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Download Example 1
NanoMag - recorded direct using just the NanoMag pickup
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Download Example 2
NanoFlex - recorded direct using just the NanoFlex pickup
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Download Example 3
Blend - Both NanoMag and NanoFlex pickups with blend set in the middle recorded direct.
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Download Example 4
Mic - Unamplified guitar, recorded with a Rode NT-1A
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Download Example 5
Mic Blend - Mic'd guitar (right) and Blend (left)
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| All direct clips recorded through a Digidesign 003 preamp.
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Though Epiphone has often been viewed as
Gibson’s entry-level brand since coming
under the company’s control in 1957, it has
produced some first-class instruments. Vintage
American electric and acoustic Epiphones
are associated with artists from the Beatles to
Tom Petty to Oasis. But even after the company
shifted its focus to Asian production in
the 1970s, Epiphone built a lot of rock-solid
instruments—particularly acoustics—for working
players with less dough to spend.
Epiphone’s Masterbilt series guitars are
one of the most complete expressions of the
bang-for-the-buck philosophy that’s now the
backbone of Epiphone’s business. Masterbilts
are some of the most reliably impressive instruments
in the under-$1000, solid-wood
acoustic market. They’re a great option for
serious acoustic players who aren’t thrilled
about toting their Collings or vintage
Martin to bar gigs or dusty, sweltering
festivals. And with the introduction
of the cutaway DR-500MCE,
which comes with a Shadow
NanoMag and eSonic 2
preamp, Epiphone has built a dread that’s stage
ready too—all at a street price of about $600.
Seasoned Look and
Amplified Flexibility
The DR-500MCE is one of the best Epiphone
acoustics we’ve encountered. Our review
guitar was built around a solid Sitka spruce
top with a beautiful, caramel-hued finish
that lends a seasoned, vintage
look. The solid mahogany back
and sides are rich in color with
brilliant golden striping. In
another vintage touch, the one-piece mahogany
neck is attached with hide glue and a classic
dovetail joint, while the fretboard and bridge
are cut from beautiful pieces of hard, smooth
rosewood.
There are a lot of nice details on the
DR-500MCE for such a reasonably priced
guitar. Fretboard inlays are subtle little split
diamonds that lend a touch of style, and the
headstock is the funky offset (sometimes called a
“haircut”) asymmetrical style, with a cool “stickpin”
inlay in the ebony faceplate. The nickel tuners
are Grover Sta-Tites—the little “lima bean”
style with the open back. Saddle and nut are
bone. And the fretboard, like the body, is bound
in white to create an altogether sharp-looking,
classy, and classic-looking package.
The eSonic preamp is mounted on the
upper bout and includes tone controls for the
soundhole-mounted NanoMag magnetic pickup
and the undersaddle NanoFlex pickup as well as
a slider for blending the two pickups, a Volume
knob, and phase and tuner switches. It’s a simple
and intuitive set of controls that are easy to read
too.
The guitar also has two jacks—one delivers a
blended signal from the pickups, the other splits
them. This is a pretty cool feature—useful for
stage or studio where you might want to send
one signal to an amp and one directly to a board
or second amp treated with different effects.
Flexible and Tonealicious
The Epiphone’s basically warm and bright tone
prompted me to strum pretty aggressively right
off the bat. The guitar responded with an open
and shimmering voice resplendent with a lot
of radiant, warm mahogany lows and a sweet
midrange that’s typical of the mahogany and
spruce tonewood recipe. And whether I played in
standard or alternate tunings, chords and single
notes rang with impressive harmonic detail.
Shifting between flatpicking and fingerpicking
highlighted the comfort of the slightly chunky,
but fast satin-finished neck, as well as the flatpicking-friendly 1.72" spacing at the nut.
I explored the amplified personality of the
Epiphone and its dual-source Shadow pickup
system using my Baggs Core 1 amplifier. The
first surprise came in my encounter with the
undersaddle pickup. The NanoFlex is not built
around a piezo pickup like most undersaddle systems.
It’s a proprietary flexible sensing material
that has integrated active electronics that pick up
string vibration and top and body vibrations as
well. You can really hear it, and it does add that
extra dimension of realism and “guitariness” that
magnetic and piezo pickups often lack.
The NanoMag (reviewed in the July 2009
Premier Guitar) proved a perfect companion to
the Epiphone’s bright, warm voice—demonstrating
great string-to-string balance, though in some
cases the highs were a little bit brittle. But the
most remarkable amplified sounds came from
blending the two pickups. Mixed together, these
two pickups capture the mahogany and spruce
warmth of this guitar with remarkable accuracy
without sacrificing any sparkle and shimmer.
The Verdict
Epiphone’s Masterbilt guitars typically offer
impressive performance and value. But the
DR-500MCE is doubly impressive for its versatility
in both strictly acoustic and amplified environments.
With gorgeous tone that only solid
wood can deliver, plus excellent playability, the
DR-500MCE is a worthy addition to any stage
rig, either as a primary or backup instrument.
Buy if...
you are looking for a great playing
and sounding all ’rounder that will
take you from the front porch to
the stage and the studio.
Skip if...
you want more onboard EQ
control over your electronics.
Rating...
