Epiphone Dr 212 12 String Acoustic Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

This 79 buck guitar was the biggest surprise ever! I really didn't expect much, and was having second thoughts after I placed the order. I bought the sunburst version on a SDOTD as a total impulse buy. I have several expensive acoustics, and I don't need a cheap guitar. But I have to say, this is a really nice instrument. The fit and finish is above average, with relatively smooth fret ends and a huge sound. The tuners, however inexpensive, work as intended and stay in tune. The sunburst finish is lovely, with only one small thumbnail scratch. The neck joint is well done, and the neck has a comfortable full feeling. Epiphone has improved the "E" symbol on the pickguard, it is made into the plastic, and not glued on and wanting to fall off like on the older Epiphones. The rosette appears to be painted on, but it looks good regardless. The bridge (rosewood) is solidly attached to the top, with no lifting or gaps. The body has a white plastic binding front and back that is well executed. The rosewood fretboard is attractive with nice grain. And the sound! This guitar has a huge, loud sound for a laminate guitar. Tomorrow I plan to replace the original strings with some quality mediums, which can only make it sound even better. One odd feature is a false truss rod cover, held in place with three wood screws. There is nothing under it! The access to the truss rod is inside the sound hole. I did have to remove some glue from around the truss rod adjusting nut inside the guitar. Quite frankly, the quality and sound of the Epiphone just blows me away! If I had to sell all of my other acoustics and only keep this one, I would be content. It's that good!JimmyJ

I've been looking for a particular sound from an acoustic to replace my Ibanez. I went into to the GC to get strings for my other axes and try out a white Tele they had. Tele wasn't quite what I was looking for so I went into the accoustic room and this just stood out and I had to tryit. I was sold after one strum of Dm-A-G. That was the sound I wanted. Mids somewhere between a J45 and a Taylor. Highs have just the right amount of brilliance without stealing the show. Exactly what I was looking for. It has a bone nut and saddle so this thing rings out so well. The only thing I can think of negative is the Epiphone Deluxe tuners feel cheap. I'm just going to order some Gibson Deluxe's, other than that this is a beaut!JR

This guitar is beautiful. I've played many guitars, but none are more pretty than this. I have the Cherry Burst, wow! The fretboard material is Laural Wood. It plays nicely with bended notes, nice and firm. This guitar has good "weight." It is one of the heavier acoustics I've played. I like that too, it feels like great quality. Mine is not made in China. It was manufactured in Indonesia. These Asian manufacturers are doing a great job and I like it that mine is from Indonesia, too. There is good balance in sound from string to string, too. It's nice that it came with a sound hole cover, but such a nice (and fairly pricey) guitar should come with a gig bag or case.Boomer

Overall: Ok let me first say that I have been playing guitar since 1964. I have so many guitars since then I can't even remember them.In my experience Epiphone guitars have always been a solid platform for someone who is first starting and novice and intermediate level players.After reading about these " Inspired By Gibson" series Masterbilt guitars I thought I'd give one a try to see how close to a real Hummingbird it is.It caught me off guard. The fit and finish is outstanding. The playability was absolutely perfect out of the box.The original 1960's Headstock makes it look really nice. Not that deeply scalloped extended swelled at the top one usually find on an Epiphone. Nice touch Epiphone !The tulip Keystone vintage tuners are excellent. Smooth and tight. Fret work was amazing for a guitar in this price point as well as getting a guitar with beautiful solid mahogany and Sitka spruce that is finished in an accurate vintage toner. The real Mother of Pearl inlays are a really nice touch.At this price point getting an instrument with a one piece mahogany neck with no seperate heel is almost unheard of. I am tempted to say this Epiphone is so close to the Gibson model it amazed me that Gibson would allow Epiphone to produce something this close to their high dollar Hummingbird.In conclusion…. BUY IT !! You will not be sorry. zZounds is the best out there for sales, service and amazing one day delivery.Ed

