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Casino Feedback on Elitist vs Standard


Aster1

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Hi Ya'll,

 

I've now had my Elitist 1965 Casino for a couple of weeks & would like some constructive feedback from other users & their thoughts/impressions.

 

I love the fit, feel, & look of the Elitist. The sound is VERY good. But, when playing along w/ Beatles tunes, I believe the Standard Casino sounds more Beatles like than the Elitist does. I don't drink or smoke anything so we can't blame that. My ears are actually quite good as well. What I hear is a more chimmy, brighter ring & more sustain from the standard vs the Elitist. My standard plays about as well as the Elitist it seems too. Also, my pup selector switch on the Elitist seems to pop into the center position from either the bridge or neck position easy. Fit & finish kicks the butt off the Standard however big time!!! [biggrin]

 

Overall, I really want to like the Elitist better, cuz I really don't like much made in China except for fine China plates & cups! :rolleyes: You know, porcelain type stuff.

 

What is everyone in Epiphone land's take on the two guitars, sound & playing? There must be some difference in the PUP's isn't the Elitist Gibson USA made & the Standard Chinese made for Epiphone? Something like that. Must be something else other than where they are made IMHO. The Standard have quite a bit more volume it seems as well at the same settings. Maybe some differences in pots too, I don't know.

 

We're getting close so Merry Christmas to all and I hope you get lots of guitar stuff this year. ( I know it's going to be just coal & switches for me ) [scared]

 

What's ya'll got to say?

 

Thanks

 

Aster

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Since I have an Elitist Casino and a Peerless Korean Casino, I'll chime in here. They are two different beasts with their own individual pros & cons. There will be tone variations from guitar to guitar (even when I tested three Elitists together!), but playability would be my deciding factor if I could only keep one. You can do a lot of little tweaks to dial in your tone (especially with amp & speaker experimentation), but many body factors are locked in such as neck angle & profile. The Elitists have skinny necks. Does that effect your playing? I'd consider that much more of an issue than volume & tone settings. For example, the pickups on the Elitists generally sit farther away from the body, which most likely would require you to turn the volume up to a higher setting, and also helps to create a slightly different tone. This and a million other factors will contribute to tonal differences, which again can be modified till the cows come home.

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I have an Elitist. My initial impression was that the neck pickup sounded wonderful, but the bridge pickup sounded kind of weak and lifeless in comparison. I recently installed a 1/8" spacer (from Allparts) under the bridge pickup and WOW, what a difference. The bridge pickup is louder, brighter, and chimier. The neck/bridge position also sounds fantastic now, since the bridge pickup is contributing more. The only drawback is that the spacer is larger in area than the pickup, so you can see a black "ring" around the pickup. Someday I will probably sand it down so it is less conspicuous.

 

I don't particularly care for the super-slim neck on the Elitist, as I have somewhat large hands and long fingers. I like the overall shape and feel of the neck shape on the Chinese casinos better (standard and IBJL), but the quality of the fretwork was just not there for me on the Chinese models I tried. The Elitist frets are like butter. If I could have the perfect Casino I think it would be an Elitist with IBJL neck dimensions and Klusons.

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Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to get both of them out and do some rapid side by side. I have the Elitist for another month on a preview and the jury is still out if I keep or go back to the standard and get a used Ric 325 in JetGlo color. [biggrin] Will have to try a Fender Squire in a short neck to see if I like a short neck guitar. No one has any Ric's in my neck of the woods to play.

 

Anyone else have anything to add please chime on in.

 

Aster

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I have the '65 John Lennon Casino-which is very similar to the Elitist- and an MIC natural Casino and the '65 has the most Beatle vibe to the sound to my ears.I was able to nail the tone John got on Don't Let Me Down and Get Back with my'65 and my Blues Jr. even though the B.J. has EL34s as opposed to the Twin's 6L6s.The MIC Casino even though it sounds and plays great can't quite replicate the tone of the '65 although it comes closer than any other guitar I've played.I have my heart set on a Ric 325 as I'm a Beatle freak,although I haven't played a 325 I have a Fender Mustang and Jaguar which as far as I know have a scale length that's close. I find the short scale necks quite comfortable and very fast.If you want a good used Ric try here-these guys ship anywhere and really know their Rics. Pick of the Ricks www.pickofthericks.com they are based in New Jersey and have the best prices for used Rics in North America.

