Epiphone Casino Tone
The idea was to introduce a new design that would keep the prestige of the Epiphone name going strong, and although the Casino looked a lot like a Gibson ES-335 at a glance, it differed in that it was (and still is) a true hollowbody, delivering stage-ready clear, ringing tone that loves to be overdriven. The Epiphone Casino Coupe offers a fantastic sound in a compact body for a very good price. Given the illustrious history of the Epiphone Casino and the musicians that used it, the Coupe has a lot to live up to. As a somewhat scaled-down and compact alternative to the Casino, there are a great number of things that the Coupe does well. See the full review at 1994 Epiphone Casino made at the Peerless plant in Ko.
Over the past year, Gibson has been teasing big updates to the Epiphone line, leading many fans to dream up their own personal wishlists for the famed brand.
So when Epiphone announced the 'Inspired By Gibson' series, some commenters were overjoyed to see that Kalamazoo-era headstocks would now be standard on all such models, softening the sharp-edged silhouette of Epiphone's recent output that many thought looked cheap. And still others were happy to see the Made-In-USA Texan acoustic. But some were left wondering, why just 'Inspired By Gibson' models? Why just the Texan? Why not bring back the Coronet, the Wilshire, or other vintage designs from the pre-Gibson era of the brand?
Well, one thing everyone can get behind is a high-quality, US-made Epiphone Casino—which Gibson has quietly unveiled at its booth at the NAMM 2020 show.
Epiphone Casino Toners
Two Made-In-USA Casinos are on display right next to the Texans, one sporting a classy Vintage Burst finish and the other in a Royal Tan. But that's all the available info right now. From what it sounds like from Gibson booth workers, these are brand-new models that almost didn't make it to NAMM on time, so more details such as pricing and availability very much remain to be seen.
Epiphone's biggest fans may yet have unrequited desires for the future of the brand, but this step will certainly be met with a smile—assuming, perhaps, that the Made-In-USA price-point hews closer to the median Epiphone price as opposed to the median Gibson.
For all the latest gear news and new product announcements from NAMM 2020, check our ongoing coverage here.