino... you know the rest...

I'll admit that I was incredibly disappointed with this guitar. I bought it being a massive fan of The Beatles and Oasis and after reading many glowing reviews of it on here...
I played it through a Marshall G50RCD and however much I tried I just couldn't get an inspiring sound from it... The feedback at just normal volumes became unbearable and I ended up selling it after 6 months... i did give it a fair chance...

I had no gripe with this part... It was very easy to play and looked great

You have to treat her well... she's fragile being a hollowbody and all...

didn't need it..

Just found it a tad uninspiring... I was kinda glad when I sold it..

Okay, anybody who'll say something about it being an Epiphone and not a Gibson clearly knows nothing. The Casino is an original Epiphone signature model, from before their name was just used for Gibson models made in Indonesia. Why else would all 3 guitar-playing Beatles use them? Anyway, the guitar's features are perfect. I didn't want a locking whammy bar or an EVH D-Tuner or any other gimmicky crap. I wanted 2 P-90s and 4 knobs and they all work.

It sounds like rock 'n' roll. Hollowbody guitars, especially with P-90s, have the perfect 50s and 60s rock sound. Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, John Lennon. That's all one really has to say.

I took it out of the box and played for about 8 hours without so much as stringing it.

It's fine. About as good as a thin, hollow-body could be. You can't expect it to take a huge amount of abuse. The screw on neck-join strap button is a little loose. I plan on gigging and playing for many years without a back-up.

I'm not too sure. I bought the guitar from Long & McQuade, who have discontinued sale of the Casino model. I'm guessing I might be on my own.

I've been playing for about 5 years now. I have some older stuff and some newer stuff. I suppose I chose the guitar based on the Beatles' use of it, but I think that anybody who likes the roots of rock or blues would really dig this guitar. On top of that, the turquoise finish looks really nice, and the price is outstanding.

First off, I didn't buy a Gibson, so I won't say anything else about them. I bought an Epiphone, because that's what I wanted, not a Gibson knock-off, or a cheap alternative. I wanted an Epiphone, and that's what I got.

Anyway, the Casino 2 P-90's, 2 volume and 2 tone knobs, 3 way switch. Time-proven setup. The Casino is a completely hollow guitar, which makes for a good little bit of honk, but not so much in the way of sustain. I got the Vintage Sunburst finish. This guitar has everything it needs to sound great.

One thing that surprised me on this guitar was the width of the neck. Being primarily a Strat man myself, I have grown accustom to the weenie-width of the Strat neck, and I was expecting a big difference on the Casino. However, much to my surprise, none could be found. The neck is of a comfortable, thin profile that I instantly found easy to play. After playing Strats with little thin necks for so long, I didn't even notice that the Casino was lacking the charachteristic fatty necks that most guitars of this type have. I was pleased.

This is where it counts. The sound on this thing is excellent. I didn't think that at first, because for the better part of my life, I had played mainly solid-body Fender guitars, so it sounded different. It definitely took some getting used to, but once I got over the fact that it wasn't a thin-coil solid-body, I really liked the sound. It's got a nice fat sound thanks to the P-90's, and it's unbelievably mellow because of the hollow body. Even on the highest tone setting on the bridge pickup, I still couldn't get anything more twangy than a smooth, mellow shimmer. In combination with the neck pickup, it produces that sweet midrange that the Beatles used to put the Casino on the map. The neck pickup by itself can be slightly prone to muddiness, but if you keep your tone knob in check, you can avert unwanted mud.

Another great thing about this guitar is it sounds good, as dirty or clean as you want it. Obviously, a guitar like this was not intended for the fuzz/high-gain world, but even under heavy overdrive situations, it still maintians it's pristine mellow charachteristics.

It's also worth mentioning that one of the biggest influences to buy this guitar was the "Beatles" sound. I'm a huge fan of the Beatles, and this guitar really nails the sound.

I was a bit displeased to see that, on the back near the binding, there was a chip on it, right out of the factory. However, such a minor defect was nothing I was willing to give up my guitar for. the rest of the guitar was in good, finished condition. The laquer was a bit thin around the edges of the F-holes, but such can be expected from a guitar in this price range. The finish on the top, sides, and back is smooth and evenly-applied, and the neck is set into the guitar with no seam whatsoever.

The fretboard left me with mixed feelings. The fake plastic mother-of-pearl looks decent, but was set into a larger hole on the fretboard, leaving small gaps between the inlay and the fretboard, though only closely-scrutinizing eyes would pick up on that. Another thing on the fretboard that I found a tad less than aesthetically-pleasing was the fretboard itself. Down the fretboard there are two large light-red streaks, giving an uneven appearence to the fretboard. However, neither of these aesthetic flaws affected the playability, and as such I am still fairly satisfied.

I've heard that Epiphone is a bit hit-and-miss with their wiring and electronics, but this guitar seems to check out just fine, as did my Epiphone Zephyr Blues Deluxe. The switch seems sound, and the knobs all operate smoothly with no crackle. The pickups both seem sound as well. I don't know about any others, but the Epi's I've owned have all been quite satisfactory.

Never dealt with them. However, Musician's FEIND is usually pretty decent about hooking you up with info to get the company to honor the warranty.

I've been playing for about 10 years, and I've played just about every type of guitar under the sun. I favor Fenders, but I needed something to round out my sound in the studio. Enter the Epiphone. It was an inexpensive, well-made guitar that sounds great and plays very nicely. Epiphone doesn't scrimp on features, extras, or aesthetics, and I respect that a lot.

One word for the haters, the price-tag snobs, and the substitute Gibson buyers: Be proud of what you have. These guitars are not sub-par Gibsons. They're just excellent guitars, straight up. The reason Epi's get such bad raps is because they have to live in the shadow of their Big Brother, Gibson. Obviously, you're going to be pretty hard-pressed to find a guitar that can compete with Gibson's quality, but if you forget for just a second or two that your Casino is an ES 330 spinoff, or that your Les Paul doesn't say Gibson on the headstock, and just take the guitar at face value, you'll see that these guitars are not cheap; they're merely inexpensive. If you're going to buy an Epiphone, be proud of the name, becuase they're quality guitars. Don't compare, don't pretend it's something else, and don't keep yourself from enjoying the guitar because it wasn't $3000. These guitars are tops, and I stand by my axe 100%. I'm proud to be an Epi owner, and I really have no desire to buy the Gibson counterpart. I like my guitar, I like the price, I like the features, and I like the name. So do yourself a favor, forget it's Gibson's sub-company for a moment and treat yourself to a fine guitar. You may know what you're missing, but if you look at an Epiphone, you probably won't care.

stock, poor quality. never stayed in tune. i put on new kluson tuners. pickup switch is crap and cuts out on neck pickup, needs to be replaced. potentiometer shafts are bents, knob's aren't straight, doesn't affect playability. the pickup pole pieces don't align with string, brisge is shaky. binding is poorquality. the rosewood fingerboard is very porous. action is ok but not great. low rating because it has lot's of features but their poor quality, and many need to be replaced.

p-90s sound awesome. this guitar sounds incredible. if i had $2000, i'd buy a 60's ES-330, because epiphones are not good construction.
great for rock and blues.

not good. strings don't line up woth polepieces.action is not so good. tune-o-matic sucks. mine is turquoise finish, looks good, but binding has flaws.

good so far

dunno

i'd pay $250. not that great in features and construction, but killer sound

This is a 2003 Epiphone Casino (natural) made in Korea. Standard features (see musician's friend or other site for details). The only reason i didn't give it a 10 is because it doesn't have humbuckers.

Ive been playing since 1967. I like rock, jazz, and blues. This guitar is well suited for all three styles. It's a hollow body, so don't expect it to sound like an ES 335. Ive owned and ES 330 and a les paul and the casino is my favorite for sound.

Excellent finish, no flaws. Vol and tone knobs lean when turned, as if the shaft is bent. I don't care. I love to play it - very light and well configured. Action is fine.

N/A Haven't had it long enough.

Ive finally found the perfect guitar for me (since i can only have one cause my wife says so). I would replace it if stolen or lost. Made in USA is no longer the gold standard for me.

I purchased my ebony Epiphone Casino about a year ago. It was second hand, but in excellent condition. It was made in 1997. It is all stock with great P90's on it. I was pleased with the quality of workmanship on this guitar. The only thing I don't like about this guitar is the weight. It is too light, and the neck doesn't balance too well. If there was more weight on the headstock, it'd be ideal. I love the trapeze tailpiece, and you can never go wrong with a Tune-O-Matic bridge. This guitar is very 60's, that's what drew me to it. The tuning pegs are crap, and a little loose. Not so they rattle, but not as rigid as i'd like. I can't see a way of tightening them. I didn't like the scratch plate, with it's big "E" on it. It looked like a euro sign. I removed the scratch plate all together to give the guitar a sleeker look. The neck is nice, and the frets are in good shape. The quality of the fret board is as good as my Gibson. It has all the features you need for a guitar like this.

The Casino has a great treble (jangly) sound that gives a sharp distortion. It has the body for an array of rhythm tones that will cover all sorts of music. The pick-ups are good and clean, no buzzing at all. It is good for blues and most lead stuff. I've strung it with 11's, which seem perfect for it. This guitar will always go to the studio with me. With the guitar being so light, it feed backs quickly, but you're always gonna get that with a hollow body.

The set-up was very good when I got the guitar. It needed a few tweaks here and there, and the intonation was a little out, but theses were very easily sorted out. I've not had any problems with the electrics, eveything is smooth and quiet. The "E" on the pick guard had glue comin off it, but that didn't matter to me coz I removed it anyway.

This guitar will age well. When it is freshly strung and nicely polished, it looks sensational, and plays like a beauty. Thats what I love about my "Jezabel"- She always looks great, I can play with her when I like, she doesn't speak unless I make her, and you can put her in a case when you've had enough. I wouldn't gig without a backup, I'm too paranoid. This guitar is very versatile an dependable.

Never had a problem with the guitar.

I've been playin 10 years. I also own a Gibson SG standard and a Fender JM. This guitar is right up there with them, even though it was cheaper. It was a bargain! If it were stolen, I'd definitely replace it with one as close as I could get. I love this guitar. Maybe I should get heavy tuners and solve all my problems.

I bought it in 2002, Natural finish, trapize bridge, everything else is stock parts

I have only tried to use it a couple of times because it keeps flying out of tune every couple of seconds, every time you touch lightly on the body it gives a huge dip in the sound (wammy effect) and also I have not been able to get rid of the feedback playing through mine (marshall 65 watt aniversery series) or any amps i have tried.

Finish is amazing,

Can't play live, won't stay in tune also feedback

n/a

Unless someone can help me with the problems i am having I would not recomend this guitar unless it is to put on display if you are a Lennon fan!

2002 Epiphone Casino, double cutaway cherry finish, hollowbody with two p-90's. Good basic features for simple but elegant guitar. Looks much better without the pickguard.

This sound of this guitar is brighter than my Epiphone Les Paul but warmer than my brothers Fender Telecaster. It is a perfect in between. The clean sound is bright but warm and beautiful and the distorted sound is warm but much clearer than most humbucker guitars. The overall tone is powerful but distiguished like no other guitar I've ever played. Although it is most importantly perfect for the original music I make, I will try and give you a idea of what I think it's good for. I play all kinds of rock n' roll but mainly brit-rock (Oasis, The Verve, Travis) and throwback rock (Superdrag, The Strokes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club). this guitar is very good for all of those bands considering that Noel Gallagher of Oasis has played casinos, John Davis of Superdrag has plays a casino, and Nick Valensi from The Strokes plays a casino.

The on this guitar is very good. It is alot easier to play bar chords on this guitar than any other guitar I've ever played. The cherry finish is flawless and the overall look of the guitar is beautiful. Unfortunatly the pickup selector is already going crap and the bridge pickup cover wasn't properly soldered on one side and buzzed horribly. These problems are easily fixed and well worth it for the sound and playibility.

It is a hollow body and is therefore quite literally less solid than a Les Paul or Tele but other than the faulty hardware the guitar seems very reliable and I would gig without a backup (if I didn't have the Les Paul). The strap buttons look solid even though I will get strap locks eventually. With a little work, very dependable.

Never dealt with them.

This a very rock n' roll guitar. It's very unique and you should definately play before you buy, but if you play any kind of more traditional rock music it's an amazing value. With a little bit of work it can easily become a professional quality guitar. Compared to my Les Paul and my brothers Tele it's definitely my favorite. One the coolest guitars I've ever played.

I had an epiphone casino that i got for a xmas present, and it was the worst guitar i've ever had, the strings were too close together, couldnt get any distortion out of it, and the selector switch broke after a few weeks. i traded it in for a epiphone dot and thats sooo much better.

sound = s**t, sounds like a bad strat copy when it gets distorted. oh and the hum from those pickups arrggh.

the strings are too close together, if u have normal sized fingers playing chords other than fiths is virtually impossible without touching strings u dont want to.

flimsy, very flimsy, the pickup selector switch (mainly the little plastic tip) will break quick. dont do a gig without having another guitar ready to switch too.

epiphone are very eager to help and they are quick to send replacement parts out for a fee.

I've been playing 8 years now and i have an ibanez rg-7620 in black which is probably the best guitar i have ever played, i have a POD 2 into a marshall vs102r. i really think that this is a bad guitar, if u want a beginners guitar get a squire telecaster, its cheaper, will last longer and is easier to play.

1997 'Aged Natural casino' (more of an Orangy color, not the white they are making now,the best looking i have seen of all the casinos). 22 frets, set up in USa (and well too!). Case came with it,..

Perfect. almost. the 'lead' pickup is the best ive heard. i love playing through it.. the 'rhythm', however can get muddy with insufficient Tone, so be careful with that. Of all the hollowbodies ive played, This ones the best; Riviera- great to play, but tone is warbly and mixed up (i.e. the bass is TOO bassy and the highs are too high, the mids not really there), es-335 being muddy (same with other gibson HBs).
Like i said, the 'lead' can give this amazing treble sound ive only heard with others using this guitar (ie the BEATLES and other users of this guitar. but dont get it just because the beatles did.. it has a life of its own).
The rhythm can get muddy, but maybe its just my amp, having a small practice 10w. amp and wanting something near 100w (plus or minus a few of course) to move up on (ANY SUGGESTIONS? PLLLEAAASEEE because i dont know where to start in looking for amps.... )

Also. Feedback: ive never played more than ten watts for a long period of time, so this hasnt been a problem for me. i played through some big vox amp once and turned it up pretty far (not knowing its full potential..me the dummy). i played some chord and the sound blew me away. not so much the beauty of it, just the quantity. Thats how far ive gotten with loudness, no feeback.
AND if you do want to get some, heres a neat little trick ive found to get some *controled* feedback.

