bluezguy Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 This is urgent! I bought my Masterbilt 5-6 years ago. It is a DR-500RNS. When I bought it, it really impressed me how it felt and played ... it sounded good too. However; for a full size dreadnought, it seemed kinda quiet with no real presence when I'd floor it. Dealer said to give a few months with steady playing and it will naturally become louder. OK ... over half a decade later, I'm still playing her a lot but no volume increase. I hate to say but, I've heard a lot of cheap washburns and fender acoustics have better ring, volume and resonance. Does anyone know how to extract more acoustic volume from one of these? BTW .. it sounds great with my LR Baggs I-Beam but, that's not what I want right now. I'm going out busking and need my Masterbilt performing substantially louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPS1976 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 This is urgent! I bought my Masterbilt 5-6 years ago. It is a DR-500RNS. When I bought it, it really impressed me how it felt and played ... it sounded good too. However; for a full size dreadnought, it seemed kinda quiet with no real presence when I'd floor it. Dealer said to give a few months with steady playing and it will naturally become louder. OK ... over half a decade later, I'm still playing her a lot but no volume increase. I hate to say but, I've heard a lot of cheap washburns and fender acoustics have better ring, volume and resonance. Does anyone know how to extract more acoustic volume from one of these? BTW .. it sounds great with my LR Baggs I-Beam but, that's not what I want right now. I'm going out busking and need my Masterbilt performing substantially louder. not sure what you could do to make it louder acoustically other than experiment with different sets of strings. I've never heard of a guitar naturally becoming louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agradeleous Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 My DR500MCE was that way be it the heavy finish or the design . It was good by itself but otherwise not so much unfortunate because I really liked it . Played great and one darn good neck . I sold it just yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluezguy Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 not sure what you could do to make it louder acoustically other than experiment with different sets of strings. I've never heard of a guitar naturally becoming louder. Over the years, I've tried almost every set of strings and gages out there. That is not a fix for this problem. I don't wanna trade her because then I'd be pulling an idiot move 'cause I'd go for a 4 digit Taylor or Gibson ... can't afford it. Money has to go to "Obama's Unaffordable for anyone but the rich Health Care Act". If I sand off the finish and re-shoot her with a fine coat Re-Ranch nitro, and then, not get my louder results, I won't get crap for a selling price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agradeleous Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 One could always look at blueridge , Guild gad series , Eastmans look for used if the retail price is to high . Both Guild and blueridge perform well for price and all solid woods . Sure wish Epi would fix the issue I'm sure there well aware of this and only thing that makes sense to me not wanting to deprive Gibson sales but wait .... Really ? Guess it could also be a cost issue and price range they want to stay in so wood quality is major were the pricing is concerned but I digress . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 There are plenty of loud with good tone options out there. Sell yours and buy the guitar that fits all of your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodger11 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 The AJ220 is a loud guitar - at the price point you could get one especially for busking - just a thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluezguy Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 The AJ220 is a loud guitar - at the price point you could get one especially for busking - just a thought Thanks for that ... if I get one, I'll owe you a Guinness ... a real one; not the crap they brew here. Tomorrow, I plan on visiting 2 Sam Ash stores and 2 GuitarCenters. Out of the 4 stores, I'm sure I'll find one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Thanks for that ... if I get one, I'll owe you a Guinness ... a real one; not the crap they brew here. Tomorrow, I plan on visiting 2 Sam Ash stores and 2 GuitarCenters. Out of the 4 stores, I'm sure I'll find one. Bluez, Check this out...if you're serious about getting an AJ-220S. https://reverb.com/item/870656-epiphone-aj-220s-2014-vintage-sunburst-w-hsc-upgraded Read the entire listing. It's less than a year old, is totally mint, comes with a hardshell case and had really good work done to it to make it everything it can be. The seller is trustworthy (I should know...cuz I'm the seller! ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba1281734205 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Too bad that you don't live on the left coast. I have a 220S that I've been trying to sell. It has a natural finish and a JJB Transducer pickup in it. Mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strumbert Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Never played a rosewood Masterbilt I liked. Same complaint, too muffled and thin sounding to me. I do own 3 hog mb's and love them. To each his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 My vote is also for the AJ220s..I own one, very loud, and clear, a great busking guitar if ever I saw one, and beautifull looking too...and not too expensive...and a good soild top for quality vibes. Below is a video, if you have not seen it, of just what this AJ220S can do, what it looks like, and what it sounds like when different players play it! They have gotten rave reviews, and rightfully