Members alanwaston Posted December 26, 2016 Members Share Posted December 26, 2016 I have a few hundred bucks and want to get a Casino or a cheap 335 style guitar. Wondering, can I occasionally get the Casino (P90s) to sound warm, dark, and fat at all, leaning toward a jazz guitar sound? Or should I go with something that has humbuckers and try to get some single coil-ish twang or bite out of them? Essentially, which pickups can more easily get in the neighborhood of the other? I know, I know, I'm asking what I shouldn't ask, but please play along...!Relax: instrumental ringtones, country ringtones, message ringtones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted December 26, 2016 Members Share Posted December 26, 2016 The Casino is a single coil guitar, that's fully hollow.The Dot is a semi hollow with humbuckers.You CAN get a humbucker tone from the P90's with the use of a series/parallel switch.You can get a single coil tone from the humbuckers with the use of a coil tap or a series/parallel switch.If you need diversity, or play at louder volumes, go with the Dot. If you want a more vintage vibe, with a more vintage tone, go with the Casino. But play both first, and decide what fits your hand better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted December 26, 2016 Members Share Posted December 26, 2016 Remember too that if you decide to split coils or replace pups or do any other wiring mods on a hollow or semi hollow body they are basically a bitch to work on - everything happens thru the f-holes or pickup cavities. Better to get the sound that you want without planning to modify it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 I have a few hundred bucks and want to get a Casino or a cheap 335 style guitar. Wondering, can I occasionally get the Casino (P90s) to sound warm, dark, and fat at all, leaning toward a jazz guitar sound? Or should I go with something that has humbuckers and try to get some single coil-ish twang or bite out of them? Essentially, which pickups can more easily get in the neighborhood of the other? I know, I know, I'm asking what I shouldn't ask, but please play along...! You won't get the P90s to sound like humbuckers, but you definitely can get a "jazz guitar" type sound from the Casino by selecting the middle or neck position on the pickup selector and rolling off the tone control(s) a bit. Flatwound strings optional, but they can help too. Remember - the very first electric guitars used for jazz (circa the 1930s and 1940s) used single coil pickups, not humbuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted December 27, 2016 Members Share Posted December 27, 2016 I've just built two guitars, an ES-335 clone and a hollow body archtop and put Seymour Duncan Benedetto humbucking pups in both. In the neck position they are both pure jazz boxes, the owner of the 335 calls it "lush", in the bridge they have a pretty good bark and you could certainly play rock'n'roll (but it would be a sacrilege). 'course right now I'm building a couple of tele clones and putting P-90's in them.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members papaschtroumpf Posted December 27, 2016 Members Share Posted December 27, 2016 I have a Dot, and some day I'll have a P90 guitar because they are both very different guitars. The Dot is more versatile and won't buzz. So unless you know you want a casino you should get the dot. You can get a great jazz tone with the neck PU and rolling the tone control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted December 27, 2016 Members Share Posted December 27, 2016 The Riviera used to be higher end semi Epi made an the Casino the low end. I owned a 60's Rivera which had Mini Humbuckers. It had a super slim neck and Frequensator tail piece. Great guitar, as good as any vintage Gibson made in the US. The imported DOT I bought doesn't come close to the real thing. It looks good but doesn't sound very good, highly generic, in fact for semi hollow tone you could do much better buying an Ibanez for the same money and get a much better instrument. If you're set on an Epi DOT, save a little more and get a Sheraton. You'll get a better bang for the buck. Not sure about the new Rivera's. They weren't originally designed for P90's, the Casino's were. The best part about the Rivera were the mini HB,s. They reissued the Rivera for a short time with Mini HB's maybe 10 years ago or so. Those would bet the ones you want if you could find one. The new ones don't look to be anything like the originals. The fugly Bigsby is likely to be a tone killer too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted December 27, 2016 Members Share Posted December 27, 2016 I have a few hundred bucks and want to get a Casino or a cheap 335 style guitar. Wondering, can I occasionally get the Casino (P90s) to sound warm, dark, and fat at all, leaning toward a jazz guitar sound? Or should I go with something that has humbuckers and try to get some single coil-ish twang or bite out of them? Essentially, which pickups can more easily get in the neighborhood of the other? I know, I know, I'm asking what I shouldn't ask, but please play along...! Pat Metheny, George Benson John Scofield and many other jazzers, have guitars with hummbucker in them. The new Epiphone Casios and ES 335 dots are made in China. They are a pretty damn good guitar for 500 bucks, but that's where it ends. They are not great guitars. If you ever have the chance to try a Gibson ES 335 and the Casino Elitist, you will quickly see the difference in all around quality, and over all craftsmanship. Then price wise that's basically putting another decimal place on the end of the price tag. Both the Benson and Metheny models are more costly than the Epiphone Casino and ES 335, but imo they are much nicer. That is if you want to play mostly jazz. They have a floating bridge, which can contribute to the sound. String it up with a set of Daddario flat wound chromes and you nail a very tasty jazz sound. You get a re very nice case with these Ibanez guitars too. This would be a dedicated jazz box, and not something you are gonna rock out on. If you want versatility