1. Put on the 'distortion' or 'overdrive' on the amp. if you need an effects pedal, im not sure if itll work. try it anyway.
2. play any open string hard (ive found an open A works best). pluck it as hard as you can without breaking it
3. behind the bridge but in front of the tailpiece theres 4 inches of string. press on the corresponding string (with me its an A, behind the bridge) until the string vibrates (giving a 'vibrato' sound).

4. do this press on it REALLY fast, with increasing rhythm.
Out of the amp will start to come this almost haunting A note..turning into some REALLY COOL feedback.

you can stop here, learn it better to where you can do it very quickly and any time you have an open A whole note (maybe half if you are really good at it) you can do this to get a cool effect.

however, heres something i like to do even more:

Find an Ab/G# note an octave higher (like first fret G string) while doing the original vibrato motion behind the A string.

What you should get (with some practice) is this..let me try to describe.. flangy, rotating mess that sounds AMAZING when playing some late 60s/early 70s rock (IE JIMI HENDRIX). if you are copying his rendition of 'the star spangled banner', look for an A note and do this to add the the imagery.

Dont think it sounds horrible, used right, it can be the coolest thing ever..

Thats my bit for feedback, thanks.


The other stuff i like to play is jazz. i really like playing django reinhardt and 'gypsy jazz', but also charles mingus and such. oh! and STAN GETZ>>>>>>>AMAZING!!

however, you have to do some serious twitching to get some great jazz tones. for django, leave it at treble and get some vintage tones that make you think of record players.
other jazz, however, can be hard to play along to with this guitar.
maybe i havent found the 'sweet spot' yet, or maybe its my amp (i hope so..) but theres a very fine line between mellow and muddy with this thing.
i really like the stock p90s though, so i wont be changing them. the jazz situation, well its really not horrible. you just have to do some adjusting on the amp as well as your guitar (you may put it on the 'rhythm' channel on your guitar, but youll have to raise the treble on the amp, stuff like that, to balance each other out).

someone else said 'it has the ability to really bite'. they put it best. youll be on a clean channel when you play some double stops and get some distortion. but not bad distortion. just a little frill...a bite really. a growl. its amazing. this guitar's a person

Everything here, great. its used too.

dunno..ive had it for a quarter year.

however, it seems to be quite sturdy. sure its not nearly as strong as a tele or something, but compared to other hollowbodies this is a tank. And the finish (not sure..polyurethane?) alows you to rub it against something and not leave a mark (i doubt youd want to test it with this beauty though..)

i would use it on a gig without a backup. for sure. its never gone down on me.

its used.

everyone says this is just a hyped 'beginners guitar'.
id barely consider myself a beginner, and this is the nicest guitar ive owned. im not a fender fan, i used to like gibsons (until i played a few!) so this seems to be MY GUITAR!! perfect! its my beauty. on past guitars, id have it for three months and id already be trying to surf on it.

if i lost it or if it was stolen (God forbid!) id buy another one. once i found 'the next one' (second only to 'the one').

i love everything about it. its almost as if its a person you love. its not perfect, but you keep finding out more about it you love until its your 'mate'.

Purchased in 2001, Made in Korea, Set up in the U.S.A. says the sticker on the back. Laminated spruce top, laminated maple body. 3 way pickup selector switch - neck, bridge, neck + bridge. Chrome Alnico P90s. Mahogany neck. Rosewood fretboard. Ebony finish. This is an archtop electric guitar. Trapeze tailpiece, not the tremolo. Stock tuners. Independent volume and tone dials (4 dials total) for both pickups. One strap peg on the back where the neck meets the body. It's a good proper electric guitar with great looks and a strong pro usage history. I'm giving it a 10 since I'm not lacking for a feature within my beginner's electric guitar expectations.

Ideal for Beatles and Oasis tunes of course! I use it mainly for their British rock n' roll sound, which it does perfectly (kind of obvious since they were the ones who made this guitar popular.) I run it through a POD 2.0 to headphones and use it to practice. It turns out that single coil pickups are notorious/loved/hated for being sensitive to interference and generate a lot of hum/noise - I didn't pick up on this until I used it for a sampling experiment and couldn't understand where the noise was coming from. Apparently that's just how it is; but you do get a very pleasing characteristic sound on the up side. The workaround is to set the selector switch to 1+2 and crank up both volume dials, which mostly nullfies the pickup noise. Or you can twist and gyrate until you find a good position with minimum noise.

The action is comfortable and very easy to play with the factory set-up. The Casino's tuning stability/consistency up the fretboard seems a little off at very high frets (past #18). In terms of cosmetics it's a beautiful instrument with no flaws, irregularities, etc. However, the construction quality has some rough points - wobbly cheap feeling selector switch, input jack gets loose (I keep tightening it by hand from time to time), and the Epiphone 'E' on the pickguard is threatening to fall off. Despite these flaws the actual playability of the instrument is unaffected.

I don't do any live playing and I take very good care of it. It does seem somewhat delicate compared to a solid body guitar.

I haven't needed to contact customer support.

I've been playing off and on for about three years. I have an acoustic guitar, a Tech 21 Trademark 10 amp, and a POD 2.0, that's it for guitar related equipment. I would definitely buy it again if it were stolen or lost. It's a great beginner's electric guitar as it can also be played like an acoustic, being a hollowbody, and just plain comfortable to play. I love the look, sound, and feel. The small construction glitches are my only real gripes. If you're looking for a serious beginner's electric guitar, this is definitely worth it.

cherry color. i wish i would have gotten the sunburst one. but oh well, color doesnt matter that much, and cherry is also very nice and flashy. also, i took off the pick guard...it adds to the looks of the guitar. i really dont like the pick guard and it sometimes got in the way of my picking technique, but rarely. i mainly took it off because of asthetic reasons. it looks way cooler i think.

this guitar features a complete hollowbody with two P-90's single coil pickup ups. i really like the full hollow body aspect of this guitar because it allows me to practice without having to plug it in all the time. also, it give me a good excuse to not have to buy an acoustic guitar. it has two volume and tone controls for each pick up. blah, blah, blah. you know the rest.

i play all sorts of music but primarily rock. im not one of those distortion junkies though (although i do own quite a few distortion and overdrive pedals), and appreciate the sound of a clean guitar. my ideal sound that is always running through my head is Radiohead "Let Down" the intro. if you dont know what i am talking about, download online and listen and you will know what i am talking about. absolute pure clean bliss.

i bought this guitar innitially because i was ridiculously impressed with the clean tone of this guitar. i own a fender twin reverb and blues deville and the combo of the two is just beautiful. the reverb and vibrato of the amp combined with the CAsino makes a unique chimey and even twangy sound. i love it. further more, for the price of the guitar you are getting an incredible deal. not many $500 dollar guitars sound the way this one does.

to add to my love of this guitar...it has the ability to really bite. what i mean is that when you kick the distortion pedal this guitar can really sing. its got so much more snarl than you'd think a hollowbody single coil has. now you wont get humbucker fatness with this guitar or even come close to that but i liken it to this---if a les paul is a sledge hammer then the Casino is an arrow. this guitar handles distortions in real well and cuts through the messy noise of a band. i love it.

oh one more thing here's my rig...fender twin reverb--Boss DD-3 (hope to upgrade soon, but a cool pedal)- Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi - Marshall Blues Breaker (the old black box one, awesome compressed tone)- Boss BD-2. i really enjoy the 3 dirty tones of the pedals. i find that i like the clean tone of this guitar and amp combo so much that i really do not need any effects that mess with the clean tone. ive own various flangers and phasers and find that they are a bit too much for me. this guitar is perfect clean, and very aggressive dirty. awesome guitar.

when the guitar is in conjuction with an overdrive or distortion it does tend to feedback like others have said, i found that you can control this by rolling back the volume of the guitar. it even adds the tone of your guitar. maybe with another guitar you could do that, but with this guitar you are best off rolling back the volume. it does take away some of the cool snarling biting but you can get that cool controlled overdrive/distortion sound that everyone seeks.

i love the p-90's there is no reason to mess with them. korean guitars are very underated. one small thing though. my low E string is always a little flat. but it can be easily fixed.

dont go slamming this guitar around. it is a full hollowbody and cant take as much punishment as solid body. but when you buy this guitar you get a great hardshell case for it. so that helps with taking care of the guitar.

never had to deal with them...hopefully it stays that way. ha

FANTASTIC VALUE. ive been playing for 3 years but i take guitar very seriously. i am hugely influenced by Radiohead, Pete Yorn, Beatles, and lots of British music. this was my first electric guitar and i love it. it wont do it all for you but if you like clean tones, this guitar will stand up to most. buy it!!!!

My casino was made in 1999 in Korea. I recently bought it used from someone who special ordered it for a Beatles tribute band. By the time the guitar arrived, the band was no more! The guitar was only played around the house and that very sparingly! The guitar is a standard Korean made casino and is vintage sunburst. It is in perfect condition. It came with an Epiphone case which is also in perfect condition.

I've been playing for about a year. I only play Beatles songs so this was the guitar for me! I bought a Vox Pathfinder amp and I must say that the sound is very Beatlesque!

I've read some critical reviews of the Korean made casinos but I must say that the quality of this one is exceptional. Fit and finish is excellent. Action is low and fast. I did change the strings to a lighter guage. The pickguard seems a little high. No buzzing but I can see why many people remove the pickguard.

I only intend to play for my own enjoyment at home but the guitar, despite its light weight, appears to be very durable. I wouldn't hesitate to use it in concert.

Alas, since I bought this guitar used, there is no warranty. No experience dealing with Epiphone.

I started playing last October. I don't have any other hobbies and have always wanted to play the guitar, so I just decided to take the plunge and do it. My first guitar was an Ibanez GAX 70 with Peavey Rage amp. After buying my Casino, I traded my Ibanez for a Taylor Big Baby. I have no complaints about my Casino. It is perfect for what I wanted. The sound is excellent and the guitar is of high quality. If lost or stolen, I would definitely replace it, probably with the new Epiphone Elite version. My next purchase hopefully will be an Epiphone EJ160E John Lennon. The Epiphone Casino is an excellent value.

2001 model, Made in Korea, set up in USA, 22 frets, archtop hollowbody, cherry finish, body and neck binding, rosewood fingerboard, crap Korean stock P-90 pickups. Beautiful cherry finish, just adorable. Light as a feather and easy to play.

Sounds fantastic. Love the feel and playability. Use it with a ToneBlaster Ibanez stereo amp and Digitech RP 200 effects pedal. This axe can rock! Watch for feedback at high volumes, but overall I love the sound.

Nice set up. Very easy to play. No complaints here.

Neck pickup went out about a week after I got it, but it was used, so no big deal, it cost me 35 bucks for a resolder job at the pots. Seems very durable even though kind of light. I'd use it without a backup.

N/A bought it used from a pawn shop, great deal for a like new axe, these go for $600 at Guitar Center or Musician's Friend, so I scored.

Love this axe, it's my number one! Everyone who plays it loves it too.

This is an update to a previous review. I upgraded the guitar by replacing the pickups with a Rio Grande Bluesdawg in the bridge and Jazzdawg in the neck. Relaced the volume and tone pots with stock gibson and wiring as well. New Grover tuners and bone nut. Switchcraft pickup switch.

Incredible. Much better tone and no more feedback, even at high volume and gain.

Better electronics and pickups so I expect reliability.

Looks and sounds great.

Don't know too much about this. I'm not much of techie.

I had it tested by a physics teacher who said electrics won't have good sound. The waves came out perfect with or without distortion. I've managed to squeeze just about every sound I need out of it. I play through a Fender RocPro with a subpar Carvin 4X12 with only 2 12s. I played it through a Marshall at some shows and it sounded great. The treble pickup is way too out there. I tend to stay on the meatier toned pickups.

Great action. Great finish. A very pretty guitar. It's good to have the action adjusted frequently. I also had to get the pots and switches swapped which seems to be the biggest complaint.

Plays great live once I get it in tune and I have new strings. I had to get the electronics swapped (pots, switch). Finish lasts. Strap buttons are solid, but get a good strap. I can always depend on it. Sometimes, out of nowhere it will go out of tune though. I've never played with a backup.

Never used it.

I've been playing for about eight years and owned a Peavey Rapter before this. HUGE improvement, obviously. I have a Fender SJ 65S acoustic, a Hohner HW440G, and an Oscar Schmidtt which is broken, but I still love it. I'd probably buy something else if lost or stolen, just 'cause I like MY Casino, not others. I love its playability. It is very easy, low action, nice feel, sounds great on anything. I even play heavy metal with it now and again. I tried out Gibson Blueshawks and Les Pauls, like this one a lot more. It's much lighter.

Just the usual, a stock model with the trapeze tailpiece, cherry red.

2 p-90's, toggle selector (might need changing) Tuning pegs aren't very good, but once it's in tune, it seems to stay that way.

This is why I'm bothering to write. I traded in a Burns electric 12 string in at electro music, Doncaster and was offered a go on a few Casinos, which is what I was after. Identical guitars, in terms of, well everything, sound wildly different.

I wanted a Casino for a spare, as much as anything (I generally play a 335). Going on the first couple that were offered, I thought, yeah, Korean guitars, they're alright, at best. They were all finished well, stayed in tune and were without crackles or bent necks, but they did sound a bit wimpy. Until I decided to help myself to one that was hanging up, out of the way, slightly. And My God, there was the sound, instantly. 100% creamier, either (both) pick-ups, clean/dirty, totally gorgeous. I bought it within minutes.

The nut is crap, without any doubt, but a set of needle files can sort that out pretty quickly. The action was okay from the shop, but it's not so hard to sort out. It's a basic guitar, simple as in uncomplicated.

The finish was pretty good, a couple of flaws in the paintwork, but only tiny, I'm not bothered by that. I may strip it anyway.

Being totally hollow, you wouldn't want to sling it around, because it WILL break. Be nice to it, make sure you have a case. Strap buttons adequate. Buy Grolsch beer bottles and take the red rubber off of the cap and stick them over your strap, much cheaper than strap locks, and they've never let me down (10 years on, same rubber bits). When playing gigs, you never know what's going to happen. I don't expect It'd pack up on me, but you need a spare guitar at gigs for all sorts of reasons.

