The slim-taper neck, with its medium gauge fretwire and a 355mm (14-inch) radius makes for a very comfortable feel and low-playing action. We also see the inclusion of parallelogram-shaped block inlays placed neatly into the rosewood fretboard, as seen on original Casinos of that period. In keeping with the original, the 22-fret neck joins the body at the 16th fret, which is three further back than a centre-blocked ES-335 and one further than our Chinese-made standard Casino. However its scratchplate, as on our regular Casino, is still a little cheap looking and it's common for players to remove it. The 'Inspired By' also features a more vintage-correct sunburst than its Chinese counterpart, where the 'burst is wider to the edges and has a more luxurious, deeper gradient as seen on sixties examples.

Like the ES-330, the Casino's maple laminate body is completely hollow and shares the distinctive twin-cutaway shape with single-layer, off-white binding on the front and back edges, which in this case is extremely well done. The upgraded fittings include two Gibson USA P-90 pickups with dog-ear, nickel-plated covers and a Switchcraft-made three-way toggle switch and output jack. Hear it in action in the following audio demo: Here, Epiphone has borrowed Gibson Custom's Historic 'Inspired By' moniker as a means to upgrade the standard Casino with USA appointments, but retain that famous artist relation at a modest price - perhaps due to the fact that Epiphone has, as mentioned, discontinued the USA-built equivalent. Contemporary players such as Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher have also become synonymous with Epiphone semis but, as we know, their inspiration draws directly from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

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