Epiphone Casino Refin (is happening!)

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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rbrcbr
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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by rbrcbr » Thu May 14, 2020 12:50 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 11:43 am
It kills me how good people on this site are with stuff sometimes. Great job.
Tell me about it. So much talent. Still convinced OSG is top of the list when it comes to knowledge/skill of all the forums I've visited, and it's still the only one I frequent. Honestly wasn't expecting much from this thread since Casinos aren't offset guitars, but here we are lol

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by Larry Mal » Thu May 14, 2020 1:25 pm

Nah, people here like all kinds of guitars. Here's my ES-330 , for instance:

Image

And I am not going to strip it.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by sookwinder » Thu May 14, 2020 5:57 pm

what? A casino isn't an offset ? I'll have to get rid of this then! My 1965 Casino.




(Lots of love here for Gibson and Epiphone thinline (and not so thinline) guitars. :-* ;D

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relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by somanytoys » Thu May 14, 2020 10:27 pm

Please do, and quickly for crap’s sake.

You can dispose of it at your nearest post office, I’ll give you my address. :ph34r:
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by rexter » Thu May 14, 2020 11:56 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 1:25 pm
Nah, people here like all kinds of guitars. Here's my ES-330 , for instance:

Image

And I am not going to strip it.
Is that a custom shop 330L Larry? Looks great!

I've fallen really hard for Es types in the last few years, just seem to really connect with how I play these days. Got to have a trapeze/bigsby or frequensator though, not a stoptail. That must be the jazzmaster player in me!

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by rexter » Fri May 15, 2020 12:18 am

rbrcbr wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 12:49 pm
rexter wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 11:21 am
Apologies for the uberpost but I must have googled "stripping epiphone casino" probably 25 times in my guitar-addled existence and never found any real useful info or images - so perhaps this will help :)

Here's some images from my stripping madness yesterday.
The guitar was sporting all it's finish when I picked it up.
I still have inside the horns to do and a bit on the neck heel. Predictably there was more lacquer/sealer on the heel and neck - guess it's some kind of horrible epoxy sealer that also works as a grainfiller.
...
So - here it is in current state. All stripped apart from inside the horns and the heel.

Image

NExt to my USA made Riviera which has also just had a poly - well 2k acrylic body refin stripped. That was really easy to get off with only a heatgun and flat scraper - it just peeled off in strips. That's what you want ideally, but factory finishes all use evil epoxy sealer or something that is rock hard and near untouchable.

Image
Damn, looks like you made some serious progress. One step closer to seeing that Casino in that sweet aged Pelham Blue. I take it at this point you still have to prep the body with sanding/grain filling? How long would the refin process take at this point? The USA Riviera is making me miss my AIUSA Sheraton, still can't believe I got rid of that thing. What's the finish gonna be on that one?
Thanks man! Yeah I forged ahead but it's probably going to be a little while before I hit it again now, have so many jobs piled up! It's definitely happening though. ;D

The neck will need a bit of grain filler - and the body and sides just need sanding a little. Then some sealer, no grain fill needed for maple. Maybe three wet coats of sealer flatted back before the Pelham blue and then clear and tint coats. Lots of pesky binding to mask and scrape which is another reason these jobs get kind of pricey.

The original pickups aren't going anywhere near it when reassembled, they are really muddy. They read at about 12k each which explains why the sound so... meh.

The USA Riviera is a hard one for me to call. When I bought it I knew the body had been relacquered and assumed that meant with nitro but it definitely wasn't. The neck is super aged and worn with checking all over it and the body looked pristine and that 2k lacquer was never going to age or yellow.

Original plan was to give it a refin in its original blonde natural as these were the rarest colour in the 1993 epiphone Nashville collection from what I've read. I'd age the body to match the neck. This was my plan when I thought I'd have to sell it, but finances are much improved lately and I'm thinking of perhaps giving it a really nice burst - like this one...
Image

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by sookwinder » Fri May 15, 2020 12:34 am

Epiphone had a number of nice bursts styles in the 60s

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relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by rexter » Fri May 15, 2020 12:39 am

sookwinder wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 12:34 am
Epiphone had a number of nice bursts styles in the 60s

Image
:? :-* You're a lucky man if those are all yours Sook!
I do like the tan sunbursts but I'm always drawn to the slightly darker side. love the 67. Well actually ... love them all ::)

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by sookwinder » Fri May 15, 2020 3:46 am

Yeah they're mine…. but I did give the (#1) 65 Riviera to my nephew for his 18th birthday.
relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by Larry Mal » Fri May 15, 2020 5:29 am

rexter wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 11:56 pm
Larry Mal wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 1:25 pm
Nah, people here like all kinds of guitars. Here's my ES-330 , for instance:

Image

And I am not going to strip it.
Is that a custom shop 330L Larry? Looks great!

I've fallen really hard for Es types in the last few years, just seem to really connect with how I play these days. Got to have a trapeze/bigsby or frequensator though, not a stoptail. That must be the jazzmaster player in me!

