4/14/2022

Epiphone Casino Elitist Review

92
Epiphone Casino Elitist Review 3,7/5 2855 reviews

PROS: Great fit and finish; fantastic neck; highly responsive and articulate P90 pickups.
CONS: None.
PRICE: $599 w/out case

  1. Epiphone Casino Elitist Review List
  2. Epiphone Casino Elitist Review Guide
  3. Epiphone Casino Elitist Review Questions
  4. Epiphone Casino Elitist Review Definition
  5. Epiphone Casino Elitist Review Car And Driver

The Casino has been around for decades, first brought to worldwide fame by the Beatles. Since then, Epiphone’s production has moved around the globe a few times, first from America to Japan, then to Korea and now China. While some aficionados maintain that the Korean-made Epis of the 1990s were better made than the contemporary models coming out of the brand’s Chinese facilities, this reviewer begs to differ. The production-line Casinos being produced today, in 2014, are perhaps the finest in the brand’s long history.

The Casino has been around for decades, first brought to worldwide fame by the Beatles. Since then, Epiphone’s production has moved around the globe a few times, first from America to Japan, then to Korea and now China. I considered the Elitist Casino, but not for that price. I would buy a used non-Elitist model first. You should be able to find one for $300 - $400. Then if you are absolutely dying for a higher end model, you can search for the deal you want. My ES 330 is absolutely beautiful. The Epiphone Elitist Casino features a 5 ply maple hollow body, spruce bracing, a slim mahogany neck, 22 frets, single coil Gibson P90 pickups, premium electronics and wiring, and a light coat of poly finish. Mine came in flawless vintage sunburst with a fit and finish quality uncommon outside of custom shops and boutique builders. The Epiphone Casino 2019 is the guitar that sets Epiphone up for life. As far back as The Beatles obtained three Casinos in 1964, this empty Epi model has taken on its very own existence. Furnished with two vintage P-90 single-curl pickups, the Casino still conveys those Beatlesque tones at a value each player can afford.

Fit and finish are immaculate – the binding, the fret edges, the neck contour, the pickup routing. We were incredibly impressed by the aesthetics, even more so since it came in our preferred “natural” finish. What sets the Casino apart from other 335-style guitars is its completely hollow body (no sound block here like on the Dot) as well as its single-coil pickups (as opposed to Gibson/Epi’s standard humbuckers).

Elitist ▼ Article continues below ▼

Those two factors alone give the Casino a lighter, more articulated tone. We greatly preferred the detail and clarity we heard when A/B’ing it against similar guitars with semi-hollow constructions and full humbuckers. Those sounded a bit muddier to us – and yes, while they had a louder output and will perhaps overdrive an amp quicker, the P90s (yes, the stock pickups) in the Casino are so incredibly versatile, we couldn’t fine a genre they didn’t fit into with ease.

The age-old problem of feedback was even a non-issue. We picked up a tiny bit of squealing just once, and never again; no need to stuff the sound holes. So all in all, if you’re in the market for a mid-range guitar that can pretty much tackle any job you throw at it, test-drive the new Casinos and fall in love like we did.

Review

FEATURES

  • Body: 5-ply maple with basswood top bracing
  • Neck: mahogany
  • Neck Joint: 16th fret, Glued-in
  • Fingerboard: rosewood with parallelogram inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets
  • Fingerboard Radius: 12”, 24.75” scale
  • Nut Width: 1.68″
  • Neck Profile: SlimTaper “D”
  • Pickups: Epiphone P-90T and P-90R

PROS: Great fit and finish; fantastic neck; highly responsive and articulate P90 pickups.
CONS: None.
PRICE: $599 w/out case

Epiphone Casino Elitist Review List

Epiphone Casino Elitist Review

The Casino has been around for decades, first brought to worldwide fame by the Beatles. Since then, Epiphone’s production has moved around the globe a few times, first from America to Japan, then to Korea and now China. While some aficionados maintain that the Korean-made Epis of the 1990s were better made than the contemporary models coming out of the brand’s Chinese facilities, this reviewer begs to differ. The production-line Casinos being produced today, in 2014, are perhaps the finest in the brand’s long history.

Fit and finish are immaculate – the binding, the fret edges, the neck contour, the pickup routing. We were incredibly impressed by the aesthetics, even more so since it came in our preferred “natural” finish. What sets the Casino apart from other 335-style guitars is its completely hollow body (no sound block here like on the Dot) as well as its single-coil pickups (as opposed to Gibson/Epi’s standard humbuckers).

Epiphone Casino Elitist Review Guide

▼ Article continues below ▼

Those two factors alone give the Casino a lighter, more articulated tone. We greatly preferred the detail and clarity we heard when A/B’ing it against similar guitars with semi-hollow constructions and full humbuckers. Those sounded a bit muddier to us – and yes, while they had a louder output and will perhaps overdrive an amp quicker, the P90s (yes, the stock pickups) in the Casino are so incredibly versatile, we couldn’t fine a genre they didn’t fit into with ease.

Epiphone Casino Elitist Review Questions

The age-old problem of feedback was even a non-issue. We picked up a tiny bit of squealing just once, and never again; no need to stuff the sound holes. So all in all, if you’re in the market for a mid-range guitar that can pretty much tackle any job you throw at it, test-drive the new Casinos and fall in love like we did.

Epiphone Casino Elitist Review Definition

FEATURES

Epiphone Casino Elitist Review Car And Driver

  • Body: 5-ply maple with basswood top bracing
  • Neck: mahogany
  • Neck Joint: 16th fret, Glued-in
  • Fingerboard: rosewood with parallelogram inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets
  • Fingerboard Radius: 12”, 24.75” scale
  • Nut Width: 1.68″
  • Neck Profile: SlimTaper “D”
  • Pickups: Epiphone P-90T and P-90R