Epiphone unveils made-in-USA Casino
The premium $2.6k archtop is kitted out with Gibson P-90s and hand-wired electronics
Way back at NAMM 2020, the big story was Epiphone’s Inspired by Gibson range, which brought classic Gibson models down to Epiphone price points. But alongside that series, a number of Epiphone models were revealed to be receiving USA-made treatments, chief among them the Texan acoustic and Casino archtop.
Now, for 2021, Epiphone has officially unveiled a made-in-USA version of the hollowbody beloved by The Beatles.
As you’d expect, the USA Collection model has a number of specs that elevate it above the regular Epi version. Chief among these is a pair of dogear Gibson USA P-90s, which feature vintage, braided two-conductor wiring and wax potting to cut down on feedback. Those pickups are hand-wired to Orange Drop capacitors.
The guitar’s three-ply maple and poplar body features quarter-sawn spruce bracing and cream binding, and is finished in nitrocellulose, with a choice of Vintage Sunburst (with black P-90s) or Royal Tan (with nickel P-90s).
A solid mahogany neck features a rounded C profile, topped off with a 12”-radius Indian rosewood fingerboard, equipped with a Graph Tech nut.
Finally, a Thinline Trapeze tailpiece, ABR-1 bridge and Vintage Deluxe tuning machines round off the spec, accompanied by the trademark white pickguard with Epiphone logo.
Of course, those upgrades and USA build come at a price – $2,699, to be precise. But for die-hard Beatles, Kinks and Paul Weller fans, this is as close as you're likely to get to the original '60s-era look and build – especially given a rumored Paul McCartney Casino never came to fruition.
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Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.