Gallery
Description
Features
Specs
Reviews
Q&A

Videos (2)

View All
The Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE

The Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE

The Epiphone Masterbilt Collection

The Epiphone Masterbilt Collection

Epiphone
Description
The Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE guitar combines traditional construction methods and features with premium all-solid tonewoods to bring you a new-vintage electric guitar with deep, rich lows, shimmering highs, and just the right amount of mids. While many other guitars in this price class use pressed backs, spliced neck joints, and even artificial wood backs and sides, you can be assured that this Epiphone guitar holds true to its all-solid wood promise. 

The DR-500MCE features a solid Sitka spruce top, hand-scalloped Sitka spruce braces, mahogany kerfing, a 25-1/2"-scale rosewood fingerboard, and a rosewood bridge. Players looking for vintage tone and vibe will appreciate the handcrafted dovetail neck joint and hide-glue construction. The Epiphone DR-500MCE guitar has solid mahogany back and sides, as well as a 20-fret, hand-shaped mahogany neck that joins the body at the 14th fret, which is adorned with carefully cut, split-diamond pearl fretboard inlays. As with all Masterbilts, the Epiphone electric guitar features a vintage-style offset headstock with a stickpin inlay.

While the Epiphone DR-500MCE sounds great unplugged, it really comes alive when plugged in thanks to the Fishman Presys preamp and Sonicore pickup system. The onboard Presys electronics provide premium amplification and are also easy to use. Get full control of your sound with master volume, 3-band EQ controls, a tuner switch with output mute, and a phase switch.

When engaged, the Epiphone guitar's output is automatically muted-with no popping noise-making it a perfect choice for stage use.

Other features on the Epiphone Masterbilt acoustic-electric guitar include quality vintage-style machine heads; bone nut and saddle; imitation tortoise pickguard; nickel hardware; and a bound body, neck, and headstock.

Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.
Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural
Features
  • Glued-in, dove-tail, hide-glue neck joint
  • Mother-of-pearl split-diamond fingerboard inlays
  • Fishman Presys preamp and Sonicore pickup with 3-band EQ and tuner, endpin jack
  • 6-ply body, 1-ply neck, 3-ply headstock binding
  • Medium frets
  • Nickel hardware
Specs
Body
  • Body type: Dreadnought
  • Cutaway: Single
  • Top wood: Solid Sitka spruce
  • Back and sides: Solid Mahogany
  • Bracing pattern: Hand-scalloped X
  • Body finish: Matte Natural
  • Orientation: Right handed
Neck
  • Neck shape: SlimTaper D
  • Nut width: 1.68" (42.67 mm)
  • Fingerboard: Rosewood
  • Neck wood: Mahogany
  • Scale length: 25.5"
  • Number of frets: 20
  • Neck finish: Satin
Electronics
  • Pickup/preamp: Fishman Presys preamp and Sonicore pickup
  • EQ/Tuner: 3-band, Yes
Other
  • Headstock overlay: Not specified
  • Tuning machines: Epiphone vintage-style 18:1 ratio
  • Bridge: Rosewood
  • Saddle and nut: Bone
  • Number of strings: 6
  • Special features: Tonewoods
  • Case: Sold separately
  • Accessories: None
  • Country of origin: China
Reviews

4.6

124 Reviews

87%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

I recommend this guitar for anyone who wants quality.
Poor Quality Produce Received
Poor Quality Produce Received
A great guitar for the money!
I am very Epi with this purchase
Epiphone DR-500 MCE Vintage Sunburst
Love this guitar
Pro's I play with admire the sound

Most Liked Positive Review

5

Great Guitar

Wow was my first impression on playing this guitar unplugged. The volume and depth of tone are unmatched at this price range. Workmanship is excellent with solid top and back. I especially like the neck which is non lacquered matte finish. It just feels great in you hands. If this guitar had no electronics I would still give it the high marks, but this one really shines plugged in with the Esonic NanoMag. Everyone who has picked this up and played it can't believe the sound out of this thing for the price. I have a Gibson Hummingbird that I love dearly but it was close to 4 times the cost of this. I was always reluctant to throw the Gibson in a bag and take it over to friends and parties so I started looking for a mid priced box. For a guitar in the $600 range, you won't find a better value or with better electronics.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

