Epiphone Masterbuilt AJ-45 ME

[cliffenstein]

You guys are on the same team. Why are you fighting about this?

[SalFromChatham]

I played one at Russo's in Asbury Park one week ago. They are out there.
The neck was awesome and it was extremely comfortable. I am just spoiled, having a few other nice guitars.

Russo's still has it if anyone wants to buy it.

[harryboss1]

Sorry, what does PLEKd mean.

[SalFromChatham]

It means that the setup of the guitar is consistent... Done by a PLEK machine.

It would be nice if this thread's title was changed... From Epiphone EJ45-ME to "Argument between two forum members about the availability of an Epiphone at Big Box Retailers".

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by cliffenstein

You guys are on the same team. Why are you fighting about this?

LOL. Cliff, thanks. I deserve that. Thanks for trying to keep it civil.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by themissal

I played one at Russo's in Asbury Park one week ago. They are out there.
The neck was awesome and it was extremely comfortable. I am just spoiled, having a few other nice guitars.

Russo's still has it if anyone wants to buy it.

Missal, other than the neck, what did you think of the sound of the guitar? Have you owned or played other Masterbilts?

I've heard very mixed reviews on AGF so far. I played one about 10 days ago at Sam Ash and was quite underwhelmed, but I'm hoping I'm wrong.

I'm also not a fan of satin finishes; that's pretty close to a deal-breaker for me. I'm certain Gibson did this to distance it from the J-45. A shame. On the electric side they make exact copies of the Les Paul coming out of Asia. I'm not sure why it would be different on the acoustic side.

The Epi MB AJ-500M I own was offered in three colors. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will eventually offer this guitar in a glossy finish, but I highly doubt it. The J-45 conflict issue mentioned above is probably the main reason, although from a manufacturing standpoint it reduces your costs a lot to only have one line and one color.

There's an old joke about Henry Ford's model T: "You can order it in any color as long as it's black."

Thanks for the report. I'm looking forward to more reports as the guitars begin arriving in larger quantities and people out there play and purchase them.

Take care.

[GuitarLight]

Originally Posted by charmedlife417

Missal, other than the neck, what did you think of the sound of the guitar? Have you owned or played other Masterbilts?

I've heard very mixed reviews on AGF so far. I played one about 10 days ago at Sam Ash and was quite underwhelmed, but I'm hoping I'm wrong.

I'm also not a fan of satin finishes; that's pretty close to a deal-breaker for me. I'm certain Gibson did this to distance it from the J-45. A shame. On the electric side they make exact copies of the Les Paul coming out of Asia. I'm not sure why it would be different on the acoustic side.

The Epi MB AJ-500M I own was offered in three colors. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will eventually offer this guitar in a glossy finish, but I highly doubt it. The J-45 conflict issue mentioned above is probably the main reason, although from a manufacturing standpoint it reduces your costs a lot to only have one line and one color.

There's an old joke about Henry Ford's model T: "You can order it in any color as long as it's black."

Thanks for the report. I'm looking forward to more reports as the guitars begin arriving in larger quantities and people out there play and purchase them.

Take care.

The sound of this guitar you ask?...here is one mans review back on May 19th who got his from Musicians Friend or GC. He seems to like it. It's been around for a while!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_-CpoUwc-U

[SalFromChatham]

Originally Posted by charmedlife417

Missal, other than the neck, what did you think of the sound of the guitar? Have you owned or played other Masterbilts?

I've heard very mixed reviews on AGF so far. I played one about 10 days ago at Sam Ash and was quite underwhelmed, but I'm hoping I'm wrong.

I'm also not a fan of satin finishes; that's pretty close to a deal-breaker for me. I'm certain Gibson did this to distance it from the J-45. A shame. On the electric side they make exact copies of the Les Paul coming out of Asia. I'm not sure why it would be different on the acoustic side.

The Epi MB AJ-500M I own was offered in three colors. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will eventually offer this guitar in a glossy finish, but I highly doubt it. The J-45 conflict issue mentioned above is probably the main reason, although from a manufacturing standpoint it reduces your costs a lot to only have one line and one color.

There's an old joke about Henry Ford's model T: "You can order it in any color as long as it's black."

Thanks for the report. I'm looking forward to more reports as the guitars begin arriving in larger quantities and people out there play and purchase them.

Take care.

Charmed... I thought it would make a great gigging guitar. I love slopes. And the neck is 1 11/16... And it felt exactly like the shape on the Martin D28 they had there. The setup was awesome, and it played so easily... Now with regard to the tone... I owned an Aj500R and an AJ500M. I never liked the 500R, but the 500m sounded better than this guitar. The EJ45-ME sounds a tad thin in comparison.

Can it open up over time? Maybe. I was tempted to buy it to make it my "gigging guitar", and pimp it out. However, I have an SJTV, a Bird, a D15M, and now a D35... I controlled my impulse.

Playable and comfy? Yes. Thin sounding? Again yes.

[drive-south]

You can also find Gibson WM45 used. These working man J45's were nearly identical to J45 except for the satin finish. Made in USA in Boseman Montana and sell well below the 1k price point.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by themissal

Charmed... I thought it would make a great gigging guitar. I love slopes. And the neck is 1 11/16... And it felt exactly like the shape on the Martin D28 they had there. The setup was awesome, and it played so easily... Now with regard to the tone... I owned an Aj500R and an AJ500M. I never liked the 500R, but the 500m sounded better than this guitar. The EJ45-ME sounds a tad thin in comparison.

