Epiphone Masterbilt AJ-500M(warning, guitar content)

[kwakatak]

As somebody in your situation, Frank, I gotta say that Sangemon has some valid points. If you have already found a guitar that truly speaks to you but you nitpick on small things then when will you be ready? I understand that finances are an issue, but is there a way to make it work by using credit or layaway and factoring that into your budget?

[TN.Frank]

LOL, Credit card is max'ed out and this store has NO lay-a-way.
There is another way. There are quite a few people that hang out here and if each one was to send me $1, well..................

[C70man]

The Morgan Monroes really vary in sound and quality. I have played quite a few and was really close to owning one. I much prefer the "M" series, with solid tops, like an M-15, M-20, M-30...but they are more money, and short of what they look like, I would probably stick with finding the Epi AJ500M that sounded the best to me.

As far as lam back and sides....I can tell you that I have two guitars that are lam back and sides, and guess what...they resonate the hell out of themselves. I can hit a note a the sustain is excellent. My Guilds were all lam backs (arched) and they produce all kinds of sustain. I'm not a stickler on ALL solid wood guitars. It's about the sound...if the guitar has it...then it has it, lam or no lam.

[TN.Frank]

As far as lam back and sides....I can tell you that I have two guitars that are lam back and sides, and guess what...they resonate the hell out of themselves. I can hit a note a the sustain is excellent. My Guilds were all lam backs (arched) and they produce all kinds of sustain. I'm not a stickler on ALL solid wood guitars. It's about the sound...if the guitar has it...then it has it, lam or no lam.

Thanks you and Amen. My Alveraz RD8 was a total laminated guitar, even the top and it was so close to sounding as good as my FG720S, solid top Yamaha that it wasn't even funny. It's all in how a guitar is built, braced and what kind of laminate that's used that makes a huge difference as to how they sound. I've always read that as long as you've got a solid top you've got 90% of the tone licked(yes, I do remember that I said 75%, so sue me.). A solid back will lend some to the tone because reflection, hence Breedlove using a solid back on their guitars but the sides do pretty much squat except hold the top and back together.

I'm actually about to the point of frustration where I'm just going to get what I can get and be done with it. I can't sell the RK, I don't have the funds to buy outright what I'd like and even if I did sell the RK I'd still not have enough.
I think I'm just going to trade the RK in with the cash I have on something close and be done with it. After the State buys the house I'll have plenty of funds to pick up something NICE, until then I'll just get by with whatever Dread/Jumbo I can find with my trade and $80 bucks cash.

[C70man]

Thanks you and Amen. My Alveraz RD8 was a total laminated guitar, even the top and it was so close to sounding as good as my FG720S, solid top Yamaha that it wasn't even funny. It's all in how a guitar is built, braced and what kind of laminate that's used that makes a huge difference as to how they sound. I've always read that as long as you've got a solid top you've got 90% of the tone licked(yes, I do remember that I said 75%, so sue me.). A solid back will lend some to the tone because reflection, hence Breedlove using a solid back on their guitars but the sides do pretty much squat except hold the top and back together. I'm actually about to the point of frustration where I'm just going to get what I can get and be done with it. I can't sell the RK, I don't have the funds to buy outright what I'd like and even if I did sell the RK I'd still not have enough. I think I'm just going to trade the RK in with the cash I have on something close and be done with it. After the State buys the house I'll have plenty of funds to pick up something NICE, until then I'll just get by with whatever Dread/Jumbo I can find with my trade and $80 bucks cash.

My .02.........I'm afraid you might be pretty dissapointed in trading your guitar. Trades rarely go well and dealers are hard pressed to take them when they can buy most new guitars for $200. I would try to move it on Craigslist or E-bay. The only situation that might be in your favor, is that someone has a guitar in their shop they REALLY want to get rid of...then you have a shot at it. Hang on to your $80, and wait for the right opportunity, or just wait and save up some more beans.

[andy thompson]

Ummm, you probably already know this:

 

How high is the saddle on your RK ?

 

Could you increase the break angle and upgrade to bone?

 

Newtone Double wounds?

 

If you want more bass you could try dropped D?

