cutter Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I'm thinking about purchasing an FT-350SCE and thought to check out the reviews in general. Much to my surprise, this model seems to have gone by largely unnoticed when compared to, say, the Masterbilt guitars. Less than 10 reviews on Amazon, when compared to more than 300 on a traditional non Min-ETune equipped Epiphone Acoustic. Even in this forum, I wasn't able to find a single thread about this guitar, so I'd appreciate your opinions. I'm really a novice, have been playing on and off for about a year and slowly learning how to play self taught on an Epiphone LP Standard Pro which I love, and would really like to get an acoustic electric as well. I know most people don't like Min-ETunes; personally I like the convenience of automatic tuning, so I guess the question is this; Min-ETune aside, how would you rate this guitar from a quality and playability/tone point of view when compared to the Masterbilt guitars? Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I will be dropping by a pair of local music stores today. If you like, I will take an FT-350SCE off the wall and give it a test drive for you. I can report back later in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutter Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 That'd be much appreciated, sparquelito! It's between the FT-350SCE, the DR-500MCE and the EF-500RCCE for me, so any assistance would be hugely appreciated! I live in Greece and unfortunately stores don't typically carry a wide selection of guitars to choose from, so I can't test drive them for myself. I was extremely anxious when ordering online my Epiphone LP since I was reluctant to purchase a guitar without having played it first, but it turned out that I had absolutely nothing to worry about! I will be dropping by a pair of local music stores today. If you like, I will take an FT-350SCE off the wall and give it a test drive for you. I can report back later in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 A lot of 350's listed on e-bay mention that the tuners have been changed over to regular ones. Strings are breaking too much and other woes.IMHO I'd stick to the other Masterbilts with the 18-1 Grovers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish_Rover Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 It's between the FT-350SCE, the DR-500MCE and the EF-500RCCE for me, so any assistance would be hugely appreciated! Good to hear that someone in Greece still has money to spend I'm a little ahead of you in that I have been teaching myself to play for about 2 1/2 years now. Just coming up to a year ago I decided that I'd made enough progress to justify treating myself to an all solid wood guitar for my 50th birthday. After much research I settled on a DR500MCE and I can honestly say that I have not regretted that decision for one second since! I know it's possible to spend a lot more money on a guitar but I cannot for the life of me imagine why you would. Just about the only way to improve my guitar would be to put it in the hands of someone who actually has some talent As for the so called convenience of the automatic tuners, string changes aside, I reckon I average about 5 minutes a week tuning. If I was in your position now then for me it would be a straight choice between the Dr500MCE and the new AJ45ME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 ....so I guess the question is this; Min-ETune aside, how would you rate this guitar from a quality and playability/tone point of view when compared to the Masterbilt guitars? Well, the back and sides of the FT are laminate (plywood), not solid wood, so an all-solid-wood Masterbilt will kick its butt acoustically. If you always play it plugged in, this difference would be minimized, but a couple reviews at Sweetwater were less than thrilled with the plugged-in sound of the FT (claimed it was tinny). Maybe they didn't know how to adjust their amp to make it sound better, I don't know. But the FT is priced in the same range as the Masterbilts. This makes for an easy choice - an all solid wood guitar or one with laminate back and sides? There's no real question there - you want the all solid wood guitar. So, the DR or the EF? The EF has a 000 (or 'OM') body style, which is just slightly smaller than the DR dreadnaught (less than an inch in any dimension). The nut on the EF is 1/16 inch wider than the DR. Remarkably, this difference is noticeable. The strings are a little farther apart, so chording cleanly is a bit easier, especially for beginners, I imagine. I've got EF Masterbilts because I like that wider nut. I'd say the EF500RCCE is a bit more guitar than the DR (and it typically costs more). It's got solid rosewood back and sides, and a solid cedar top. This is an impressive combination. Mind you, the DR500MCE is no slouch. The min-etune probably adds $150+ to the price of the guitar. I can't see how this is worth it since these days you can get a clip-on-the-headstock digital snark tuner for about $10. Masterbilts typically hold their tune pretty well anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutter Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Good to hear that someone in Greece still has money to spend I know it may come as a surprise to other Europeans, but the stereotype of the lazy Greek begging for money does not apply to all of us. You're be surprised at how many of us worked (and still do) our asses off for decades, and in the meantime, paid our taxes, lived and spent sensibly and saved for a rainy day... A lot of 350's listed on e-bay mention that the tuners have been changed over to regular ones. Strings are breaking too much and other woes.IMHO I'd stick to the other Masterbilts with the 18-1 Grovers. As for the so called convenience of the automatic tuners, string changes