Why did the Beatles play Epiphone guitars?

Back then, Epiphones were not owned by Gibson. They were an independant company that made good guitars and imported a lot to England and Europe. Fenders and Gibsons were very, very expensive in England and Europe at the time. When the Beatles started out they couldn't afford them. The Casino is a hollow body so you can play it without an amp for practice & songwriting, etc. They also liked the single-coil sound of the pick-ups - they give the early Beatle recordings that metalic chimey sound. Later, Gibson bought the company and turned it into a Japanese factory for making Gibson copies. The Casino and Sheraton were still made because they had a good reputation by then.