Epiphone AJ 18SCE

what i've read in the reviews,there must be a lot of difference in the ones coming from korea and north america.i have a custom aj from north america,grover keys,blond front,shadow electronics,silver fret inlays,gold keys,and iv'e ben playin guitar 35 yrs and this one exceeds most all of what i've played.

smooth full sound

excellent action,but finish little uneven,bottom a little darker,but does not affect sound(on front)but sides and back excellent

very dependable

no

i'd replace with an north america copy,don't like the reviews on korea

Made in 2003 in China and I'm shock that China can build guitars like the Japanese and Americans (maybe even better). Jumbo cutaway, solid spruce top (nice grain), mahogany back and sides, gold grover tuners, Shadow active pickups with 4-band EQ, bound neck and body, and high-gloss finish. Only bummer is that there is no pickguard.

I play all styles and it seems to work for all. You can get just about any sound you need thanks to the wonderful pickup and electronics. Very big sounding guitar. Lots of clean highs and powerful bass, but the midrange is the best of all.

Well the action needed to be lowered abit but as for everthing else it is flawless. All the frets were leveled perfectly, finish was better than my 810 Taylor. For that matter it beat my Taylor in sound aswell.

Tough as nails. No need really for a backup but you never know what could happen.

Never had to deal with them.

Been play and building guitars for over 30 years and not to try and sound to girly but this guitar is one of the best guitars in my collections of 40 plus guitars. I own just about all of the acoustic standards like J-45, OOO-28, D-28 J-200 and 3 or 4 Takamines, collins, and many others. I like the whole guitar accept that it does not have a pickguard.

It was bought from Musicians Friend as a blem in 2000 I guess. Same stuff as the others, grover tuners, shadow p7, binding, inlays, gold hardware with ebony (black) finish. I bought a nice epi case for it. If you don't have it, you should get one! For the money, the features you get are way above average. Even against guitars costing twice as much, this guitar can hang.

I play blues, rock, alternative, some easy listening and country if you make me. It does those no problem. I use a Roland blues cube all the time. I have a DOD vgs50 but rarely use it, and dont need it for this guitar. Unplugged, like most acoustic electrics, it sounds a little thin, esp. being a cutaway model. However, NOT like most acoustic electrics, it sounded suprisingly good and full unplugged! Has a bright sound. My only complaint would be the lack of low end. This is very common on acoustic electrics, esp. cutaways, so should be no surprise. It wasnt to me. And its not that big of a disparity between a straight dreadnought, but it is noticeable. Of course, if you use an amp and the eq you can get a decent low end sound with some tweaking. Just know that you cant buy this cutaway acoust. electric and expect it to sound like a guild super dreadnought, cuz it won't. I get tons of sound and response from this guitar. I was surprised by that. I think the sound is one of the strengths of this axe. My only beef is lack of a low. Like all of my ratings, I am not saying this is a Martin or a Taylor. Its also not 2500 bucks, so think about the ratings as based on what you are paying. I dont play it much plugged in, which speaks volumes about the unplugged sound. There are guys who won Gibsons who love the way this thing sounds unplugged. Need I say more? Plugged in it is very versatile and can sound like any acoustic you want it too.

Like most here, I wasn't that pleased with the factory setup, in fact I think it was here that I read that I should get it set up by a pro before it would sound decent, and they were right. You have to do that. Buuuutttt.... I was able to get all the adjustments done under WARRANTY and Epi covered it, so WHAT are you bitching about people??!! A little time taking it to the luth, and you have a 300 dollar guitar that sounds as good as most others. Works for me. Oh, I have to say, I think one of the reasons people hate this guitar so much (besides needing adjusting) is the damn strings! You MUST go get some good bronze light strings and get it adjusted. Those two things turn a pretty piece of crap into a pretty nice guitar. Now my guitar was a blem, but I would have to point out to you the spots that I am guessing are considered "blem-ish." Take that to mean, doesnt bother me in the least. I have a shiny, shiny glossy black finish that makes chicks wet! Everything is smooth and fits well together. The tuners are the bomb. I have had this guitar for 4 years with no problems, and though I make an effort to take care of my stuff, I by no means baby my guitars, and sometimes knock them around quite a bit. The finish on this axe is thick enough that I have whacked it several times (by mistake) and not a single scratch. How many guitar owners can say that? The neck is thin, so those who play electric will make the transition no problem. The down side of the neck is that it is also very narrow, so if you have fat fingers like me, you will have trouble making chords at the top of the neck. Dont ask me why but it gets resonably wider once you get past the second fret. You will get a little bit of fret buzz from this guitar, but after the adjustment and strings, its not that bad. This is a 300 dollar guitar.

This guitar HAS withstood live playing and HAS lasted, and I put it up against a Gibson any day of the week. Comments on the finish written above. I can always depend on my Epi, and the main reason I am writing this review was to offer a different opinion from those who were trashing this guitar. I don't know what their problem is, maybe it is like most imports from second-tier offerings like this one where it is sort of luck of the draw, or maybe it was just guys looking for a sucker with a real lemon of a mistreated axe, maybe they didnt get it set up properly. Whatever. For 300 bucks you will not do better. I promise.

Paid for my professional setup under warranty no questions asked. And liek all Epi products, guaranteed for LIFE. Find THAT on your Takamine, baby!

I have been playing 22 years. I own a Les Paul, and SG and a Yamaha. I have a Roland Blues Cube and a Crate which is little more than a mic amp these days and the VGS50. I have a Yamaha piano too if anyone cares. If it were stolen or lost, I would look at some others first, maybe something with a fuller sound, but its a matter of economics, what you can afford at the time. For the money, I would buy this one again. I love the looks, and the playability. The action is low and the neck thin, so it plays like an electric. That is hard to find on an acoustic. There is no guitar in this price range that comes close. That is the point that needs to be made here I think. For the money, you can not expect a Martin or even a Gibson, but you get incredible value for what you spend. I wish it had more low end, but it doesnt bother me enough to think about it much. I am adding that more for the sake of thoroughness. I wanted to point out that it is not perfect. I think there are a lot of people bashing this guitar and Epi for reasons I cant understand. I have played other Epis and to be honest, of you like Gibsons, buy Epis and save your cash because Epi is closing the gap very quickly. Yes there is a difference, but is it a 2000 dollar difference? I dont think so. Those that are dogging Epi as a company I dont think have a real handle on their products. And just in case someone is wondering, I dont work for Epiphone. I just own one of their guitars. I own some DeArmonds too that I like a lot.

