Up for sale, a 2019 Epiphone Elitist '65 Casino in 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case and hangtags. Produced in Japan at the Terada factory and featuring a gloss Sunburst finish, this is an upscale and rare Epiphone model, exceedingly clean save for an unfortunate (and flawlessly repaired) headstock fracture.
Acoustically, the fully hollow all-maple body has an articulate and smooth tone, capturing both the clear note attack of maple as a tonewood and the warmth of the hollow construction. The original Gibson USA P-90s pickups are wound to vintage spec with plenty of midrange bark and a glassy, percussive quality. For dynamic cleans or thick overdrive, these pickups can produce either with ease. The guitar is featherweight at 6lbs 9oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 10-46 roundwound strings, low action and accurate intonation.
The one-piece mahogany neck has a medium C-shaped profile carve with nicely rounded shoulders in every register and a hair more overall heft as you travel up the fretboard, measuring .835" deep at the 1st fret and .955" at the 12th. The bound rosewood fretboard features pearl parallelogram inlay and flawless fretwire. The guitar plays cleanly in every register up the 24 3/4" scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The bone nut measures 1 5/8" in width. The headstock retains the original USA-made nickel Grover Rotomatic tuners which turn smoothly and hold pitch exceptionally well.
The guitar does exhibit a W-shaped headstock repair, and the fracture is cleanly repaired and smooth to the touch.
The electronics are untouched, with nickel pickup covers on the P-90s and dedicated Volume and Tone controls for each pickup. Hardware includes the ABR-1 bridge and trapeze tailpiece, and the nickel plating is flawless, with the clear protective factory film still intact over the pickup covers. The white oval label is visible through the F hole, with a serial matching the number embossed on the back of the headstock. Plastics include gold reflector cap knobs and the elevated pickguard. The Sunburst gloss finish is exceedingly clean, showing only a couple faint scuffs in the clear coat central to the back. The gloss finish on the neck profile is flawless.
The original black tolex hardshell case is included, along with the original hangtags.