Looking Forward to the EJ-200 Artist

[6string]

I've been reading reviews of the EJ-200 Artist, listening to sound samples, and enjoying all the pics I could find. With the possibility of receiving a great playing solid top at MF's current price tag, I couldn't pass it up. It seems the solid top claim is contested by some, but many agree that the older models were laminate and newer solid...I'll know for sure when mine arrive. I love the looks of the VS, but it seemed that everyone reporting a solid top had the natural version. I ordered one of each just in case there's a difference in construction and not just aesthetics. If both are good players I'll keep both regardless of top construction...at this price, why not. I also ordered a single hard case since I'm unsure if I'll be keeping both guitars. They even knocked $15 bucks off the hard case. They'll be here next week...I just love NGD.

 

I'll post back with my impressions when they arrive. Any pics, sound samples, and input from other Artist owners would be greatly appreciated.

[strumbert]

I just got my 3rd yesterday. Liked the 1st one so much I ordered a second, both are natural finish. Then they went down to the current price, and I couldn't resist, I got a sunburst.All have solid tops. I've shown a flashlight through the top, and stuck a mirror inside. The way they do the sunburst makes it appear to be laminate, since there is a ring of black paint in the center part of the sound hole. It looks like a light, then dark then light layer of wood, but it's just an elusion. Give them some time for the brightness of the strings to wear off a bit, they do sound a bit harsh when new. They put D'adario PB's on them from the factory, so I didn't change mine out yet. At a little over 2 months old, the 1st one I bought sounds phenominal.Sencond one shows promise. The 3rd I think may be better than the 1st eventually. Don't regret any of them.

 

Enjoy, and let us know what you think.

 

Tim

[6string]

Tim,

 

Thanks for the reply. Good to hear that yours are solid tops. UPS shows my VS model coming on Monday and the natural and a case on Tuesday.

 

Do you know what string gauge the supplied D'Addario's are? I've got a few sets of Thomastik 13's at the house I'd like to try on these. My plan is to have one set up for jazz and the other for fingerstyle blues. I've always been one to change nut/saddle/pins for bone/bone/ebony, but I've read that these guitars take better to Tusq. Once the guitars arrive and I can take measurements I'll get an order in with Stew-Mac.

 

I'm glad I ordered when I did. I just noticed on MF that they're out of stock with the natural model not shipping until February.

 

So do you have any pics or sound files you can post? I'd love to check them out if you do.

[JKK]

New to the forum but wanted to reply to this.

I to have the EJ200 artist. It is a great guitar.

I have the VS version also, and i to believe it to be a solid top.

I also have a standard EJ200 in Black, which sounds amazing. Blows the artist away.

The main difference i've found is the neck. (other than the obvious)

Is it just me or has the standard EJ200 got a wider neck? (As in the width of the fret board not the thickness)

[strumbert]

Kevin,

 

You'll have yours b/4 I get around to posting pics. I don't have the capability to post sound clips. I measured the high and low E, and it's .012 & .053. They do a pretty good setup from the factory, so they don't feel like 12's.

I love these things. I have a Masterbilt AJ-500M that is special, and I rank these right up there with it.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Tim

[6string]

Tim,

 

Thanks for taking the time to measure the strings...I appreciate it. I'll give the stock strings a go for a while before changing them out.

 

Less than 36 hours to touch down...the guitar should be at the house by the time I get home from work Monday.

[strumbert]

Apparently, I need to find a different guitar to play after my wife goes to bed. I guess it's the Jumbo size. She never complained about my other guitars.

 

Me loves the Jumbo!

[6string]

The vintage sunburst model arrived today. I'm impressed. It's a solid top, beautiful, comfortable, sounds great, and is definitely staying. The neck was straight so I added a little relief and it plays great...I'm loving it. No time for pics right now, I've got to get back to playing a little more before bed.

[strumbert]

The vintage sunburst model arrived today. I'm impressed. It's a solid top, beautiful, comfortable, sounds great, and is definitely staying. The neck was straight so I added a little relief and it plays great...I'm loving it. No time for pics right now, I've got to get back to playing a little more before bed.

 

No posts...no pix? I'll bet somebody has sore fingers.

[6string]

No posts...no pix? I'll bet somebody has sore fingers.

 

Yes, I've been doing more playing than surfing. The natural arrived yesterday and is quite the looker. I'm surprised at how much different the voice is between the two. I would expect them to be more similar than they are straight from the factory; the blonde is brighter sounding than the VS. The blonde is a solid top as well...very easy to see on this one. The inlay in the back doesn't center on the heel though, it seems they got off course about 1/16" by the time they got there. No biggie, certainly not a deal-breaker at this price point. It's also missing 2 truss rod cover screws which I called MF about and they are having Epiphone mail them out to me. I'll shoot for pics of both of them this weekend.