No need. Touch wood.

I've been playing for 10 years, in original and covers bands (occasionally). The sort of stuff is tuneful, melodic guitar pop (Beatles, Stone Roses, CSN&Y,etc). This is a beautiful looking and sounding instrument, but I would say to anyone, buying any guitar, try a few out, the quality varies enormously, and it's easy to buy something less the perfect, when you don't have to. What I'm saying is -DON'T BUY MAIL ORDER, you don't know what you're getting. Guitars vary, one may be a lot better than the next, for no apparent reason. Use your ears.

I've had the Korean Casino for about 6-8 months. Natural finish with stock tail piece. I got mine with the stock Epi case which is functional but not lavish. Since owning the guitar I've changed out the pick-ups from stock Korean whatever to Gibson P-90s as well as the potts and selector switch.

Off the rack the sound was good; however, after a couple months I got fed up with microphonic feedback. When the pick-up switch broke I had the pick-ups changed out as well. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! Still prone to feed back at high volumes but sweet and controlable. The sound is brighter. Tends to run in the mid-range but a fabulous blues sound. Obvious choice for retro sixties..Beatles...etc. On the bridge pick-up through a Vox AC-15 TBX you get Day Tripper. Closest I've ever heard.

Action is good. I've had a set up as the factory set up was ok but not great. Needed some tweaking to the higher frets. The tuning stability is still not all that great. I'm going to get a new nut and look at replacing the tuners which are cheap.

I play out alot and have done so part-time for 20 plus years. Largely a Fender devotee I play out with strats, a tele, through Vox and Fender amps. This guitar appears more fragile than what I'm used to. The volume/tone pots failed in the first month as did the selector switch. New pots and a Switchcraft replacement switch are welcome replacements. If Epiphone would put out just a few dollars more for quality electronics...this would be an unbelievable bargin.

I love this guitar for the looks and vibe alone. The sound in the stock model is good...but I strongly recommend getting Duncans, Dimarzio, or stock Gibson replacements. This makes a huge difference. The basic electronics did not hold up any time at all...get 'em replaced. As noted I plan on changing out the tuners and the nut. So...in effect I bought a new guitar and replaced all the critical parts except the neck and frets. But its still a bargain when compared to the Lennon Model at $2000 plus. This guitar rocks..its comfortable. Fits alot of playing styles except Thrash/Metal.

It's a thin hollowbody, made in Korea, probably in 1997. 22 frets and laminated top. Two volumes, two tones and a three-way switch, as usual. It Sports two dog-ear P90 single coils, arranged so that when both pickups are on (and at the same volume), noise cancellation occurs. The pickup are "Epiphone" branded, which probably means that they are also made in Korea. My model is natural finish, maple top, back and sides (strangely enough, Epiphone site states that the top is "laminated spruce", which is obviously incorrect). The neck is glued in, all mahogany (many, many pieces of mahogany indeed!) and with a fine rosewood fingerboard; it joins the body at the 17th fret. My 1997 model has a 1.62" nut, while the more recent models have a 1.68". Belive me, this makes a lot of differece as far as playability and comfort are concerned. I suggest that you try both necks, if you can, before buying. Bridge is a tune-o-matic clone, tailpiece is a standard, ES330-style trapeze. Tuners are brand-X, Kluson-like shape and behavior. All hardware finish is chrome (including P90 covers, of course!). The guitar comes with a not-so-hard case, which anyway serves its purpose.

This guitar sounds great. P90s are absolutely fantastic. I play jazz/blues/rock with a Line6 POD, mainly clean or sligthly crunch and I'm completely satisfied of the huge variety of sounds I can get.
Please, remember that this is a true (though slim) hollowbody, and hence it is very prone to feedback, even at medum volumes with high overdrive. So I think this is better suited for those styles which don't require distortion and/or very high levels. So it's simply perfect for home playing/recording, club performances, jazz, standard blues, rock 'n roll or pop (do you remeber the Beatles?) and basically everything except hard rock/heavy metal.
P90s are single coil, and so they are noisy. But they just work that way. Remember anyhow that in the 1+2 position you get a good (not perfect) noise cancellation.
And now a little story. Six month ago, I replaced the stock P90 with a couple of Kent Armstrong WPU90. I was seeking a cleaner, more "sophisticated and professional" sound. Big mistake. The stock pickups are much better than their renowed (and expensive) brothers: same power but much more harmonics and a clearer sound. So I restored the originals and get rid of the WPU90s.

The finish is good: no noticeable flaws.
The setup was completely unsatisfactory. The bridge was quite buzzy: the posts and the saddles were rather loose, and so I replaced it with a Gotoh copy. The neck pickup was misaligned with the strings: during pickup replacement experience I filled the screwholes and drilled a couple of new ones, and now it's perfect. The switch was noisy and rattling, so I replaced it with a better one. Unfortunately, these problems are quite normal on most industrial production instruments (even Gibson or Fender guitars sometimes need serious work). Anyhow, I could resolve everything by myself, being a medium skill DIYer.
Most important: since I love low action, I had a professional fretwork done by a luther, wich is also a friend of mine. In that occasion, I had the nut replaced with a graphite one, and that improved a lot the tuning stability (which was rather poor).
After those massive operations, the guitar is absolutely perfect. Very low action with no buzzes or dead notes. A dream to play.
I think that a professional setup, maybe with a good fretwork, can really improve the playability of any guitar. And certainly, it was a blessing for this one!

I play mainly at home, and so I have no direct experience of live behavior. But I think that paying a reasonable attention, this guitar can survive to the owner.

I dont belive that much in warranties given by italian vendors on american-distributed-korean-made instruments. Anyhow, italian law dictates one-year warranty. One year has passed. So far, so good.

I've been strumming for 25 years, but I became serious about five years ago. I owned an awful lot of guitars in my carreer, mostly brand-X and cheap instruments, but also some valuable piece of hardware, like a Gibson SG standard ad a Ibanez JSM100, which still own and love.
The Casino is by far the best guitar I owned, and also one of the best I could play and listen in the last ten years. When I tried it for the first time, two years ago, I didn'k known anything about hollowbodies. It was an enlightment! In that moment I realized that I was born to play a thinline, hollowbody, double cutaway guitar. Everything in the Casino is perfect for me: the weight (it's very ligth), the size, the neck (but I think that the 1.68" profile could be even more confortable), the possibility of practicing unplugged (being hollowbody, it still produces a decent volume) and, of course, the sound. I think I will never give it away and if stolen or lost, I will immediately buy another one. Only, I would try a few samples before buying.
Actually, my only complaint is in the relative "cheapness" of this guitar: I wish there exists a better model, with better quality hardware and woods, but not as expensive as the John Lennon limited edition, which I found to have the same flaws of the lesser model. Some time ago, I tried also a 1967 Gibson ES-330, which is the model that inspired the original '60-Casino. "The real thing" was quite a delusion: the sound compared very similar and the instrument wasn't as comfortable as my Epi (moveover, I don't like sunburst and I don't like spending tons of bucks for that silly vintage fashon).
In the end, I strongly suggest to everyone who never tried a hollowbody to give a chance to this little beauty. I'm sure it will impress you, as it did with me.

2001 model made in korea. Cherry red finish hollow body. Two P90 pickups, each with a separate tone control. Rosewood fretboard, 22 frets. Shaller type tuners.

I bought this guitar for jazz as well as rock n roll. I play it through a mesa/boogie subway rocket reverb and a route 66 pedal by visual sound. The guitar sounds great. Nice highs and lows. Each pickup configuration has a nice usable sound and added flexability with the 2 tone controls. The only problem I have with the guitar is that it feeds back with higher gain or volume. I had some problems with the pickup selector switch but a little mechanical switch cleaner solved that problem.

Setup was good from the factory but I wanted 11 gauge strings so it had to be set up again. Nice finish and apparently well made. Very light and somewhat fragile. No detectible flaws.

The guitar is a hollowbody so you don't want to drop it. If you take care of it, it should withstand the test of time. The pickup selector switch seems weak and will probably need to be replaced in time. The guitar has a lifetime warranty so no worries. I would use a backup primarily to have a different sound available but I think the casino would prove reliable.

E-mailed once a received an immediate and helpful response.

Great sound for a great price. I love this guitar for what I wanted it for. I have been playing for 5 years and prefer my fender strat for blues but love this guitar for early rock and roll and jazz.

This Casino was made in Korea, probably 2001. 22 frets, hollow-body, cherry red finish with rosewood fingerboard. 2 P-90 dog ear pickups with a 3-way pickup switch. One volume and one tone control for each pickup. Trapeze tailpiece.

I love the sound this guitar can make! By adjusting the volume and tone on the two pickups, you can play anything from a sweet high to a growling low. I play this through a Fender Stage 100, which also adds a lot of flexibility with the sound, especially with a little reverb and drive. But watch the volume on the amp because this hollow body will give you feedback if not careful! The pickups are a little noisy, but I expected some of that with the P-90's. These are not humbuckers!

Being hollow body, you can play this without plugging it in, which is great when the wife is asleep and I still want to practice or just play around.

Action is fantastic, no additional setup was required, although Guitar Center does an excellent job of checking it out before you leave the store. Everthing that I could see about this guitar was flawless. It's a beautiful piece. Probably the only flaw I saw was the Epiphone "E" glued onto the pick guard. It fell off within a few hours of playing. This guitar feels great, is smooth and, of course, light weight. Be careful - with all the weight in the neck, it's easy for this strapped on guitar to take a drop if you let go.

There is one major flaw - the pickup selector switch. Sometimes, the neck pickup will cut out. Wiggling the switch, you get a lot of static which tells me it probably should be replaced. I've heard this is a common problem with Epiphone, but should be covered under the lifetime warranty.

I see no reason why this guitar can't withstand live playing or would fail to last, with reason. Being hollow body, it's more delicate than a solid body, yet it's built well and should hold up as long as you care for it as you would an acoustic. I can only see using a backup if you wanted another guitar with a slightly different sound or if the feedback became too much.

As I said, I bought it from Guitar Center, who did an excellent job of letting me try it out, ask questions and checked it out before I left the store. I do need to have the pickup selector checked out or replaced and, with the Epiphone warranty, I'll need to return it to an authorized repair shop. Fortunately, there's one in town. Haven't dealt with them. For some, this could be the sticky point, since not all shops would be authorized by Epiphone.

Been playing off and on for around 20 years. Primarily, my focus has been bass, but I started on guitar years ago. I've played a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and this is as good quality as that instrument. I wanted something not as heavy as the LP, and this was it. I also wanted something that would give me a variety of sounds, from blues to rock. This guitar fit the bill. I'd buy one again if I lost this one. On the other hand, I've been looking at the Fender Strat just to give some flexibility in sound.

The hum and the pickup selector are the only two annoyances. I feel the hum is probably more due to where I play it in the house, picking up a lot of electrical disturbance from appliances and such. The selector is a manufacturing defect, which hopefully can be fixed.

OK, my guitar is in fact a VT Casino, made in Korea. The "VT" stands for "Vibratone", which is a very accurate reproduction of the Bigsby design, right down to the alloy used in its construction. Besides that feature, my guitar sports a silver sparkle finish, flawlessly executed. Chrome hardware, including the "dog ear" P90's, Kluson-style vintage tuners, 22 medium frets (well dressed and crowned), bound rosewood fingerboard. The neck acess is quite restricted (neck joint at 19th fret), but with superb playability. Hollowbody design with laminated materials (maple on top), 2T-2V control configuration. Comes with an Epi hardcase - nothing too flashy, but nice enough.

Since I play a wil variety of styles, I prefer to find the right tools (guitars, ahem) for each one of them instead of trying to find a jack-of-all-trades. For retro-pop, janglin'rhythm guitar work - or even for Neil Young-inspired feedback rides (the bigsby helps a lot), this guitar is perfect. The P90s installed have the level of hum you'd expect from most single-coil pickups that don't have tone-sucking devices to make them quiet - and I like it that way. The brodge position yields a bite that'll cut in even in dense mixes, adding clarity to rhythm and lead work. The neck pickup provides a warm and round sound - this guitar can even double as a jazz axe (even though I doubt ANY jazz player would dare to mix a silver sparkle guitar with tweed jackets and whatnot...). Combined, both pickups will serve you with a robust tone that can be further adjusted with clever playing with both tone and volume controls. I spent two hours with the guitar before actually buying it, and I just couldn't dial nary a bad sound out of it.

For a non-US guitar, the finish is almost flawless. The pait job is nothing short of spetacular, very smooth and even - and the silver sparkle will behave wildly under stage lights, believe me!! The pickups height cannot be adjusted - you'll have to rely solely on the po'lepieces to provide string balance. In my case, that was not necessary - very good job. The fretwire was well dressed, and the medium gauge used provides a nice playing feel. The neck needed a little adjustment, but just to suit my taste with higher action. The Vibratone Bigsby copy peformed very well - it's not designed for divembombs or Diamond Darrel-squeals, but performs nicely for adding subtle vibrato effects. All in all, this guitar proved to me that Korea CAN build top-notch instruments. My only complaint is the cheap feel of the pickup selector - it cracks a bit and does not feel very solid. Anyways, the visual aspect of the instrument is striking: the cool retro vibe is only augmented by the Bigsby vibrato.

Well, this ain't a Tele, so it won't serve you as a bat in your next stage invasion experience or other riot-related road casualties. As any hollow (or semi-hollow) guitar, it's more delicate and I don't think it can withstand major abuse. The hardware, with the exception of the pickup selector, feels solid. The Kluson-copy tuners are not that great, but I never experienced any serious tuning problems yet, even with constant use of the bigsby. The strap buttons are solid, but as with all my other instruments, I discarded them in favour of Schaller straplocks. Since I'm not that wild onstage, I'd gig with this guitar with no backup - but I can't resist not bringing at least one more axe to a gig.

Lifetime warranty

I've been playing for 16 years. Since I operate a project studio, I won't mention all the gear involved. My main electrics are a PRS Custom 10 Top, a Telecaster '52 RI and a Fender Relic Strat. I play thru a variety of amps, though generally I rely either on a Doctor Z Route 66 or a Mesa-Boogie combo. My pedalboard is in constant mutation. Right now it's down to a RMC wah, Fulltone '69 Fuzz and Full Drive 2, Voodoo Labs MicroVibe and a Line 6 Delay Modeler. I tried the Casino thru this setup and straight to my beloved Vox AC30. Needless to say, I was in Tone Heaven. The P90s sounded amazing thru the '69 Fuzz, and sound surprisingly tight with other distortion boxes in my arsenal (specially my Menatone Red Snapper).
Like I said, I didn't expect versatily - I expected that this particular instrument would provide me a specific set of tone colours. It passed the terst in absolute triumph. It's not a cheap guitar like other Epis, but it's a bargain considering the vibe and sounds you can coach out of it. A winner.

