Epiphone Casino Artists
Epiphone produces two John Lennon signature model Casinos: One is a sunburst model resembling Lennon's prior to his alteration of the finish; the second, known as the 'Revolution' Casino, is a replica of Lennon's after he had his sunburst Casino professionally sanded down to its natural finish. The Casino Story For the Epiphone Company of 1961, the Casino was a small breakthrough. After the merger with Gibson in 1957, Epiphone no longer made jazz archtops. A new era of music had arrived. Epiphone has made a name for itself by producing some of the greatest and most innovative musical instruments for over 135 years.
| 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] | |
Epiphone Casino Artists Youtube
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]
- The Modfather himself, like others, has used a number of different guitars but often finds himself looking to an Epiphone Casino for his signature sound. Weller helped pen some timeless classics with The Jam, saw great success with The Style Council and had a number of big albums with his own solo career.
- Epiphone Casino Worn Ebony; e-guitar, semi-hollow; body and top layered maple; binding cream; neck mahogany; classical sloped dove wing headstock shape; fretboard ondian laurel, nut width 43mm (1,693'); scale 628mm (24,724'); 22 frets; nut graphtech.
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]
Epiphone Casino Artists History
One of the oldest and most highly revered American guitar companies, Epiphone have coursed through the currents of musical history making a significant impact on jazz and early rock n’ roll.
From John Lennon to Gary Clark Jr. we commemorate the most significant players to ever pick up the Epiphone as well as the history that made it one of the worlds most legendary guitars.
Take a walk with us down memory lane. Here’s a brief history of the Epiphone as well as the most iconic players to take it on.
History
The story of the Epiphone goes back 146 years to the Ottoman Empire. The son of a greek timber merchant, Anastasios adopted the same materials of his father, crafting lutes, violins and traditional Greek lioutos in 1873. After immigrating to New York in 1903, Anastasios and his son Epimanondas capitalised on the surging mandolin craze.
When the stock market crashed in 1929 the company, now under command of Epimandondas, was forced to pivot from mandolins to guitars. Throughout the ’30s Gibson and Epiphone were locked into an all out war of competing models and styles. However, with the large bodied Emperor and De Luxe Broadway and Triumph models, Epiphone took the crown manufacturing the world’s most state of the art guitars and receiving endorsement from the top players of the time.
After WWII and the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941, Epiphone was at the peak of it’s game. However, after the tragic death of ‘Epi’ during the war, the company was handed down to his younger brothers and cracks began to show. Fender arose form California with the Stratocaster and Telecaster models in 1954 and thus Gibson and Epiphone joined forces in 1957, creating one of the most enduring and instantly recognisable guitar giants in history.
We take a look at the 6 most legendary performances where an Epiphone graced the stage.
John Lennon – Epiphone Casino
1969
The final ever public performance from The Beatles occurred on the rooftops of Apple Corps in London 30 Jan, 1969. The show was filmed and included in a documentary released in 1970 titled Let It Be.
The band played an iconic performance of Don’t Let Me Down, unreleased and powerfully sung by John Lennon. With his long hair and prophetic glasses, Lennon’s howls were haunting as he was armed with a cream Epiphone Casino. Perhaps the most historic concert to ever be recorded with an Epiphone.
John Lennon also frequented the same model throughout his solo performances in 1969.
Nick Valensi – Epiphone Riviera
What do you do when you’re in the coolest band in New York City? Pick up an Epiphone Riviera and shred. Famously playing an Epiphone throughout all of his career, Valensis’s playing was instrumental to the success of The Strokes debut album Is This It?
Without a doubt one of the sleekest Epiphone models ever produced, Nick Valensi formed an iconic look. With a new album on the way The Strokes are set to return to the stage in a big way with a whole lot more Epiphone glory to be had.
Thom Yorke – Epiphone Casino
Lollapalooza Chicago 2016
One of the most influential bands of the ’90s, if not all time, Radiohead have known many evolutions. From the dense, lush orchestration of Ok Computer to the art-rock collage of Kid A they have constantly innovated what we know to be rock n’ roll.
In 2016, Thom Yorke took to the stage at Lallapalooze for an epic 2 hour performance during which ended with a stunning rendition of Street Spirit (Fade Out), and he’s making the magic happen all on an Epiphone Casino.
Noel Gallagher – Epiphone Sheraton “Union Jack”
Maine Road 1996
Maine Road was a watershed moment for Oasis – they were headlining their first ever stadium shows and on April 27 1996 they sold it out to 42,000 people. It was where they went as kids and thus were keen to make a statement.
Noel Gallagher took to the stage with a one of a kind Epiphone Sheraton painted with a Union Jack. A powerful display of patriotism the crowd was absolutely heaving and the vibe was most certainly electric.
Gary Clark Jr. – Epiphone Casino
Crossroad Festival 2010
When Gary Clark Jr. first got the call up to play Eric Clapton‘s Crossroads Festival in 2010 he was relatively unknown. He got the call from Clapton as someone had pulled out and essentially had one shot to make an impact.
Epiphone Casino Artists List
His performance of Bright Lights remains one of the most legendary modern blues performances. Armed with a crimson Epiphone Casino, Gary proved you don’t need a Strat to get in the pocket like Hendrix.
Ezra Koenig – Epiphone Sheraton II
Glastonbury 2019
Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend played a blistering Glastonbury set this year. Hailing from NYC the outfit steadily rose to prominence for their unique blend of indie-rock and art pop when their third studio album, Modern Vampires Of The City, won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2013.
Koenig has been slinging an Epiphone Sheraton II throughout his whole career and it has become a signature part of his sound. Just watch the crowd going off at Glastonbury to the believe the power of these guitars.