Brand new, made in Korea, just got it from Musicians Friend. It has a solid top,laminated sides and bottom of mahogany The neck is made of mahogany with a rosewood fretboard. The electronics are made by Shadow and have a four band tone control with a phase shifter, (could be for feed-back control). Very nice clear finish with pearl inlade in the neck and head stock.

Sound is very good and will get better with age on the solid top. The factory strings have a good sound to them and gave the guitar a bright sound but I changed the strings to Martins and are the sound is more mellow. I could not pass the deal they were having on this guitar and it has all the basic features built in that you can upgrade on like replacing the saddle with one made of bone and replacing the plastic bridge pins with wood pins, this should even enhance the sound more.

Action is low like I like it with no buzzing, I won't have to do any adjustments at all. The string spacing is a little tighter than what I am use to but not a big deal.

This guitar is contructed very well. I look in side of it and could good workmanship, no excess glue joints look tight and I could see some scallope bracing.

The first guitar I received from Musican's Friend I had to return because the electronics didnot work and I received the second one in two weeks with all shipping paid.

I have been playing to over 20 years. I would replace this guitar if it were stolen with the same model. Great value and workmanship, this is a guitar that can be built on for better sound.

I don't know what year this was made. It is a solid top, burst with a cutaway. Laminated top. Gold finish tuners Grover. Shadow pickup. Rosewood fret board. Thin neck.

I didn't mind the sound when I first bought it. It had a nice bassy sound whihc was what I was looking for.

Terribly set up. The action was way too high; I'd be embarrassed if my company tried to sell a guitar like this. The pickups were alright but they buzzed once and awhile. Just terrrible set up.

This guitar was not reliable or durable. I had it into the shop about three times in the first year because of fret buzz and the bridge started to crack after ONE YEAR! The hardware was decent.

Their customer service was a shame. It's an embarrassment. I had a number of dealings with them and I feel they tried to rip me off. They fully convinced me to never buy another Epiphone in my entire life.

Have been playing for about three years. This was my first acoustic guitar and I wish I had of read the reviews before buying it. The guitar looked nice and sounded decent when I bought it. The setup was terrible but I didn't know much about that then. It's a piece of garbage and I think the customer service was terrible. A company on the way down.

Not sure what year it was made. Has the extension NA after the SCE. Does this mean it's a North-American-Made one? I dunno. I bought it in Manila (Philippines) NAtural Finish, (Blonde?) Rosewood Fretboard,
20 Frets. Spruce Top. Has both Lo-Z and Hi-Z outputs on XLR and 1/4" Phone jacks, which is nice. Has Electar Pre-amp/graphic EQ for the pickup.

I play blues rock reggae and jazz and this guitar suits my style just fine, for either lead or rhythm. I use it with M-Audio Delta 44 thru a PC to a Roland PM-3 Monitor System. It's not noisy. Sounds as good or better than my VERY expensive Gibson J-185-EC, at 1/10th the price. Anyone who can't make good music with this guitar is probably not much of a guitarist. It's a poor workman who blames his tools.

Action and intonation were excellent right off the shelf. Just needed new strings immediately. Bridge is set right, Nut was cut right, not a single complaint about the finish, action, or tone.

This guitar made it from Manila to San Francisco in a soft gig Bag, and it's just fine. I've played it hard as can be and it's just fine.
Everything about this guitar is as solid as a gibson, and I would prefer this guitar in a live setting because repairs to my Gibson would cost a fortune. One Nick on the Gibson = $800 and 2 months in the shop... so we'll use the Epi for a lot of live sets.

It's Virtually a gibson. I have nothing but the highest regard for the 2 companies, Gibson and Epiphone. "tradition" and I don't care where it was made, it was made well with good wood.

I've been playing for 25+ years. I also currently own Gibson J-185-EC acoustic, Gibson ES-335 Dot Neck, 1962 Strat, Soundgear Bass, Roland VK7 Virtual HAmmond B3, Roland V-Pro Drums, Roland PM-3 Monitors, Fender Hot Rod DeVille 4*10 60W guitar Amp. If this guitar were stolen I'd be glad it wasn't my Gibson. I'd look for another just like this, as I can't always take a $3300 Gibson to the Philippines with me just to jam a little. This will make an excellent second Acoustic for me, and for the price I can't ask for anything more.

2003 Model, made in Korea. Solid mahogany set neck with rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, snowflake inlays w/ bar inlay at 12th fret. Solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides. Single cutaway round-shouldered dreadnought body style; gloss finish. Active piezo under-saddle pickup with 4-band parametric EQ, phase switch. Gold Gotoh tuners, plastic nut and bridge, rosewood saddle with plastic bridge pins. Narrow 25-1/2 inch scale neck. Came with light gauge (11's) acoustic bronze-wound strings.

Very good, balanced and mellow unplugged sound. Fingerstyle and solo blues runs come through on upper strings very well, but not over-bright. Very good, full tone for hard strumming, with plenty of bottom-end punch. Plugged in - I use it with an SWR California Blonde acoustic amp - gets a little "bassy" but EQ (on amp and on guitar) evens this out pretty well. Piezo pickup also gets a little "thumpy" when fingerpicking in the upper registers. Otherwise, good amplified sound for this price range.

Excellent setup, no buzzes, medium-low action perfect for my tastes or else it would still be at the store! Came with light gauge strings, not bad sounding and seem about the right gauge, but I'm going to put on my fave Elixirs right away. Finish even and smooth, top and back bookmatched very well, frets finished much better than average. No visible flaws anywhere.

Seems to be a solid guitar, only problem with live playing is lack of a notch filter on the preamp unit which higher-end guitars (Gibson, Taylor, Martin etc) tend to have. Hardware seems durable and solid. I'd never gig without a backup, with this or any other guitar. I got this one mainly as a backup anyway, and I think it will serve this purpose very well. The price was definitely right, seems like a lot of guitar for the money.

Haven't dealt with Epiphone directly, but the local store (Northridge Music) has a free 30-day checkup and their service is always excellent on anything they sell so I'm not worried. Epiphone has a limited lifetime warranty, which adds some peace of mind.

