EJ-200

[jckid649]

I've noticed that according to Epiphone the latest EJ-200's have solid spruce tops. Has Epiphone always made them this way or were they ever laminate tops and if so what years were they laminate tops?

[wiggy]

I've noticed that according to Epiphone the latest EJ-200's have solid spruce tops. Has Epiphone always made them this way or were they ever laminate tops and if so what years were they laminate tops?

 

As far as I'm aware the change over point from laminate to solid tops on the EJ200 was somewhere around August 2011.

[Big Col]

I have just bought an EJ200 ce and was advised by the dealer that it was a laminated model. The serial number dates it as being manufactured in Oct 2011. I read this thread before I bought it so made an enquiry to Epiphone asking them to confirm the spec of my guitar.

 

The first response I received from Epiphone Europe was that the solid top models were called EJ200 SCE. The S denoting a solid top.

 

I questioned this and pointed out that the Epiphone website clearly states that the EJ200CE is a solid top. I asked if they could confirm when the change from 'select spruce' to solid top was made.

 

I was asked to send pictures of my guitar and a picture of the serial number so they could investigate the spec.

 

I received an email direct from Epiphone who confirmed that my guitar did have a solid top and I quote "this became a fixed spec around the beginning of last year".

 

Hope this helps.

[EpiAlan]

I have just bought an EJ200 ce and was advised by the dealer that it was a laminated model. The serial number dates it as being manufactured in Oct 2011. I read this thread before I bought it so made an enquiry to Epiphone asking them to confirm the spec of my guitar.

 

The first response I received from Epiphone Europe was that the solid top models were called EJ200 SCE. The S denoting a solid top.

 

I questioned this and pointed out that the Epiphone website clearly states that the EJ200CE is a solid top. I asked if they could confirm when the change from 'select spruce' to solid top was made.

 

I was asked to send pictures of my guitar and a picture of the serial number so they could investigate the spec.

 

I received an email direct from Epiphone who confirmed that my guitar did have a solid top and I quote "this became a fixed spec around the beginning of last year".

 

Hope this helps.

All those are laminated. My dealer says the same. Only the Epiphone web site claims them to be solid tops. Every other retailer including MusiciansFriend and GuitarCenter state laminated select spruce tops. Sounds like an Epi scam to me. I won't buy one now unless my dealer specifically inspects it and verifies a solid top. So far, he has found NONE that are solid. Thank goodness Martin and Taylor, and Takamine and others do not run their busines in such a shoddy fashion.

[wiggy]

How many proves do you need, untill you believe it...

 

 

This guy's starting to look a bit like one of these.

 

[Morkolo]

All those are laminated. My dealer says the same. Only the Epiphone web site claims them to be solid tops. Every other retailer including MusiciansFriend and GuitarCenter state laminated select spruce tops. Sounds like an Epi scam to me. I won't buy one now unless my dealer specifically inspects it and verifies a solid top. So far, he has found NONE that are solid. Thank goodness Martin and Taylor, and Takamine and others do not run their busines in such a shoddy fashion.

[RaysEpiphone]

Is there a way to look at a top (or any wood) and tell by inspection if it's solid or not? Anyone?

[wiggy]

Is there a way to look at a top (or any wood) and tell by inspection if it's solid or not? Anyone?

 

If you look closely at the edge of the sound hole you can see the laminations on a lam top whereas on a soild top you can see the grain. On some guitars it's more obvious than others but is a pretty sure way to check.

[RaysEpiphone]

If you look closely at the edge of the sound hole you can see the laminations on a lam top whereas on a soild top you can see the grain. On some guitars it's more obvious than others but is a pretty sure way to check.

 

 

Cool! I'll remember this info.... Thanks Man!

[zombywoof]

Gotta confession to make. I never look at or even care about what kinda wood a guitar is made of when first picking one up. Folks will discuss to death the sonic qualities of this kinda wood over that kinda wood. Yet I am willing to bet that blindfolded many could not tell the whether the guitar they were playing had a birch or mahogany body or a solid or laminated top. There are way too many flippin' variables in what goes into a guitar.

 

When I started playing I had never heard of tone woods and did not know a good guitar from a can of tuna. There were no forums chock full of sage advice as to what goes into making a good guitar. But I learned, had a whole lotta fun in the process, and eventaully figured out what kind of sound I wanted from a guitar.

[EpiAlan]

How many proves do you need, untill you believe it...

