1963 Epiphone Casino Vintage Electric Guitar Royal Tan w/ Bigsby, Case

Up for sale, a 1963 Epiphone Casino E-230TD in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. An early example of the Casino with nickel-plated hardware and the original custom color Royal Tan nitro lacquer finish, this guitar also boasts a full 1 11/16" wide nut.Featherweight at 6lbs 12oz, tonewoods include a fully hollow thinline maple body paired with a one-piece mahogany neck and bound Brazilian rosewood fretboard. The natural acoustic tone of the instrument has the articulation inherent in maple as a tonewood, with the breadth and airy warmth of the hollowbody construction. The original P-90 pickup pair meters at 7.77k ohms in the bridge position and  7.99k at the neck. The neck pickup is extremely articulate and woody. and there’s a notable snap and definition to the note attack. Trebles are crisp and punchy, and the overarching sound gives way to a rich growl when chording with an authoritative strum. The bridge pickup in contrast is bouncy and glassy, with excellent midrange presence and sweet harmonic overtones. In the middle position on the three-way switch, it's a true “best of both worlds” sound (without having to attenuate the volume of either pickup) that’s bold, bell-like and equally at home with complex chording and thick overdrive. We've had this Epiphone professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with fresh 11-49 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.The one-piece Honduran mahogany neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve at the nut, with round shoulders in every register and a gentle increase in overall heft further up the fretboard, measuring .805" deep at the 1st fret and .965" at the 12th. The dark Brazilian rosewood fretboard has been professionally refretted with flawless vintage-spec medium jumbo fretwire. This Casino plays easily up the 24 3/4" scale with a straight neck with a responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The original nylon nut measures a full 1 11/16" in width. The headstock is the shorter, more Gibson-esque variety seen pre-1965, complete with a set of vintage Kluson Deluxe single line tuning machines which have a smooth yet deliberate response with zero slop. A different tuner set was at one time installed, with the halos of larger washers faintly visible on the headstock face. The two-ply truss rod cover is a faithful replica.There is an extremely clean and invisible headstock repair, with targeted black lacquer overspray across the joint. The repair was professionally executed, and the finish is flawless to the touch.The electronics are completely stock, with untouched solder joints and original CTS 500k pots visible through the F hole with date codes from '63. Hardware includes a very faithfully replicated modern genuine Gibson ABR-1 bridge with the correct "shaved" or "low profile" base paired with early vibrato-equipped Gibson and Epiphone models. The nickel-plated bridge is paired with replacement Nashville bridge inserts and Faber conversion posts that thread properly and have domed thumbwheels. The Bigsby is era-correct and ostensibly original to the instrument, yet a different tailpiece mounting pattern for a trapeze is also visible beneath the Bigsby hinge. Plastics include the original gold reflector cap knobs and wide bevel white pickguard with “E” epsilon, along with a genuine pair of vintage black P-90 covers with the correct part # embossed on the underside (correct for early '63). The blue paper label is still partially visible through the F hole.The gloss nitro lacquer Royal Tan finish is a rare and desirable Epiphone-exclusive iteration of Sunburst, more akin to Ice Tea in its presentation with an ambered center and ruddy red edges and back. The finish highlights figuring in the maple across the back, and there is light buckle rash central to the lower bout and a few additional minor marks on the body as a whole. There are also some concentrated nicks and scuffs on the bass-side body horn and just north of the bass-side bridge insert.The original dark gray hardshell case with blue plush interior is included. The case shows moderate edge wear, retaining its original latches and fitted with a new handle. A previous owner's name is also stenciled on the lid.