I've played acoustic guitars for over 30 years and owned/played several Ovations (6 and 12 string) and Gibsons, Taylor (810 currently), Guild and Martin. This Epiphone model's sound compares closely to the Gibsons I've owned and played. The mahogany body keeps it balanced and mellow - not as bright as a Taylor but still very good sounding. The finish is great, and it looks fine. My only complaints are the slightly narrow neck for an acoustic, and the low-end preamp with no notch filter, but then you get what you pay for. Overall, a very good buy. It was the best sounding unplugged acoustic in the store anywhere near the price I paid (sure, the $2200 Taylors sounded better!). I'd probably replace it if lost/stolen, especially for the price. A very good buy overall. Seems most of the bad reviews of this guitar are from mail order purchases, and my experience with mail order on a number of guitars leaves much to be desired in terms of setup - acoustic or electric. That's why I shop the local stores anymore, with rare exceptions.

Not quite sure on the year. Made in Korea. Solid spruce top, mahogony body, rosewood fret board. got suckered by the vintage sunburst.

I don't think this thing can produce anything that sounds like music. When i got the thing i had to spend some cash just setting it up. The frets were all messed up and you can forget about get anything other than clicking past the 12th fret. doesn't sound good plugged in or unplugged. but it sure is pretty.

out of the factory it sounds like crap. the least they could do was dress the frets right. the electronics are sub par so don't even bother. unlike other responses, my action was low, really low. the strings were touching the frets. it sucks. but it sure is pretty. i think i bought it because i was sucked in by the looks. i was drawn to the finish and color like a bug to a zapper.

i've played this guitar for about 5 months and after alot of money and a lot of patience i'm giving up on it. though the construction seems pretty solid. however i think the electronics are a bit shady.

epiphone shows no respect for their customers. it is ashame that such a quality name has fallen so far behind.

i have been playing for 10 years and i would reccomend that you stay away from this guitar. it is too much of a pain in the hind parts to bring any sort of satisfaction. i admit that i got ripped off. the good news is that it looks great on the guitar rack. if you don't play and want a cool looking guitar to impress the ladies (or guys....whatever) then go out and grab one of these catastrophies.

shadow p7 pickup system.......high z low z bal. outputs..... laminated piece of crap...made in korea...single cutaway body... diamond cross inlays with a block inlay on the 12th fret... gold gotoh tuners.. 20 frets... plastic bindings....low marks due to very poor performance during a live rec session..sounded like a toy compared to the takamines that other peeps were using!!!if ya want to impress yer buddies with this guitar juz show it to them..dont play a note or let them play it!!!cuz then theyll hear and feel how crappy it is!!!

the sound is crummy!! you need to change the strings everyday to make it ring clearly!!and even then it sounds wimpy!!it lacks the bass clarity!!!

action is so stupid!! you need to be superman to play this piece of feces!!!ya prolly wont even be able to make it thru the first song with out yer hand cramping up!!!my god epiphone!!!yamaha makes better ac guitars than this monstrosity!!and the pick ups....geez what a joke!!!!juz sounded harsh and thin!!and the frets are to low to the board!!but it is very shiny!!!

well i guess it would stay the same way for awhile as it was when it was new...but thats not saying much...(its an awful ac. even for first timers)note to beginners: if this is yer first ac gtr ,most good ac. gtr's arent this hard to play!!!

its not worth my time to call..unless they can refund my money which i doubt theyll do!!

ive been playin for 13 years and was using my dads takamine but he sold it and i needed an acoustic right away for a recording session.. i didnt have the money to buy a good takamine and opted to buy a cheaper takamine for the session but got swayed by an asshole of a salesmen to buy this piece of poop!!i would never buy an epiphone acoustic again!!DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT BUY THIS GUITAR!!yer better off buying an unknown guitar than this piece of trash not fit for anything ,except maybe as firewood!!!

This dog (and it is a dog), was made in Korea, I think ... which, as everyone knows is the world's last Cold War frontier. What does mean? A crappy guitar from Epiphone, I guess...

I play blues and jazz. The neck almost works, and I paid $75 for a set-up, but it still is lousy overall.

Horrible, horrible, horrible.

The tuners blow. What in the name of Doc Watson and MIssissippi John Hurt was I thinking?

You're joking, right?

I've been playing 30 years. Used to play an SG and a Tele in a blues and roots-rock band. I decided to "reinvent" myself and got more into flatpicking, open tunings, etc. I got taken in by the sunburst finish and cutaway. I should have applied the money to a real guitar. I'm being a little terse (and silly) with my comments here, but in a seriousness, stay away from this dog. Put your money on a Martin or a real Gibson. Don't jump into this one. You'll regret it. And please, please read the other reviews that go into depth about just what this 6-string insult can't do...

I suppose all the features are already stated in the reviews below: bought it in 2000 (three years back). It came with 20 frets, a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides, an epi-6 pickup with 5-band eq and volume. The body is quite large with a cutaway. The tuners are from epiphone and are called "gotoh", whatever that means... They're quite impressive looking, for they're gold-coloured. The neck is quite thin and took a while to get used to (see below).

I play mostly alternative rock (mainly Radiohead and the like), but my teacher makes me do all sorts of stuff (jazz, blues) just to make me "a better player" so he says. It suits my needs pretty well. I'm just using it unplugged, because I think the pickup stinks. It's really thin sounding, like a cheap guitar. When I record I usually put a good mic in front of the guitar, no problems. I never gig, so I'm not sure what I would do then.
The guitar sounds fine unplugged. I'm pretty happy with it, but if I had a choice I'd buy a takamine or something of the like, because they sound a lot better (but are much more expensive). I like the volume it produces and the tone (especially with new strings). Sounds really full and bright.

When I first bought it, I thought it was a really good deal. The guitarshop was going bankrupt and I took it way in front of the gates of hell so to speak. It was really cheap and it was the first stell string guitar I ever bought. The action was way to high, but I didn't realise then. Let's say my hands are well trained now and after a guitardoctor/wizard looked at it and lowered the action a bit it playes wonderful. But that's my opinion and most of my friends stil hate the guitar for it's action.

Seems sturdy enough. The tuners get loose once in a while, but hey, that's what screwdrivers are for aren't they? Sometimes it seems to buzz a little bit. Not a normal buzz like when the string hits a fret but it's behind the nut... Very weird indeed, but it doesn't do it very often and I'm not bothered, since I play much louder than the buzzing most of the time.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing seriously for about 3,5 years now and this was my first steel string guitar (and the last for all that seems). I own a lot of other gear, including an old Squire telecaster and an Epiphone Les Paul (with a beautiful bigsby tremolo). When I was as wise then as I am now on the subject of guitars, I would have gone for a Takamine instead. So if it were stolen I'd cash the feeble amount of insurance money and save it for a good acoustic. I love it still very much, for it was my first real guitar and it sounds pretty good... and I'm pretty sure it loves me back.

