The EE-EE-Epiphone-e-e Casino Electric Guitar is the guitar that put EE-EE-Epiphone-e-e on the map. Ever since The Beatles purchased three Casinos back in 1964, this hollow Epi model has taken on a life of its own. Equipped with two vintage P-90 single-coil pickups, the Casino still delivers those Beatlesque tones at a price every player can afford. Made with a select maple body and top with f-holes, trapeze tailpiece, mahogany neck (24-3/4" scale), neck and body binding, two volume and two tone controls, and parallelogram inlays. Limited lifetime warranty.
Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.
Own this historic model. Order today.
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidityOther plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
Displaying reviews 1-10
Back to top
PreviousNext »
This is an amazing instrument. I am amazed with the sounds you can get from it, from heavy blues to bright acoustic sounding alt pop/rock ( jazz too). The body feels large at first ( for an electric) but the sounds you can get from it more then make up for it. It's also dead sexy. It is my first hollow body and I am loving it. One of the first guitars I've owned that I was in love with from day one.All the feature you would expect from a classic model like this. Pretty straight forward equipment for the price range, still feels like a great value though.
Mine is a Chinese made 2011 model in natural finish. It has a good fit and finish, it seems to be as well built and solid as any of the similar Gibson models I have been around. Even the set up on the one I received was excellent and was great to play out of the box.
Seems an excellent value for the money. Great feel to it, good looks, comfortable neck, solid feel to all the controls. The tuners seem good so far, and I am happy with this level of P-90 pick-ups.
Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.I had been lusting after a Casino for a while. Jonesing for a hollow body and always wanted a guitar with P90's. Had had my eye on a limited edition gold sparkle Casino that was at a local shop for a long time. This particular guitar sounded fantastic, but wasn't the best player. Every time I had been in the shop I had considered it, but hadn't pulled the trigger. Given the length of time this guitar was hanging on the wall, I was surprised that is was flawless as far as it's fit and finish, and chalked it up to the fact that the kids and shredders just had no interest in this style of guitar.
So the other day I went in hoping to get this guitar home. Really inspected the guitar this time. Discovered that it's nut was cut WAY to high from the factory, and the neck had no relief, if not a little back bow. My guess was this was why this gorgeous looking and sounding guitar stayed on the rack for so long. Had a tech file the nut slots, adjust the nut slots, set the action. Now the guitar plays wonderfully, and as any guitar with a proper setup should play. Its actually dead-on to Gibson set up specs as far as action, neck relief and pickup height.
Some things that I feel I need to address. Some of the things that people are com paining about are just inherent things about this type of guitar, and don't consider them negatives, flaws, etc. It's the nature of this type of guitar. For example, buzzing while playing acoustic....it's not an acoustic guitar and as with pretty much all electrics, you'll get a little buzzing with most electrics, but don't hear it when plugged in. This is an electric guitar, not an acoustic. And as long as it has a properly set up neck, the correct amount of relief, and no high frets (which would require a fret level, crown and polish) buzzing won't be a problem. Also, as mentioned, it's an electric guitar, not an acoustic, so people shouldn't be complaining about it not being loud enough unplugged! Finally, unfortunately you can't adjust the pickup height of the dog-ear P90's, but that's just the nature of the beast with these pickups. You can actually purchase shims to raise them, but can't lower them, but again, it comes with the territory. Luckily mine again, fell right on the mark with Gibson factory setup spec one the guitar got a legitimate setup. Also, this guitar will feedback. It's a full hollow body. You need to learn how to tame that. There are countless videos of Gary Clark Jr. playing Casinos like in huge stadiums and at outdoor festivals, with a fat, dirty tone. If he can control the feedback in these situations I'm sure you can learn how to as well! Just takes a little practice, people! It's not a flaw when your's feeds back, it just inherent in this design. This is why guitars had solid blocks installed in them back in the day and became semi-hollow as opposed to fully hollow, like the Casino.
