Epiphone E230T Casino, Royal Tan (USED, 1965)

We're on a heavy one-pickup kick lately here at TME, and it's not just all about Junior-style guitars. Old, new, solid, hollow - it doesn't really matter. There's a certain tonal magic in these single-pickup instruments that their dual-pickup counterparts just don't have, for better or worse.

Take for instance this 1965 Epiphone E230T Casino in its original Royal Tan finish. It features the Goldilocks of pickup positions - not quite the neck position, not quite the bridge position, but juuust right in the middle. The result is almost exactly what you'd think it would be; there's more chime and brilliance, especially in the trebles, than what you'd get in the neck position, and there's more warmth and fullness on the wound strings, which would make any bridge pickup jealous. Combine that kind of response with a fully hollow thinline, and you can only imagine the possibilities this mid 60s Casino is capable of.

As often they do, 1965 Gibson/Epiphone builds feature the then-newly adapted narrow nut of 1 9/16". Chrome plated hardware is almost exclusively found throughout as well. The change in neck feel is usually the single biggest point of contention with mid and late 60s Gibson-made instruments. Some players get hung up on the narrower nut and spacing, and others welcome it. The good news is that it doesn't impact how good of a guitar it is. And this is a good one...

Single-pickup Casinos (and 330s for that matter) have this lyrical sensibility about them and how they deliver tonally - maybe it's the acoustic energy at play here (which is quite lively), but they always seem to pull that kind of playing style out. They're incredibly dynamic, allowing the player to control fundamental tone without even touching the volume or tone controls. Resonant bloom into a clean amp is so satisfying, and when you feed it some gain/drive, the controlled feedback element is just addicting. The versatility sneaks up on you, really.

This is a very well-kept example with all of the aforementioned period features like chrome-plated hardware, an original ABR-1 bridge with nylon saddles, trapeze tailpiece, chrome covered dogear P90 pickup, and clean original plastics like the pickguard and reflector knobs. The neck profile is a slim C with a somewhat large taper that plays really fast and clean all over the neck. Frets are in very good shape as well. The A and D tuners are drop-in Kluson replacements, albeit of the single-line variety as opposed to the double-line style seen on the remaining four tuners. The guitar certainly shows its age with light to moderate finish wear throughout, but there are no major battle scars and it's free from breaks.

It received a fantastic refret from our good friend Laurent Brondel in early 2023, which has dramatically increased playability and intonation.

With the two pickup version of the same year fetching around double the price, this 1965 Epiphone Casino is a steal considering just how much guitar you can squeeze out of it. 

Price includes aftermarket hardshell case.

• Laminated Maple hollow body w/ original Royal Tan finish
  
• Mahogany neck with bound Rosewood fingerboard and single parallelogram inlays
• Original frets
• 1 9/16" nut width
• Slim C neck profile: .79" @ 1st fret / .94" @ 12th fret
• Refret by Laurent Brondel (2023)
• Original Kluson double line tuners
• Original Gibson ABR-1 bridge w/ nylon saddles
• Original trapeze tailpiece
• Original pickguard with foil 'Epsilon' logo
• Original P90 pickup: 8.6k bridge
• Weight: 6lb 3oz