2003, Korean model, solid top, Piezo Epi-6, Sunburst. I purchased this guitar for playing in a gospel group. First off, I used to play bass, now fingerpick gospel music. I mention the bass because I feel I am use to rough action with my fingers, (more later). Low rating in the features due to the pickup. Epiphone should be ashamed of this setup with any guitar. The only positive I can add here for epiphone is the sunburst finish. While I was not an initial fan of this finish, I do like the look of the guitar. I was fooled......Looks are not everything and with this guitar it is the only positive thing I can say. It does look nice.

The sound of this guitar does have a gibson-like tone, which is why I wanted it as I could not afford the Gibson...I should have waited until I could. Unplugged the tone is passable, plugged in, well one should always evaluate all possible choices. If you play any guitar with an eip-6 then compare it to a fishman or any other pickup system, THE EPI-6 WILL ALWAYS BE LAST. Please do some research here and do not make the same mistake I did. Don't take my word for it, read some reviews and you will find the epi-6 sound too brittle/thin and to make matters worse, their track record is terrible. They break. I have had mine for six months and already am experiencing shorts.

A former review stated it was unplayable. I will go even farther, not only was it unplayable, it can hurt you. To correct this I took it back to the place I purchased it twice. Both times they adjusted the neck with little improvement, if any. I sought out and found an infamous luthier who laughed, yes, literally laughed at the setup. My hopes were up and he did make it playable after costing me 75 more dollars. Money well spent because, the pain is not as bad as before UNLESS I play it for more than 30 minutes. I must tell you again this guitar can hurt you with it's action and fit. The neck contour adds to the problem and also the neck willl NOT stay straight. I suspect a weak truss rod but who knows. The finish again is the only attribute with this guitar.

Although the finish looks good, even it is already wearing. How can you rate reliability/durability with this guitar over time when it is not/was not reliable right out of the box> Shame on you epiphone...shame....

The people who sold me this guitar are ordering another pickup. They even stated epiphone was slow in responding. I suspect even after the replacement (if I get one) I will have problems. I am currently attempting to exchange this guitar with epiphone but quite frankly, I think even if they do I will still have similar action, finish and that sound from epi-6. Not much hope here even by the people who sold me this guitar. Track record not good here. Shame on you epiphone!

If you are looking for a "musical" instrument, buy anything else. If you are looking for a company who stands by their product, buy anything else. From the epiphone epi-6, the neck, the truss rod, the finish, well you name it and it is flawed. I have played $100 Kay instruments back in the day that played, sounded better here. Epiphone is not anything close to the epiphone of old. Shame on you epiphone, you are a rip off! I would wager their are some older executives (retired) who are sick in their stomachs looking at the quality of the product epiphone is putting out. I had played epiphones from the past which played and sounded great. I didn't get a bad guitar here, I have played some other newer epiphones and guess what? They all have similar problems. Shame on you epiphone, pure unadulterated shame!

Standard equipment for the model. korean made

If you are buying this guitar for the sound un-plugged, don't buy it. Simply cause it sounds like crap. It's just another laminated guitar. However, when this guitar is plugged up it sounds decent(after adjusting it to your style) just like any acoustic/electric.
I really hate that the pic ups don't pic up the top E good or any bass without costing overall sound. It's not bright enough for me. Also it has a mic. connection but never sounds good going through and there is always feed back.

The Action on this guitar is absolutly rediculous!! It is so high that it is almost unplayable. Don't buy if you are a beginner cause you will loose either your fingers or about $80 out of your wallet to get it adjusted. After an adjustment its decent.

I have had problems with my pic-up, it has a short and seems unplayable. Matter-a-fact it went out on me when I was playing on stage.... How humiliating.

I got ripped off!! This guitar is worth about 175.

This acoustic electric cutaway guitar has spruce top, mohagany back/sides and was made in Korea, 2001. No included accessories. The top is not flashy at all, and is the only cosmetic disappointment on it. It has gold Grover tuners, nice pearl/abalone inlays, and a good finish. Pickup is a Shadow piezo with parametric EQ. I bought this guitar from Guitartrader.com for $280 and it was well worth it, I think it lists for $550.

This guitar sounds like a $300 guitar should, not really impressive. Although, it has a suprising brightness to it - especially ran through an amp. You could play this guitar live, but I would recommend something else a bit higher on the acoustic totem pole (Taylor, Takamine, Martin, etc.) Bass notes are not real defined, so it doesn't necessarily have a good full sound. The fretboard has some buzz to it, but overall its great for the money. I'm a college student and just use it for entertaining myself and friends, I don't play gigs or do anything important with it. I usually play contemporary acoustic (Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, etc.) and it sounds well on it.

The action on this guitar is not all that great. It buzzes quite a bit and is a little high. I would definetly recommend getting it set up by a pro. The pickup sounds great, no problems there. Also, I haven't found any cosmetic or structural flaws. I'm giving this a 6 because of the action, everything else is a 10.

From a reliablility standpoint, this guitar would be good live. It seems to be quite substantial, nothing has fallen apart yet. Wouldn't gig it without a spare, although. The tuners are a little loose and make me nervous sometimes.

Have no experience with this one, came with a lifetime warranty though.

I bought this guitar off of the internet. I REALLY wished I would have played it before I bought it - big mistake. I played some Takamines and Yamahas before I purchased this one, and wished I had went with the Takamine. I'm really getting used to this guitar, although, and find myself liking it more and more everytime I play. I love the tuners, I love the pickup, I love the fretboard, and the sound is good. Its a lot of guitar for 300 bones. If it were lost or stolen I would probably buy a better Takamine or Taylor, mainly because my skills have improved to the level where I feel like I deserve a better guitar. I had only been playing a year when I bought it and feel like I could do a better job shopping for one now. If anyone of you out there is thinking about buying this guitar new, get it from guitartrader.com. Its the cheapest that you will find it and shipping is fast and free.

Epiphone AJ-18 SCE electric/acoustic, cutaway body, Made in Korea in 2001, 20 frets, rosewood fretboard and headstock, solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides. Piezo pickup, 4 band eq by Arteec. Nice gold tuners made by Epiphone. Rosewood fretboard.
With case.