Made in Korea, in the year 2000. You know the rest.

It sounds beautiful on anything you need a clean sound for. It's great for rock and roll. The distorted sound isn't bad either. Right now I'm using a Marshall Valvestate amp, I might move up to either a Fender/ Vox/ Marshall tube amp. The sound is very full, great for rhythm playing. It can be very bright and it can be very jazzy, meaning very bassy sort of sound. It does feed back a lot on distorted settings but it's another color to the sound. O like everything about it.

Got it straight from Epiphone and the set-up was very well done.

Should last with proper care, not too much care, just proper care. We tend to mess up things when we're too careful.

Been playing for almost 4 years. And guitar/music playing is the only vice that I have. It satisfies me most of the time, probably 98% of the time. I love it more than anything else. I'm very glad that I bought this guitar, whenever I start playing it, it's so hard to put it down. Very pleasant sound. I wonder why all guitarist's don't have a Casino, it's just a great piece of work. I recommend that you BUY IT. GO FOR IT MAN!

2001 model, cherry red finish mahogany set neck, maple back and sides. MAPLE TOP!!. According to Epiphone specs, the top is supposed to be laminated spruce, but I have yet to encounter one with a spruce top. You have to be careful when you check out specs on Epi's instruments cause the info on wood types is sometimes not accurate. Two "dog ear" p90's, fake pearl position markers on boundrosewood fingerboard, but looks like real pearl logo on headstock. Trapeze tailpiece. Fully hollow bound body.

I know most people acquire these instruments to get the John Lennon sound, but I decided to get it because it has the same specs as a Gibson ES-330, without the ridiculous rip-off price of that instrument's reissue (which is often even more expensive than the vintage originals from the 60's!).
I play jazz on the instrument, and for the price it really sounds wonderful. Gives me a good approximation of the Grant Green sound. I run it straight through a fender or Peavy Classic tube amp on clean. The P90's sound suprisingly rich for korean cheapies.

Action was wonderful right out of the box. It came with 10's, but I switched them to 12 guage flat wounds. The action required a little tweaking after that, and I 'll probably need a neck adjustment to compensate for the harder tension. Intonation was fine. Finish was flawless.

The hardware is cheap, but we'll see how it holds up. The instrument is really well made, so I'm sure it will stand up to the rigors of live playing.

I have been playing for over 20 years, and I bought this guitar to take around without worry because I have a very expensive jazz guitar that I do worry about and do not want to drag around. Now I can use it just for recording, cause the Epi is fine for all other applications. If it got stolen I would probably get another one. For the price, it's a great instrument. Note: Don't buy one from a store cause you will overpay a lot. Get it from ebay or another auction site. I have seen some stores selling these guitars for up to 700 bucks! That's to much for a Korean istrument.

My Casino is Korean made probably in 2001 and features double cutaway and a natural finish. The top is laminated spruce, and has two P-90 single coil pickups. There are two volume and two tone controls with a toggle to distribute the sound between the pickups. The body is maple laminate and the neck is made of mahogany. The headstock appears to be made of three pieces. Neck and body are bound and there are two F-holes with no binding. The bridge is fully adjustable with a trapeze tailpiece. The neck is delightfully thin and slick. The entire guitar features a shiny lacquer finish.

The sound of this guitar is why I purchased it. I play mostly rock and blues and this fits the bill real well. The sound seems to be somewhere in the middle between the sound of my Strat and a full hollow-bodied jazz guitar. It doesn't get extremely bright highs nor deep lows, but rather takes the middle ground beautifully. I absolutely love the sound of this guitar! Play it clean through my Hot Rod Deluxe and the sound is sweet and mellow. Crank up the reverb a bit, and it's surprising how she can screem!
One of the things I am particularly crazy about is that this guitar is a hollow bodied guitar...there is no center block, and as such it is loud enough to use for practice sessions when you don't want to plug in. This is great for those late night urges when you feel like playing without waking the entire household! The hollow bodied feature also makes this guitar light as a feather and so it very easy to hold. Because of the thin body design it seems to just snug up to my side.
On the negative side, I've noticed that I am getting some buzzing from within the body when I play it acoustically. Sounds like one of the wires inside vibrating, but this does not effect the sound when plugged in and really isn't at the point of being annoying.

This guitar is made in Korea, then shipped to Gibson in the USA where it set up. The way it came from the factory was really perfect.The action is smooth and slick.
The wood on this guitar is absolutely perfect and fit and finish is amazingly flawless. Aesthetically, this is a very beautiful guitar! The entire package is certainly eye pleasing to say the least.

Will this guitar hold up over time? This is difficult to say, but it seems to be well made and I think it will last a long time. If there is one thing that seems a little cheesy I would say it is the machine heads, and I am thinking of changing them with a set of vintage Grovers.

I have had no reason to deal with the company, so I really can't say.

I started playing almost 40 years ago, but took a long break ( about 30 years! ) while I was taking care of family matters. For the past four years I've been caring for myself and one of those things I've been doing is a lot of guitar playing.
Back then, I wanted a Gibson ES330 but I couldn't afford it. Now I can afford it, but Gibson no longer makes it! This guitar is identical in every respect to the Gibson ES 330 so I guess you might say I'm fulfilling a youthful dream.
Overall what amazes me about this guitar is the high level of quality from a Korean guitar, and considering some of the crap I've seen from Gibson USA for enormous amounts of money, this guitar is a real bargain!

this is an epiphone casino that i purchased used, so i'm not sure of the exact date, but i would estimate that it was made in '00 or '01. this guitar is totally hollow. this is not like the epiphone sheraton or the gibson es-335 which have a solid block in the middle, with hollow 'wings' on the side. i'll talk more about what this means later.
this guitar has two p90 pick-ups (single-coil) each of which has it's own volume and tone control and they are wired to a standard 3-way selecter switch. the pickups are excellent on this guitar, but the tone controls are aweful. it's the only major flaw on the guitar. when you roll back the tone, you kill the volume and end up with a muddy sound. i've found that if i turn the tone knob halfway back, then i can get a decent muted tone.
my casino is turqoise, for the first few weeks i didn't like the color that much, but it's growing on me. like most casino's, this guitar has a trapeze tail piece, a tune-o-matic bridge, and non-locking tuners. it has a set-in neck (not bolt-on like fenders), and a nice meaty neck. all in all, it's nothing fancy, but it's got what you need to get a good sound.

i play a wide range of musical styles (rock, blues, reggae, etc.), and i find that the casino fits these styles pretty well. this guitar has a lot of bottom end, so i could see it being used in a punk or metal context, however, people who hit the strings really hard might find that their strings rattle a bit and their sound gets muddy.
i usually play through an electar tube-30 amplifier without any effects. i say that a guitar should sound good without a lot of effects to doctor up the sound, so i keep my rig fairly simple. the casino sounds great through this amp. when i play it through a solid state amp, it loses some of the open, singing sound that i get with it through a real tube amp.
the p-90 pickups sound great (in muy opinion), but they are prone to a little bit of single coil hum. i found that to be a real problem only when i was standing right next to the amp and when i had my gain cranked up high. it has a rich sound, not real bright and ringing, but it has a sort of swampy feel. i think it sounds great when its just a little dirty and you mute the strings with your right hand...like butter :)
i talked about the tone knobs earlier...they're not that great. this makes the guitar not the most versital in terms of tone. it'll sound good in any context, but it will always sound like itself. if this is going to be your first guitar, look for something else (a strat has a lot more versatilty), but if you're looking to fill in your arsenal, this baby rocks! (by the way, you can get some killer feedback from this thing...i like to pretend i'm jimi hendrix!)

i got it used, so i assume the action and the intonation were tweaked by the previous owner (when i got it it was perfect except for some slight buzzing on one string which was easy to fix). everything else looks alright. the pickups are well matched to each other (in terms of output), and it looks great. there were a few tiny cosmetic flaws around the trapezoid inlays, but i'm being really picky. they don't interfere with play, and after all, you buy a guitar to play it...not put it on display. The strap button is on the back of the guitar at the heel of the neck, this isn't a problem for me because i rarely venture past the 15th fret, but if you like that obnoxious shrill sound of ridiculously high notes, you may find that the strap button interferes with access to the highest frets. also, the body of the guitar is bigger than a solid body, so if you're a small person or have short arms, it may be a little uncomfortable to reach the strings. since i got it used, i'm going to leave the rating blank.

i've begun using this guitar almost exclusively with my band. it is a well built guitar and i'm confident that it will stand the test of time. it is a hollow guitar however, and it won't take as much abuse as a solid body, but i've bumped it and knocked it and haven't seen any signs of my carelessness. i don't usually gig without a backup guitar because it seems like an unecessary risk, but if i had to i would be willing to play this without a back up. i'll give it a seven, just because it's hollow.

i've never dealt with epiphone before...hopefully i won't ever have to.

i've been playing the guitar for about five years now, and i've owned a couple strat copies, a 1976 yamaha accoustic, and a guitar i built myself. if this guitar were ever lost i would replace it with another casino, it would never be stolen because i hardly ever stop playing it and the theif would have to pry it out of my kung-fu grip. i really like the sound of this guitar. it doesn't look as flashy as a flying v or an explorer, but it has a wide open sound that a solid body can only dream of. it's light weight (hollow) so it doesn't wear me out after a gig. i would recommend this guitar to any moderate to advanced player. don't buy this as your first guitar though because it is not as versital as some. this however would make an excellent second guitar because it compliments and contrasts the sound of a solid body. overall, an excellent guitar, i can see why john lennon, noel gallegher, and others relied on these guitars as their primary axe.

NOS 1999 imported (Korean) 'reissue' model purchased late 2000. If you're familiar with this breed you know the specifics, otherwise check out the Epiphone site or some of the other Casino reviews for details. The original Casino was basically a copy of the Gibson ES-330 but with a few changes such as inlay markers, etc. The body is of typical thinline laminated maple construction and though the catalogs say the 5-ply top is spruce, the top/outer face is maple as well. But the main difference is that unlike say an ES-335, this one is a true hollowbody and only has a small wood block directly under the bridge. This one has the glossy natural 'Lennon' finish which is a perfect compliment to the body's mild flamey figure and darker mahogany neck. White-cream binding on top/back body and fingerboard add a touch of class. The pickups are generic P90 types with nicely plated dog ear covers. Typical Epiphone hardware (tune-o-matic style bridge & trapeze tailpiece) though the tuners are the Kluson copies with the round metal buttons and stay in tune pretty well. Plastic nut and milky plastic inlay markers in a rosewood fingerboard with medium frets. Purchased new, this one didn't come with a case and since I don't like the plain black cases with gray liner opted for a nice aftermarket ES-335 style case which is black with a maroon liner. A standard guitar with the features I need but the cheap inlays knock it down a notch to 9.

This guitar suits my style of blues & alt-country very well indeed. Being hollow, it is perfect for picking up when everyone's in bed and even an acoustic would be too loud. As such it is very prone to feedback when amplified though, especially at high gain settings. I wouldn't recommend it for any hard rockers out there but as I'm used to playing in three-piece bands, my style is somewhat busy and can control it fairly well. I still would not take this one along for a real loud gig. The pickups are really wonderful for a cheap guitar and sound their best at clean to moderate overdrive levels, where each note just blooms from the amplifier. Higher gain settings tend to sound muddy and even more fuzzy than humbuckers. Other than the single coil hum and feedback howl at high volumes it is not noisy, and the controls don't add any scratches or pops when used. The overall sound is bright & snappy but with very pronounced bass & midrange, even at the bridge setting. Capable of making your basic two-pickup variety of sounds, but with more variety than humbuckers. Its no wonder people have rediscovered the P90 as a viable and useful pickup. Soundwise I can't complain but because of the feedback problem rate an 8.

This guitar sat unsold for nearly two years but the factory or dealer setup was so good I haven't had to change anything. Shame some of the more expensive Gibsons I've had didn't come set up this well. Action is low-to-medium but plays very fast with .010" strings. The neck has a nice meaty profile though more comfortable than some Gibson bat necks. Pickups are nonadjustable save the polepieces which are screws. Everything was done well on this one, all the hardware is installed straight, etc. Remarkably there are no finish flaws nor any wood defects neither. I've owned Historic model Gibsons that had little defects in the binding etc, and they cost much more than this little gem. Again the body displays some mild curly figure, something I haven't seen on most other Casinos. My only bitch here is the crappy plastic nut and cheezy looking plastic inlays. Hey even the 'USA' Revolution model is made overseas (don't freak folks but its true, Gibson only finishes and puts them together here, same for the John Lee Hooker Sheratons) and has the right MOTO pearloid inlays. Would be a 10 but those plastic parts irritate me so it gets a 9.

This guitar seems a little more fragile due to the hollow construction than say a semi-hollow thinline, but is well made and should hold up to live playing fine. Still I wouldn't drink too much and drop this one a lot folks. The hardware is okay but the plating is a little thin (one pickup cover had a little plating chip off within a week) but not as bad as some recent low-end Gibson stuff I've heard about. Plus if you've ever played an Epiphone with a tune-o-maic copy bridge, you know the saddles hurt your hand after a while. The finish is a thick polyester which is more durable than about anything I can think of. Unlike lacquer-finished guitars, this one won't show all those little pick & handling scratches as well, especially with the light natural finish. Strap buttons are standard fare and well placed though some won't like the upper/heel location, but I'm an SG player so its no big deal. I'd say this guitar is highly dependable though always recommend a #2 for a backup.

Thankfully I've never had to deal with Gibson/Epiphone regarding a warranty claim so have no opinion here. They're fairly helpful in answering emails regarding other matters though.

