TxStrat Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 I guess it's time to upgrade the digital camera..it's pretty old. Anyway, here is a better pic, or at least I think it's a better pic... A close up of the body... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honky Dog1281734119 Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 I guess it's time to upgrade the digital camera..it's pretty old. Anyway' date=' here is a better pic, or at least I think it's a better pic... A close up of the body... [/quote'] Well, you sealed my fate, TxStrat; now I have to order one of these as soon as I find one available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmonnette Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 The just-released DR-500MCE has been featured on the Epi website home page for about a month with the Vintage Sunburst finish' date=' right? Every Epi news release and independent advance review/article all show the same photos-vintage sunburst. Now guitarcenter.com, musiciansfriend.com, and music123.com have it in stock, but only in natural finish. (nothing on Sweetwater.com yet.)Before, no mention of natural finish, only VS pictures. Now, no mention of VS or when it might be available. The Epi website still only shows the VS, the sales outlets only show/have the natural. I got my AJ-500R about 3 years ago right as they were phasing out the VS models, but natural finishes were, and still are available. Anybody have any knowledge of whether the company might have decided not to produce the Dr-500mce in VS, or will release it later? If anyone runs across any information about this please post it. The natural looks OK, but that tobacco burst has me and a friend or two excited to check it out.[/quote'] ( Sam Ash is taking orders on the Sunburst with case $599-----must be coming soon----as others state naturals in July 1st.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike54 Posted June 24, 2010 Author Share Posted June 24, 2010 Well, I went to GC at lunch today and played one of the Naturals for fifteen or twenty minutes. As everyone else has stated, it has a big voice unplugged. (Didn't play it plugged in.) The action was just a tad bit high, especially when playing up the neck in the cutaway area, but it wouldn't take much adjustment to get it perfect. As previously mentioned, the Natural had a straight saddle. That seems a little odd to me, but it looks like the VS models have the compensated saddle. A couple of things I noticed that may not have been mentioned: The weight was surprisingly light for an Acoustic/Electirc. I also strummed a Martin cutaway with comparable dimensions, and it was noticably heavier. The DR has great balance and felt like a more natural fit than the Martin. Neck profile is just like my AJ, so it felt very comfortable for me. It has a nice checkerboard inlay stripe on the back of the body and the bottom under the endpin jack. And here's a subtle feature that I found very cool... where the neck connects to the body, and you see the gloss body, then the satin finish on the neck, you know it's like that to make the neck more playable, and if you see that before you play it, you just know it's gonna be sweet. The wood all around was beautiful as well. I'd recommend this guitar to anyone looking for an acoustic, or acoustic/electric, without reservation. Regarding Sam Ash, I saw their website too. It does list "case included" at the top right of the page, but at the bottom of the "Description" text, it says "Sorry, case not included". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimitom Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 Here's a review of the guitar on MF site By Jon Chappell, Harmony Central Senior Editor. If someone is interested... DR-500MCE Review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike54 Posted August 27, 2010 Author Share Posted August 27, 2010 That's a nice review. Thanks for posting it. Now MF website "Expects" it in on 9-6. That date has been pushed back half a dozen times. Sightings of this guitar are going to become legend, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. "HEY- I saw a 500MCE at this club way out of town on the Old Swamp Road. I got this fuzzy grainy picture." "Dude, you can tell that's an old DR-200CE with a re-painted headstock." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshr Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 Man this thing is hard to find. It seems like there was a supply a few months ago, and now every place I look the date keeps getting pushed back. Just curious if anyone else is actively searching, and if you've had any luck. Natural or Vintage Sunburst, I'm not picky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimitom Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 Yes, It's really a hard to get. I'm waiting for this guitar since may. I'm in Europe and there are actually a few places that have it in stock, but if you're in USA than I don't know. I know that sites like GuitarCenter are pushing the dates forever and it's really frustrating but what can you do. I sincerely beleive that Epiphone has good business politics but prolonging the dates that much really isn't far from lieing. At least it isn't fair and for sure it aint good for the company image. A lot of people are aware of this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETxBluesMan Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 I have a DR-500M that I bought late last year. Talking about finish...mine is a satin finish, but it's antiqued. Try finding that on the Epi website. I love it! Looks aged right from the start. Someone mentioned the nut width being 1.725. Specs say mine is 1.68. I haven't miked it to see, but it plays quite well for me. I had mine fitted with a K&K Mini Western pickup. It plays great; plugged or unplugged. Big, mellow sound. Mine was marked 550 in a local music store; got it for 500. No case. Bought the Epi Masterbilt dedicated case for it. Get one; I'm sure it'll please you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meanstreak Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Yep, I've been looking for one in VS since May as well to no avail. Drives me crazy why couldn't they just say it would be released in Novemeber or something!