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Any hope for the AJ-500RC returning?


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We'd all like to know the answer to both of your questions, GV! It took Epiphone 2 years to deliver the AJ500RC I wanted, and I suspect that they only produced mine b/c I had the order in before they made the decision to discontinue the model. It really seems to be a counterproductive decision, the AJ500RC seems to make fans whenever and where-ever it appears.

 

I love mine....the neck is just right, the sound the cedar top imparts very mellow, the volume from the enlarged 12-fretter body design really makes it stand out.

 

All I could suggest would be for you to do frequent google searches using various search criterion/wording. One of our members found one by doing a search for "Epiphone 12-fretter" after being unsuccessful searching with other criterion. It all depends on the "tag words" the dealer choses to use in their listing....

 

They have shown up now and then, but my Sweetwater rep, who really worked his tush off for what little he might have made on the sale, reports that Epiphone tells Sweetwater that no more will be available.....despite what appears to be quite good demand. Go figure....:-

 

I'd wish you luck, but I think that might be futile. We did have one member who was trying to sell one, if I can find his name I'll try to get it to you. I won't be able to do that till you have enough posts to send and receive PM's, I think that might be 10 or 20 posts, so hang around and post away, maybe I can get you some good news that way!

 

Dugly [-o<

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I must admit I followed Dugly's quest so closely it gave me GAS for the guitar, then when he finally got it and gave it a great review I was searching for one.

 

Someone had said ZZ Sounds was getting in a few in December. Their website now says they expect more in Feb.

 

Here is their webpage for AJ-500RC 12 Fret guitar. Good luck!

 

BTW, my GAS subsided and I'm not in the market for one currently, but as we all know, that could change at any moment! [-o< My first guitar was a 12 fretter, and that's my only need for one, to fill that sentimental void.

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I must admit I followed Dugly's quest so closely it gave me GAS for the guitar' date=' then when he finally got it and gave it a great review I was searching for one.

 

Someone had said ZZ Sounds was getting in a few in December. Their website now says they expect more in Feb.

[/quote']

 

This is exactly the same routine as in the past.

 

When I first started the search nobody had any. Everybody expected them in Dec., 06. They didn't get them, so then they expected them in April, 07, they didn't arrive so they expected them in August, 07..........you get the idea, this really did go on for almost two years. Even the Gibson B & M dealers couldn't get their hands on one. I had quite frankly given up hope and was pleasantly surprised when Mark emailed me.....I had fully expected yet another delayed "expected date" and was ready to cancel the order the minute I got that news. I've been wondering if more would come in this December, was truly hoping they would so that those who were GASing for one could satisfy the itch, but that "Discontinued" on the webpage has been there for some time now.

 

The perplexing thing is that even though my guitar was on special order since early this year, there were a few dealers (ZZounds, SameDayMusic, both dot coms and both separate branches of the same parent company, as well as one where FastBlueHeeler got his) who managed to get their hands on some to offer to the general public while I was waiting for my special order. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the marketing mysteries.....

 

It will be interesting to see how many of the other net-based dealers now list a new "expected" date....and it would be even more interesting to know if they are posting those new dates b/c Epiphone has told them that there are more AJ500RC's coming in (or, perhaps, Gibson/Epi has not told their dealers that the model is discontinued and they cannot expect more???).

 

My first guitar was a 12 fretter' date=' and that's my only need for one, to fill that sentimental void.

 

[/quote']

 

Yep, there really is something special about the 12-fretter's elongated body style, and for me something magical about the combination of the 12-fretter body style and the slotted head design.....not many produced, AFAIK the next least expensive is a Santa Cruz model, but it has a Sitka Spruce top and the sound of the AJ500RC is really defined by those honeyed tones produced by the cedar top. Martin makes a model, perhaps BlueRidge (if BlueRidge makes a 12-fretter, it would probably come in less expensive than the Santa Cruz model). At this point, I can't think of anyone at all that makes a slot-headed 12-fretter guitar with a cedar soundboard, never mind one in a "jumbo" size, other than custom shops (I ordered my Breedlove custom shop Revival 000 with a redwood soundboard, it has sound characteristics of both sitka spruce and cedar).

 

Just curious, eGN, do you have a favorite 12-fretter in mind, other than this what now looks unobtainable Epiphone model? Before I contracted for my Breedlove custom shop Revival 000 slot-headed 12-fretter, I was negotiating for the purchase of a used Santa Cruz slot-headed 12-fretter (it got bought out from under me), even despite the sitka spruce soundboard--this also during that 2 year period when the AJ500RC seemed to be made of unobtanium. Santa Cruz makes a very nice looking and sounding piece. Glad I managed to hold on for the Epi, the Santa Cruz was 3X the price of my new AJ500RC and that was on the used market, not sure what the MSRP is from Santa Cruz. The one I was pursuing was at Gruhn Gutiars dot com in Nashville, TN.

 

My hope is that Gibson/Epi will reconsider the discontinued status of this guitar. I don't need a second one, I just think it fills a niche with absolutely NO competition at this price point.....try to find another manufacturer that makes an all solid wood slot-headed 12-fretter at this price. Good luck on that one [-o< !

