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Epiphone Elite 1965 Casino Refurbished


Alan Nelson

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I was a retailer and bought guitars from MIRC up until 2017. MIRC is the national clearing house for Epiphone refurbished guitars. I bought this Elite 1965 Casino somewhere around 2015 or 2016. I can't find a perfect match on your website. The E logo isn't on the truss rod plate or the pick guard. I need to price this guitar and sell it. Do you know what the guitar was selling for new? Can you suggest some search words that I could try on reverb.com and ebay.com? The only 1965 Casinos I have found have the E logo and I think some say Elitist, not Elite. Thanks.

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That truss rod cover may not have come with the guitar - it could have been put on later.  (I mean, that's a possibility.)  Also, the Elitist case could have been added later.  REGARDLESS, if you look on ebay's sold listings, these old Casinos bring some big bucks (for an Epiphone).  Good luck with your sale!

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Hi - The reason some say Elite and others say Elitist is due to Epiphone rebranding. The Elite line of Epiphone guitars were introduced around 2002, however they were forced to change the name due to a conflict / legal dispute with Ovation who were already selling guitars under the Elite name. So from around 2004 onwards ,the Epiphone Elite line was rebranded to Epiphone Elitist.

There are other members on here with Elite/Elitist Casinos who would be better placed to comment., but it looks legit to me (I have a 2003 Elite Sheraton).....

  • Truss rod cover on these guitars would have the 'Elite' or 'Elitist' text (not the Epiphone 'E' logo).
  • The pickguard is not original and looks like an aftermarket replacement.
  • I would have expected the hard case to say 'Elite' rather than 'Elitist', however if the guitar is a factory second / refurbished it is likely that they ran out of the orignal 'Elite' cases (as these were only in use between 2002 - 2003).

Regarding price, try an advanced search on eBay / Reverb and include 'sold listings' as this will give you an indication of what people are listing them for, but also what they they are actually selling for.

You can find out more information about the Elite guitars on the Epiphone website and can also view the catalog etc:
http://www2.epiphone.com/elitist/

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Yes, it's legit.

AldoMcD1 has pretty much nailed all the key info above.

When this model first came out, I believe the asking price was $1299, perhaps even a bit less.  By 2009, the price was $1495 (the year I bought mine).  By 2018, it was still available for $2199.  Then it went out of production.

Quite a few people on Reverb try to sell the Elite/Elitist Casino for a lot more, but they often go for around $1200-$1300.  With yours being stamped used & having gone through MIRC with the stickered serial numbers, If I had to throw out a number, an asking price of $1100 would seem fair, and I'd be happy getting anything north of $1000 for it.       

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You may want to contact MIRC (Musical Instrument Reclamation Corporation) for information on what kind of repair was done. MIRC usually gets a guitar directly from the factory that are damaged in some way and stamped USED at the factory, in addition the factory normally wipes out part of the original manufacturers serial number. The MIRC sticker serial number 311638288 may have some type warranty.

MIRC Serial Number

The Current Elitist 65 Casino's are made in Japan with USA components and a Nitro finish.

Mostly available in the Japan eBay market as New ranging from about $2k to over $3k.. 

Edited by mihcmac
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