Can it open up over time? Maybe. I was tempted to buy it to make it my "gigging guitar", and pimp it out. However, I have an SJTV, a Bird, a D15M, and now a D35... I controlled my impulse.

Playable and comfy? Yes. Thin sounding? Again yes.

Missal, thanks for the info. This was EXACTLY my impression in terms of tone when I first played one about ten days ago at Sam Ash Hollywood. It's funny, but almost everyone says the same thing about the older ones: The hogs sounded better than the rosewoods, and the slopes sound better than the square (Martin style) dreads (most of what you see for sale on CL and eBay are the DR models).

I lucked out when I found my AJ-500M about six years ago (used, locally, thru CL) cuz I had no knowledge of the slope vs dread or hog vs rw issues; I just knew I loved the sound and feel the instant I played it. Even luckier: mine came loaded with an excellent B-Band pickup with tone and volume in the sound hole, and he replaced the funky squared-off pickguard. It has become my main gigging guitar for open mics and other gigs. I love it.

It’s weird, cuz I swear my ears have changed from rw to hog as I’ve aged (I’m 61), and I’ve totally fallen in love with slopes, so much so that I’m actually considering selling my 1991 HD-28, something I never would’ve contemplated even two years ago. But I can buy 3-4 used older Epi MB models for the price of one HD-28 (or a J-45), and I defy anyone behind a screen to tell the difference between the two. Or I can buy 2-3 Eastmans, etc., etc. The Asian product has gotten so good.

Curious: Did all your other guitars come with factory rigs, or what are you running them through for amplification? Would love to hear about this.

Anyway, “thin” is a good word for the sound. I thought the high end was almost brittle or abrasive at times; not very pleasing. And since they’ve been PLEK’d (I saw the sticker), the setup is, at least in theory, perfect.

Would love to hear other reports (positive or negative) from you other folks ut there who have demo’d this guitar in person in a store, esp if you’ve run it through an amp.

Great stuff, Missal. Please let me know about your pickups when you have a spare moment. Thanks.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by drive-south

You can also find Gibson WM45 used. These working man J45's were nearly identical to J45 except for the satin finish. Made in USA in Boseman Montana and sell well below the 1k price point.

Oh wow, very cool; I did not know about this guitar. I'll check it out.

The only problem for me: I REALLY hate satin finishes. That's the one thing about this new model that, by itself, turns me off. Ugh. It's pretty close to a deal-breaker, even before I pick the thing up and play it.

And then there's the sound....

[SalFromChatham]

Charmed,

I am not picky about pickups generally. My Bird has UST (I think it's a Baggs Element), and it sounds fine. If I am playing Doctor My Eyes, or Folsom Prison Blues, arguably the nuance of the specific pickup is not.... Crucial.

My Southern Jumbo TV and D35 both have K&Ks, and they sound great through my cheap K&K preamp. my Martin D15m is pure... I pretty much just record with it using an Apogee MiC; sounds like heaven.

Good luck getting the right guitar for you. Life is short; buy what you like, play it with gusto, And enjoy the journey.

Edited... My prior posts refer to the EJ45-ME... I mean AJ45-ME

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by themissal

Charmed,

I am not picky about pickups generally. My Bird has UST (I think it's a Baggs Element), and it sounds fine. If I am playing Doctor My Eyes, or Folsom Prison Blues, arguably the nuance of the specific pickup is not.... Crucial.

My Southern Jumbo TV and D35 both have K&Ks, and they sound great through my cheap K&K preamp. my Martin D15m is pure... I pretty much just record with it using an Apogee MiC; sounds like heaven.

Good luck getting the right guitar for you. Life is short; buy what you like, play it with gusto, And enjoy the journey.

Edited... My prior posts refer to the EJ45-ME... I mean AJ45-ME

Missal, thanks for the info. I've not used a K&K in my guitars, but hear many good things about them. I am, however, intrigued by the Trance Audio Amulet system, which is pure analogue. Jackson Browne and Neil Young run them, and this is the best I've ever heard. I'm ridiculously fussy about this stuff.

Talk down the road....

[Charmed Life Picks]

Folks, another tidbit of info....

If you dislike satin finishes as much as I do, I just off the phone with one of the best guitar finishers here in Los Angeles who has a stellar rep all around town.

He says if the top is buffable, it would run less than $100 to make it shine.

If, however, as I suspect, this is a cheap finish and too porous, he can shoot two coats of clear coat over the top (poly? nitro? not sure -- didn't ask) and buff it all out for about $200.

Since I never buy guitars new (esp something like this), I should be able to pick up one of these for about $400 used once they get out there, which means I'll end up around the $599 MAP price anyway for a shiny one.

Now if I can only stand the sound.....

To be determined.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by charmedlife417

If you dislike satin finishes as much as I do, I just off the phone with one of the best guitar finishers here in Los Angeles who has a stellar rep all around town.

He says if the top is buffable, it would run less than $100 to make it shine.

If, however, as I suspect, this is a cheap finish and too porous, he can shoot two coats of clear coat over the top (poly? nitro? not sure -- didn't ask) and buff it all out for about $200.

If you want a true high gloss, having him shoot some clear coats over the top is probably the only option. Satin finishes almost never have enough finish material to buff down to a high gloss that gives you a mirror smooth surface.


whm