I use it for playing in church. It has a nice volume unplugged, and sounds fine though an amp. It had a bright sound with ample bass. This guitar is good for playing lead, especially with the cutaway.

The action is low. But the 6th string buzzs if I play hard. Had to get this guitar set up.(The neck was warped and a tuner was out of line.) The saddle is a little strange. Mine is cracked, but still works fine.

Everything seems solid. This is a fairly heavey guitar. The finish is great. The only thing I have to woory about is the strings breaking!

No spare parts for sale.

This is the kind of guitar I wanted. A nice sounding acoustic/electric
with a solid top. The microphone type output is handy. I like the sound, but the neck is a bit narrow for my large fingers. If it got stolen I would buy another Epiphone, but one with a bigger neck.

2002 Korean, solid top, volume and 5 band graphic equalizer, natural finish, cutaway.

rock, jazz, blues. I put it through a noname amp. It still sounds great. Playing with the equaliser I can get almost any sound I like. There is a tendency to feedback but there is an "anti feedback switch" which works well. The sound, when amplified, can vary from a gutsy bassy sound to a very glassy treble sound. Unamplified it has a very nice, if rather sedate, tone

The store where I bought it promised to set it up before I took delivery but let me down. After a few months I adjusted the truss rod with the tool provided and have improved the action, and sound, considerably.

The guitar is flawless to look at. It's a lovely piece of furniture on display in our lounge room. The neck is very thin and while I have relatively short fingers, the neck width at the first few frets requires some effort to achieve buzzless chords but it is not a great problem.

I have had it for six months now and there are no problems with the electronics etc.

I play live only very infrequently so the guitar will have an easy life. I will pamper it. So far the indications are that it is solidly constructed and would withstand some harsh treatment. But as the guitar was a gift for my 50th birthday from a group of long time (schooldays!!!) friends, I will treat it with the respect it deserves.

I can't comment because I haven't been back to the store. However, I can say that I got rather impatient when I was waiting for delivery so I emailed Gibson in the USA to find out who the Australian distributor is to give them a hurry up, and I received an email reply in about five minutes with accurate details. Great service!! So based on that experience I give a 9

I'm a retired bass player. I have been strumming a classical (cheap) Yamaha for many years but only started to get serious about 12 months ago. I have just bought a 1994 Ibanez Talman electric from a friend ( my first real electric guitar at 50!!) so can now produce a variety of sounds. I jam with a friend each week and now and then we play at friends parties etc.
If stolen I would replace it. It is a fine guitar for the money and more than adequate for my purposes. I would like to add an Epi Joe Pass or Dot to my collection one day (perhaps my retirement guitar?).

This is definitely a deluxe model of Epiphone. It features a solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides, a bridge U.S. made Shadow pickup and an Epiphonic 6-band EQ powered by a 9v battery. It also features gold Grover tuners and mother of pearl "snow flake" inlays, including a cool abalone/mother of pearl inlay at the 12th fret. Everythings great!

This is probably one of the most full sounding guitars Epiphone makes. It has great lows and well balanced highs. Putting this to an amp really makes it better than it already is! The Shadow pickup works perfectly, and the 6-band EQ can make it soud like any acoustic guitar you want. It is just not a finger-picking guitar. (If you want one of those, get a Epi PR5E)

This thing looks great! I hate all the "high gloss" finishes these days. Thank god they left this raw! The spruce top is pretty standard-looking, but the rest isn't! The mahogany back and sides are beautiful in grain pattern and since not much gloss finish was used, there are little micro divits in the wood. (Its not a bad thing, just trust me.) The binding is very well applied, as well.

Okay, as I said before, this guitar has little gloss. Regardless, this thing is built to last. As for gigging with it, It makes a great candidate, but I wouldn't know since I only gig electric.

I haven't had a problem yet, so I haven't called Epiphone. There is a Limited Lifetime warranty on the guitar and an included warranty on the Shadow pickup, too.

I have been playing for 3 years, and This was the first and probably the last acoustic guitar I will buy. Its stamped "2nd" on it because of a small nick on the headstock, and an cosmetic alignment flaw with one of the tuners. (This doesn't affect anything on the rest, and if you're strapped for cash, buying a factory 2nd is the way to go.) I love everything on the guitar, but the most appealing features are the value and sound. I've tested a Martin DXM, for $400, and that couldn't hold this guitar's jock.That's how good it is.

Epiphone AJ-18 SCE electric/acoustic, cutaway body, Made in Korea in 2001, 20 frets, rosewood fretboard and headstock, solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides. Piezo pickup, onboard 6-way Shadow EQ with anti-feedback switch, standard 1/4" jack and also a 3-pin mic type jack. Attractive body and neck binding, gold Grover tuners, nice fretboard inlays. A pretty guitar, mine has a satin finish; some don't like this, but the way I look at it you don't have to worry about scratches as much. I bought this guitar brand new as a second.

This guitar suits my style well; my hands are on the smaller side and the thin, narrow neck makes playing easier. My style is usually rhythm, with some picking and a little hard strumming now and then.
This guitar in general performs up to expectation. The sound is on the thin side, delicate would probably be a better word. I also own a Takamine EG140-SRC A/E, which is a mini-jumbo, and a much heavier-built guitar than this Epi. The sound on the Takamine is fuller and deeper. But after a pro set-up (see below), I really love the sound of this Epi. The sound is clean, natural, and the on-board electronics provide a seemingly infinite range of options when plugged-in.

Now for the critical part: the factory set-up was playable, but awful, and the factory strings were simply horrid. I have read the other reviews of this guitar where the set-up was great right out of the box, but no luck here. The action was high (note: the luth that set-up my guitar removed paper shims stacked 5-high from under the saddle!), the low strings buzzed up and down the neck, and the strings were even misshapen in some places. I completely agree with the other reviews that state that the only way to play this guitar is after a pro set-up. I re-strung mine with D'Addario lights, and I am very pleased. The tone and sustain have improved 100-fold, and the action is excellent.
As for the fit and finish, I can find no major flaws. A few of the higher frets could have been seated a little better, but the majority of the frets are seated perfectly.
The rating in this category reflects this guitar before a pro set-up, after it is a 9 for the money

I also agree with the other reviews that state that this is a very light, sort of fragile guitar. Usually, I play only for fun with family and friends, and I do not plan to take this guitar on the road, but I would be a little concerned about it's durability if I did. The satin finish could take some abuse and still look good, though. The tuners and strap buttons are solid. I would never play on stage without a backup, but this is mostly because I would never play any guitar live without a backup. I'll give it a 7 compared to my durable Takamine.

