The electronic are all correct with 4 CTS pots dating to ’64 (with most of the week codes obscured but one displaying the 20th week), two Sprague Black Beauty capacitors, Switchcraft input and switch. In addition 4 of the string retaining notches on the Bigsby have been removed to simplify restringing. This has been done well with the additional screw holes hidden at the heel of the guitar. Very much like Paul McCartney's model this one has also been fitted with a Bigsby vibrato replacing the original tailpiece. The instrument arrived to us with some minor separation between the main headstock and the glued on wing which our luthier has since re-glued ensuring it's nice and stable. The tuners have been replaced with period 3 a-side with white button tips. The Epiphone rectangular Blue Label is still in place with its serial number - #68610 dating the guitar to ’64. Epiphone would only produce 384 E230TD Casino in 1964 with production numbers increasing in the subsequent years thanks in part to the McCartney connection and the Beatles popularity.

By ’65 Epiphone would reduce the nut width and hardware would become chrome plated.įor many the guitar we have here is the definitive E-230TD spec model featuring the iconic edge shaded Sunburst used by Epiphone, full 1, 11/16 nut width, Nickel hardware and short headstock. The 1964 catalog shows the Casino with the new elongated headstock, a design that would remain until 1969 when the Casino was initially discontinued. ’63 would see the introduction of Nickel pickup covers, the dot fingerboard inlay would change to a single parallelogram inlay and the pickguard would transition from tortoiseshell to white. By ’62 the headstock had the pearl inlayed Epiphone logo. Early examples had the same short headstock as the Gibson ES-330 but with metal ‘Bikini’ Epiphone logo, black P-90 covers and dot fingerboard inlays as the Gibson ES-330. The fully hollow Maple laminate Thinline body had a neck joint at the 16th fret, a Mahogany neck with Rosewood fingerboard and 24 3/4” scale length with two single coil Gibson P-90 Pickups. Released in 1961 the Epiphone E-230 Casino was the sister instrument to the Gibson ES-330, both manufactured in the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, both models were available as a single ’T’ or double ‘TD’ variant.

South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands (GBP £)Īrguably the most Iconic of all the Gibson made Epiphone models from the 1960’s, Keith Richards and Dave Davis were both Casino players but it would forever be known as the Beatle guitar thank to its association with Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison, all of whom used the Casino both live and in the studio.

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