Loved the look, price, sound, and feel of this guitar. Tried it out in the store and was ready to buy the floor model, but luckily I asked for a 9V battery to test the electronics at the counter. Oddly the battery port fits fine into the guitar when empty, but the moment you put a battery in it it will not stay shut and pops open rendering your electronics useless. Me and the sales rep at the front figured this was had to be a fluke and he ordered a new one to be delivered to my house. Four days later it arrived. I played it for about an hour out of the box without issue (set up was great, sounded great acoustic) and then I decied to check the electronics. Sure enough, the exact same issue occured when I tried to fit a 9V in the battery port. When a battery was actually in it, it would not stay shut. No tuner, no electronics. Ten minutes later I was back at my local GC. The tech inspected it an came to the same conclusion as I did after trying 5 different brand batteries to see if that made a difference- it's defective. He recommended I return it and try another product. In short it plays nice, sounds nice, and looks nice but if it happened on 2 guitars it has to be happening on more of them. I'm sure you could duck tape it or find a way to keep it closed but this should not be an issue on a $350+ guitar. 3 stars.Ryan

This is my second 12 string and I really like it. Sounds great action is outstanding and onboard tuner is great – I could not ask for more.Jim

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this value brand guitar. The action was actually low and playable after tuning it out of the box. I was wanting to try my hand at a 12 string and found some used ones for more money that were basically unplayable. Then I found this new Oscar Schmidt on e-bay, and figured for the money, it's better than paying double for an unplayable wooden box. I will detension the strings for when I store it so it doesn't bow the sound board.willi-tiso

I play solo gigs three nights per week in the spring/summer/fall in a small Colorado mountain town. Guitar, harmonica, and vocals through two matching Fishman Loudbox Artist amps. I bought my first Epiphone EJ200 in ebony in 2014 thinking that in the event it didn't play well, it would look fantastic on the wall. I took it along with my Gibson Super Jumbo 200 to the next Friday's gig. I got halfway through with the Gibson, and decided to try the new ebony Epiphone EJ200. I was astounded. I have since used the ebony, "Black Dog" for 95% of my performances since. "Oh, I thought it was a Gibson. It's only an Epiphone."—"Right. The Gibson is in the gig bag. It's my backup." I have since purchased two more Epiphone EJ200s. I saw this 12 string offered last week asd a "limited edition" and ordered it immediately. I have owned an Ovation Custom Legend 12 string for over fifteen years, gorgeous and gig worthy, and well as a Rickenbacker 360 12 string for two decades which is also a dandy. I have had two 30 minute sessions both unplugged and plugged in with this new Epiphone EJ 200 12 string, and like the original ebony 6 string, "Black Dog", this new EJ200 12 is astounding. It is visibly gorgeous. Ir frets more easily and more naturally than some of my 6 string guitars. (I own 15—"tools" that pay for themselves) And the sound both unplugged and plugged in is angelic, or at least remarkable. I think I've found another "Oh, I thought it was a Gibson" incredible instrument by Epiphone. I've been performing gigs for about three decades now. It would have been nice to have owned this baby years ago. Thank you Epiphone, and thank you Guitar Center for getting this thing where it belongs, strapped around my neck and in my hands. Wonderful guitar!!!!Daniel B

Sound: The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson J-200 seems to compliment my voice the best out the ones I've mentioned. Don't get me wront this Gibson G-45 Studio is a very sweet sounding acoustic. I replaced the sonitone p/u with a Dimarzio[sic] Dark Angel and it seems to have warm up the sound, a bit more mellow. I really love the way the Sonitone sounds in the J-200 and will be keeping it like it is. I may make a big upgrade for a new chorus pedal though, I am sure I will. Features: The J-200 with Sonitone system is pretty easy to use. I have plenty of different pedals, a lot of different chorus pedals. Right now I think I will splurge with something a little more expensive. My most expensive chorus pedal right now is the Boss pedal and I have had quite a while. This J-200 sounds great with just a touch of reverb. I really like all of these Epi's. But the most recent one really has my undivided attention. Ease of Use: It is very playable. The set up could not be better. I'm sure I wil tinker with it some, by that I mean try a few different pedal etc. This J-200 does not need to be tinkered with too much. As a matter fact it a very solid axe. Quality: It will last a life time, but I still want the Vintage Sunburst versionas soon as it is available. Value: Most definetly and then some. Manufacturer Support: I have not had to reach them. The Wow Factor: I can make good music with out it, but I'd just a soon stick with this one. Thank you I love this guitar! I'm hooked. Overall: I own the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson J-200 in the Antique Natural and it is one of the finest guitars In my collection. Which includes 3 EJ-200 acoustic-electrics, 3 EJ-160E acoustic-electrics and a Gibson G-45 Studio. I would rate them all 5 stars. I own several other acoustic -electrics as well, but plan on sell ing them and going for Epiphone Inspired by Gibson all the way around. I'm hooked. These guitars are top notch. Hard to beat the price and quality craftmanship.Michael

