immediately changed the strings out for Gibson J200 50/11 set and really improved the mid and high end range of guitar. nice warm bassy low end and not shrill high end makes it an overall very good sounding guitar.

really a sharp looking guitar. nice appointments and binding and fret work are actually much better than my Epiphone SG Custom. i wish my SG had just as a nice a finish as this guitar. very sturdy, strong guitar. feels like it will last a long time and take a good beating if you travel a lot.

seems to be really well put together and finished. had some small minor surface haze in a couple spots on my ebony finished guitar. i am sure the natural finishes wouldn't even show these small blemishes though. black is really tough to keep clean and to keep from scratching.

pretty good perceived value due to the name, looks and quality.

only emailed the company one time about an electric guitar and received fast response. had to take my electric epiphone in for a switch replacement, but the lifetime warranty helps me relax on this one.

sex appeal is quite high...one of my deciding factors. to look for a guitar that would be eye catching and still sound and play really well. epiphone typically fits meets this requirement pretty well.

rock, blues, r&b, modern jazz

sound is great right out of the box,perfect for my style great high and low end,have to play a little softer around drednaughts can be overbearing.

finger board a little larger makes for easier chording and soloing. Spruce top ,Maple body,Rosewood fret board makes this guitar sing. Love the gold Grover tuners as well as the crown inlays

easiest guitar ive ever played even though ive only played for a year Itried several others while researching. No learning curve to speak of just adjusting a little to the jumbo style body was confortable within an hour.

Guitar seems to be top quality very solid seems like a may be sporting my ej 200 for years to come hopefully finish keeps its lustre going to try a polish or maybe a good carnuba. mustach bridge and pins are solid and good quality tuners are also very solid and well built.

Absolutely worth the asking price. In truth I probally would have paid moore thankfully I didnt have to

Have had no reason to contact as of yet.Guitar was in mint condition right out of the box.

I havent seen a guitar in todays market that compares with the ej 200 this guitar breath taking.Just seeing yourself with this guitar makes you want it after you hear it you,ll loose sleep trying to find a way to purchase it. Suggestion let ZZounds help.EVERY BODY JAM

playing 1 yr, Guitar, Home,Family Functions,Partys

classic rock,Southern rock, Country, Gospel

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Hobbyist and amateur live house singer/guitarist, guitar collector

Alternative, Rock, Folk

Sound is very good for strumming and picking. No buzzing. Sounds great played at high volumes and low picking/strumming.

I have the black model. I love the vine on the pick guard and love the moustache bridge. I would prefer a black pick guard over tortoise shell though. Gold tuners are nice as well. Only negative is i wish they offered this model with electronics. I'm not much into the cut away style.

Very easy to play. No buzzing. Easy to tune and stays in tune.

Only found a few minor cosmetic blemishes.(visible glue by the sound hole). Other than that seems well made.

I think this guitar is a great value. I have always wanted a black jumbo guitar and can't afford a high end guitar right now. This was a great option.

Unfortunatly, this review is on the 3rd EJ200 that I received. The first one had some assembly defects and the second one had a defective nut. That being said......I contacted zZounds about the first defect and they took care of the problem right away. For the second defect I contacted Gibson directly and they also took care of the problem right away. Both companies were very friendly and helpful. They replaced both guitars and this third guitar is night and day from the other two. I am very satisfied with my guitar and how I was treated by zZounds and Gibson customer support. The only negative with support is I had to pay the shipping to send the second guitar to Gibson.

I love the visual appearance of this guitar. Especially the black with the vine design on the pick guard, mustache bridge, and gold tuners.

Hobbyist

Folk, Country, Christian

I play Guitar and Bass I have been playing for more years than I care to admit to

Original Outlaw Country...Classic Country covers

This guitar sounds great, there is no question about it. For this price range it is the best on the market. Some $4,000 acoustics may sound better - but the EJ-200 stands up with the best of them. I tried out some Talyors and Martins in the showroom and the EJ-200 was right on par.

There really arent many necessary features for a good sounding acoustic guitar. I like that the tuning machines are Grover - well designed and sturdy. The pearl inlays are an excellent addition, especially since you wouldn't expect such fine detail in this price range.

I love this guitar, but the body is a bit larger than a standard sized acoustic. Takes a little getting used to, but well worth it. The jumbo body actually makes this a very unique instrument.

For the money you cannot find a better made guitar on the market.

Again, the best value on the market for an acoutic guitar.

haven't had the need for support.

Guitar is gorgeous.

active musician

rock blues jazz

Playing since I was 13!

This guitar is so easy to play and the sound is beautiful.

This guitar sounds beautiful.

This guitar is beautiful to look at.

The price of this guitar was one of the reasons I purchased it and I am so glad that I did.

This company was very easy to reach, in fact the day I received this guitar, I had a question and called. I actually got to talk to someone immediately, and they answered my question, and I would buy from them anytime I need something.

This instrument is beautiful, it certainly looks a lot more expensive than it was.

Hobby for 44 years.

