Epiphone El Capitan J-200 Studio Bass review

The Epiphone El Capitan J-200 Studio Bass is in many ways a very traditional instrument that’s designed to capture the over-all vibe of Gibson’s iconic SJ-200 jumbo-bodied acoustic guitar.

Standout appointments include a Moustache bridge, a solid sitka spruce top and a Fishman under-saddle pickup system, yet the El Capitan J-200 retails at a relatively modest $699. Add an impressive standard of workmanship into the mix and we’re expecting good things from this electro-acoustic bass guitar.

Build Quality

At first look, the El Capitan J-200 appears to be conventional enough. The deep body means that the bass feels big, but it’s also light and in no way unwieldy. The solid sitka spruce top has an even grain, while the back and sides are laminated mahogany. The figured maple binding does the body woods no harm at all, making them look and feel all the more distinguished. The centre-piece is the iconic Moustache bridge with curved block inlays.

The good wood continues with a short-scale mahogany neck, which meets the body at the 15th fret with a nicely shaped heel. Die-cast machine heads operate smoothly and efficiently, though the tuners can have a tendency to stick a little when the strings are tightened. Nonetheless, you get a sense of a solid build and good attention to detail.

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Where cheaper electric-acoustics often fall short is in the quality of their pickup systems, but the El Capitan J-200 has a secret weapon. It’s fitted with a Fishman Sonicore pickup system, which is an under-saddle piezo pickup with rotary controls for both volume and tone mounted inside the soundhole. The jack socket is located out of the way in the endpin.

Sounds and Playability

While lacking the subtlety of more expensive instruments, the El Capitan J-200 sounds bright and immediately inviting to play, with the Fishman electronics giving it the edge in terms of extra volume and low end.

Played acoustically, this bass delivers an impressive amount of volume that’s nicely balanced across all four strings. Individual strings ring out clearly, lending a classy voice that comes across beautifully infront of a quality microphone. The J-200 has enough voice to hold its own in an unplugged jam session too.

Plugged in, the Fishman pickup system stays true to the acoustic tone. There isn’t a huge amount of power available and the tone shaping options are a little limited, but the core tone has sufficient depth to produce a very workable bass sound. The acoustic strings also add a little extra top-end bite.

Conclusion

What Epiphone are offering here is a taste of the acoustic high life for those of us who are either unable or un-willing to fork out for a big-name acoustic bass guitar. The  El Capitan J-200 is properly built and the shorter scale length feels great to play. The Fishman pickup and preamp work as well as any under-saddle system we’ve tried and we can see this bass performing comfortably on stage or in the studio.

For those after a well-made, playable electro-acoustic bass guitar, the specification and playability of the El Capitan J-200 won’t easily be beaten by anything else in this price range.

Specs

• PRICE: $699
• MADE IN: Indonesia
• BODY SHAPE: Jumbo
• TOP MATERIAL: Solid sitka spruce
• BACK AND SIDES MATERIAL: Layered mahogany
• BINDING: Figured Maple
• NECK: Mahogany, 30.5” scale
• NECK JOIN: Set
• NUT WIDTH: 1.63”
• FINGERBOARD: Indian Laurel, 20 frets
• PICKUPS: 1 x Fishman Sonicore
• CONTROLS: Volume and tone
• BRIDGE: Moustache bass (Indian Laurel) 
• TUNERS: Die-cast, nickel 
• WEIGHT: 6.1 lbs / 2.7 kg
• AVAILABLE FINISHES: Aged Vintage Sunburst, Aged Vintage Natural
• GIGBAG/CASE INCLUDED? No
• LEFT-HAND AVAILABLE? No
• CONTACT: Epiphone