Epiphone VINTAGE E-230TD Casino '67 Sparkle Burgundy

Epiphone, now a familiar sister brand to Gibson, was a historic brand that, before being acquired by CMI (Chicago Musical Instruments), Gibson's parent company, in the late 1950s, was a major rival to Gibson, particularly in the archtop guitar market. After the CMI acquisition, Epiphone began producing solid-body models, resulting in the creation of numerous attractive models beloved by guitar fans worldwide.

The Epiphone E-230TD Casino is a popular model from the Epiphone brand. Since its debut in 1961, it has remained a classic model, with minor changes and shifts in production factories, and continues to be released today. It is used by famous artists and players all over the world, and is now recognized as a popular electric guitar.

This particular guitar is a very rare two-pickup version shipped around 1967, featuring the custom color "Sparkle Burgundy" from that period and the "Frequensator Tailpiece" commonly used on Riviera models.

【body】
The total weight is approximately 2.95 kg. The body is made of hollow maple. The 16-inch wide double-cutaway shape and the body structure without a center block are the same as those of the Gibson ES-330T. The body color is a custom color "Sparkle Burgundy," which, along with the frequency-shifter tailpiece, creates a special atmosphere. The original pickguard has shrunk due to age and has now been replaced with a replacement part (the original is also still available). There is some weather checking commensurate with its age, color fading on the body top and back, and tarnishing of the parts, but it remains in good condition.

【neck】
The neck is made of mahogany, and the fingerboard is made of rosewood. There are some dents and paint chips around the headstock, weather checking around the brand logo and on the back of the neck, and some tarnishing on the metal parts, but like the body, it is in relatively good condition. The tuners are fully functional, although the knob for the first string is bent and there is some inconsistency in the tightness of the windings. The frets and nut show some wear, but playability is good. The nut width is a relatively wide 40.2mm for a narrow-pitch guitar. It features a relatively thick and solid neck shape. The headstock angle is 14 degrees.

[Electrical System]
The controls are the standard 3-way pickup selector, 2 volume controls (front-rear position), and 2 tone controls (front-rear position). It is equipped with two P-90 pickups. The tone capacitors are the original Orange Drop capacitors. The control components, including the pickups, are in their original condition.

The combination of the 1960s P-90 pickups and the lightweight maple body with no center block results in a dry, resonant tone when clean, and a bluesy drive with a prominent midrange when lightly distorted. It can be described as a unique Casino tone with an airy attack and a punchy midrange. The late 1960s was a time when P-90 equipped Casinos were used by many artists, mainly in British rock, and were versatile enough to handle everything from chord work and delicate arpeggios to rough crunch sounds. This instrument also possesses a sound character that is firmly rooted in that lineage, and it can be said to be an instrument that strongly reflects the musical background of that era.

Accessories: Black hard case

Weight: 2.95kg
Body Material (Top/Rim/Back): Laminate Maple 1 piece/Laminate Maple/Laminate Maple 1 piece
Neck Material/Scale length: Mahogany 1 piece/624mm (24-1/2inch)
Fingerboard/Fret Marker/Radius: Rosewood/Pearloid Single Parallelogram/254.0nn (10inch)
Bridge/Tail: Gibson ABR-1, chrome/Epiphone Frequensator Tailpiece, chrome
Nut Width/Fret Size (Width): 40.2mm/2.6mm
Neck Thickness (1F/7F/12F): 21.0mm/23.7mm/25.6mm
Capacitor: Sprague 225P Orange Drop 400V
Pickup (Neck/Bridge): Gibson P-90 Singlecoil Dog Ear (7.8kΩ/7.8kΩ)
*The DC resistance value of the pickup is measured through the control section.

Heartman Vintage Guitars is a specialty store for vintage guitars and basses operated by Ikebe Musical Instruments.