I've been playing about 16 years and have gone through a lot of gear trying to find MY sound. Other current gear includes a reissue ES-335 Dot, '63 Les Paul/SG Standard, Historic '61 Les Paul/SG Custom reissue, 1973 Dove, 1987 paisley Telecaster (first year), a prototype handbuilt custom neck-through thinline electric, and a cheapo or two. If killed or MIA, I'd probably find another in the same color. What I love most about this guitar is its LIGHTweight comparable to an SG and inspiring tones. My only real complaint is regarding the short neck joint which is restrictive when playing high up the neck. It makes me think I'd really like a late 60s ES-330 with the long neck joint like an ES-335. As such its not a good choice for soloing on. Being a huge Beatles fan I've always admired their Casinos and jumped when Epiphone released this model. Before buying this one I tried one of the stripped Revolution models and was not impressed as it sounded and felt dead. Maybe that was a bad example but at least all of the imported Casinos I've tried have the same feel to them and are consistent. I had originally planned on converting mine to a Revolution model (stripping the finish, spraying lacquer sealer, new tuners, etc) but have since changed my mind. This one plays and sounds fine as is and I'm sure the polyester finish would be a pain to strip anyway. For what you can buy these for new or used on ebay they are a bargain. For everything else I rate mine a 10.

This guitar is an Epiphone Refurbished Casino manufactured in Korea. Judging from the serial # it was made in 1997. This hollow body sports 22 medium frets, with a laminated maple top ( Thanks to fellow Casino reviewer, Ted Dascoli for the info on that one) back and sides and a mahogany neck w/rosewood fingerboard. I'm sure you know the skinny on the electronics configuration, so I won't delve into it here. This one has a Turquoise finish( my fave) and is in the Gibson 335 shape, f-holes with neck and body binding, and all that. it also has the standard trapeze tailpiece with a tune-o-matic. Tuners are Kluson style with a sexy,thin, fast neck in 24.75" scale. i have to agree w/the previous poster who happened to buy a refurb Casino from Musician's Friend the same time as I did, and that is I could not find anything overwhelmingly flawed in this guitar. In fact, It came with a real bone nut! Seems like more improvements were made on this guitar than there are on a factory 1st model.

Man oh man! Let me tell you, I used to own an Epi 335 dot deluxe that I wasn't too fond of and exchanged it for this lil' beauty, and it totally blew me away. It's true what they say, The natural acoustics of this hollowbody make it exciting and pleasing enough to go unplugged and strum it in your livingroom! I play a lot of Oasis, Beatles, U2-ish stuff so it fits like a glove. I plug it into my MusicMan 112RP 65 watt hybrid combo and the natural overdrive that this guitar produces in conjunction with the my amp is kick-ass. I haven't been able to get a good overdriven sound using the dot and a ibanez that I own, using this same amp. This particular guitar was made for it! On clean, it produces those expressive warm tones everyone raves about and although, as I'm sure you've read that it lacks sustain it hardly seems relevant to what this guitar sounds like overall. I do have to mention that initially there was a slight little rattling buzz emitting from near the bridge area. Turns out one of the pickup covers' screws were loose. I guess what can you expect for a guitar that has been refurbed. nothin's perfect eh?

the action on this guitar was perfect for me. It is extremely comfortable to play and that combined w/the slim width of the neck it was just plain sweet. The pick-ups may need to be adjusted some to suit my individual tastes. The finish is sharp though not flawless. I say that because the headstock region where the turquoise paint ends and the blackface of the headstock begins, the finish looks "fuzzed" a bit. other than this subtle flaw I can't see any imperfection finish wise. No scratches, dents or cracks in this 4 yr old but newly purchased axe. The hardware has the slightest bit of oxidation particularly on the trapeze tailpiece where the strap button is located. I wiped it cleam and it practically rubbed all off with some guitar polish. Also the pick-up selector was a little crackly at first but then after flicking it back and forth a few times, seems to have eliminated the crackle. All these minor flaws were expected considering this guitar isnt brand new and has been refurbed. The price of $379.99 was a steal!

Will this guitar withstand live playing?! Sure it could. In fact, this is an area that seems to be a bit particular and unique to each individual player. Think about it, you knock this bitch around a bit and of course it's gonna be all banged up and things are gonna come loose etc, etc. If you treat it w/ a little respect like it was a 3,000 axe and it'll last a lifetime. I think this applies really to most any decent guitar. Besides, you should take pride in your posessions that bring you great joy. ( I probably sound like your mother).
The strap buttons need to be replaced with locking ones definitely. My strap has slipped at least 9 or 10 times being gentle w/it. I think you'd be alright using this guitar w/out a back-up.

i've dealt with both Gibson and Epiphone before and every single time, they've helped me out w/any questions and concerns i had. Never had anything repaired under warranty nor out of warranty.

I've been playing coming up on 9 years. No virtuoso talking here, but I've played enough guitars to be able to do some educated comparison. Best Epiphone in the Hollow or semi-hollowbody family that I've ever played or owned. I love Epiphones because not only are they cheap but they are well known enough to have been played by legends. of course, I'll agree the quality was different back then. Kind of iconic playing one. I also own a john lennon ej-160e acoustic/electric that I bought used that sounds great, and an old Epiphone Ft-135 acoustic that is one of my faves.
I love this guitar for its superb tone and it's aesthetics . One thing I wish they could have done differently was to provide different tuning machines. Maybe Grovers ( sheesh I sound like every other Epi owner syaing that!)
This guitar beat the 335 Dot bar none in versatility and good natural tones. The Dot has it's own merits (ie: good sustain, quieter electronics) but like I said, the Casino's lack of sustain doesnt detract from all the great qualities it has to offer in contrast to the Dot.

Made in 2000 or 2001, in Korea. It's a hollow body, no solid block in the middle, just like a Gibson ES-330, without the ridiculous price. The body is made from laminated maple I believe, with a mahogany neck. It's also a "lefty" and you all don't know how difficult it is to find left handed guitars without special ordering and paying lots of extra bucks just because it's a left handed guitar. The finish is called "vintage cherry sunburst" and it looks beautiful. Two P-90 pick-ups, with two volume and two tone controls. Pick-ups sound great to me, I doubt I'll replace them unless they develop some problem in the future. Unknown brand of tuners, seems to stay in tune, but will probably replace these in the near future, along with the pots and selector switch. I haven't had any problems with them, but since most everyone else has stated they've had problems, I'll upgrade soon. The neck is nice and thin and feels and plays great. I bought the guitar from the Musician's Friend website and the price was reduced because it was a "refurb". When I received the guitar it was stamped "2nd" on the back of the headstock. I've looked it over very thoroughly and I'll be damned if I can find anything wrong with it. Although I've read that some people don't like the big "E" on the pickguard, I think it's cool. I've been an Epiphone fan since my neighbor played one in the early 60's. I've found that they make a great guitar for the money. The few areas where they have had to cut back to keep the price low, i.e. electronics, can be remedied for a few bucks and then you have a fine instrument at a sensible price. No Gibson I've ever played was $1,500 to $2,000 better than this guitar. I gave it a 9 because of that damn "2nd" stamped on the back of the headstock.

I knew this guitar would sound great when playing old Beatles and Byrds, a nice bright sound, but I was surprised at how good it sounds when overdriven. I play most everything from the 60's and early 70's and it even sounds pretty good when playing Hendrix and Clapton. You have to stay far away from the amp though cause it will definitely "feed back" with the hollow body. Not much sustain, but that is to be expected with a true hollow body.

I bought this from the Musicans Friend website. It came by UPS and I received it two weeks earier than promised....can you imagine? As I stated previously it was listed as a "refurb" and stamped as a "2nd". I can find nothing wrong with the guitar. The frets seem to have been dressed, because they don't tear up your fingers the way alot of Korean guitars do, the edges are nice and smooth, much better than on my Fender Strat...had to have the frets filed on that. Maybe the reason I haven't had any problems with the selector switch is that they replaced it during the "refurb"? Maybe they filed the frets during the "refurb" too? Who knows, but I'm not complaining, it's a great playing and sounding guitar. If getting a "refurb" guitar means they fixed things that were wrong, I'll always buy a "refurb" in the future. There is one small, and I mean small, spot on the back of the guitar, which appears to be a "knot" in the wood. It is completely smooth, I guess that poly finish will cover any imperfection and it doesn't affect the playability or the looks. Also, the fret markers have not had a bunch of filler applied. I noticed only two which could have used some filler, but I'm not complaining, the small gaps don't affect the playability and I don't like all of that filler crap smeared all over the fret board. The action is good, although I'll have it set up at the German Village Music Shop where they work magic on new or old guitars. My rating is given based upon what this guitar is. You know like Slick Willie said...it depends on what your definition of "is", is. I'd give it a 7 if it was put out by the Gibson Custom Shop. But since it was made in Korea, (probably at the Samick factory), shipped to somewhere in the U.S.A., where some guy checked it out, then shipped to Oregon, where my friends at Musician's Friend allegedly checked it out again and then shipped it to me.... considering ALL of that, it's an easy 9.

I'm sure it would withstand live playing, if you were careful with it. Like any hollow body, it's not intended to be used like you were playing with the Who. The finish seems to be pretty tough...typical poly finish. Strap buttons seem solid. The hardware is OK, but they have to cut back somewhere considering the price...this is probably where they did it. You can replace the buttons, tuners, pots and selector switch for a little bit of nothing. If that's done, I can't imagine anyone having a complaint about this beautiful instrument. I haven't played a gig in around 30 years and I only had one guitar back then....so I had no choice, but I imagine it would be a good idea to have a back up.

Haven't dealt with them, but there's a lifetime warranty on the guitar...not sure what that means....they probably have so many restrictions, the warranty may be worthless.

I've been playing off and on for 35 years. I also have a Fender American Standard Stratocaster, an Epiphone G-400, and a Crate GFX212 amp. I really like this guitar, it gives me the sounds I want and plays great. I wouldn't change anything about the guitar. This has become my favorite guitar, particularly since I can't just pick it up and play without having to use the amp. I play for my own enjoyment and the annoyance of my neighbors and this guitar is fun to play. I could afford to buy a Gibson, but I just don't see that much better quality for the price. Maybe if I was a professional musician... but since I'm not, I'll keep on playing Epiphones. Remember, all ratings here are for an Epiphone, not a Gibson Custom Shop model.

Purchased new in 1985 for $595 Australian. I asume it was made in Japan. It has all the standard Casino features in a cherry finish. It came in a acoustic style hard case, made for it, very rugged construction ... velvet lined and with Epiphone embosed in gold (well not gold but...) on the case.

The sound is exellent! Perfect for many different styles of music. you can get great tonal range from the p90's .. perfect for soft mellow jazz .. great bluesy sound fom the neck pickup with a beautiful p90 ring to the note, sounds great muted or semi-muted too .. Its has a great rock sound too, the bridge pickup delivers a crisp sharp note great for rock riffs. I play my Casino through a 130 watt tube amp. (music man 212 hd one thirty) when the pre amp is turned up this guitar just rocks! I tend to play with the tone controls down (enck pickup set to 4, bridge pickup set to 7) I believe that it comes into its own at those settings, perfect for the roar rock sound I like so much, tho i do alter the sound when its needed. Overall you would be hard pressed to get a better soundng guitar than this. It is increadable value for money.

The guitar wasn't set up too well when I got it ( or maybe it was just me, afterall this was the first "real" guitar I had purshased). So I spent some time tweaking the bridge and the neck. The nut is a bit sus ... cheap plastic .. the switch ... well I've read a lot of complaints about the switch on the Korean made Casinos not operating or causing static, but I have never had any trouble with it on my guitar, and have never needed to alter or even clean it at any stage. The picks do hum a bit when close to diferent electical sources .. just a matter of positioning yourself away from them ( unless you know a way of eliminating it all together, though I dont mind, it means it works! ). The thin neck is exelent to play exspecially for people with stumpy little fingers like me :) ... From what I've read the detailing is better on earlier models like mine. The only other problem I've had is some corrosion and tarnish on the trapese and the bridge pickup .. but thats what you get prom playing in a hot gararge in the middle of summer and not cleaning your guitar afterwards .. I suggest you take good care of your Casino ... it is a quality instrament and taken care of will outlast your lifetime. The action is good ... I'm not the greatest gutarist, but this one fits my hands nicely .. and it looks good on me too !

With the amp is cranked up it will feedback .. o.k. if you want that .. good for those last cords that you use the switch to cut in and out ... The pots are huge wire wound .. top quality .. the switch as I said before I have never had trouble with .. p90's .. well the're p90's buzz a little but exellent sound ... tuning heads on mine are exellent. I dont know what type they are but are smooth to operate and the guitar stays in tune for a long time. strap buttons seem solid enouth though thay are big and a cheap strap can come off if not carefull .. I suggest you use one that will fit it properly to avoid this. It is a very dependable guitar and it is the only electric I use live, though I do also use an acoustic as well.

I didn't realise there was customer support at the time of purchase.
It has never needed repairs (just a little tweaking)
It has a lfetime warrenty

I have been playing 21 years now ( oh god is it that long )i also own a Kramer Ferrington ... its an acoustic with pickup and controls ... that I'm not happy with and intend to sell ... and my amp is a music man 212 hd one thirty. It's a gutsy tube amp which is excellent with the casino. If my casino was lost or stolen? I would try to buy another one from the 80's again. From the sound of the Korean Casino's they just dont match it to the jap Casino's ( tho I'm sure the sound is no dfferent :) I wouldn't compare it to anythign else, it is a unique guitar, and I'm not really interested in anything else ... own one! And you'll see why.

Brand new 2001 made in Korea,22 medium jumbo frets. Total hollow body
just like a Gibson ES330. 2 volume and 2 tone controls and a 3 way
switch. 2 P-90 pickups. The body is laminated maple and the top is
also laminated maple (even though the Epi. website says spruce, Gibson
USA confirms that is indeed laminated maple). The neck is mahogany.
The finish is a semi-transperant Cherry with some type of laquer. The
body style is, of course, a 335 style, 2 f-holes. Tune-o-matic bridge
with a trapeze tail piece. Non locking Grover-style tuners. The neck
has been re-worked (thank goodness) to more of an ES335 style neck.
And, they FINALLY changed that riduculous 1.62 nut to a normal 1.68,
which makes it much easier to play down on the neck. A rosewood finger
board. Pretty basic deal here, not many features, but you don't need
them on this style guitar. Case was extra.