I have never dealt with Gibson or Epiphone directly, but I look forward to exercising my lifetime warranty if it ever becomes necessary.

I have been playing on and off for several years. If this guitar was stolen or lost, I would buy another. I like the way this guitar looks, I love the thin neck and the low action after set-up; it really flies. I hated the factory set-up and strings. I chose this guitar because it had a wide range of features that I wanted at a great price. It is not a Martin or a Lakewood or a Taylor, but it is a nice little guitar for the money.

Made in Asia in 2000. Solid spruce top, glossy natural finish (very beautiful). Mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. Piezo pickups with a six-band Electar equalizer. Cutaway body is just right as far as size for me. The neck is fairly narrow, which I like since my fingers are short. I like the Epiphone "E" on the pick guard. It also came with an Epiphone hard case imprinted with the logo. There is a forward strap button which I find very appealing. The gold hardware and inlays add to it's attractivenes.

I play contemporary christian music for small groups and occasionally for church services. I mostly play it unplugged and it has a full sound with good tone. Recently, I have noticed a slight buzz whenever I play an open D and G string. It has been very humid, which may be the reason. If it persists I'll have to look into it's cause. When I do plug it in, I have no problem finding a good sound by playing with the equalizer.

I bought it used a few months ago. I have a friend who works for a music store and called me when it came in. He set it up for me. There are no flaws or scratches that I am aware of. He could have sold it to me as new and I wouldn't have known it was used. The strings are real close together at the nut. I was looking for a narrow neck, but some chords get crowded. I have read several reviews that recommend medium strings. I kept the strings that were on it for now, but will look into changing them soon. It is hard to bend them on the lower frets.

The hardware seems very sturdy. It stays in tune and none of the knobs wobble. I like the fact that it has two strap buttons. I recommend lock-ons for any strap.

I haven't dealt with the company.

For an inexpensive guitar you can't beat it. It has great sound and looks sharp. I would definitely buy it again if it were stolen. Other guitars that I looked at in the price range seemed cheap or tinny. I looked at new and used and could not beat this guitar for the value.

Don't know the year, Made in Korea Sticker on back of headstook.
20 frets, solid spuce top... Same as the other reviews. Traded some old guitars and 150 bucks at a little mom and pop music store. It's got USED stamped on the back of the head stook. Was told that was because it didn't sell at a music store and was returned to the EPI company where they stamped it. Also had a crack in the headstook bearly visable but there. But all in all a very pretty looking guitar.

I'm a rocker by nature but the other guys I play with are older than I am & favor the older stuff. Eagles, CCR, Country... Mostly strummers, not allot of lead or picking. I run it though many different amps, Krammer, Fender, & even a bass amp. The only thing I find consistant is that the lows are very low and the highs are very high. Not great mid-range. But then again I turn everything trebble, bass & volume up to 10. I let the other guys adjust the ol E.Q
But Unpluged with a good set of Martin strings it sounds exelent! lots of resedence, very pretty. It's what sold me in the store.

When I first got it the action was geat. The only strange thing was at the nut the neck seamed more narrow than others even other Epi's. Strings closer together. Kind of cramped playing some cords.
After reading the other reviews I guess I don't feel alone. I also had problems with the 1/4 plug. would cut out & I took it back to the store where it worked fine of course, Happened 3 times but not lately. Now the neck is comming apart from the body. I can almost slide a pick under the fretboard on either side. The high E is now buzzing on the first fret depending on the tempature and humidity.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not gentle on equipment, but I don't think that this guitar should be falling apart as bad as it is.
We don't gig, but do get together a couple times a week to jam where I find myself jumping from instument to instument. Maybe because the Epi is almost unplayable.

With it not garenteed through Epi, I Only got the ol "Sorry we can't do anything but we can send it back to the company to have them fix it for you" from where I bought it. Was also told that it would cost a couple hundred bucks all said and done. Guess I'll just take that money and get somthing different. NOT AN EPI & NOT USED. Live & Learn.

Been playing on & off for several years. I play acoustic and electic guitars & dable with the bass and drums when the others in our group let me. I wish I'd checked out this sight before buing the Epi.
Would not buy it again. Ready to move on. But can't afford a Martin right now so I think I'll go with somthing in between.

This is an update to my previous post

Sounds great...I'm spoiled. I play a Taylor 810, and I have access to many Boutique/Vintage guitars. This thing sounds really nice. I have Medium strings on it--THAT"S THE ONLY WAY TO GO WITH THIS GUITAR. When you read "7" as my rating bear in mind the my frame of reference.

I'm gonna give this rating based ONLY on playability as an acoustic after a good setup. This guitar is so nice to play. I've had it about a month. After a good setup I foumd that I began to dislike playing my Taylor because the Epi action was like butter. If an instrument can be well set up--some cheap guitars can't(some expensive guitars can't be well set up) I think it's an indication of underlying quality. Sure, they couldn't add the man hours to tinkering with the instrument at the price point. But if you buy one of these you're a 30-70 dollar setup away from something really great to play!

Wow!!! At 185 this is great. I don't worry about my kids dinging it...it plugs in. I'm BIG HAPPY!

Bought it used on Ebay with a repaired crack on the top which kind of explains the super price. A solid spruce top with cutaway. Rosewood fretboard and mahogony neck which is very thin. Mahogony (laminated) sides and back. Nice binding all around and split diamond inlays on neck. Wide rounded frets. Active electronics with 6 way EQ. Sealed gotoh tuners. Very unusual saddle (presumably for the pick up) which I hadn't seen before. A very attractive guitar which is why I bid on many before I got this one.

Sounds very nice - bright and full (solid top). Not that impressed with the electronics though. Kind of twangy sounding on some strings. Might need to be set up or repaired. Has an anti feedback switch which could be useful. Acoustic sound 7. Plugged in 5. I'll average it out to a 6.

