Epiphone EJ-160E John Lennon Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar

With a mini-humbucker above the soundhole, vintage-style tulip tuners, and John's signature over the fretboard, the EJ-160E is as remarkable as its namesake.

Overall User Ratings (based on 81 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(81) (see rating details)
Submitted July 28, 2008 by a customer from gmail.com

""If you want it (a great acoustic guitar)here it is - come and get it!""

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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This guitar is really what I needed in order to get the "Beatles" sound as our band "BackBeaT" is really a Rock n Roll/Beatles cover band so we do a lot of the classic Fab Four stuff! It works great for me - I'm looking forward to using it live on stage!
Sound
I'll tell you, I own a 1961 Gibson Hummingbird and the EJ 160 sounds just as good as a top-of-the-line Gibson. Mind you, it will even get better with age but I'm very happy with the tone and sound so far!
Features
I love the fact that they used the same woods as my '61 Gibson Hummingbird - top is Solid Spruce and the back and sides are Mahogany- that's why I can compare it to the 'bird - they both sound so sweet!
Ease of Use
I really never give a "10" but this thing will score a "9" in this category. I found the action (factory set) to be pretty good - but I'm going to tweak it a bit to bring it where I like it. Overall it has great playability - I highly recommend it.
Quality
Someone really did great job in re-creating a classic guitar! If you can't afford the Gibson version ( not many can at $2,000.00), this is the next -best thing - and it's pretty-much identical. Mine was a factory second and yet it was just as beautiful as the showroom models!
Value
Just get it yourself and find out! You'll be very surprised!
Manufacturer Support
I bought it through a dealer - a factory second so there really is no contact - I'm on my own for service
The Wow Factor
Beatiful guitar! Just as nicely done as the Gibson model at a fraction of the price! Worth the money man!

Musical Background:

Active Musician / Band Director

Musical Style:

50's 60's Rock and Roll - Beatles
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Submitted January 12, 2009 by a customer from eastern.edu

"Almost...as good. And better, too!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
The Epiphone just needs the bass and depth and resonance of the Gibson.
Sound
Not as much bass and resonance as the Gibson, which I also own.
Features
No accessories
Ease of Use
The Epiphone plays many times better than the Gibson, which has always been a finger-bleeder. I always pick up the Epiphone because the neck is superb, the action perfect. Why not both in one guitar????
Quality
Good Quality. As far as one can tell as good as the Gibson, maybe better.
Value
Best
Manufacturer Support
na
The Wow Factor
Fine. As good as the Gibson for sure.

Musical Background:

Hobby

Musical Style:

Rock, jazz
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Submitted December 22, 2012 by Bruce K in Olathe, KS

"Sooo pleased !"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Bought this baby via Zzounds flex plan. Couldn't have been easier. And now, having had the guitar for several months, I LOVE IT. Stays in tune. Came to me well set up. And the sound ! Well, it's an Epiphone acoustic isn't it? BUY YOURSELF ONE, especially if you are just starting or an advanced beginner/early intermediate like I am. My next guitar? A G.E. Smiith tele... yep.

Musical Background:

played trumpet up thru high school.

Musical Style:

blues blues blues
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Submitted December 17, 2013 by Ronald Wall in Sioux City, IA

"Sincerist Form of Flattery!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This is an excellent quality guitar. Not one flaw. This is the 2nd of three Epiphones that I own and all three are supurb. The other two are a Masterbuilt DR500mce and a "Inspired-by 64' " Texen. All 3 where created in Indonesia. Set-up out of the box was excellent.
Sound
Very good sound. Great response. I use it for Beatles tunes. Excellent in all settings. I put on some electric strings for better response when plugged-in (E.B. Not even Slinky). John Lennon used electric strings on his J160e.
Features
Vol/tone controls. Good. Would like to upgrade the pots and add the rings with top-hat knobs. I like them on the lower- bout better then in the sound-hole.
Ease of Use
The action was excellent right out of the box.
Quality
Excellent craftmanship (Made in Indonesia). So far no problems. Should last a life-time.
Value
Yes. Could sell for much more. Worth every dollar.
Manufacturer Support
No issues. Not have had to contact them.
The Wow Factor
Very high appeal. The John Lennon Sig. Beautiful guitar.

Musical Background:

Home Hobbist. 3+ years. Electric and acoustic Guitar.

Musical Style:

Classic Rock. Blues stuff.
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Submitted March 11, 2018 by Sonny Combs in Dayton, OH

"The Epiphone John Lennon signature EJ-160E limited addition guitar"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Looks great and plays well for an Epiphone ( It's not a Gibson ) ....... It's a great buy for the money and Epiphone stopped making them with his signature so they should go up in price over the next few years . They are actually hard to find now .