 

How many proofs? You need to show me the links for the DEALERS WHO SELL EJ-200...that specify in their specifications that a solid top is used...ONLY the Epi site states solid tops on an EJ-200ce or regular EJ-200.....Musicians Friends says SELECT SPRUCE LAMINATION.....Guitar Center says LAMINATED SELECT SPRUCE TOP...and every other retailer in the country for EJ-200 says...SELECT SPRUCE TOP. Now, are you trying to tell me that Epiphone has NO IDEA that every retailer in the county and the world are selling their guitars in massive quantity without knowing that all these major retailers have falsly claimed laminated tops when they are solid? The ONLY site in the world that claims EJ-200 has a solid top is Epiphone. One might think that is the most reliable source, but considering that Epi made no attempt to correct the specifications on every major retailer in the world...well that really is a bit far fetched. Epi being what it is ...a guitar company which everyone knows, makes very inconsistent quality guitars, MAY have had a few guitars slip through with a solid top..that would be the exception. If you look at the specifications of any other guitar maker in national online sales..you will see that the specifications always match the guitar. Martin or Taylor would not even dream of producing a 50/50 batch of solid tops and laminated tops on the same model. Their reputation, like Epi's would collapse over night, and they have never done this. But for Epi on the opther hand..this batch swapping seems to be policy! I love my new AJ-220SCE...I got a "good one." It wasn't supposed to have a bone saddle..mine does...but what about the other people who bought an AJ-220SCE...and they DIDN'T get a bone saddle but paid the same price as me? The Epi specs say that my AJ220SCE bridge is rosewood...well some are and some are not..in fact mine is solid black smooth ebony bridge..good for me..but what about YOU who didn't get one? Inconsistency! This is a certain recepie for disaster and collapse. It erodes the public trust. Epi was once the pinnacle of perfection. Now, the first thing I hear when I go to buy an Epi guitar is..."Make sure you look for a good one." ...And the EJ-200 solid top debacle represents the reason why Epi is not Taylor or Martin, or even Mitchell and Fender. Wake up Epi. Your eroding your own fan base and emersing them in confusion. If you are selling guitars on Musicians Friend and Guitar center with the wrong specs, shame on you!

[Morkolo]

How many proofs? You need to show me the links for the DEALERS WHO SELL EJ-200...that specify in their specifications that a solid top is used...ONLY the Epi site states solid tops on an EJ-200ce or regular EJ-200.....Musicians Friends says SELECT SPRUCE LAMINATION.....Guitar Center says LAMINATED SELECT SPRUCE TOP...and every other retailer in the country for EJ-200 says...SELECT SPRUCE TOP. Now, are you trying to tell me that Epiphone has NO IDEA that every retailer in the county and the world are selling their guitars in massive quantity without knowing that all these major retailers have falsly claimed laminated tops when they are solid? The ONLY site in the world that claims EJ-200 has a solid top is Epiphone. One might think that is the most reliable source, but considering that Epi made no attempt to correct the specifications on every major retailer in the world...well that really is a bit far fetched. Epi being what it is ...a guitar company which everyone knows, makes very inconsistent quality guitars, MAY have had a few guitars slip through with a solid top..that would be the exception. If you look at the specifications of any other guitar maker in national online sales..you will see that the specifications always match the guitar. Martin or Taylor would not even dream of producing a 50/50 batch of solid tops and laminated tops on the same model. Their reputation, like Epi's would collapse over night, and they have never done this. But for Epi on the opther hand..this batch swapping seems to be policy! I love my new AJ-220SCE...I got a "good one." It wasn't supposed to have a bone saddle..mine does...but what about the other people who bought an AJ-220SCE...and they DIDN'T get a bone saddle but paid the same price as me? The Epi specs say that my AJ220SCE bridge is rosewood...well some are and some are not..in fact mine is solid black smooth ebony bridge..good for me..but what about YOU who didn't get one? Inconsistency! This is a certain recepie for disaster and collapse. It erodes the public trust. Epi was once the pinnacle of perfection. Now, the first thing I hear when I go to buy an Epi guitar is..."Make sure you look for a good one." ...And the EJ-200 solid top debacle represents the reason why Epi is not Taylor or Martin, or even Mitchell and Fender. Wake up Epi. Your eroding your own fan base and emersing them in confusion. If you are selling guitars on Musicians Friend and Guitar center with the wrong specs, shame on you!

 

Solid top EJ200CE's only hit the market mid 2011, this is April of 2012. Keep in mind that most parts of North America are still suffering from the effects of the recession, meaning sales are down and old stock laminate tops have a high probability of still being in stock. Is that the reason, I don't know... you seem so upset over it why don't you call every dealer and ask why their website claims different specs from Epiphone's. As for comparing Epiphone to other brands in all fairness there's a reason why Epiphone isn't compared to Martin and Taylor because that's what Gibson is for. You can't compare a $500 guitar to a $2500 guitar... you can enjoy each for what they are but it becomes apparent where the extra money goes to rather quickly. "make sure you look for a good one." that goes for every brand, every model of every guitar, we're talking about wood remember so each is going to have it's own little quirks that will make it different from the next off the line.

