tomgw63

Here's a photo of the bridge on my new IBG J-200. It's a cell phone photo, so it may be difficult to see, but in person it looks like it has string ramping, especially on the G-A strings.

Thanks for the string advice. I found myself in Chicago this past Saturday, so I went to Chicago Music Exchange and I played their Epi IBG Hummingbird. It has the sound I like, as many of you suggested. While I was there, I wanted something to compare my J-200 with. So I played a Gibson pre-war style SJ-200 Sunburst with rosewood back and sides (I know it's not a fair comparison, but they didn't have any Gibson SJ-200s with maple back and sides in stock). It sounded absolutely incredible, like a choir of angels singing. I've never played any guitar, acoustic or electric ,that sounded that good (I've also never played a guitar with a price tag of $7,499.99 before, so yeah, it should've sounded incredible). I may have ruined myself for playing guitars that mere mortals can afford, but it was an experience I'll never forget (in a really good way). After I carefully handed the Gibson back to the salesman, I looked around for something of approximately the same jumbo body size/shape that had maple back and sides for a closer comparison with my Epi J-200. I spotted a Guild that fit the bill, picked it up and strummed it and yes, it too sounded great. Then I looked at the price tag and it was priced at $4,499.99, so again, no wonder it sounded so good. I left with a new perspective on what certain guitars actually sound and play like, so for me it was a very beneficial visit. Later that night, when I played my Epi J-200, it sounded better to me. I expected the opposite after having played the aforementioned guitars earlier that day, so I was pleasantly surprised. I was using a different pick, but I've been playing it a lot, and now it sounds better to me than it did when I first played it. At present I think I'll keep it, and maybe I'll get a Hummingbird somewhere down the road.

I'm still on the fence about returning my J-200 for a Hummingbird. I called Sweetwater and everything is set to go, I just have to pull the trigger. But for some reason I can't seem to give up on the J-200. I find myself playing it every night, sometimes twice a night. I love the way it looks and the way it feels in my hands, and I'm probably wrong, but I keep looking for solutions to improve the unplugged volume/tone. I'd like to try a set of John Pearse strings on it before giving up on it, but I don't know which strings to buy. I went to the John Pearse website, and they list all the specs of the strings, but no real description of what they sound like. I also still can't find a guitar store anywhere even semi-close to where I live that has an IBG Hummingbird in stock. The closest one is Chicago Music Exchange, which is an exceptional store, but it's kind of difficult to get to. I'd like to be able to drive to Sweetwater and compare my J-200 with other examples, and play it back to back with an IBG Hummingbird, but Ft. Wayne is a 3 1/2 hour drive for me (one way). Any advice on strings would be greatly appreciated.

I did notice yesterday that of the 4 Antique Natural IBG Hummingbirds listed on Sweetwater's website, two had the "made in Indonesia" sticker and two "made in China". I'm glad I looked, because I thought all the IBG Epi acoustics were made in Indonesia.

I checked the ball ends of my strings with a mirror last night, and they're all gold, so probably Gibson strings. I'm going to call Sweetwater and talk to them about returning the J-200 and getting an IBG Hummingbird.

Thanks for your advice - I genuinely appreciate it. I'm going to check the strings on my J-200 to see if they're actually Gibson or D'addarios. I love the look of the J-200, but I'm leaning toward returning it and getting an IBG Hummingbird instead. None of the guitar stores/shops in my area have any of the IBG Epi acoustics in stock, so my only reference is that I've played 3-4 different Epiphone Hummingbird models, both Pro and Studio, and they all sound about 10 times better to me than my J-200 does. I feel bad because I love the way my J-200 looks, and it does have great sustain, but for what it cost it shouldn't be outshined by sub-$500 guitars from the same brand.

I just received my new Epiphone "Inspired by Gibson" J-200 in vintage natural (purchased from Sweetwater). The build quality, finish and setup are all outstanding - but I'm underwhelmed with the unplugged sound. It sounds so dull and lifeless that if I had picked it up and played it in a guitar shop, I would've hung it back on the wall and kept looking for something better. I've watched lots of YouTube video reviews, read buyer reviews on both Sweetwater and Guitar Center's websites, and some people think their J-200s sound great, some say it has a good "plugged in" sound, others merely say it's a good "rhythm guitar". I'm mainly interested in the "unplugged' sound of mine. Is there anything I can do to brighten up/improve the sound? New Strings? Bone bridge pins? According to the hang tag it's currently strung with Gibson brand strings. I'm mainly an electric player, but I've wanted a good acoustic for a long time. This is the first brand new acoustic I've ever owned. I want to love it, but it just doesn't sound good to me. I've played many sub-$500 guitars that sound 10 times better than this one does. Is there anything I can do to improve the sound of this guitar? Or should I just return it?