 

The hardshell Epi case is OK. Seems quite sturdy, but the covering/stitching isn't as nice as some other cases I've owned. And the inside has a nasty chemical smell, it's airing out in the den. I may close it up with a box of baking soda in it for a few days. For the price I'm content, and the guitar fits snugly inside. They could have shortened it a bit though, there is plenty of unneeded space extending beyond the headstock.

 

I ordered Tusq nut/saddle/bridge pins tonight to put in one of them...probably the blonde. I also ordered EL-17 (medium) strings to put on both. As good as these sound already I can't wait to hear them with the new hardware.

[LivingOnIslandTime]

Hey, guys.

 

Just wanted to join in the fun talking about this guitar. I am a true beginner and have basically been researching what guitar I wanted to start on for the better part of six months. I kept coming back to this one. The joke was on me when I tried to buy it new right before Christmas, though. The entire line was on back order. The soonest any would be available new, according to all the websites I visited, was the end of JANUARY. We live in the Florida Keys, so it's not like I can just pop over to my local Guitar Center (which is about 110 miles away). I wound up logging in at the right time a couple days ago and found a certified mint condition used EJ-200 Artist in the Vintage Sunburst and hopped on it immediately. Now, I'm just waiting for UPS to get it to me! I checked again at Guitar Center and a couple of other major retailers and found out that the Sunbursts are backordered until MAY. Feeling very fortunate to have this guitar.

 

So far, from the pictures I've seen and the demos I've watched on YouTube, this looks and sounds like a fantastic instrument.

 

I have a couple of questions, if you guys can help:

 

1.) How good are the factory strings? That seems to be one of the common complaints. The consensus on replacements I've seen seem to be D'Addario E16's or E17's. As a beginner, do you guys have a recommendation?

2.) I have no idea how to string a guitar. If I do decide to replace the strings and bridge pins, is there some kind of a tutorial available on line; or would you recommend I have a pro do it? We do have a guitar shop here in town.

3.) Finally, any tips for someone who is a true beginner with this guitar?

 

Thanks.

 

Karl

[strumbert]

Hey, guys.

 

Just wanted to join in the fun talking about this guitar. I am a true beginner and have basically been researching what guitar I wanted to start on for the better part of six months. I kept coming back to this one. The joke was on me when I tried to buy it new right before Christmas, though. The entire line was on back order. The soonest any would be available new, according to all the websites I visited, was the end of JANUARY. We live in the Florida Keys, so it's not like I can just pop over to my local Guitar Center (which is about 110 miles away). I wound up logging in at the right time a couple days ago and found a certified mint condition used EJ-200 Artist in the Vintage Sunburst and hopped on it immediately. Now, I'm just waiting for UPS to get it to me! I checked again at Guitar Center and a couple of other major retailers and found out that the Sunbursts are backordered until MAY. Feeling very fortunate to have this guitar.

 

So far, from the pictures I've seen and the demos I've watched on YouTube, this looks and sounds like a fantastic instrument.

 

I have a couple of questions, if you guys can help:

 

 

 

1.) How good are the factory strings? That seems to be one of the common complaints. The consensus on replacements I've seen seem to be D'Addario E16's or E17's. As a beginner, do you guys have a recommendation?

2.) I have no idea how to string a guitar. If I do decide to replace the strings and bridge pins, is there some kind of a tutorial available on line; or would you recommend I have a pro do it? We do have a guitar shop here in town.

3.) Finally, any tips for someone who is a true beginner with this guitar?

 

Thanks.

 

Karl

 

Karl, I'm pretty sure all 3 of mine came with D'addarios on them.You can tell by the colored ball ends. Check the Taylor website for a good tutorial on changeing strings. Not a tough job at all really. They come stock with 12's, so as a beginner, you may want to switch to 11's or maybe even 10's.

 

Get yourself a snark headstock tuner. It's a big guitar,but not umcomfortable (for me) to play at all.

 

Enjoy,

 

Tim

[LivingOnIslandTime]

Tim,

 

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. I'm going to be learning via the lessons on GarageBand that I have on my Mac, as well as working with a local guy who owns a music store here in town. Everyone I've talked to says to take it slow for the first couple of weeks (10 - 15 minutes of practice, 2-3 times per day) and build up from there. Does this sound right? Either way, the guitar is on its way. I promise I'll post some pics when it gets here. I have a Martin strap that I bought at the local shop that I really hope fits (it was the only strap they had that was made in the USA, which is REALLY important to me).

