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NGD Masterbilt AJ 500M


prsteve

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I gotta quit going to the guitar shop! Wife had some business to take care of in a neighboring town (one with a good music store). I had her drop me off for an hour at said shop for an hour while she did her errands. It is cheap babysitting for a guy who is near retirement age. Went into the acoustic room and saw this new Epiphone Masterbilt AJ 500M hanging on one of the top hangers.

 

I reached up to get it down, braced myself for a heavy guitar so I wouldn't drop it. It was the lightest weight guitar I had picked up in a long time. I'm starting to get hooked. Started playing it. Strings were at least 6 months beyond their life span. But I heard some promise.

 

The salesman (a friend) poked his head in to say hi and saw the Masterbilt in my hands. "If you are interested, don't look at the price. We have had this one for a long time and the boss says to get it out of here." I told him I was interested. He left to see what he could sell it for. Came back with a price of $375 and he would throw in a padded gig bag. It took me about 2 minutes to make the decision not to leave it there, but to do what the boss wanted. Get it out of there.

 

Bought new strings. The guitar tech cleaned it up, put on the new strings and it plays better than I could have imagined - even with all the reviews I have heard on this forum and others. Got it home, retuned it (normal for new strings) and played it. I am one happy camper. I didn't need another guitar. Didn't plan on buying another guitar. But it is sitting in the other room waiting to be played some more. I don't know what else to do but go play it.

 

Anybody here have any love for the Masterbilt AJ 500M? I would love to hear your experiences.

 

Steve

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I gotta quit going to the guitar shop! Wife had some business to take care of in a neighboring town (one with a good music store). I had her drop me off for an hour at said shop for an hour while she did her errands. It is cheap babysitting for a guy who is near retirement age. Went into the acoustic room and saw this new Epiphone Masterbilt AJ 500M hanging on one of the top hangers.

 

I reached up to get it down, braced myself for a heavy guitar so I wouldn't drop it. It was the lightest weight guitar I had picked up in a long time. I'm starting to get hooked. Started playing it. Strings were at least 6 months beyond their life span. But I heard some promise.

 

The salesman (a friend) poked his head in to say hi and saw the Masterbilt in my hands. "If you are interested, don't look at the price. We have had this one for a long time and the boss says to get it out of here." I told him I was interested. He left to see what he could sell it for. Came back with a price of $375 and he would throw in a padded gig bag. It took me about 2 minutes to make the decision not to leave it there, but to do what the boss wanted. Get it out of there.

 

Bought new strings. The guitar tech cleaned it up, put on the new strings and it plays better than I could have imagined - even with all the reviews I have heard on this forum and others. Got it home, retuned it (normal for new strings) and played it. I am one happy camper. I didn't need another guitar. Didn't plan on buying another guitar. But it is sitting in the other room waiting to be played some more. I don't know what else to do but go play it.

 

Anybody here have any love for the Masterbilt AJ 500M? I would love to hear your experiences.

 

Steve

 

 

that's an outstanding price! congrats!

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I had her drop me off for an hour at said shop for an hour while she did her errands. It is cheap babysitting for a guy who is near retirement age.

 

[lol]

 

He left to see what he could sell it for. Came back with a price of $375 and he would throw in a padded gig bag.

 

Don't you just love a great deal?!

 

It took me about 2 minutes to make the decision not to leave it there, but to do what the boss wanted. Get it out of there.

 

That's the way to do it, Steve! Good decision. Great guitar.

 

I didn't need another guitar. Didn't plan on buying another guitar.

 

Tell me about it. I just bought a third Epi Masterbilt EF-500. As if I needed another one! At least they're all different flavors. Keep on playin'!

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I happen to also own and love the legendary Epiphone Masterbilt AJ500M (Mahogany) ...It is warm, loud, rich, deep, and delicious!....it is a wonderful guitar indeed. It's reputation precedes it in a legendary way. I say that with no exaggeration! You clearly made the right decision to buy this 500M guitar. You have bought a solid all wood premium guitar complete with bone nut and saddle for $375 instead of the normal $2000 to $3000 price range for Martin's Gibson's and Taylor's. And it's tone will easily compete with any of those expensive guitars...easily! The Masterbilt AJ500M...seems to be the best known and most loved, as well as most popular of all the Masterbilt line. It does not take long to understand why this is so. A new set of strings, tuned up and proper set up will quickly tell us why this is so. I also own the rich AJ500R (rosewood)...and WoW...it too will make every head in the room turn with its rich hearty tone. Keep it cased and humidified...it has all the premium solid woods of any $3000 guitar and it requires proper humidification...with a digital hygrometer (walmart, or radio shack)..at 45% to 55% humidity which will keep is safe from cracks and warpage for 100 years! Congratulations! I own a new 2013 Gibson Hummingbird @ $3100....and my 500M...not only competes with it...but blows it out of the water...even tho it kills me to say it! ....On well, I still love the bird too!

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I keep hearing about these aj500m, r and the dr500m,and p but never had the chance to play one I'd have to go on a trip to come close to one and that is not going to happen soon sadly but my dr500mce is awesome and does compete with any other out there tone wise. I tend to pick softer so the others can be heard lol.

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks LPS, Cougar and GuitarLight. I appreciate your comments. Been picking on my new guitar tonight and it sounds amazing to me. My bride even said she liked it, too. Quite a catch, that woman. Looks like I've got not only the new Masterbilt to be thankful for, but for a wife who encourages me - even in my GAS attacks. this one was quite sudden, but some days all these things sort of fall into place. Not often, but once in a while. Today was that day.

 

I haven't had the chance to play a dr500 mce. I had best avoid picking up one or those or else it may well want to follow me home. And we simply cannot have that. I don't need another guitar. I don't need another guitar. I don't need another guitar. Nope. The chant doesn't seem to be working very well. Good thing the guitar shop is 45 minutes away. But, Cliff, if your 500 dread is as good a guitar as the one I got, I may be doomed at some point to... well you know the rest.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Steve

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I have the AJ500me.

 

Awfully nice.

 

But for what it's worth, last night late I checked on my AJ220mce - cutaway AE, spruce top and lam hog back and sides. I've been planning to give to a coworker but I'd been working on the setup a bit and need to put the truss rod cover back on... etc. It didn't sound quite as full, but it almost seemed easier to play.

 

<sigh>

 

So many guitars, so little time.

 

m

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PRSTEVE.............

 

I own the DR500MNA square shouldered dreadnought.

 

It was so nice I ended up selling all of my other high dollar acoustic guitars except my Martin 000-45 because I bonded so quickly and so tightly with this Masterbilt I felt the others were just no longer necessary and should get played by someone.

 

It's like that very best friend that you just want to wrap your arm around every time you see them.

 

These instruments are true gems and since most of the models are discontinued if one gets the chance, one should snag it while they can. Of course it's always smart to play one before buying it but I took a chance on one from a "Mom & Pop" music store in Buffalo, NY online and it turned out to be without question my most favorite acoustic guitar of my 56 plus years of playing.

 

congrats on the purchase !!

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