Epiphone masterbilt vintage sunburst polished?

[stuco]

Martin DC-1E

[stuco]

I polished the neck on this OM-21:



Polished headstock of some other Martin;



Polished Masterbilt I did:





Polished Martin headstock.

[stuco]

D-28 Headstock:





Polished Martin Sustainable Wood Series Cherry back

[stuco]

Originally Posted by Photojeep

I never knew the finish could affect the sound of an instrument. Beyond its thickness of course...

PJ

The "swoosh" sound I referred to is the sound satin finishes tend to make when brushing up against clothing.

[ohYew812]

That cherry is beautiful!!

[stuco]

Originally Posted by ohYew812

That cherry is beautiful!!

Thanks, I agree. That guitar is one I spent a little more time on polishing up the back and sides of since it has a factory gloss top. When I was done you couldn't tell that the back/sides were a different finish originally.

As a side note, the sustainable woods Martins make great sounding guitars.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Hi, Everyone. I'm a huge fan of the Epiphone Masterbilt line, and it's pretty widely accepted that the slope models, which they discontinued a few years back, are generally considered the best of the lot (makes sense, since Gibson has more than eighty years of history building this design).

I saw in a recent thread on AGF (can't find the post now) that someone stated "they are bringing them back," referring to the AJ slope models.

Has anyone heard anything about this? I know some folks on here follow this line more closely than I do, and just curious if anyone has spoken to anyone at the factory and heard any news on this. I was at the booth at this year's NAMM, and saw no prototypes or news regarding this.

Thanks,
Scott

[stuco]

They never stopped making the slope shoulder masterbilts as far as I know. Some of the models have changed a little over the years.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by stuco

They never stopped making the slope shoulder masterbilts as far as I know. Some of the models have changed a little over the years.

Stuco, hi. There are a couple Epi MB fanatics here on AGF, and I'm one of them. I own three, and have followed the line very closely for many years.

At present there are only three active models in the line: AJ-45ME, DR-500 and EF-500. Otherwise, they killed the entire AJ series, including the revered AJ-500M.

I was at the Epi booth at NAMM, and they only showed these three models. I asked a Gibson guy if there was anything new coming and he said no. There have also been no press releases or announcements about any additions to the line.

Thought I'd bring everyone up to date, and hope this helps.

Scott

[Siddhartha]

You did excellent work!

[stuco]

Originally Posted by charmedlife417

Stuco, hi. There are a couple Epi MB fanatics here on AGF, and I'm one of them. I own three, and have followed the line very closely for many years.

At present there are only three active models in the line: AJ-45ME, DR-500 and EF-500. Otherwise, they killed the entire AJ series, including the revered AJ-500M.

I was at the Epi booth at NAMM, and they only showed these three models. I asked a Gibson guy if there was anything new coming and he said no. There have also been no press releases or announcements about any additions to the line.

Thought I'd bring everyone up to date, and hope this helps.

Scott

From the Epiphone site there are 4 models active. Two of them are slope shoulder. They still offer the AJ in mahogany, it's just a "Gibson" scale. The rosewood AJ is offered only in a cutaway. The models of changed some over the years but I wouldn't say they "discontiuned" the slope shoulder models. It looks like they've pared down the masterbilt line in general though.

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Aco...asterbilt.aspx

Also available on musicians friend:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/epiphone-masterbilt

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by stuco

From the Epiphone site there are 4 models active. Two of them are slope shoulder. They still offer the AJ in mahogany, it's just a "Gibson" scale. The rosewood AJ is offered only in a cutaway. The models of changed some over the years but I wouldn't say they "discontiuned" the slope shoulder models. It looks like they've pared down the masterbilt line in general though.

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Aco...asterbilt.aspx

Also available on musicians friend:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/epiphone-masterbilt

Stuco, you might be right, but not sure. Neither Sam Ash nor Sweetwater show them in the line, and they carry almost everything made by those folks. My guess is it's old inventory.

[stuco]

Well either way, I hope they keep making them. I'm a fan as well.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by stuco

From the Epiphone site there are 4 models active. Two of them are slope shoulder. They still offer the AJ in mahogany, it's just a "Gibson" scale. The rosewood AJ is offered only in a cutaway. The models of changed some over the years but I wouldn't say they "discontiuned" the slope shoulder models. It looks like they've pared down the masterbilt line in general though.

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Aco...asterbilt.aspx

Also available on musicians friend:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/epiphone-masterbilt

Stuco, you might be right. Neither Sam Ash nor Sweetwater show them in the line, but Musicians Friend does and so does Amazon. Looks to me like a new model may be entering into the line. Funny there was no mention of it at NAMM.

However: Caution. If they're made in the new Indonesian plant where the AJ-45ME is made, you might wanna steer clear. Not only is that model almost universally viewed as a major turkey, but build quality and Q/C have been EXTREMELY spotty -- much worse than the older, discontinued models that were made in China. In short, they laid an egg. Gibson has gutted the line and taken away the best built and sounding models. The line is now just a shadow of its former self.

GuitarLight here on AGF, along with me, may be the biggest Epi MB fan on the Board (I own three AJ-500Ms). He got two brand new AJ-45MEs right out of the shipping carton with major cracks and quality issue. He finally got a third one that worked out okay.

There's some debate at to why Gibson gutted the line. Wade mentioned earlier in this thread that the line didn't sell, and I've heard this same thing from many reliable sources in the industry, so I tend to lend it a good amount of credence. Also, if you look at the market position they occupy, they're going head to head with some real heavy hitters, such as Yamaha, Martin, Seagull, Blueridge, Eastman, and a cast of thousands. I personally love the older AJs, but I also understand who they're up against.



Scott

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by stuco

Well either way, I hope they keep making them. I'm a fan as well.

Me too, Stuc. Great guitars for the $$$, especially if you can find a clean used one.

There are a LOT of DR-500s out on eBay and elsewhere for good prices. Luckily, there are also a lot of AJ-500Ms out there as well.

I've never posted it in here, but I bought an AJ-500M on the other side of the country six months ago just cuz it was so clean. It was one of those guys who bought a guitar brand new intending to play it, then let it sit in a case in a closet for ten years in an HS case. Flawless condition, and I'm not even sure I want to sell it, but feel free to PM me for pics, etc. Or not. No big deal either way.



Scott Memmer