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IMO elitist are better than standard (for most guitars) BUT my favorite epis are the MIJ ones

epiphone%20les%20paul%20guitar-130281704866756180.jpg

by the way:

63503_160758703968560_100001032944902_335424_7082340_n.jpg

 

 

I agree. If anyone ever has the opportunity to pick up a MIJ Epi w/the open book headstock go for it, the quality an attention to detail will astound you. It's a shame the deal came to an end around 2006.

 

Another Elite/Elitist Casino question is everything the same on a 2010 Elitist Casino ( Neck size construction ) as the ones produced in the past?

 

 

Thanks,

 

mgm

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Re changes to the 2010 Elitist Casino, I've noticed an interesting one. At Sweetwater, the headstock logo was different on the last batch of Elitist Casinos they had in stock. The first 'E' had displayed the longer center bar, and more of a loop to the 'o' as it goes into the 'n'. This thinner & more scripted logo is new to Elitists. What's even more interesting to me, is the fact that this newer logo is exactly the same as the logo on a batch of guitars released at the same time that came from Korea, including the NV Riviera, Regent, and Swingster, which were also on display at Sweetwater about a month ago. I had to wonder if the Elitist's neck was suddenly being sourced from Korea. Probably not, as the serial number was still a Terada, and it had the "made in Japan" sticker, but still, it makes me wonder. Note that the AIUSA Casinos & Sheratons all had a logo similar to this new one, but it wasn't quite the same, especially the 'o'. Obviously, Epiphone uses many logo variations, but this is the first time I've seen this one on an Elitist, and to see it comes out exactly when the same logo first appears on guitars made in Korea, I find very odd indeed.

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Bonzoboy, Isn't the 65 JL Casino the Gibson USA made version that was to be exact specs of John Lennon's? That would be what I really had wanted but couldn't locate one.

 

I will post some photo's of the "Casino in debate" maybe later this week and if anyone wants to know the followup story of "The free Casino Elitist" and how I handled that surprise I'll write the crazy details of that too. Got to get thru the next grueling few days of project work at my business before Christmas arrives first. [scared]

 

I'll check into the neck more and make better note on bar cord ease, skinny neck checkout etc. Very good points everyone and I appreciate the help deciding.

 

Aster

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Hi Aster1,the John Lennon '65 and Revolution Casinos had the bodies and necks crafted in Japan then they were shipped to the U.S. for final assembly and having the hardware added.BTW to the person that posted that the MIC Casinos had plastic covers on the pups,mine definitely has metal pickup covers.

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Hi Everyone,

 

And by request, here's some photo's of my new Elitist. Sorry I'm so dense, but I can't tell much difference in the neck size (the neck was called super-slim on Elitist by Gunner). The two guitars sure feel different to me now after setting the Elitist action down a bit more. Also, I see what you mean about the bridge Pup height for sure. Lot's further away. I may just take the MIC to my office to play for stress relief as no nibble on it selling. Won't break my heart to do that.

 

CasinoElitist.jpg

 

Elitistfullview.jpg

 

Thanks again for the good info. Just love the case on this bugger too!! The Alligator feel & the inside color do it for me with that sunburst color of the guitar.

 

Aster

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Hey Guys,

 

Thanks for the complements. It's really a nice guitar for a crappy rhythm duffer like me, better than I need, but it really looks & feels nice.

 

Do all the Elitist Casino's have the "Elitist" on the truss rod instead of the neat Epiphone "E" logo? Also, anyone having troubles with the Pup selector switch popping into the mid position (both pups) from the neck or bridge position (almost on it's own maybe with a bump on the guitar while playing)?

 

I believe that Rastus has it spelled out correctly, in his tag, that I may have achived my best now (with my mediocrity) :rolleyes: My gear far outweighs my ability. But what the heck, I can't take anything with me when I go, so why not?

 

Thanks and Merry Christmas. Will shoot a photo of the headstock so you all can tell me if I have the more historically correct "Epiphone" name logo on it.

 

Aster

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Do all the Elitist Casino's have the "Elitist" on the truss rod instead of the neat Epiphone "E" logo? Also, anyone having troubles with the Pup selector switch popping into the mid position (both pups) from the neck or bridge position (almost on it's own maybe with a bump on the guitar while playing)?

Mine's only a few months old, and it has "Elitist" on the TR cover. I've had no issues with the selector switch (or anything else for that matter). The more I play this thing, the more I like it!

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  • 1 year later...

I believe that the Elitist has metal covers on the pickups and the Standard Chinese has plastic. That can make a difference.

