Epiphone EJ-200

2001 BLOND EJ200
MADE IN KOREA

MARTIN STRINGS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. THE NICE DEEP SOUNDS YOU GET FROM THIS GUITAR ARE MIND BLOWING. HANDS DOWN. THE NICEST ACOUSTIC I'VE EVER PLAYED. I JUST USE A DEAN MARKLEY PICKUP AND RUN IT THROUGH A BOSS SE-50 HALF RACK ON HALL 2 SETTING, AND IT SOUNDS MAGICAL.

FACTORY SET, I BELIEVE. IT'S PERFECT.

BEEN PLAYING IT STEADY FOR 4 YEARS, AND ITS PERFECT.

N/A

LIKE I SAID, HANDS DOWN THE NICEST GUITAR I'VE PLAYED. NICE DEEP AND RICH SOUND. IT'S THE ONLY ACOUSTIC I HAVE TO HAVE. IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR RICHARD ASHCROFT, ENOUGH SAID.

not sure what year, 21 frets, beautiful spruce top. I have the sunburst version. Fantastic binding round the neck, shaped at the bottom over the soundhole too, like the Joe Pass archtop. lovely crown inlays for the fret markers and the Gibson inlay 'flower' which gives it pure class. Has a moustache inlayed bridge too, gold grover tuners, gold strap locks which is a nice touch. Stunning

Has that Gibson sound, really loud and mellow,

action was a bit high, neck was straight etc, so removed the plastic bridge and sanded a couple of mm off. Now it's great. No flaws whatsoever. It's really made well in every area. Only thing I removed was the stenciled 'flowers' on the tortoise shell pickguard. A bit of nail varnish remover annd cotton wool and it got rid of it in 2 minutes. Looks a much grander serious guitar with out the frills of country sprayed on.

is great live, I have a dean markley sound hole pickup and it's beautifull. Finish seems very good to me, nice thick laquer, solid binding. Grover machine heads top rate. and stays in tune even going from hot to cold places. Best quitar i've had for staying in tune. and I have about 13!

never needed them

Been playing 18 years now! Blimey. Have lots of archtops, 2 gretsch, 2 gibsons,Levin, a fender US jaguar 64, plus a couple of custom teles, and an old blond hofner archtop that is to fragile to gig now but still great shape. Definately get another. Just wish it was set up better or had shims to remove to widen the choice of action. Also the 12's on it were huge cables, biggest 12's I've seen! 10's are much better personally for my style.

This guitar arrived at my front door yesterday and I haven't managed to stop looking at it...It looks that damned good.Made in Korea,and its a credit to the guitar builders there1

Its the black model with gold Grover tuners and acres of cream binding, really fancy scratch board..there are no factory electrics fitted,so I may or may not have one installed in due course.

It is the latest model,so now has a select spruce solid top as opposed to the laminate of the previous models

I really like the two button straps (also gold)...why dont all manufacturers do this?

I'm still breaking it in,but as far as I can tell it sounds fabulous...(I'll expand on this in the action fit&finish section)..real bell like bass and bright hi's...no buzzes on any part of the fretboard and bags of resonance. As I said,there are no electrics but if I do go down that rout,I'll put it through my '72 Fender Champ (see my review for that);I'm sure it'll sound fab.As this is a solid top,I'm sure it'll get better and better

This bits interesting...Firstly the good part:
The finish on this guitar is AMAZING!!..Whenever I get a new guitar my heart kind of sinks when I examine it..you know the usual varnish drips,stains on the fretboard etc....I've gone over this guitar microscopically and it is perfect...and I mean PERFECT and I couldn't be happier.
Now the bad part:
You could drive a truck under the strings as far as action goes!!..I've got hands like a builders and even I can barely hold chords down past the third fret (Like a previous reviewer said).The strings supplied with it could be used to suspend a bridge and even though I play several hours a day,I've still managed to shred my finger tips to ribbons!

I know these guitars are deliberately set high so the owner can get it set up for their tastes and thats what I'm doing...but not everyone has access to guitar workshops..and there are plenty of new strummers out there who dont know about these things.If you one of those I think you'd be despairing right now...well dont...a set up will only cost you around 25 quid.I really think that Epiphone should to a more user friendly set up at the factory,which is why I'm going to knock down their rating in this category.

Once the above is taken care of and when I get some lights put on it,I'm sure it will be fantastic.

