I tried an Epiphone Casino today

  • Thread starter Thread starter MK-Ultra
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MK-Ultra

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Oh, boy....

Ack.... I dunno if it was this particular guitar, but it was 'orrible. It was the Korean version, not the Elitist. My left hand really had to work to slide up the neck, which felt really cheap. Tuners were cheap, and I wasn't impressed with the P90s on it either. It took me 2 minutes to decide that I hated it.

Has anyone had a good experience with this guitar, without heavy modding?

The guy said he'd order an Elitist Casino for me to try, no obligations. Anyone tried one of those?

On the other hand, I tried a few Hanika classicals, and they were very decent.

Cheers,

MK:)
 
MK-Ultra said:
Oh, boy....



Has anyone had a good experience with this guitar, without heavy modding?


MK:)
Click to expand...

Just like most import Jazzboxes.... some are sweet some are dogs. I would say Ibanez Artcore have the best QC of the lot, but still some dogs out there. TRY B4 YA BUY!!!!!
 
A few months ago I picked up (not purchased, just picked up) an Epi Wildkat and it just didn't have a good feel to it. Hard to quantify but I wasn't impressed. That big metal badge on the headstock didn't do much for me, either.
 
I picked up a 65 reissue Casino Elitist a couple of weeks ago. It's one of the best playing guitars I own. Great workmanship and great sound. I've never tried a regular Casino.
 
I've heard really good things about the Elitist line, but I've never had the opportunity to try one.

From what I understand they get a final setup at the Gibson USA shop after being shipped from wherever they're manufactured.
 
Thanks for your replies. The Elitists are built in Japan, I've read. It's hard to describe exactly what this guitar felt like. The strings weren't overly tense, or the touch too high, but I couldn't manoeuvre my hand up and down the neck. It felt like there was some kind of resistance, almost like glue. Wasn't pleasant at all. The Elitist is about double the price. I'll have to think about it, and talk to my wife.

I just bought one of these, though. An Artcore AS103 NT.

https://img153.imageshack.us/my.php?image=artcoreas1032nc2.jpg

It was a replacement for an Artcore AF95 VLS, which had a nasty undiscoverable rattle. The AS103 is a really nice guitar, great tone, great playability, and everything seems to be in order. Other Artcores that I tried didn't play very well either, but the AS103 is a keeper.
 
my buddy has a normal epi casino. it plays well and makes me kind of want one. I've also played one or 2 in the store and liked them too.

some japanese guitars are super sweet. I haven't heard anything good or bad about the elitist line........at least not from what I thought were credible sources.
 
I have a standard model from 1997 which I bought used before the Elitist stuff came out. In its stock condition, it plays very well and has a good natural, unamplified sound. The quality of the body work was very good for the price but the electronics and hardware were the biggest weaknesses. The tuning pegs are low quality and I had a problem with one tuning-peg button falling off. The P-90's had an average sound but one of them was poorly soldered together and had some sympathetic feedback issues. I had to resolder the pickup into the mounting plate to fix the problem. The potentiometers got scratchy relatively quickly and one ended up with a broken trace. The pickup selector switch wore out quickly as well. I replaced the pots and selector switch with better quality stuff, which required a tiny bit of widening of the holes for the pots. As long as I was modding it, I put a Bigsby on it and now it is one of my favorite guitars. I bought it cheaply used so overall it was a good deal even with the extra modding. If you can find a good deal on one and are willing to invest in the upgrades to the hardware and basic electronics (replacing the average pickups is optional) you have a fantastic guitar for the money. The Artcore series from Ibanez is pretty good as well but it safe to assume you generally are still not going to get Clarostat- or Switchcraft-quality electronics and hardware on budget guitars -- Asian, Mexican or otherwise.
 
Well, I own a Samick Casino, and it's a pretty good axe, not a great one.
Oddly enough, my P-90's are basically OK, but the tuners did get replaced. I played 5 at the store I was at, and the one I own was the only one I could
find that didn't have a buzz anywhere. As always with cheap guitars, QC is sloppy, so you have to find one they didn't screw up. Don't judge a cheap guitar on one example. Sounds like the neck needed some lemon oil, or string-ease, or something.-Richie
 
i play its brother, the epiphone sheraton. i like it a lot. i'm not much into electric playing, but the tone and neck have never felt cheap.

i've never played a casino. wish i could compare them
 
Flamin Lip said:
Just like most import Jazzboxes.... some are sweet some are dogs. I would say Ibanez Artcore have the best QC of the lot, but still some dogs out there. TRY B4 YA BUY!!!!!
Click to expand...

+1

My experience has been the lower end Epi's are inconsistent in playability and the Ibanez's beat them in this price range.

For the record I own both brands of guitar.:D
 
Again, thanks for the feedback. I also tried an Epi ES 295 replica with P90s, and that was not bad. I assume that the Casino was just a bad apple.

My Artcore AS 103 is a really, REALLY, nice guitar. Absolutely beautiful tone, and practically plays itself. I can just lightly move my hand up and down the neck, with hardly any pressure, and the notes ring out.

I really feel like I've found my sound with the semi-acoustics. I want a Casino with P90s, though. I'll prolly save my pfennigs for an Elitist.
 
MK-Ultra said:
Oh, boy....

Ack.... I dunno if it was this particular guitar, but it was 'orrible. It was the Korean version, not the Elitist. My left hand really had to work to slide up the neck, which felt really cheap. Tuners were cheap, and I wasn't impressed with the P90s on it either. It took me 2 minutes to decide that I hated it.

Has anyone had a good experience with this guitar, without heavy modding?

The guy said he'd order an Elitist Casino for me to try, no obligations. Anyone tried one of those?

On the other hand, I tried a few Hanika classicals, and they were very decent.

Cheers,

MK:)
Click to expand...

The old ones sound sweet, and very nice to play. I would not go for a new one though.
 
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