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Casino Date


Cryptical1

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I recently purchased an older Epiphone Casino. It's natural with a bigsby which I don't believe was original. The serial number is 145578, the label is brown (or orange) and there is a single number 3 stamped on the back of the headstock. The "3" is not going in the normal direction of most serial numbers on guitars, its going vertical instead of horizontal and is centered at the top of the headstock. I've heard of seconds, but could this possibly be a 3rd?

post-68808-088926800 1416880087_thumb.jpg

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I've had no luck with any of the guitar dating websites. I've tried several. This post was a "last ditch" attempt to try and figure it out. Like I said, the serial number is only six digits with no letters (145578). There are absolutely no flaws on this guitar. It plays amazingly well and looks fantastic. The finish is more of a caramel than "natural" and it sounds fantastic.

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Probably best to send a pic of label and guitar. I looked at wiki and your numbers didnt quite click. Japanaese made epis on the early models tend to go by labels to pin down years. starting with blue and ending with orange. Your 2nd and third numbers typically refer to month so that doesn't fit with your serial number. The pics you send would really help, since there were models being made in both Korea and Japan in starting around 83". I know for refurbished there should have been a sticker serial number that is always the same(wiki) and it starts with a number 3. I believe both Japan and Korea had short periods where there was no factory letter code at the beginning of the serial number. there are some pretty sharp guys here that have info but the pics would be the way to go. Inside label and Headstock tell a lot sometimes. [confused]

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The stamp on the headstock and the sticker over the original serial number suggest it is a manufacturer refinish. When there is a finish flaw Epiphone sell the guitar to a company who strip them, refinish them and then sell them on. Perfectly good guitars and yours has that lovely non standard honey colour as a bonus. They are normally stamped "used" from what I can tell, but some have "2nd", some "B" - I can find a couple that seem to have "3".

 

Ps. Is that a bit of Birdseye in the top? Nice! Also is the peace symbol on top or under the Poly? If under then it has had a refinish at some point (which adds more weight to the above) I note that it was labeled in the factory as a "Natural" model.

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The headstock logo font on your Casino began being commonly used by Epiphone in 2010. If I were to hazard a guess, it would be that this guitar was made in China, and the white serial number sticker over the original label clearly identifies it as a refurbished instrument.

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Looks like a Korean label though...Korea and Indonesia still use those orange labels where China uses a brown tan colored one.

Interesting. Can't say I ever noticed a change in the label color on Chinese Casinos, but yes, it could just as easily be from another pacific rim country. Bottom line is, it's a basic Casino that's been refurbished & slightly modified by a previous owner. A hollowbody with P90s is a wonderful combination, so just play it and enjoy!

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OK, first I want to thank you all for the replies to this thread. I was away for the holiday and couldn't answer any questions. First, the sticker is on the outside of the finish. Second, the person I purchased it from had it for over 9 years. I love the guitar. The non-standard finish is really nice and yes, there is some cool birds eye in there. I even like the nylon saddles in the bridge...

 

It truly is a nice guitar. Again, thanks for the information. You all have been a big help.

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