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#16
09-25-2012, 06:57 PM
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I got my Seagull back from the factory. Cost me 130 dollars including all the shipping, both ways. Seagull nor the local dealer accepted any responsibility in fixing the things that were wrong.
PLUS, when Seagull called the local dealer and discussed my interest in having it repaired they told the dealer that the guitar was a "second". When the dealer told me that I almost lost my temper. I bought the guitar at the other branch of the same store. No one ever told me that the guitar was a "second". The day I bought it I was looking at a cedar top one too, and it was a decision between the two. I should have bought the cedar top one and would have had I known that the spruce top one was a "second". I'm sure that Pennsylvania has "full disclosure" laws when it comes to selling "seconds". I have seen guitars stamped as such already. My Seagull was not stamped anywhere and there was no way to tell that it was a second. The only place that it indicated that it was a second was on the sales record where an FS was at the end of the serial number. Checking the serial number on the guitar there is no "FS" following the serial number. This was a case of passing off a second as a first quality, without disclosing the facts to the customer. I was not happy about paying the 130 as you can imagine. So the whole thing doesn't encourage me to do business with either of these places in the future. When I paid for it and picked it up I asked the salesman if he would throw in one of the real nice Snark headstock tuners, just to see if he would. He gave me a brand new in the box one and I thanked him. I needed to get the tuner anyway because I had already told my 21 year old son that I was going to give him the Seagull. So the Seagull is history. I delivered it to my son in Harrisburg on Monday, along with a case and the Snark tuner and some picks. He loves it. It's flame maple on the back and sides, blonde, with gold tuners with pearl knobs. It has a matching flame headstock. I'm glad he is happy with it and that it is fixed and in good condition for him. The guitar is in mint condition and the repairs are not noticeable. The action is lowered to where it should be. I also had fun hanging out with him and his girl friend. So now I will continue to consider other acoustic electric options. Those Yamahas definitely have my attention. Question: What is the best type of all around, everyday use, sit in the corner type of acoustic to get - all solid wood or laminated with a solid top? There are two Yamahas I'm looking at - the A1M or the A3M. The all wood A3M has the electronics with the two types of pickups and they are blendable. It is supposedly a cool electric system. I think you can even slap the guitar and it will pick up the sound. I'm thinking "all wood" construction might be more likely to crack if not taken care of meticulously. Maybe they are not the lean in the corner type acoustics. Then again it is possible that there are many all wood guitars that have been around for a very long time, existing thru all sorts of humidity and temperature extremes over a very long run and are still in good condition. I don't want to get an acoustic that I have to keep in a controlled environment. I want something that is going to be durable and long lasting. Laminate seems to fit this discription better. I suppose there are good laminate acoustics and not so good ones, as far as quality and tone goes. All wood or laminate? +/- ?
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"Don't let it get you down. It's only castles burning. Find someone that's turning and you will come around.." Neil Young. 
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#17
03-20-2018, 12:50 PM
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Hello,
I am lucky enough to have both Guitars, I have had the masterbilt for over a year now and it has become my absolute favorite Guitar, it is a 500 MCE. I get compliments and requests to play this guitar all the time,,,and For my 3 hour gigs it is the Guitar of choice. That being said, I just got the A1M not more than two weeks ago, And the action, Tone and Playability are very similar. One thing to consider is that the Yamaha is at $499 and the Epiphone is at $679 and has all solid tone wood construction. If you can get 15% off somewhere, or it goes on sale for $539, like mine did at Guitar Center, get the Epiphone. They do play about the same,,,tone and feel/action, plus the Yamaha uses two AA Batteries in the Pre-Amp which is nice. If having an all solid wood guitar is not important, get the Yamaha.
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#18
03-20-2018, 01:09 PM
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Big fan of slope shoulder short scale dreadnoughts for a woody, dry tone.
The Epiphone Masterbilt AJ-45ME fits the desire for a dry and mellow sounding guitar. I got a Masterbilt DR-400MCE in yesterday, good guitar too. Mine has some build issues, getting it replaced, will see if the replacement is acceptable. Hopefully I got a bad unit. It happens.
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#19
03-20-2018, 04:33 PM
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Quality? IMHO Yamaha is more consistent from one guitar to the next (of the same model), whereas some Masterbilts are outstanding compared to other examples of the same model.
Fit and finish is great on both, with random instances of sloppy gluing.
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#20
03-20-2018, 05:29 PM
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If buying new, pretty hard to top Yamaha's fit and finish. It is at least as good as the biggest players in the industry, starting at about $300 retail. That's an incredible accomplishment.
scott memmer
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#21
03-20-2018, 05:50 PM
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My first real guitar was a DR-500MNA. It is a great guitar, extremely versatile. Great finger picker. You can really dig in with the fingers and
coax a lot of useful tones. It is excellent for flatpicking but has all the qualities one would associate with a Hog/Sitka dread, dry fundamentals and an exaggerated midrange. Having said that it still sounds interesting with full, clear and warm trebles and plenty of bass response. I prefer to do my heavy strumming on other guitars but it will suit that task if needed quite well. It is responsive and full sounding at low volumes but can also be quite loud, giving a lot of room for expression. In fact the volume is why I prefer to strum on other guitars nowadays, although I still strum and sing on it all the time. It's funny because I was just in GC buying strings today and played that exact guitar, DR-500MCE. In it's price range (and compared to others above it) it is a beast. This guitar was very similar to the one I own and the above description fits it quite well. Slightly less responsive than mine but not that much. I do not know anything about that particular Yamaha, but of all the yamaha's I've played I certainly would choose the Epi. The build quality of the models I have seen has been excellent inside and out. The setups on the epis tend to be right on, at least for me, right of the wall. The one I played today intonated perfectly and had perfect in between action, not high not low, It wouldn't need a setup for my tastes. Last edited by erhino41; 03-20-2018 at 06:02 PM.
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#22
03-21-2018, 02:49 PM
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From what I've heard, they gutted the line of the slope dreads because they were perhaps a little too lightly built (thus the great responsiveness) and had too many warranty claims. Not sure, but this sounds like Gibson.
scott memmer
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#23
03-21-2018, 03:02 PM
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 Quote:
Just noticed that this thread was started in August, 2012, so, the OP must have made his decision by now.
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#24
03-21-2018, 03:24 PM
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I bought my Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE as a refurb from an Ebay seller in Nashville. MIRC in Nashville did a good job on mine. Whatever was wrong was made right. I cannot find a flaw. The guy who owns the mom and pop store in town told me "you got one of the good ones here."
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Epiphone Masterbilt Hummingbird Epiphone Masterbilt AJ-500RENS Teach us what ways have light, what gifts have worth. Edna St. Vincent Millay
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#25
04-08-2018, 02:52 AM
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Always worth their weight in gold to find a capable and honest luthier.
sm
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#27
04-08-2018, 06:41 AM
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I tried out a Masterbuilt about 10 years ago. It wasn't a dread sized guitar. Anyhow... the strings were dead on it so it was hard to tell it's true tone. It did have a good amount of bass and a very pronounced "V" neck.
As for the Yamaha with a solid top and laminate back and sides. Don't let the laminate part bother you. I will be getting a brand new Sigma 000M-1ST in a couple of weeks and it too has a solid Sitka spruce top with laminated mahogany back and sides. I have it on layaway. When I tried it out in the shop it sounded fantastic. Even with half dead medium gauge strings on it. Now Masterbuilts are fine solid wood guitars but I would be more inclined to go with the Yamaha.
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#28
04-10-2018, 05:09 PM
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Quote:
sm
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