 

I am pretty sure the standard casino has metal covers...my MIK (thin neck, by the way) does, as does every other one I have ever encountered

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Re changes to the 2010 Elitist Casino, I've noticed an interesting one. At Sweetwater, the headstock logo was different on the last batch of Elitist Casinos they had in stock. The first 'E' had displayed the longer center bar, and more of a loop to the 'o' as it goes into the 'n'. This thinner & more scripted logo is new to Elitists. What's even more interesting to me, is the fact that this newer logo is exactly the same as the logo on a batch of guitars released at the same time that came from Korea, including the NV Riviera, Regent, and Swingster, which were also on display at Sweetwater about a month ago. I had to wonder if the Elitist's neck was suddenly being sourced from Korea. Probably not, as the serial number was still a Terada, and it had the "made in Japan" sticker, but still, it makes me wonder. Note that the AIUSA Casinos & Sheratons all had a logo similar to this new one, but it wasn't quite the same, especially the 'o'. Obviously, Epiphone uses many logo variations, but this is the first time I've seen this one on an Elitist, and to see it comes out exactly when the same logo first appears on guitars made in Korea, I find very odd indeed.

 

Where the neck is made has nothing to do with where the headstock logo is made. On guitars with inlays, the inlay is done on a veneer which is then glued to the neck/headstock once it's shaped. On Kalamazoo Gibsons and Epiphones, these inlays were made by several different vendors, and then shipped to the factory for placement on the headstock. This was largely hand work, and accounts for the variance in logos on different models in even the same year.

 

On a modern Epiphone, the logo is not even an inlay, it's an overlay: a cut-out of a logo (like a decal) that's placed on top of the headstock veneer; the poly finish evens out difference in depth between the veneer below and the overlaid logo on top. Epiphone may be sourcing the overlays from a single vendor, and sending them to the various factories that build guitars for them.

 

Red 333

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Where the neck is made has nothing to do with where the headstock logo is made.

Red 333

Red - My post you referenced is over a year old. At that time, this newer stylized logo had not appeared on any Elitist until virtually the same time as the logo was first sported on a number of Korean Epis (including my 2010 Valensi Riviera). I found it surprising that Terada would switch to this logo at the same time, so it made me wonder if they had suddenly started sourcing necks from Korea. As the months have rolled by since December 2010, the newer logo has been appearing on many Epis from various factories around the world. At any rate, it is now clear to me that nothing has significantly changed in the way Elitists are manufactured.

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I went through the whole Japanese/Chinese/Korean thing choosing a Casino, and eventually went for a MIJ model. The main factor was the quality of workmanship on every aspect of the guitar - The Chinese and Korean guitars are great for the money and the MIJ is probably only 10% better, but it feels right where I was always finding odds and ends on the other guitars that annoyed me and this is a guitar I intended on keeping for life - so it's worth the extra money.

 

From a sound point of view, my main concern was that I already owned a 1965 ES-330 which I don't like hammering round the local pubs and clubs, so wanted a less valuable version I could gig with but not feel like I was playing an inferior guitar. I have to say, the MIJ Casino gets very close to the 330 in terms of sound. The necks on the two are not dissimilar, same depth with the Casino 1mm narrower, although I'm still more comfortable with the 330. One thing I did do that made a world of difference was replacing the nut with one with a wider spacing. I also just had the chance to play a real '65 Casino and again, the MIJ sounded pretty close.

 

Regarding the Rick 325s, I really wouldn't recommend buying one without playing it first or having a right to return. I've never owned one but have set up a few and they feel tiny, much smaller than a Mustang or Jaguar and incredibly cramped at the nut. The sideways vibrola is a nightmare, although I did the Lennon Bigsby mod on one and that at least made it possible to get it into tune for a few minutes at a time. I also found the bass incredibly dull compared to a standard Rick, although I guess that's a matter of taste. I'm sure they're great for some people, but definately a niche product.

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I went through the whole Japanese/Chinese/Korean thing choosing a Casino, and eventually went for a MIJ model. The main factor was the quality of workmanship on every aspect of the guitar - The Chinese and Korean guitars are great for the money and the MIJ is probably only 10% better, but it feels right where I was always finding odds and ends on the other guitars that annoyed me and this is a guitar I intended on keeping for life - so it's worth the extra money.

Of the four guitars I own in this style, I would rank their build quality as follows, with the best first: Gibson ES-330L (USA), Elitist Casino (Japan), Peerless Casino (Korea), '61 Anniversary Casino (China). I think in general you do get what you pay for. That said, the guitars in this group are all very enjoyable instruments, with their own unique attributes.

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