 1966: 1965
Epiphone E230TD Casino (hollow-body f-hole
electric, sunburst
finish,
stock trapeze tailpiece). Purchased early in the
year,
the Casino was first used in April for the Revolver
sessions, and first played live on
1 May 1966 at
the New Musical Express Annual Poll-Winners' All-Star
Concert, Wembley
(right). This guitar served as Lennon's
main guitar from
then
on, including the '66 tours, when I saw it at Shea
Stadium. The
Gibson/
Epiphone website describes the Casinos
as having
"the same basic body dimensions and construction of
the commonly
recognized
Gibson ES-335 [actually, the 330], the Epiphone
Riviera and the
Epiphone
Sheraton. However, unlike the 335-style [sic] body,
which features a
solid-center
block, the Casino is completely hollow.
Additionally, older
Casinos
featured a 17-degree (as opposed to a 14-degree)
headstock and a neck
joint
at the 16th (as opposed to the 17th) fret. This
creates more string
tension
and when combined with the thin, hollow body produces
a very unique
sound."
In '67, when the other Beatles were painting their
guitars, Lennon
sprayed
the back of this guitar (body and neck) with white and
gray paint
(below),
leaving the sunburst finish on front but removing the
pickguard. 
In the spring or summer of '68 Lennon had his
Casino
professionally
sanded to a natural finish, as did Harrison, the better
to improve the
tone. After that it appeared on the "Revolution"
video, at the
Apple
rooftop performance (left), the Live Peace in Toronto
concert, and the
Rock 'n' Roll Circus show, the
only further
change
being the replacement of the stock Kluson tuning pegs
with gold Grover
tuners. This guitar is owned by the
Lennon Estate and has
been displayed at the Lennon Museum in Japan.
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