Action is wonderful. Nice thin neck makes it a joy to play. As good as my strat. Need to get some Elixir strings on it though to really sail. Appears to be pretty well put together, but there are places where the mass production is apparent. Small cosmetic flaws, but what do you want for 80 bucks. I might have been more particular if I had payed full price. The top is a nice match and real "purty" despite the crack repair. Tuning pegs are very smooth and stay in tune. EQ is functional enough, but there's that twang (kind of a buzz) I mentioned. OK it's not a Martin or a Larrivee, but for a lower priced guitar it's all right

Just got it so I don't know. I hope the top crack is not an indication. It feels extremely light so I handle it with care. I don't think it will take much abuse. I'm already noticing little cracks in the binding in places and I don't think it's very old. I would use a back-up if I was playing live. I've seen a lot of these for sale (auction) with repared headstocks that have been glued back on. With the super thin neck I'm not very surprised. Handle with care.

No warranty (used) but Gibson are always helpful and answer my e mail questions promptly.

Playing about 35 years. Have three other guitars. Play many kinds of music - jamming, etc. I had my eye on this model for a long time before I found one at a price I couldn't refuse. It sounds great and plays great (better than my PR5E). Love the action. Hate the big crack repair on top and the cracked veneer on the headstock. If I lost it I would try to get another. Wish the elctronics sounded better. Bought it at Ebay (very cheap)and was a little worried I wouldn't like it when it came......Wrong. I can see people paying $300 - $400. for these. Despite the fact that it's made in Korea it's a really nice instrument. Definately one of my favorites.

Dreadnought cutaway, Solid Spruce top, some nice fretboard cosmetics. One 1/4 inch pickup for plugging to an amp, and an additional "microphone peg type" plug slot for going direct to a sound board. Go to the Epiphone web site. Nice neck-1.68 inches. I bought the instrument as a quality second guitar that I could carry around without any bood and tears about travel dings.

I hade a good setup--more on that later--and changed to medium strings. Big, big improvement to the instruments playability and sound. I'd say it's a good solid 7 now unplugged. I'm comparing it to my Taylor 810 which is pushing a 9. My friend's 41 Martin is a true 10. I wouldn't play it with the factory lights. Plugged in it provides a very nice variety of adjustments with the on board equilizer. Perhaps plugged it's an 8. I'll stick with a 7, which I feel is very good...and bear in that I'm matching it against my 810. The instrument sounds great !

As setup from factory---UNPLAYABLE. This is the undisclosed cost of low catalog price. I have a good friend who "Luths" all my stuff. I'm sure his expert work would've cost $75 bucks on top of what I paid. The fit and finish are good, despite the fact that I bought it as a blem. I feel sorry for a young player/new player unaware of issues of setup who trys to teach himself to play on a guitar setup as I received this one. I'll give it a charitable 4 based on the set up.

It's solid--usually guitars are. If you don't beat up your instrument, you'll be fine. Has a nice gloss finish.

Emailed epiphone 1x. Emailed back to me same day

Bought as a blem--$185 for all that !!! I love it at that price. Frankly, I don't know how you buy a guitar by catalog without your own personal Luthier. If you factor in a good setup and new strings, all of which you can probably negotiate on a 300 dollar Seagull bought from a shop, I think it's a tough choice. When you don't pay for the setup and get the guitar at half price as I did, and it comes with neat electronics...well--that makes you me. Very happy ! When this axe is $330 , you add $50 to set up and it rates a 7 or 8 To me it's a 9

6 string acoustic/electric made in Far East, set up in USA before shipped to me. Active on board electronics/preamp, has 1/4" guitar plug and XLR mike plug also. Solid spruce top, mahogany body/neck, set neck, rosewood fretboard, neck/body binding, snowflake inlays on fretboard, natural gloss finish, nice hardshell case fm Musicians Friend. Made in 2000

I play rhythm guitar/bass in a band, if it's not rap/disco, we play it at some point in our show, sometimes I go solo-my other guitar at the moment is a Danelectro Convertible.
I play thru a Carvin AG100 Combo or SX100 amp, for small gigs right thru the mixer.
Unplugged, I think this has a great, balanced tone, not quite as bass heavy as my former Seagull S6 or a Guild or Takamine, but for $329.95 really nice. Action medium to medium low-not a big deal as I don't bend a lot or play a lot of single string runs. Plugged in, the electronics let you make this sound many ways-still am exploring the available tones, I use a Danelectro CoolCat Chorus, and some times thru a ToneWorks Bass effects pedal, this has lots of potential, and feedback is easy to deal with due to the feedback switch and sub-base slider. Will restring with Carvin white bronze acoustic/electric strings to lighten up sound on demand, playing closer to bridge gets a dobro/banjo vibe going.
Nothing to not like tone-wise:only annoyance is must have 1/4 plug in if using XLR connection to avoid lots of noise like an open mike. Using the 1/4 plug by itself is quiet as it should be.

Set-up great right out of UPS truck it rode in on. Spruce top again, in line with price, nice, but not great.
The plastic wire bundler inside guitar has come unstuck already after 5 weeks, a little super glue will put that right.
No loose controls

After 4-5 weeks, input for 1/4" plug quit, would just light up battery light during insertion, but not make connection on full penetration.
Called Epiphone Cust Svc-they provided the ph# for local service agent who diagnosed as same problem in one of every three or four low end Epiphones, ordered new part and had repaired in 4 days at no cost!
Would never play a gig with no backup regardless of make if battery used in instrument.

Epiphone support good, local music store had no problem in me having bought from Musicians Friend- I support them for lots of peripheral items, Firey Brothers Music in Tulsa, OK. Epiphone/Gibson would get my vote again, quick fix/order/repair to make the instrument right impressive, honesty from my tech that once a good unit found, will last, just happened to get a weak one initially.

Look forward to lots of song writing/playing on this, nice balance of sound/quality/price, after looking at reviews of Sigma/Rogue budget guitars, this or a Samick was the two I had to decide between, I think I would have been happy with either, but the flexiblilty of the two outputs and the review of Guitar Player giving props to this as a Best Buy made my decision. I would recommend you find who your local factory authorized repair shop is and ask their opinion on reliability-I would have still bought this unless they told me not to.

Its a good guitar. I got it in 1999, october I believed, it was used but didn't have any flaws...Features are nice, with The EQ, and the feedback switch thing...good features.

Sounds great...suits my music perfectly....I use this guitar with a Marshall AS80R Acoustic Amp, sounds amazing....

Set up good, the only problem is that plastic Stable on the rear bridge broke, but thats all that is wrong...frets are placed good, tuning sticks were you put it..everything looks good...

Its my not be reliable, but I haven;t had any problems yet, I guess i am still waiting.

N/A

playing for awhile, and it suits me well, it was a good buy.

