Epiphone Casino Archtop Hollowbody - Vintage Sunburst Review

A versatile guitar

You can spend a lot more for a hollow body guitar, but you really don't need to. The Epiphone Casino is now my preferred instrument. I play rock, blues, country, jazz standards, all kinds of stuff, and this guitar works for all of it. I play through a Vox AC15 or a Fender tube amp, and the sound is great with either. It's also light weight, so having it around your shoulders… read more for a couple of hours is easy. I've never had "buyer's remorse" about buying this guitar, and enjoy playing it every time I pick it up.

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Fantastic guitar

It's amazing to me how fast Nich and Sweetwater got this guitar to me. Sweetwater is unbeatable at what they do. I spent about one hour setting it up and putting on new strings. Then as bit more time learning the middle position capabilities of the three-way switch. (Not a Gibson guy in the past). This Casino is well on the way to being my go-to guitar.

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Every Guitarist Should Have One…

I love the Epiphone Casino. I almost never write reviews, and I always think that there are far too many five star reviews… but all the guitar major guitar makers have had to up their game to stay competitive, and Epiphone and Gibson have had to kick it into high gear in the last few years to redeem themselves. I could see how some people who are impossible to please could give… read more this guitar three stars, but to me - in my hands and to my ears this is a five star guitar all the way. I have three Epiphone Casinos. In 2006 I picked up a factory second in vintage sunburst. It was in a funky little guitar store that only sold factory seconds and used instruments. The guitar was made in South Korea, and the defect was so minor the guitar store owner had to point it out to me. There was the smallest little hole in the headstock just above the truss rod cover. It looked like a 1/8th inch drill bit drilled into the headstock 1/4 of an inch into the wood. The finish was applied over this hole, and you could never find the flaw if you didn't know where it was. I got the guitar and a non-factory hard shell case for less that the cost of a regular new Casino. It sounded and sounds awesome. You can get all the shimmer and chime that the Beatles and Stones used to make this guitar famous. It can sound great played clean, and when you put a little grit on it you get great rhythm sound for chording and double stops. I love the neck pickup for bluesy leads. It doesn't do great with crazy high gain, but controlling the feedback is awesome fun. I do use it to play some Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Les Zepplin, and Black Crowes style rock, and although I do not completely nail and recreate those tones - it sounds great and is fun to play. A Casino can do it all, except crazy Speed Metal, Shredding, or 'Dejnt;' which are all three things I have no interest in. My second Casino is a made in 2010 'Inspired by John Lennon Revolution Casino' that I picked up used for about half of what they went for new. It has the natural finish and the Grover tuning keys and it is a fantastic guitar. I got it in 2018 and it was in mint condition. It is made in China and it has the USA pickups. The fit and finish are impeccable, and it does sound a little better that my MIK 2006 Casino. The pickups have a little better attack, detail, and note separation. The neck is a little thicker with a more 'Gibsony' profile and feel. I almost never play it because I want to keep it for an investment. They are already going for over twice what I paid for it, and I view it as a heirloom guitar for my kids some day. The third Casino is a 2018 (based upon the serial number) made in Chine turquoise model with an official Bigsby tremolo. Originally they released these guitars in the late 90's and I always wanted one when I was a kid. I was and am a huge Stray Cats fan, and at that time I thought a Casino with a Bigsby was as close as I would ever get to a Gretsch with Bigsby like Brian Setzer played. This was before there were affordable Asian Gretsch Electromatics. Mine is another factory second - and I cannot find a flaw anywhere. I picked it up for less than a new Casino without a Bigsby. Just like the other two, it sounds great (a little less tone than the John Lennon model) and I love playing Beatles tunes, my sub-par Stray Cats covers, and all sorts of old school songs that used a little tremolo to put some shimmer on chords and lead lines. The point is that this is a guitar that every guitar player should have in their arsenal. It sounds great, plays great, and is super fun to play. It is beautiful to look at, and I love the way the light reflects off the finish and frets when it sits in the guitar stand. As great as Epiphone guitars are (I have six) if you play an Epi hollow body you don't get as much crap from guitar snobs as you would if you played and Epi solid body. Out of all the Epiphone hollow bodies the Casino has the most mystique and mojo. Just grab one and grab it fast before the price goes up again. You will never regret it. Trust me.

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It’s a great guitar

All my life growing up, I've always wanted a Casino. I tried one out back in 2016 when I was 18. I loved everything about it. The frets are great, the pickups are amazing, the feel of it. I can go on. It's an honor to know that I bought this guitar from Sweetwater. They got great deals and helped me get on my feet to be a musician I'm slowly progressing becoming. I have one just… read more like my heroes, the Beatles. I strongly recommend getting one

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Almost 5

I love this guitar, it sounds excellent, looks beautiful, and seems well made. If Epiphone would just take a little more care finishing the f holes better it would get a 5, action was high but I always take a new guitar to my luthier for a set up so no big deal. He lowered the action and put some DR Pure Blues strings on and no complaints, it plays nice and easy. Oh, I took the… read more white pickguard off and replaced the chrome screws with black ones, now all it needs is a cream colored switch tip to match the binding.

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