Another Revolution for my “Revolution” Casino
About 20 years ago, I acquired my first Epiphone Casino. It was a Korean-made model with a sunburst finish and a Bigsby. While it was an “ok” instrument, it had a thick poly finish that felt plasticky and a set of pickups that weren’t particularly good. Despite these flaws, the guitar felt great in my hands. I loved its form factor, the comfort of the short scale, the contained weight (thanks to its full hollow body construction), and the acoustic response that allowed me to play it unplugged on the couch with a pleasant sound. I knew I would eventually need a better Casino.
The most reasonable option was the Japanese-made “Elitist” Casino, but it was almost impossible to find one in France at that time. The other option was the “John Lennon Revolution” one, which was built as a limited run of 1965 guitars and clearly aimed at Beatles fans and collectors. It was a reproduction of the famous stripped guitar John played on the rooftop concert. I’m not a hardcore Beatles fan, but since it was the only way to have a “serious” Casino, I made the expensive choice.
With the same flawless Japanese craftsmanship as the Elitist version, and assembled in the USA with Gibson parts, it was a significant quality improvement compared to the Korean one I had before. In my opinion, it was on par with, or even superior to, some high-end Gibsons I played over the years. The guitar was light, vibrant, and alive, with a “woody” tone, for lack of a better adjective. There’s something magical about the combination of a full hollow body and a pair of P90s. It soon became my favorite guitar.
Now, let’s address the annoying detail. The guitar’s aesthetics have always seemed off to me. The color resembled an artificial yellow rather than a “natural stripped-down” look, particularly on the neck binding where it appeared quite strange. I can’t quite explain it, but what initially caused slight eye discomfort gradually evolved into a strong aversion to the guitar’s appearance. I understand it may seem futile, but the Casino was a fantastic guitar that received less and less attention due to its look. I even considered selling it at one point.
A few months ago, I made a spontaneous decision to have the guitar refinished. It was the second unreasonable and expensive decision I had made with this instrument. I opted for a walnut-tainted nitro finish, as I love the combination of this 70’s aesthetic with the dogear metal pickup covers on a thinline guitar.
After a few months of waiting that felt like an eternity, the guitar finally arrived, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Although it’s slightly darker than I had anticipated, the walnut finish turned out exceptionally well. It feels great and responds beautifully to light conditions. The Casino will finally regain the attention it deserves.