Features are great. This was rated as Guitar's Top Ten best Acoustic buys for 1999. It is beautiful, but deeply flawed.

Sounds kind of limp unplugged. I used a Fender Twin Reverb to test out the electrics first. But when I took it to practice with my band, I plugged it into a Fender M80. The twin sounded a little wierd, but I think that was the amp. I never heard the M80 sound because it broke the electronics after I took the jack out of the 1/4" input the first time.

The 14th Fret where the neck/body joins is screwed up. Whether it is mfg wrong or the fret is too high I don't know. Impossible to get a decent note on the 13th fret. Beautiful finish. Few defects, considering that much more expensive guitars have many more. Although when I sent it back to Musician's Friend they were unable to get me another Vintage Sunburst in my lifetime. I definitely would not reccomend buying a guitar from these jokers. The rest of the action seemed OK. But one bad fret on a brand new guitar is deplorable.

It didn't make it through one practice. Not one chord. Not one note through the amp. Nothing. Everything else seemed attached ok...

Emailed them today. I doubt I will get much beyond lip service. Musician's Friend has said that Epiphone is unreliable in their shipments and delivery dates. I have been told several tentative dates for my replacement but every single one has been missed and I recieved not as much as a phone call. I will never deal with either company again.

I have been playing stringed instruments for 17 years. Guitar for about 8. I wish I had found this site before I bought this guitar, because I see I am not alone in my dissatisfaction. If it was lost or stolen I would not notice because it is March and I still do not have this Christmas present. I love the look of the Vintage Sunburst. The allocation of electronics, but that scarcely matters because they were assembled by incompetents. I compared this guitar to comparable Yamahas, Takemines, Fenders, Ovations, etc... The main deal was this guitar had everything I wanted in an acoustic-electric at a great price. In fact I have not found a comparable model with these features. I guess it was stupid to think I could get all of these things for $329.

This guitar was built in Korea, and set up and inspected in the USA according to the sticker on then headstock. 21 frets on a rosewood fingerboard that has some pretty good inlay work. The top is solid spruce and has a fairly nice grain pattern, there are a few inconsistencies in the pattern but for a guitar that costs under $300, I can overlook that. This particular model has a Shadow preamp with I'm assuming a parametric EQ, volume and feedback switch. This works in conjunction with a piezo pickup mounted under the bridge. The back and sides of this guitar is made of Mahogany. Mine came in a natural gloss finish. The tuners are Gotohs. I bought the Epiphone case with the guitar.

I was looking for a cheap accoustic/electric guitar that I could use on stage for a few songs. Since I don't have any other A/E guitars, I can't really compare it to them. I can say the parametric EQ can alter the tone very well and is very useful. I got a full range of Acoustic guitar sounds that worked very well. The little feedback switch also gets rid of the howl very quickly if you happen to go into feedback. Unplugged the guitar has a sound similiar to a gibson J-45 that my best friend owns. I really think this guitar shines when played through an amplifier with a little chorus and delay.

The Action from the factory was excellent. The strings were easy to bend, and stay in tune well. No fret noise at all anywhere on the neck. I couldn't find any flaws at all on this guitar. No filler around the inlays, the binding on the neck and body is smooth and looks very good. I couldn't find any extra glue around the bracing. The frets were dressed and polished perfectly. For $300, You won't find a prettier guitar.

Well this guitar has already been to one gig, and will find it's way to several more I hope. It has already fallen off it's guitar stand, and didn't even get a scratch. I think with age this guitar will rival any Martin you care to put against it.

Haven't had to deal with them yet.

I've been playing for about 15 years. I own 5 acoustic and 12 electric guitars, and this guitar is comparable to any of the acoustics I own, and surpasses several of them. I bought one of these guitars after looking at them in Musician's friend. If this guitar was lost or stolen I would definitely buy another with no hesitation. I really love the way it sounds plugged in, and my favorite feature is that it's a cutaway acoustic. (gotta love that Wanted Dead or Alive riff) The only thing I don't really like about the instrument is the tone when unplugged is a little on the thin side. If you're looking for a good acoustic guitar but don't have the cash to spend on a Taylor or Martin, I would definitely recommend this one.

Six string acoustic/electric. On board pre-amp with volume, sub bass,bass,mid,treble and bright sliders with anti-feedback switch. Easy battery access.Epiphone Gotoh tuners. 1/4" and 3-pin lo-z balanced outputs.

Sounds delicious (with new strings). The strings on it when I picked it up were like rubber bands. Plugged in the pre-amp lets you shape the sound the way you want it. Un-plugged it has a very balanced sound that will probably get better with age.

This catagory disapointed me. 4 of the six tuners are screwed in crooked, not a problem functionally but it still bugs me. There is a slight hump in the fretboard at the 14th & 15th frets where the neck meets the body and to stop the buzzing of the strings I have to shim the bridge so high it is almost unplayable. This guitar is going back and I'll probably have to wait another 2 months for the replacement.

Only had it a week so I don't have an opinion here

We'll find out in a couple of days

I bought this guitar because of a magazine rated it a great bargain and if the neck had been flat I would have been very happy. I'll let you know when it gets replaced.

Made in Asia, 1999. Has 20 frets. Solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides. Rosewood fingerboard, with body and neck binding. Acoustic/ electric with cutaway body style. Gold colored hardware with Epi gotoh tuners. Epi Elector preamp with volume and 5 tone controls, ceramic pieso pickup.

Has a bright sound, not quite tinny, when played without an amp. Using through an amp(and I use a small practice amp in my home studio)it can sound terrific. The equalizer slides on the guitar allow you to shape the sound any way you like from thin to thick.

Factory setup was just right for me. Could find no flaws in the finish. Big problem: the first time I plugged the 1/4 inch plug in, then pulled it back out, the jack in the guitar broke. I was able to repair the jack with parts from Radio Shack but it wasn't easy. The jack used is not standard(it cuts power to the preamps battery when not plugged in) so if you have this problem and are not adept at this kind of repair, have it fixed by a pro. I would have but I like a challenge. Could have been a nine if not for this problem.

Its an epiphone. I have a 22+ year old epi acoustic thats still in pretty good shape. If this one comes close I'll be very happy.

I've been playing guitar for 25 years, but only for fun. I own a Peavey T-20 bass, Peavey T-26 electric, Epi Les Paul standard, and an epi Ft-130 acoustic. This is my first electric/acousic and so far I love the thing. I chose this guitar based on my experience with other epiphone guitars.