Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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UlricvonCatalyst
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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Mon Aug 02, 2021 9:31 pm

So....can anyone comment on the difference between the neck joint being at the 16th or 17th fret? When was it changed, and why? Was it a mistake when production moved from Korea to China, or was it considered an improvement?

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MKR
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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by MKR » Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:34 am

UlricvonCatalyst wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 9:31 pm
So....can anyone comment on the difference between the neck joint being at the 16th or 17th fret? When was it changed, and why? Was it a mistake when production moved from Korea to China, or was it considered an improvement?
that's a great question. I have a recent one that joins at the 16th fret. It can get a bit tricky playing higher up the neck, but i gotta assume there's addition strength at the neck joint by positioning the neck a bit deeper in the body. i can't imagine they have been building them this way for so long on accident.

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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Aug 03, 2021 5:54 am

MKR wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:34 am
UlricvonCatalyst wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 9:31 pm
So....can anyone comment on the difference between the neck joint being at the 16th or 17th fret? When was it changed, and why? Was it a mistake when production moved from Korea to China, or was it considered an improvement?
that's a great question. I have a recent one that joins at the 16th fret. It can get a bit tricky playing higher up the neck, but i gotta assume there's addition strength at the neck joint by positioning the neck a bit deeper in the body. i can't imagine they have been building them this way for so long on accident.
Well, the 16th fret join is absolutely for strength, since the Casino/ES-330 is a fully hollow bodied instrument. I don't know about the 17th fret join.

But, I do have an ES-330 with the 19th fret join, an "330L" for "long".

Image

And the reason I got this instead of a vintage model is because on the vintage models they did not reinforce the neck on the "L" models, so the necks would fold up. On my later model they did reinforce it- considerably- the neck pickup is more or less in a block of wood not unlike what you would see on a 335, although it does not run the length of the body.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by Maggieo » Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:34 am

“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

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UlricvonCatalyst
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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:04 pm

Well, it turns out first-run Korean VS reissues - and I'm not looking at any of the other finishes - are pretty thin on the ground here in the UK, especially at a price I'd be willing to pay, so I'll probably have a long wait.

The USA ones are probably okay, but whoever decided to send them out with black plastic pickup covers when they're aimed at the Beatles fan market should've done a bit more homework. Either way, they're too close to vintage prices for me to consider.

The first (Peerless) one I bought cost me £275 second-hand, so current prices are a hard pill to swallow, but I'm sure the planets will align for me one of these days. In the meantime I'll just have to be content with my #1 lawsuit 335, which might well be a better instrument than any of the recent far eastern Casinos anyway.

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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by rbrcbr » Sat Aug 07, 2021 3:50 pm

Ah, this is quite the rabbit hole. I spent a while digging through all the different iterations while trying to find a good base for my Pelham Blue Casino refin project.

Generally, the MIJ/Elitist stuff and the 50th Anniversary MIC versions are the most well regarded of them all, aside from the USA Lennon Revolution Casino. The Inspired by JL series seems to have good reviews, arguably a bit nice than the generic MIC Casino, but not as nice as the 50th Anniversary. All I know is the prices on those right now are insane for absolutely no reason - it's as if people are trying to sell them like they're the genuine MIJ/AIUSA Revolution Casinos.

There is an Elitist 1965 Casino that is supposed to be accurate specwise, and I want to say after 2014 (?) were being finished in Nitro lacquer, unlike the rest of the Elitist stuff which is all shot in Poly.

Personally, I'd be going for the 50th Anniversary if I wanted something vintage accurate, my only complaint with those now is that the prices are no longer $650-$900, people are listing them for almost double these days. And at that rate, you might be better off spending the money and just getting a nicer reissue, or going with the new Epiphone USA Casino. One thing about that - the parallelogram inlays are backwards. Like, reversed. Not a big deal but enough to bother some people once they notice it. I haven't had a chance to hold one personally but I've heard those are very nice. Otherwise I'd be digging for a deal on a Revolution Casino.

My friend played a chinese standard Casino for years and I always loved that guitar, it's a lot of guitar for the price. But specwise, not quite there.

Here's my Casino, some eye candy for ya. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=115827 thread for ya if you're interested in how it unfolded.
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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by rbrcbr » Sat Aug 07, 2021 3:51 pm

Also, I'm curious to see what used prices on those USA Casinos are going to look like, as these have been on backorder for a while now everywhere. Might be worth holding out to get one for a decent deal used.

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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Tue Aug 10, 2021 3:44 am

rbrcbr wrote:
Sat Aug 07, 2021 3:50 pm
Ah, this is quite the rabbit hole. I spent a while digging through all the different iterations while trying to find a good base for my Pelham Blue Casino refin project.

Generally, the MIJ/Elitist stuff and the 50th Anniversary MIC versions are the most well regarded of them all, aside from the USA Lennon Revolution Casino. The Inspired by JL series seems to have good reviews, arguably a bit nice than the generic MIC Casino, but not as nice as the 50th Anniversary. All I know is the prices on those right now are insane for absolutely no reason - it's as if people are trying to sell them like they're the genuine MIJ/AIUSA Revolution Casinos.

There is an Elitist 1965 Casino that is supposed to be accurate specwise, and I want to say after 2014 (?) were being finished in Nitro lacquer, unlike the rest of the Elitist stuff which is all shot in Poly.

Personally, I'd be going for the 50th Anniversary if I wanted something vintage accurate, my only complaint with those now is that the prices are no longer $650-$900, people are listing them for almost double these days. And at that rate, you might be better off spending the money and just getting a nicer reissue, or going with the new Epiphone USA Casino. One thing about that - the parallelogram inlays are backwards. Like, reversed. Not a big deal but enough to bother some people once they notice it. I haven't had a chance to hold one personally but I've heard those are very nice. Otherwise I'd be digging for a deal on a Revolution Casino.

My friend played a chinese standard Casino for years and I always loved that guitar, it's a lot of guitar for the price. But specwise, not quite there.
Thanks for that - good overview of the various iterations - just what I was looking for....though impatience got the better of me. :ph34r:

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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by MattK » Tue Aug 10, 2021 5:30 am

ooh that sounds good

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Re: Calling all Epi Casino buffs!

Post by rbrcbr » Tue Aug 10, 2021 2:28 pm

UlricvonCatalyst wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 3:44 am
Thanks for that - good overview of the various iterations - just what I was looking for....though impatience got the better of me. :ph34r:
No problem! Let's see it 👀

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