so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meanstreak Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Same for me on my AJ-500R, sounds quiet and muddy when I play it. Oddly though it sounds fine when someone else plays it. How does yours sound when someone else plays it? Interestingly my EF-500R seems ok to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Same for me on my AJ-500R, sounds quiet and muddy when I play it. Oddly though it sounds fine when someone else plays it. How does yours sound when someone else plays it? Interestingly my EF-500R seems ok to me. Meanstreak....My AJ500R sounded much quieter to me than my AJ500M. Oddly, they were both almost too loud, particularly the AJ500M, and hindered vocals for me at times, I sold them.. ....Where does your Gibson J-45 stand in terms of volume when compared to your AJ500M?? I'm told J-45's are not cannons like the AJ500M is, and that would make a J-45 type guitar good for my needs. Few carry them near me, and the few I've tried were riddled with cosmetic defects and poor set ups. I find my AJ220S is very close in volume to the AJ500M I owned..LOUD...very loud particularly when using a pick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Interestingly my EF-500R seems ok to me. Mine too. All my 'bilts are plenty loud. The rosewood and mahogany are pretty close, the maple's a little louder, and the rosewood cedar top 12-fret is quite a bit louder. Is a poorly cut saddle muffling your sound or something, bluezguy? I'm having trouble picturing a quiet, dull Masterbilt. But busking with any acoustic is going to have its audible range. Still, have fun with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 ....particularly when using a pick! Yes, definitely a loudness increaser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morkolo Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Bluez, Check this out...if you're serious about getting an AJ-220S. https://reverb.com/item/870656-epiphone-aj-220s-2014-vintage-sunburst-w-hsc-upgraded Read the entire listing. It's less than a year old, is totally mint, comes with a hardshell case and had really good work done to it to make it everything it can be. The seller is trustworthy (I should know...cuz I'm the seller! ). No offense meant here but I would personally recommend a brand new AJ220 backed by a warranty at a fraction of the cost. Meanstreak....My AJ500R sounded much quieter to me than my AJ500M. Oddly, they were both almost too loud, particularly the AJ500M, and hindered vocals for me at times, I sold them.. ....Where does your Gibson J-45 stand in terms of volume when compared to your AJ500M?? I'm told J-45's are not cannons like the AJ500M is, and that would make a J-45 type guitar good for my needs. Few carry them near me, and the few I've tried were riddled with cosmetic defects and poor set ups. I find my AJ220S is very close in volume to the AJ500M I owned..LOUD...very loud particularly when using a pick! I can't speak for Meanstreak but I can say from experience the volume of my J45 is basically the same if not a little bit louder than the AJ500M my Father owns. The guitars just seem to emphasize different frequencies. As for the original question I'd recommend a few cheap changes before I would sell a guitar. Pins, saddles, nuts and strings all make a difference... how much is really a personal thing. Proper humidification can help a lot too, an all solid wood guitar that's too dry sounds flat but if it's too wet you might think someone stuffed it full of socks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 No offense meant here but I would personally recommend a brand new AJ220 backed by a warranty at a fraction of the cost. No offense taken. The guitar comes with a hard shell case, has been plek'd and has had the missing 3rd fret and side markers professionally installed. The action is super low and the guitar is easy as pie to play, has no fret buzz whatsoever and doesn't have a mark or a scratch on it....it's less than a year old and is completely mint. You can't get anywhere near this with an off the shelf model. Plus, with a new one you'd need to buy a case and get a set up done and right there your in it more than my sale price, let alone the fact that I had it plek'd and got that missing marker put in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 No offense meant here but I would personally recommend a brand new AJ220 backed by a warranty at a fraction of the cost. I can't speak for Meanstreak but I can say from experience the volume of my J45 is basically the same if not a little bit louder than the AJ500M my Father owns. The guitars just seem to emphasize different frequencies. As for the original question I'd recommend a few cheap changes before I would sell a guitar. Pins, saddles, nuts and strings all make a difference... how much is really a personal thing. Proper humidification can help a lot too, an all solid wood guitar that's too dry sounds flat but if it's too wet you might think someone stuffed it full of socks. Very interestin stuff. I loved the Masterbilts I had, but the roar of mine while wonderful, was sometimes louder than I preferred. The J-45's I tried seemed subdued and rather quiet, but upon opening up that could change. My gibson Hummingbird so far, is the winner for singing. It can be played and it sounds just delicious, but never, never impinges upon the singing voice. The epi bird, believe it or not, while not up to the Gibson bird, is also the second best I have found for singing...I was hoping a J-45 would give me the same, but with a different tone and flaver to compliment the HBird. I guess I wll have to do more research. I do not want another cannon. I have owned MANY cannons in my earlier days, always believing VOLUME was the thing to have. It seems now I prefer the reverse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I've never heard of a guitar naturally becoming louder. Older guitars that have been played a lot are said to have "opened