Epiphone announce limited edition 50th anniversary 1961 Casino

Excepts from the press release:

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the first 1961 Casino, Epiphone is proud to announce the new, limited-edition 1961 Anniversary Casino, which has many features that were discontinued after the original Casino’s first year of production. Epiphone has produced a total of only 1,961 Anniversary Casinos, each with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity – a quality that enhances the guitar’s appeal and collectability. The exclusive Epiphone 1961 Anniversary Casino is available beginning in July 2011 at authorized Epiphone retailers worldwide for the U.S. MSRP of $1,332 (trapeze tailpiece) and $1,415 (Tremotone™), while supplies last.

Introduced in 1961, the original Casino had a combination of unique features that ultimately were never offered beyond that first year. These include the triangle metal logo badge on the headstock, “Dot” fingerboard inlays, a blank two-ply “bullet” trussrod cover, a tortoise-colored pickguard with foil “E”, and black dog-ear P-90 pickups. Epiphone has faithfully reproduced these features for a one-of-a-kind retro look not found on Casinos produced after 1961. Other features include the correct “burst” patterns on front and back, a neck joint at the 16th fret (instead of the 17th), Wilkinson™ vintage-style tuners with small plastic buttons, and the historically accurate rectangle “blue label” inside the sound hole.

No detail of the original 1961 Casino has been missed. Epiphone has recreated the original U.S.A. made black P90s, which offer a stellar combination of high output and biting treble response. They also feature vintage two-conductor, braided, shielded wiring and black plastic covers. Other electronics faithful to the original Casino include a Switchcraft™ 3-way toggle and 1/4″ output jack.

The Casino is completely hollow, which contributes to its unique, signature sound made most famous by The Beatles. The body is made of five-layer Maple/Birch with a solid Mahogany SlimTaper™ neck, attached using the traditional mortise and tenon neck joint, hand-fitted and glued to the body. Hardware includes a tune-o-matic bridge and the choice of either a Trapeze tailpiece or Epiphone’s new reissue of the original Tremotone™ vibrato. Each 1961 Casino also features an original-style hard case with gray exterior and blue plush interior.

Source: Press Release