Epiphone solid top?

[roadbiker]

In 2010 I bought a new Epiphone Masterbilt AJ500RE. I bought the guitar because, it sounded and played good (still does), is made from all solid materials (spruce top, rosewood back and sides), and was a good price ($600). I wish it came with a case, not the "padded" gigbag I bought for it because...

...a couple of years later, I was carrying it in my house in the gigbag, and it slipped out of my hand. It only dropped about 4-5", but when it hit the hardwood floor I heard the terrible sound of the strings vibrating. When I took it out of the gigbag, to my chagrin, there was a nice chip off of the top at the lower bout. I am no woodworking craftsman or luthier, but I do know that with solid wood, the grain goes all the way through. When I looked that the damage, it appeared (then and now) that what chipped off was kind of a laminated veneer, as the grain didn't present under where the chip came off. Unfortunately, the chip was not clean, but in a lot of small pieces and impossible to recover.

I took the guitar to a "reputable" guitar store in Buckhead, Atlanta, and they said they could repair it. I figured that, being a "solid" top, they could have sanded it down a little, applied a little stain and finish, and I would be good to go. Instead, they apparently filled it and did a horrible job at that.

Out of frustration, and since this is not one of my high-end guitars, I rubbed out the original satin finish to a gloss finish, so now, even though still very visible, the damage is not as noticeable.

With all this being said, is the top really solid? Maybe I should ask Gibson to comment...

[davenumber2]

Yes, all of the Masterbilts are all solid. I can assure you that yours has a solid top, back and sides.