Though from a distance the Casino had the look of an ES-335, the Casino was a true hollowbody that gave players a clear, ringing tone that could be pushed into overdrive when needed. The introduction of the Casino was a modern design that announced that Epiphone was ready to begin a new chapter in its long and unique history. After the merger with Gibson in 1957, Epiphone no longer made jazz archtops. The Epiphone Elitist Casino is the ultimate Casino featuring the classic look, sound, and features that have made it the go-to guitar for two generations of rock artists including Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher, Keith Richards and Gary Clark, Jr.įor the Epiphone Company of 1961, the Casino was a small breakthrough.

While models such as the Broadway, Wilshire, Coronet, Emperor and Texan are some of Epiphone's most memorable models, the Casino is arguably our most famous due to its close association with The Beatles. The Elitist Casino, along with all other Elitist models, was originally marketed as part of the Elite series.įor over 135 years, Epiphone has made its reputation producing some of the greatest and most innovative musical instruments in popular music. The Elitist Casino is an archtop electric guitar based on the mid 1960s Epiphone E230TD Casino.