Epiphone J-45 EC Studio Acoustic-electric Guitar - Vintage Sunburst Reviews

Nicely finished - the kind that gets polished after daily practice before locking the latches down on the best case on the market - very easily played for finger style, pleasure to restring, works great with XVive wireless to Fender Acoustasonic 40 40 Amp Amplifier, no better guitar for songs like Yesterday - I Can't Find My Way Home - Blackbird, excellent tone without amp usage all combined equals outstanding value rating. For the first year with this guitar it was placed on a guitar stand always ready for practice but as time went on I realized that this is the kind of guitar that absolutely deserves safe rest in its case: truly, the price is deceptive because this is a $ guitar valuation.

I've owned the guitar for a week and it hasn't failed to impress me yet. The tuners are smooth as butter and stay in tune better than I could have hoped for. The finish is great, as well as the overall sound. Chords are full and crisp, bass notes have really good definition and the highs are not shrill or tinny but nice and round.
I give it 5 stars for the tuners, 5 for the finish, 5 for the sound, 5 for the looks and 5 for the price. This guitar feels, plays and sounds like it is much more expensive than it is.

Easy to play and feels good in your hands. Shipping was really fast. Bought it online and it was at my door step in 2 days! Box came to me in perfect condition and was really well packed! Thank you for that!

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.

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 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.

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.

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!...

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 this guys are awesome fast shipping and nice customer service.

I was looking for a nice guitar and this Epi was exactly what I was looking for. What a real beauty! The sounds coming from this instrument is beyond words. Sweetwater service in the best anywhere. I will definitely be a repeat customer!

Ordered the guitar for my daughters Christmas present, they checked on it after the order and then again after I received it. Outstanding, thanks!

Bought this guitar as a gift for my husband and he absolutely loved it! We are very happy with the purchase and he loves playing it.

I bought this guitar in 2008. Pre amp went out within 2 years, so I "upgraded" to a Takamine which I'd always wanted in 2010. In 2011, went on eBay and bought a cheap after market no name preamp and pick up with built in tuner. These electronics were 10 times better than the Epiphone factory PU. I recently got another one for another guitar. Anyway, I then stared playing the Aj220 again at shows as well as my Takamine. When I decided to upgrade my Tele to a better one, my wife decide I had too many guitars(only 7). So I then went to guitar center and sold my Epi and my lower end Tele. I almost cried after I left without it. I have regretted getting rid of it all year. I will be getting another soon and this time from Sweetwater. And my wife will just have to live with it. I won't say that this is a "good guitar for the money". this guitar is worth 5 times what they sell for. I've been considering getting a Gibson j45 custom, but my alternative is this guitar, and not because of the price, but because this guitar is awesome, and after I owned mine for 6 years, the wood aged some, and the unplugged tone was better than my takamine, or my gibson hummingbird. BUY ONE!!!!!!!!!!

This acoustic is amazing! The sound is loud and beautiful, and not bad for my first steel string. I got this for my 17th birthday, which was the best present I got. The built in tuner works amazing as well as the pre-amp. If you're looking for a jumbo dreadnought acoustic with great sound for a great price, stop now and buy this!!!!!

own a takamine ean10c for 4 years, bridge started coming up at base, every
time i would lower saddle 6 months had to redue, cant lower any more. purchased a aj 220, sounds as good or better than my ean10c plays good to,i own 6 epiphones love every one of them, will never buy another takamine.

OK, lets take the $$$ out of the equation. WOW! No matter what the cost this guitar is off the hook! Nice feel. Nice sound. Can't beat it for the $$$ and it really compares to guitars in the $1K+ range. Really. I love this bad boy!

Guitar very nice plays very good love the on board tuner play on radio and church case was very nice also

I picked this guitar up a couple of years ago and haven't been disappointed . I needed a guitar to travel on the road with me, but didn't want something that would cause too much pain if it was damaged or stolen. I've owned several similarly-priced guitars and this one is by far the best in the price range that I've seen.

It is solidly built and great quality given the low price. It plays and sounds as good as it's Gibson cousins.

Only defect is the metal "E" symbol fell off the pick guard within a few days. That's ok, it made it look more like a Gibson. I guess the adhesive they used didn't bond well with the pick guard material.

The onboard tuner is nice, but the onboard pickup is not that great. Better off using a microphone to amplify or record.

Granted, this thing isn't going to compete with the likes of the $2500 to $3000 range guitars (that's a whole different league), but it will go toe-to-toe with guitars going into the $1500 range. For around $300 this thing is a steal in my opinion.

It was 2003 and I needed a new acoustic for playing open mics and songwriting for my band. Bought this thing used for $125 and at first, wasnt pleased with the sound. That's very typical of me with newish guitars though so I just kept playing it.

10 years later, I'm still playing it and havent bought another acoustic since. It's true that the more a guitar is played, the more it starts to open up. Man, this thing is WIDE OPEN... I'm talking about rich and clear harmonics. I can look at the high E and make it ring out (at least in my head.) It's amazing what it has done for my songwriting.

Also, right off the bat the playability/setup has been spot on. This is probably why I've been playing it all along. It's just easy on my smallish hands and has grown increasingly pleasing to my ears. You could give me a $5k Taylor/Martin and I'd thank you but this Epi has captured and defined my personal sound and it's what I perform and write with. It's now what my soul sounds like.

I played a Taylor 710 for almost 30 years, then lost it in an accident. The mini-Taylor I tried to replace it with was too small for my big hands. So Epi to the rescue!!! No, it isn't a Taylor, but the comparable model costs 5 times as much. The AJ is clean, fun, and capable of a variety of acoustic and acoustic-electric modalities. I wound up playing it on three times as many tunes in my vintage-oriented band because of its versatility and clarity!!
Also, I got the usual GREAT service from Sweetwater in the wake of a UPS goof. I can't imagine buying an instrument or accessory anywhere else.

A very nice guitar at a killer price
Plays well , a great finger picking dreadnaught .. only real issue are the
Tuners sticky and have a lot of slop
Grover's are needed

this thing is amazing, deep rich tones the body sings. have been a musician and played in road bands all over the world, in all type of arenas and club with all styles as a sideman, and have heard many acoustic guitars, for the cost this is the one. I intended to buy a Gibson blues 000 guitar but played this one WOW

So this guitar sounds great now, but you may have to do a few things. The high E string was buzzing on the 7th fret and had no sound the 12th. I did the following:

- neck adjustment

- set up and lowered saddle - stringjoy .054's

- nut and saddle bone upgrade

- bridge pin upgrade - to bone pins

- machine heads replacement - to ratios

The guitar sounds great now!!! Buy if you wish to customize, but you'll need a good tech.