1964 Epiphone Casino E-230TD Vintage Hollowbody Electric Guitar Sunburst w/ Case

Up for sale, a 1964 Epiphone Casino E-230TD in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original gray hardshell case. A particularly rare and early iteration of the Casino, this guitar features the shorter pre-1965 (more Gibson-esque) headstock shape, full 1 11/16" wide nut, and nickel hardware. The Sunburst has the iconic vibrant three-tone shading consistent with the Casinos owned by the lads from Liverpool, and this particular example has very uncommon figuring in the maple extending across the top.Highlighting both the clarity and note attack of maple and the smooth, airy quality of the fully hollow construction, this Casino has a sweet natural acoustic tone that translates well through the pickups. The P-90s have a glassy sparkle and dynamic, percussive cut with a rich, textured midrange character and plenty of bark when you dig in. And while the bridge pickup has a snappier, slightly more aggressive quality, the neck pickup is big and broad, retaining the articulation necessary for complex chording. The guitar is featherweight at 6lbs 2oz. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar and strung with fresh 10-46 strings, this Casino is dialed in for low action and spot-on intonation.The one-piece Honduran mahogany neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve with round, inviting shoulders in every register and more heft as you travel up the fretboard, measuring .815" deep at the 1st fret and .990" at the 12th. On the very dark Brazilian rosewood fretboard, the original medium jumbo frets are intact and in excellent shape, showing very light uniform wear beneath the strings on the crowns of frets 1-2, extending beneath the B and High E until fret 5. The guitar plays easily up the straight neck with slinky action in every register, and the truss rod is responsive and optimally adjusted. The upgraded carved bone nut measures a full 1 11/16" in width. On the headstock, the original Kluson Deluxe single line tuners are intact, turning smoothly and holding pitch as they should with clean nickel plating.There is an unusual very shallow and short split in the mahogany central to the carve behind the nut with a very small spot of black lacquer overspray. The repair is invisible, and this is much more minor than any traditional split, not extending beyond the very center of the neck carve.The electronics are completely stock, with untouched solder joints and original pots and tone caps. The black pickup bobbins are remarkably clean beneath the covers, and the covers themselves are a bit of an oddity. Purportedly original, these are the traditional black plastic covers seen on both the Casino and Gibson ES-330 pre-64, yet with a chrome plating over the top, notably worn through on the neck pickup cover, and with some aftermarket touchup on the bass-side edge of the bridge pickup cover. Hardware includes the original ABR-1 bridge with nylon saddles and correct foundry stamp on the underside, as well as the stock trapeze tailpiece. Plastics include the quartet of gold reflector cap knobs and the original white pickguard, retaining its "E" Epsilon foil sticker. The guard shows a bit of downward deflection in the plastic, well out of the pick path. Visible through the F hole, the original blue rectangular Epiphone label is present, with a serial that matches the number imprinted on the headstock.Cosmetically, this guitar is quite stunning. The warm Sunburst finish is original and surprisingly clean, highlighting the flame figuring that extends across the top. Wear is limited to faint finish checking on the body horns, and very light buckle rash central to the lower bout on the back, with a bit of vertical lacquer checking and a few additional finish scratches and minor marks, mostly relegated to the back. The neck profile also retains its smooth nitro gloss, with only a couple shallow marks on the treble-side shoulder.The original gray hardshell case is included and equally as nice as the guitar with a blue plush interior, functional latches, and the original handle.