Epiphone Masterbilt EF-500R

This guitar is part of the collection Epiphone Masterbilt home, a collection of all solid guitar, at affordable prices. It's medium / high range, with a value for money more than interesting. I paid mine 499 euros, but the retail price is more around the 650 / 700 euros.
Chinese-made, perfect. Martin 000 style body.
Satin finish, which does not necessarily please everyone, but very successful.
Solid spruce top, rosewood back and sides Solid mahogany neck solid rosewood fingerboard and bridge Solid Nut and bridge bone. Dam reduced in X, like the guitars of the 30s.
Gotoh vintage mechanical without cover. Head Epiphone vintage, with old logo Epiphone also inspired 1930's.
The back is in two parts, connected by a mesh inlay apparently standard in Gibson and Epiphone. Multi-black and cream binding around the table and back.
Small abalone stars serve as key benchmarks.
Channel V. It comes with a softcase new Epiphone very elegant and very strong.

UTILIZATION

Channel pleasant, so even if it is V, which may in some confusing. I have small hands and I was wondering if I can get by this kind of sleeve, and I'm very confident. The key is large enough but not too much, the guitar is rather intended for use in the fingers, although the use of the pick is not prohibited. The spacing of the strings is slightly more important, what will work well to finger pickers or classical guitarists. No cutaway, so access to acute is not really easy, but the junction body / handle to the 14th box, and a very flat heel can still have some fun. The small body of the guitar because it is very pleasant to handle. Relatively light, it falls naturally into place against the body.

SOUNDS

The sound is unique, with lots of midrange, which comes from the 000 format, but also with powerful bass. The highs are very present, very dense. Agreement gives game really interesting results, but this guitar is really intended for the blues, with its precise, very direct, and a lot of heat. It vibrates very intense when we play. Pulling ropes, mounted the original, is strong enough (12-53), the sudden action is quite high, which is not too disturbing because it sounds very easy and its setting is really perfect , at least on mine. She also loves the slide, in open tunings and ringing that it is one treat. However it's a guitar guy, and do not ask him to sound like a dreadnought, it's not the destination. I would put 10, because in the register of acoustic blues and ragtime another, she deserves it.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had 6 months, I purchased from a mail order companies in Germany. I love its format, its ergonomics, the fact that it is in "all mountain" and the care given to the violin. The head is particularly successful, and this guitar is really nice to watch. I am somewhat less convinced by the lustrous finish chosen by Epiphone Masterbilt on models in general, but also competition to vibrate, sing the guitar as if it had been for decades. And appearance is not pushing (after all is a matter of taste). In the field of blues, ragtime and more generally of the game to the finger, I highly recommend to try this guitar before launching into the most prestigious shopping, but also much more expensive. The sound is distinctive and very special, but the name of Zeus, it sounds! Moreover, in six months it has really opened, and I think it's fine old. I put a 10 "favorite" for sound, playability, the neck, the format 000 very elegant, very successful vintage side, and the incredible quality / price ratio.