Mickthemiller Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Dawsons demo I don't think he shows the guitar at it's best :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Dawsons demo I don't think he shows the guitar at it's best :unsure: I think the tone sounds pretty nice and smooth and buttery in the Dawson's video. But sadly it may be difficult to show this guitar at it's best angle, because if you click and watch this video while he is playing the guitar.... no matter which angle the light hits the AJ45ME, that dim and cloudy top matte finish seems to push its way into the viewers eye. Try to look away from it, try not to see the dim finish and you can not seem to visually get by it no matter how many angles it is filmed from. What seems to make it worse is the nice beautiful shiny pick guard ...flickering the beautiful light, while the body of the sunburst guitar, is dull and fogged out by comparison. Unfortunately this poor contrast makes it look incredibly cheap, and on a stage, would simply look aweful to an audience in my opinion. Even a laminated $199 gloss finish Epi would look better..like an AJ220S. ...Which would perform excellent and thrill the audience with its stunning crystal gloos finish flickering in the stage lights. But this was also true of all my previous masterbilts which were matte finish. A terrible drawback, and they became worn and shiny in a very short time. I eventually became discontent with the poor wearing finish. They had beautiful sound...but they were ugly ducklings, like this one seems to be. Which likely will be the main draw back for many when buying this guitar, even tho it may sound quite good. Even it you do not play out professionally very often...when you do, people will often ask what is wrong with the top of your guitar....because even the public expects a guitar to be glossy. What it means in my opinion is simply this....the AJ45ME may end up playing excellently, and performing quite professionally...but visually it will never show well, and will remain the "Ugly ducking" of your collection. Some may not mind that, others simply will not tolerate that, and they will buy someting else of equal value that looks magnificent and plays well too...and fortunately there are many, many choices in overseas made guitars, that provide both quality sound..and professional looks too. I would say that I would buy it immediately if a gloss finish were an option, till then, it must remain on the back burner for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Guitarlight, As you know, I made an alternate choice myself this time around...and this was after waiting more than a year for the AJ-45ME to finally come out! My brand new Recording King RAJ-122 arrived today and it is simply magnificent. It's very lightweight and the fit & finish are flawless. It rings loud and true. I can literally say "tone for days" about this guitar. It has the highs, lows and all the mids I could want. It's articulate and woody and has a real growl to it as well. The burst is just wonderful...wonderful...nice and dark with a remarkably beautiful transition from a dark red (almost brown) to gold (exactly like a Gibson). This guitar looks brand new and really old all at the same time. I love the tuners...the posts have been antiqued and it tunes up and holds tune really, REALLY well. The wood grain is positively spectacular throughout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Guitarlight, As you know, I made an alternate choice myself this time around...and this was after waiting more than a year for the AJ-45ME to finally come out! My brand new Recording King RAJ-122 arrived today and it is simply magnificent. It's very lightweight and the fit & finish are flawless. It rings loud and true. I can literally say "tone for days" about this guitar. It has the highs, lows and all the mids I could want. It's articulate and woody and has a real growl to it as well. The burst is just wonderful...wonderful...nice and dark with a remarkably beautiful transition from a dark red (almost brown) to gold (exactly like a Gibson). This guitar looks brand new and really old all at the same time. I love the tuners...the posts have been antiqued and it tunes up and holds tune really, REALLY well. The wood grain is positively spectacular throughout. Cliff that RAJ-122 looks like a real nice guitar, and a good option. Like you, I have been waiting a long time for the AJ45ME and I have been torn and heavily dissapointed with then finish on the AJ45ME. I have tried so hard it my mind to get over the finish but so far, I can not seem to overlook it. I was interested in a J-45 type, short scale with the AJ45ME. Having discovered the short scale in only the past few years, I have become very fond of its particular brand of tone. I have room for just one more guitar in my stall. A big beautiful empty case just waiting to be filled. But it must be a beautiful guitar, and a delightful guitar to the ears, so I must proceed slowly. Who knows? Maybe I'll break down and get the AJ45ME, it is short scale and the price is right...but will I be happy with the matte finish??? Seems not, but who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Cliff that RAJ-122 looks like a real nice guitar, and a good option. Like you, I have been waiting a long time for the AJ45ME and I have been torn and heavily dissapointed with then finish on the AJ45ME. I have tried so hard it my mind to get over the finish but so far, I can not seem to overlook it. I was interested in a J-45 type, short scale with the AJ45ME. Having discovered the short scale in only the past few years, I have become very fond of its particular brand of tone. I have room for just one more guitar in my stall. A big beautiful empty case just waiting to be filled. But it must be a beautiful guitar, and a delightful guitar to the ears, so I must proceed slowly. Who knows? Maybe I'll break down and get the AJ45ME, it is short scale and the price is right...but will I be happy with the matte finish??? Seems not, but who knows? RK also makes the RAJ-126 which is a 14 fret (as opposed to the 12 fret RAJ-122). Since I owned the AJ-220S (excellent guitar!) I opted for the RAJ-122 so that I would have something markedly different from what I already have. I'll tell you, man...these RK RAJ guitars are mindblowingly awesome. They have poly gloss finish, but it's very thin which makes it respond much more like nitro. There's no electronics here, though, so you'd need to consider that. Here's a dumb photo of me holding the new RAJ alongside of my AJ: I'm dropping off the RAJ tomorrow with my luthier for the setup (action's too high right now) and a pickguard replacement (taking off the ugly black one you see in the photo and putting on an Advanced Jumbo firestripe pickguard in its place). It's going to be simply glorious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Cliff, that looks like a very nice guitar - make sure we see it when it's all dressed up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Cliff, that looks like a very nice guitar - make sure we see it when it's all dressed up It is indeed and you know I will! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 The AJ45ME now. I have tried to show the sheen since polishing it - much like an aged patina on a vintage guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzariahJames Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Cliff looks awesome. I really like the white button tuners on that, seems to fit it very well. The looks are very classic. I listened to the review of the 126, and if the 122 is anything like it, it will sound and play amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 The AJ45ME now. I have tried to show the sheen since polishing it - much like an aged patina on a vintage guitar Mick..now THAT looks very nice with the sheen you have put on the top. I wish I knew more about how to do that, I would be afraid to hand rub it unless i knew more about the procedure. I have a bottle of Meguiars Scratch X 2.0 which has been recommended to do this. Can you tell us how you did it..and how long...and how much rubbing it took to do it? Did you rub it by hand..or electric buffer? Were there any problems along the way? etc etc I also very much like the pic guard with the rich tortoise color..and also the ebony pins you installed..which I often have used on most of my guitars for beauty and extra tone...I know people say ebony pins make no difference in tone...but the 27 guitars I have owned in the past, definately tell me different! Your AJ45ME gives me hope...and darn you!..I'm getting gas for one again! Your polishing job to the top makes all the difference in the look of this guitar from what I can see of it. Have you managed to get the shine even across the whole top? Would love some more details of how you did this. I don't mind hand rubbing it if I know what to expect...I would not want to ruin it! I imagine most will want to do this..but will not be sure how. I do not have a guitar tech locally who I would be confident to give this job. I sure hope Epiphone sees this picture of your AJ45ME! Maybe they will wake up from their slumber! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Mick..now THAT looks very nice with the sheen you have put on the top. I wish I knew more about how to do that, I would be afraid to hand rub it unless i knew more about the procedure. I have a bottle of Meguiars Scratch X 2.0 which has been recommended to do this. Can you tell us how you did it..and how long...and how much rubbing it took to do it? Did you rub it by hand..or electric buffer? Were there any problems along the way? etc etc I also very much like the pic guard with the rich tortoise color..and also the ebony pins you installed..which I often have used on most of my guitars for beauty and extra tone...I know people say ebony pins make no difference in tone...but the 27 guitars I have owned in the past, definately tell me different! Your AJ45ME gives me hope...and darn you!..I'm getting gas for one again! Your polishing job to the top makes all the difference in the look of this guitar from what I can see of it. Have you managed to get the shine even across the whole top? Would love some more details of how you did this. I don't mind hand rubbing it if I know what to expect...I would not want to ruin it! I imagine most will want to do this..but will not be sure how. I do not have a guitar tech locally who I would be confident to give this job. I sure hope Epiphone sees this picture of your AJ45ME! Maybe they will wake up from their slumber! What I am about to write is not a recommendation at all - anyone who tries this does so at their own risk. AT THEIR OWN RISK I used Rothko and Frost Burnishing Cream RF7 - Instructions are on the bottle. It is supposed to be used with RF5 (I think that is a little more abrasive) RF7 was recommended to me to burnish a Gibson 2013 LPJ (they have a very dull finish - duller than the AJ-45ME!!) It worked very well on the LPJ so I thought why not. I must tell you my heart was in my mouth as I started on the AJ-45. You need to work very quickly (no strings on of course) and then rub and polish like your really mean it. The first go did not look too great so I went at it again - it really does take a lot of hand polishing. I found that along the grain was best with the odd round and round. I must admit at first I thought I had ruined the guitar (well the look anyway - but by then I just didn't give a darn - what was done was done) But I pressed on. For about a week every time I picked up the guitar it just did not look right so I rubbed and polished some more - with a cloth (old cotton t shirt) and with the flat of my hand (an old Japanese method of lacquering uses the hand only for final polish - so I have been told) Rubbing with my hand caused some friction and I think helped to polish the top. I did apply some furniture polish too in the latter stages and again rubbed and polished with the cloth and the flat of my hand. In fact - I reckon giving it a good polish with furniture polish a few times may just do the trick - without all the R&F burnishing cream. That way if don't look right you could possibly get the polish off again. It is a very scary process but what really drove me on was the thought that - if it was going to get shiny in places where it was rubbed in normal use - I may as well make it all shiny. I tried and it worked - if you don't want to ruin a good guitar DON'T DO IT!! Please don't do it just because I did - Get some professional advice or let a pro tech do it. I've probably broken all the rules by what I've done to this guitar - but