- First released in 1961, the Casino is arguably Epiphone's most well-known model. While the thinline Casino (and the nearly identical Gibson ES-330) bear a close resemblance to the Gibson ES-335 model, they have a few major differences that contribute to their significantly different sound.
- For Yamano Gakki Epiphone Japan semi acoustic models from 1987 to approximately 1997, the serial numbers are in a YCPPP format. They were made by Terada and usually have an Orange Epiphone label. Y = Year of manufacture C = Model code.
- Wondering how old your Gibson or Epiphone guitar is? Maybe you have a Gibson banjo, dobro, or a Goldtone amplifier you're not sure about. This serial number guide will help you to figure it all out. This guide, republished courtesy of Gibson.com, provides information from 1975-present, covering thousands of Gibson i.
- The Epiphone range of the 1960s closely followed the Gibson guitars of the same time; they were both made in the same fatory in Kalamazoo. The Casino corresponds to the Gibson ES330 having the same dimensions and construction, but with different headstock shape and tailpiece.
The Aria Epiphone Japan models that were made by Matsumoku from the early 1970s and ending before 1987 do not have a reliable serial numbering system but can be approximately dated using their Epiphone label colours. 1971-1975 - Blue label - Early models say 'Union Made' 1976-1979 - Tan or white 'Lincolnwood' label with Norlin logo.
| Epiphone Casino | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Epiphone |
| Period | 1961–present |
| Construction | |
| Body type | hollow |
| Neck joint | Set |
| Scale | 24.75' with 14' fretboard radius |
| Woods | |
| Body | maple (laminated) |
| Neck | mahogany on most models in most periods; sometimes maple |
| Fretboard | rosewood on most models, ebony on some |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | adjustable Tune-o-Matic style |
| Pickup(s) | 2 P-90s |
| Colors available | |
| Vintage Sunburst, Turquoise, Natural[1] |
The Epiphone Casino is a thinline hollow body electric guitar manufactured by Epiphone, a branch of Gibson. The guitar debuted in 1961 and has been associated with such guitarists as Howlin' Wolf, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Dave Davies, Paul Weller, The Edge, Josh Homme, Daniel Kessler, Noel Gallagher, Brendon Urie, Gary Clark, Jr., Glenn Frey, John Illsley, Peter Green and Dave Grohl.[1][2]
Casinos have been manufactured in the United States, Japan, Korea and China.
Construction[edit]
The Casino, also designed by Epiphone as model E230TD, is a thinline hollow-bodied guitar with two Gibson P-90 pick-ups. Although generally fitted with a trapeze-type tailpiece, often a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece is used in its place (either as a factory direct feature or as an aftermarket upgrade). Unlike semi-hollow body guitars such as the Gibson ES-335, which have a center block to promote sustain and reduce feedback, the Casino and its cousin, the Gibson ES-330 are true hollow-bodied guitars. This makes it lighter, and louder when played without an amplifier, but much more prone to feedback than semi-hollow or solid-body electrics.
Early versions of the Casino had a spruce top. Through 1970, the Casino headstock was set at a 17-degree angle and the top was made of five laminated layers of maple, birch, maple, birch, and maple.[1][3] With the exception of the John Lennon models, subsequent Casinos have been made with 14-degree headstock angle with five layer all maple laminated tops. Current versions have a laminated maple top, sides, and back, and a mahogany neck.[1]
Factory string gauge guide for Casino[edit]
Per the Epiphone String Gauge Guide, the Casino comes with string gauges (from high to low): 0.010' 0.013' 0.017' 0.026' 0.036' 0.046'.[4]
Use by the Beatles[edit]
In 1964, Paul McCartney, The Beatles' bass player, was the first Beatle to acquire a Casino[5] (a 1962 model), using it for his studio forays into guitar work, including his guitar solos on 'Ticket to Ride' (1965), 'Drive My Car' (1965) and 'Taxman' (1966). In 1965 John Lennon and George Harrison bought 1965 Casinos,[5] which are clearly seen in photos of Japan concerts (last World Tour, 1966).
John Lennon used the Epiphone Casino as his main instrument during the remainder of his time with the Beatles.[5] In 1968 when the Beatles were making the White Album, Lennon had the pick guard removed from his Casino and professionally sanded to bare wood and lightly lacquered with two thin coats of nitro-cellulose.[citation needed] In the early seventies, the original tuners were replaced with a set of gold Grover tuners or machine heads. His stripped guitar (still with the original nickel tuners) is first seen in the 'Revolution' promo film. The guitar was used at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in December 1968, the Apple rooftop concert on January 30, 1969, and the concert of Live Peace in Toronto 1969 with the Plastic Ono Band on September 13, 1969. It can also be seen in the Let It Be film, including the rooftop concert, and most other pictures of Lennon playing guitar after that time.