[Australian Sun]

This is a close up cross sectional photo of plywood, otherwise known as laminate. If you look across the face of your guitar and see these lines (thin slices of timber that have been glued/laminated together) where the edge of the face disappears into the sound-hole, then you don't have a solid top guitar. However, some guitar luthiers are very good at hiding these lines so if you don't see them, look harder... and if you still don't see them then look for the wood grain pattern that matches the face to confirm it is solid timber. Solid timber faces are preferable for guitarists due to their resonant qualities, especially as they age past their first decade as a played guitar. In years to come the solid face guitars of today will have an increased harmonic resonance, well at least the guitars that get played. Harmonic resonance is what makes brilliant guitars sound brilliant and is usually something that is best described as 'high pitch bell-like sounds'. It is a part of the sound produced by the guitar that is above what a human ear can hear, but sub-consciously we all love that 'thing' that happens when you get a J200 with heavy strings and strum it like no tomorrow through an old German made valve microphone. I aim for that sound for all the artists I record, and more often than not an aged solid face just has more of it. I can't vouch for the aging of those guitars that spend their lives in cases! Hope that clears things up for anyone in doubt. I was thinking about buying an EJ-200... to fill in some time until someone wants to sell a used Gibson J200 Custom or True Vintage. I'm not sure I will now I know that about them. I need a jumbo for the studio!

[Jinder]

I bought my EJ200 last October/November (in the UK) and it is definitely a solid-topped guitar. Grain inside matches grain outside when you go in with a mirror, soundhole lip has grain right through it, it passes the "torch test"...it definitely has a solid top.

 

Incidentally, it's a superb guitar-I owned a 2003 Gibson SJ200 when I bought the Epi, and the Epi was just as good as the Gibson, right out of the box...I also prefer the neck on the Epi, so after seven years of loyal service I traded the SJ200 for an Advanced Jumbo.

 

I would unstintingly recommend the EJ200 to anyone who wants to buy an acoustic guitar for under £850-1000. The "bang-for-buck" is unbelievable.

[Dodger11]

I haven't ever owned a high end instrument but don't really feel obliged to as the quality of Epiphone's low end (even the all laminate models) competes right up there (in my opinion anyway) with all the biggies. Epiphone's solid topped guitars that I have owned (AJ200 EJ160e) sound amazing with a decent set of strings and after a couple of years playing. And with the prices being affordable the beater guitar that you bought ends up being a favourite (and very replacable).

[wiggy]

I know people say that laminate top guitars don't age like a solid top one does (i.e the way it sounds when you buy is how it's always going to sound) but I have to disagree.

 

Before I start let me say that this isn't a comment on laminate vs solid quality before anyone jumps on me.

 

My old Tanglewood TW400N is a Korean built laminate topped Dreadnought from the earliest batches they produced (when they were producing pretty much very low end Martin knock offs - no offence to Tanglewood). In it's 20+ years of existance it's gone through extremes of temperature and humidity having spent several years unprotected in an uninsulated loft and over that time it has opened up immensely. It hasn't become a fine instrument but it has developed a much richer and more complex voice than it ever had when new.

 

Ironically, if it had been a solid top it probably wouldn't have survived the mistreatment long enough to develop it's character.

[Red 333]

I bought my EJ200 last October/November (in the UK) and it is definitely a solid-topped guitar. Grain inside matches grain outside when you go in with a mirror, soundhole lip has grain right through it, it passes the "torch test"...it definitely has a solid top.

 

Incidentally, it's a superb guitar-I owned a 2003 Gibson SJ200 when I bought the Epi, and the Epi was just as good as the Gibson, right out of the box...I also prefer the neck on the Epi, so after seven years of loyal service I traded the SJ200 for an Advanced Jumbo.

 

I would unstintingly recommend the EJ200 to anyone who wants to buy an acoustic guitar for under £850-1000. The "bang-for-buck" is unbelievable.

 

High praise, indeed. Jinder is the real deal.

 

Red 333

[Australian Sun]

I bought my EJ200 last October/November (in the UK) and it is definitely a solid-topped guitar.

Hi Jinder, could you please indicate whether your EJ200 was made in China or Indonesia? Any other distinguishing features that might help me find a good one? The inconsistency in manufacture of these guitars is making the purchase of one a bit of a challenge. Some are solid, some are plywood, some are made in China, some are made in Indonesia... Which one do I buy?

 

Thank you Jinder, your input to this forum and the music world are invaluable.