Musical Background:

Been playing all my life . Singer & guitar player

Musical Style:

Rock , Beatles ...
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Submitted December 29, 2006 by a customer from mac.com

"If its a clone of what was good enough for the Beatles', then it should be good enough for those of us who are more or less Beat"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I will always love this baby. A Rickenbacker 360 is in my future, but that will be another guitar to love, not a replacement for the J-160 AE.
Sound
I was blown away by the sound--rich, deep, sparkling, dark and bright all at once. Just like the sunburst. Maybe I just lucked out and got an exceptionally good one, who knows. Someone said theirs was flat sounding and that really surprised me. I don't give out 10's u unless the product plays itself, so take my "9" as a super-outstanding grade. If you like the Byrds and the Beatles' Byrd-like compositions, and you can't afford a Rickenbacker, buy this guitar. Man, buy it even if you can afford a Ric. I like to use heavier strings than average and especially on the J-160 it pays handsomely in terms of tone. How do I use it? Mainly for recording these days, although I'll definitely take it live when the time comes. I use it for lead tracks as well as backing. Boy it warms up the mix. I don't do a lot of acoustic guitar sounding material, so I use the J-160AE like an electric for the most part. One of the best sounding electric guitars you'll ever hear! The acoustic element your mics and the pickup recieves for recording does some wildly wonderful things to your sound. (I always use this guitar for sound design--slap a few effects on and it sounds like a breathing synth.) She usually gets run through the pickup/direct in and a Soundelux U99 mic'ing a Fender Princeton amp. Both paths will end up going through a POD XT (Line 6), and/or Guitar Rig 2 (Native Instruments Co.). The signals are always sent through a preamp first, usually a Sebatron Valve preamp or a Telefunken/Siemens pre, or a Mercury M72s (Mercury Recording Equipment Co., fantastic sounding pres and outboard effects!!). The J-160 makes them all sound good!
Features
Great for what I paid. It was B-stock so I really can't criticize this part (my controls worked a little funny but easy to fix).
Ease of Use
No brain required. Balls already included. ;>)
Quality
Just fine for the price and being B-stock.
Value
Yes.
Manufacturer Support
No dealings because no problems so I'll assume they are great and give them a "9."
The Wow Factor
One of my preamps (Mercury M72s) is made with components identical to those in the console George Martin used to record the Beatles. It was his favorite console for their particular sound. When I bought it, you can bet there was some massive gear lust beaming from my soul. So I HAD to buy a Beatles guitar, right? I saw the J-160 AE, read that Lennon and George both had, used and loved them, and that made me want to have, use and love one, too. Gear lust. I would have lusted for it no matter what preamp I owned. I still lust for it when I'm away from town.

Musical Background:

active musician

Musical Style:

Rock
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Submitted July 14, 2011 by a customer from hotmail.com

"Quality Control??"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This instrument will help you get your "Beatles fix."
Sound
The sounds are in the guitar but the one I received will take a ton of set-up work. Out of the box it was completely unplayable. The action is so low that over half of the frets buzz and fail to even approximate the fretted note.
Ease of Use
The guitar will play fairly well when properly set up.
Quality
Not bad overall considering the price. Too bad it left the factory without any possibility of being playable as is.
Value
The guitar is worth the price - just be aware that you may have to spend some money/time to have it set up properly. This is not uncommon even with high end instruments, but I have never played a more poorly set-up guitar in 50 years of playing.
Manufacturer Support
No experience with the company.
The Wow Factor
The guitar looks great!

Musical Background:

50 years of playing

Musical Style:

Rock and country
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Submitted July 23, 2013 by Ken McGraw in Great Falls, MT

"Buy Blemished, that's what you'll get in any case"

Overall: 3 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Sounds nice, but was scratched out of the box. Not packed well, and the shipping company could care less what might be in the box. My guess is that I'm going to scuff it eventually, but I would have liked to received a pristine product. Silly me.
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Submitted September 9, 2012 by Jimmy C in Elizabethton, TN

"John Lennon EJ-160 Acoustic Guitar Review"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Right out of the box it was setup for great action and sound. I've owned and played so many different Guitars over the last 35 years, some of them great and others not so great. But this Guitar has a great sound on the bottom end as well as the high end. The humbucker P/U works great. I play it through a Marshall Amp and it will blow you away. You won't go wrong with this choice as well as the price. zZounds continues to give the best service, price and delivery and that's why I stick with them. Make your next purchase through zZounds and your be hooked to. Have a good one. Jimmy Memphis

Musical Background:

35 years. I play Guitar, Acoustic and Electric. Also some Keyboard.

Musical Style:

Country, Blues, Rock. some jazz
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Submitted February 11, 2014 by jerry p in boutte, LA

"epiphone ej-160e"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This is one sweet sounding guitar. I recommend to all player's

Musical Background:

40 year's playing guitar

Musical Style:

country
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Submitted May 11, 2014 by James Brown in Jonestown, TX

"not recommended"

Overall: 3 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This is the second one I have ordered. The first one was ordered through "Hello Music". I suspect that zZounds sent me a returned item. There was not plastic wrap protecting the the area where the pole pieces come out which was on the one that I ordered from Hello Music.There was also a Martin pick in the box. There were some minor finish issues but I was able to buff them out.

