I've had an Epiphone casino since over the summer. It's good for what I play (Beach Boys-ish surf rock with other influences such as the Beatles [so of course a Casino is perfect], Dinosaur Jr., Simon and Garfunkel, and Vampire Weekend), but it was never exactly what i would have wanted for straight up surf songs.
This guitar is not very twangy, which is a must for surf, but the only real problem I had with it was the lack of vibrato bar.
As you might have noticed, my Casino has a Bigsby vibrato mechanism. I have wanted to get one installed since almost before i got it. It took long enough, but it is finally installed and I love it. It is the greatest guitar in the world.
When I went to the store I was in the market for a semi-hollowbody, leaning towards a Gretsch Country Gentleman, and leaning away from the Casino (I already have a Hofner knock-off, so I figured a Casino would make me seem too Beatles obsessed; which i might be). I played many guitars including the Gretsch, Epiphones such as the Dots and Sheraton II, and the salesmen even let me play one of the cased Ricks, but obviously i couldn't afford that. Then he insisted I try the Casino--SOLD.
The Epiphone Casino has a very unique sound due to its hollow body and P-90s. It has a jangly sound which is perfect for Beatles songs. It is often regarded as just a rhythm guitar, but for the right style, it plays the most perfect leads. The best example I can give is "Get Back" by the Beatles. It's so smooth and warm in the higher registers, and down lower it produces a very short and defined punch.
The Beach boys never used a Casino (they did ocasionally use an Epiphone Sheraton), but i find that a Casino produces a nice soft tone for some of their songs, which is nice because it doesn't over power the vocals (one of the most important instruments the Beach Boys used).
I could go on and describe all the music that the Epiphone Casino is good for, but I'd rather let you experiment on your own. Mainly I was just excited about finally getting the Bigsby on. Not only is it functional, but when I took it out at my gig last night, the compliments on the look, sound, and feel of the guitar just came flooding in. It is more than just an amazing guitar, it's a work of art. I can't wait to play again; all of my songs had a drastic increase in surf vibe thanks to the vibrato effect. We sounded more surf than ever, all thanks to my new Bigsby (well, maybe it was our matching sweaters).
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