Epiphone VINTAGE E-230TD Casino '65 Sunburst

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 two-pickup version shipped around 1965. It's a beautiful sunburst finish that has faded to a brownish hue, and it's equipped with a Tremotone vibrato unit.

【body】
The total weight is approximately 3.1 kg. The body is made of maple with a hollow construction. The 16-inch wide double-cutaway shape and the body construction without a center block are the same as those of the Gibson ES-330T. The body color has faded to a beautiful sunburst color close to royal tan, and the Tremotone with the "e" mark has a nice feel to it. There is some weather checking, a few dents, and tarnishing of the parts as is appropriate for its age, but it is in remarkably good condition.

【neck】
The neck is made of mahogany, and the fingerboard is made of rosewood. There are some minor dents, 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 very good condition. The tuners are fully functional, although there is some slight variation in the tightness of the windings. The frets and nut show some wear, but playability is good. The nut width is a relatively wide 41.5mm for a narrow-pitch guitar. It features a relatively thick and solid neck shape. The headstock angle is approximately 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). Two Black Beauty tone capacitors are still in excellent condition. Two P-90 pickups are installed. 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: Blue chipboard semi-hard case

Weight: 3.1kg
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 Tremotone Vibrato, nickel
Nut Width/Fret Size (Width): 41.5mm/2.6mm
Neck Thickness (1F/7F/12F): 20.6mm/23.7mm/25.3mm
Capacitor: Sprague Black Beauty 400V
Pickup (Neck/Bridge): Gibson P-90 Singlecoil Dog Ear (8.0kΩ/8.1kΩ)
*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.