'That's why there WAS an Epiphone brand, so the parent company CMI could sell guitars to a second dealer when there was already a Gibson dealer in that territory. I thought it was very well written and I wish I could just post a link to it.
It addresses especially the consideration of pricing and will be invaluable to those that weren't around or don't remember Gibson US-made Epiphones. There's a private forum I frequent that had a really great write up on the history of Epiphone in the '60s. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you that it's great that they'll be making these again. But a 330 or a Casino is a midrange guitar at best (in the eyes of Gibson back in the 60s, anyway). A Citation for sure is Gibson's high end. A 355 or Les Paul Custom would be what I would call 'high end' Gibson instrument.
Why can't these new Casinos be priced around the upper $2Ks?Īgain, I cringe a little with the term 'high end' in this context. Sweetwater is taking preorders on the new 335s. This Casino is likely going to be a regular production model.ģ. Isn't the 330 a Custom Shop piece? It's priced as one (upper $3Ks).Ģ. (I can see why as they're nearly identical.) But I really don't think so for a few reasons:ġ. No more, no less.Įveryone is comparing the price of this new Casino to the 330. IMO, it's not so much 'high-end' as much as it's a Gibson, which is what the originals were.
