Though the Casino, first released in 1961, was essentially Epiphone's version of the Gibson ES-330, the Gibson version never caught on with fans. In fact, two Kalamazoo designed guitars-the J-160E out the classic Epiphone John Lennon EJ-160E) and the Epiphone Casino-together share the distinction of being the only two guitars heard on every Beatles recording session.īut over the last decade thanks to a diverse group of artists like Gary Clark Jr., Radiohead, Paul Weller, and Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs, the Epiphone Casino has transcended its Beatle connection and become a must-have for any player's collection.

The Epiphone Casino might be the House of Stathopoulo's most iconic instrument thanks to its association with The Beatles. Highly recommend you look into the 339 if you can do with a semi-hollow.The long and winding road of a rock maverick I just wanted to provide some counterpoint for you, the Casino I had was just generally sloppy and cheap feeling. I would recommend trying the guitars first if that's an option, then you could avoid a stinker for sure. I play it acoustic for practice all the time, and love the sound of the pickups and have no plans to swap them out. My appreciation for the 339 continues to grow, it is such a great player. But, I would be sour on the brand if I had bought that Coupe.

Even the pickups are great, seriously, it's bone stock and sound/plays like $1000. if you find one like my 339 then you could end up with an amazing guitar. The Coupe had that cheapo-feel that I recall from Epi's past, it didn't hold it's tune, was very rattle-ey, 'E' badge peeling off, rubber-neck, cheap sounding pickups, just generally disappointing. I had it for 2 weeks and while it was adequate for my recording, it was nowhere near the quality of the ES-339. Based on my above experience I walked into the local shop and asked to rent the new Epi Casino Coupe (which I had also been eyeing last October).

However, I was recently traveling and needed a guitar for some recording. For a $400 Made in China guitar, it's a fine instrument all around. It's not up to par with the Gibson Es-339 Studio (I have A/B'd them several times and prefer the Gibson by a slim margin), but it is a far better value. This past October I purchased an Epi ES-339 P90 PRO and I have been completely blown away by the cost/quality ratio. Below is part of an old discussion on r/guitar, also relevant here

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