go with the ES 335. The D'Angelico EXL-1. was recommended. I have a couple of Godin 5th Ave (P90's sytle pups on both) and one is set up with flat wounds. They tend to be more old skool roots blues, but they can get a very nice jazz sound. A used Godin 5th Avenue Composer GT, would be worth looking at, since the resale value is far from good on Godin stuff. Here's the product line. [video=youtube;pE9d0V93cv0] As always, don't get to jacked up on any guitar purchase, until you can get it into your paws and really find out if you love it and it will work for you. Any true hollowbody you buy will feed back if you push he volume on your amp. This is not always bad thing, until it is, and you find a compromise when you are playing more rock stuff on your guitar. Personally I'd set up a nice dedicated jazz box and stick with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted December 27, 2016 Members Share Posted December 27, 2016 I have an Epi Dot and about the only caveat is it's no 335. It's very shrill by comparison. I don't think there's any mahogany in it either. Other than that it will produce a satisfying albeit generic range of electric tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted December 27, 2016 Members Share Posted December 27, 2016 I have an Epi Dot and about the only caveat is it's no 335. It's very shrill by comparison. I don't think there's any mahogany in it either. Other than that it will produce a satisfying albeit generic range of electric tones. Even the Gibby ES335 is maple. My fav guitar in the Gibson line up, for all around rock and blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danhedonia Posted December 28, 2016 Members Share Posted December 28, 2016 Can you get a jazz sound from a Casino? Sure; what Phil says. I'd add a general thought that "it's easier to subtract tone than to add what ain't there." I'd also second what WRKGMC wrote about Sheratons/Rivieras -- infinitely better than a Dot IMO, and not too much more expensive. Also, I have a recent MIC Ibanez 12-string semi hollow that's a darn nice guitar. One more thing to consider: used market. You might find something unusual (we have a sudden, curious plethora of Hagstroms around here) that fits the bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AlamoJoe Posted December 28, 2016 Members Share Posted December 28, 2016 I just got an Epi 339 Pro for Christmas and it's a pretty sweet guitar. The body, while it looks like an 335, is smaller. It comes equipped with push/pull volume knobs that drop the pickups from humbucker to single coils. Was $469 at Sweetwater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted December 29, 2016 Members Share Posted December 29, 2016 The Epiphone Wildkat is something you could look at too. Pretty inexpensive at 399 and 449 with a licensed Bigsby.The necks are a touch on the chunky side. If you looked through the used classifieds, sometimes you'll find one that has been upgraded too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted December 29, 2016 Members Share Posted December 29, 2016 Even the Gibby ES335 is maple. My fav guitar in the Gibson line up, for all around rock and blues. I wasn't aware of this. I thought the neck would be mahogany. I clearly have to rethink this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Sounds sweet - congrats Joe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Midlife Rocker Posted December 29, 2016 Members Share Posted December 29, 2016 I have a Casino and Sheraton II. I looked at the DOT, but I liked the look and feel of the Sheraton II. I've had these for about 5-6 years. The Sheraton I bought new, while the Casino I picked up used. My one comment is that the Casino is a bear playing live. I love the neck and tone of the Casino, but, every time I've practiced with my band, I fight the feedback. It was too distracting. So, it's used mainly for recording or home use. I know Paul McCartney uses a Casino live, but he has plenty of techs to make sure the feedback is controlled. The Sheraton, I've played live and it sounds awesome. I play it through tube amps, but use it mainly for blues. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31886915[/ATTACH] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted December 29, 2016 Members Share Posted December 29, 2016 I am by no means a expert but my research into 335 style guitars (while I was building them) indicated that most had mahogany necks. The center block might be maple, mahogany or even bass wood - I think most were maple. And to say that the body is maple is a bit of a misnomer - remember that these are laminated (ie plywood) guitars - they are made from maple veneers . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted December 29, 2016 Members Share Posted December 29, 2016 I wasn't aware of this. I thought the neck would be mahogany. I clearly have to rethink this. Yes the neck is mahogany on mine. Back side and top are maple/ popular/ maple 3 ply, on a traditional 335. However the ES 335 studio has a maple neck. BB King's guitar Lucille has a maple neck, and I'm sure others in the ES line up have maple necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AlamoJoe Posted December 30, 2016 Members Share Posted December 30, 2016 Thanks Phil...I manage a new guitar about once every 20 years so it's big doin's for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AlamoJoe Posted December 30, 2016 Members Share Posted December 30, 2016 Nice collection! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danhedonia Posted January 6, 2017 Members Share Posted January 6, 2017 Ever think about another color? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Midlife Rocker Posted January 9, 2017 Members Share Posted January 9, 2017 Danhedonia ...Do they make guitars in other colors? :-)My first was the Gibson LP Classic triple PUP. Really like the black finish, and got hooked since then. I do have some others that are not black:Ibanez Roadstar II RS1000Gibson LP Deluxe GoldtopStandard Strat in WhiteFender P-Bass in Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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