 

Yeah I know youve fallen out of love with her but with a new outfit and hairstyle? ...she still loves you....patiently

[Sangemon]

 

My .02.........I'm afraid you might be pretty dissapointed in trading your guitar. Trades rarely go well and dealers are hard pressed to take them when they can buy most new guitars for $200. I would try to move it on Craigslist or E-bay. The only situation that might be in your favor, is that someone has a guitar in their shop they REALLY want to get rid of...then you have a shot at it. Hang on to your $80, and wait for the right opportunity, or just wait and save up some more beans.

 

 

No, don't you get it, he can't wait. He just wants. He'd rather lose money on a lateral move than wait.

[TN.Frank]

No, don't you get it, he can't wait. He just wants. He'd rather lose money on a lateral move than wait.

Wow, you know me so well.

[bigald18]

No, it doesn't make sense. I WANT the all solid guitar but if he won't come down from the $399 then what choice do I have but to go for something I can afford. Heck, I love Sam Adams but I drink Milwakiees Best because it's what I can afford. I really hope that I can get into the Masterbilt for about $350 or that he'll have something used in good shape for even less. All I know is that I'd like a J-45 style guitar with at least a solid top(all solid would be better) and that's in my price range.

Buy a Silver Creek at Musicians Friend. They're all solid, hog or rosewood, and sound real nice. Made at same factory as Johnson.

BigAl

[Hudman]

I thought he was talking about a Masterbilt?

 

 

I'm going to get whiplash reading his threads....

[Gary Palmer]

Thanks you and Amen. My Alveraz RD8 was a total laminated guitar, even the top and it was so close to sounding as good as my FG720S, solid top Yamaha that it wasn't even funny. It's all in how a guitar is built, braced and what kind of laminate that's used that makes a huge difference as to how they sound. I've always read that as long as you've got a solid top you've got 90% of the tone licked(yes, I do remember that I said 75%, so sue me.). A solid back will lend some to the tone because reflection, hence Breedlove using a solid back on their guitars but the sides do pretty much squat except hold the top and back together. I'm actually about to the point of frustration where I'm just going to get what I can get and be done with it. I can't sell the RK, I don't have the funds to buy outright what I'd like and even if I did sell the RK I'd still not have enough. I think I'm just going to trade the RK in with the cash I have on something close and be done with it. After the State buys the house I'll have plenty of funds to pick up something NICE, until then I'll just get by with whatever Dread/Jumbo I can find with my trade and $80 bucks cash.

At the end of the day a well built and voiced guitar is what it is and nobody can take anything away from that, but all that glitters is not gold and the same can be said of the expectation that you'll somehow be able to satisfy this GAS attack by replacing your RK just for the sake of it. You were supposedly happy with it before the tuner issue began flooding your thoughts with doubt, although the majority of acoustic instruments that have passed through your hands during the past year haven't even had a chance to have their tops played-in.

I doubt you'll ever be wholely satisfied with a purchase as long as you continue second besting yourself by buying on impulse and avoiding saving for the guitar you actually want.

Save some money, buy the guitar you actually want instead of jumping on anything that strums and in the long run you'll finish with a world beating instrument, a healthier bank balance instead of losing money on each and every deal you've made and may make due to GAS. Most importantly you'll increase the likelihood of being satisfied with the end result.

[Oldskool Texas]

After the State buys the house I'll have plenty of funds to pick up something NICE, until then I'll just get by with whatever Dread/Jumbo I can find with my trade and $80 bucks cash.

 

 

 

Worst. Idea. Ever. Why is it so critical that you buy something new right now?

 

That you're now willing to downgrade for the sake of getting something different speaks volumes about your compulsion and lack of reasoning.

 

This is going to be my last post in a TNFrank thread, so I'm gonna go off with both barrels here: Frank, you don't want advice, you want approval. You're hoping to cultivate some co-dependent friends here that will validate and encourage your hare-brained schemes for constantly replacing your {censored}ty guitars with new {censored}ty guitars.

 

I'll have nothing to do with it. You're like my kid when he was nine years old and he got $50 for Christmas. He didn't care what he bought, as long as he bought something. He blew it on some "collectible" Pokemon cards or some such crap, and two days later, when he realized he had 50 bucks worth of cardboard in his hands, he was disappointed and regretful.