3

Great sound, not so great pickups

I bought the Epiphone after trying out a half dozen guitars in its price range, including the Taylor Academy series, Martin X series, Seagull, Breedlove,and Yamaha. The Taylor was easily the best playing of the bunch, but was also the brightest sounding, and I was looking for something with more of a warm, deep sound. The Epiphone was by far the winner in that area. Acoustically, this is certainly one of the best sounding guitars I've played in its price range. It has a deep, full sound that is perfect for so many styles of music. When I plugged it into the Fishman amps they had at the store it sounded okay, but I didn't really spend a lot of time tweaking it to try and find a great sound. Now I wish I had. The eSonic2 system has not impressed me in the least. Maybe owing to the guitar's deep, warm tone, but trying to get a nice clean tone with decent volume is all but impossible. I haven't given up, but by far the best sound I have gotten so far has been running it into a Boss Katana on the acoustic setting. Also, the neck flattened out a lot within a month or two of buying it - so much so that it was pretty much unplayable. I had to back off on the truss rod a turn and a half (which is a lot for those of you unfamiliar with guitar set up), and even then had to put a shim under the bridge to get the strings up high enough. I will eventually replace the bridge, but not until I know the neck has finished moving. All in all, this is a great sounding guitar that plays well when set up properly, but the electronics leave a lot to be desired in my opinion. If I had it to do over I would have bought the Taylor.

Filters
Best Uses
  1. Practicing50
  2. Jamming43
  3. Recording33
  4. Small Venues33
  5. Rock Concerts16
Cons
  1. Poor Quality8
  2. Flat Sound2
  3. Not Consistent2
  4. Different preamp System1
  5. Requires Constant Tuning1
Describe Yourself
  1. Experienced40
  2. Novice22
  3. Professional Musician6
Pros
  1. Good Audio61
  2. Good Feel60
  3. Stays In Tune54
  4. Fun To Play47
  5. Consistent39

Reviewed by 124 customers

  • I recommend this guitar for anyone who wants quality.

    5

    submitted5 years ago

    byMichael, S

    fromNewark Valley, Ny

    I have been searching for a decent guitar that did not cost as much as my other guitars. I also have been wanting to replace a Epiphone acoustic I bought cheap and it sounds like junk, frets cut my hands from playing after a hour. It never stayed in tune, just a lemon unfortunately. When I received this guitar I was anxious, I bought on a stupid deal of the day without ever playing or seeing one in person. I absolutely love this guitar, I can't say enough about it. The neck is like butter in my hand, all strings ring out beautifully, it never loses tuning, sound great plugged in or not, no quality control issues, even the action and intonation were dead on. I have never bought a Epiphone electric or not that is built and set up so well out of the box. I will never get rid of this guitar. Maybe I just got a perfect product but I think you will be pleasantly surprised as I was. Always buy during a sale or sign up for coupons, you get great deals!

  • Not what they have advertised in the photos and videos

    3

    Verified Buyer

    submitted5 years ago

    byKevin W

    fromElizabethtown, KY

    This is a good sounding guitar. My disappointment with it is they downgraded the preamp system to a Fishman one channel pickup with on output. One of the draws to this model was that it had a neck and a bridge/saddle pickup that could blend or function as two outputs. This is gone now which is why I guess they are marking them down so much.