Harrison had his fitted with a Bigsby trem, removed the pickguard (it can be seen in this state in the 'Hello Goodbye' and 'Penny Lane' videos, and in pictures of the final Beatles show in San Francisco, 1966). He also had it sanded down in 1968.
Current Casinos[edit]
Epiphone currently builds several versions of the Casino. These include:
- Regular 'Archtop-Series' Casino made in China and uses non-American made parts (Korea until 2007)[1]
- Elitist Casino. Made in Japan and set-up in America, and contains American made parts such as the pickups. Body is 5-ply maple, Gibson P-90 pickups, and nickel hardware.[6]
- Casino Coupé. A smaller version. The body is the same size as a Gibson ES-339.[7]
- Inspired by John Lennon were made in China with American-made 'Tribute' P-90 pickups and a five-ply maple body and are less expensive versions of the now defunct United States Collection John Lennon 1965 / Revolution Casino bodies were built in Japan and assembled in America. The 1965 version has a sunburst finish, white pick guard and small button Grover tuners. The Revolution version was based on the modifications Lennon made to his 1965 Casino during the recording of the White Album, which include a 'stripped' (natural) satin finish, gold Grover tuners, no pickguard, a deeper set-in neck, and Lennon's serial number on the back of the headstock.[1]
- Limited Edition 1961 Casino. This limited version is offered in Royal Tan and Vintage Sunburst, with either a trapeze tailpiece or a tremotone tremolo. It sports a 5-layer maple-birch body, Gibson P-90 pickups, 'short' headstock, bullet trussrod cover, tortoiseshell pickguard, and pre-Gibson era Epiphone badge.[8]
References[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Epiphone Casino. |
- ^ abcdef'Epiphone Casino'. Epiphone.com.
- ^'Gary Clark Jr'. GaryClarkJr.com. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^'Antique Vintage Guitars collector info - collecting old VINTAGE GUITARS'. provide.net. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^'Epiphone String Gauges'(PDF). Web.archive.org. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 23, 2010. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
- ^ abc'Epiphone: A History'. Epiphone.com.
- ^'Epiphone Elitist Casino'. Epiphone.com. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^'Expert Review: Epiphone Casino Coupe - Harmony Central'. harmonycentral.com. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^'Epiphone 1961 50th Anniversary Casino'. Epiphone.com.
External links[edit]
Did you know that you can use Epiphone serial numbers to discover the age of your guitar? In this guide, we'll give you the basics on how it works so that you can learn if you have a vintage gem that's worth a fortune.
How To Use Epiphone Serial Numbers To Date Your Guitar
If you have a vintage Epiphone or Gibson guitar, you could be sitting on a gold mine. Many older models have a rich history, and better than that, they could be worth a lot of money.
If you can't make it to an antique shop with a certified professional who can date your guitar, you can still determine its age by using the Epiphone serial number. That information is extremely helpful if you're trying to determine its value or if you're looking to sell your instrument.
In this guide, we'll give you the basics on how the numbers work and resources to help you determine the age and origin of your guitar.
To understand the significance of the Epiphone serial number, we first need to look at how their company historyintertwines with that of Gibson.
Epiphone started as a family business in 1873 as a luxury banjo manufacturer. In the 1930's, they switched up their business model and began producing high-end guitars, and became the only manufacturer to successfully make the transition.
They grew in popularity and by the 1950's, became Gibson's main rival. In 1957, the Chicago Musical Instrument Company (CMI) acquired Epiphone. As they already owned Gibson, this merge brought the two powerful brand names under one umbrella.
In 1969, a second purchase occurred. Norlin acquired CMI and moved all of the production of Epiphone to Japan and subsequently to Korea.
During each of these transitions, there were also changes made to how the instruments were labeled, which is part of the reason why the serial number identification process is so confusing. For example, after 1969, it's unlikely your guitar would have a label saying it was made overseas, but you might have a seven-digit serial number that could tell that story.
When trying to date your vintage Epiphone or Gibson instrument, the most accurate way to do it is by decoding the serial number. Because there aren't any factory ledgers prior to the 1980's for Epiphone, these stamps will give you the closest approximation to their manufacturing date.
Particularly with older models, the serial number may not be enough to trace the guitar's origins. Because there is not a single, central database for any of the models manufactured prior to 1977, you have to dig deep into the code to figure out from where and when it originated.
In fact, at Gibson's customer service line, they report that at least a quarter of the calls they receive daily are from people trying to date their guitar.
