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While the calibre and heritage of Epiphone's discontinued, USA-made John Lennon 1965 Casino can hardly be questioned, it had one major drawback: the price!

Retailing on the cusp of £2000, for many guitarists not even the high build quality could compensate. This tale isn't unique among Epiphone's American-made guitars.

Keen to redress the balance for those with smaller pockets, Epiphone has launched the new Indonesian-made 'Inspired By' John Lennon Casino – £1,200 cheaper than the former USA model and £400 more expensive than the standard Chinese-made Casino.

"The key to the Beatles tone is in the volume control."

One event more than any other led to the Casino's enduring popularity. In 1966, with Paul McCartney already using his 1962 Casino on many famous tracks such as Taxman and Paperback Writer, John Lennon acquired his very own sunburst model.

It's argued that McCartney's use of the model was the more impressive from a musical perspective, but Lennon definitely did more for it visually than any guitarist before or since.

Contemporary players such as Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher have also become synonymous with Epiphone semis but, as we know, their inspiration draws directly from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Here, Epiphone has borrowed Gibson Custom's Historic 'Inspired By' moniker as a means to upgrade the standard Casino with USA appointments, but retain that famous artist relation at a modest price – perhaps due to the fact that Epiphone has, as mentioned, discontinued the USA-built equivalent.

Hear it in action in the following audio demo: