Epiphone J-200 Inspired by Gibson (Aged Vintage Sunburst)

The craftsmanship is excellent, especially for this price range, with no visual blemishes at all. The setup was also perfectly playable right out of the box. The finish is very pretty. The only thing that tells this apart from much pricier guitars is the weight, which is not cumbersome but definitely heavier than most premium-guitars.

The acoustic sound is, in a word, amazing. Great clarity with a defined bottom end that is never muddy or overpowering. When played fingerstyle, it does have a tendency to sound a bit “stringy”, like most big body guitars, but still very useful, especially with a capo on. When played with a pick, it sound absolutely fantastic.

My only complaint in terms of sound is that it is surprisingly quiet for such a big guitar. If you often play without mic, be aware that you may need to play quite forcefully to make yourself heard. Strumming should be fine, but I have struggled to be heard when playing more subtle parts together with other guitarists.

The electronics are what they are. I replaced them with an L.R.Baggs anthem and, and this combination sounds the best out of all my guitars through a PA.

In conslusion, Epiphone is on a bit of a roll here. If sheer acoustic volume is not very important to you, I suggest you get your hands on this guitar before it is too late. This type of bang/buck deal don’t tend to last.

Excellent