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Looking For Another Acoustic


Cobalt

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I like Masterbilts and currently I have a Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE and I enjoy it a lot. It has a great tone when I play it with a pick but sometimes I like to play fingerstyle. Ive kind of noticed that sometimes when I play fingerstyle that my fingers around those first few frets seem a bit crowded. I read a lot about players who think that small body acoustics with a 1.75 nut are better for fingerpicking. That might be a bit nit picky as I think anyone should be able to flatpick or fingerpick on any acoustic. Maybe Im looking for a reason to buy a new Epiphone? So what do you guys think about the Epiphone EF-500RCCE? I noticed it has a wider nut which may help me. Ive looked around the forum but really did not see any topics on it. I also was interested in the Epiphone J45 that will be out soon and I know that its different from what I have but I don't think its going in the fingerpicking direction. So I would like to hear what all of you Epiphone lovers think? Thanks a lot people.

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Cobalt,

If you are looking for a guitar to play fingerstyle, you are right on track. The OM/000 body size and 1-3/4" width seem to be the gold standard. The EF line has always gotten very high reviews and although I own three Masterbilts, I am not the owner of that model yet, so I cannot comment directly.

 

The one thing I would add is many blues guitarists prefer the shorter scale length (000 size) which the EF does not have. Some might suggest the EL00-Pro for fingerstyle, which has gotten good reviews, although its no Masterbilt the $300 price point makes it extremely attractive if you just want to noodle around with fingerstyle. It does have a shorter scale length but not the 1-3/4" nut width you are after.

 

I saw an Epiphone bluesmaster on Ebay yesterday (no affiliation with the sale) pretty rare model and although I can't speak to the quality of that model, it might be worth looking at for comparison purposes.

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So what do you guys think about the Epiphone EF-500RCCE?

 

I've got 3 EF-500's, but they're the older (2003-2010) non-cutaways without electronics. The slightly wider nut width (just 1/16") does make a noticeable difference in chording on the first few frets, and yes, they're good for fingerstyle playing. Super nice guitars. I've looked at the RCCE's, and I expect they're really nice too. For a few hundred bucks more, I decided to go with a new all solid wood Martin GPCPA4, which has a 1.725" nut with a Fishman F1 pickup. Exceptionally well made (not that the Masterbilts aren't). But if you don't have an EF, then yeah, you ought to get one. [thumbup] Whatever you get, don't forget to ask for a discount! Most places will be happy to oblige.

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The OM/000 body size and 1-3/4" width seem to be the gold standard.

 

Right, the EF is an OM body size, just a bit smaller than a dread. The Martin GP (grand performance) is slightly bigger than an OM and just slightly smaller than a dread (lower bout is actually wider than a dread). [Body size specs]

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