up," as GuitarLight mentioned. Apparently the long-term sonic vibrations "loosen up" the wood and make it sound better. There's a product (I forget the name of) that is said to sonically vibe a guitar (over a period of time) and have this effect. Or you can put your guitar in front of a stereo speaker that's pumping out music and (maybe) after a while get the same effect. I guess this vibrates the wood and "unstiffens" it, making it vibrate easier and sound louder. Theoretically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluezguy Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 Great comments folks .. I appreciate it! I play with my thumb and fingers, hybrid pick and sometimes flat pick - all depends on the tune. Vocally, I have to 'belt' songs out therefore needing a louder guitar. The main reason I bought this baby was because of YouTube demos ... all were very positive an promised to give me what I needed. The main one was the Epi guy in a cathedral doing a demo. I've been a full-timer for a few decades and knew not to let the acoustics of a cathedral throw me - I've recorded in a couple similar environments in the past. Pins, nut and bridge have been replaced with bone from Bob Colosi and others. The best thing about this instrument is how it feels/handles and the sound when going through the PA thanks to LR Baggs I-Beam. Although today is Sam Ash and GC visit day, I won't be trading her as we all know what a rip-off that is. Do you guys think I could get $400 with HS case and NO I-Beam? She's in excellent cosmetic and performance condition. No dings no scratches... just quiet. Interesting what you said about "when someone else plays it, it's louder". Maybe they're attack is harder .. I don't know. I've recorded my MB a few times and sadly enough, the end result is like what I hear playing her. She really does sound nice ... just not loud. I'll let you know tomorrow what my 'hunt' yielded me. BTW ... what was the AJ220 vs the AJ220S? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffenstein Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 The AJ-220S is a solid top, laminate back and sides guitar. To my knowledge it has always had the S designation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPS1976 Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Older guitars that have been played a lot are said to have "opened up," as GuitarLight mentioned. Apparently the long-term sonic vibrations "loosen up" the wood and make it sound better. There's a product (I forget the name of) that is said to sonically vibe a guitar (over a period of time) and have this effect. Or you can put your guitar in front of a stereo speaker that's pumping out music and (maybe) after a while get the same effect. I guess this vibrates the wood and "unstiffens" it, making it vibrate easier and sound louder. Theoretically. Interesting stuff. I'm going to read up on that. thanks Cougar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluezguy Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 Cougar, I was told that by the salesman at the time ... didn't happen. I also had a Martin D-28 once and the salesman back then (15 years ago) said the same thing ... didn't happen. HOWEVER; I have 2 National Resophonics, a Style One Tricone and Duolian Delphi, I was told the same thing about the sound opening up with a lot of playing and guess what ???? Both of them I dare say went up about 25% in volume regardless of picking style. So, to me, YES - it is true about the metal resonators. The wooden dreadnaughts ... maybe not so much ... at least, not mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Older guitars that have been played a lot are said to have "opened up," as GuitarLight mentioned. Apparently the long-term sonic vibrations "loosen up" the wood and make it sound better. There's a product (I forget the name of) that is said to sonically vibe a guitar (over a period of time) and have this effect. Or you can put your guitar in front of a stereo speaker that's pumping out music and (maybe) after a while get the same effect. I guess this vibrates the wood and "unstiffens" it, making it vibrate easier and sound louder. Theoretically. The device you're referring to is called a ToneRite and they are meant more for newer guitars. A ToneRite isn't going to have that much impact on a guitar that's 5 years or more old. There are some things you should check out. Among them: -- Make sure the saddle is properly fitted. -- Although you've switched out the saddle, nut and bridge pins, it is entirely possible that the Colosi gear isn't the best "fit" (literally or figuratively) for your guitar. Experiment with other materials. You can always go back to the Colosi stuff. Guitars are a sum of their parts, and sometimes you just have to keep experimenting with the parts. -- Raise the action a bit. That often results in increased volume. You can raise it and it'll still be playable. -- Use a heavier pick. -- Look into installing a JLD Bridge Doctor. (http://www.jldguitar.net/warped_tops/fixtop.html They're not only good for your guitar's top, but they are said to increase volume, and most of what I've heard supports that. JLD says the increase in volume is scientifically proven. More on the JLD: http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Bridges/JLD_Bridge_Doctor.html They also come standard on Breedlove guitars. That said, not sure how the JLD would fit with the iBeam. Another issue at play is the finish. Let's face it: a poly finish is going to impede volume and tone. Even a thin polyurethane finish is a layer of gunk that stifles the wood from vibrating like it should. I had the poly finish thinned on my IB'64 Texan and from a sound standpoint, it made a good deal of difference. But, as you note, it is not an operation for the squeamish (or a non-professional) and it will probably have a negative effect on resale value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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