Epiphone DR-500RA

Very well built natural finish dreadnought six-string acoustic guitar. Solid rosewood sides and back, solid spruce top. You can read about the features on the Epiphone.com website. The abalone inlays on all sides of the guitar and around the neck protrusion onto the top were done very well although I do wish they were either a bit wider or that the guitar had a gloss finish since that would have displayed the abalone better.

I use finger picks, flat picks, and no picks while playing jazz, folk and popular pieces. The guitar suits my needs to a T. It has a rich, full sound, certainly equal to or better than any other guitar in its price range that I have played and I have literally played hundreds of different guitars. Traveling to visit guitar shops is one of my avocations. The sound, while well balanced, favors bass. It is clear and a relatively loud guitar. The harmonics are good and the action very easy.

I bought the guitar used off eBay, so I don't know how good the action was from the shop. Mine plays very easily and, with an adjustable truss rod, I can make adjustments easily and whenever I want. The frets were trimmed well and there was no buzzing. The spacing of 1 and 11/16ths at the bone nut is exactly what I prefer. The finish is flawless, if you like a natural or satin finish. The woods are beautiful, although they are not easily visible due to the satin finish. The grain on the spruce top is narrow/tight, so the sound of the guitar projects very well. There are no flaws in this guitar. A thorough investigation of the interior of the body shows a high level of craftsmanship, an attention to detail, and an experienced hand. It's all very tight and clean. The bookmatched top is perfect, as is the bookmatched solid rosewood back. Even the sides are solid, bookmatched rosewood.

This is a very strong guitar. If there is one drawback it is that there is no volume control on the factory-installed pickup. Otherwise, I would take it anywhere and count on it standing up to a minimal amount of abuse. I mean, who wants their guitar to experience ANY abuse?! It seems like the hardware will last. Baggs pickup, traditional open tuners (I would have preferred closed Gotohs or Grovers). I know I can depend upon this guitar but would never gig without a pickup regardless of the make or model of my primary guitar.

I have ad it repaired (neck adjusted) but it was not under warranty. I bought it used. I've never dealt with Epiphone directly but am very pleased with their products (I also have an Epiphone AJ500RA - slope shoulder, incredibly nice guitar).

I have been playing for 49 years (I am 63 years old), professionally for about 10 of those years. I have several Martins, a Taylor 815 series, a remarkable Eastman AC720 cutaway and several other classical and electric guitars. Playing them is now a fulltime hobby of mine. I enjoy the feel and sound of this Epiphone DR500RA but, if it was stolen or lost, I would not replace it since I would have already had one, any every guitar made of solid wood is a unique guitar. I would try to find another guitar that had as much abalone trim since that was one of the main reasons for the purchase of this guitar. It looks very good, but would be improved by having had a gloss finish. I compare the acoustic volume of the guitar to my Martin D-28 and the sound to my Taylor 815. If you can find one for sale in a shop, it would likely be at the $1000 price point and, compared to other guitars in that range, it is a reasonable purchase.