I couldn't disagree with Ron G more.
I did a total makeover on my Peerless Casino and it has transformed the guitar into a beauty easily comparable to my buddy's es-330 (the gibson counterpart to the casino)
Here's what I did :
1. Replaced the tuners. Went with grovers and they make a gigantic difference
2. Kent Armstrong pups. Hand wound in America and they made another huge difference. Night and day.
3. CTS pots, switchcraft switch and input and wiring. Took the guitar to yet another level.
4. Bigsby B7. Added a weight and tuning stability that makes the guitar IMO. Very cool lookin gas well.
5. Bone nut and gotoh bridge. Just to complete the transformation.
6. Just for fun, I put some vintage black witchhat knobs and one of those cool Lennon rubber switch ring. Cool.
All in all, these improvements have transformed the guitar from a good, cheap mass-produced korean knock-off to a legitimate instrument that sounds fantastic, plays even better and still comes a good 500 bones under the elitist. But hey, this is my opinion and I'm sure there are guys out there who will scoff at what I say and argue that the elitist is simply a better class regardless of what you do. Better tone woods etc. (That one always makes me laugh). I used to be one of those guys. My 335 was the only guitar in the world as far as I was concerned.
Well the casino gets most of the playing time these days. Not because it's a better guitar necessarily but more so because I grab it when I'm sitting around working out new material and it's more acoustical. The point is, I can play my '67 335 anytime I want and I will regularly choose the Cassie. It's a different animal than the 335 but just as good IMO.
I have not found a single elitist that surpasses my MIK with the upgrades. The stock Casino cannot, however, come close.
FWIW
