sonic1974 Posted April 30, 2009 Posted April 30, 2009 Hi guys, Looking at the vintage market, it seems there are still some reasonable prices to be had if you are willing to go off the beaten path a little bit. The Gibson "jr." line are more sanely priced than their other stuff, and the older hollow-bodies are something I could see myself picking up at some point. Browsing around, this guitar caught my eye: http://12fret.com/used/EpiphoneCasino1puSN310094.jpg It's a '65 Epiphone Casino, priced at $2200 Can. To me, that seems pretty good. In fact, I would seriously consider it if I hadn't gone through a recent buying spree. Is this a pretty common price for the older Epiphones? The only real drawback I see with this Guitar is that it only has one pickup up. Obviously, I know that Epiphones are not as collectible as Gibsons. Still, I'm pleasantly surprised by that price. Anyone out there who has an older Epiphone? Nice guitars? I really don't know too much about them, except that the Beatles had some. When did Gibson take them over anyway? Thanks as always for the info!
sonic1974 Posted April 30, 2009 Author Posted April 30, 2009 After doing some quick research...................I think eventually I'll buy a hollow-body, and I'll probably stick to a Newport!
bizzwriter Posted April 30, 2009 Posted April 30, 2009 About US$1700 is a pretty damn good price for a '65 Casino. Major bummer about the one pickup though. If it was more of a beater, I'd screw on two more dogears to make it a thinline Switchmaster... LOVE my '67 ES-330...
sonic1974 Posted April 30, 2009 Author Posted April 30, 2009 About US$1700 is a pretty damn good price for a '65 Casino. Major bummer about the one pickup though. If it was more of a beater, I'd screw on two more dogears to make it a thinline Switchmaster... LOVE my '67 ES-330... Wow! Nice.....but that's a Gibson right?
Willie G. Moseley Posted April 30, 2009 Posted April 30, 2009 Been thru two '60s US-made Casinos (both two-pickup) Gibson equivalent = ES-330. Many, if not most '60s Epis are rarer than their Gibson counterparts, and were made side-by-side in Kalamazoo, so the same quality factors and the sound is usually the same. Curious that the rarer of the two might usually sell for less if they're practically the same instrument.
sonic1974 Posted April 30, 2009 Author Posted April 30, 2009 Been thru two '60s US-made Casinos (both two-pickup) Gibson equivalent = ES-330. Many, if not most '60s Epis are rarer than their Gibson counterparts, and were made side-by-side in Kalamazoo, so the same quality factors and the sound is usually the same. Curious that the rarer of the two might usually sell for less if they're practically the same instrument.And how did you like them? As to the price, I think even though the 60's Epiphones might be rarer, they would sell for less for the simple fact that the headstock does not read: Gibson. That's just the way the market is I guess.
Steve Haynie Posted April 30, 2009 Posted April 30, 2009 Hi guys,Anyone out there who has an older Epiphone? Nice guitars? I really don't know too much about them, except that the Beatles had some. When did Gibson take them over anyway? Thanks as always for the info! Usually the difference between 60's Gibsons and Epiphones is in hardware and electronics. Gibson bought Epiphone in 1957. Epiphone made upright basses, and those basses were/are considered excellent. Gibson made nearly every stringed instrument at some point, but never upright basses. The original plan was for Gibson to buy Epiphone's upright bass manufacturing, and they ended up getting the entire company for $20,000. In 1958 Gibson assembled what was left of the in-production guitars and after that they used the Epiphone name on their "budget" guitars. Some Gibson upright basses were made, but they are rare. I think there were as many as 300 or less. By the early 60's the electic bass was pushing out the acoustic bass.
sonic1974 Posted April 30, 2009 Author Posted April 30, 2009 Hi guys,Anyone out there who has an older Epiphone? Nice guitars? I really don't know too much about them, except that the Beatles had some. When did Gibson take them over anyway? Thanks as always for the info! Usually the difference between 60's Gibsons and Epiphones is in hardware and electronics. Gibson bought Epiphone in 1957. Epiphone made upright basses, and those basses were/are considered excellent. Gibson made nearly every stringed instrument at some point, but never upright basses. The original plan was for Gibson to buy Epiphone's upright bass manufacturing, and they ended up getting the entire company for $20,000. In 1958 Gibson assembled what was left of the in-production guitars and after that they used the Epiphone name on their "budget" guitars. Some Gibson upright basses were made, but they are rare. I think there were as many as 300 or less. By the early 60's the electic bass was pushing out the acoustic bass. Wow! Cool, thanks for that info. I bet those Gibson upright basses are real collector's items.
Willie G. Moseley Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 The different electronics were on selected Epis and were usually mini-humbuckers instead of full-size ones. Sonic, as for how I liked 'em, the '67 burgundy Casino I had (cool white pickguard w/ the half-circle E logo) had one of my favorite necks ever, on accounta it reminded me of a '63 ES-335 I also used to own (and note what Gibson says the neck profile on their current "block inlay" ES-335 is).I'm not much of a lead player, and have always liked thinlines that are fully-hollow. Granted, something like an ES-335 would have more bite, but that's the point of the center block. The lighter weight of Casinos or ES-330s was perhaps noticeable, but they weren't neck-heavy (not was/is an ES-335 a heavy instrument anyway). My favorite thinline now in the Robin Savoy; it's semi-hollow, but who makes a modern-day fully-hollow thinline-type guitar (Gibson and Epiphone excepted)?
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