Let me start by saying I really like this guitar! I have a lot of acoustics including Martin, Taylor and Gibsons. I wanted a J-200 copy after making a mistake and selling my EPI J-200 Elite many years ago. The Masterbilt J-200 is nowhere close to the Elite series sound or quality and it's not a Gibson. I received the Masterbilt J-200 this week and did a complete set up including reshaping and lowering the bone saddle and adjusting the bow out of the neck with the truss rod. (easy to do). I also treated the neck with a concoction of Guitar Honey and Minwax mahogany to seal and treat the neck. I took off the 12 – 53 strings (wimpy sounding) and put on 12.5 – 55 Martin SP strings which made a huge improvement in loudness and tone. The overall workmanship is good and minimum flaws noticed. Observations: Heavy guitar (just like my other Epi Masterbilts) They plane the wood down only so thin to add strength and rigidity but it does NOT vibrate like a quality guitar. The spruce top is just too darn thick. The top measures .160" thick. many of my guitars are .120" – .125" thick. The X bracing on this guitar is huge in comparison to other Jumbos I have and that adds a lot of weight to the guitar. This also keeps the top from vibrating effectively. The "Gloss" finish advertised is really more of a "satin" and not a nice high gloss. I have used paste wax and buffed the top twice to improve the gloss finish. I wish Epiphone would not use this satin finish. I am not a fan. The frets are nice and the guitar appears to have been Pleked! They are very consistent down the neck and allowing for a nice low action without fretting out. Electronics sound fine and do a nice job. Overall this is a nice guitar and a real step up from the EJ-200 laminated guitar. As a solid wood guitar in in this price range I would say it is a good buy. It is fun to play with nice tone and OK volume. If Epiphone would plane the top, sides and back wood a bit thinner it would improve,Monte

Great sounding and playing guitar, I replaced the synthetic saddle for bone, original was to tapered on the high E new saddle took care of that. Buy the epiphone or roadrunner jumbo case, nothing else fits, make sure if the guitar comes straight from the factory you use a humidifier in your case for at least 6 months. Especially in colorado. Then if you leave it out without a humidifier that you dont have forcrd Heat or air conditioning vents close to the guitar. This guitar has great projection.Kenny

After purchasing this guitar from American Musical Supply, I was really nervous awaiting its arrival because this was actually my first time purchasing an instrument online. I’m used to going inside music shops and trying out different gear and playing guitars before I buy them so I know that what I’m taking home with me already feels comfortable and right in my hands. This guitar in particular, however, is not a style that is normally kept stocked in the stores for customers to test drive before they purchase. Similar models are available in stores near me but I think anyone who has ever wanted this particular model from Epiphone knows that they have heard and felt the beautiful sound that projects from this big guitar and I am here to tell you that my “leap of faith” online purchase was nothing more than a huge win in my book! This guitar looks, sounds and plays just as I expected it would with much more to offer once it’s actually in your hands! I’m personally a country/blues guy so this guitar definitely fits right up that alley in my opinion. It feels so solid in your hands and the tone is just plain awesome! The Jumbo body allows the sounds inside the guitar to reverberate through your body as it’s pressed against you before making its way through the sound hole where it flourishes into that awesome deep, thick sound. From the factory the guitar is set up beautifully and very playable right out of the box. Quality parts, quality wood and quality electronics as expected from Epiphone and very well executed in this model. Definitely worth every penny for the undecided guitarist but hey, don’t take just my word for it! Pick up this awesome guitar from Epiphone through these good folks here at American Musical and set yourself up with one of their payment plans if that interests you! It’s an awesome way to be able to get the gear you need and the gear you’ve been wanting without breaking the bank right on the spot! Excellent Job by Epiphone once again and an excellent job by American Musical for supplying it at an awesome price and providing sweet payment options for your customers and future consumers!Billy

