EJ-200 Review

The Epiphone EJ-200 is a jumbo-style 6-string acoustic guitar featuring a maple body, select spruce top, and body, neck, and headstock binding. Gold hardware and a set maple neck with a crown inlay on a rosewood fingerboard make this guitar stunner. Other features include a nut width of 1.68" and a 25.5" scale.

Features:	8.8
Sound:	9.6
Action:	9.4
Reliability:	9.2
Impression:	9.6
Overall rating:	9.3
Users rating:	8.5
Comments:	19

Featured review by: unregistered, on april 18, 2005

Purchased from: Shimokura Music Store

Features: In my search for a good sounding jumbo under $1,000, I ran across the EJ200 and found myself very surprised. Although the top is not solid wood, the construction, maple back and sides, and easy playing neck make this guitar competetive with much more pricey models. The tuners stay in tune, even after a full day of play, and the feel to the guitar is solid, that you are holding a well built instrument. For the price, I can't think of anything negative to say about the features. It is recommended to spend a little more money and upgrade the nut, saddle, and strings of this guitar according to your likes. // 8

Sound: The sound is what sold me - big lows and nice balance. At first, the sound was a little bright, but by replacing the factory light strings with Elixer nanoweb mediums, it now sounds richer. It has a jangly sound that suits the alternative rock style I prefer (Oasis, Coldplay, etc) and the action is extremely low. You will not get the depth of a Taylor dreadnaught or the soul of the Gibson J200 this is designed after, but I gaurantee you will be surprised with the sustain and power, and this at 1/8th the price of Gibson, Guild, or Taylor jumbos. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I am not an expert concerning guitar construction. As far as I can see, this instrument was carefully built and feels sturdy. I believe the guitar shop where I bought it altered the set up before I purchased it, so I can not comment on the action from the factory, but when I received it, it was way low and extremely easy to play and fret. This guitar looks impressive, again for the money, and the only problem I have had after half a year is the strap pin on the end of the guitar loosening. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Definitely durable and I don't feel as guilty taking it to the beach or a bar for the price compared to other Vintage guitars I own. I have used it live before with a boom mic and it sounds excellent. Actually, Noel Gallagher of Oasis is rumored to use an EJ200 (sunburst). Again, the strap button on the bottom of my guitar has become loose, but besides that, everything is solid and dependable, especially the tuners. // 8

Impression: Whether you are looking for a more expensive guitar or not, I recommend a look at this model. I played a few at different guitar shops, and recommend to try more than one as from my experience they do not all sound equally good, but when you find the right one (as I did) you will not regret the time spent (and money saved) picking up this guitar. The most notable point is how easy this guitar is to play. I am all in all extremely impressed with this axe - well done Epiphone. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: angus69, on may 01, 2006

Price paid: $ 504

Purchased from: internet

Features: My EJ-200 was made in 2002, in Korea. 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. // 9

Sound: I play mostly classic rock and modern, classically inspired rock. This means Oasis, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Neil Young, The Wallflowers, The Verve, The Who, etc... mostly British rock. One of the deciding factors in the purchase of this guitar is that Noel Gallagher of Oasis uses (or did use) one extensively for both recording and stage work. I liked the sound it gave and decided to replace my Epiphone PR-350CE with it. I couldn't be more impressed. Where the 350CE was muddled and undistinct, the EJ-200 is clear, bright, and full. This guitar's jumbo body style and maple side and back provide a clean, bright tone that also sounds very full and provides ample bass. This guitar is perfect for strumming along to a solo vocal or providing rhythm to a full band performance. I can say without much hesitation that this has got to be the best sounding guitar in the $500 and under catagory. Even without solid construction, the guitar simply sounds beautiful. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: 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. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Well, I'm using it live today. I sit and play, so the danger of lopping off the head-stock by hitting the ceiling fan while table-top-dancing is reduced. It's one of those dipped Korean guitars, and from experience, I know they're everything but stupid-proof. Run it over with you van, and it's gonna bust. Keep it in a decent locking guitar stand, put it back in its case--and don't do a Lizzie Grubman on it, and everything should be Jake. // 8

