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I really dig this guitar. Been playing for many years, mostly dreadnaughts on and offstage. Martins, Yamahas, Epiphones, Taks, etc. Never played a jumbo but I've wanted one for a while - especially the Gibson SJ-200. That particular guitar sells for $6,199 - way out of my budget. This one comes in at just below $1k - Bingo. I half expected to find some faults with this when I received it yesterday and began to play. It was love at first sound. Mids, Highs and lows all what I expected from having listened ton hours of SJ-200 and J-200 demos. I especially like holding it close while playing and feeling the deep vibes of the maple back. This is the unique playing experience these jumbos offer - among others. Playing feels different than what my Yamaha dread offers and takes a bit getting used to but offers what I need when flatpicking. Neck is easy to bar and action and intonation were accurate. No need for me to have this set up. I only gave the ease of use 4 stars because of the 9v battery pack that velcros to this inside of the guitar for the electronics. when it comes lose, it dangles behind the sound hole. There's a slight hassle of having to reach in and pull it past the strings to change the 9v battery. Something I hadn't considered when buying but overall, compared to the rest of the quality of the instrument is not a deal breaker. If you expect a close-second "Jumbo" sound and feel of a Gibson because this is constructed similarly with solid spruce and maple - you probably won't be disappointed. I also had an Epiphone EJ-200, the jumbo cousin to this with laminate woods and it doesn't even come close to the sound on this one. I was also very happy with the satin finish on this. Didn't think I would be, but I am. Overall it is an excellent investment.Also - Shipping was good with zZounds. I've been buying with these guys for years.

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I bought this guitar over a year ago. Mine was made in IndoChina not mainland China. Has bone nut. You could not pay me enough to sell this guitar. It has a great sound and even better action. I took it to a luthier who make guitars and he wanted to buy it. Not sure if they are all like mine, but if they are you'll be very happy.

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Last night was my first time playing a j200.Now I know what all the hype is about.Sound,feel,it's all perfect.

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Guitar looks great and sounds great! I am very happy with the direction Epiphone is going, excellent guitars at a great price point.

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Heavy. Feels really over-built. Solid wood but it's like Les Paul heavy. Had some loose wanky frets to fix, but it dressed out and set up beautifully. Sounds ok plugged in. Unplugged its hard to say. J-200's project out and unless you are in front of them its a tough call. Not sure thats its 400 bucks better than the EJ 200s. I've gigged one of those for years with no problem and it sounded very good. It has a solid top and weighs less.

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First off it doesn't have a "gloss" finish. Second it's about 1" more shallow than my older EJ 200 so it doesn't project the sound as well. On the plus side it sounds awesome played through a Roland Street Cube amp. Not happy with the junk tuners at that price either.I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

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Having recently purchased the new inspired by Gibson J-200 by Epiphone I believe any guitarist would be hard pressed to tell the difference. The Epi is as visually stunning and sounding as the much more expensive Gibson version. Gibson should continue this route for working musician's. It has been long over due. What a wonderful guitar. Unplugged and plugged in. I had heard the Fisheman Sonicore Pickup system lacked athenticity, I disagree. Does it sound as good as the J-200 unplugged maybe not, but it certainly has it's advantages in live performance situations. Congratulations Gibson for giving us working musicians a chance to own a solid wood version of the King of Flat Tops. Perhaps in the future I'll be trying out the new American made Texan as well.

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I own the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson J-200 in the Antique Natural and it is one of the finest guitars In my collection. Which includes 3 EJ-200 acoustic-electrics, 3 EJ-160E acoustic-electrics and a Gibson G-45 Studio. I would rate them all 5 stars. I own several other acoustic -electrics as well, but plan on sell ing them and going for Epiphone Inspired by Gibson all the way around. I'm hooked. These guitars are top notch. Hard to beat the price and quality craftmanship.

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This is a beautiful, great sounding and well made guitar. I was expecting less but was surprised at the quality of this SJ-200 clone. I watched and read every review that I could for months before making my purchase. I am pretty happy with this axe. I watched a couple youtubers criticize this model stating that the tone wasn't like the Gibson. They were apparently mostly vintage-snob Gibson fan boys because most of you, like me, probably won't be able to detect a difference in sound. And actually this guitar has better appointments than many of the Gibson versions, like bound fingerboard and headstock to name a couple. All I know is when I pick it up and play it, it has the deep Jumbo sound that I'm looking for. I was also looking for a 25.5" scale combined with a jumbo body to play and sound good in stepped down tuning. It doesn't disappoint. It sounds great with 53-12 D'addario phosphors although I will probably go with John Pearse Bluegrass customs to give a little more tension while strumming the lowers. The tuning heads are OK but I am replacing with locking Klusons. I am happy with the bone nut and saddle but wasn't happy with the saddle coming lose and falling off, revealing the under-saddle sensor for Fishman Sonicore pickup. That is puzzling. Epiphone support: I'm not happy with. Even though my call was answered immediately, they could not give an answer as to what tuning heads or measurements I could use for a replacement. They told me that they'd give an answer within a couple days and I haven't heard back yet after making a couple calls. Disappointing, as they answer as "Gibson" support.Overall though, I really like this guitar, aesthetics, sound and playability are all great. The one issue with the lose saddle and overall quality of the machine heads are my only complaints. I haven't plugged it in yet, but I've notice that many of the Gibson versions use the same Fishman Sonicore system.If your looking for the Gibson Jumbo sound at 1/4 the price with excellent sound and aesthetics, this is the way to go. Just be prepared for service that may be less than satisfactory and maybe a minor issue or two. Still, either way, probably similar issues would come up if you were to shell out 4k for a Gibson Jumbo. Also seems to tune down and sound great at dropped tunings with the larger scale and Jumbo body to complement the sound. Overall a very good buy.

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