I once owned a Gibson J15, that I bought from Guitar Center, and I loved it, but I always wanted a J200, I just could never afford one. Well, I ended up having to sell my J15 to pay rent one month, and I ended up having some extra money from it, and thought why not give the Epi a try? It's closer to the Guitar I always wanted anyways. I was blown away. It has all the high end stylings of a Gibson J200, maybe even more if you consider the built in tuner and cutaway features for about 3000$ less. Well, unfortunately I only owned it for about a week before my car broke down and I had to return my Epi to pay for the repairs. I've regretted it ever since. I would have rather donated blood 50 times than have returned that guitar. (Fortunately I just got my tax return and repurchased it, and it seems like it sounds even better than before). As I was saying, it stacks up against s Gibson guitar nicely, the shadow preamp isn't as nice as any LR Baggs system but it will certainly give you lots of usable sounds. I think this is the best guitar in the 500$ price range and I'm disappointed in Guitar Center for not carrying it in store. I'm a firm believer in the fact that having a guitar you like, you like the looks of, you like the feel of, will make you a better guitarist, and that's what this beautiful, fat boy jumbo acoustic has done for me. I actually like mine so much I decided to put some money into it for upgrades, and I haven't been disappointed. I stuck some Grover Keystone tuners on it in gold of course ( had them on my Epi Les Paul before and thought would look cool so I just swapped them), some Martin ebony bridge pins, and some D'Addario EXPs and this thing sounds unreal now. So, if you're reading this because you're unsure as to whether you should buy this guitar or not, yes, you should absolutely buy this guitar and never look back.Anonymous

Having relatively recently started learning guitar on an electric stratocaster-style guitar this was a great transition to the acoustic segment. The thinner body makes it much more comfortable to play than say a dreadnought and the neck is comfortable to transition too, yet the guitar doesn't seem to sacrifice as much sound as you'd expect from a thinner guitar. The finish of the guitar is that of a more expensive guitar for example the rosewood finger board. On arrival I actually thought the guitar looked better than the pictures on the website suggest but do note that because of the finish it is prone to showing finger marks which would need cleaning time to time. I would highly recommend this guitar.Richard P.

After suffering a permanent back injury I could no longer play my elictric guitar as it was too heavy or my acoustic electric guitar because it felt like it was twice it's normal size because I could no longer find a comfortable position for myself to play it. I bought a keyboard thinking that I could still play music. Afterv two weeks of playing around with the keyboard I gave up pllaying. Then I saw on the internet one night an advertisement for a 3/4 size Yamaha acoustic electric guitar guitar with a slimline bosy which looked like a nice guitar so I checked out males and females playing it and sounded very nice so I bought one. Man am I'm so glad I did. I got the sunburst like this one on sale. I was excited as l took it out of the box and went straight to my mancave and started playing it. It was perfecty in tune and for a guitar of this size it's got such a beautiful tone playing ACOUSTIC. So I plugged it in and it's as good as it sounded on YouTube. As an 67 yesr old man who started playing guitar when I was 16 years old, this is a beauty. I recommend this guitar to beginners, anyone with small hands and even people who want a good guitar to take with them without taking up much space in your car. Yep, it's a beaty.Deano

I had a cheap 12 string guitar for about almost two years. I had been playing corridos during this time. However, I had played guitar for several years. Mainly rock and other stuff. Well, after I got it, I could play all the solos I couldn't really play clean. I guess the other guitar really was bad, or this one is great. Funny thing, I had a really good player tell me to not buy this model but the more expensive one. Well, I'm glad I decided to go with this one. This guitar sounds great and it's extremely easy to play. The guitar stays in tune fairly well for a 12 string guitar. The action is low. I haven't tried it the electronics aside from the tuner which works fairly well compared to my snark. I do have a Taylor and Martin guitar, and the tone on this guitar is pretty clean.Juan

This Guitar plays like a dream, sounds great no matter if it is plugged in or not, stays in tune and looks great. This is a great price for a guitar of this quality, but thanks to another dealers daily deal and Guitar Center's price matching, it was even better. I was able to get this out of layaway for $240 less. I am very happy with this guitar. I have not played in a band for a while, but getting back into practice and plan to start back with some solo acoustic gigs. Having this awesome new guitar is surely an inspiration to help me want to practice more.Kip

