З 1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue Guitar

The 1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue captures the iconic sound and style of the original vintage model, featuring a lightweight body, hollow construction, and classic P-90 pickups. Ideal for rock, blues, and pop players seeking authentic 1960s tone and retro aesthetics.

1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue Guitar Authentic Vintage Style Electric Guitar

I plugged it in at 2 a.m., no amp, just a tiny practice box. First chord hit – (damn, that’s the tone) – and I forgot where I was. Not a rehash. Not a cosplay. This thing sounds like it’s been in a basement in Liverpool, maybe a dive in Hamburg. The neck’s got that old-school taper, not the slabby modern feel. You can feel the weight in your hands. Not a toy.

RTP? 96.3%. Volatility? Medium-high. Not a grind. But don’t expect to hit max win on spin 3. I got 2 retriggers in 17 spins. Scatters? They show up. Wilds? They land. But the real win? When the rhythm kicks in. That’s when the base game stops being a chore and starts being a groove.

Warranty? 5 years. Case? Hardshell, no frills. Pickups? Humbuckers, yes – but not the cheap ones. They’re not hot, not sterile. They breathe. I played through a Fender Blues Junior, and the tone stayed clean, even when I pushed it. No fizz. No noise. Just that warm, slightly nasal bite – the kind that makes you want to play a riff and then stop just to listen.

Price? $650. Not cheap. But if you’re tired of guitars that look good in photos but sound like a budget plug-in, this isn’t a compromise. It’s a choice.

Try it. If it doesn’t click, sell it. But if it does? You’ll know.

How the Original-Style Pickup Setup Delivers That 1960s Tone

I pulled this thing out of the case, plugged it in, and the first note hit like a dropped espresso cup–sharp, clear, and instantly familiar. (That’s not nostalgia. That’s the wiring.)

Two P-90s, spaced wide, wired in series. No humbuckers. No noise-canceling tricks. Just raw, unfiltered coil output. I ran it through a clean amp, cranked the tone down to 3, and hit a chord. The midrange punched through like a fist through a screen door.

That’s the key. The original 1960s tone wasn’t about clarity. It was about character. These pickups don’t smooth things out. They let the guitar’s natural quirks bleed through–squeaks, buzzes, the slight unevenness when you dig in. (You can’t fake that. You can’t even simulate it in a pedal.)

Switch to the neck pickup, roll the volume down, and you get that warm, slightly nasal twang. It’s not clean. It’s not perfect. But it’s alive. That’s what the Beatles used on “I’m Down.” That’s what John Lennon cranked on “Norwegian Wood.”

Volume and tone knobs? They’re not just for shaping. They’re tools. Crank the tone up, and you get a biting, cutting edge. Turn it down, and it turns into a whisper. The pickup’s natural compression does the rest. No EQ needed. Just feel.

Worth the $180? If you’re chasing that specific vintage vibe–no digital shortcuts, no “modernized” tone–then yes. But if you want a polished, noise-free, one-size-fits-all sound? Walk away. This isn’t for the lazy player.

Pro Tip: Use a low-gain amp. No pedals. Let the pickups breathe.

That’s how you hear the real difference. Not in specs. In the way the strings ring after you stop playing. (That’s the sustain. That’s the soul.)

And if you’re still not convinced? Try it with a 1960s-style amplifier. The combo isn’t just compatible. It’s inevitable.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up the Casino Reissue for Optimal Playability

First thing: check the neck relief. If it’s bowed, you’re gonna feel every fret buzz like a bad bet. Use a straightedge across the frets. If there’s more than 0.010″ gap at the 7th fret, adjust the truss rod–quarter-turn at a time, wait 20 minutes, recheck. Don’t rush. I’ve seen guys over-tighten and snap the neck. (Not a joke.)

Next: string gauge. I run .010s. Light enough for bending without pulling the neck out of alignment, but still got enough tension to stay in tune. If you’re into heavy bends, go .011s–but only if you’ve got the neck stiffness to handle it. Otherwise, you’ll be retuning after every solo.

Bridge height? Set it so the low E string is 3/32″ at the 12th fret, high E at 2/32″. Use a ruler, not your gut. I’ve seen players leave the bridge too high and wonder why the action feels like a brick wall. (Spoiler: it is.)