aside, I reckon I average about 5 minutes a week tuning. If I was in your position now then for me it would be a straight choice between the Dr500MCE and the new AJ45ME. But the FT is priced in the same range as the Masterbilts. This makes for an easy choice - an all solid wood guitar or one with laminate back and sides? There's no real question there - you want the all solid wood guitar. So, the DR or the EF? The EF has a 000 (or 'OM') body style, which is just slightly smaller than the DR dreadnaught (less than an inch in any dimension). The nut on the EF is 1/16 inch wider than the DR. Remarkably, this difference is noticeable. The strings are a little farther apart, so chording cleanly is a bit easier, especially for beginners, I imagine. I've got EF Masterbilts because I like that wider nut. I'd say the EF500RCCE is a bit more guitar than the DR (and it typically costs more). It's got solid rosewood back and sides, and a solid cedar top. This is an impressive combination. Mind you, the DR500MCE is no slouch. The min-etune probably adds $150+ to the price of the guitar. I can't see how this is worth it since these days you can get a clip-on-the-headstock digital snark tuner for about $10. Masterbilts typically hold their tune pretty well anyway. All you guys make a sound argument against the FT-350... It seems that the general consensus is that for give or take 100 Dollars/Euros, you end up sacrificing on the build and quality of the guitar just for the sake of automatic tuning which for some is at best a handy convenience while for others, downright an unreliable gimmick. Given that I'm a novice, and having never held an acoustic guitar before, I imagine that the slender body of the EF500RCCE as well as the strings being further apart are big selling points in its favour, at least for me. It's obvious that both the DR500 and the EF500RCEE are both considered guitars that you can't go possibly wrong with, so I guess now its down to personal preference. The AJ45ME also seems like a good choice, however the more I read on these guitars, the more I am becoming more partial to the EF. Damn, if only I could somehow try them out before ordering... Thanks again for all your input; any other comments or ideas, please keep'em coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 You're be surprised at how many of us [Greeks] worked (and still do) our asses off for decades, and in the meantime, paid our taxes, lived and spent sensibly and saved for a rainy day... Ah, modern life. "Surviving" sure takes away a lot of our time and energy. I guess it beats hunting and gathering, though. :) ....It's obvious that both the DR500 and the EF500RCEE are both considered guitars that you can't go possibly wrong with, so I guess now its down to personal preference..... Yep, you got the picture. But as a novice, you don't know what your preference is! Man, if you can afford a new EF500RCCE, that is an exceptional guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish_Rover Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I know it may come as a surprise to other Europeans, but the stereotype of the lazy Greek begging for money does not apply to all of us. You're be surprised at how many of us worked (and still do) our asses off for decades, and in the meantime, paid our taxes, lived and spent sensibly and saved for a rainy day... My tongue was planted firmly in my cheek when I wrote that. I actually spent two summers working on Crete back in the early 90's so I do have some idea of how it works (or not) there. Although, as I remember, it was a strictly cash economy and there is one guy there who, to this day, still owes me 3 weeks wages. I turned up for work one morning to find the gates padlocked with three police cars and two tax inspectors demanding to know where the owner was, then after being "interviewed" for a couple of hours I went home to find that my girlfriend had buggered off with a Belgian tour guide! That was a hell of a day :( Anyhow, the DR500MCE still gets my vote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutter Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 ...there is one guy there who, to this day, still owes me 3 weeks wages. I turned up for work one morning to find the gates padlocked with three police cars and two tax inspectors demanding to know where the owner was, then after being "interviewed" for a couple of hours I went home to find that my girlfriend had buggered off with a Belgian tour guide! That was a hell of a day :( Oh man, that must have been one hell of a day of you... Anyway, back on topic, had a look at Thomann, strangely enough, both the DR-500MCE and the EF-500RCCE are only available as B-stock items only. I've sent them an e-mail regarding availability of brand new guitars for both models, since buying without having actually seen the guitar is more than enough for me of a gamble for me; I don't want to take an additional risk by purchasing a B-stock guitar as well. I guess I could always purchase new via Amazon marketplace, but I'd still much prefer going directly through a specialised music instruments dealer, just in case something goes wrong with my order. Can anyone recommend a reputable European internet music store other than Thomann? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish_Rover Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 I bought a Sigma OMR-1ST here http://www.musicstore.de/ a few months ago and have no complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish_Rover Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Just remembered http://www.gear4music.com have a pretty good reputation too, though I think they will charge shipping whereas the German site won't on orders over €300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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