This is my Long Term Review. I have had this guitar for a bit over two years now and can give a more complete picture of it. First, the good. This is a very well made guitar. Under the pros, you will notice I mentioned Good Construction. This is particularly important in a 12 string. The biggest issue with all 12's is that they tend to come apart very quickly. You will have bowing, warping, separation of glueing, etc. All this is because of the tremendous extra pressure 12's suffer. After 2+ years, this guitar is still solid as a rock, and I leave it strung all the time. So I would say construction and bracing are very good on this instrument. Along with this is the fact that it Stays In Tune. This is another major issue with all 12's. Again, that extra force tends to make them go out of tune quickly. This one holds tune very well, and that is important as tuning a 12 takes some time. As for sound, I would say Not too Bad overall, and Really Good for an budget level guitar. It is a little thin for my taste, but there are ways around that. First, throw on a set of decent strings. I prefer Martin Marquise on mine, but personal choice. Second, I like to play through an acoustic amp, and I put a Seymour Ducan Woody on mine. When adjusted correctly, I can get a really decent, full bass sound, lots of body and still keep a nice jangle expected from a 12. Will it sound like a Martin or Gibson, no, but it gives a really nice sound for such a low price. As for the negatives, very few. First, keep in mind when Epiphone says "Select Spruce Top," they really mean laminated, not solid. But I suppose there varying qualities of laminated woods as well, and this one is great – really good resonance and sustain. It could maybe do with a better set of tuners, but as said before, it holds tune exceptionally well. Overall, for the price, Epiphone makes a really nice and playable guitar. Now am just praying they come out with a Masterbilt version of it.kdw

Great for the price. It is a good idea to change the strings right away though. The guitar is playable from the get go however I did some adjustment on the rod to make it perfect. Its design allow for easy reach of the highest notes close to the body and the tuners and the electronics are good enough for a beginner to intermediate player. It comes with an entry level amp that outputs strong and high volume it is small but powerful enough for practicing indoors. All in all a great package for the money. I got this jewel from SamAsh for my daughter and cannot be happier. Hope this comments help you on your decision to buy. Cheers, JB from Coconut Creek.JESUS

This is a great guitar! I would honestly recommend it to relatively anyone. It has a great feel to it that would be exceptional for young players, but also has a good sound that's great for those more experienced. Anytime I let someone play this guitar, they ask so many questions because they love it so much. They're always super surprised to learn the price. Definitely worth the purchase if you're thinking about it.Brittany Colvin

A bought the Epiphone PR-4E LE in vintage sunburst for a good price as the SDOTD. I have been playing for over 40 years semi professionally and I own a number of higher end acoustics but I wanted to purchase a "beater" that I could break out at a party and not have to worry about one of my intoxicated friends bumping or scratching it. This guitar seemed to fit the bill. The reason I gave it three stars is that although the fit and finish seemed very good, this is supposedly a student level/beginners guitar and the action that it arrived with would be difficult and frustrating for anyone to learn on. I do my own luthier work and I had to spend about two hours to cut the nut, take some relief off of the neck and shave the bridge down to get it to play well. I do not know if my experience with this acoustic is an exception but at this price point I doubt it. With that said it is a nice beginner guitar with a nice build quality, it sounds surprisingly full and rich and if yours arrive like mine I would strongly suggest taking it to your local trusted luthier and spend the extra cash to have it set up properly and have the action lowered. Now mine plays wonderfully and is fun to play. If I didn't have to do all the work to get it playing properly I would have easily given this guitar 4 stars but at this price point I kind of expected thatG-Man

I had a cheap 12 string guitar for about almost two years. I had been playing corridos during this time. However, I had played guitar for several years. Mainly rock and other stuff. Well, after I got it, I could play all the solos I couldn't really play clean. I guess the other guitar really was bad, or this one is great. Funny thing, I had a really good player tell me to not buy this model but the more expensive one. Well, I'm glad I decided to go with this one. This guitar sounds great and it's extremely easy to play. The guitar stays in tune fairly well for a 12 string guitar. The action is low. I haven't tried it the electronics aside from the tuner which works fairly well compared to my snark. I do have a Taylor and Martin guitar, and the tone on this guitar is pretty clean.Juan

This Guitar plays like a dream, sounds great no matter if it is plugged in or not, stays in tune and looks great. This is a great price for a guitar of this quality, but thanks to another dealers daily deal and Guitar Center's price matching, it was even better. I was able to get this out of layaway for $240 less. I am very happy with this guitar. I have not played in a band for a while, but getting back into practice and plan to start back with some solo acoustic gigs. Having this awesome new guitar is surely an inspiration to help me want to practice more.Kip