 

Can't wait to get playing!

 

Thanks again.

 

Karl [thumbup]

[milod]

I always tell beginners to practice (as in playing a simple chording to a simple well-known 2-3 chord song or two) until their left fingertips start to tingle. That's probably the 10-15 minutes. Then, wait until the tingle is gone. Yes too, no less than two times a day, no more than probably five.

 

You'll know when the fingers start to toughen up because it'll be a longer time before you get the tingle. Still, I'm not convinced that more than 4 to 5 hours a day practicing is necessary or even beneficial unless you're a classical guitarist. But that's just my opinion after going through my first year or two or pickin' with playing five to eight hours daily. I ain't talented, but I did develop some skill.

 

m

[LivingOnIslandTime]

I always tell beginners to practice (as in playing a simple chording to a simple well-known 2-3 chord song or two) until their left fingertips start to tingle. That's probably the 10-15 minutes. Then, wait until the tingle is gone. Yes too, no less than two times a day, no more than probably five.

 

You'll know when the fingers start to toughen up because it'll be a longer time before you get the tingle. Still, I'm not convinced that more than 4 to 5 hours a day practicing is necessary or even beneficial unless you're a classical guitarist. But that's just my opinion after going through my first year or two or pickin' with playing five to eight hours daily. I ain't talented, but I did develop some skill.

 

m

 

 

Thanks for the advice, Milo. My EJ-200 Artist will be here on Thursday. I'm really anxious to get down to it and start learning this instrument. I promise I'll post some pictures when it gets here. The sad thing about this is that I'm already thinking about when I'm going to give this guitar to my son so I can get an even better one (Like the regular EJ-200 ).

 

Thanks again for the advice.

 

Cheers.

 

Karl

[milod]

Karl...

 

Funny thing... Sometimes the more expensive, fancier instrument may or may not turn out to be "yours."

 

For example, I got an Epi Dot that played marvelously in a store even with different strings than I normally wear... everything worked very nicely...

 

I'd called the store and asked them to get me one, asked the price which was the same as the Internet companies... etc., etc. I already had plenty of sets of the strings I normally use on an electric at home which is more than an hour from the store.

 

Nobody else had touched the instrument at the store; it was right off the truck when they called me and I could escape early from work to grab it if the thing "felt" right. It looked very nice overall.

 

Then, when I got home and put on my glasses to change the strings - literally, 'cuz I'm an old guy who needs glasses for a close look at stuff - and discovered it was a factory second and, in a sense, I'd been cheated.

 

Problem was, it still played marvelously. It just ... felt ... right.

 

So... yeah, I still have it. The Epi folks - the big Epi Chief himself - offered to help get it exchanged for a "first." Problem is I really like the @#$@#$ thing. It's mine in a way that makes the dollars and sales receipt irrelevant.

 

So... <grin> What more for an old picker to say?

 

m

[LivingOnIslandTime]

Hey, Guys. I finally got her They weren't kidding about mint condition. There are a few minor blemishes on the pick guard and it was major league out of tune, but everything else was brilliant. This guitar feels great and sounds HUGE. I have to have my system up to almost full volume to hear over her when I'm strumming.

 

Very impressed with it, so far. Easy to play, even for a beginner like me.

 

Cheers - and here's to hoping I can get better fast!

 

pics coming soon.

 

Karl

[strumbert]

I predict sore fingers in your future. :lol:

 

Me loves Jumbo!

 

Enjoy!

[LivingOnIslandTime]

Hey, Guys!

 

Okay. First off, sorry for no pictures yet. My camera and my iPhone apparently make the pictures too big for the forum to upload them.

 

Now for the good news: I'm already learning fast. Chord progression is tough at any speed other than S-L-O-W for me. I've got 8 chords down and I'm working on the Barre chords. The guitar continues to amaze me. It sounds absolutely incredible.

 

I do have a couple of questions, though. The low E string has a bit of a buzz to it when I play it at the first fret. Open, it's fine and on the second fret on down it's fine. That first fret, though, buzzes no matter where my finger position is. Any suggestions on why or what I can do to fix it?

 

Second, I'm alternative between a Dunlop 73mm pick and a Martin 43mm pick. The Dunlop gives me a better sound, but the Martin makes it easier to play the strumming patterns I'm working on. Is this weird?

 

Finally, to my pal Strumbert - Dude, I had no idea how sore my fingers would be after just two weeks. They're getting better, but you were spot on. And I'm submitting my membership application for the "Me Loves the Jumbo" club.

 

Cheers.

 

Karl