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed more come in, but........after ](*,)' for so long, I'm not holding my breath!

 

Dugly O:)

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Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

My interest in the AJ500RC started after I played an AJ500M and was impressed by the tone and its bass response when played fingerstyle. But I'm accustomed to classical guitars and to OM's with wide nuts (1-3/4" to 1-7/8") and wide string spacings at the saddle (2-3/8"). If the AJ500RC has a similar tone to the AJ500M, then I feel it would fill an important niche.

 

I'll wait until February. If Zzounds doesn't get it in, I'll probably start searching for a fingerstyle jumbo or mini-jumbo that might have a similar tone.

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Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

My interest in the AJ500RC started after I played an AJ500M and was impressed by the tone and its bass response when played fingerstyle. But I'm accustomed to classical guitars and to OM's with wide nuts (1-3/4" to 1-7/8") and wide string spacings at the saddle (2-3/8"). If the AJ500RC has a similar tone to the AJ500M' date=' then I feel it would fill an important niche.[/quote']

 

You'd like my Breedlove, not quite as big as an OM, but with the 000 body size it's only slightly shallower than a classical guitar and is about the same size otherwise. I ordered it with the 1 7/8" nut width (a no-cost option), as I wanted as close to a steel-string classical guitar as I could get. It is very close in size, even closer in sound. If I use fingertips and good classical technique, you know what I mean, pressing the strings downward toward the soundboard and releasing them vertically rather than raking across them horizontally, I get great classical guitar tones from the redwood soundboard. If I use the fingernails or a pick, I get a "shimmer" to the tones that outshines any Martin I've ever heard, likewise any Taylor or Huss & Dalton. It's really a masterpiece of lutherie, and a work of visual art as well.

 

If you'd like to consider the Breedlove Revival 000 (standard model), here's a link:

 

http://www.breedloveguitars.com/instruments/guitars/revival/000/index.php

 

I'm not sure if you could get the 1 7/8" nut width on the standard model, that might be a custom shop exclusive, but otherwise it is a 000 size, slot-headed 12-freter in truly excellent grade Spruce over Mahogany or Rosewood, your choice. IIRC MSRP is in the $2K range, but street price is probably about 60% of that. If you're interested in more, get a message to me at yerdugliness at earthlink dot net and I'll find a way to connect you with my Breedlove dealer.

 

In my experience the tone from the AJ500RC is slightly more mellow than that of the AJ500M (despite the fact that the sides are Rosewood), undoubtedly due to the cedar soundboard. The AJ500M has spruce. The AJ500RC has more volume b/c of the 12-fretter body. Last month at a bluegrass festival, a player asked if he could play my AJ500RC....I found out later that he had just recently bought an AJ500R and regretted it after he heard the tones from my AJ500RC--he said the B & M where he bought the AJ500R just didn't have one in stock so he didn't even know about them.

 

The nut width on the AJ500R and AJ500M is 1.68". Have you considered the EF500R or the EF500M? They have the smaller body styles similar to the OM (I have a friend who has an EF500R, nice tones, a bit brighter than my AJ500RC, a nice play with nice action but nowhere near the volume) and 1.75" nut widths....the EF series is Epiphone's "Folk Guitar" line. These are Masterbilts with all solid rosewood or mahogany sides and backs, just no cedar soundboard option. It's the soundboard that gives the AJ500RC that unique sound....very "classical guitar" like, but with some steel-string overtones. Mine gets borrowed everywhere I go, particularly by the Martin crowd, who like the tone and wish theirs had the volume.

 

If you liked the bass response from the AJ500M, I think you'd be sold on the AJ500RC's sound--that elongated 12-fretter body design places the bridge more centrally on the lower bout and the additional volume to the body gives the bass just a bit more acoustic reinforcement.....

 

Good luck!

 

Dugly :(

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You'd like my Breedlove' date=' not quite as big as an OM, but with the 000 body size it's only slightly shallower than a classical guitar and is about the same size otherwise.

[/quote']

Very nice. That one will probably be out of my price range though. I assume it's in the range of about $2000. Or am I mistaken?

 

The nut width on the AJ500R and AJ500M is 1.68". Have you considered the EF500R or the EF500M?

Actually' date=' I have an OM with a 1.75" nut which is equivalent to the EF500R. I tried the EF500R and it was quite good but the local B&M's unit had a cracking neck joint. I opted for another manufacturer.

 

If you liked the bass response from the AJ500M, I think you'd be sold on the AJ500RC's sound--that elongated 12-fretter body design places the bridge more centrally on the lower bout and the additional volume to the body gives the bass just a bit more acoustic reinforcement.....

 

Good luck!

Thanks, Dugly! I am expecting the AJ500RC to have some clear differences with both the 12-fret design and the cedar top. I'll have to see what happens in February.

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Very nice. That one will probably be out of my price range though. I assume it's in the range of about $2000. Or am I mistaken?