 

The difference is, he eventually learned.

 

If you spent half as much time playing your guitars as you do vacillating over replacing them, you'd be {censored}ing amazing.

 

Over and out.

[wooglins]

Worst. Idea. Ever. Why is it so critical that you buy something new right now? That you're now willing to downgrade for the sake of getting something different speaks volumes about your compulsion and lack of reasoning. This is going to be my last post in a TNFrank thread, so I'm gonna go off with both barrels here: Frank, you don't want advice, you want approval. You're hoping to cultivate some co-dependent friends here that will validate and encourage your hare-brained schemes for constantly replacing your {censored}ty guitars with new {censored}ty guitars. I'll have nothing to do with it. You're like my kid when he was nine years old and he got $50 for Christmas. He didn't care what he bought, as long as he bought something . He blew it on some "collectible" Pokemon cards or some such crap, and two days later, when he realized he had 50 bucks worth of cardboard in his hands, he was disappointed and regretful. The difference is, he eventually learned. If you spent half as much time playing your guitars as you do vacillating over replacing them, you'd be {censored}ing amazing. Over and out.

 

 

WOW

[TN.Frank]

Frank, you don't want advice, you want approval. You're hoping to cultivate some co-dependent friends here that will validate and encourage your hare-brained schemes for constantly replacing your {censored}ty guitars with new {censored}ty guitars.

Double WOW. You really do know me pretty well. You're right, I don't want Advice, I simply want to bounce ideas off of ya'll and get opinions on guitars that I post about to see what'll fly. I can make my own mind up, just need to see which direction I should take in making it up, that's all.
Yep, I've owned a lot of {censored}ty guitars but then I'm not all that good of a player so why spend much on something that's just a hobby and makes me ZERO dollars in income. A Crappy guitar works great for playing to songs on the Stereo or an impromptu get together with a few buddies. If I were playing as a Pro then I might NEED a $1K plus guitar but for Front Porch Pickin' something in the $300 dollar range is all I really need so why kid myself that something that's more expensive would be of anymore use to me or make me a better player then the {censored}ty guitars that I've been buying.
I'm only looking for the Positive here on this forum, if you've got something Negitive to say look for a different threat to post in. As a rule I play the same way, if I don't have something positive to post in a thread I keep it to my damn self, why hurt someone's feeling over some stupid post.
Ya'll have a great day, I'll post pics of my new guitar as soon as it's paid off and home safe and sound.

[Glenn F]

Double WOW. You really do know me pretty well. You're right, I don't want Advice, I simply want to bounce ideas off of ya'll and get opinions on guitars that I post about to see what'll fly. I can make my own mind up, just need to see which direction I should take in making it up, that's all. Yep, I've owned a lot of {censored}ty guitars but then I'm not all that good of a player so why spend much on something that's just a hobby and makes me ZERO dollars in income. A Crappy guitar works great for playing to songs on the Stereo or an impromptu get together with a few buddies. If I were playing as a Pro then I might NEED a $1K plus guitar but for Front Porch Pickin' something in the $300 dollar range is all I really need so why kid myself that something that's more expensive would be of anymore use to me or make me a better player then the {censored}ty guitars that I've been buying. I'm only looking for the Positive here on this forum, if you've got something Negitive to say look for a different threat to post in. As a rule I play the same way, if I don't have something positive to post in a thread I keep it to my damn self, why hurt someone's feeling over some stupid post. Ya'll have a great day, I'll post pics of my new guitar as soon as it's paid off and home safe and sound.

 

That's a pretty utilitarian attitude. I ain't Eric Clapton, I have some relatively expensive guitars, I ain't making a Pfennig with any of them (yet), but I tell you, being able to open up the case of one of my babies, and play it, soothes or excites my spirit, sometimes both at the same time. Right now, I am really digging my Martin D-15 (again). Digging it to the point of playing it 3 hours + a day for the last week. Good instruments make me want to play them as much as I can. You were on the right track with the Masterbilt. Oldskool Texas' post may seem harsh, but his assessment seems reasonably sound.

