Epiphone DR-200

late 2005 made in China! 20 medium frets. Acoustic guitar. Mahogany sides and back look nice, spruce top--don't look like they are lam. Solid mahogany neck with no neck-headstock joint, set in, with roeswood fretboard. Single cream binding fretboard and bottom, triple on top. Circular pattern around soundhole, no purfing. Dreadnaught size, deluxe chrome plated sealed Grover style tuners. Plastic nut and B compensated bridge on rosewood base, plastic pegs. Strap holders at base/bottom of neck and bottom center, so tie to neck not required. 25 1/2" scale. Plastic Les Paul style 3 ply bell trussrod cover, didn't find an allen wrench. Around 7.5" radius on fretboard. Black paintred headstock with Epiphone logo. Tortoise applied pickguard with E in chrome wire.

I bought it for my wife who is learning. It is a nice, resonant acoustic guitar, better than the one I learned on over 40 years ago. Low action for an acoustic, not tinny on the high end, and not brassy on the low end. Rich, fairly full sound.

This was a replacement, fully checked out and set up, no flaws.
The first one's neck/headstock was broken from its own string tension in the box, so quality control was lax with the neck wood selection and the final check. Who knows how many were put out with bad neck grain, but this one will hold. So the score is for the average of both--0 and 10.

This guitar could be used both for learning and for professional playing at a coffee house or something. The internal bracing and construction is good, the chrome plating thick enough to last, and the plastic of good quality. It is solid, but still an acoustic, so you can't step on it. With proper care it would be dependable without backup.

Musiciansfriend paid for the shipping to replace the first one which was supposed to be a Valentine's present, but the replacement took 10 days. Limited lifetime warranty from Epiphone.

I have been playing a long time and I could do "Tell Me" on it just like in '65 with better clarity than electrics. My wife has veen "trying" for years. I don't like the idea of Epiphone going to China from Japan. I think besides lower labor, the material is less expensive, and the hardware/plastics come from the US. If it broke our fault or was stolen, I would replace it, if I could get the same price. Maybe the Fender $100 one. They are probably all made in China, and even buying a do-it-yourself kit of the same quality would cost over $300.