Kody.B Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hi all, New here just so I can ask about this guitar. I've been playing for about 6 months now and have been really enjoying it, the only other instrument I play is the sax (6 going on 7 years) and it's refreshing playing strings. I have been playing/practising on a Fender Strat electric, and I'm finding it a pain to learn on by needing an amp most of the time for practising. I came to the conclusion that a steel string acoustic/semi acoustic would be the way to go. If it were an ideal world, I would own a J-45 in a heartbeat, but even if I had been playing long enough to be decent at playing, I can't pull the $3,000 needed to get one in Australia out of nowhere :) So I came across Epiphone as a manufacturer and a friend told me to look at the Masterbilt DR-500M for something that is similiar shape wise to a J-45. Tomorrow I'm planning on going to a store and trying it and possibly buying it. I was hoping someone, somewhere could help me out with a few questions. How does it age? I plan on owning it for many years without upgrading, as I will be upgrading my electric when I am good enough. Is this a good instrument for a beginner playability wise? Also the place I'm going has the guitar listed for $650. The guitar shop that recommended them to me (they themselves couldn't order Gibson/Epiphone products) said to barter them down. Is it a realistic expectation to get the guitar and a soft gig case for under $600 once I start seeing what price they can do? I will be going in with cash. Anyway, thanks to everyone who can help me out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Epiphone Masterbilts are great guitars, solid wood, play great, sound great. I have two, AJ500M and R. The DR your friend told you about is a dreadnought shaped guitar, or square shoulder. The J45 that you want is a round shoulder or slope shoulder guitar. If you want something comparable in size and shape to the Gibson J45, the Masterbilt AJ500M(mahogany) or the AJ500R(rosewood) back and sides is the way to go. Both are great guitars, with different tonal patterns, which is why I have both models. The Masterbilts are great guitars for beginners, and pros alike. The older the guitar gets, the better it opens up tone wise, and the better it plays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kody.B Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Awesome, thanks! I will try both tomorrow and see how they play, I'm not sure whether I want to spend another $100+ for Rosewood, I don't think I've been playing long enough to justify it. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Well, I like I said, I have both the M and the R, and I defenitly can tell the difference in tone. The Mahogany is a little warmer sounding, where the Rosewood has a little brighter tone. Thats why I got both. You have to decide which is for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 But if you want something really close in size and playability and tone of the J45, the Masterbilt AJ's are the way to go. You cant beat the quality to price ratio on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kody.B Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Yes well I'm open to whatever plays the nicest. The shape of it isn't a deal breaker, it's how it plays. From what I've seen the reviews are very good and you can not beat the price for quality, but I thought I would double check on a forum where people have owned them for a period of time just too make sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Look up Russ Barenberg on Youtube. Drummers of England video. You can see him playing an AJ500 R model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I like both square and round shoulder guitars for different sound and feel qualities. But, if I had to pick, I would pick round shoulder for the total comfort factor, plus the J45 vibe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kody.B Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Yeah, I can see what you mean with how it is brighter. I think I'm looking for something slightly darker than that, just for the type of music I play and how I play it. Thanks for getting me on to that, it's good to hear it played by a professional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kody.B Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 I like the shape of the AJ, but the pickguard on the DR. The AJ's pick guard looks to 'blocky', which I think clashes with the round shape. And vice versa with the DR. A square-er shape, with a round pick guard. I suppose I shouldn't be so shallow to judge by looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Both are great shapes. Just play both, and decide for yourself. Listen, feel, and you will know which one is for you. Let us know what you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kody.B Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Will do, thanks for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Your welcome, Anytime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kody.B Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Well I ended up with the AJ-500M. It was the only non semi acoustic Masterbilt there, and I wanted a full acoustic. I played it and compared with with what I think was an AJ220. I couldn't go past the sound, even though I went over budget. I would post a pic, but considering everyone has already seen one and it won't let me upload pics from my phone (size from phone is 2MB+) I won't. Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Cool, you cant go wrong with the AJ-500M. Its a great guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu fhtagn Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Check out the acoustics from Yamaha. They are very well made and reasonably priced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kody.B Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 Aha thanks mate but I already bought the Epi, I'm not a fan of Yamaha guitars. Brannon, would you recommend a specific type of string for the AJ? I use Dunlops on my Strat, (ZW Signature 10-60's) and they are great but I'm not too clued in on strings on acoustics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixeasy Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Aha thanks mate but I already bought the Epi, I'm not a fan of Yamaha guitars. Brannon, would you recommend a specific type of string for the AJ? I use Dunlops on my Strat, (ZW Signature 10-60's) and they are great but I'm not too clued in on strings on acoustics. Kody, I'll chime in. Masterbilts ship with these on them. I'm using D'Addario PB EJ26's on my AJ 500RE (11 - 52.) They're OK, a bit boomy to me. I may go to 80/20 strings. I hear they are a bit brighter. I haven't tried out any other brands on this guitar yet as I've only had it a couple of months. Some praise the John Pearse brand on their MB's, but a few claim they don't last very long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kody.B Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 Thanks for your help! I don't have any issues with the strings on it at the moment, it's just because it was the only one they had its the guitar off the floor, which give me reason to believe I won't get much life out of them. I did try the rosewood model there and I found it was too bright for my tastes. I do like a dark sound from acoustics, sort of an early blues sound, but not too compromising on clarity. I'm not sure what string to get to try and emulate the sound, but I would be happy to try anything that someone recommends though. Thanks again for your help, I'll check those out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Great choice of strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaysEpiphone Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Check out the acoustics from Yamaha. They are very well made and reasonably priced. Yamaha hasn't made a good guitar in decades if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.