If it was manufactured after 1977, the process is easy. Goal co casino roulette. If not, they, like the rest of us, refer to Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars to try to begin the process.
Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars- Used Book in Good Condition
- Carter, Walter (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
A serial number not only confirms the authenticity of your guitar but can impact the value. If, for example, you have a Gibson Explorer that was made from 1958 to 1959, you have one of the few models produced in that period.
In general, rare guitars are worth more money, and that particular model is valued at between $250,000 and $310,000.
Today, it's simple to use the serial number on your Gibson to date your guitar. If it was manufactured after 1977, the build date is included in the sequence.
The first and fifth number signifies the year it was built, and the second, third, and fourth are the day of the year.
For example, if the first five digits of your eight-digit serial number are 01545, then you know that the guitar was made on the 154th day of the year in 2005.
The sixth number in the modern sequence will tell you the batch, and the last three indicate the rolling production number.
Unfortunately, prior to the system instituted in 1977, the process is anything but simple to decipher.
There are entire books written on how to decipher your Epiphone serial number sequence, but here we will outline the basics of what you need to know based on year ranges that have commonalities.
In the first two years, 1932 and 1933, Epiphone die-stamped the serial number on the inside of the back of their instruments. If you look through the 'F' hole on the bass side, you will see it positioned below the label.
Beginning in 1934, they moved the placement directly onto the label itself.
This sequence begins in 1932 with the number 5000, and the last documented serial number in this series is 20142.
Epiphone Electric Instruments – 1935 To 1944
When Epiphone launched the Electar line in 1935, they also began using a new system for serial numbers on their electric instruments.
You'll find them die stamped on the top rear of the peghead, and they are a sequence of between three and five numbers.
Epiphone Casino Models
They range from 001 in 1935, to 9999 in 1945.
In 1944, there were some shakeups inside of Epiphone which resulted in the creation of a new numbering system. Most significantly, Epi died, and his widow gave up her shares which opened the door to a financial restructuring of the company.
At the same time, the new shareholders decided to change some of their production methods which had a direct impact on their inventory. This, in turn, affected the numbering scheme.
The new serials began at 50,000 in 1944 and ended at 59,999 in 1950.
This is one of the many spans of time where there is a significant amount of grey area around dating the serial number on your instrument.
We know that from 1944 to 1950, the manufacturer introduced a two-digit prefix in front of the actual three-digit production number of all of its electric models. However, there is no data that tells us how many guitars were made each year, which makes it impossible to pinpoint an estimated date the instrument was manufactured.
On these models, you'll locate the impressed serial number on the back side of the top of the peghead.
Epiphone Acoustic And Electric Guitars – 1951 To 1956
In 1951, Epiphone transitioned their electric models to the same five-digit numbering scheme as their acoustic models. Beginning with 60000 in 1951, and ending with the last known New-York made model, the Epi Zephyr, number 69637.
After Epiphone and Gibson merged under the same umbrella, Gibson started following their lead and placing serial numbers on their guitars.
During this time period, they ink stamped the digits on the back of the peghead and used the last number of the year as the first number in the serial sequence on their solid body models.
For example, in 1958, the first digit in the serial number is 8. In 1960, the first number was 0.
Gibson Hollowbody Guitars (A Series) – 1958 To 1961
From 1958 to 1961, Gibson branded guitars used a different numbering series than Epiphone. You know it's a Gibson if there is the letter 'A' preceding the serial number found on the label of a hollow body model.
Beginning with A1000 in 1958, this series goes to A4999 in 1961.
In 1961, all of the guitars produced that were not part of the A-Series by both Gibson and Epiphone followed the same serial number series.
The manufacturers stamped it on the top backside of the peghead. They also removed text that read 'Made in the USA' during this years because some of the components were created overseas.
The sequence begins with serial number 0100 in 1961, and by 1967, the six-digit code emerges. During that year, all started with the number zero, and by 1968 the companies were up to 999999.
Notably, from 1966 to 1968, they made an adjustment to differentiate between the low and high-end models. In that span, guitars numbered between 600000 to 600998 were lower quality. Then, in 1969, they changed things up and used the sequence 600000 to 606090 to denote the more expensive, high-end guitars.
There are many variations of serial numbers, and it can sometimes be difficult to decipher the code.
Epiphone Casino Labels Stickers
In addition to Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars, which is considered the ultimate reference point for guitar enthusiasts, there are a few additional resources that can help.
Epiphone Casino Labels Reviews
In the Gibson forums, their support staff has broken down all of the possibilities for you and tried to help make sense of it. They share the four distinct formats, as well as a full list of factory later and number codes, and special designations found on the Les Paul models.
