A rock 'n' roll classic made legendary by the Beatles: since 1961, the Casino has been the crown jewel of Epiphone. Paul was the first Beatle to buy one, soon followed by John and George. It became Lennon's main instrument, accompanying him from the Beatles' final world tour in 1966 to the iconic Rooftop Concert.
The Epiphone Casino is a semi-hollow guitar, derived from the Gibson ES-330, and has been produced by Epiphone since 1961. It is associated with renowned artists like Keith Richards, Dave Davies, Noel Gallagher, The Edge, Dave Grohl and Gary Clark Jr. Among all the guitars made famous by the Beatles, the Casino is the only one that John, Paul, and George all owned.
Paul McCartney was the first Beatle to purchase one in 1964, following the advice of his bluesman friend John Mayall. His Casino, a 1962 model (serial #84075), arrived alongside the Epiphone Texan he used for Yesterday on November 1st of the same year, at a cost of £172. Paul modified it to play left-handed and used it to craft iconic riffs in songs like Drive My Car, Taxman, Paperback Writer and Ticket to Ride.
Inspired by Paul, John and George also fell in love with the Casino. In the spring of 1966, during an episode of the British TV program Top of the Pops, they showcased their new 1965 models in Sunburst finish (later stripped back to natural wood in 1968). Their Casinos were very similar to Paul's, but with a few differences: both featured the "new-style" headstock introduced in 1965, and George's had a Bigsby B7 tremolo, which was absent from John's guitar.
In 1966, during their final world tour, the Epiphone Casino guitars became The Beatles' primary guitars. They remained a central part of their sound in later recordings, especially for John, who continued to use his Casino throughout the rest of his career with The Beatles and beyond.
The guitar in our photo is an Epiphone Inspired by John Lennon Casino, alonside an Epiphone E230TD Casino Limited Edition 50th Anniversary "1961". The latter is also the guitar most frequently used in our video covers. You can see it in action in performances of Back in the USSR, Don't Let Me Down, Helter Skelter, Paperback Writer, Strawberry Fields Forever, Get Back, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Dear Prudence and Rain video.