When shopping for a first guitar for your child (or yourself) it's confusing. The sales staff will usually direct you to the solid top Yamaha FG or FS series. Tone and quality wise, those are great guitars but they also come out of the box in need of a good setup to be playable up the neck. With the PRO-1 line, Epiphone has worked hard to deliver a reasonable factory setup on one of their most inexpensive models. I can not overstate the benefit this brings to the player! A few other things that stand out for this price range: We also get NuBone nut and saddle on all pro-1 models (this is the material Taylor and other top of the line builders use on their models). The NuBone nut makes a big difference in tone. Also it's a short scale which I think makes it easier to play, the neck is a slip D profile which makes it easy to get your hand around. Tuners at 18:1 ratio not 14:1, that's a first for a guitar in this price range and you get a humidifier and free lessons. If you play the least expensive PRO-1 model against anything in the budget acoustic room at Guitar Center (for those floor plans that separate budget from high end) you notice it's easier to play than anything else…. There is a solid-top version that comes with electronics if you must have a solid top, the truth is having a solid top is overrated on most budget guitars. All solid wood construction does sound different, but when you mix a solid top with the laminated back and sides, it's just hit and miss. If you stick with playing your first guitar won't be your last, and you're more likely to keep playing if you have an instrument that sounds good that is also very easy to play. For that the PRO-1 is your best bet right now.Jeremy

For the price this is a very nice sounding and playing guitar. I have owned higher end acoustic guitars in the past, and just needed something to do some occasional acoustic recording and playing when friends came by. It isn't quite up to the Takamine that I had (but it was also well over 10x the price of this one!), but it sounds great! I did swap out the strings, but that's to be expected. Overall, it is a good looking and nice playing/sounding guitar for a very, very reasonable price.Dave

First off, while chatting live with the agent, I was offered the guitar for $40 less than the advertised price. Great bonus. Then I got fast free shipping on a guitar that was basically set up to play out of the factory sealed box. Other stores, Like the Guitar Center conglomerate, send you guitars that have been hanging on their wall. I will always deal with Sam Ash when buying online now., BTW, I love Epiphone acousticsBluesman

I own Martin, Gibson, Fender and several vintage imports from the 60’s and 70’s. I wanted another acoustic to write songs with, play outdoors and just beat on in general, saving the frets on my higher end guitars. So I didn’t want to spend much. I picked this guitar first and formally by the specs rather than by reviews. Out of the box this guitar looks beautiful. I removed the “E” immediately with no trouble without any adhesive sticking to the pick guard. This made the guitar look much better IMHO. My guitar sounded great to me the second I started getting it tuned to pitch. Plays very easy, zero fret buzz and spot on intonation. The sound of this guitar is somewhat unique and I believe it will open up and resonate more soon since the woods used seem very decent. You can’t go wrong for the price. Mine was the sunburst by the way. I own higher end guitars like I said, so I don’t want to compare this to those, but my friend has one of those Martin imports that are “cheaper” like $799ish and this Epiphone guitar is better.Mountain Rock

This is an excellent guitar even for twice the price IMO if you’re looking for a song writing guitar this a perfect choice . It sounds well balanced sustains well is loud and has some gutsy low end and clear treble side overall excellent playability and value. Mine made in Indonesia is exceptional in its finish which is a rival to way more expensive guitars. Rather than cut down on quality of build and finish Epi kept a very high standard.Petros Voutsanesis

The guitar performs and works as advertised. It's not a bad guitar by any means but it's a guitar that lives way past it's price range either. If you want a really nice D'ANGELICO acoustic then get something from the Excel line. But this is bottom of the premier line. This does the job for a early guitar, the neck is easy to play with low action to match. Put some warm strings on it. I recommend an 85/15 string and let it warm up and break in. It's a basic acoustic electric. It does what it says it will do. Nothing more or nothing less. I got it on an overstock sale but I'd buy it again at full price but maybe not the buttercream. The black or natural wood finish look the best. The buttercream is like they wanted the color of spruce with no grain. It's different for sure. If you're wanting something really nice save your money. If you want a decent backup not starter guitar this should fit the bill. My four star rating is with the full asking price in mind. If you get it on sale it's five star for the price.Nick

i wrote a review early on with my first impressions. 3 months on it it still sounds great – it's been my sofa guitar and I've played it a great deal. The tone has mellowed a bit with use. Neck is still exactly where I set it and the whole guitar feels nicely solid. The big surprise is that this thing sounds FANTASTIC through a PA. It's balanced, it's dynamic, it has none of the harsh quackiness you usually get with low end piezo systems. You can hit it HARD without overdriving the pre. It can get nice and loud without feeding back and the onboard tuner is super handy. The first time I played it in public I was basically mobbed by other guitarists wanting to know where I got it. And this isn't even their high end pickup system. Remarkable.Stu

