Mark7

Since it wouldn't be my main guitar I wouldn't want to spend more than £300 on one,

Full disclosure. I'd really like a P90 equipped semi but even the Epis are out of my price range.  I suppose I could settle for a thinline T style guitar with P90s.  But is it the same thing?

I think most of you will know the guitar I mean, without me having to say its name.

I'm also curious as to why Epiphone (or their parent company) enforces its patent so stringently in Europe but lets GFS/Xaviere get away with marketing a blatant clone in the US.

Given the litigious nature of Americans and the relatively easy going nature of European laws when it comes to patents I would have thought the situation would be reversed.  The only other possibility is that it's more expensive to make a HB with P90s and that's why companies like Thomann, with their Harley Benton brand, prefer to equip their semi and full hollow body guitars with Humbuckers only.  It's either one of the above or the Casino is just a terrible guitar that no one in their right mind would want to clone.