Country

The sound of this guitar is on a par with something in the 700-1,000 dollar range with a solid top. Honestly it's pretty good for a laminate topped guitar, especially the low end warmth and balanced midrange. However anyone that thinks the tone of this guitar is equal to a Gibson J-200 must be very inexperienced or unaware of the the extreme complexities of high end acoustic guitars in general.This guitar will get you in the neighborhood of the J-200 and for a few hundred bucks that's a great deal.

Examine your specimen carefully before purchasing. The fit and finish isn't perfect and it can vary from one to the next.But some guitars come through almost perfect. I know because I'm a long time salesperson in the music business. Loads of filler material and uneven levels on the inlays of the mustache bridge were easily sanded out or down post purchase. The neck pocket area shows signs of finishing prior to the guitar being fully sanded but you reallly have to look close. Look carefully at a real J-200 and the fit and finish is a 10+ not a 7

Plays great for the money, be realistic. Don't pay to have it set up... Take out the saddle and patiently sand it down to the playing action or string heigth you like, it will take a while to be patient but it's worth it. Don't hurry and don't go for everything at once.

The inlay work on the bridge was really rough but some home sanding and a new coat of oil has this looking about perfect. 5 more minutes at the factory would work wonders.The bridge profile and fit and finish is prety clumsy compared to a real J-200 but once again be realistic. The fingerbord was all but perfect with no filler around the inlay work and perfectly finished frets. And for once on an off shore guitar there was no rubbing compound in the pores of the rosewood fingerboard. The main thing keeping the score high on quality is the interior bracing scheme, and workmanship. The kerfing is evenly cut and no glue runonver can be found anywhere inside the guitar. The bracing is perfectly fit and uniformly sanded and slightly scalopped, and substaintial enough to last a lifetime.

All things considered this guitar is a great value. For sub 300 retail this is great stuff.

This is ridiculous... Maintain a relationship with your music store and act like a pro. Any good music store will deal with a reasonable return customer for any repair issue under warranty. If not, you don't have the wrong guitar you have invested money in the wrong store. Go to the vendor where the guitar was purchased. I can't imagine why anyone would call or write Epiphone/Gibson. Repairs and issues are handled by good retailers.

Couldn't be happier to own one

30 year pro player active 100 nights a year

Acoustic,Top 40, Classic Rock

I am a working musician on a cruise ship. So my guitars have to be ready at all times, five shows, five days a week. The EJ200 has never let me down. Durable, great sound,and great looks.

Best guitar neck of my life. Chords are smooth as silk. No buzzing, I hate buzzing!!!

Never owned a j200 but it couldn't be much nicer. From my experience having played them I don't see $3000.00 difference.

The best guitar for the money I've ever seen.

I'm a big guy, so this guitar looks better than the others I've owned that look like a ukulele on the big guy.

Working Musician

RockBlueCountry

superior sound quality

nice solid spruce top acoustic guitar with good tuners

nice wide Gibson style neck

seems to be put togeather well, finish is ok. factory quality control is not so good. Had to have the second one I recieved for profesional set up including saddle replacement ( factory saddle way too short) just to get it to play. no problems at all with returns

nice guitar in the end

had to have profesional set up just to get it to play at all

nice copy of a great classic

hobbyist

rock,blues,bluegrass,country

2005 EJ-200 NA The sound is full & rich. As wierd as it sounds - i play flamenco on this thing & i like it because i can be extremly expressive without a whole bunch of hand strength. Dont know how it sounds with others but it can certainly stand alone. the string pegs are cheap plastic but that is easily remidied

You may be surprised , as i was, to know that the natural version has a solid spruce top & a solid maple body...no laminate whatsoever...(Info from Gibson based on serial #) whereas the colored versions have a laminate top....good reason to go plain with this one....The sound difference is obvious when the colored version and the natural versions are played together. Deluxe case is sweet & is a super tight fix....no banging around in this one.

Damn easy to tune & it stays there. action is good...i read that the action was really high but i did not find that to be true... For those of us who are not the best players..the first couple frets are huge because of the scale size...made learning flamenco easier. I like it.... I bought my wife a Big Baby Taylor & that thing is nice but i really have to pound it hard to get the sound i want..the ej-200 wants me to play with it. Keep in mind - this aint your mammas low profile guitar - this thing is fat...so i suppose holding it may be an issue if you are standing..

This thing looks nice & when the dude who traded me for my bass came over... i must admit - i was aprehensive...When i opened the case however...i was blown away by the look....the wood is clean w/no blemises - the mustash is hilarious - the inlays are big & easy to see - i could do without the frilly crap on the pick guard ...but it looks nice...All in All, the attention to detail is there...2 quality control tags - one from china & one from Gibson here in the states.

For me - I traded a 200.00 Rogue VB-100 Hollowbody bass for it that i only paid 125.00 for it....i think i scored because the sound is good, the look is sweet and i really am no good at the bass.

Was easy enough to call and get the info i was looking for. CSR was pleasant & did some exhaustive research to give me information.

Really isn't to heavy for it's size The appeal is in three catergories i think: 1- Country 2- Classical 3- Anything with Technical fingerwork It just has a look of class

Beginner

Flamenco - Jazz

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Hobbyist

Rock, Pop

30 years

Folk, rock, classical, jazz