Impression: I've been playing for about 2 years now and have owned various guitars ranging from Stratocaster to Les Paul. I was worried that this guitar would not fulfill my expectations having never played one myself before buying it online. I really could not be happier with it though and plan to keep it for a long, long time. This guitar would be replaced if stolen because I love it's style, tone, and playability. I truly feel that it is the best guitar in it's pricerange. It's not a Guild, but for $700 less, it comes close enough. Great value. // 9

overall: 9.4

Reviewed by: fronkpies, on october 10, 2005

Price paid: $ 494.1

Purchased from: Gak.co.uk

Features: My Epiphone EJ200 was made in 2005, no electronics, maple back and sides with maple set neck, the fretboard is rosewood with crown inlays, select spruce top, moustache bridge. Finish is Vintage sunburst. The overall appearance of this guitar is amazing, the cream binding suits the rest of the guitar and just makes it look that much more classy. By far one of the nicest looking acoustic guitars I've ever seen. // 9

Sound: This guitar is the best sounding in its price range and beats some of the more "big" name brands out there. Simple must be heard to belive. I compared this guitar against others in Dawson's ect. and it beat all of them, but as they were asking 350 pounds I couldn't afford it so I took the risky decision of buying off the internet, I had to get the action set up the way I like it as it did buzz but nothing a little tweaking wouldn't sort out. Sound is rich and bassy but you still get the nice bright high notes. I range from Bob Dylan to Son House and this guitar suits them all. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: As I say the action wasnt the way I liked it when I recieved it but no other problems apart from that. The grovers hold there tune well and I couldnt find a single flaw in the finish or craftmanship. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar looks and feels like it will last longer than me. I would gig with it in no need of a backup and if I did need a back up I would buy another one of these, the gold strap buttons are a nice touch and certainly do the job. // 10

Impression: This guitar suits my blues/folk style perfectly, I've been playing for 3 years now I also own an Epiphone Les Paul and Vox AD50VT amp. I would definatly buy another if stolen. My favourite feature is the over all sound. One of the best acoustics out there, you won't be dissapointed. // 9

overall: 10

Reviewed by: yesterbird, on march 02, 2009

Price paid: $ 400

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I'm not sure what year mine was made in, but I do know that it was made in Indonesia. It's a jumbo guitar, with a 25.5 scale. The fretboard is made out of Rosewood, with beautiful Crown inlays. The inlays on the fretboard are made out of mother of pearl, and have a black outline that really makes it stand out even more against the fretboard. The writing on the headstock and inlays on the bridge are also mother of pearl, and add a really nice touch to the guitar. The neck, back, and sides are all mahogany, while the top is laminated solid spruce. I got it in the Vintage Sunburst finish. I usually tend not to like sunburst guitars, but this one was a kind of golden tinted a bit, and was strikingly beautiful.It's hard to describe the finish's tint, but it blew me away. Also, the sides and back have the sunburst, which is pretty dang cool. The bridge is one of the most unique I've seen on a guitar, I'm pretty sure it's called a moustache-style bridge. There are no electronics on this guitar (which is a nice change of pace for me lol), and the tuners are gold grovers. They really hold tune well, probably one of the best brands of tuners on the market. The only things it came with were some paperwork and a Tool to adjust the bow of the neck. Overall, completely satisfied. // 10

Sound: I play all types of acoustic music, from The Beatles, Oasis, The Kooks, Coldplay, Rolling Stones, and everything in-between. This guitar suits it perfectly! I have played the hell out of it, and have yet to find a bad sound made by this guitar. Even beginners would be able to make it sound amazing. It has really nice, deep lows, contrasted by crisp and clean highs. I have to admit, a big selling point of this guitar was that Noel Gallagher of Oasis Fame uses one. After playing one extensively, I don't blame HIM for using such a great guitar. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was surprisingly really well set up. In my experience with guitars in general, the action was always just a little bit off. I’m not sure if it was a lucky fluke with my EJ-200, but I was happy either way. I have examined my guitar extensively, but there's not a single flaw. As I mentioned above, the finish is absolutely breath-taking, and the binding is flawless. The bridge, saddle, and tuners were also in perfect condition. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Both strap buttons come with a felt circle under them(basically a washer between the strap button and guitar. They seem really solid, like the rest of the guitar. I'm still pretty over-protective of it, and jump about five feet high whenever it bumps something. Despite how clumsy I can be, there's not even a scratch in the finish. I would completely trust it, there's no way I would need a backup, unless I was doing something with alternate tunings. I think it will last a really long time. The people at Epiphone did an outstanding job, 10/10. // 10

