Epiphone EJ200

Sitting side by side in our studio is that Epiphone EJ200 and a rare, birds eye maple-topped PRS. Now you’d assume that anyone with any view about guitars would head straight for the PRS. Oh no.

While we truly love that PRS, we’ve spent more duration wiping the saliva off the £359 Epiphone than any guitar for ages. The point is that some guitars have got it and some haven’t. Got what? You may ask. Charisma matey, and loads of it. The fact is the EJ200, like its more famous Gibson cousin, has a presence all its own, and that makes it special.

Build

The tobacco sunburst maple body, with front and rear edge binding and spruce top is as good as you’ll find anywhere. There are no tell-tale blemishes or overspray to tip at the EJ200’s humble origins, and the lacquer is just the right shade to add a convincing tip of age.

A rosewood fingerboard is edgebound to the maple neck and quality is maintained right up to the headstock, which carries six adjustable, gold-plated Gotoh tuners. The revered Gibson moniker sits reassuringly on the truss rod cover and the whole assembly stands up well to close scrutiny.

The weakest points are the crown inlays set into the fingerboard, which have just a bit too much filler around them. The internal bracing is cleanly finished with no excess glue, and even a little detail like the finish around the soundhole is done well.

The nut has been superbly cut and fitted and the 20 thin frets are finished better than you might expect on a guitar in that price

bracket. The bridge, on the other hand, could have done with a bit more work; it’s scrappy in places and is the only area that lets the EJ200 down.

Playability

If that were a four figure Gibson J200, I’d be looking for a guitar with a fat, rich bass end; one for strumming, not picking. The Epiphone EJ is tonally better balanced for general playing, with a more even spread of tone across the strings.

The action is lighter and lower than you’d expect from an acoustic, so while that is still a guitar that likes to be strummed, the more even balance means that the Epiphone is good for pickers as well. In fact, that would produce a great guitar for country picking, considering the low action and even response produce it quite fast. And it’s got the look that just makes you want to pick it up and play.

We were impressed at how quickly the EJ200 settled down from when it was first unpacked. Initially the tone was a little hard and edgy, but by a few days, as it was played in, it developed a warmer, smoother sound, with stable tuning and great recorded tone.

The jumbo-sized body projects well and the guitar is always comfortable to play, either standing or sitting. An endpin strap button sits in the usual place, but there’s no second one at the heel. One solution is to attach a strap around the neck at the headstock, as Elvis Presley used to do with his Gibson.

Sound

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[Source] Guitarist (Eddie Allen)