hey, I play treble strings with my thumb when I finger pick - I'm a rebel anyway - never did like rules P.S. I only did the top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 And your guitar will mean all the more to you knowing what you went through to get it like that. Good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 And your guitar will mean all the more to you knowing what you went through to get it like that. Good work! Thanks Cliff - didn't see you there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Mick, Take it all the way...do the back, sides, neck and headstock. You can do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Mick, Take it all the way...do the back, sides, neck and headstock. You can do it! Don't need to Cliff - the neck is getting nice and shiny on its own and the back - the back - it's not very pretty anyway - very plain and boring - I've had some guitars with really nice backs. The Harley Benton I bought last week has a much nicer back, but that is mahogany not sapele. I have thought about doing the headstock but I will leave it until I change stings, which I may do soon as these Elixir 80/20 don't seem to suit it but they sound terrific on the Texan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Mick..thanks for all that info on hand rubbing the matte finish. It does sound like a scary thing to do and an aweful lot of rubbing. I'll probably take your advice and not do that if I ever get the AJ45ME, but that would mean I'm stuck with a foggy matte finish, hard to imagine I could be happy with that so maybe the Recording King is a possible better option like Cliff got. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 The Recording King RAJ-122 (12 fret) and the RAJ-126 (14 fret) are great, but I would recommend a removal of the pickguard (very easy to do, I removed mine by doing nothing more than very slowly pulling it off with my fingers and did not damage the top at all) and replacing with an advanced jumbo version 2 firestripe pickguard from Terrapin Guitars. Of course you'll need to get it setup to your preference by a competent luthier as well. You'll end up with a real looker that sounds phenomenal! This AJ-45ME is still a great option, but you'll want to take it to a shop that knows their way around a buffing machine and have them buff the entire guitar. I was going to do that, but decided that this guitar just sounds too much like my Texan so it didn't really make any sense for me to buy it. Also, I would have the pickguard removed and replaced with a Gibson teardrop guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Mick..thanks for all that info on hand rubbing the matte finish. It does sound like a scary thing to do and an aweful lot of rubbing. I'll probably take your advice and not do that if I ever get the AJ45ME, but that would mean I'm stuck with a foggy matte finish, hard to imagine I could be happy with that so maybe the Recording King is a possible better option like Cliff got. Thanks again! Or save up and get the real deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agradeleous Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Hey cliff that is one ugly pick guard lol 😃 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photodusty Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Exactly what I did....and its amazing! db Or save up and get the real deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Hey cliff that is one ugly pick guard lol 😃 The RAJ pickguard? I agree...that's why I took it off and got a proper Advanced Jumbo firestripe one! Once I get the guitar back from the shop I'll post photos of it with the new pickguard on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Real quick....I just want to state emphatically that I absolutely love Epiphone acoustics and that I believe the AJ-45ME shouldn't be hastily overlooked. It's a beautiful guitar that sounds wonderful and has a finish that can be properly buffed to a shine by any competent luthier...and it won't cost a fortune to have done either. While my new Recording King is at the shop getting set up for me, I'm here this morning playing my Texan and my AJ-220S. I sure do love the necks on these guitars. I really do. The neck on my Recording King isn't as deep and really feels like an electric guitar. A lot of players love that. I personally prefer the Epiphone necks. The neck on my late 40's Gibson J-50 is even thicker and I love that, too. The Recording King neck will take some getting used to for me. I don't think it's going to be a big deal at all, but anything different can throw you for a loop during the adjustment period. Carry on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Real quick....I just want to state emphatically that I absolutely love Epiphone acoustics and that I believe the AJ-45ME shouldn't be hastily overlooked. It's a beautiful guitar that sounds wonderful and has a finish that can be properly buffed to a shine by any competent luthier...and it won't cost a fortune to have done either. While my new Recording King is at the shop getting set up for me, I'm here this morning playing my Texan and my AJ-220S. I sure do love the necks on these guitars. I really do. The neck on my Recording King isn't as deep and really feels like an electric guitar. A lot of players love that. I personally prefer the Epiphone necks. The neck on my late 40's Gibson J-50 is even thicker and I love that, too. The Recording King neck will take some getting used to for me. I don't think it's going to be a big deal at all, but anything different can throw you for a loop during the adjustment period. Carry on. Crawling now Cliff - You'll be off to that Acoustic Guitar Forum telling them how awful those Epi fans are and how they shunned you just cos you bought a Recording King Just Joshing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Crawling now Cliff - You'll be off to that Acoustic Guitar Forum telling them how awful those Epi fans are and how they shunned you just cos you bought a Recording King Just Joshing Haha...this is my favorite message board on the entire internet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Haha...this is my favorite message board on the entire internet! Ditto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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