Impression: This guitar fit's my style so ridiculously well, it's like it was custom built to my liking. I love everything about it, and hate nothing. I have been playing for about 2 and a half years, and I only owned one guitar before I bought this one. However, I have played a lot of different acoustic guitars (at least 50 different models). Even though I had my heart set on the EJ-200, I spent about four hours at guitar center, trying out nearly every acoustic they had. I have to say, this was my favorite one that was available for under $1000. It's not a high-end Gibson or Martin, but for less than half the price, it comes so close you won't even care. // 10

overall: 9.4

Reviewed by: Breakingpoint56, on december 15, 2008

Price paid: $ 350

Purchased from: Musicians Friend

Features: My EJ-200 is a 2008 model with a solid spruce top, and maple back and sides. (made in Indonesia) Rosewood fretboard (20 frets) with a maple neck and inlaid mustache bride. It looks pretty cool. The EJ-200 is a jumbo body giving you a great full sound, especially when coupled with elixir strings, I got my EJ in August, and the strings still haven't snapped. Pretty impressive and I play ALOT. Now solid spruce for those Who don't know is different from Sitka spruce and it cuts down the cost of manufacturing making it's Gibson counterpart much more expensive. One thing that really drew me to this guitar was the pickguard. it's absolutely gorgeous. For 350 dollars you simply get alot. Grover tuners are gold, and compliment the guitar very nicely making it a beauty too look at and the tone is wonderful. You definitly get all that you pay for and more. Epiphone seems to get a bad rap, but I have a Les Paul and this EJ-200 and I couldn't be happier. It has a laminated top, giving her a nice Shine once you polish it, and as I mentioned before the grovers keep it well in tune, with no string slippage. // 8

Sound: I play hard rock and alternative, and when there are times that you simply want to go bare bones this guitar gives it to you. Every note shines through thanks to the jumbo body, and there aren't any dead spots. Granted with it being acoustic your limits on fret work start to get obvious about the 15th fret. The EJ-200 has a very bright and full sound, wonderful resonance that doesn't bottom out. For those who use harmonics they come through pretty well, I mean for a bottom line guitar your getting wonderful tone. The harmonics come through well on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 12th. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: When I got the guitar it was ready to play, nearly in tune.Suprisingly low action for an acoustic actually not high off the fretboard making it a pain to play. It was completely immaculate. No finish flaws, or poor work. As I said before laminate top. It was really taken care of where it was made, and setup wonderfully by the guys at Epiphone. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I'd take this guitar on stage with me for a gig. I'm wary about putting a pickup in it, just because I don't care to put holes or having a cord come out of the guitar. I prefer micing it anyday. The strap buttons don't come loose, they actually have a piece of I guess you could say... cloth as a buffer between the strap buttons and guitar, effectively making it like a washer. And we all know how annoying loose strap buttons are. // 10

Impression: I've been playing for about 5 years, and I had an acoustic Schecter before this with a composite back, paid MORE for it, and got rid of it. It simply did not have the tonal range of the EJ-200. Since I got my Schecter I wanted a full bodied acoustic, I felt cheated by having that composite back and checked between fenders, some taylors, and an Alvarez before deciding on it. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered it honestly, I just saw the specs on how it was made and how it looked but I was glad I took the risk. If your in the market for a new acoustic I heavily recommend it. // 10

Comments

[awesomegear16]

I'm looking to buy one. I'm looking for a acoustic ecause the only acoustics I have a re on my Variax 300:P

[Astaldo]

yeah, i wanna buy this guitar too! And you gave good advices. thanks, gonna play it in the shop and surlybuy it then

[BPG]

I think I'm going to order one of these guitars too

[epiphone99]

im gettin this guitar for 250 canadian

[beecroftd]

I am so pleased with this guitar. I actually returned my masterbuilt epiphone to the dealer when I seen this jumbo. I was very happy they gave me a credit and allowed me to return the masterbuilt. in addition i also played the 3,000 dollar gibson up on the wall and was very hard pressed to see the difference between the 400 dollar epiphone. cheers to this ej200 i am blown away. go get one today.