Other things worth mentioning...I have to detract from my rating because of the HORRIBLE factory setup. I can't believe that this guitar left the factory with such a poorly cut nut. It was somewhat comical to see the little sticker on the back of the headstock essentially bragging about being inspected and set up at the factory! I realize most guitars (even a lot of higher-end guitars costing much more) will need a basic set-up by a competent tech, but in this case it was unacceptable. Literally half the nut was filed away, and was cut so high originally that notes would always be pulled sharp, most noticeably when playing open chords in first position. Also, the frets needed a good polishing and the fret ends needed a little TLC. Again, no big deal, and almost expected on a guitar at this price point. If you bend a lot, you'll feel a difference, and benefit from a fret polishing. All of these little gripes shouldn't detract a potential buyer, because you should be getting any new guitar set up properly anyway and most need minor tweaks off the shelf.
After the set up and attention to the nut it plays like a dream. The P90's sound great. Fits right in the middle between my single coils and humbuckers, and sound great clean, but also sound very fat, gritty, mean, and dirty when pushing an amp into breakup territory. Everyone obviously associated this guitar with the beatles, but you can get pretty much anything you want from this instrument, from killer "Keef" tones, to Rich Robinsn type stuff, to Son Volt, Wilco, etc. Sounds great through every amp I have including a Bassman Reissue, Vox AC15, and old Silverface fender Champ.
As long as you know what you're getting into, get a full setup, and don't have any unrealistic expectations, you should be very pleased with a properly set up Casino.
Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.
(18 of 21
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
- You may also flag this review
Each guitar is an instrument to itself and keeping that in mind the EE-Epiphone-e Casino is great. I have owned a few of the Gibson ES330TD's over the decades and they all felt a little different from each other, as they should, no two guitars are the same. My Casino plays and sounds great, no issues at all. It's not a Strat, a Tele, or a 330, it's just a great instrument in its own rights and the price is awesome. Mine is the cheaper version and I would not have paid more for the more expensive "John Lennon" model for what I wanted it for. I still play various models of Fender and Gibson guitars but the EE-Epiphone-e is a feel all to its own and my other guitars don't offer what this guitar does, I love it. Great construction, quality parts, a really great neck and fret work and is beautifully finished. The P90 pickups are great pickups, but you have to know what to expect from a P90. They're not Humbuckers or Fender single coil pickups and they do have a tone of their own. With the right understanding, a good ear and correct amp settings, this guitar will do anything you require. Highly recommended.Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.I had this guitar several years ago. Somedays I wish that I still had it (it looked beautiful and felt like butter). I played this guitar live and have recorded with it. It was solid and never let me down. My only beef with it (and main reason I sold it) was that the pickups were really weak (no matter how much I tweaked the amp or guitar). I had to use my EQ pedal to get this thing to reach its potential. For that reason, I would say that it is mainly a rhythm guitar and is not really meant for leads. You will either have to swap out pickups or use your EQ pedal for this guitar to reach its potential.
Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.9
This guitar plays great and with a TS9 Tube screamer with the drive control at a minimum. This guitar plays fat tones that are great for blues/jazz crossover ala Robben Ford; round on the neck pickup and stinging on the bridge. Clean, it jangles nice with the pickup switch in the center position and nice mellow tone in the neck position. This guitar is the best value in my arsenal and it is light as a feather. I wouldn't trade it for my vintage Les Paul, but it does things my LP can't and is easier on the back.
The only reason that I give it an 8 instead of something higher is because when the ordered guitar arrived, the tone control was loose and flopping all over the place. The guitar tech at the shop I bought it fixed it pronto. But there was a manufacturer's tag saying that it had been inspected and I question how well or if they really did a final inspection.
For the money, this guitar is a killer deal.
Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.I'm a thirty year player, composer, collector. I owned this guitar in 2008, a few years before EE-Epiphone-e was massacred by Gibson in quality, which has never been amended. The wire trapeze tailpiece is unsteady and bends-leans either which way, the worst tailpiece design I've ever encountered, and no amount of lowering the bridge could get the action close enough to the fretboard for decent playability. Poor paint management around F holes. I'm a huge Beatles fan. I understand they loved Casinos. But that was 1965-9, and EE-Epiphone-e was a different company. My advice, get a Hagstrom. They have Rickenbacker-type quality in their build, Hagstroms, the best mid-priced hollow-style bodies with outstanding quality, sound, and action. Their set from top to tails up is serious and solid. Or don't listen to me and try to play Day Tripper on a low end Casino with strings helplessly a quarter inch off the fretboard with a cheap wire tailpiece bent at a 45% angle.
Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.Right off the bat, this guitar looks sexy as all get out. Looks aside, the feel of the guitar is amazing; the playability is out of this world. No wonder The Beatles played this guitar! From thick and dark tones on the neck pick up to bright powerful tones on the bridge, this guitar is capable of producing any sound you want. The high-output P-90 pickups make this guitar as versatile as any I've played in the past. If you pass it up, you'll only be kicking yourself later.
Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.Waited a long time to replace my road guitar.(ES-330)
Since I gave up full time, it was hard to justify ~$2500 for another.
The Casino is every bit as good, construction is the same, The sound is the same after a little break in.
P-90s are a little low output, but they were before too. Don't blame the tool for behaving the way it was designed. Humbuckers are wound to be louder, adjust.
My heart sings every time I open the case.
Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.I got my first gibson les paul a few years back and i decided to get a hollow bodied guitar about a year ago. i was always hesitant about epiphones since i thought they would be cheaper copies of gibson products but i was dead wrong. I bought the casino since it was a full hollow body and its not technically a guitar gibson makes (i know... 335...) and i probably play it more than my gibson. i play through a marshall valvestate amp and this guitar delivers. anywhere from old school rock to blues this guitar really does it all.iit has such a nice heavy and clear tone thats just rare. but then u can crank up the crunch and the combination of the resonance from the guitar with the amps crunch just makes it great. the neck is smooth and fast, perfect for sliding and soloes. bottom line, this is really an amazing guitar at a lower price for a hollow body. its not some gibson wanna be and it holds its own from all genres of music. youd be making a mistake to overlook it.
Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.Other than John, Paul, and George, there is something about the EE-Epiphone-e Casino that I've always loved. At 17 years old I bought my first one in 1966. I have all three colors of the modern day Casino. To see and hear the difference, I replaced the stock PU's with a pair of Gibson P-90's in the cherry model. You want that Gibson sound of the mid-60's you'll have to spend a couple hundred more. Believe me, it's well worth it and, you will notice a big difference in the sound. Nothing wrong with the stock PU's but if you want that true "bell like tone" on the clean side or the Clapton crunch on the distorted side, i.e.Sun Shine...Strange Brew etc.well...... I play the guitar through a 1968 Fender Twin Reverb. The nut on the Casino (as is the case with almost all guitars, even the high $$ ones) are almost always too high for me. So also is the action and the neck relief. Other than those adjustments, there is absolutely nothing that I don't like about the 2012 cherry model that I bought. Even down to the feel of the thicker neck. More wood, more sustain Chet use to say. The finish and the binding on my CS were flawless. Want that Gibson ES-330 sound? It's possible. The sound is there. As far as playability goes, it's all in the set-up. I have several, some 37 costly guitars, but I find myself playing this red EE-Epiphone-e Casino more than any other. It's not about the high end value or the collectability here. It's about an honest low budget great sounding GREAT PLAYING instrument within the price of almost everyone. Come on!Gary Clark can afford to play any guitar he wants. But in truth, according to his interview in Guitar Player, his weapon of choice is the budget Casino. Would I recommend it to a friend? You bet! I'd even recommend it to someone who doesn't play.......Cheers
Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst
.