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What are the studs for the bridge on a Casino/330 drilled into? It is my understanding that it is fully hollow, and there is nothing but five plies of veneer under the bridge. Surely that isn’t enough to hold the studs, is it?




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Get a mirror on a stick and look in the F-holes. I'll bet you there is a rectangular block glued in there.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I don't have a Casino to look at. Does anyone have one handy they could take a pic of? I assume its a block, I wonder if it goes all the way to the back, and whether it extends under the pickups and to the neck. Is it a true "hollow" body, or just some modified "semi"?

330 are not considered to be semi-hollows like a 335 with a full block. Frankly, I haven't looked at one since the early 80's... and I've slept since then.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

You lost me. What does the bridge of a Casino have to do with your sleep?


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I mean I'm old and forgetful.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Can't answer your question Randy and don't have one in at the moment but I wanted to mention there are at least three iterations of these now built on different continents and by different factories so there may be some difference there too.

They are popular again and we are seeing them frequently so I promise to look and report if one comes in in the next couple of weeks. There is Epiphone USA now too I think making them here again for around $3K IIRC and there is Asian production and of course the originals also made here.

Thanks, Hesh. They are rightfully popular again. I built one a few years ago with a floating bridge, but it doesn't like it when I bend strings and my neck geometry was off. I built it like a thin-line ES175, and I could tell I was missing something. I was hoping to build another one with a TOM bridge, like the Casino's seem to have now, but I seriously doubt I can just push those studs into a hole in the top and think it's going to hold. Just looking at pictures made me go, huh? What's going on here?

According to wiki, it is hollow:

Epiphone Casino

Exactly. So what are these posts anchored to?





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The laminated top, I guess.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I would expect to see a laminated bridge plate inside.

I agree with the others there is probably a patch in there.

But you know too Randy and everyone here because it has a tail piece it does not have the full force of string tension or bending on the bridge studs and instead the load is transferred to the tail piece and end block.

Traditional arch tops have no studs either and instead a floating bridge because of the tail piece. It may not need much in the way of anchoring which would match up with it being hollow.

Oh, I know the bridge isn't holding the tension of the stings. My question is more about longevity. A guitar gets knocked about, and the part that protrudes the most off the top is that bridge. I just can't imagine those 3/16" bolts with a lever arm of 3/4" just sitting in a fitted hole in 3mm thick shop made ply (how do you like my mixed units! ). One good knock and I would think those holes would split. Maybe because it is three ply cross grained
it just isn't a problem. The woodworker in me says bolts through unsupported thin plies of wood is a tragedy waiting to happen.

And yet, I've never heard anyone say, "Stay away from a Casino... the top is prone to splitting at the bridge posts!!" So I figure they have something figured out. I supposed I could sacrifice one of my laminate thin line guitars and just drill into it, set some studs in with glue, and give it to someone younger than me to gig. If it doesn't split, maybe I'm over thinking it.

Perhaps if you get one in Hesh, you can give me a definitive answer. It's bizarre that with all the attention these are getting, and all the Lennon love out there, I haven't been able to find a clear picture of the interior of one of these.

Will do and we are seeing them frequently now, great guitars especially for those of us who like 335's too.

One last thought and you already know this it is a laminate too so I'm betting there is not much in the way of reinforcement there but let's find out for sure when we can.

John Lee Hooker said his Epiphone Sheridan was an 'out did' ES335. So these Epiphone's are all coming back and price has a lot to do with it. Many of the new breed musicians are using these and even the Epi SG's.