In contrast, the metal covered pickups are smoother, warmer and mellower. There’s not a world of difference and it’s most apparent on the neck pickups, but the plastic-covered pickups have a more open and airy treble response. It may not sound like a lot, but in neck-carve terms, it’s significant.īecause our ES-330’s pickup covers are plastic and the Casino’s are metal, we are presented with an opportunity to evaluate how P-90s from a similar era compare. Compared to our 1962 ES-330, the difference in fretboard width amounts to about 3mm. This neck has depth, but it’s also fairly narrow.
Both configurations have their fans and earlier ES-330s and Casinos with metal bridge saddles are highly sought-after for their tonal qualities, too.īy 1967, Gibson and Epiphone necks felt very different to their earlier counterparts. Metal saddles on an ABR-1 generally deliver more treble, less midrange and perhaps not quite as much sustain. Having carried out several parts-swapping experiments on this type of instrument, we’ve found that nylon saddles play a big role in producing this warm and fat tone. This is a naturally loud and full-bodied guitar, with impressive sustain compared to some other ES-330s and Casinos of a similar vintage that we’ve encountered. Since Gibson and Epiphone had already been making some of the world’s finest archtop instruments for decades, our expectations for the Casino’s unplugged tone are high.