 

Cheers,

 

Glenn

[Gary Palmer]

Double WOW. You really do know me pretty well. You're right, I don't want Advice, I simply want to bounce ideas off of ya'll and get opinions on guitars that I post about to see what'll fly. I can make my own mind up, just need to see which direction I should take in making it up, that's all. Yep, I've owned a lot of {censored}ty guitars but then I'm not all that good of a player so why spend much on something that's just a hobby and makes me ZERO dollars in income. A Crappy guitar works great for playing to songs on the Stereo or an impromptu get together with a few buddies. If I were playing as a Pro then I might NEED a $1K plus guitar but for Front Porch Pickin' something in the $300 dollar range is all I really need so why kid myself that something that's more expensive would be of anymore use to me or make me a better player then the {censored}ty guitars that I've been buying. I'm only looking for the Positive here on this forum, if you've got something Negitive to say look for a different threat to post in. As a rule I play the same way, if I don't have something positive to post in a thread I keep it to my damn self, why hurt someone's feeling over some stupid post. Ya'll have a great day, I'll post pics of my new guitar as soon as it's paid off and home safe and sound.

You've spent what has to be bordering on $1K + during the past year on guitars and lost how many dollars in order to reach the point you're at now? In the meantime you're now only able to recoupe $170 on your RK after throwing so much cash at the problem, so you'll need to answer that question for yourself.

Of course you're more than welcome to play the GAS field as much as anyone else, but what amounts to throwing away funds and later moaning about a supposed lack of resources when you want to buy something better makes not a penneth of sense. Especially if you take the opportunity to step back and review the line of your past threads and actions during the past year and realise you could have had something a damned sight better well before now if you'd been willing to use a little patience, ETC., ETC., so on and so forth.

[Sangemon]

Double WOW. You really do know me pretty well. You're right, I don't want Advice, I simply want to bounce ideas off of ya'll and get opinions on guitars that I post about to see what'll fly. I can make my own mind up, just need to see which direction I should take in making it up, that's all. Yep, I've owned a lot of {censored}ty guitars but then I'm not all that good of a player so why spend much on something that's just a hobby and makes me ZERO dollars in income. A Crappy guitar works great for playing to songs on the Stereo or an impromptu get together with a few buddies. If I were playing as a Pro then I might NEED a $1K plus guitar but for Front Porch Pickin' something in the $300 dollar range is all I really need so why kid myself that something that's more expensive would be of anymore use to me or make me a better player then the {censored}ty guitars that I've been buying. I'm only looking for the Positive here on this forum, if you've got something Negitive to say look for a different threat to post in. As a rule I play the same way, if I don't have something positive to post in a thread I keep it to my damn self, why hurt someone's feeling over some stupid post. Ya'll have a great day, I'll post pics of my new guitar as soon as it's paid off and home safe and sound.

Get real, Frank. You have no interest in guitars, the only thing you're interested in is our attention. You say you want opinions, but then you don't ever seem to want to listen to what anyone here says, so tell me again why any of us should make the effort to even try to do anything for you? I'm at the point where I'm ready to put you on my ignore list and be done with your threads, so enjoy whatever you get, or don't get, and good luck to you.

[TN.Frank]

Actually, Gary, I've probably lost about $300 to maybe $400 with all the trades and stuff. The RK I had $200 and two Case XX pocket knives into so if/when I get $180 or so out of it I'll only be negitive $20 which isn't bad for "renting" a guitar for over 6 months,LOL.

[Gary Palmer]

Actually, Gary, I've probably lost about $300 to maybe $400 with all the trades and stuff. The RK I had $200 and two Case XX pocket knives into so if/when I get $180 or so out of it I'll only be negitive $20 which isn't bad for "renting" a guitar for over 6 months,LOL.

 

 

$300/$400 + $20 + your Case XX pocket knives is way too much to lose on so few deals at the pricing levels we're presently mulling over. In all honesty waiting and saving that lost $420 + would've better placed you in the line to buy an very decent instrument at a level more likely to inspire and improve your playing rather than virtually extinguish your desire to play guitar.

 

It's often best to settle for a lower quantity at marginally higher pricing levels in order to attain higher quality, otherwise you run the risk of chasing your own tail and getting nowhere through buying in at a lower specification bracket that's less likely to stand the test of time. I'd dare say your past year's guitar buying activities have proven that aspect.