I play alot of The Beatles,Eagles,blues and of course a bunch of
Skynyrd. I'm playing through a Yamaha DG60 with 1-12" speaker and I
use the normal 2 channels, one clean, one dirty with an occasional
stereo chorus. It really isn't that noisy, the middle position has
been wired for hum cancelling. Hey, they are P-90s! The sound is very
rich and 'chimmey' in the treble and full and warm in the middle and
rythum positions. Likes and dislikes? well, as we have seen in many
other reviews, the switch is a little suspect, but for the time being
it works. I think the weakest spot on this fine instrument is the nut.
CHEAP,CHEAP,CHEAP!! It's just a little piece of cheap,weak plastic.
I'v seen better nuts on guitars from Sears for Christs sake! Other
than that, the machine heads seem to work fine, it does'nt go out of
tune, even after bang'in on some Skynyrd. The pickups sound VERY good,
there is no reason to change them out(wheew!).

It was set up decently right out of the box. Crappy strings, but the
action wasn't bad at all. But it was professionally set up by Danny
Hoefer at the American Music store in the Freemont area of Seattle.
Everything looks great. A beautiful semi-transparent Cherry. I took
off the pick guard and had Danny put a black switch washer on it
with Treble and Rythum in gold, looks incredibly great!! This is an
excellent instrument, even "for the money", so to speak. Great
comfortable neck and incedible action, plays very smooth. Excellent
accousticly too.

I've been playing for 25 years and on all kinds of guitars(I currently
own a Les Paul Classic, a Fender strat. and a Fender tele.).And I
think that this is a VERY well made instument (save for the nut) and
will stand up easily to just about any style of playing you want, un
less of course, you are Pete Townsend. Don't be fooled by the light
weight, this is a solid, dependable guitar. I don't think you should
gig live with out a back up of some type, but I wouldn't be too worried.
Not a good Heavy Meatl axe. Hollow body = SQUEALING FEEDBACK
with alot of drive (distortion) at high volumes.

Never had to deal with them. Epiphone has a limited life-time warranty.

Been playing for 25 years. If it were stolen (heaven forbid), I would
buy another one (and couldn't wait to get it). A great instrument with
great sound for a great price, tough to beat that with a stick! At one
point, years ago, I had a Gibson ES225, this is very similar. Although
this is a quality built guitar, Epiphone could spend probably just a
few more pennies on better electronics (save for the pickups) and nut.
If your local store does not have an Epiphone Casino, and you want one,
Good luck!! Because they are extremely slow in producing and shipping
this model. The one I ordered I had to wait 3 months to get.
But it certainly was worth the wait!! I played a John Lennon 65 model
and in reality, there is not that much of a difference. Except for the
fact that you can buy 5 of these for the same money as 1 John Lennon model.

My guitar is laminated top, natural finish~and couldn't be a more beautiful finish. Pickups are P-90s, with a tuno-matic-bridge and trapeze tailpiece. I just ordered a bigsby vibrato to replace my trapeze, because I like the look, and the light tremolo effect! The only trouble I have had is the three way selector switch. In the middle of practices, I'll change the selection to "treble" and it won't sound. I have had all the volumes right and everything, but sometimes the "treble" won't pick up, and then it will kick back in after about 5 or 10 min. Also, the screws that fasten the pickups sometimes buzz, but a little tightening makes it sound like a beauty. My Casino also sounds great unplugged! Sometimes I favor it over my Epiphone acoustic.

The Casino is best for rock/country of the 60s and 70s. I can get some gutsy blues effects out of it too, and I use it every week in my school Jazz band. The rhythm selector sounds great when you turn the tone to 4-5, almost like an acoustic. The treble selector can ring in a perfect "Johnny B. Goode" or early Beatles riffs. Changing up the tone gets good late Beatle tones as well. My only dislike is a lack of solid sustain on some "would be lead solo" that I try and play sometimes. I don't complain though, because otherwise, I wouldn't trade this guitar for any other electric.

When I received my guitar from Musician's Friend, it was perfect. They had set everything up superbly. I have made personal adjustments for my own tastes, but the action: you couldn't ask for better. The selector sometimes seems a little loose, but good manipulation make isn't hard to do. Like I mentioned earlier, I had to tighten the pickups so they wouldn't buzz, and they did buzz! But it was only a few turns with a screwdriver! Action, Finish, and fit are wonderful.

This thing will last me forever. The only adjustment I would make is my selector switch, because of the two occasions it faded out unsuspectedly when I selected the "treble" I wouldn't want that to happen in a concert. As of right now, I don't have a back-up electric, and I don't intend to get one for a while...The Casino is my top choice. (Though I have played some casino's in shops that weren't as great as mine...needed big time check ups.)

One year warranty, but the guitar is great, and epiphone is reliable.

I have played guitar for 3 and a half years. I have an Epiphone acoustic that I bought cheaply, but I wouldn't trade that one either. It sounds incredible. I love my Casino, I play a lot of oldies, more new stuff recently. Brings in perfect Beatles (clear tones) good Oasis (with distortion) and good jazz and blues. It covers a great variety of styles...what else can I say? I've played other guitars, Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, Rickenbacker <--nice! but they don't compare to the acoustic yet so electric tones.
any questions, feel free to email me! peterburd@cs.com

Probably made in year 2000 and supposedly from Korea but had a sticker saying "100% Inspected and Setup in USA by Epiphone". Cherry body with white pick guard. They've discontinued the Vintage Sunburst color..too bad that was my first choice but the cherry turned out beautiful. 3-way selector for 2 P90s (single coils), 2 volume and 2 tone controls. Tune-o-matic bridge, silver hardware. Epiphone hardcase was $69 extra. Light weight axe. Comfortable. Reasonable fair price for the given features, quality, and hardware.

I wanted the Beatles sound...clean tones and the blues tone. Sounds nice even without an amp since it's hollow. I use a practice amp, the Vox Pathfinder, which is highly rated by Harmony Central Reviewers. This guitar also was highly rated here and in Musicians Review website. Get the new Hal Leonard Beatles Songbook transcriptions, this guitar, a Vox amp and you get close to those Beatle sounds without being in a studio. Sounds good in overdrive too.

Compared to some other axes I examined at the local stores, this one was perfect..no flaws, nice finish, no messy glue or paint blemishes..smooth surface..this one must've been built by the best Korean guitar maker for Epiphone or maybe it was made in the USA, I couldn't tell from this one. Maybe Epiphone quality control is really tight like it should be with all makers? Action fine, strings felt like 9s. I did, however, had a noisy (static) pickup switch that caused the neck pickup to go out after a few hours play but I easily took care of it by cleaning the switch contacts...maybe it wasn't noticed during inspection? Do they ever hook these up to an amp or do they use a chromatic tuner to test?

If you go to the Stewart McDonald Guitar Shop Supply site (www.stewmac.com), you'll see how cheap guitar components are. As with everything, the price of things are controlled by labor costs, normally 2 -3 times the cost of materials. When you consider, I could never build a guitar like the Casino for $ 600 myself even if I had the skills and tools, this purchase was a value. Reasonably priced for what I got..fully satisfied. Like anything else, things last longer if taken care of. I could depend on it.

Epiphone warranties must be submitted within 15 days of purchase by website or mail-in card registration. Limited lifetime on body and neck, one-year on electronics, warranty good only to original owner. When I had the pickup switch problem, Musician Friend said take it to the nearest Guitar Center store for a technician to check it out. They have a 45 day trial period. Musicians Friend would reimburse me for the swtch repair or replacement and send out a new P90 if it was a pickup problem. My local Guitar Center had no technicians but had the $10 switch. They recommended a local luthier but he had a 30 day backlog. I called Epiphone/Gibson, they said take it to their authorized repair stations (this in not necessarily the same as a Gibson/Epiphone dealer!!). Unfortunately, the closest one was a hundred miles away. You might want to consider this in your purchase of any guitar by any maker...They should require a guitar technician at all guitar stores. Anyway, I fixed the switch problem by cleaning the electrical contacts by rubbing a piece of paper across them. The Stewart McDonald web site provided tech tips and diagrams of the pickup selector switch and harnessing otherwise I would've hesitated this task as I had never disassembled a guitar. I would have given a higher score it there was a Gibson or Guitar Center repair shop closer by.

Just resumed playing after a 22 year absence. Still have a beautiful sounding 1967 Gibson 12 string acoustic (B25-12N). Plan to add to the collection maybe a Rickenbacher 650D Dakota and a Fender amp for another type of sound. Check out the reviews in www.harmony-central.com..really helpful in narrowing my selection for a ES335 type axe. I also looked at a Hamer Echotone ($519 @ Guitar Center) but saw cosmetic flaws. Mainly liked the reviews and the Beatles sound I wanted. If it got lost or stolen, I'd get another because I'm the type of guy that usually replaces a lost or stolen item with something new and better...not knocking the Casino, it's a good axe.

This review is a of a newer Korean made Casino made I think around '94 based on the serial number. 22 medium-jumbo frets. Laminated spruce top. 2 volume and 2 tone controls with three way swicth, 2 chrome covered Epiphone P-90 high output single coil pickups. Spruce top, laminated maple body, mahogany neck (appears to be 2 piece with the only joint between the neck and headstock). Beautiful cherry red poly finish (sadly not lacquer). Totally hollow body like a Gibson ES-330 with f-holes, body and neck binding. Chrome ABR-1 tune-o-matic style bridge screwed stright into the wood. Cheap chrome plated Kluson style tuning machines. 24.75" scale rosewood fingerboard with pseudo-pearloid trapezoid inlays. Optional accessories are a hardshell case and Vibrotone tailpiece. I got mine used with a real Bigsby already installed. I've since changed the bridge and tuning machines with higher quality nickel plated Gotoh parts. The Gotoh tuning machines are much better quality and "stiffer" than the originals. I don't go out of tune as quickly now. The electronics seem kinda cheap and I will be replacing them in the future.

The Casino sounds like no other guitar I've ever played (apart from an ES-330 of course). The P-90's sound bright and crisp but with good strong midrange and bass. Actually, the Epi P-90's sound a little muddy and I plan on replacing them eventually with some Fralins or Antiquities. The P-90's are fairly noisy ike any single coils. I've been told though that the metal covered P-90's are actually a little noisier than plastic covered ones, so I may try out a set of white plastic covers. The neck pickup is reverse wound so the pups are humbucking in the middle switch position. Playing through just a POD and monitors right now (hopefully a Vox in the not too distant future) I think this is the best guitar I've ever played for clean to slightly overdriven sounds. I also use a Teleaster with 52 reissue pups which sounds really weak in comparison. I may have to get some hotter pickups for the Tele now. Overdriven the Casino sounds really midrangey and unique, lots of resonance, but realtively low on sustain due to the hollow body and short scale. I also really like that it has a good amount of volume when played unplugged. that's nice when I'm playing at night and can't plug in and even the acoustic is too loud.

The action is great, you can get it pretty low without much ill effect. The pickups aren't height adjustable, but do have adjustable pole pieces. The finish looks really great for the most part. Around there f-holes the masking job was a bit less than perfect, but that's not very noticable. The finish it typical modern thick catalyzed polyester/polyuretane finish. I'd much prefer nitrocellulose lacquer, but that would've increased the price by a few hundred dollars I'm sure since its application is more labor intensive. I got the guitar used, so I don't know if it's a new problem, but a few of the upper frets have come unseated just a little. It doesn't look bad, but it does cause a little buzzing. I will be getting that fixed, and that's something that can happen to any guitar so I don't really hold it against the manufacturer. Otherwise, everything seems to be very well made. I've really fallen in love with the feel of the guitar, the 12" readius fingerboard is very comfortable, and the body style is really comfortable. I finally have a guitar that I can hold a little higher that doesn't make me look kinda geeky.

I've only had it for about a month, so I can't comment on reliability that much. It's held up for several years so far, but that deosn't mean much. The only things I worry about are the neck joint and the finish being easily chipped (I hate that about poly finish, nirto doesn't really chip like poly). I replaced the strap buttons with Dunlop locking buttons. My strap came off the buttons fairly easily without them. The chrome plating on the hardware seemd kinda cheap looking. I've reaplaced most of it with better qualty parts with nickel plating which I prefer the look of to chrome anyway. Another thing that kinda puzzles me is why they didn't use real pearloid fingerboard inlays. The logo on the headstock is pearloid, but the fingerboard inlays are just kinda silvery, no pearlescence at all. I mean how much would it have cost to use real pearloi inlay, $25? I'd have payed the extra amount for the improved appearance. One other thing, the tickness of the headstock seems a little too thick to me. Compared to my '65 Gibson J-50 it muct be about 3/16" thicker, which means the tuning machine posts are pretty short making it difficult to get more than two wraps of the larger strings around them. I don't get it.

I've never dealt with Epiphone so I don't really have any comment here.

The $520 I paid included the guitar that came with the Bigsby and case, plus the amount I spent on the new bridge and tuners, a very good deal imo. I think this is the coolest guitar I've ever owned. It looks and sounds so good, and it's not one that you see everyone playing, like a Strat or Les Paul. I pay 60's and 70's inspired pop like the Elliott Smith, Jon Brion, Beatles, Big Star, Aimee Mann, Jellyfish, Beach Boys, Matthew Sweet, etc, and the Casino fits the style very well. As much as I like this guitar I obviously have some complaints, and I'm hoping I'll be able to afford a 60's ES-330 eventally to replace the Casino. Replacing the hardware made a big improvement and after putting in new pickups and electronics I think it will make a really good guitar close to great.

Epiphone Casino (purchased new) - Korean - Natural WC - Made in 2000?
22 fret rosewood fretboard, laminated maple hollowbody with spruce top and f-holes.
2 P-90 pickps.
2 volume and 2 tone controls with one selector switch.
I read that someone's neck was pieced together mahogany. Not sure what he meant by that, but the neck seems to be one piece on mine.
Same specs as the others - Included hex wrench.

I play alot of different stuff - some of my influences include: Them, Animals, Velvet Underground, Flamin Groovies, Chocolate Watch Band, Rolling Stones, Joy Division, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, X, the Pretty Things, the Mummies, and many more. So, I can't really describe a style - figure it out for yourself. As far as the sound of this guitar for all of the above - yes, its all there. I play my Casino on a small 5 watter 6V6'er I made, and on an old Stromberg & Carlson P.A. from the 40's with a 4x10" Argos Thunder Column (with those old, lovely 10" Jensens.) No tone controls... just volume! Needless to say, this guitar &^#$@#%* rocks on them!
%^$#^%$ rocks like you'd never believe! Bright twangs and low bumps. Push the volume on an old tube amp and this guitar has no equal as far as distortion pedals or fuzz boxes go.
Feedback is excesive at superhigh volumes, but very controlable and harmonic. If you can control feedback, you'll love it!
*Note to others: If you don't like feedback, don't stand so close to your amp! ...Yes, I realize that always can't be helped.
I have noticed a little bit of hum on the upper toggle selector position, but hey - back in the day when only tube amps existed, hum was a good thing because it meant it worked! - It doesn't bother me one bit.
Acoustically, this guitar is great for late-night tunes that pop in your head. Not too loud, not too quiet, and the quality is definately there.
In other words, I love the way this guitar sounds.

