JasonG Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Talking to a customer today he said he thinks a Materbilt L00, LG1 or L1 would be amazing. I kinda agree. What do you guys think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzariahJames Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I think it would be awesome. They should expand the masterbilt line more. And the smaller body big tone guitars would be very popular I am sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Masterbilt Hummingbird and Dove would do exceedingly well as well. Really, any iconic designs would do well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyghthawk Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I think a small body Masterbilt without a cutaway would be great. L00, 000, or OM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I think a small body Masterbilt without a cutaway would be great. L00, 000, or OM. The EF-500 is an OM, which is the same as a 000, as I understand it. They're great, with a little wider nut width. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyghthawk Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 EF-500 would work for me...if it had an option for no cutaway and no electronics. The discontinued ones would work for me but I don't particularly like the v neck. I have been looking at the Blueridge BR-143 and the Seagull SWS Orchestra model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveyl7 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I think it would be awesome. They should expand the masterbilt line more. And the smaller body big tone guitars would be very popular I am sure. Absolutely more variety would be awesome. It would be cool to see a parlor size 12 fret with a slotted headstock and a cool fire stripe pick guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveyl7 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Speaking of new product ideas. Does Epiphone make any guitars by a torrefaction process? In a nutshell, this is a process of heating and removing moisture from wood before building the guitar, it produces a new guitar that sounds like an old guitar. I saw this on the C F Martin site yesterday in their VTS line, vintage tone system. Any thoughts on whether or not Epiphone may get in on this idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish_Rover Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Speaking of new product ideas. Does Epiphone make any guitars by a torrefaction process? In a nutshell, this is a process of heating and removing moisture from wood before building the guitar, it produces a new guitar that sounds like an old guitar. I saw this on the C F Martin site yesterday in their VTS line, vintage tone system. Any thoughts on whether or not Epiphone may get in on this idea. I very much doubt it. The cost alone would boost retail prices way above Epiphones target market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 I very much doubt it. The cost alone would boost retail prices way above Epiphones target market. Yeah, I.R. I agree. It might suit the Gibson price-point better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippydog Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Does the Epiphone Masterbilt selections include a smaller body big tone acoustic with a narrow nut similar to the width of my DR500? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyghthawk Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Only one small body Masterbilt. The EF-500rcce. 1.75 nut width. OM size. Cedar over rosewood, cutaway with electronics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 I very much doubt it. The cost alone would boost retail prices way above Epiphones target market. I've seen a post somewhere in the last few weeks which includes details of a phone conversation with someone from Gibson/Epiphone. (can't find it now but it was in here somewhere or the Acoustic guitar forum) The gist of it was that Epiphone are very unlikely to make any major improvements to the Masterbilt guitars (gloss finish etc) as their vastly major market is the cheaper guitar range. In fact he did say that Epiphone sell very few Masterbilts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippydog Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Perhaps it is my "newbie ness" that is saying this but why would someone pass up on a well crafted Masterbilt acoustic guitar for $600 or less to buy a "entry level" Martin or Taylor? I'm new in the acoustic guitar game but I'm not without common sense and I know what a great acoustic should look and sound like. I can say with humble pride that I hover around being a high level cabinet maker/woodworker and I can tell when a piece of wood has been handled carefully. When I was looking for an acoustic, I handled and listened to many upper tiered guitars all the big names. Yes, some rang out bell like I'm not denying that, it's just that all Masterbilts that I strummed sounded very good too much better than the lower priced big names. And as far as fit and finish, they're all well made we all know this by now with wood working technology being what is. However, I really looked hard at the build quality of the Masterbilt and compared it to upper end Gibsons, Martins and Taylor's and the Masterbilts are put together really really well. I guess if I was a professional and with a lot of hours of playing under me I might be thinking differently. I get that and to each his own I say. But, I think it's more like good folks just get caught up in the logo and feel that if it's not a big name guitar it's not worthy which in the case of the Epiphone Masterbilt series, that's just wrong. Except the smart ones that is, they know what a real bargain is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Perhaps it is my "newbie ness" that is saying this but why would someone pass up on a well crafted Masterbilt acoustic guitar for $600 or less to buy a "entry level" Martin or Taylor? I'm new in the acoustic guitar game but I'm not without common sense and I know what a great acoustic should look and sound like. I can say with humble pride that I hover around being a high