mgrasso Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 I bought an Ibanez acoustic to keep at my in-laws apartment in Florida to play when we come down for th holidays each year. It has been a good sounding guitar to play, and only cost $174, including an Ibanez hard shell case. Came down this year and noticed that the action is a little higher than I thought (especially now that I am playing more up the neck) Took it to the local GC for a setup, and noticed a beautiful AJ 220S that played great. Perfect setup. Great all the way up the neck Sale price $159. Brand new withe the plastic still on the pickguard and truss rod cover and a serial number from 2012. Fit perfectly in the Ibanez case. They gave me $50 for the guitar and I kept the case. Walked out with it for $109 cash. I felt bad for a minut or two because the Ibanez was a nice little guitar for the money including the case. But then again, I am an Epipone enthusiast, and am extremely happy to add the AJ to the stable. Not as booming as my Masterbilt AJs, but three times the guitar that the Ibanez was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 I bought an Ibanez acoustic to keep at my in-laws apartment in Florida to play when we come down for th holidays each year. It has been a good sounding guitar to play, and only cost $174, including an Ibanez hard shell case. Came down this year and noticed that the action is a little higher than I thought (especially now that I am playing more up the neck) Took it to the local GC for a setup, and noticed a beautiful AJ 220S that played great. Perfect setup. Great all the way up the neck Sale price $159. Brand new withe the plastic still on the pickguard and truss rod cover and a serial number from 2012. Fit perfectly in the Ibanez case. They gave me $50 for the guitar and I kept the case. Walked out with it for $109 cash. I felt bad for a minut or two because the Ibanez was a nice little guitar for the money including the case. But then again, I am an Epipone enthusiast, and am extremely happy to add the AJ to the stable. Not as booming as my Masterbilt AJs, but three times the guitar that the Ibanez was. Congratulations! These are fine guitars, I love mine! The tone is addicting and really unbelievably for the price. Anyone who wants a really FINE sounding and looking guitar for a reasonable price need look no furthers than the Epiphone AJ-220S. I just can't seem to put mine down, even with the Masterbilt 500M sitting right beside it. It is lithe, and sweet, easy to play, clear, and loud. Just an all around wonderful guitar. And your right, if you don't happen to have a Masterbilt 500M...this 220S will come very close to fitting the bill! It is a great guitar, well above average for the price point! Enjoy it!.... Epiphone does it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgrasso Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 Oiled up the fretboard, and Put on a fresh set of Martin Cleartones and this baby rings. Last year when I was down here I was impressed by how this guitar played and was going to wait til I got home to buy one. When I got home none of the ones locally played like the one in Florida. So I passed and found a pristine Masterbilt AJ-500 online at a GC in Connecticut. I'm happy mow that I waited. Yes great value for the money. Great guitar to take to the beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 And you got one with the third fret marker...lucky you! I had to pay $45 to get it done after the fact. Good job...they are nice guitars made all the nicer when their price is factored in. I agree on your volume comment. I also wish they were a bit louder. Wonderful tone, though and great looks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgrasso Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 I had not noticed that Cliff, but your right, the newer models don't have the third fret marker. I guess the 2012s had them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 If it was like a Martin and had the 3rd fret SIDE marker it wouldn't be so bad, but I couldn't hang with neither being there so I got 'em both added! The photo of your guitar shows what appears to be a black pickguard. Is it actually black? I thought they were tortoiseshell regardless of whether the guitar was natural or vintage sunburst. Also, I want to comment again about how ridiculously good the AJ-220S sounds. I've been playing mine exclusively for the past several days. When I'm not in tone comparing mode, I find I'm REALLY able to just enjoy it. The tone is sugar sweet and, as such, is quite addicting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgrasso Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 The pickguard is tortoise, but real dark. Now that I have conditioned the fretboard for a couple of days and with the Martin Cleartones, this is a sweet sounding guitar. But I am playing by myself. A friend is coming over tomorrow to run through some songs. That will be a good test on how she will play with others. Will she over power the other guitar? Hide in the background? Alone she sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 The AJ-220S was designed to not overpower vocals, but you can definitely drive it loud if you wish. You should be just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I bought an Ibanez acoustic to keep at my in-laws apartment in Florida to play when we come down for th holidays each year. It has been a good sounding guitar to play, and only cost $174, including an Ibanez hard shell case. Came down this year and noticed that the action is a little higher than I thought (especially now that I am playing more up the neck) Took it to the local GC for a setup, and noticed a beautiful AJ 220S that played great. Perfect setup. Great all the way up the neck Sale price $159. Brand new withe the plastic still on the pickguard and truss rod cover and a serial number from 2012. Fit perfectly in the Ibanez case. They gave me $50 for the guitar and I kept the case. Walked out with it for $109 cash. I felt bad for a minut or two because the Ibanez was a nice little guitar for the money including the case. But then again, I am an Epipone enthusiast, and am extremely happy to add the AJ to the stable. Not as booming as my Masterbilt AJs, but three times the guitar that the Ibanez was. Looks sharp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgrasso Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Well the good and the bad. A buddy came over to jam and while running through Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey, I found out that frets 12 and 13 play the same note. Took it back to GC and they said it was a high fret and could be fixed or I could return it. Since we were leaving Florida yesterday, I opted for a replacement. They did not have another natural so I took the sunburst. (which I can't believe is my first sunburst acoustic) The natural was made in 2012 and had the third fret maker. I also noticed that the truss rod was accessible through the sound hole with nothing under the trus rod cover. I forgot to check the serial number on the sunburst, but no third fret marker and no access to the trus rod through the sound hole. Great playing guitar and a shame I won't be able to photograph or play until next Christmas, but just another reason to look forward to the holiday vacation knowing I have a brand new guitar to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Keep in mind that cheaper guitars often need work to make stage ready. Upgrade expenses to my 2014 Indonesian made AJ-220S as follows: Third fret markers added - $45 Fret dressing/set up - $60 Custom truss rod cover - $21 (with paypal fees and shipping included) $105 to make studio/stage ready. Truss rod cover was, of course, an unnecessary expense. These additional monies paid were well worth it. My AJ plays and feels FAR better than its price class. Oh...and truss rod adjustments via the fretboard/headstock joint are very standard and easy to deal with. Welcome to the vintage sunburst club! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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