Ordered this on a SDOTD and will say right up front that it's a really NICE guitar, especially for the $$$. I was needing a smaller guitar w/ electronics for small venues, not needing to invest a bunch of money and after reading decent reviews I said "why not?". After opening the box things got off to a rocky start – – 1st string was broken, and also noticed the neck was really bowed from a loose truss rod, but since I do my own setups on new guitars these was fairly easy to remedy. So was the excessively dry fingerboard and bridge, which I rubbed with 0000 steel wool and lemon oil. But, two of the faux mother-of-pearl position markers were sticking up on one end (loose) and that got me to thinking maybe this was a bad idea. I almost boxed it up and sent it back, but since it was so nice otherwise I decided to super glue them back and overlook it. Otherwise, a beauty of a guitar, and after it was all set up this thing really sang. Unplugged, it's fairly unimpressive, but with a decent tone and plenty of harmonics. The fingerboard turned out to play wonderfully, low nice action with smooth frets and I love the thin profile and fairly narrow width of the neck, the shining point of this guitar. Tuners were OK, and the BONE saddle and nut were fine after I lowered the action a bit. The sound of this guitar is amazing plugged in, and the D'Angelico branded electronics are outstanding. Plugged in it sounds equal to anything I've ever heard, and I heard and played a few in my 60 years of performing. Mine does not have a phase switch as is listed, so take note of that one point. The really great thing that I love about the electronics – – the input jack & battery are on the rear bottom side instead of through the normal end pin jack, a major convenience that is not listed, so this makes up for any other minor cons of the guitar. I do a lot of finger-picking and it capos well, too. A keeper!Fiddle & Guitar Man

First off, while chatting live with the agent, I was offered the guitar for $40 less than the advertised price. Great bonus. Then I got fast free shipping on a guitar that was basically set up to play out of the factory sealed box. Other stores, Like the Guitar Center conglomerate, send you guitars that have been hanging on their wall. I will always deal with Sam Ash when buying online now., BTW, I love Epiphone acousticsBluesman

I own Martin, Gibson, Fender and several vintage imports from the 60’s and 70’s. I wanted another acoustic to write songs with, play outdoors and just beat on in general, saving the frets on my higher end guitars. So I didn’t want to spend much. I picked this guitar first and formally by the specs rather than by reviews. Out of the box this guitar looks beautiful. I removed the “E” immediately with no trouble without any adhesive sticking to the pick guard. This made the guitar look much better IMHO. My guitar sounded great to me the second I started getting it tuned to pitch. Plays very easy, zero fret buzz and spot on intonation. The sound of this guitar is somewhat unique and I believe it will open up and resonate more soon since the woods used seem very decent. You can’t go wrong for the price. Mine was the sunburst by the way. I own higher end guitars like I said, so I don’t want to compare this to those, but my friend has one of those Martin imports that are “cheaper” like $799ish and this Epiphone guitar is better.Mountain Rock

This is an excellent guitar even for twice the price IMO if you’re looking for a song writing guitar this a perfect choice . It sounds well balanced sustains well is loud and has some gutsy low end and clear treble side overall excellent playability and value. Mine made in Indonesia is exceptional in its finish which is a rival to way more expensive guitars. Rather than cut down on quality of build and finish Epi kept a very high standard.Petros Voutsanesis

This is an inexpensive, decent-quality, full-size classical style of guitar that's aimed at getting more people to play guitar by addressing the more frequent complaints as to why they don't – hurt fingers from no callouses or too small hands or hand fatigue or arthritis or injuries, etc. Steel-string acoustic guitars require a level of hand and fingertip pain for a fair amount of time before any gains are noticed. That's probably why so many people become turned off to playing them. Epiphone shrewdly addressed that with this series of easy-to-play guitars. This is not a classical guitar that's designed for use by professional musicians, on stage or for learning serious classical styles but rather a full-size guitar that encourages more people to learn to play one or for guitarists to just have fun with sitting on the couch, songwriting, learning new songs, etc. And, given its low price, few if any tears might be shed should it one day get lost, stolen or damaged. The 1.75" width nut gives fingers – short, weak, thick or hurt – a bit more room to maneuver on the lower portion of the neck without the unwanted rubbing of adjacent strings and the lower tension strings it comes strung with make fretting clean sounds much easier without hard pressing, squeaks or buzz. This additional room is helpful for learning finger-picking, too. The two strap buttons, although not typical of a classical guitar, are a nice feature as they add greater flexibility for the guitarist as to how he or she prefers to play it. The sound is clean, I'd say very good, and although I'm surely no classical guitarist, this PRO-1 is what it is and what it was designed to be – an easy to hold, easy to play, affordable guitar that should encourage more people to play in spite of hand size, age, injury, physical limitations, etc. While there are many 3/4 size classical guitars out there that also offer easier playing, this Epiphone PRO-1 is a full size model that does the same at a great price.Old guy with a new guitar

When shopping for a first guitar for your child (or yourself) it's confusing. The sales staff will usually direct you to the solid top Yamaha FG or FS series. Tone and quality wise, those are great guitars but they also come out of the box in need of a good setup to be playable up the neck. With the PRO-1 line, Epiphone has worked hard to deliver a reasonable factory setup on one of their most inexpensive models. I can not overstate the benefit this brings to the player! A few other things that stand out for this price range: We also get NuBone nut and saddle on all pro-1 models (this is the material Taylor and other top of the line builders use on their models). The NuBone nut makes a big difference in tone. Also it's a short scale which I think makes it easier to play, the neck is a slip D profile which makes it easy to get your hand around. Tuners at 18:1 ratio not 14:1, that's a first for a guitar in this price range and you get a humidifier and free lessons. If you play the least expensive PRO-1 model against anything in the budget acoustic room at Guitar Center (for those floor plans that separate budget from high end) you notice it's easier to play than anything else…. There is a solid-top version that comes with electronics if you must have a solid top, the truth is having a solid top is overrated on most budget guitars. All solid wood construction does sound different, but when you mix a solid top with the laminated back and sides, it's just hit and miss. If you stick with playing your first guitar won't be your last, and you're more likely to keep playing if you have an instrument that sounds good that is also very easy to play. For that the PRO-1 is your best bet right now.Jeremy

For the price this is a very nice sounding and playing guitar. I have owned higher end acoustic guitars in the past, and just needed something to do some occasional acoustic recording and playing when friends came by. It isn't quite up to the Takamine that I had (but it was also well over 10x the price of this one!), but it sounds great! I did swap out the strings, but that's to be expected. Overall, it is a good looking and nice playing/sounding guitar for a very, very reasonable price.Dave

Cost is cheap hence your not going to get a quality built instrument in return. The company cheapens out on everything: Wood, pickups, tuners, wires, knobs etc. Save your money and just buy a made in USA Gibson which will 10 lifetimes longer than this throw away junk. Not worth it!ENGlishJELLo

Awesome it contains everything that I needed for my guitar Only 1 issue How do you tune it? Some advice or buying a book to help in that area would be good I looked it up on google.Reviewed by Absolute Music custo

So, the delivery was superb. A hefty case with papers of authentication. That nice smell of new instruments like taking a new car off the lot. The sounds is crisp. Great for beginners due to the tuning tools on the side and easy to visually understand. Thank AMS for this bueat. Not a guitar player but self learning and helps alot that I can plug into my computer and silently record my practice session.Jay

Overall: This guitar has an outstanding natural tone, and decent electronics. The phaser works well to avoid feedback when plugged in to a PA. Ive had this guitar for 9 months now, I love the guitar, but it has required a decent amount of adjustments. I've made several truss rod adjustments as the wood has shifted a little more than an average new acoustic guitar. The guitar developed a very bad fret buzz at the 13th/14th fret on the g and b strings, which I haven't been able to fix yet, it seems to be a fret wire issue. The input Jack is in the strap button, which seems cool, but I wish this wasn't the case. The constant movement on the button has caused the piece to continually come loose. Its an extremely difficult location to reach to fix the input Jack. I ended up spending another 40 dollars in tools to fix this recurring issue. I placed lock tight on the bolt, which helped hold it in place. Unfortunately, having to adjust The input jack/strap button so often, I now have a connection issue at my input Jack. I will end up taking this guitar to a technician which will probably end up costing 100-150 to fix the problems it's developed. Overall the guitar sounds great, comes with a very nice hardshell case, electronics sound really good. I'm a gigging musician, so tone is clearly important, and paying half the value of this guitar for repair, less than one year into owning it, is worth the investment, assuming it doesn't develop more issues.Joseph