Epiphone J-200 EC Studio VS

The body of the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio VS features the typical opulent shape of the Super Jumbo with its protruding lower bout and narrow waist. The back and sides are made from multiple glued layers of maple, a stable design which doesn't result in any disadvantages for the sound. Even Gibson was using laminated maple for its J-200s in the 40s! The fingerboard is made from Pau Ferro, a sustainable and suitable substitute for the (nowadays) CITES-protected rosewood. The strings run over a real bone saddle on the visually striking "moustache" bridge, at the nut is also made from the same material, which is another guarantee for a great sound, and the set of sealed Grover machine heads makes for reliable and stable tuning. Thanks to the guitar's cutaway design, all 20 medium jumbo frets can be played easily, even in the upper registers.

Today, Epiphone is known only as the Asian budget offshoot of Gibson. Yet both companies were once independent, equal, and also bitter rivals. The roots of Epiphone go back to the 1870s and to Anastasios Stathopoulo, a Greek instrument maker, who emigrated to America in 1903 with his son Epaminondas (“Epi” for short). Epi changed the name of the firm to the "Epiphone Banjo Company" after taking over the family business in 1928. During this year, Epiphone also began to manufacture guitars, which rapidly came to dominate their sales. In 1957, Epiphone was taken over by C.M.I., which already included Gibson, but continued as a separate brand until 1970, when manufacturing was outsourced to Asia. Well-known Epiphone models include the Casino, played by the Beatles, and the Sheraton, John Lee Hooker's instrument of choice.