EPIPHONE 1942 BANNER J-45, 1957 SJ-200 & J-180 LS REVIEW
Following on from the excellent ‘Inspired By Gibson Custom Shop’ electrics we’ve seen in these pages recently come three high-spec electro ‐acoustics from the Epiphone brand. How do they measure up?
EPIPHONE 1942 BANNER J-45, 1957 SJ-200 & J-180 LS £1,199, £1,379 & £1,199
CONTACT Epiphone PHONE 00800 444 27661 WEB www.epiphone.com
1 Can Epiphone really justify the current price hike we’re seeing?
That’s certainly the subject of many a heated debate. But judging by what we see here, we’d have to say that these acoustics represent excellent value for money.
2 Are they all solid woods?
Yes, we’re seeing this more and more from East and Southeast Asian builds. While ‘solid woods’ is always regarded as a badge of quality, there are plenty of boutique builders who insist that lamination is far from detrimental to tone.
3 What’s the difference between these and Gibson’s own?
In terms of price, it’s considerable: Gibson’s US-made Banner J-45 costs around four times as much. You do have to factor in that these guitars are built offshore with a slightly lower grade of timber, poly finishes and laurel ’boards and bridges. But unlike the Gibsons, you get pickups here.
Everything from Epiphone’s ‘Inspired By Gibson Custom’ range that has come our way in recent months has raised eyebrows hereabouts and we’ve been left wondering if Gibson’s sibling marque’s output is a bit of an own goal for the mighty guitar company. After all, with the type of quality we’ve seen, we have been left wondering why –with this sort of quality readily on hand at around a quarter of the price of the ‘real thing’ – anyone would even take a second look at the Gibson equivalents. But that was the impression left by the electric instruments. Many would argue that to pull off the same trick with acoustic guitars, which are traditionally harder to manufacture and require far more hands-on work than an electric, is awhole other ballgame.
The craft that has gone into this trio is truly first class – the playability and tone are jaw-dropping
Casting an eye down the spec sheets on this trio only served to deepen the mystery further. All solid woods, mother-of-pearl inlays, bone nuts and saddles, one-piece mahogany necks and an LR Baggs pickup thrown in for good measure –what’s going on here, exactly? The only things that really differentiate these guitars from their made-in-USA counterparts are the poly finishes, instead of nitrocellulose, and laurel fretboards and bridges, instead of rosewood. And the price here includes a posh hard case, too. Surely these can’t stand up to the originals, can they? There’s only one way to find out: let’s start opening cases…
