Epiphone EJ200 Jumbo Acoustic Guitar

Feature:
Great sunburst finish (although some black outlining on the seams was not perfect), high quality tuners - would have preferred better quality bridge pins, but, I can change these anytine. There appear to be some rumours going around about the natural finish having a solid spruce top. I have contacted Epiphone directly and they have confirmed to me that THE NATURAL DOES NOT HAVE A SOLID SPRUCE TOP. 'Love or hate' big, fancy moustache bridge - I love it.

Quality:
Would have preferred a solid spruce top, but, for the price no complaints at all on quality. Gold plating will likely wear off the tuners some time.

Value:
Simply outstanding. Where else can you get a guitar that built to this standard and this beatiful for less that £250.00?

Desirability:
The syling is quite controversial - some people's immediate impression might be that this is a Country and Western guitar. That's just not the case - it's a beautiful, great sounding, great value versatile guitar. If the Gibson version is good enough for Pete Townsend then this Epiphone version is more than good enough for me.

Sound:
Really nice warm, clear sound for picking and a room filling, full bodied sound for strumming. Can't complain for the money.

Ease of Use:
Very easy to play, no buzzing, great tuners for quickly getting in and out of open tunings.

Support:
Epiphone responded on the same day concerning my query above. I have only just acquired the guitar and it's in excellent order - no warranty issues.

Overall:
I can't see me changing the EJ-200 in a hurry - for less that £250.00 this guitar ticks all the boxes and more. Buy it, play it and even if you can't play the guitar buy one anyway... just to admire the looks.

Feature:
Not an expert, but again for the money, the construction seems fantastic and durable. Because this does not have a made in America sticker on it has nothing to do with the sound or overall construction of the guitar, only bragging points about having something from Montana vs. Korea which is not yet recognized in the guitar industry. If I sit the Gibson J-200 next to the Epiphone, it is hard to tell them apart. It is advisable to change the strings and spend another 40 bucks to get a professional overhaul to match your style however - Easy to do since you just saved about 3,000 dollars to get a guitar in the same range as a J-200. Lastly, Maple is maple - it`s powerful and crisp and the wood on the epiphone is the same as the Gibson. If you want volume and power, maple is your wood.

Quality:
Quality seems great - no glue marks, spotless finish, nice clean laminate maple. I rate this only at 8 since I have owned my Epiphone for less than a few months and it is not time-tested. I expect that not only will it stand the test, but once it breaks in further the sound should only improve.

Value:
This product is worth more than the selling price if you compare it with other maple Jumbos in the market. I just spent the last two months comparing every major brand guitar in the jumbo and dreadnaught range I could get my hands on and scouring the internet. I almost felt guilty for liking this guitar so much - it sounds too good for the price and doesn`t carry the fancy name - Either Epiphone is offering a best kept secret or the Guitar market is 5-8 times overpriced.

Desirability:
Sexy as they come - Chris Isaak`s favorite guitar is a J-200....need I say more? I prefer the natural wood to the black and sunburst though - it has a clean look to it accentuated with the black pickguard. Sex appeal shouldn`t matter to a good guitarist, but there is no shame to strum this guitar in front of the mirror and pretend 25,000 people are looking back at you.

Sound:
The sound on this guitar is stunning for the price. It pulls really well in the low and high end with heavy strumming and rings like a Gibson J-200 (which I also own). There is a deeper mellow sound to the Gibson but the Epiphone is brighter and much easier to play, whereas the Gibson seems a little muted in comparison. It is a great guitar for alternative rock and folk music with strong strumming styles.

Support:
No experience with support, but the comfort of a life-time guarantee lets me know that if I need to, I have a right to service on the product indefinitely.

Overall:
Again, time will tell, but currently I can`t see finding a better sounding guitar or a guitar with more value anywhere near this price range. Finding this Epiphone was a good lesson in not following the trend of going with the big names - play it - listen to it - compare it to other big name Jumbos and then look around to see if it`s really alright to pay this little money for such an accoustic beast and use some of the money you saved to celebrate an awesome purchase.