hand Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 looking to purchase replacement pups for the elite casino. gibson does not sell and refers you to dealers who don't sell. i've read the elite casino pickup, (bridge), may be different size than the regular casino pickup. if anyone has any idea as to where to get the 'elite casino' pickups i'd appreciate it. i've tried all the; stewmac, allparts, warmoth, etc. no one sells them. what is the big deal with registered owners of the elite casino not being allowed to purchase pickups????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Hey hand-- If you haven't done so already, I recommend that you re-post your question at the new Epiphone forum linked at: Epiphone Guitar Forum People there will be more readily able to help you. Epiphone is a subsidiary of Gibson, but the Epiphone guitars are not made in any of the American Gibson facilities. They have all been made overseas (with a few exceptions here and there) since at least the late 1960s or early '70s. That's why the American Gibson facilities can't sell you parts: they don't have them. There never has been a Gibson Casino, so it is an even more problematic option than an Epiphone Dot. The Dot is at least modeled on the Gibson ES-335, but the Casino is a model that was made only by the original Epiphone company and now is not even always all that close in style to the original. Except perhaps for the 1965 Casino and the Lennon Casinos, the current Casino or Elite Casino might not even match the specs of the Casinos being made before Gibson took over Epiphone. Indeed, one of the problems with Epiphones (and I know this because I own an old one) is that the parts are not really all that standardized. Pick-ups, etc., and even body specifications change from year to year as the foreign suppliers change their productions systems or find new sources for parts. But again, try the Epiphone forum linked above. There are a lot sharp people over there with the passion and know-how to find the parts and supplies they need. Ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hand Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 i know all this. thanks. unfortunately gibson owns epiphone, and in contact with them they refer you to 'dealers'. all of which do not carry specifically pickups for the elite. one place; wd has ken armstrongs. epiphone forum is of no help either. it is entirely irresponsible for a company to sell a guitar, regardless of where it is made, and then make it impossible to purchase a replacement part. form letters are all i've gotten from gibson. last year as well when i attempted this. really bad policy. i like the guitars but not this policy. i really can't think of another guitar on the market that you purchase if you have a problem with damage trying to purchase a part. they have made it impossible,and are fully responsible regardless if it is made in japan, korea, china. it's totally absurd you know? it's just common sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Wow, sorry hand. Sometimes, newbies post here and haven't been in contact with the Epiphone forum so I apologize for giving you a lot information you already know. I am saddened but not surprised at the parts problem with the Epiphone. It is part of the reason that the used Epiphone I bought as my first guitar is no longer in regular use. I just couldn't find parts for it, and to be honest, the body is not good enough to justify the investment in huge upgrades in the hardware. I assumed my problem existed because the guitar was from the '70s. I didn't know this continues to happen with new Epis as well. It does seem that the bodies coming out of Asia are much better on Epis today; have you considered putting a non-stock pick-up in the Casino? It probably will sound better anyway. Maybe a P-90 of some sort? Or is the problem that the pick-up route on the Casino is too big for a standard P-90? If it were too small, I might just take it to a shop I trust and tell them to cut the body to fit. The Epiphone resale value probably is not enough to warrant leaving it unchanged, and a better pick-up might actually increase the value. And as far as foreign guitars, yeah, actually this is true of virtually every foreign-made brand unless there is an actual copying of the American specifications. Even Fenders made in Japan use different parts from those of American Fenders, and from what I've heard, it can be a dickens finding replacement parts for certain models. In fact, the "Twisted Telecaster" pick-ups that are made in the United States cannot be found as replacement parts for American-made Telecasters. You could do what Yugo owners did when those cars briefly appeared in the American market: once the company announced that it was ceasing to sell in America, owners bought another Yugo to save for spare parts. People do it today with vintage VWs as well. You might look at gbase.com to see if you can find a cheap Elite Casino to buy for parts. Just a thought. Ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hand Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 hi, no prob. i get a little defensive sometimes as when i've posted this in the past i'll get really rude responses sometimes on epi. or gibson site. things were really contentious a couple of years ago on gib. esp. between trolls, and the school of thought that persisted which held the position that if you had anything wrong whatsoever w/yr gibson you were an idiot, etc. but the epi. i've gone ahead and ordered 2 casino covers from wd. the only place i could find it. they have no info. but i recall last year reading somewhere that the specs. size in the bridge ellite pickup were different. i searched but could find no authority on this. as i've said all the dealers don't have. i'm going to ship the covers off somewhere and have someone put their p90 version in and hope when i have it installed it fits. hopfully the luthier will be willing to customise something if it doesn't i do also have a johnny a black quilt, (#138 on the ja site, if it still exists). these guitars are great, but the neck is much less stable then the casino and the casino out of the box has held perfect tune for over a year. the ja, (i may have gotten one w/problems), had on 2 occasions when i loosened the strings to put new ones on, tuning heads just fell onto the ground. never really understood, and my tech. just acted as if it was nothing at all. i thought it odd as i've had $100.00 guitars that didn't do that. other than that i thought it odd that it needed a grind after just 5 months the first few frets had deep gouges in the metal. never had that happen before. otherwise i love the guitar. have yet to have it settle tho. there were so many problems w/the gibson site in the past because when someone would mention this type of thing irate members would attack and gibson would quickly remove anything perceived as negative. i always felt a forum should incompass all things of concern to those who purchase a product. it's really the only way to learn, and share information. i mention the ja thing only out of point of interest, and the thinking is that i'm of course curious if anyone else has had a similar problem. the casino is great to write on. it's light, and the action is effortless. it lacks some of the deep resonate character of the ja, and in terms of overall quallity doesn't compare. thanks for your reply. i only posted here on the casino because i know that some gibson players use epiphone as well. take care, r Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignatius Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I ran over to the Epiphone forum before I saw your latest message, and now I see the problem in its entirety: it isn't the size but the height of the P-90 that is the potential problem. All makes sense now, and I understand your concern. In the case of my '70s Epi, it was a matter of size: the pick-ups were some weird pick-up that is sort of a fake hybrid humbucker and so doesn't fit well with either humbucker or P-90 specs. Keep us updated on the success of the new pick-up covers. As you said, several people here own both Gibbys and Epis so this is something good to add to the collective knowledge base. And no, I didn't take your message in a bad way. My apologies were my sympathies for you. I know from my own Epiphone what it is like to have a guitar you like that just won't work. It is one of the most frustrating feelings I have experienced. I have to be honest: it is part of the reason I am saving for an ES-335. Not only does the guitar feel great, but I know I will be able to find parts for decades to come. Ignatius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hand Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 the height. yea. that sounds familiar. 335 would be great. tho i really like the 356. (frets toward bridge felt a little small). i did manage to pick up a ibanez as50 last year it is interesting but needs some work. made really well. from 81. pickups not good. a future project. nice neck. the finish is a bit too thick. nice ax tho. got it for 1000.00. i'm sure i would have gotten a 335 if i could have afforded it. thanks for your comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 The Elitist Casino has Gibson USA pick ups in it. I don't know for a fact, but I'm pretty certain the dog-ear Gibson P90s sold by Musician's Friend and others would be direct fits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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