A lot of people look at the Epiphone Casino and see a “jazz” guitar. Or they mistake it for a budget Gibson ES-335. Wrong.

The ES-335 has a solid block of wood running down the center to tame the noise. The Epiphone Casino is fully hollow.

Why does that matter? Because without that center block, this guitar is essentially a microphone for the air around you. It is lighter, louder, and more dangerous.

This is the guitar Paul McCartney bought in 1962 (before John or George had one). It’s the guitar Keith Richards used to record the demo for “Satisfaction.” But most famously, it is the guitar John Lennon stripped down to its natural wood finish and played on the Apple Corps rooftop in 1969.

When you hear that biting, aggressive, “fuzzy” distortion on the White Album? That isn’t a Strat. That isn’t a Les Paul. That is the chaotic magic of an Epiphone Casino being pushed to the limit.

THE ALCHEMY

Why It Howls (In a Good Way)

The Casino is a paradox. It looks polite, but when you plug it in, it wants to fight.

The “Hollow” Factor

Because there is no center block, the notes bloom differently. You can feel the entire body vibrating against your ribs when you play. And here is the secret: Controlled Feedback. Gary Clark Jr. uses the Casino because he can lean into his amp and get that musical, singing sustain that only a fully hollow body can produce.

The P-90 Snarl

Humbuckers are smooth; single-coils are glassy. The Dogear P-90s in this Casino are the brawlers of the pickup world. They have a fat, midrange-heavy punch that cuts through a mix like a knife. When you play clean, they chime like a bell. When you add overdrive? They get “furry” and aggressive in a way no other pickup does.

The “Lennon” Specs

This Natural finish isn’t just a color choice; it’s a nod to history. Lennon believed stripping the paint off his Casino allowed the wood to “breathe” better. Whether it’s placebo or physics, this Natural finish highlights the resonant Maple body in its purest form.

FROM THE FLOOR

Why Cory Hand-Selected This One

At Moore Guitars, we don’t believe in “stock.” Every guitar has to earn its place on our wall. We passed on others to get to this specific serial number.

“This guitar is absolutely feral. I love it.

The second you plug it in, you realize this isn’t a polite instrument. It’s fully hollow, so it feels like it’s vibrating apart in your hands. It wants to howl. It wants to feed back. It dares you to control it.

I grabbed this one specifically because it has the most aggressive acoustic ‘bark’ I’ve heard in the shop all month. When you dig in, it snarls back at you.

It’s raw, it’s noisy, and it feels dangerous. If you want a guitar that plays it safe, buy a Strat. If you want to feel like you’re standing on a rooftop in 1969, you buy this.”

— Cory, Moore Guitars

THE MOORE GUITARS PROMISE

You are buying from gigging musicians, not a warehouse robot.

We checked the intonation on the trapeze tailpiece—it’s locked in. We tested the P-90s to ensure they have that equal balance of “bite” and “body.” We strummed it acoustically to make sure the top is resonating freely.

You can buy a guitar that fits in the background, or you can buy the guitar that stood front and center on the roof of Apple Corps. The Epiphone Casino is a piece of rock and roll royalty that you can actually afford.

Own the legend.