This guitar seems pretty robust...but why oh why did I get the black one?..Ive been playing for over thirty years and I should have remembered about chips,knocks and scratches!!...I've just ordered a hard case which I think is definately a must;untill then I wont let anyone get within 30 feet of it! Well at this price I might get the natural colour as well..(I was going to get that anyway but the wife thought the black looked "prettier"..I have to be nice about this cos she just about tolerates my obsession with guitars..but grrrr! why did I listen to her!!)
Finish is perfect...no probs here

I have had a few Epi's over the years with no problems...I phoned their UK supplier the other day and they were helpfull,friendly and extremely courteous

Like I said,I've been playing for over thirty years..I've had dozens of different guitars during that time.My first guitar was a 1969 Hofner Galaxie (US spec) which I bought as a 12 year old in HongKong for a few quid (Ijust sold it on ebay as a project for #365!! kewl!)

Currently I've got a Danelectro 56U2,an Ozark resonator,a Martin D28,a Hohner acoustic bass,a Gibson studio and a couple of acoustics that aren't worth mentioning.I put all the electric stuff through my old Fender Champ at home.

I love this new guitar...and will love it even more once I get the action and string niggles sorted.I dont think I'd reccomend it to a small kid or a learner...its a big mother;but if you want to move up from your old dreadnaught, want to pose on stage,listen to the bell like sound or even admire its beauty...BUY IT!!

I definately wouldn't spend the extra #1,500 that its Gibson Daddy would cost me...even if I had it...which I dont!!...I think its a stunning guitar for the money

This is a brand new EJ200, made in Korea. I was impressed with the fact that it was inspected by Epiphone/Gibson here in the US. The similarity to the Gibson SJ200 was one of the factors in my decision to purchase this guitar. I had a Gibson Hummingbird that I bought new in 1963 and this one compares.

I play mostly country and the "Jumbo" sound really comes through. I replaced the strings with Gibson J-200 Ultra Lights and it brought the sound from a 9 to a 10. The sound compares to the Gibson Hummingbird I had which now sells for $3000 on eBay. I have been told that people who have compared the 2 cannot tell the difference between the EJ200 and a Gibson SJ200.

Guitar came in perfect condition.

This guitar is well made and is built to last.

No dealings with Epiphone as yet.

I have been playing for my own enjoyment for over 45 years. I have owned a Gibson Hummingbird and a Martin 000-1. I just purchased a Martin 000R and cannot wait to see how it compares to the EJ200. The floral on the EJ200 makes me think I am playing a $5000 SJ200. The fact that Epiphone is owned by Gibson was a factor in my purchasing the EJ200. If Gibson was not the parent company I doubt if I would have even looked at an Epiphone.

Made in Korea, this beautiful guitar is just that....a beaut! Laminated top, with a lovely blonde color all over. I really enjoy the colour, especially the back of the neck. Beautiful. It came with a Fishman Natural II pickup installed. *drool*

The sound is unlike any acoustic I've ever played. I have played a Martin, Taylor, Gibson, etc. etc... Nothing compares to this. It fills the room with lush sound. Very nice. Plugged into my Roland JC-77, it is amazing, especially with a little chorus, but just a clean signal is just as amazing. Tops.

Now, I bought this second hand, so it has been modded a little. The action is brilliant. Just right. No flaws at all. I Love Epiphones, and this one is simply gorgeous. All the hardware is top-notch, and solid. The Grover tuners have a little, little now...rust on them. like 'spotting', but that's no biggie.

I would defenitely use this without a backup, and I will. Ican totaly depend on this guitar, I know this to be fact. Everything is solid as a rock, and well made. Bravo!

I Love this guitar. The jumbo sound is just that...HUGE! It's amazing. The EJ-200 will be my main guitar for playing live, and recording for decades to come. I can't wait. If you have a chance to pick one of these beautiful guitars up, do not hesitate. Like I said before, a 'name' is not everything. Well, I simply Love Epiphones, so who am I saying that...but hey. The EJ-200 is one hell of a guitar. The best acoustic I've ever played, hands down. Get one...you'll see. If someone stole it, I'd hunt them down and beat them....then take my guitar back. HA!

My ej-200 was made in 2002, in Korea. I bought it in Bangkok, Thailand. I got it 4 months ago. No pick up, no cut away. It is a super jumbo guitar. The finish is natural. I, personally, don't like the headstock of Epiphone. But this is the except one. The headstock is glossy black with binding, the side and the back are natural. There is a crown logo at the front of the headstock. It is a beautiful headstock of Epiphone so I like it. The gold tuners are Grover, same as in Gibson Studio 1999. Crown inlay, moustage bridge, flowered pick guard and super jumbo size are striking, especially for me. The side and back of the body are glossy natural. It a beautiful super jumbo. It came in soft foamy package, in a hard paper box that's not good quality paper compared to the hard paper box of Ovation. There were 2 cards came with it. One was Epiphone logo and the other was an inspection card, I will discuss about inspection below. There was a hex key in a small plastic bag, .012 string set. There were some rusts on 4 th, 5th and 6 th strings. The strings were not tuned, they were loosed. This super jumbo was a new one in stock. It was not shown in the shop. There were another 2 ej-200s shown, One was natural and the other was little darker. If I can choose, I always choose the new one in stock, not the shown one.

