Epiphone J-45 EC Studio - Vintage Sunburst Review

Arrived in tune

Plays and sounds good. Stays in tune even better. The binding looks nice. Very happy with this new tool for solo shows. I am more of an electric player when I play in bands but for the few solo shows I do every month this is a welcome replacement.

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Excellent Build Quality, Playability, and Value

I was fortunate enough to get one of the last remaining Mahogany Burst models and the "look" is one of the nicest I've seen at any price point. The dark brown body finish reveals just enough of the wood grain to please. It flows well to the top blending into a more transparent finish that shows off the top grain very nicely. The fit and finish are flawless. It's a shame Epiphone… read more is no longer offering it in this very beautiful unique finish. One thing that surprised me is that acoustically the guitar has less low end than I would have expected from a body style that is essentially a round shouldered Dreadnought. While this may disappoint some it actually helps a great deal when amplified. It lacks the "boominess" of many other large bodied models that needs to be dialed out when performing or recording. The low end is there when amplified but much cleaner, tighter, and more piano like. The Fishman pickup and Presys II preamp are a cut above what might typically be found in an acoustic in this price range and the overall tonality is nicely balanced across the board. Played through a quality acoustic amp or PA it's sounds great. I typically use a 7 band graphic EQ and a TC BodyRez effect with my acoustics to provide a bit more control over their voicing and the BodyRez provides a more natural close mic'd like body resonance. Any cons such as neck profile and scale length are minor niggles revolving primarily around personal preference and don't reduce the value of this model. But it would be nice if Epiphone saw fit to use a bone nut and bridge as and use the same Grover tuners used on the J-45 model even if it increased the price a bit. The stock 14:1 tuners are somewhat imprecise. Also, move the preamp to the top of bout so it can be seen more easily. As always Sweetwater's order processing and shipping were lightning fast. So a tip of the hat to those guys and to my rep Ian McGhee who has taken care of every order I've ever placed, even the smallest, in a very cordial and professional manner. This has resulted in my doing ever more business with Sweetwater because they're earned it.

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Beautiful tone.

Received this guitar a few days ago. This guitar has a beautiful tone. The Fishman electronics produce a large crisp sound which makes this guitar compatible to a way more expensive model. This is my second Epiphone guitar. Very happy with both guitars. I had the setup done by Sweetwater as well as the nut upgrade. Well worth it. The personal are easy to work with.

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For four times the money there's nothing better

Purchases guitar to go on vacation Charlotte have a guitar that could be shipped that I wouldn't worry about... What a deal!... I added a bone nut and a full setup from Sweetwater... This guitar please like and sounds like it's Gibson counterpart for much much less money! This is a great guitar even if the price was double! Stays in tune... Beautiful sound... Comfortable to play!...

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Awesome guitar!

I just bought this guitar and is my best choice i was looking a mid budget guitar and did my search on every brand, i took my time reading the comments and also watch the videos of differents models at the and i ask the opinion to a sweetwater expert and his answer was totally nice so now i have this guitar with me. Totally happy with this guitar and with the sweetwater experience… read more this guys are awesome fast shipping and nice customer service.

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