billyone Posted May 13, 2009 Posted May 13, 2009 i'm looking on purchasing a slope shoulder guitar. i'm torn between an aj-500m and a blueridge bg-40. i know both are mahogany back/side but the bg is laminated. read great reviews for both guitars. also tried both guitars and they were pretty nice; but not side by side.for right now, im using an ej-200vs, its okay and a yamaha fg730s, which i really enjoy palying. if you guys can, need any suggestions or opinions.
TheLastCrowOnTheWire Posted May 13, 2009 Posted May 13, 2009 i was thinking about a slope shoulder myself...go with a solid top for a better sound-generally slope shoulders have a bigger lower bout resulting in a bassier sound then your normal dread-but depending on how you play your strumming could get a little muddy-so in the end weigh out your playing style and see if that guitar suits your current needs... ;-)
YerDugliness Posted May 13, 2009 Posted May 13, 2009 i'm looking on purchasing a slope shoulder guitar. i'm torn between an aj-500m and a blueridge bg-40. i know both are mahogany back/side but the bg is laminated..... if you guys can' date=' need any suggestions or opinions. [/quote'] I'd choose the AJ, and not just b/c this is Epiphone's forum, either--I happen to be a big fan of the Blueridge products, but IMHO it's always better to go for an all solid wood model rather than a laminate, even if the price is higher. You'll thank yourself over and over about 5 years down the road when you realize what an improvement a little age and playing makes with an all solid wood guitar. You say the BR is a "laminate", do you mean just the sides and back or the soundboard, also? If the BR has a solid wood top, well, then, that might make the decision a bit tougher, but in the end I'd go for all solid wood construction anytime I had the choice just b/c I tend to keep my cars and my guitars a long time. Dugly
pohatu771 Posted May 13, 2009 Posted May 13, 2009 My Martin has a solid top and HPL sides, and I don't hear much difference from a similar model with solid sides.
billyone Posted May 13, 2009 Author Posted May 13, 2009 I'd choose the AJ' date=' and not just b/c this is Epiphone's forum, either--I happen to be a big fan of the Blueridge products, but IMHO it's always better to go for an all solid wood model rather than a laminate, even if the price is higher. You'll thank yourself over and over about 5 years down the road when you realize what an improvement a little age and playing makes with an all solid wood guitar. You say the BR is a "laminate", do you mean just the sides and back or the soundboard, also? If the BR has a solid wood top, well, then, that might make the decision a bit tougher, but in the end I'd go for all solid wood construction anytime I had the choice just b/c I tend to keep my cars and my guitars a long time. Dugly [/quote'] thanks. sitka spruce top and laminated mhogany back/side.
Red 333 Posted May 13, 2009 Posted May 13, 2009 Billyone, I haven't played any Blueridge models too much, except in stores or at shows, but from what I've seen, they seem tidily built. I have a lot of exprience with Masterbilts (I have 4 in all, including an AJ500M). They are excellent guitars, imo, an not just "for the money." They're also full of surprising detail, like the way the headstock is thinner at the top (from front to back) than near the neck, like a pre-war Gibson. Gibson doesn't even do that on their reissues! I also like the fact they come with a lifetime warranty on materials and workmanship. It's hard to compare guitars when you can't play them side by side. Keep playing them both until one convinces you to take it home! Here are a some of my Epiphone and Gibson acoustics. Among them is a Masterbilt AJ500RC, Masterbilt AJ500R, and Masterbilt DR500M. Red 333
billyone Posted May 13, 2009 Author Posted May 13, 2009 nice collections!!! well, i went to gc tgoday to check out if the epiphone aj-500m. they had two in stock and tried both of them. one was a natural satin and the other one was just a regular natural. was not very impress by the first one, which was the natural satin, i guess it was ok. the feel and sound just was not there for me. on the other hand, the regular was loud, bassy and i enjoyed playing it:d/ . i also tried the gibson j-45 but i wasnt very impress by it. now that i played the j-45 and aj-500m side by side, i would definately choose the aj. i'm really considering getting the aj since the price for it is really mind blowing for an all solid guitar. the natural satin is going for $399:-k and regular natural is going for $499. i would really like a vintage sunburst, if they had it i woulda gotten it right there on the spot. does anyone can clue me in why the vintage sunburst are hard to find??? or did epiphone discontinue it????
Red 333 Posted May 13, 2009 Posted May 13, 2009 i would really like a vintage sunburst' date=' if they had it i woulda gotten it right there on the spot. does anyone can clue me in why the vintage sunburst are hard to find??? or did epiphone discontinue it???? [/quote'] Musician's Friend just had some sunburst B-Stocks for $359, or $399. Something like that. They might still have them. I wouldn't be surprised if the sunbursts are discontinued; Epi seems to be doing that a lot to keep costs down; applying the burst takes time and tint, and that means more $$$! Red 333
billyone Posted May 18, 2009 Author Posted May 18, 2009 just to update my situation... today i went ahead and purchased myself a aj-500m:d/. went down to gc to check out the ones that they have in stock and lo and behold they had 2 that were marked as "2nd" or "b-stock". so decided to try it and i was blown away by how they feel and both sounded amazing!!! one was a little bassier and the other one was a little bright. after being in the store for almost an hour comtemplating eiher i should take the plunge or not; i decided to go for it bring one of these bad boys home. i decided to go with the one that sounded a little brighter due to the other one sounded too bassy for me. just like an aj-500r. i did not see any flaws from the outside but i did see a stain on the inside close to the label8-[ . hopefully in the long run that should'nt affect the guitar in any ways[-o< . got the guitar for $349 and also purchase some new strings, nanoweb elixir-12's. for what ive read this guitar is a solid top, side and back and also know that the nut and saddle are made of bone. but im a little skeptical about the nut and saddle of being bone??? well anyways i'm elated for purchasing this guitar, especially my first all solid guitar, hoping and praying that this one will hold up well for me.:D/ by the way, this one really changed my mind about epiphone acoustics especially being disappointed with my ej-200.:-
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