A great Rock 'n' Roll classic. Made legendary by the Beatles, since 1961, the Casino has been the flagship of Epiphone. Paul is the first Beatle to acquire one, and it doesn't take long for John and George to follow his example. It will be Lennon's primary instrument from the Beatles' final world tour in 1966 until the Rooftop Concert…
The Epiphone Casino is a semi-acoustic guitar, derived from the Gibson ES-330, produced by Epiphone since 1961. It is generally associated with various artists including Keith Richards, Dave Davies, Noel Gallagher, The Edge, Dave Grohl, and Gary Clark Jr… Among all the guitars made famous by the Beatles, the Epiphone Casino is the only one that John, Paul, and George have in common.
Paul McCartney was the first Beatle to purchase one in 1964, on the advice of his bluesman friend John Mayall. A 1962 Epiphone Casino, serial #84075, arrived alongside the Epiphone Texan of Yesterday on November 1st of the same year at the price of £172. After modifying it to make it left-handed and using it to record iconic riffs for songs like Drive My Car, Taxman, Paperback Writer and Ticket to Ride John and George also followed Paul's wise example. It was in the spring of 1966, during the English TV program Top of the Pops, when the two of them first showcased their two new 1965 Casino models in Sunburst finish (later returned to Natural coloration in 1968). Both were very similar to Paul's Casino, except for the new-style tailpieces and the absence of the Bigsby B7 tremolo on John's. Throughout their final world tour in 1966, the Epiphone Casino guitars became the primary instruments of the Beatles and were extensively used in their subsequent records, especially by John, who didn't part with his for many years with the Beatles and beyond.
The one in the photo is an Epiphone E230TD Casino Limited Edition 50th Anniversary “1961”. It is also the most frequently used guitar in our videos and has undergone some modifications over the years… You can see it in videos like 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 it's also featured in the Rain video.