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshr Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 My local GC found a still-in-the-box Natural in their Nebraska store. He had them package it up and ship it to me directly. Unfortunately, someone (GC or UPS) did a number on the packaging, and when it arrived, I didn't even open it, took it straight to my local GC and said I just didn't want it. They understood and refunded me on the spot. He started opening the box and found that the outer box they had packaged it in as well as the inner box were, get this; wet. Bummer, I wonder where that poor DR-500MCE will end up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxStrat Posted September 12, 2010 Share Posted September 12, 2010 I am so glad that I got one when I did. I have no idea why they are so hard to get....unless they are having trouble making them. As I mentioned in a previous post, the dealer I got mine from had two of them, both VS, and the first one he took out of the box, he could not get the neck adjusted correctly. I am glad that he didn't just go ahead and give that one to me. He took the second one out and was able to get it setup correctly. He shipped the other one back to Epi and hasn't seen one since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETxBluesMan Posted September 14, 2010 Share Posted September 14, 2010 Looks like availablility is pushed out towards the end of September now. That's typical of Epiphone; as I have found buying their cases. I may have to get one of these! I like the 1.725 nut width. Been thinking about a Taylor, but having one of the DR-500M's..I know how good these axes sound! I'd love to find one in VS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxStrat Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 just out of curiousty I searched E-bay for a DR500MCE and there are two in the VS finish...both are "manufacture refurbished". I am begining to wonder if there is a problem with mine that I don't know about yet. I play it pretty often and haven't had any trouble....yet.... Maybe I am just being paranoid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimitom Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 Hey TxStrat, yeah it's really weird. I have noticed that too. I've been searching the ebay a few days ago and there were only two in natural, and now there are also two in VS as you have mentioned. All four Epiphone DR-500MCE guitars are manufacturer refurbished. I hope that this guitar isn't a faulty product. Two of them are located in Nashville and the other two in Inkom, ID, United States... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray S. Posted September 22, 2010 Share Posted September 22, 2010 I don't know about DR availability, but will comment Masterbilt VS Taylor 210. I played 214 Taylor in times when I was waiting for EF-500, and because it took so long to get later one, I was thinking: Well, if I add few hundred bucks I can have a real Taylor... But, I am really glad I didn't do this. While 214 is not a bad guitar at all, it is just one of the entry level Taylors with only solid top and not back/sides. With Masterbilt you get everything solid and I think the sound is much warmer too, but this is subjective, since I didn't test them side by side. Now, this could be all true also for DR vs 210, or not. It's all about higher level Epi vs entry level Taylor... I am now a proud owner of the DR-500MCE. AWESOME sound! Clean, clear, WITH bottom end. I played Taylors, Martins, and didn't like the sound. They were "muffled" of sorts. I bought the Epi Masterbilt sight unseen and ears not heard. I MADE NO MISTAKE! I lowered the action a bit and that's all I needed. The smoothest playing acoustic I have ever owned. I have 7 guitars now. 5 electrics and 2 acoustics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETxBluesMan Posted September 22, 2010 Share Posted September 22, 2010 I bought a DR-500 MCE natural..factory re-furb off eBay. Waiting on delivery. My idea of this is that if there were "bugs", maybe the factory has corrected and I will get a great guitar outta the deal. The one I got is coming from a guitar shop in Denver, CO. Picked it up for $ 453.00 plus shipping..with case. Can't wait for it to get here. If there are any problems with it, I'll take it to Charley's Guitar Shop in Dallas, Texas. Charley's original owner was a good friend of Stevie Ray Vaughn and built some guitars for him. I haven't found a better place to get set up done on a guitar. Had a problem with string spacing on a PR-5 and Bryant cut a new nut for it, lowered the action and it is a great guitar now (even if I use it for a beater). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshr Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 In my impatience I bought something else cheap (just getting back into it after a long, long time) to get going on. Was near GC today at lunch so I popped in again, and low and behold they had a natural DR-500MCE on the wall, could very well be the one I took back. Decent crack in the finish near the bridge but otherwise it looked ok. Played it for a few minutes, and honestly, I loved it. Loved it. Obviously I wouldn't have taken a damaged item, but now I want one even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyb Posted September 24, 2010 Share Posted September 24, 2010 I've had my DR-500MCE (Natural) since May and I was always quite pleased with it. However, I took it to a local luthier two weeks ago and he did everything short of leveling the frets, which he said wasn't that bad anyway. A new Tusc compensated saddle which he used to re-intone, new Tusc bridge pins (black with white dots which is really sexy), lowered the action, new Martin SP+ .013-.056 strings, and adjusted the TR. He finished it off by polishing the frets. AS good as this instrument, it can be a great one if worked on by a knowledgable tech. The thing has power to spare unamplified, and the tone is clear and bell-like with rich bass. I'm doing some home recording and I just did a song in which I live-miked the DR...the sound is just great...it sounds like an acoustic guitar which is what I was after. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike54 Posted September 30, 2010 Author Share Posted September 30, 2010 MusiciansFriend.com and Guitarcenter.com...now say "expected" 11-16 and 11-17 respectively. There must be something going on with the production of this guitar. And we'll probably never know what it is/was, or what was done to fix it. These delays are really take the gas out of my G.A.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sezzi Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Hey, I just got the natural version of it. I had to order it online at thomann as there are no stores at all over here that carry it, so basically I got it home to check out for 30 days max (they have such a return policy). I know, not an ideal situation but I really wanted to try it haha. Anyways I really like the sound, good and clean. Basically I just have a couple of concerns. The saddle has no notches what so ever, thus (it seems) making it kind of hard to restring as the strings can slide. Is this really intended? Also from judging of the pictures of it, it should have a compensated saddle which it does not.. The other main thing i guess is that I am getting some fret buzz at random places, mainly on 7th fret and up. What to do about this? Its only slight but I can notice it. Does it need to be corrected at a store or should i opt for exchanging it? (big chance a new one will be the same perhaps?) Like I said, other than these minor things I really like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike54 Posted October 1, 2010 Author Share Posted October 1, 2010 Hi Sezzi, Welcome to the forum. Glad to see you were able to get your hands on one. The natural finish models have been easier to get than the sunburst. I tried a natural at the local Guitar Center when they had one in stock for a few days. Regarding the saddle, don't know that I've ever seen, or heard of, notches in a saddle for the strings. The tightness of tuned strings should keep them in place. If you look back through this thread, which is pretty long for sure, the compensated saddle has been discussed, and those who purchased or played the natural finish all had straight saddles, and the few who saw or got a sunburst model got the compensated saddle. If you are getting fret buzz at the 7th, sounds like at the very least you should have it checked out and set up professionally. I wouldn't return it until I had someone look at it. You didn't mention the electronics. How do the pickups sound? Does the tuner work correctly? Check it against another tuner. These are other things you need to make sure work to your satisfaction before your 30 days are up. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sezzi Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Hi Sezzi, Welcome to the forum. Glad to see you were able to get your hands on one. The natural finish models have been easier to get than the sunburst. I tried a natural at the local Guitar Center when they had one in stock for a few days. Regarding the saddle, don't know that I've ever seen, or heard of, notches in a saddle for the strings. The tightness of tuned strings should keep them in place. If you look back through this thread, which is pretty long for sure, the compensated saddle has been discussed, and those who purchased or played the natural finish all had straight saddles, and the few who saw or got a sunburst model got the compensated saddle. If you are getting fret buzz at the 7th, sounds like at the very least you should have it checked out and set up professionally. I wouldn't return it until I had someone look at it. You didn't mention the electronics. How do the pickups sound? Does the tuner work correctly? Check it against another tuner. These are other things you need to make sure work to your satisfaction before your 30 days are up. Good luck. Hello, Yes, I did actually read the whole thread while I was waiting for it, but somehow I forgot about the compensated saddle being discussed :) It seems indeed that they're all straight afaik (NA version). That's not really a problem for me, just something i noticed. To be perfectly honest, I am not sure that I could hear the difference. Yes, the electronics.. Actually I am really happy with how it sounds thru an amp (I have tried it only thru my Vox AC4TV8 with external home-made 2x12 cab w/ celestion V30 speakers). Now, I haven't made any extensive testing but I really think it sounds clear and great. IMO, the nanoflex pickup sounds a bit more warmer and softer while the nanomag gives a sharper feel to the sound. Definately they differ, and are fun to play with. I was using my Boss RC-2 loop station and had some fun getting a rhythm tone with the nanoflex and more of a lead tone with the nanomag. The built-in tuner wasn't something that I considered when I bought the guitar. Although now when I got it I have to say it is really nice to have! I keep losing stuff like picks, my digital tuner, capos etc... (so disorganized) so to always have a tuner with me is great! I haven't done a test against my digituner (as I cannot find it ), but my judgment is that it is easy to use and seems to be accurate. The other upside of this tuner is that its really easy to do alternate tunings, fast. Another thing I like is the matte neck finish, feels like it makes it easier for me to move around so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimitom Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Here's a new review of the guitar. On the second page you can hear a demo of the guitar with some nice open chords. What's more to say.. I think it's originally published in the Guitarist Magazine most recent issue 333. Cheers. Tom Epiphone DR-500MCE VS Masterbilt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geelinus Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Thanks for posting the review. :) It's helpful & informative but does have a boo-boo: "Physically, it's similar to the large-bodied, slim-waisted, square-shouldered Gibson J-45." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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