The sound is good, but not as good as I expect. High is bright, mid is OK but low is not bloomy as I expect. Because it's laminated, not solid. The intonation was not good. After I changed the string ot Dean Markly .011 set, its intonation was a little better. I adjusted the truss rod and lowered the saddle. The intonation was better but sitll not good. It's higher in the high position, almost all the strings. Overall rating for sound is 7 but to my expectation it is 2.

First time I played my ej -200, it was very difficult to play note and chord. It's very hard to play barred chord at 7th fret or higher. I could not accept the set-up at the factory in Korea. In the inspection card that came with this ej -200, it was printed that the height of the 1st and 6th strings were 2 mm. But they were actually 5-6 mm. The height of the nut was OK. I adjusted the truss rod then lowered the saddle until I got 3 mm for 6th string and 2.5 mm for 1st string. It was easier to play. I think that J.W. LEE (The name in the inspection card) did not really set-up the instrument, just stamped 2 mm. and his name on the card. I agree with the lower opinion on the inspection by the 24 guy. The finish was good and beautiful. There were some small flaws on the body, might be from transpostation, but I still found it's beautiful. The overall rating for this category is 5, for the action is 1 and for the finish is 9.

It can be played live. But I have to play certain songs that I seldom play in the high position. Gold Grover tuners may be rusted in the future like I see in Gibson LP Studio 1999.

In Thailand, the dealer cannot help me. They cannot set-up. I have to do it myself.

30 years playing guitar. If you want to buy the ej-200, you have to try. If you cannot accept the set-up, don't buy it. Don't waste your time setting it up. I did not like the factory set-up of this ej-200. But I like its appearance. It's beautiful to my eyes. That's why I bought this one.

It's oustanding what the Koreans can do. Not a lot to add to what was said about the incredible quality over price ratio. It misses the 10 because of the plastic pieces. I wanted to try the new EJ-300S 5made in China), but it will take months or maybe years before it is effectively distributed in Europe. Mine is natural, I really prefer that to the (toasted) sunburst or black-Presley models.
No case, no gig-bag, no cable: normal for the price.

My style is N. Young, CCR, Stones, Who (sure you guess my age now). Acoustically, the guitar sound is fantastic. Real jumbo volume. Sounds better than my Takamine EN-10. The chords last forever with good heavy strings (.12). I have mounted the new Dean Markley's Tahoe to hook it to the Sherwood: the sound is plain, rich & balanced. There is no EQ, and it would be cool sometimes to add more brightness, but I still prefer passive pick-ups for the comfort of not having to replace the battery and keeping the primitive sound of the guitar. The TAHOE is quiet (not very loud). Only hums when facing the amp. Great great value for all of this !!

WOuld rank at 9.

I spent hours without finding a flaw. I guess the quality checks are very rigorous and the process quite optimized to produce splendors like this for the bucks.

I know Epi enough to know that it will age nicely, apart from the "gold" stuff which will grey up a bit. I think this would badly suffer if it falls.

Never dealt with Epi.

Been playing for 30 years. Would run to buy again if stolen. Would never consider the Gibson J200, as I simply don't deserve it. The Epi EJ-200 is in my category, I have more limits than the guitar.

And... the great thing is that it attracts me like a magnet, makes me play more and better. I wish it would not have the plastic pieces.

Go for it, if you can still find them. These guitars are little gems for standard people.

Jumbo body... nice, maple back and sides... not so nice, spruce top... nice, rosewood fretboard and bridge... not so nice. Im a very picky person when it comes to acoustics, but im poor and i needed an acoustic, the EJ fit the bill perfect. My idea of the perfect acoustic is the martin D-35 only in a jumbo form. im also told that ebony resonates and sounds better than rosewood fretboards/bridges.

it sounds... okay... it was set up very well though, i was surprised when a guitar made in korea didnt buzz

like i said before this guitar had a surprisingly perfec set up, very comfortable. no flaws, but i have the sunburst finish so it gets finger prints easily but thats not a big deal

it hasnt broken yet, its pretty solid.

havn't delt with them, didnt need to

good guitar for the money

This is a Korean-made laminate top jumbo acoustic with spruce top, maple back and sides, rosewood fretboard, and black finish. It has crown inlays on the fretboard and bar inlays on the bridge (which is shaped after the Gibson moustache bridges). The tuners are very nice gold Grovers, and there is a strap button on the heel. I'm only giving it an eight because of the lack of a solid top.