[squierstratdave]

can you convert this guitar into electric acoustic?

[vintagegear]

two weeks ago I purchased a used ej200 at my favorite local music store. it belonged to the owner and he let it go for 450.00 with case. an active preamp had been previously installed (150.00). I was so impressed with the sound and playability of this epiphone I couldn`t let the deal go by. I was in the market for a jumbo guitar and anticipated that I would have to pay much more to get what I wanted. nice sunburst finish and binding.

[hitl]

best look for a acustic guitar.... ever :o

[teamoxx3]

i have this guitar in the acoustic-electric version. it is amazing and has such a rich sound to it. i looked all over new york city to narrow down my search for a new acoustic and once i held this i knew it was perfect. and the price was very resonable!!

[dave-h]

i am in two mind of which to buy a yamaha ll6 or anepiphone ej200 i have seen the yamaha for the exact same price as the epiphone which was £249 could anyone sway me in any direction on which to buy

[kiwihrish]

im planing to buy this guitar but not sure if solos would sound good on jumbo gat... an can any1 help me on this?? im beginer - intermidate player n mostly play bluesy/ rocky stuff. i also solo a lot but not sure if this gat would suit the soloing part. can ny1 help???

[tedhechtman]

Okay. The first one I got had a damaged top. It was bubbling up. The second was the one on display which I didn't take home. To be honest...the guys at Guitar center were the ones who noticed the scratches. The third needed a set up but now, with some light weight elixirs on it, I love it. It's bright and loud and crisp and the sustain goes on and on. The action is great and the neck is fast. I bought it for 349.

[Caths]

Hey...i love love love my semi-acoustic..great sound when you plug it into the amp!. beautiful finish. I am so proud to have it to be honest. Mine has a pick up and cut away so was a tiny bit more expensive..but i dont think overall expensive at all!!!..great guitar..cant wait to get out of the office and play it again!! I paid €379 for mine.

[Breakingpoint56]

squierstratdave wrote:

can you convert this guitar into electric acoustic?

Yes you can, you just need to put a pickup in it, which can either be done by putting a hole in the side,and running the cord from the pickup through, or just letting the cord hang out of the soundhole.

Putting the hole in makes it look cleaner, but i prefer to keep my guitars as is for the most part, unless its an electric and im replacing the pickups, but i stay away from actives.

[Breakingpoint56]

dave-h wrote:

i am in two mind of which to buy a yamaha ll6 or anepiphone ej200 i have seen the yamaha for the exact same price as the epiphone which was £249 could anyone sway me in any direction on which to buy

Thats really your preference, but as far as guitars go, I have never been impressed with Yamaha. Epiphone has more experience with instruments making it a much safer bet in quality, plus, you get excellent features and tonal range.

[Breakingpoint56]

kiwihrish wrote:

im planing to buy this guitar but not sure if solos would sound good on jumbo gat... an can any1 help me on this?? im beginer - intermidate player n mostly play bluesy/ rocky stuff. i also solo a lot but not sure if this gat would suit the soloing part. can ny1 help???

For blues-rock its great, just don't try to pull of any metal techniques.

[macy7811]

I'm stuck between getting this or the Epiphone Hummingbird. I've heard good things about both guitars. A little help please? and if it's a yes to the EJ-200, which color should I get? THANKS!

[reaverman]

Breakingpoint56 wrote:

dave-h wrote:

i am in two mind of which to buy a yamaha ll6 or anepiphone ej200 i have seen the yamaha for the exact same price as the epiphone which was £249 could anyone sway me in any direction on which to buy

Thats really your preference, but as far as guitars go, I have never been impressed with Yamaha. Epiphone has more experience with instruments making it a much safer bet in quality, plus, you get excellent features and tonal range.

Not wanting to be a fly in the ointment here, but both companies have been making musical instruments since the 1880's.

[guitarhero2013]

i have this guitar and i love it...i play it all the time. i paid 400 for it at Guitar Center. it was worth it