Set-up from the factory was perfect! I'll admit, since I purchased this guitar on-line from Musician's Friend and never had a chance to play it, I was a bit scared as to exactly what I would get (this goes for all other catagories too.) But I was not let down! As my father put it: I... "bowed to the east, stared at it, and polished it for hours." Truely a beautiful guitar. No flaws* in the wood or inlay. *The dark stain around the inside of the f-holes did, however, bleed a little into the finish... but wait! It's not as bad as it sounds! It is not noticable unless I really nit-pick and examine it.
Action and playability is perfect.
I noticed other people commented that their's wouldn't stay in tune.
I have had no problem with this, but for the guitar's sake, I may replace the tuners with higher quality ones just to be safe.
I may also muster-up the funds for a Bigsby for it, and, if I can get one, a tortoise-shell pickguard.
Near-perfect score, due to the stain around the inside of the f-holes.

I haven't played a live show for a few years but I think this guitar will handle anything as long as you take care of it. No Tommys or Kurt Cobains here, OK? Just watch out for extreme temperature variations! Being all-wood and hollowbody, extreme hot or cold or both could seriously damage this guitar, as it would with any hollowbody, semi, or any really expensive guitar. I baby my guitar, so I expect it to last. If it doesn't then I'll come back and change this rating and give Epiphone hell!
I never played with a back-up and I used cruddy guitars back then... I believe I could depend on my Casino.
The finish seems durable enough, but just encase, I leave my pickguard on.
The selector switch is less-than-perfect. I am going to replace it and check out the wiring.
Near-perfect rating because it's not "rock solid" and because of the selector switch.

I haven't had any problems with this guitar as of yet - God, I hope not! It comes with a limited lifetime warranty though. I did, however, write Epiphone a letter before I bought mine, inquiring as to why they discontinued the Natural Sunburst Epiphone Casino, how I could obtain one, and I made it known that I very much wanted one in that color. The response they sent me was brief - They said yes, Natural Sunburst is discontinued but available on one of the John Lennon issue Casinos for... oh, how ever many thousands of dollars. That kind of ticked me off. But I won't let this spoil the over-all rating of this guitar - I just wanted to get my frustration out because I was not happy at all with their response. Lets hope other areas of their customer service are more... how should I say? ...more personable and less interested in making a buck?

I've been playing guitar for almost 10 years now. I've owned low-end Fenders which fell apart on me, and up until now, I've been playing a Univox Mosrite which was given to me in 2 pieces (Body w/ the neck and part of the body detached.) I fixed it and believe it or not, it has been my favorite and best guitar so far... until I got the Casino. I've had it for a couple of weeks and I love it! I really wish the Korean Casino was available in Natural Sunburst, but I don't regret getting the Natural finish.
I was considering a Gretsch, but chose the Casino for the f-holes.
Also, I was checking out some sales on a couple of Rickenbackers but that was still a little bit too much bread for me.
This is the only expensive guitar I've ever owned. I've played on real Gibsons, and some USA Fenders and was impressed, just as I am impressed with my Casino - But what makes the Casino rise above them all, however, is the fact that you don't have to go broke to own a QUALITY guitar. If this guitar ended up lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair, I would buy another one. No questions asked. I would recommend this guitar to anyone who was thinking of buying it.

Just picked up this used Epiphone/Gibson Casino. I paid $1000 for it, dealer said it was a "transition" model built in '69. I removed one pickup and it had a "79" on the end of the neck. He said this was built during the Japan period but I think it's more Korean. This guitar has features of a Gibson 330 and an Epihone Casino. The pickguard is single-ply blk and shaped like 330. The headstk is narrow type Epi and the fret inlays are Epi slanted blk. The frets are low and wide and plays smooth. It has a bound fingerbrd. and short neck which meets the body at the 16th fret. The body is finished in this beautiful oldtime sunburst which does not have any red or yellows in it. This is a feature that makes me beleave that it is not an american model. It is very dark, nearly black, and is very attractive looking. The body is single bound and is the usual hollow with no center block like 335. Electronically, it has 2 P90 dog-eared in very tarnished nickel. It has a trapeze tailpc with a diamond and a tuneamatic bridge which doesn't look like Gibson. It has more curve to it that matches the fingerbrd better. It came in this real beatup hardshell case. It has the usual 2 tone & volume setup.The tuners are Kluson nickel. Regardless of what it really is, it plays and sounds good.

With the P90's you'd get some buzz but I just shift my body to eliminate it. The sound is very acoustic and mellow jazz like. You can play mellow or open the tone up and get more treble and definition. The bridge pickup sounds good alone or with a little treble on setting 4. It does not sound like a 335 but more alive and airy. It has an older sound like the Beatles in a way and maybe some early jazz recordings. The frets are low and you have to get accustomed to it. It was fashionable during this period, 1979. It's so cool looking and if I forget...it is very light. I weighted it and it only weighs 6 lbs. It makes a very good rhythm guitar. The new Epiphone Casinos cannot sound as good as this guitar. I mainly use it through Polytone amps to get a mellow tone that I like.

Plays like butter and it sounds so good. The tarnished nickels only adds to the vibe. I hate looking at shiny chrome and gold on guitars. This has a relic look but without the dings and gouges. The case is so beat up though. This guitar is built real good like the very early Ibanez models when all the Asian companys were trying to build good guitars. I remember seeing mid-70's Ibanez that were better than the American models.

This guitar is already 30 yrs. old, it will last longer than I will live. No backup is needed, it can do the job very easily. The strap buttons are OK cause I don't do much jumping around.

I have no warranty, i bought this used and it is 30 yrs old.

I've been playing for 40 yrs..play professional on stage 2tice a week. This is a very nice sounding guitar and has the right look. Tarnished nickel. It sounds better than the custom Gibsons that I've wasted my money on. It only has 1 nick in the face so I'd say it's in excellent shape. I compared it to old Gibson 330's and the new Epiphone Casinos. I even tried the John Lennon models and this sound so much better. The blk pickguard cannot be seen from a distance so it looks like it is not there. I like the way this guitar is..whether it is a Epiphone or Gibson doesn't matter much to me. It does say Epiphone in pearl on the headstock but the sound is all that matters in this universe. May the force be with you.

Natural finish, 2 P-90's. 2 tone, 2 volumne controls,...etc.

I picked this guitar up on a whim, but I can't believe how beautiful it sounds! When played with the selector switch in the middle position, it has a nice, jangly sound reminicent of a Rickenbacker, but distinctive in it's own way. It sounds wonderful through my Vox Pathfinder when played with high volumn, low gain. It sounds a little muddy with the gain boost swittched in, but since I almost never use that feature, It makes no difference to me. This baby has exactly the sound that I've been looking for.

The finish on this one is perfect. I've seen quite a few natural finish Casinos before and since, and this one that I happened to get has the most beautiful one I've seen. The action was well set up at the time of purchase. but there does seem to be a minor problem with the selector switch. I doesn't seem very well made (the switch, I mean), and if you accidentally jiggle it while playing, it distorts the sound breifly. However, I've found that if I jiggle it intentionally while notes are ringing, it makes a neat phasey/tremoloey effect.

The body itself seems sturdy enough. I'm a little suspicious of the tuners and of the tunomatic bridge. They seem a little cheap and I may replace them. The strap buttons seem solid. I don't like to gig without a back-up generally, but if I HAD to, I would choose this guitar to do it with.

Haven't had to deal with them yet, but it has a lifetime warantee, which is reasuring.

I've been playing for 12 years, and I currently own a Rick 325, an Epi Les Paul Standard, and an ES-335 copy. If this guitar were lost or stolen, I would be deeply depressed, and would replace it as soon as humanly possible (although, I don't know if I could find one this beautiful). Other than some minoe hardware issues (Cheap tuners, questionable bridge, questionable switch) it is almost perfect. It very quickly became my main axe, and I drag it with me just about everywhere I go (much to the chagrin of my boss, teachers, etc.)

This one's mad in Korea, cool tailpiece, you'd think the sound will be old and harmonic no, it actually plays rock! It's very verstaile, you can work with it plugged or unplugged.

It sounded better than expected, this is the ultimate!

It was hand-made and the originals since the 60's mine's a nice lacquer natural finish, great.

Hasn't broken down or anything yet

Hey, it has a lifetime warranty doesn't it?

No better guitar out there

This is a Korean made 1999 Epiphone casino. Natural finish. 22 frets. Laminated maple body. 2 P-90 pickups. @ volume and 2 tone controls with one switch. The pickups are marked Epiphone. The neck is multi-piece mahoghany and obviously pieced together. The finish is a clear gloss, but I can't tell if it is nitro or ployurethane. It smells like nitro and is hard, not soft like poly. This is the Es-330 shape without a solid center block. There is a little 1"x1" block in the middle of the guitar between the top and back, but surprisingly the bridge does not connect to it. It has a tuneomatic bridge with a trapeze tailpiece. Tuners are enclosed and look like imitation Klusons. Fretboard is rosewood. The frets are jumbo but low. Neck came in typical Gibson dimensions. No accessories.

I haven't plugged it in. It came with a loose rear pickup. Playing without the amp, it does have a good acoustic sound, which is loud enough to practise without an amp.

Actually I was pleased with the action, fit and finish. This was a guitar sold by one of those places who advertise on online auctions like Yahoo and Ebay for slightly damaged guitars. It was misrepresented, since the fellow said it was "new". There was no mention of any defects in the auction. I was the only bidder. When I got it the rear pickup was loose and rattled. It needs to be resoldered to the chrome cover. It was stamped "used" so i guess I can't take it to Epiphone for warranty fixes. But no problems with the action or the finish as delivered.

Proably the guitar got a bump during shipping from Korea to the US The bump was hard enough to knock the solder off the chrome cover of the rear pickup on both sides. there is a slight indentation in the finsih where the chrome cover apparently made a dent when hit. The solder on the cover didn't look too good, sort of messy and was probably a cold joint. Otherwise it looks ok. This is probably a minor repair but irritating.

It was sold by an online company that sells damaged goods and stamped "used" so there is no warranty. I took a chance since it was $200 less than the mail order catalogs

I have been playing for mucho years and while in high school actually played a friend's original Epiphone Casino, around 1970. The friend then sold it without telling me. I wanted to get into the John Lennon groove. When I get it fixed I should be able to get a Beatles-60's groove out of it.

made in Korea. this casino have great features.
This is 22 fret, and like ES335 hollow body shape.
But it has special bridge like ES195.
4 knob (2tones, 2volumes).
and 3 way picup selecter.
Fret boead is consist rosewood. neck is mahogany. and body is maple.
My casino has cherry color.
all hardware is consist chrome.
I'm korean.. so I could buying cheep price than other people who bought casino.
Guitar : US $350 Hardshell case : US 50$

It is perfect sound what playing blues.
but casino can playing well other music style.
Rock, Metal, rock & roll, etc..

I belive a Korean made 1999 Casino. 2 tone 2volume. 2 P-90 pick-ups. Nice Cherry red finish. Standard eS-335 only complelety hollow. Trapeze tailpiece and tune-o-matic bridge. Kluson style key winds wich actually stay in tune for me. Every thing you need to get that unique sound.

Very versitile. The hollow body, lack of sustain, P-90's, and 4 contols allow you to get excellent clean tones and wild overdrives.
The hollow body makes overdrives have an "on the verge of feedbacking" sound wich suits any distortion style exept metal and the oher heavy stuff. Clean in beautiful. If you tweak with your EQ and tone controls a bit you can get a nylon string sound(the lack of sustain helps out too.) who says you need sustain to have good tone? You know that feedback at the beginning of I Feel Fine? Yes, it works.

Action was great. Needs 11 gauge strings at least. Pick-ups are the best. Epiphone isn't like other second rate guitar companies, it's almost like Gibson never bought them and they are still independant. They do very good work. Next to Rickenbacker, I hold Epiphone as top brand for me. Screw Gibson.

I gig with it as my main guitar. Toggle switch doesn't look the BEST, but it good enough right now. good strap buttons. Never gig with out backup. (in case you bust a string) Finish will last. It's hollow, so don't knock the crap outta it. (8 cause it's hollow)

epiphone's web site isn't that good...but a Life time warrenty is fine by me!

I play alot of beatles. John, Paul, and George all had one of these, so that works out great. I love this guitar! My friend is into all that Heavey Metal stuff, but I showed him this guitar and now he loves 60's british rock and wants one of these for himself. A real Bigsby would be cool...but it's not necessary. I love this Guitar! And it's not expencive!

Bought mine in japan on holidy, korean made '98.
Other stuff pretty much same as the other reviewers.
Came with a cool case, not too sturdy though.

I like the sound switched to the neck pickup, gives it more of
an "acoustic" feel.
Theres a problem with the switch though, sometimes when i switch it to the bridge pickup, the signal doesn't get through and theres no sound output from the bridge pickup, but if i switch it to the middle then it works. Must be some wiring problems which i gotta get fixed.

What can I say... oh yeah... Perfect Action!
Smooth to play, its like a dream.


there was a problem with a buzzing sound which for the life of me I couldn't find where. But its gone now, good riddance.
That was when i first bought it though, so the guitar probably had to adjust to the difference in humidity/weather from Japan and my home.

Well, its not gonna withstand serious knocking but just take care of it like its your baby and it'll last.

I've not been playing long but i was looking for a guitar for 1 year, reading reviews, researching stats about the guitars...etc.
I initially was gonna get a solid body but once i saw the casino, it was love at first sight.
Its a great guitar, not to mention good looking one!

Standard Epiphone Casino (Korean) with 2 P 90 pickups, Natural Finish, mine came with an Epiphone case (pretty cheap looking but nice)

Love the sound of this guitar, it is quite a raunchy sound on the bridge pickup, very bright and nice smooth sound on the neck pickup. I also own an ES 335 and when i saw this guitar in a second hand shop I thought why would I want to buy a cheap Korean version but when I picked it up and played it I can't put it down!! It definately have a sound of its own with the single coil P-90s and the hollow construction!! I love this guitar as much as my ES 335!! Only complain is the tone knobs when I turn them all the way down, the volumne seems to diminish quite a bit as well, but its not like you will be adjusting your tone knobs during a song anyway so its just a minor complaint. I like it on 10 anyway. It tends to feedback quite a bit when you turn it up but if you face away from the amp its orright.