If I hadn't known it was a laminate top before I played it, I never would have guessed. It has a beautiful, rich, full sound with nice clear highs and strong bass. I was very surprised. It's also very responsive. It can be loud and powerful or soft and subtle.

I play mostly country music, and the tone is great for that. I do everything from heavy strumming to flatpicking to fingerpicking, and it always sounds great.

There were no obvious finish flaws. All the inlays look good. The neck did not need adjusting even after shipping.

But the saddle was cut low under the high E, leading to a good deal of fret buzz. Rather than shim it up, I replaced the plastic saddle with bone, which eliminated the buzz and improved the tone.

Be aware that the factory set-up on this guitar had as low of an action as you can get on an acoustic. If you like something a little higher, you'll need to do some adjusting.

I haven't played this one at a gig yet, but I would. I never play without a back-up, though. Even with a $5,000 Taylor, I'd bring a back-up. It looks pretty durable and reliable, but I haven't had the chance to test that theory.

I haven't dealt with Epiphone on this at all.

I've been playing guitar for a little over a year. I also have a Norman acoustic, Ibanez AW20 acoustic, and a Squier Telecaster. I've been wanting a Gibson super jumbo for a while now, but I know I won't be able to afford it for another year or two. So I bought this as sort of a stop-gap until I can get a Gibson. But this guitar has really surprised me, and I'm very pleased with it. If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely look into getting another, although I would also look into the EJ-300s which has a solid spruce top and rosewood back and sides.

I plan to replace the nut and bridge pins with bone next, and I anticipate that will also improve the sound. I also recommend Elixir strings. I will also be putting in electronics soon, although I haven't decided what.

I know this guitar is a laminate, but I highly recommend giving it a try before writing it off. I guarantee you'll be impressed.

Korean-made natural finish EJ200. Spruce top with maple back and rims. Bound rosewood neck with crown inlays. Large old-style Epiphone headstock is scarf-jointed onto the neck. Two piece heel. Gold Grover machineheads. Moustache bridge with compensated saddle. Neck has a very obvioius Gibson feel. Nice touch are the two gold plated strap buttons on the heel and end block.

It's a physically big acoustic guitar. The sound is bright and rich nwith surprisingly good sustain. The trebles are bright and the bottom end has a pleasing ring to it. This must be due to the combination of the body dimensions and the use of maple for the back and rims. I wanted a J200 because Townshend used one to such impressive effect. A genuine Gibson was an absolute non-starter but the Epi impressed when I played a couple at a trade show. It is a great strumming guitar which responds well to the intensity of pick-hitting-strings. I wanted the J200 sound and I reckon I have it now.

The EJ200 felt absolutely right from the outset. Action is fraction higher than my Les Pauls. Gold Grovers do exactly waht one would expect. Finish is fine with no obvious spills, runs or mass-production blemishes. The headstock scarf joint and the two-piece heel are obvious as the timbers are of differing colours, but let's not forget this is a budget instrument, not a Montana job at 10x the cost!

The compensated saddle seems fine and there are no quibbles with intonation. No obvious problems with the guitar.

Too early to say as I have only had it two weeks. The fact I am publicly commenting so quickly suggests this has been a good purchase. This guitar inspires confidence. With a hard case on order she hasn't been gigged yet, but no doubt it's only a matter of time before she makes her debut. I would use this guitar for acoustic sets without hesitation.

Only time will tell how she ages. Just because it is a budget model does not mean it will not mature - my Vega 845 (D28 replica) certainly did.

I have wanted a J200 for aeons. Thanks to Epiphone I have one. Nearly thirty years playing electric and acoustic. My other acoustic guitar is a Dutch Vega 845, modelled on its then-parent company's Martin D28. Spruce and rosewood body. The sound of the EJ200 is bigger and more resonant than the Vega. Each has its own voice and feel. But the Super Jumbo has the aura of "pick me up and play". A great guitar at a ridiculous price. Shop around though; the RRP in the UK is in excess of #400. At that price it would be a pretty good buy. What I paid verges on charity from the retailer. The only problem is it is such a big bugger to store.

The more I play it the more I like it. Its sound, its apparent build quality and its almost stupid cost makes for one very appealing and useful acoustic guitar. No hesitation in recommending it. I know Pete Townshend and Neil Young use the real thing, but for the fiscally-challenged amateur this really is a great route to 'that' Super Jumbo sound. Great work Epiphone!