Musical Background:

35 years guitar,
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Submitted April 6, 2013 by Steven Farmer in Central, SC

"Not what I expected"

Overall: 1.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I ordered and received this guitar in a very timely fashion. But I am very disappointed in it. The sound is very tinny. And the action is way too tight. I would never take this into the studio or on a gig. Would be a fairly nice guitar for a beginner, but you can find good beginner guitars for a much better price.

Musical Background:

I have been playing guitar for 44 years. I write music, and have a home recording churches. I play in churches.

Musical Style:

Folk and Southern Gospel
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Submitted April 16, 2012 by Chris S in fayville, MA

"Epiphone ej-160E"

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Firstly, the ej-160 is a very cool looking acoustic. I received my ej 2 days after placing my order, ZZounds has fast shipping.However, the guitar's inntonation was so far out that it could noy be adjusted. Customer service is great, I sent it back and received another ej days later. Same problem. Two different guitar techs said that they had never seen acoustics that were so unplayable. The necks were true and the distance between nut, 12th fret, and saddle were correct. But, the bridge type and orientation makes the guitar great for cowboy chords, but playing up the neck sounds and is, far out of tune. The epiphone case is like a piece of fine luggage.I kept the case and purchased an Ibanez exotic wood series acoustic. This guitar was great out of the box and has a very comfortably scaled neck. Love it. You do not need to spend thousands on an acoustic, Find one that stays in tune and that is fun to play. Again, the customer servise at ZZounds was great along with there super fast shipping. I will definately buy my next guitar from them.

Musical Background:

Playing for over 30 yrs. Owned Les Paul. strat, jackson, Gretch CG, Rick 12 string, many other acoustics, Vox ac 30 and casino

Musical Style:

anything and everthing
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Submitted March 2, 2014 by a customer from sbcglobal.net

"ZZ2626841"

Overall: 0.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Well I was totally disgusted when I rec'd your product no one check it out or it would have never shipped Strings were rust set was unplayable both knobs turned 360 and never set. I will as I stated never ever buy another product from your company. The only positive is you did make the return process very simple!
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Submitted April 16, 2012 by Chris S in fayville, MA

"Epiphone ej-160E"

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Firstly, the ej-160 is a very cool looking acoustic. I received my ej 2 days after placing my order, ZZounds has fast shipping.However, the guitar's inntonation was so far out that it could noy be adjusted. Customer service is great, I sent it back and received another ej days later. Same problem. Two different guitar techs said that they had never seen acoustics that were so unplayable. The necks were true and the distance between nut, 12th fret, and saddle were correct. But, the bridge type and orientation makes the guitar great for cowboy chords, but playing up the neck sounds and is, far out of tune. The epiphone case is like a piece of fine luggage.I kept the case and purchased an Ibanez exotic wood series acoustic. This guitar was great out of the box and has a very comfortably scaled neck. Love it. You do not need to spend thousands on an acoustic, Find one that stays in tune and that is fun to play. Again, the customer servise at ZZounds was great along with there super fast shipping. I will definately buy my next guitar from them.

Musical Background:

Playing for over 30 yrs. Owned Les Paul. strat, jackson, Gretch CG, Rick 12 string, many other acoustics, Vox ac 30 and casino

Musical Style:

anything and everthing
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Submitted November 2, 2011

Epiphone EJ-160E Lennon Customer Review

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Sound
the pick up have a loud buzzing sound. the only way to eliminate the amp buzzing sound is to turn off the tone knob to 0. Then it sound flat, no reverb. The guitar plays well the pick up defective unless they are all like that. Your company was very good in sending the product out so quickly. Excellent service. the product not so good.
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Submitted August 15, 2008

"to expensive for what it is"

Overall: 0.5 out of 5 stars
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Sound
This guitar sounds ok, but still sounds a bit gutless especially when you play em its not very powerfull like you would expect. When I had the guitar new the strings vibrated, the tuners were loose the input was not in place it was floating in the guitar.
Features
The tunners are classic yeah but still horrible looking and apparently they rot. Kind of looks like a childs toy does not look like a quality instrument at all. would expect more
Ease of Use
Easy to play this guitar if the strings are set up right the epiphone I used the strings were far away from the board.
Quality
Does not feel like a quality guitar at all really good for learners but still to expensive for its quality.
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Submitted August 6, 2006

Epiphone EJ-160E Lennon Customer Review

Overall: 0.5 out of 5 stars
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Sound
The sound went totaly flat and no matter how I moved my fingers I could not get it to sound the way I wanted it to.
Features
I dunno...I guess it was okay. Not my favorite, but it could have been worse
Ease of Use
It was a bit wierd, nothing too horribly awful, but I've had much better than it.
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