We’re attempting to look past players’ preconceptions and emotions, focusing instead on the objective issues of cost, components, selection, and value. With all that in mind, we thought we'd spend some time today trying to answer what makes Epiphone and Gibson different today.

According to most players, quality for both brands has fluctuated over the past decade or two, as have the exact specs and designs being brought to the table. The truth of the divide, though, is much more complex than a simple split between high- and low-end. The split is considered to be cheap vs expensive, imported vs American-made, and at its core, budget-friendliness vs historic quality. It's a long and entwined history, but for most modern players, Epiphone is seen first and foremost as the current low-end of the wider Gibson catalog. In 1957, Gibson purchased Epiphone and used the brand as a way to broaden their distribution network and, eventually, to expand production beyond just the US. The two companies were competitors in the archtop market in the 1930s and during the development of the earliest electric models. Optional hardshell case available separately.Gibson and Epiphone are two of the oldest brands in the whole history of guitar production, especially when focusing on electrics.

Now available in three new Worn finishes, including Worn Olive Drab, Worn Ebony, and Worn Blue Denim, these Casinos still feature the classic design elements that make the model a legend, including a thin 5-ply maple hollow body, two Dogear P-90 pickups and a mahogany neck with a 60's 'C' profile. Over the years it has been the choice of players including blues legend Howlin' Wolf, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, and John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison of The Beatles. Since 1961, the Casino™ has been Epiphone's best-selling archtop and a rock 'n' roll standard.

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