Epiphone Casino Worn Hollowbody - Worn Olive Drab Reviews

I absolutely love this guitar. It's "age appropriate" in the sense that it's way lighter then my 335, and easy on my aging hands due it its headstock being a lesser distance from the body than is the 335. Also, the neck profile (C-Shape on the "Worn") was more comfortable for me. Shout out to my long standing sales person, Tommy Heil, for giving me expert advice and having lots of patience.

I know… It's made in China, it's a hollow body, the Epiphone resale value isn't great. None of it matters. This Casino sounds amazing. It does clean, it growls, it's so musical. By far my favorite reasonably priced guitar yet. Thanks to my rep, Ken Nace, love the guitar, love Sweetwater!

First off, I want to thank Sweetwater and in particular David Wharam, my Sweetwater sales engineer. David helped me put together my purchase, apply my Gear Exchange bucks to support my purchase as well as help me with the setup I ordered with the purchase. I received my order in the Gator Journeyman case I ordered as a part of the purchase and it was like Christmas in July when I opened the case and found this beautiful guitar in it, perfectly set up and intonated and only a slight tweak to the G3 and E1 strings to bring them into tune (it got delivered on a 90º day and I had let it settle in a 78º house for several hours before opening).

I immediately played every Beatles song I knew. The video attached is me just starting to play "The Night Before" and forgetting the chords (lol), neck pickup with a little rolled off on both volume and tone knobs with a little compression on a dynacomp through my Marshall amp clean channel with the gain set to about noon. I later played though a VOX VT20x on the AC30 preset (no video) and got even a better Beatles sound. I played "I Feel Fine", "Nowhere Man", "Hard Day's Night" and really enjoyed the sound. What does it sound like? I have an older Epi ES335pro and did a sound compare on the Vox amp. I was able to get the Casino to feedback (at higher volume). The P90s are punchier sound than the humbuckers, but there's the fullness of the hollowbody behind that crispness. It's just a different sound. I also have a Epi SG special with P90s and if anybody says it's just the pickups that make the sound, I would challenge that. The hollowbody gives a completely different presence.After playing for several hours, I preferred the neck and mid pickups instead of the sound of the bridge pickup alone(it's not bad, just not preferable to the other two settings). It's a very Jazzy sound to my ear.

The color and finish are awesome. It's so different than my other guitars. My wife says it looks like a chalkboard, and not in a pejorative way. The neck shape took a couple of minutes to get used to, and the difference with the ES335's access to the higher frets was suddenly apparent. This is a rhythm guitar on which you can plan some bluesy licks, but don't think you going to bend and scream on the 18th fret. It seems to hold its tune really well (I have to say my 335 doesn't get this praise, and I blame the tuners on that model)

Overall this was a great guitar and I am absolutely happy with my purchase.

Reviewing Epiphone Casino Worn Olive Drab

I bought about a dozen different electric guitars from Sweetwater in the last year and a half. I'm not a guitarist yet, still learning. (I'm a piano player and teacher). This is the first guitar where I felt like my review could maybe help someone else.

This Epiphone Casino is real easy to love, it sounds fantastic, it plays easy. I actually feel it is actively helping me find great notes and phrases! Not a TRACE of fighting me in any way. I have not felt this good about any other guitar that I have played. Except maybe the Epiphone Broadway, I love it a lot too.

That's all I got, Highly recommended!

Good value for the money. A fun guitar to play and use during recording. No regrets!

It's a beautiful guitar! If you're a fan of the Casino, I wouldn't hesitate. No better place to buy than from Sweetwater. Mike is always helpful with any questions I have and has remained personable for years now.

Nothing "drab" about this guitar! Shout out to my Sweetwater Rep- Loui Al-Ayoubi for advice and heads up on another GREAT guitar to add to my collection. Another excellent Epiphone for the price point that does NOT disappoint. I was skeptical watching the various reviews but when a guitar keeps getting back ordered ..... must be something to it. So i finally decided for this price point was not much to lose. All the reviews are true! I enjoy this guitar as much as my Fender Custom Shop instruments. Ready roll right out of the box, tuned it and off we go. Thanks Sweetwater and give my guy Loui Al-Ayoubi a call for anything Sweetwater.

Waited a year for this bad boy! Very excited to play it !

The olive drab color is more beautiful in person! Play a chord and the whole thing vibrates, top, back, neck and headstock! I play this thing for hours on end! And it's a joy to noodle around plugged or unplugged. Get one...or two. It's one of those models that you'd regret not getting when it gets discontinued. Buy it now so you won't have to scour web in the future. Add to cart!

Such a great addition to the collection. The pickups are great. Roll off volume for nice cleans then roll them up and push your amp to some great over driven tones. The finish is super comfortable and easy to play. The visible grain doesn't scream expensive but does work great for playability. If you aren't looking for a beautiful show piece, just a great playing screamer then you won't be disappointed.

This is not a budget guitar. This is a great guitar at a budget price. I have another casino that doesn't compare to this one. The neck is great, it is so light and honestly just looks incredible.due to the pandemic and all the problems with shipping I waited 9 months since I ordered it. Well worth the wait. Thank you Patrick and Sweetwater!

This thing is easily worth 4 times the price.

