The SCC Music Department recently received a gift that will keep on giving: a vintage, electric guitar with a legendary reputation. This classically cool guitar was donated to the school by Shoreline resident, Joseph Martin Maddelin. Whether you know anything about guitars or not, everyone can appreciate a musical treasure that has led an incredibly talented following for decades.

The Epiphone Casino has been in the spotlight since the early sixties due to its steady adoration by The Beatles. The Casino sound appeared on every Beatles album from Help through Abbey Road. John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney have all owned and played an Epiphone Casino. Paul still records and tours with the same Epiphone Casino he purchased in 1964. Over the last decade, new artists like Gary Clark Jr., Radiohead, Paul Weller, and Brendan Benson, (Raconteurs), have also become Epiphone Casino fans, along with a huge following of serious guitar collectors.

Most Notable Players of the Epiphone Casino:
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Dave Davies (Kinks), Keith Richards, Noel Gallagher, Gary Clark Jr., Paul Weller, Lenny Kravitz, and Dwight Yoakam.

A Star Was Born
The Epiphone Casino was one of the primary thinline hollow bodied guitars produced by Epiphone, following the company’s purchase by Gibson in 1957. First released in 1961, the Casino was considered Epiphone’s version of the Gibson ES-330, which never caught on like the Casino. It features a full hollowbody without a wood center block running through the middle, giving players a clear, ringing tone that can be pushed into overdrive. It was considered an ideal guitar for stage and studio. Casino owners have referred to it as “the ultimate rock and roll guitar.”

Features of our 1963 Epiphone Casino:
– Thinline fully hollow archtop
– Laminate maple body, Royal Tan finish
– One-piece mahogany neck
– Bound Brazilian rosewood fretboard with single Parallelogram inlays
– Two nickel plated single-coil P90 pickups
– Trapeze tailpiece
– Kluson Deluxe Tuners: volume (x2) & tone controls (x2)

Stay tuned to the SCC Music Department events calendar on shoreline.edu/music for your chance to see and hear this classic guitar LIVE.