Epiphone AJ-18S

I got this at Marsmusic, I'm not sure how much it cost because it was a Christmas gift, but I think it was around $250.

It has a real nice low action and is pretty easy to play. I think it looks really nice, too. It has a soft natural finish that is much lighter than many guitars, which is nice. It has a really nice sound to it as well.

The main problem I have had with it is the 12th fret. There's a large rectangle inlay there and for some reason that I'm still trying to figure, it has a buzz only on that fret. Above and below the rest are fine. I can't figure it out.


It's constructed well. It has a solid spruce top. Overall, I'm totally satisfied w/ the unit except for the 12th fret.


I think it's a great guitar except for the 12th fret. Although I doubt that all of the guitars have the same problem on the 12th. But for the price, with the problem, still a great guitar.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased at West End Music, Allentown PA
$269.

I am an intermediate player just getting back into music after many years off. I played electric (Fender Strat) guitar in wedding and club bands years ago.

I wanted a easy-playing acoustic to learn bluegrass and flatpicking on. I orignially anticipated spending a lot more money on an all solid wood, big name-brand quitar.




The tech at West End did a great job in tweeking the set up of this guitar. It plays great. The action is incredibly low and even all the way up the neck. The neck is a bit narrow, much like my old 76 strat. I don't have very big hands so it fits me fine.

The smaller body size is very comfortable to play. It's also a light guitar. I was just stunned at how easy this quitar played. I played many more expensive guitars at other stores that did not play near as well. I got tired of salesmen saying about a $1,000+ guitar, "with new strings and a little setup work this guitar will play and sound perfect."

It has a good mid-range sound that will fit the flatpicking fiddle tunes I am working on.

It doesn't have a lot of bass response and probably would not project very well in a bigger room. The price paid for the low action is a slight buzz above the 10th fret on the low E, which is really not a problem. I think the Epiphone emblem on the pick guard is downright ugly.

It's a plain-jane instrument, that's for sure. But the fit and finish are really quite good. Fretting is even and smooth. It's pretty lightweight so I don't know if it can stand much knocking around.



For the price I think this is a great guitar. I picked up this guitar "just for fun" and was so impressed by how easy it was to play up and down the neck that I had to buy it. It would be great for a beginner to intermediate player. The tone is really quite nice too. I can still see buying a more expensive acoustic down the line, but this Epiphone will do me just fine for now.


This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com