The build quality is impeccable. The binding is perfectly flush, the finish is beautiful and evenly applied and the intonation was extremely close out of the box (I only had to move the G string saddle back a bit to set it, all the other strings were perfect). The headstock has a nice molded profile to the sides - this is something I haven't seen on other Epiphone guitars.

The PRO p90 pickups are fantastic. I have 11 other electrics from an epi 335 to a Gibson Les Paul Traditional to modded teles and strats and I never could quite find that classic clear tone with a thick rich drive when you dig into it that I've been looking for - this Casino has that sound!

Every website/listing likes to talk about the Beatles… that comparison doesn't speak to what this guitar is capable of. This is more in line with Gary Clark Jr., The Black Crowes, Jack White and The Allman Brothers Band sounds. Think rich, bluesy rock. It's much cooler than "the Beatles guitar".

Plug this sucker into a Vox and you're in business.

The C shape neck is very comfortable- it has a flat back with rounded sides. Plus, with the satin finish your hand moves more freely up and down the neck. It's nice to play unplugged too, it's fully hollow so it plays/sounds like a quieter acoustic unplugged.

The knobs/pots are really cool looking and work great with no scratching. They have even adjustments - no quick falls after a certain number like you see with others in this price range. They have a cool old school tab to show where you are on the dial (no pictures show this little detail).

All in all - super cool vintage vibe, sweet clean tone with a fun roaring bite on the gain - excellent guitar.

I was amazed at the playability and build quality of this guitar! Epi continues to improve. I really like the color as well! For the price you just can't go wrong with this guitar. Being a Beatles fan only adds to the fun with this instrument! Then add the amazing service Sweetwater gives you and it's a giant win all around! I have other more expensive guitars and yet I still find time to enjoy this thing! Of course I had to change a few things on it to make it more of "my guitar" like the black pickguard, black speedknobs and I found an olive drab strap for it …

Just like everybody else who watched The Beatles "Get Back" documentary near the end of 2021, I was inspired to buy a Casino.
Something about the worn olive drab just looked so cool, so that's the model I went with.
The wait was almost comical. My awesome sales rep, Mark Bruhn, would text me about every month or so with updates that would always result in a delay because of production setbacks. But finally, it came - almost a year to the day after ordering it!
Man - what an amazing guitar for the money. I spent a little extra getting a new bone nut and frets plek'd and man, it plays better than guitars I own that are worth 5 times as much. The satin finish on the neck was what really grabbed me. It feels amazing. The neck was thinner and wider than other Casinos I've played, but it was very comfortable. The only thing I would've wanted was some Gibson p-90's in it, but the stock Epi's do not disappoint. This is, IMHO, the very best guitar you can get for $. If you've been considering a Casino, don't hesitate on the worn series. They're amazing.

There is a good reason 3 out of 4 mop tops bought this guitar. Very versatile, easy to play, slim neck, pinned bridge, hollow body (yes it feeds back easily), p90's for that bright yet balanced sound, and extremely light weight.

I had some electronics problems, Sweetwater took care of me, as usual. Thank you

I really enjoy it.

Sounds great, looks and feels great! I thank God that He let me get this! Can't wait to learn some jazz for this!

I was surprised that this guitar nailed the sounds I was looking for. This is no cheap imitation but the real deal. It is easy to play and was set up perfectly. That P-90 growl when overdriven brings back memories of old. It's the hot dog with mustard only in my opinion and the way I like it. Lots of experimenting left to do yet but so far so good. The pots are great. They are very useful and don't kill or muddy the tone when adjusted neat. A lone chorus effect or flange is nice also. For what it's worth a great instrument.

Pros:
-Sounds great even when unplugged. The P90s sound fantastic!
-Tuners holds tune well and has a smooth operation.
-Olive drab looks better in person.
-The neck has a fast satin feel and doesn't feel too thin nor too thick.
-Comfortable to play. Very light yet balanced body.

Cons:
-Some sharp fret edges (not uncommon on this price range)
-The nut seemed unevenly cut/seated when looking from both sides of the fretboard. (At least on the one I got)
-Volume cuts off at halfway turn of the knob (might replace it)


Overall it's a pretty decent guitar for the price point. It's fun to play especially if you're a Beatles fan like me. Needs adjustments like most guitars do.

Finish is killer, pickups sound great. Playability out of the box... is killer. Don't get me wrong set up was needed but for small things you'd get from a guitar worth 3-4 times as much.

My only gripe is the saddle piece is a bit loose on the treble side, but for the price the thing really is great. The neck profile is interesting, thin yet square feeling I've never played anything like it before, it's plays very fast.

Also another plus is the pots have a fantastic tapper.


Over all this guitar is the best bang for the buck I've seen in a long time.

An amazing guitar that doesn't stay in tune.

I've had my worn black Casino about 6 weeks and in that time the cross threaded output jack finally broke and the pickup selector switch quit working properly. The cheap pots have no fade to speak of until you hit about 7 then you get a jump in volume like you activated a boost pedal. Other than the powerful P90s being nice and jangly the harness and especially the components build is crap. So what your doing if you buy this guitar is investing in a Casino kit guitar pre finished with a cheap flat paint that you will need to buy or build a new wiring harness for with upgraded components. While your at it you might as well do a proper refinish unless you do like the cheesy open pored flat.