level cabinet maker/woodworker and I can tell when a piece of wood has been handled carefully. When I was looking for an acoustic, I handled and listened to many upper tiered guitars all the big names. Yes, some rang out bell like I'm not denying that, it's just that all Masterbilts that I strummed sounded very good too much better than the lower priced big names. And as far as fit and finish, they're all well made we all know this by now with wood working technology being what is. However, I really looked hard at the build quality of the Masterbilt and compared it to upper end Gibsons, Martins and Taylor's and the Masterbilts are put together really really well. I guess if I was a professional and with a lot of hours of playing under me I might be thinking differently. I get that and to each his own I say. But, I think it's more like good folks just get caught up in the logo and feel that if it's not a big name guitar it's not worthy which in the case of the Epiphone Masterbilt series, that's just wrong. Except the smart ones that is, they know what a real bargain is. GREAT post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzariahJames Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Perhaps it is my "newbie ness" that is saying this but why would someone pass up on a well crafted Masterbilt acoustic guitar for $600 or less to buy a "entry level" Martin or Taylor? I'm new in the acoustic guitar game but I'm not without common sense and I know what a great acoustic should look and sound like. I can say with humble pride that I hover around being a high level cabinet maker/woodworker and I can tell when a piece of wood has been handled carefully. When I was looking for an acoustic, I handled and listened to many upper tiered guitars all the big names. Yes, some rang out bell like I'm not denying that, it's just that all Masterbilts that I strummed sounded very good too much better than the lower priced big names. And as far as fit and finish, they're all well made we all know this by now with wood working technology being what is. However, I really looked hard at the build quality of the Masterbilt and compared it to upper end Gibsons, Martins and Taylor's and the Masterbilts are put together really really well. I guess if I was a professional and with a lot of hours of playing under me I might be thinking differently. I get that and to each his own I say. But, I think it's more like good folks just get caught up in the logo and feel that if it's not a big name guitar it's not worthy which in the case of the Epiphone Masterbilt series, that's just wrong. Except the smart ones that is, they know what a real bargain is. Totally agree. In the end it doesn't matter where a guitar is made. What matters most is how it is made, and what it is made with. Where it is made should not make a $2000.00 difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveyl7 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 I was new to the guitar world about 2 years ago, then I started hangin out at guitar center, reading guitar forums and of course looking at many manufacturers websites. The first thing I discovered was that if I wanted to buy a good guitar I just had to play some and find something that felt good and spoke to me. I almost got caught up in the hype and hoopla of the big brands Gibson, Martin and Taylor and some of the boutique brands like Guild, Eastman and Bedell. The only problem with all of this was the big price tags. Then I just happened to have a good conversation with a rep. at Sam Ash, he told me about the Epi Masterbilt line, solid wood construction and dovetail joints etc. and that these guitars were under appreciated by the average shopper, but for those that really know and understand what makes a great guitar, Masterbilt is the way to go, he pointed me to a used EF Masterbilt and I was hooked, I didn't buy that guitar. But a few months later I found a nice used AJ 500, I love playing it and I don't second guess that decision ever. All that said, I never would have noticed or seen a Masterbilt if it had not been for that conversation. Kinda funny how things work out in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish_Rover Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Totally agree. In the end it doesn't matter where a guitar is made. What matters most is how it is made, and what it is made with. Where it is made should not make a $2000.00 difference. While I agree with the sentiment, a quick Google search tells me that the average U.S. wage is roughly 5 times more than the average Indonesian wage. There's your $2000 right there. I do find it strange that Epiphone don't sell so many Masterbilts. When I decided just over a year ago to make the step up to a "decent" acoustic guitar I looked at a lot of guitars both online and in the few local music shops within reasonable traveling distance, I did a ton of research and came to the inevitable conclusion that within my budget there was nothing to touch the Epiphone Masterbilt. In about 3 weeks I'll have had "Monique", my DR500MCE, for a whole year and I don't think that there has been a single day when I haven't congratulated myself on making the right choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Masterbilts are good guitars - great guitars - but Gibson are not going to try to outsell their major profitable acoustics (J45). That would not be good business sense. So they make the Epiphone Masterbilts just close to a Gibson but not so close that they are equal. I have two Masterbilts (AJ-45ME which I think is brilliant) and (AJ-500ME which is very nice), but I still want a J45 one day, I just do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippydog Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Masterbilts are good guitars - great guitars - but Gibson are not going to try to outsell their major profitable acoustics (J45). That would not be good business sense. So they make the Epiphone Masterbilts just close to a Gibson but not so close that they are equal. I have two Masterbilts (AJ-45ME which I think is brilliant) and (AJ-500ME which is very nice), but I still want a J45 one day, I just do Yeah, as do