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Elitest 1965 Casino or Gibson ES-330L Reissue


23miles

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Well, ive played a casino on many occasions, and own a vintage 330........if it were me i would advise against the 330L. The neck connects at the 19th fret (i think) where the original connected at the 15th. Ive heard horror stories about the long neck versions. The the guitar tends to break in half.......or so ive heard.....other than that, there virtually the same guitar.

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Well, ive played a casino on many occasions, and own a vintage 330........if it were me i would advise against the 330L. The neck connects at the 19th fret (i think) where the original connected at the 15th. Ive heard horror stories about the long neck versions. The the guitar tends to break in half.......or so ive heard.....other than that, there virtually the same guitar.

 

 

That doesn't sound right. Wouldn't that be covered by the limited lifetime warranty in any event?

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Thanks for the suggestions, but I am not in the market for a semi-hollow. I have a couple of really nice semi-hollow guitars (Gibson CS-336 and Blueshawk, G&L Tribute ASAT Semi and a DeArmond Starfire Special.) I really like the sounds of Casino. In fact, I have an standard Epiphone Casino and I love its sound. I am just thinking about upgrading the Casino.

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  • 4 months later...
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I'm not sure how closely looked at the tech specs, but the new ES-330L does allow higher fret access, and true, this did cause a problem with Casinos & 330s made c.1970. But the new ES-330L has a longer neck tenon, which should alleviate the reliability problem.

 

The higher neck access also necessitates the placement of the neck pickup closer to the bridge than that of a Casino. Not sure how this will affect tone, but I'm sure it will.

 

Price wise, the 330L is priced identically to the JL Casino, and about $1k more than a new Elitist. I believe the only difference between the Elitist and JL series is the poly vs. lacquer finishes.

 

That said, I haven't played one of the new 330s yet, but have owned elitist and JL Casinos. But the best Casino I've ever played was a 1996 MIJ (pre-elitist) guitar.

 

Best of luck.

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i much, much, much prefer the feel of the elitist neck to the es-330 neck, which feels a little chunkier and slower. almost squared off, in an odd way. and i guess i just prefer poly necks. the 330's acoustic tone was pretty unimpressive, for what that's worth.

 

and i guess i'd trust the elitist quality more, although every elitist i've come across has had suspect switching/wiring issues. but {censored} man, it's like a thousand dollars cheaper. and i also feel they look snazzier over all, though the red 330 is quite pretty.

 

so yeah, a vote for the non lennon elitist casino. full disclosure: my thoughts are based on owning an elitist lp and sheraton, and having plunked on a 330 in a store once.

 

love,

eor

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  • 2 months later...
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Don't know if its too late... if you already bought a new guitar... but I own the 330L. Its an amazing guitar. The best I have owned. It blows away the Elitist.

In comparision... the Elitist feels a little plastic-like, the components seem a little toy-like. The ES-330l feels more vintage to me. The craftsmanship is outstanding. No typical Gibson flaws. The neck has a wider nut than the Casino. 1 11/16". The neck profile is the same as the 339 I believe.. not a slim taper, but not fat. It does sorta have a U shape... but I like that.

 

The pickups on the ES-330L are hotter, which overdrive your amp in a nice way. The other guitar player in my band has an Elitist and he wanted to sell his upon playing my 330L. I have played every single Casino or 330 in the market today, and the 330L is my favorite. A very close second was the John Lennon model, then the Elitist, then the MIK model. The Elitist is a great guitar, best in the price range with out a doubt. But the es-330l is amazing if you want to spend the money.

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  • 1 year later...
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I know this thread has not been active for some time but ....

 

Having the Limited 1965 Lennon sunburst Casino and the Gibson ES 330 L I prefer the ES 330 L . I prefer the Gibson P90s over the Casino pickups as mentioned they are hotter more overdrive and seem just to have more of a rounder sound overall in my opinion .

 

These two guitars some say they sound alike trust me there are comparisons but they both sound different . The ES 330 can be sweet and mellow and it snarls when you pull its tail its just has more attitude than the Casino . Taking nothing away from the Casino great instrument but the ES 330 takes you to where the Casino wont .

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