Epiphone E230T V Casino, Royal Tan (1963)

These guitars have a 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 truly wonderful looking, sounding, and playing example with all of the aforementioned period features like nickel-plated hardware, an original ABR-1 bridge with nylon saddles, factory original Epiphone trem-o-tone vibrato tailpiece, and original plastics like the E-foil pickguard, reflector knobs, and transitional arrow truss rod cover with 'E' logo. The tuners are vintage style replacements and the wiring harness has modern pots while keeping the pickup original.

The neck profile is a slim/medium C with a chunky taper that plays really fast and clean all over the neck. The guitar was previously refretted with medium-jumbo wire. 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.

With the two pickup version of the same year fetching around double the price, this 1963 Epiphone Casino is a relative bargain.

Price includes the original gray Epiphone hardshell case and original hangtag with serial number printed on it.