 

It's been right at a year since I placed the order, so my memory is a bit blurry on this, but IIRC the MSRP on the Rosewood model Revival 000 was $2195 at that time. I notice they now offer a hog model.....that might be very nice. I have a couple of "sapele" guitars and the sound is very "woody", a term I tend to translate as "mellow". Hog seems to me to emphasize the lower midrange/midrange moreso than rosewood (which I think has such great bass response b/c of the rigidity and density of the wood).

 

At any rate, the standard guestimate for out the door price on most guitars seems to be about 60% of MSRP, so at that rate we're talking a bit over $1300, which includes what might possibly be the best-made hardshell case I've ever seen (short of a specialized shipping case for airline travel). One thing I might mention, the Breedlove guitars are reknowned for their "JLD Bridge Truss". However, the Revival Series, which focuses on pre-WWII guitar design, brace patterns, etc., does not use the JLD truss.

 

Looks like the Santa Cruz is almost twice the price in Mahogany (this webpage also includes what I think is a good description of the sound difference between the 12-fretter body and the standard 14 fretter):

 

http://www.santacruzguitar.com/acousticguitars/details/ooo.html

 

I've seen used Santa Cruz 000's priced between $1200 and $2000. Gruhn Guitars in Nashville (no connection to me) has a great selection of high end used guitars and would be a good start if you were going to search for one. Their stock will, naturally, change often.

 

Good luck. Having played only classical guitars for the first 34 of my 38 years with one of these boxes with 6 strings in my hands, I have an affinity for the slot-headed 12-fretter design. You can imagine that it would feel natural after all those years. Other than the various 000/OM designs, the AJ500RC is the only other of which I am aware and the only one in a "Dreadnought" size. I have a few dreadnoughts and the difference in size between the AJ500RC and those dreadnoughts seems to be that the lower bout on the AJ is about 1" wider and the upper bout is slightly less voluminous due to the slope-shoulder design (as compared to the Dreadnought's square shoulder design). The difference in depth between the two bodies isn't worth mentioning. My dreadnoughts fit into the case I bought for the AJ500RC just like it was made for them (which it was, it IS Epi's Masterbilt dreadnought case).

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, GV (or, more appropriately, my hands clasped =D> ).....I'm still searching for the thread where one of our members posted an AJ500RC for sale. His price was $600 plus shipping, but I think it included one of the older Masterbilt hardshell cases. IIRC he was located somewhere on the southern end of the east coast. Will continue to search....but this forum's search function isn't sophisiticated enough to allow the kind of search that narrows it down much, so it may be a while :-k .

 

Dugly O:)

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Dugly-

I think rather than an AJ body, I would prefer the EF body with the 12-fret slotted neck. This would be much more like the guitar I started on 'way back when, except much nicer. =D>

 

I don't remember the brand/mfg'r of that guitar and doubt it was significant anyway. My parents couldn't have/wouldn't have spent much on a guitar at the time, but it was special for me.

 

The wider neck would be wrong compared to that old guitar, but I could live with that. I played a nylon string classical guitar during college days.

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Hi, I almost feel ashamed...: I ordered an AJ-500RC 12 fret in may 2007. Thanks to the fantastic effort of the European Gibson Customer Service the local shop received it in December 2007. I ran straight to the shop ti try it and I was disappointed and I didn't buy it. The guitar is still there in the shop.

I already explained my experience with the AJ on the old forum and most of the people were convinced it was a "dud". Whatever. From time to time I go to the guitar shop hoping my opinion on THAT guitar improves but no, it's not for me.

I like Masterbilts; I own an EF-500RVS which, after 3 years of playing, sounds fantastic.

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If the AJ-500RC is truly unobtainable, the next most-affordable slot-head 12th fret might be the Recording King Century Studio guitar… “V” neck, wide nut, light bracing, nitro finish… supposed to have decent tone and construction.

I think they’re Spruce and Mahogany though, and looked to be smaller-bodied – OO or even OOO? Asian manufacture, maybe $700 – 800 street… worth a look.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Recording King is a OOO-size with a spruce top. I've already played three (two ROS-626 models at $775 with case and one ROS-627 at $975 with case). They are nice but I don't feel that they have anything different from my Johnson Carolina II JO-27 which I bought for $300 at closeout. If there is more tonal "punch" from its 12-fret design, then I'm either too inexperienced to hear it or it's much too subtle.

 

The AJ-500RC might be more interesting given its three factors of:

 

1. A 12-fret design

2. A cedar top

3. An Advanced Jumbo shape

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  • 1 month later...
The nail is truly in the coffin. I learned today that none of the dealers will be restocking the AJ500RC.

 

SO sad, not surprised, just sadened that Epiphone is discontinuing such a vibrant and in-demand model.

 

Good luck with your search, GV......perhaps keep your eyes on eBay.....there's something about this guitar that seems to inspire fervent loyalty, I have yet to speak with anyone who owns one who would part with it, I know I certainly won't part with mine. It gets more play time than any other guitar I own, more even than the custom shop Breedlove.

 

Dugly #-o

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