NGW: Epi Casino
Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 7:42 am
After much consideration to buy a damn hollowbody after not playing one in over 15 years that I can recall...the Casino won. P90s. DC-335-type fun. Not a Beatles fan by any stretch, or a Lennon-head at all beyond the first (amazing) solo album...I just knew I didn't want a semi-hollow monster and I didn't want buckers.
So after much conflict and budget-checking (where I couldn't justify spending the extra $300 on an "Inspired by Lennon" model for a case and pickups that would probably not be distinguishable by mortal man who wasn't sniffing cork on a Dumble), it arrived earlier this week.
For a $600 hollowbody, not bad at all. I was NOT willing to go dirt cheap and dare the Casino coupe on mailorder, where any savings would have been eaten by return shipping. Fit and finish is very good except for one slightly sharp fret overhang that I fixed in < 5m of work once I decided to keep the thing. It sounds like a Casino, and snarls on demand.
It certainly is a very, very limited pony in terms of number of tricks up its sleeve, but 'not dark as night jazzbox' and snarling fuzzbeast are enough to warrant keeping it. Light, resonant, it's like having a personal monitor at even loud living room volumes strapped to my chest.
Did I mention it LOVES the ebow with a howling passion from hell? Oh, I shouldn't have said that, because it makes three tricks.
Now I just need some stickers and black speed knobs to make it look less like I want to be in a Beatles tribute band with the VI and this..thing.
I must say though I started recording with it right off the bat and was happy once I dialed in the Jazz Chorus so it wasn't the king of shrill to match. Very, very happy.
Not sure I'd still trust myself to gig with a hollowbody if I was physically able...but...why did I wait this long?

So after much conflict and budget-checking (where I couldn't justify spending the extra $300 on an "Inspired by Lennon" model for a case and pickups that would probably not be distinguishable by mortal man who wasn't sniffing cork on a Dumble), it arrived earlier this week.
For a $600 hollowbody, not bad at all. I was NOT willing to go dirt cheap and dare the Casino coupe on mailorder, where any savings would have been eaten by return shipping. Fit and finish is very good except for one slightly sharp fret overhang that I fixed in < 5m of work once I decided to keep the thing. It sounds like a Casino, and snarls on demand.
It certainly is a very, very limited pony in terms of number of tricks up its sleeve, but 'not dark as night jazzbox' and snarling fuzzbeast are enough to warrant keeping it. Light, resonant, it's like having a personal monitor at even loud living room volumes strapped to my chest.
Did I mention it LOVES the ebow with a howling passion from hell? Oh, I shouldn't have said that, because it makes three tricks.
Now I just need some stickers and black speed knobs to make it look less like I want to be in a Beatles tribute band with the VI and this..thing.
I must say though I started recording with it right off the bat and was happy once I dialed in the Jazz Chorus so it wasn't the king of shrill to match. Very, very happy.
Not sure I'd still trust myself to gig with a hollowbody if I was physically able...but...why did I wait this long?
