Model: Epiphone USA Casino
Color: Sunburst
Year: 2022?
For informational and non-commercial use only. Please do NOT publish this content elsewhere.
If you share or use this information, please provide proper credit and link to the website.
I appreciate your respect for the years of dedicated, freely available research! Thanks.
Used in...
- 2023-2025
- played live during the Council Skies tour
Details
This is the Sunburst twin of the Royal Tan USA Casino, which is among Noel's favorite new guitars.
The original Epiphone Casinos were made in Gibson's factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, starting in 1961. Production was later moved overseas: Japan, Korea and then China.
In 2021, Epiphone announced a new, US-made version of the Casino: it features two dogear Gibson P-90 pickups, vintage braided wiring and wax potting to reduce feedback.1 The Casinos are fully hollow guitars, i.e. they do not have central blocks like 335/345/355: because of this, they are quite prone to feedback at moderate volume.
Noel is a fan of this new USA model: he's described the Royal Tan one as a "fuc*ing great guitar".2
He probably liked his USA Casino so much that in late June 2023, during the USA tour with Garbage, he bought another one at the Gibson Garage3 in Nashville.
The guitar is pictured in two photos taken by Sharon Latham: one that shows Noel testing it in the store, and another one with Gem Archer strumming it backstage on the same day.
Curiously, the P-90 pickups on Noel's Casino have nickel covers, even though Sunburst USA Casinos come with black plastic ones as standard. Maybe they were swapped out at Noel's request.
It was kept as a backstage/spare guitar during the rest of the tour until it made its live debut at the first gig of the EU tour, in Amsterdam, on 5 November 2023: Noel played it in the encore for The Mighty Quinn.
In June 2024, Noel played the Sunburst Casino when he joined The Black Keys for a live performance of On the Game on Jools Holland. The song was co-written by Noel, and it was recorded with the Royal Tan twin of this Casino.
During the summer 2024 dates, the Sunburst Casino was brought on tour but only used as a spare. Noel played the Cherry Red one instead.
In early September 2024 - just days after the reunion announcement - one of the USA Casinos was spotted (link to the blog post!) being taken from Noel's residence back to the studio.
Then, the Sunburst USA Casino was featured in a photoshoot by Zoe Law4, shot in Spring 2025 at Noel's Lone Star Studio in London. He said that he was "noodling around" and "just getting ready for rehearsals".5 What if he was planning to play the Casino during the Oasis reunion gigs?
In the end, the Casino didn't make the cut, but another P90-equipped guitar - a Les Paul Standard - was used during the Live '25 dates.
Sticker
At its first live appearance in Amsterdam it had a round sticker on the pickguard. It is hard to identify it, but if anyone knows what it is please contact me!
At the next outing in Dusseldorf, the sticker was still there but it was removed before the Milan gig two days later.
DISCLAIMER
This is a fansite. It is not affiliated with Noel Gallagher, his management or his record label.
For informational and non-commercial use only. Please do NOT publish this content elsewhere.
If you share or use this information, please provide proper credit and link to the website.
I appreciate your respect for the years of dedicated, freely available research!
Visit the “Info & About” page for contact details and more.
The Chief's Guitars - Noel Gallagher's guitars: a complete guide - Oasis and NGHFB 