Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor vs J-15 EC
Reasons to Get
Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor over J-15 EC
Reasons to Get
Epiphone J-15 EC over J-200 EC Studio Parlor
Other Key Differences
Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor vs J-15 EC
Shared Features
Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor vs J-15 EC
Common Strengths
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor is probably the better product overall with its final score of 80 compared to the Epiphone J-15 EC's 73 score, although not by a lot.
The Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the Epiphone J-15 EC in every aspect.
However, there's still a reason to choose the Epiphone J-15 EC instead. If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Epiphone J-15 EC is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Epiphone J-15 EC is the better choice.
The Epiphone J-15 EC meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Epiphone J-15 EC- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor Overview
- From Epiphone's 2020 Modern Acoustic series
- Made in China
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Spruce top
- Ovangkol back
- Ovangkol sides
- Mahogany neck
- Pau Ferro fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fishman Sonicore (Preamp/Active)
- Pau Ferro bridge
- Acoustic Rounded Set neck
- 20 Medium frets
- Grover Mini Rotomatic; 18:1 ratio tuners
- Compare Specs >
Epiphone J-15 EC Overview
- From Epiphone's 2021 Modern series
- Made in China
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Select Spruce top
- Select Mahogany back
- Select Mahogany sides
- Mahogany neck
- Pau Ferro fretboard
- Bridge pickup: NanoFlex, low-impedance pickup (Preamp/Active)
- Pau Ferro; Reverse-Belly bridge
- Acoustic 1960's SlimTaper D-shape Set neck
- 20 Medium Jumbo frets
- Premium Die-Cast with Kidney Buttons: 14:1 ratio tuners
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .
Woods Used in Both
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Pau Ferro has a dark, chocolate-like color with straight dark grains that is being used as a replacement to Rosewood due to the regulations. It produces a warm tone that is somewhere between Mahogany and Rosewood. Find out more about Pau Ferro.
Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.
Woods Used in the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor
Ovangkol is a beautiful wood that's popular for acoustic guitars. Its tone sits somewhere between rosewood and mahogany, meaning it has a punchy low-end and nice mid-range. Find out more about Ovangkol.
Winner: Tie.
Electronics
Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.
Winner:Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor compares to the Epiphone J-15 EC.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Winner: Tie
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
On the other hand, the Epiphone J-15 EC comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
Winner: Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor's are Grover Mini Rotomatic; 18:1 ratio while the Epiphone J-15 EC's are Premium Die-Cast with Kidney Buttons: 14:1 ratio
The Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor's tuners have a higher ratio of 18:1. This means that it takes more turns of the pegs to reach a full revolution. In other words, you can tune your guitar with more precision this way, although it will take you more time to restring it.
Winner: Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Bone Saddle
- Solid Top Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Epiphone J-15 EC
- Expensive Wood
- Electronics
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- Low-Quality Material Saddle
- Laminated Top Wood
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42.6mm (1.677''). This is a 0.4mm (0.016'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Epiphone J-15 EC has the longest scale: 25.5". The Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
The Epiphone J-15 EC, on the other hand, has a D neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
Both the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor and the Epiphone J-15 EC have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor favors large hands more than the Epiphone J-15 EC. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor:
Epiphone J-15 EC:
Fret Size
The Epiphone J-15 EC has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Epiphone J-200 EC Studio Parlor's Medium frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.