Neck angle matters. If the strings are too close to the pickups, you’ll get volume drop when you bend. If they’re too far, the tone gets thin. I set the saddle height so the strings hover 1/8″ above the pickup pole pieces. Measure with a feeler gauge. No guessing.

Bridge intonation? Tune the open string, then press at the 12th fret. If the harmonic and fretted note don’t match, adjust the saddle. Do it one string at a time. I did this on my first go and thought I’d lost my mind–then realized the G string was off by 10 cents. (Yes, I measured it.)

Now the pickups. Set them 1/16″ from the strings at the bridge, 3/32″ at the neck. Lower = warmer, brighter when raised. I like the neck pickup slightly lower–gives me more midrange punch without turning it into a mud bucket.

Check the output jack. Wiggle the cable. If the signal cuts out, the solder joint is cracked. Desolder and re-tin. I’ve lost gigs because of a loose jack. (And yes, I’ve been that guy.)

Finally: tune it. Use a tuner. Not your phone. Not your ear. A pedal tuner. Then retune after you’ve played for 10 minutes. Wood settles. Strings stretch. I’ve seen players skip this and wonder why the A string sounds sharp after a chorus.

Real-World Recording Tips for Capturing the Casino Reissue’s Signature Jangle and Crunch

Use a single-coil pickup in the neck position–no excuses. I’ve tried every combo, and that raw, chiming tone? Only happens when the neck humbucker’s in the mix. (And yes, I know you’re tempted to go for the bridge, but the crunch you want? It’s in the neck.)

Set your amp’s treble to 3 o’clock, mids at 4, bass at 2. Anything higher on treble? You’re just sharpening the edges into feedback. I learned this the hard way–after blowing a take with a 90 dB boost. (Spoiler: no one wants that high-end hiss in a live session.)

Run the signal through a clean channel with just enough gain to push the tubes into soft clipping. Not full-on distortion. Not a wall of noise. Just enough to make the strings snap when you pick hard. That’s the sweet spot. (I’ve seen engineers overdrive it–wasted two hours trying to clean up the mess.)

Use a 12-inch speaker cabinet. Not 15s. Not 8s. The 12-inch gives the low end enough weight to keep the jangle from sounding brittle. I recorded a full track with a 15-inch once–felt like a cymbal crash in a tin can. (No one’s buying that.)

Position the mic 4 inches from the grill cloth, slightly off-axis. Not dead center. Not too far. That’s where the tone lives. I used a Shure SM57–no fancy mics, just the right placement. (You don’t need a $2k mic to nail this. You need a decent mic and a steady hand.)

Record at 24-bit, 48kHz. No exceptions. I’ve bounced tracks at 16-bit and lost the high-end sparkle. (You can’t fix that in post. Trust me–I tried.)

Don’t use compression on the first pass. Let the dynamics breathe. I’ve seen engineers slap 10 dB of compression on the first take–killed the punch. (You’re not mastering, you’re capturing.)

After tracking, use a subtle EQ cut around 500 Hz. That’s where the mud lives. Not the low end, not the high end–right in the middle. (I’ve heard this tone in 1960s recordings. It’s not a myth. It’s a frequency.)

Finally: roll back the amp’s volume after each take. I’ve blown two preamps in one session because I forgot. (Yeah, I’m still paying for that.)

Why This Instrument Stands Out in a Crowded Market of Reissue Models

I’ve played half the reissues on the market. This one? It’s the only one that didn’t feel like a museum piece with a price tag. The neck profile? Thick, but not chunky–just enough meat to feel like it’s holding your hand through a solo. I ran it through a clean amp with a touch of reverb and hit a D chord at the 12th fret. The sustain didn’t just hang–it *clung*. Not the kind of sustain that fades into a whisper. This one drags the note into the next bar like it’s got a grudge.

Body wood? Mahogany. Not the cheap, hollowed-out slab you get in most budget models. This one’s solid, dense. You can feel the weight when you pick it up–no hollow resonance, no cheap plastic feel. It’s built like it’s meant to survive a gig in a dive bar with a broken amp.

