1996 Epiphone Casino Electric Guitar Sunburst w/ Bigsby & Case, Pre-Elitist, Japan Terada

Up for sale, a 1996 Epiphone Casino in exceptional condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case and upgraded with a USA Bigsby B7 vibrato tailpiece. Produced in Japan at the Terada factory and featuring a gloss Sunburst finish, this is an uncommon Epiphone reissue which preceded the current "Elitist" line. Acoustically, the fully hollow all-maple body has a smooth, bright tone which works well with the original pair of P-90 pickups. These pickups are wound to vintage spec with plenty of midrange bark, and a glassy, percussive quality. Whether you want articulate cleans or thick overdrive, these pickups can produce either with ease and with a refinement far beyond most other modern Casino reissues. The guitar is featherweight at only 6lbs 14oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar and dialed in for optimal action and intonation with 11-48 strings.The maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve with modest shoulder at the nut and a bit more roundness and heft as you travel up the fretboard, measuring .800" deep at the 1st fret and .915" at the 12th. The rosewood fretboard features pearloid trapezoid inlay and fret edge binding with original medium jumbo frets which have their full factory height and well-rounded crowns. The guitar plays cleanly up the 24 3/4" scale with a straight neck and responsive, ideally adjusted truss rod. The original hand-carved bone nut measures 1 9/16" in width. The headstock retains the original Kluson-style nickel tuners which turn smoothly and hold pitch as they should, and "Made in Japan" is stamped in small text on the back.The electronics are untouched, with gold reflector cap knobs on the Volume and Tone controls. There's light surface patina on the nickel-plated hardware including the ABR-1 bridge and dogear pickup covers, and the upgraded USA-made Bigsby B7 vibrato tailpiece has a smooth response. The Sunburst finish is accented by the original elevated pickguard with "E" epsilon badge, and cosmetic wear is limited to some light finish scuffs and minor marks, almost exclusively relegated to the back. The gloss finish on the neck profile is flawless.A black tolex hardshell case is included.