Picked up at a second hand shop but it seems pretty well setup, low action and nice finish. And I especially love the neck, it is a lot smaller and smoother then the standard electric guitars, I believe its the only Epiphone with the neck radius of 1.62" ?! You have got to try it to believe how nicely the neck plays!! My hands are not that big so it is perfect for me. The tone/volume knobs are okay they are a bit noisy when I try to turn the tone knobs but that can be easily fixed. It is very very light though I almost feel like I am holding a toy guitar, wished it could be a little heavier but then again thats probably because I am used to my 335.

Being so light it does seem a bit fragile even though the construction seems to be pretty solid it is just so amazingly light for an archtop guitar, I'd be a bit careful handling this. The strap buttons are good , nice and big there will never be the problem with straps falling off.

Bought at a second hand shop so there is no warranty.

Always wanted a Casino (being a big Beatles fan) and I am telling you, its so MONEY man!! It is so easy and smooth to play and also light as well (compare with the Rivera or the other Epiphone semi-acoustics) thanks to its hollow construction, also the P-90 add a nice punchy sound. Definately a good alternative to the standard ES-335 sounds!! Buy this guitar and be happy !!

Standard recent Korean-made Casino. Black finish, cream binding on body and neck.

Casino's are as distinctive as Strats, Teles and Les Pauls. The single coil tone is fabulous for both rhythm and leads - especially blues and jazz. Back off from full volume a hair and the sound really opens up. Mixing the two pickups leads to millions of variations.

I haven't spotted any flaws. Purchased from a guitar repair pro who did a first rate set-up.

You should probably have one in your collection, and thank God Epiphone makes 'em cheap enough to. THere are sounds you can't get from any other guitar. These guitars are great. I've played for 30 years, had Strats, Pauls, etc. Now, I'm trying to figure out why I never even heard of a Casino until a couple of years ago. The only way I'm giving this one up is if they can pry my cold, dead fingers from it.

Made in 98. Laminated maple, thinline hollow-body with 2 P-90 pickups. Has a 3-way selector and separate volume and tone for each pickup. Natural with glossy polyurethane finish. Tun-O-Matic bridge with a trapeze tailpiece. Tuners are a bit cheesy looking, but they work just fine so far. I bought a case with mine and the dealer threw in a couple of cables.

I play mostly roots-type music--rockabilly, blues, jump blues, swing. I have a couple of Peavey amps, but I play this guitar mainly through my POD. The pickups are very quiet for single coils. It has kind of a thin sound, but nice. Acoustically, it just doesn't make much sound. But it sounds good through an amp. I just re-strung it a few weeks ago with Pyramid flatwound 11s. Now it has a really nice jazzy tone, especially on the front pickup.

The factory set up was fine. Everything was properly adjusted. The action was nice and low, with no buzzes. I wish it had binding in the f-holes. Even so, it's a very well-constructed guitar.

I don't play out, but I suspect this guitar would take it. It's very well put together. I have had it for about a year now and it's holding up just fine. I would depend on it.

I don't know. I haven't had any problems with it. I am buying another Epi though, based in part on my experience with this guitar.

I've been playing seriously for about a year and a half. I messed around for about 10 or 15 years before that. If this guitar were lost, I would buy another one (or maybe a Sorrento). I absolutely love the neck on this guitar. It is the easiest guitar to play that I own. It's an outstanding value for the money.

'96 Non-trem Casino. etc etc....

At stage volume, it *loves* to feedback.... but its not always the good knid. I would also suggest turning on any "Bright"-type switches on the amplifier to bring the tone alive a little. Otherwise, it sounds great.

Everything is nice except the tuners are complete junk. ALso, the nut spacing is quite narrow for the width of the neck. Mine has been switched to one with wider spacing.

It doesn't exactly instill the utmost confidence in me as far as how long its going to hold up. I wish it had a touch more weight to make it feel a bit more solid and perhaps reduce the feedback problems.

Its a hello of a lot better than most new guitars out there now. The sounds is excelltent. The craftsmanship? Not *too* bad, but not great. If you plan on playing this guitar a lot live, I would buy a new set of your favorite tuners at the time of purchase and ditch the stock ones.

Same as all the others on the list. I think mine was made in 98. Archtop, P90s, trapeeze bridge, etc...

Basically I just wanted to write this for other people who might be wondering if this guitar is "right" for them. First off, I play mostly old school punk / Ska (the Clash, Misfits, Specials, Rancid) type stuff. I really don't have much intrest in Blues or Jazz, so I won't even try to say whether this guitar is good for those. This guitar is however, excelent for the music I am playing. It has a very full rich tone when played unplugged, the top end is sparkly without being peircing. The clean sounds translate very well through an amp. Even better though is how it sounds with just enough drive to make it crunchy, When playing big open chords through an overdriven amp alot of guitars sound kind of mushy, the casino does not, The bridge is wonderfull for palm muting, and the lack of sustain makes it so that you can actually hear each time a chord or note is picked, rather than just causing it to all mush toghether. The pickups are unfortunatly a bit noisy when only running one at a time. The guitar is also prone to feedback when played at high volumes, However, on the good side, it is genuine string and body feedback and not just a high pitched squeal, also it has the same wiring as does a les paul, so you can simply turn down the volume of the pickup you aren't using and switch to it when not playing. The only other thing that I think people should be aware of is that due to the tailpiece and the fact that the strings extend past the bridge, If you hit a chord and then quickly stop it, the body and strings past the bridge will continue to ring for a second. Personally, I don't mind this, but it's something you should be aware of. Of intrest to me was the fact that Tim Armstrong from Rancid uses a casino, as did Johnny Marr of the Smiths, and both of Morrissey's guitarists-Alan Whyte, and Boz Boorer.

The Action and neck of my casino was great upon getting it. I would actually say that I think the neck is probably one of the best I have ever played. The Guitar is also very comfortable to play, because the body is almost as thin as a solidbody. The pickups are adjusted well and the strings have a very even level between them. Lookswise the guitar is absolutly stunning (If archtops are your thing) Mine is cherry sunburst and I love the way that it looks like a real instrument, like a cello or string bass, and not a mass produced piece of plastic. However, It did come with a few problems, the pickup selecter switch feels flimsy and badly connected. The tone and volume knobs are somewhat scratchy sounding, and the intonation is off slightly. The bridge also has a slight buzz, but it is not audible through the pickups and so isn't much of a problem.

I was amazed at how light this guitar was when I first picked it up, however it seems well built, and strangely enough, mine came with straplocks. I don't imagine it would stand up to as much abuse as would a solidbody, but if your trying to destroy your guitar, thats your own fault.

Ive been playing about 10yrs and am extremely pleased with this guitar, I find it to be perfect for the music I'm playing, and would encourage anyone else looking for a good guitar for traditional type rock should look into a casino. I would definatly buy it again

This is a 1996 Korean reissue of the Epi model made famous in the mid '60's by The Beatles. It is a 335 style thinline double cutaway consisting of a laminated maple body/top and multi-piece mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. Electronics include two chrome dog-ear covered passive single coil P-90 pickups controlled by a three-way switch and one volume and one tone per pickup. Finish in my guitar is a polyurethane cherry stain but it also comes in natural, sunburst (as the ones used by The Beatles) and as of lately custom colors such as sea green. Bridge is a Tune-o-Matic style with a hinged trapeze tailpiece (just like John Lennon's) but as of lately the model is also offered with a Vibro-Tone vibrato unit, which is Epiphone's version of a Bigsby unit (by the look of it, I wouldn't be surprised if it's manufactured for Epiphone by Bigsby). Tuners are imported metal oval head Kluson style chrome plated units. Neck scale is Gibson style 24-3/4". The frets are medium and the neck is a real substantial baseball bat, which is a feature that I love. The guitar came in an Epiphone hardshell case with adjusting tools, case keys and warranty card and manual. The case is made out of particleboard and covered in black tolex. The case is adequate for the price range of this instrument but I think judging by the quality, the guitar deserves better.

This guitar does everything it's expected to do. The sound is real balanced being full and gutsy but detailed at the same time; this guitar would probably work in the majority of musical styles including jazz. It wouldn't work very well in a heavy metal format due to its hollowbody; as expected, the guitar can't be played at high volumes unless you're Ted Nugent (I don't know how he can control the feedback playing those Byrdlands like he does). Due to the nature of single coils, the guitar is noisy but I don't consider that a problem as long as the tone is good. Sometimes, when playing the guitar loud, controlled musical feedback is attainable depending on how it's set up, where you're standing with respect to the amp, type of effects and amp and so on. Surprisingly, the pickups themselves are not microphonic at all. I tend not to use it as much on my gigs, unless I know in advance it's going to be a low volume situation.

Although I couldn't recall anything wrong with the woodwork, fretwork and finish, I find that the tuning pegs feel kind of cheesy. Those can be replaced for $30.00 or less though. Another area for improvement is the pickup switch which I replaced with a Switchcraft unit (which will cost around $12.00 to $15.00). By just doing those two mods, you turn this guitar into a real pro instrument. The rest of the controls such as the pots feel real smooth and nice.

This guitar will withstand whatever a 335 or 330 can withstand. Finish work is awesome and if taken care of will last just like the finish on a nice vintage Casino. Strap buttons are ok (just like your run-of-the mill vintage ones). With regular maintenance such as wiping after using, hardware will also hold up even though the chrome plating on the pickups and the trapeze tailpiece could be a little bit thicker. As I said before, by replacing the tuners and pickup selector, this instrument can be turned into a real pro tool (just like on Fender Squire instruments, with the exception of the pickups, which also need to be changed on Squires).

Haven't had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 20 years and have every type of guitar and amp for every type of classic guitar tone. This is certainly one of my bona-fide tools for classic tone. The price for this much quality is unreal. Incredible value. If it were stolen or lost, I would certainly buy it again.

bought July 1996 Laminated spruce top, maple body, mahoghany neck, no vibrato, turqoise color. A beautiful guitar, looks totally vintage, but at a low price. I got it for $550 without a case. You'll be just staring at this one all day when you get it cause it looks so cool. Did I mention the neck? Its a thing of wonder! Very thin and rounded on the back, great for small hands, the opposite of those 80's metal guitars! One of the best necks I've ever played barred none!

an original sound, doesn't sound like a solid body at all, great tone though a clean amp, not harsh or thin at all. both pickups sound great, the word is with Epiphones you should replace the pickups, well you won't need to with these, they sound great. Distorted it sound wonderful as well but will feedback at high volumes, even then it sounds good! This guitar even sounds good direct into a board or through a zoom unit, cause its got so much tone from the body. A good practice guitar unplugged cause its got some volume from the hollow body.

Only weak point was here, try out a few, or have a guitar shop do some adjustments. The fret ends were a little rough and i got out a nail file and smoothed them out, not too hard now it feels great. The bridge had a buzz at times so I had to unscrew the bridge pickup take it out and tighten up the bridge screw from the bottom, now its fine. The volume and tone controls? Worthless, now they sound very scratchy, I live in a humid climate, maybe thats the problem, but I usually leave them on 10 anyway. These could be hard to replace by yourself because there is no backplate and the only way to reach them is the f holes, maybe a guitar shop could do it. Tuners are ok, they look vintage and are low mass, not great but I wouldn't replace them.

had it for 3 years, been great except for the vol. tone pots.

haven't had to, did the adjustments myself.

great guitar, has an original personality, maybe my fave guitar to play while recording cause it has such a cool vibe. For the money a great deal.

The features are well documented here and on gibson.com. Here's the skinny... it's a ES330 style guitar with 2P-90s pickups, 3-way toggle, 2 tone controls, 2 volume controls, chrome hardware, 24.75" scale, 1.68" nut, a set neck joint mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, parrellelgram inlays, bound neck and body, laminated maple back and sides, laminated spruce top, all archtop, white pickguard. It is a true hollowbody; no block down the middle like ES335's and such. Mine has a natural finish and a trapeze bridge. It was made in Korea.

Oh, baby. I love the tones of this instrument. Just enough fat acoustic tones to put out great rock, blues and jazz sounds. It goes from rich to bright easily with the electronics setup. It will NOT give you heavy metal sustain. As I said, it's a real hollowbody. But the pickups and hollowbody make a great combo for classic tones. Just listen to the Beatles on Ticket to Ride, Day Tripper or Revolution. They bought three of them in '64. Lennon's is being duplicated to the greatest detail in a replication model (http://www.gibson.com/whatsnew/pressrelease/1999/jan29b.html).
But it puts out great blues tones and it's fat enough for some jazz. The pickups will hum and feedback a bit. The output on the pickups is HIGH. I compared it to the Gibson Blueshawk with their Blues P90s, and the Epi puts out a much bigger sound at the same volume.
I would give it a ten if they could perform a miracle and get rid of the hum, but Gibson couldn't do it with a third pickup hidden in a solidbody Blueshawk, so I don't know how they could do it on the Epi.

The strings had to go immediately. The action had to go down, but that was simple enough with a few twists on the bridge. There is a slight flaw in one of the parrellelgram inlays, but nothing too objectionable. The finish and wood appears flawless. The jury is out on the tuners. They're smooth, but I'm waiting to see how well they hold their tune. It appears they will perform at the level for this price guitar. Apparently, it's adjusted and inspected in the USA according to a tag. The action is easily adjusted with the bridge/trapeze combo. You'll get it just how you like it. I set mine up very low. It's soooo smooth. The neck is comfortable to play for a long periods (I can't put the thing down). And it's drop-dead gorgeous. Like a beautiful woman, it's a head-turner. I'm hanging mine on the wall.

Can't honestly say yet. I promise to report back if it gives me any problems.

Ditto.

I've been playing for over 20 years. I've got a Peavey Classic 30 right now. I occasionally plug a Zoom 505 into the effects loop, but this guitar sounds too good on it's own to muck it up with effects.
I only wish I had bought this guitar when I was starting out. I was too stupid then to even consider an archtop, I guess. Doh! It would have made me a better player right out of the blocks.
I've owned LP's, SG's strats, even all graphite high-tech axes. I wasted my money and time on them. This guitar has the tone, and really, that's go to be the number one thing to look for in any guitar.
If I lose this guitar, after a good cry, I buy another. And, if I ever win the lottery, I'm buying the Lennon Revolution replica guitar.