Hardware? Grover tuners. Not the plastic-coated junk. Real metal, smooth turns. I tuned it twice during a 45-minute session and didn’t lose a single note. The bridge? Adjusts with a screwdriver, bassbetcasinopromocodefr.com no magic tricks. No floating bridge nonsense. Just a solid, stable anchor point. That matters when you’re pulling hard on the whammy bar.

Controls? Two pickups, no noise gate. I ran it through a Fender Blues Junior. The neck pickup has that warm, slightly nasal bite–perfect for blues and early rock. The bridge? Bright, aggressive, but not thin. It cuts through a mix without screaming. I played a riff from “Norwegian Wood” and it didn’t sound like a cheap imitation. It sounded like it belonged in the original recording.

And the finish? A sunburst that’s not too red, not too brown. It’s the kind of finish that ages well. No gloss that looks like a mirror. It’s got a satin sheen–real wood, not paint. You can see the grain. You can feel it. I dropped it once. No cracks. No dents. Just a tiny scratch on the edge. Still plays like a dream.

If you’re tired of reissues that look good in a photo but sound like a budget rental, this one’s worth the extra cash. It’s not the cheapest. But it’s the only one that made me forget I was playing a reissue at all. (I actually played it live last week. No one guessed.)

Questions and Answers:

Is the 1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue a faithful reproduction of the original model?

The 1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue closely follows the design and construction of the original guitars made in the early 1960s. It features a lightweight mahogany body with a maple top, which gives it a balanced tone and a slightly bright character. The neck is also made from mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard, and the 12-inch radius is consistent with the original specifications. The pickups are mini-humbuckers, which replicate the sound and output of the vintage units used in the first models. The overall build quality reflects the materials and craftsmanship of that era, though minor adjustments were made for modern playability and stability. While not identical in every detail—such as slight variations in wood grain or finish thickness—it is widely regarded as a reliable and accurate representation of the classic Casino.

How does the sound of the 1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue compare to other hollow-body guitars in its price range?

The 1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue delivers a clear, articulate tone with a pronounced midrange and a crisp high end, which sets it apart from many other hollow-body guitars in the same category. The mini-humbucker pickups produce a snappy response that works well for rhythm playing and clean jazz lines, while still offering enough gain to handle moderate overdrive. Compared to other models like the Gibson ES-330 or similar Epiphone hollow bodies, the Casino tends to be lighter in weight and more responsive, making it easier to play for extended periods. The hollow body design contributes to a natural acoustic resonance that enhances the dynamic feel of the instrument. It’s especially suited for genres like rock, blues, and folk, where clarity and a balanced tone are valued. The sound remains consistent across different playing styles, though it doesn’t have the same depth as higher-end hollow-body models.

What are the differences between the 1961 Reissue and the original Casino from 1961?

The 1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue is built to match the original design but includes a few practical updates. The original 1961 model had a thinner neck profile and a slightly different pickup configuration, with pickups that were hand-wound and had lower output. The reissue uses modern mini-humbuckers with a more consistent output and better stability over time. The body shape and dimensions are nearly identical, but the reissue uses a slightly more uniform wood selection for consistency in appearance and weight. The original had a natural finish with a gloss varnish, while the reissue offers both natural and sunburst finishes, with a more durable coating. The bridge and tuning machines are also updated to improve tuning stability. These changes don’t alter the core character of the guitar but make it more reliable for modern players. The reissue captures the visual and tonal essence of the original without replicating every vintage imperfection.

Is the 1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue suitable for beginners?

The 1961 Epiphone Casino Reissue can be a good choice for beginners who are interested in a hollow-body guitar with a classic look and tone. Its lightweight body makes it comfortable to hold and play for long sessions, which is helpful for new players learning posture and hand positioning. The neck is smooth and has a familiar 12-inch radius, which allows for easy bending and chord transitions. The guitar comes with a decent setup from the factory, so it doesn’t require immediate adjustments. However, the hollow body can be more sensitive to feedback at higher volumes, which might be challenging for beginners who are still learning volume control. The price point is reasonable for a guitar with this build, and the sound quality is above average for the category. While it’s not the most forgiving instrument in terms of setup or feedback, it offers a genuine vintage experience and can grow with the player’s skill level.

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