New (to me) HUGE Acoustic Guitar Day

[MilwMark]

Epiphone Inspired by Gibson SJ200. Used, mint at my local for a great price. They even threw in a nice aftermarket bag/case.

Looks great. Plays great. Sounds great. Seems like pretty clean construction inside. Solid Sitka top and solid maple back and sides. Bone nut and saddle. Smooth, accurate tuners.

I’m an OM kinda guy and would never drop big coin on a big guitar. But for a fraction of the price of a “real” one, it sure is nice.

 

[catdaddy]

Congrats! That's a beauty!

Never had a chance to play the SJ200, but I have played a J-45 and Hummingbird in the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson lineup. Both were really nice guitars that punched way above their price point.

 

[schoolie]

Nice! I was very tempted by those IBG SJ-200s.

 

[Greggorios]

Very nice. Great score. Enjoy.

 

[Mark617]

Congrats! That's a beauty!

Never had a chance to play the SJ200, but I have played a J-45 and Hummingbird in the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson lineup. Both were really nice guitars that punched way above their price point.

Did you pull the trigger on either of them ? I’m jonesing a Hummingbird, but can’t swing Gibson prices . Would like your honest take on the Epiphone, if you would
Thanks

 

[duzie]

Looks like my EJ-200sce/vs 2016 Epi

 

[orangeblossom]

Nice score. I love my hummingbird inspired by gibson. As good as and the same as a Gibson.

 

[MilwMark]

Nice score. I love my hummingbird inspired by gibson. As good as and the same as a Gibson. View attachment 973047

I’ve got a 70s Gibson J50. Maybe I got lucky. Great guitar for peanuts. My IBJ SJ doesn’t ring quite as well. But I’d never buy or play a Gibson model of that size guitar anyway.

Yours is a cool
Guitar. If one of those IBJ Hummingbirds strolls into my local shop used, I’d have a hard time resisting it.

 

[Deathray]

That’s a looker!
HNGD!

 

[mimmo]

Very nice burst, this is a really great guitar. Congratulations.

 

[catdaddy]

Did you pull the trigger on either of them ? I’m jonesing a Hummingbird, but can’t swing Gibson prices . Would like your honest take on the Epiphone, if you would
Thanks

I didn't pull the trigger on either, but oh boy that IBG Hummingbird was tempting, and if I didn't already own a 1970 Gibson Hummingbird I would have snagged it in a heartbeat. It was just a great guitar in looks, tone build and playability. Was it as good as my Gibby? Well, it was different: lighter build, different neck profile, more orange than red in the 'burst, and a considerably different tone. I've never found a guitar with as sweet a tone as my '70 Hummingbird and it's had over 50 years to settle in perfectly. The IBG Hummer was louder and with a little more bite, and had what I thought was a tone somewhere between a Martin and Gibson (not at all a bad thing!). It was a really nice sounding spruce/mahogany dread with great feel and responsiveness. I've never run across anything I've liked as well at the price.

Nice score. I love my hummingbird inspired by gibson. As good as and the same as a Gibson. View attachment 973047

Beautiful!!! Might be as good or better than some Gibsons. Here's my 1970 Gibby which I bought new that year. As you can see the 'burst on mine is more red, and the half century of play has left its mark!

 

[zombywoof]

I didn't pull the trigger on either, but oh boy that IBG Hummingbird was tempting, and if I didn't already own a 1970 Gibson Hummingbird I would have snagged it in a heartbeat. It was just a great guitar in looks, tone build and playability. Was it as good as my Gibby? Well, it was different: lighter build, different neck profile, more orange than red in the 'burst, and a considerably different tone. I've never found a guitar with as sweet a tone as my '70 Hummingbird and it's had over 50 years to settle in perfectly. The IBG Hummer was louder and with a little more bite, and had what I thought was a tone somewhere between a Martin and Gibson (not at all a bad thing!). It was a really nice sounding spruce/mahogany dread with great feel and responsiveness. I've never run across anything I've liked as well at the price.

Beautiful!!! Might be as good or better than some Gibsons. Here's my 1970 Gibby which I bought new that year. As you can see the 'burst on mine is more red, and the half century of play has left its mark!

Not sure I have ever heard anybody refer to a 1970 H'Bird as "light." The heavier braced tops Gibson started going with towards the end of the 1960s (which had nothing to do with sound but everything to do with solving an engineering issue which more often as not meant avoiding having a guitar returned under warranty) combined with the then still standard oversized laminate bridge plate and a bridge which itself weighed about three times more than a standard fixed saddle bridge combined to give these guitars a pretty good heft to them.

I do think your description of Old School compared to New School Gibson tone, however, was spot on. Bozeman designed their guitars to have a more hi-fi and nuanced Martin sound because they want to appeal to modern ears. I assume that Epiphones followed suit. There is a reason we have yet to see a Bozeman-made J35 with three non-scalloped tone bars. Not a good or a bad thing - just different.

 

[Mark617]

I didn't pull the trigger on either, but oh boy that IBG Hummingbird was tempting, and if I didn't already own a 1970 Gibson Hummingbird I would have snagged it in a heartbeat. It was just a great guitar in looks, tone build and playability. Was it as good as my Gibby? Well, it was different: lighter build, different neck profile, more orange than red in the 'burst, and a considerably different tone. I've never found a guitar with as sweet a tone as my '70 Hummingbird and it's had over 50 years to settle in perfectly. The IBG Hummer was louder and with a little more bite, and had what I thought was a tone somewhere between a Martin and Gibson (not at all a bad thing!). It was a really nice sounding spruce/mahogany dread with great feel and responsiveness. I've never run across anything I've liked as well at the price.

Beautiful!!! Might be as good or better than some Gibsons. Here's my 1970 Gibby which I bought new that year. As you can see the 'burst on mine is more red, and the half century of play has left its mark!

That’s beautiful indeed
I want to thank you for taking your time to give me your review.

 

[brookdalebill]

Groovy!

 

[schmee]

Is that 2 br or 1 br?

 

[Flaneur]

I bought one of the Korean EJ200s, around 1975. It must have paid for itself, five times over........

 

[985plowboy]

I played a Gibson J-100 as my main stage guitar for a few years.
I thought it was more comfortable than a Dreadnought.

 

[MilwMark]

Is that 2 br or 1 br?

1br, but 2 bath and an office.