milod Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I think we all can be surprised. My Harmony H65 - $155 in '59 - is pretty decent except for the baseball bat neck. I'm pretty certain it's laminate as the similar "feeling" ES175. It has a single pup, shorter-than-usual 24" scale. I got it in an odd swap, but ended up playing it for "country rock" (think CCR) for a cupla years in saloons, and it was very good for the purpose in a trio. The PR5e is a somewhat less expensive instrument with about the same direction as the OPs instrument, but frankly it's perfect for much of where I'm likely to "play out." It's not going to be a museum piece as high art, but it's a very, very nice playing instrument and has with what I play, exceptional AE sound. I guess that latter is where my head is. Frankly were somebody to give me a cupla extra million, I'd still be looking at guitars as how they play for what I do more than bling or pricetag. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 Ding dong. Guitar's here. Case is excellent. I like this guitar! It plays OK acoustically. It's not a Masterbilt, but... it's a guitar! It's also freaking gorgeous. Not a scratch or mark on it. Neck's straight. Nice tuners. Sparkly abalone. Plugged it in for a couple minutes. The electronics work. No bad hum or anything. I'll have to play with that more. It does electrify the guitar! Well, my dear wife is waiting, so I'll have to get to the pics later. I like this guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I'll pass on the birds (I'd take a Byrdland, though ). I may pick up an EL-00 eventually, as you suggest. Seems like a super deal right there. And short scale. I wonder if I could get the discount with an online order and avoid the sales tax I'd pay if I just went to the local GC store. (No problem going there to pick it up.) Re the EL-00 Pro, I've mentioned elsewhere that I think it's one of the best values currently on the market, especially if you like the small body-short scale combo. But as always, they're not cookie cutter. I've played four now & only one really stood out above the crowd. Of course this is fairly typical for any model. For example, as highly as folks speak of the current IB Texan on this board, I've played four of the recent Indonesian versions, and they all sounded similarly thin. There are bound to be some very good ones out there, but sometimes it takes a while to find one that's exceptional. As for the sales tax, my mind doesn't go there because Oregon doesn't have one. But with GC, another way to save money with those guys is to bring in a relatively worthless (to you) piece of equipment (guitar, amp, pre-amp, pedals, etc) to capture the 15% discount on one of their trade-in weekends, and also get additional cash off for the trade-in. I've done this many times for higher ticket items in particular, and also went this route with the purchase of my EL-00 Pro. This approach can seriously cut your out-of-pocket expenses, but it only applies to new items, as opposed to used or vintage stuff. Edit - Just saw that your guitar arrived and you like it. Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffmac Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Ding dong. Guitar's here. Case is excellent. I like this guitar! It plays OK acoustically. It's not a Masterbilt, but... it's a guitar! It's also freaking gorgeous. Not a scratch or mark on it. Neck's straight. Nice tuners. Sparkly abalone. Plugged it in for a couple minutes. The electronics work. No bad hum or anything. I'll have to play with that more. It does electrify the guitar! Well, my dear wife is waiting, so I'll have to get to the pics later. I like this guitar! Glad you like it Epiphone does make some nice guitars and not all are Masterbuilts. I tried a Dove Pro and loved it unfortunately I'm still waiting for it. Dealers in northern Ontario Canada aren't in a rush for anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 For what it's worth... I get increasingly convinced that either guitars change a lot even in the case, or that my ears and perceptions change more than I think they do. When I got out that AJ220ce to get ready to give it to that lady friend, it sounded a whole lot better than I remembered it from around a year ago when it was put away for a winter's nap in its case. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Some all lam guitars sound great. My friend has the same guitar Milod has (PR-5E). It was made in Korea. He put a bone saddle on his, but didn't change the nut at all. I was amazed at how good it sounds when I was at his house a few months back and it wasn't even plugged in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 In other words, forget trading it in. That was a bad idea. I wouldn't go that far. What you paid is close enough to whatever that if you sold it or traded it in, you wouldn't loose much or make much. For 200 bones, it ain't even worth worring about. I think everyone wins here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted September 27, 2014 Author Share Posted September 27, 2014 For 200 bones, it ain't even worth worring about. Exactly. But I ain't selling it for less than 400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted September 27, 2014 Author Share Posted September 27, 2014 Well, the pics didn't come out great, but here she is.... . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyghthawk Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Very nice! Always liked the abalone on these (the SE too) but wondered what the laminated top would sound like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 That maple flame certainly explains the laminate top. Seriously...no need for solid top because that maple cap would make it sound no different from laminate anyway. That is a very nice instrument that was built to be plugged in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I think the comment "built to be plugged in" is quite important on this - which I'd hoped for but was no longer available when I got my PR5e - and the PR5e I have. That lam top may be an advantage also in AE use. I dunno. What I do know is that I have a guitar that's very playable for what I do, looks nice, and sounds good enough to pro music video guys that I don't see what the problem is when it comes to a less than $10,000 custom guitar. <grin> One should also note how the more expensive-branded instruments are increasing consideration of their AE offerings beyond just a "and you can plug it in." The big body instruments are fine, but I think it may be time we outgrow as a guitar culture the idea that only a big body is worth buying. Working the board half decently and a smaller instrument can sound perfect for what's being done. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyghthawk Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 Cliff, is that about the same size as an OM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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