Well, it's labelled "Custom Shop" but it certainly wasn't a custom order or anything. I think at that point Gibson was just labeling ES guitars Custom Shop for some reason. Maybe these were made by some of the Custom Shop people or something. Or maybe it's just marketing bullshit, I have never known.

The guitar is tremendous, though. It's going to get a bunch of upgrades soon.

And I agree with you on the trapeze! That's one of the reasons I bought an ES-330, because I knew how the length of string behind the bridge did on Jazzmasters and wanted to make sure I had something similar on my ES.

I'm excited to get it up to speed, I hope my new pickups arrive soon.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by rexter » Fri May 15, 2020 6:02 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 5:29 am
rexter wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 11:56 pm
Larry Mal wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 1:25 pm
Nah, people here like all kinds of guitars. Here's my ES-330 , for instance:

Image

And I am not going to strip it.
Is that a custom shop 330L Larry? Looks great!

I've fallen really hard for Es types in the last few years, just seem to really connect with how I play these days. Got to have a trapeze/bigsby or frequensator though, not a stoptail. That must be the jazzmaster player in me!

Well, it's labelled "Custom Shop" but it certainly wasn't a custom order or anything. I think at that point Gibson was just labeling ES guitars Custom Shop for some reason. Maybe these were made by some of the Custom Shop people or something. Or maybe it's just marketing bullshit, I have never known.

The guitar is tremendous, though. It's going to get a bunch of upgrades soon.

And I agree with you on the trapeze! That's one of the reasons I bought an ES-330, because I knew how the length of string behind the bridge did on Jazzmasters and wanted to make sure I had something similar on my ES.

I'm excited to get it up to speed, I hope my new pickups arrive soon.
It's a beauty man! I would love a long neck 330. I had a 2018 one last year (normal neck join) and loved it but had to let it go as it was too much money for a guy who tries to make a living painting guitars. One day though... maybe a vintage one.

There's a Wildwood Es-330L with humbuckers and a Bigsby which looks amazing and sounds damn good too going from the videos on youtube. Seen one pop up a few times in the UK but always when I haven't had the funds.

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by Larry Mal » Fri May 15, 2020 9:00 am

Yeah, after a point they made the ES-330L have humbuckers instead of P90s, which basically means that they are a fully hollow ES-335 more than anything. They look like great guitars, though, except I do not understand the Bigsby on there. Why put a hunk of heavy metal on a hollowbodied acoustic instrument?

I just can't see it- let that top ring out! Put a Bigsby on your Les Paul or something.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by sookwinder » Fri May 15, 2020 9:22 am

Larry is that casino a long neck version like they did in the late 60s ? 19th fret rather than 17th fret?
relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by rbrcbr » Fri May 22, 2020 8:05 am

sookwinder wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 5:57 pm
what? A casino isn't an offset ? I'll have to get rid of this then! My 1965 Casino.




(Lots of love here for Gibson and Epiphone thinline (and not so thinline) guitars. :-* ;D

Image
rexter wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 12:39 am
sookwinder wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 12:34 am
Epiphone had a number of nice bursts styles in the 60s

Image
:? :-* You're a lucky man if those are all yours Sook!
I do like the tan sunbursts but I'm always drawn to the slightly darker side. love the 67. Well actually ... love them all ::)
Dear lord Sookwinder, what a collection. That Casino has a varitone - what's the deal with that? I'm drooling over here at all that Royal Tan goodness.

sookwinder wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 3:46 am
Yeah they're mine…. but I did give the (#1) 65 Riviera to my nephew for his 18th birthday.
Also, I hope your nephew realizes what a special guitar that Riviera is - I wish I had an uncle like you hahahahaha

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Re: Epiphone Casino Refin input/opinions

Post by rbrcbr » Fri May 22, 2020 8:10 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Fri May 15, 2020 5:29 am
rexter wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 11:56 pm
Larry Mal wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 1:25 pm
Nah, people here like all kinds of guitars. Here's my ES-330 , for instance:

Image

And I am not going to strip it.
Is that a custom shop 330L Larry? Looks great!

I've fallen really hard for Es types in the last few years, just seem to really connect with how I play these days. Got to have a trapeze/bigsby or frequensator though, not a stoptail. That must be the jazzmaster player in me!

Well, it's labelled "Custom Shop" but it certainly wasn't a custom order or anything. I think at that point Gibson was just labeling ES guitars Custom Shop for some reason. Maybe these were made by some of the Custom Shop people or something. Or maybe it's just marketing bullshit, I have never known.

The guitar is tremendous, though. It's going to get a bunch of upgrades soon.

And I agree with you on the trapeze! That's one of the reasons I bought an ES-330, because I knew how the length of string behind the bridge did on Jazzmasters and wanted to make sure I had something similar on my ES.

I'm excited to get it up to speed, I hope my new pickups arrive soon.
Larry & Rexter - I think the behind the bridge string length relating to our love for jazzmasters makes that much more sense when trying to understand why we love guitars like 330s. And yeah Rexter, trapeze/frequensator/bigsby for me as well.

How's that 330L compare to a standard one, Larry? I've always thought it looked a bit off to me, but I can see why the long neck appeals to people. I don't usually play that high and just like the look and more compact form factor of the normal 330.

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