I! Someday I will own a Gibson Les Paul and a Gibson acoustic. I'm just saying that too bad they (Masterbilts) get overlooked. Buy the way, where can one get an Epiphone Masterbilt T-shirt as I would wear one proudly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 I'm just saying that too bad they (Masterbilts) get overlooked. I would say they are not as much overlooked as facing a ton of competition. They are going head to head with Recording King, Blueridge and a host of others. Lots of choices out there. And then you have guys like me who would prefer to take that money and score something like a 1960s Harmony Sovereign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Perhaps it is my "newbie ness" that is saying this but why would someone pass up on a well crafted Masterbilt acoustic guitar for $600 or less to buy a "entry level" Martin or Taylor? I'm new in the acoustic guitar game but I'm not without common sense and I know what a great acoustic should look and sound like. I can say with humble pride that I hover around being a high level cabinet maker/woodworker and I can tell when a piece of wood has been handled carefully. When I was looking for an acoustic, I handled and listened to many upper tiered guitars all the big names. Yes, some rang out bell like I'm not denying that, it's just that all Masterbilts that I strummed sounded very good too much better than the lower priced big names. And as far as fit and finish, they're all well made we all know this by now with wood working technology being what is. However, I really looked hard at the build quality of the Masterbilt and compared it to upper end Gibsons, Martins and Taylor's and the Masterbilts are put together really really well. I guess if I was a professional and with a lot of hours of playing under me I might be thinking differently. I get that and to each his own I say. But, I think it's more like good folks just get caught up in the logo and feel that if it's not a big name guitar it's not worthy which in the case of the Epiphone Masterbilt series, that's just wrong. Except the smart ones that is, they know what a real bargain is. I too have a Masterbilt (DR500mce) and quite like it.Recently I saw an ad on Kijiji for a D-28 and, because the price was very reasonable ,I went and checked it out.It was a 2010 version and for $2200 Canadian it was worth a peek.The action was ridiculous and I know that can be remedied , but it was not even close to barre-chording a C or single note lines up past 6 or 7 frets.Then the finish on the side panels had little bubbles! I mean it's a $3000 guitar for gawd sake if you buy it new.I passed on it and when I got home and played my Masterbilt I wondered what all the fuss is about for some of these high-priced axes. I've also tried many different makes at various music shops and I've come to believe that sometimes the Emperor really does not have much on! If one "looks" with one's ears some of the Epiphones "look" just as good for a heck of a lot less money.Too bad about the lack of cachet re. the headstock.I'm with you on this, Zippydog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 I too have a Masterbilt (DR500mce) and quite like it.Recently I saw an ad on Kijiji for a D-28 and, because the price was very reasonable ,I went and checked it out.It was a 2010 version and for $2200 Canadian it was worth a peek.The action was ridiculous and I know that can be remedied , but it was not even close to barre-chording a C or single note lines up past 6 or 7 frets.Then the finish on the side panels had little bubbles! I mean it's a $3000 guitar for gawd sake if you buy it new.I passed on it and when I got home and played my Masterbilt I wondered what all the fuss is about for some of these high-priced axes. You have to always keep in mind you do not have a clue what has happened to that Martin since it left the factory. Flaws may have nothing to do with the build. As to action, often the first thought that enters my head when I play a new/newish guitar is the action is too low. I like them a bit higher. So the Martin could have been setup to meet somebody's else's preference. Then again, it could need a neck set which, if the case, should be factored into the price. You would have to eyeball it to know. For me, if the guitar has six or 12 strings and is playable (from my perspective) I will have a blast with it. If the day comes that I cannot have as much fun playing an Epi Masterbilt as I can my 1942 Gibson J-50 then I should probably just call it quits. I have found that no matter what I am playing I just sound like me. And believe me, most of the folks you are playing in front of could care less what guitar you have in your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Follow up to Zombie Woof: I take your point(s) and realize how many variables go into a semi-organic animal such as a guitar. After further thought it occurred to me what a crap shoot e-purchases can be!Buying something sight-unseen , especially one for serious money is scary. It's a jungle out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunningham26 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Getting back to the OP, I would love to see them do quality small bodied runs- people seem to really like the solid-top EL00 currently in productions. I bought the Caballero as a unique small body to tool around with when traveling or just sitting on the couch and not wanting the heft of something larger. The Masterbilts/Elitists are never going to make the company money, but I appreciate that they put them out to show that import guitars can be up to snuff with their american counterparts. I still have dreams of the Elitist J200 I passed up. Many revere the electrics, and I think if people want them, they come up enough that they dont need to be produced in huge runs. The idea of a "vintage" instrument still dominates peoples minds, but as 60s gibsons (fenders, gretsch, etc) continue to go up in price, and considering the big drop off with 70s gibsons, people may see these current options as the next best alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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