  • This Guitar is a great value , mine plays like butter

    5

    submitted5 years ago

    byRoland F.

    fromJax FL

    Nothing is better than a guitar that is comfortable to play and stays in tune and sounds good. These guitars have a well balanced sound nice mellow tone ,as well as excellent craftsmanship....and it's purty

  • Neck warped after 12 months

    2

    submitted5 years ago

    byRay C

    fromStephenville (central) Texas

    The neck warped so bad it is unplayable. I took back to have it sent to the manufacturer. Its been there for over a month with no information on what Eppiphone is going to do with it. I really like it. It sounds great but the quality of the neck is very poor. I hope they can fix or replace it as I like the guitar but waiting this long is unacceptable. It makes me wonder how reliable the life time warranty is. This is the only readon I gave it 2 stars, otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.

  • I love this guitar, the sound and build quality are great

    5

    submitted5 years ago

    byJim M

    fromAndersonville, TN

    This is my first good quality acoustic guitar. I own an Epi SG model and am very impressed with the quality of that guitar. That lead me to buy an Epi acoustic and I was not disappointed. The neck is finished very well, smooth frets etc. The sound is great and the build quality is really nice. I'm not sure how much I will use the pre-amp but the built in tuner function is nice to have on board. My only minor criticism is the open gear tuners. At the price point of this guitar I mistakenly assumed they would be sealed units like the SG has.

  • Beautiful guitar

    5

    submitted5 years ago

    byDave C

    fromFort Worth, TX

    This guitar sounds rich and beautiful. Whatever song I play, just sounds great! Don't use the electric much, but acoustic is fantastic. Highly recommend this guitar.

Q&A

Have a question about this product? Our expert Gear Advisers have the answers.

  • submitted5 years ago

    asked bycarl

    fromSilverton Idaho

    If purchased today from Guitar Center Is this equipped with the esonic2 pickup as displayed in the video or the older non current fishman

    Open Reply - Thomas
    It has the Fishman

  • submitted5 years ago

    asked byTerry

    fromDonalds, SC

    Is this guitar Pek'd?

    Open Reply - Ronald
    These models aren't plek'd.

  • submitted6 years ago

    asked byBoom Botz

    fromSomers, NY

    What is the country of origin for this guitar? On the guitar's page it says USA, when I compare the product to other guitars, country of origin shows as China.

    Open Reply - Kenneth
    This is made in China

  • submitted6 years ago

    asked byEd

    fromGloster ms

    I bought this guitar and need instructions on it! There was instructions for an electric but not for this particular one. Could you send instructions or tell me where to get them!

    Open Reply - Ronald
    The instructions are more than likely digital only to save on paper. A lot of manufacturers are doing that now. I would suggest checking Epiphone's site for it.

  • submitted6 years ago

    asked byBob

    fromMassachusetts

    Exactly what is open box, and how does that differ from guitars on display in your stores?

    Open Reply - Ronald
    the difference is that it was a trade in from another customer, so it's been used and shows sings of it. Where the demo models also show signs of wear, they haven't actually left the store.

  • submitted6 years ago

    asked byGeoff

    fromCA

    Do you have one of these guitars in your Roseville CA store that I can play?

    Open Reply - Beau
    This guitar should be available at the Roseville store but you may want to contact the store directly to confirm availability.

  • submitted6 years ago

    asked byRex

    fromPope,Ms

    What are the differences between the AJ500 and the Dr500 ?

    Open Reply - Beau
    The DR is a square shoulder dreadnought and the AJ is a round/slope shoulder dreadnought.

  • submitted6 years ago

    asked byBen

    fromCalifornia

    Is this model produced in the USA or overseas ?

    Open Reply - Ronald
    This is made in China.

  • submitted7 years ago

    asked byRick

    fromOklahoma

    Could you send me picture's of the one I would be buying. Showing the scratches or dents.

    Open Reply - Beau
    Unfortunately, we don't have any additional pictures of the actual item or the blemish. However, it would only be a minor cosmetic flaw and would not effect the guitar's play ability.

  • submitted7 years ago

    asked byRick

    fromOklahoma

    Is anything wrong with the Dr 500 mce open in box.

    Open Reply - Beau
    There may be a small scratch or dent but the blemish would not effect the guitars play ability.
  • Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • Next