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I have twenty solid body flat tops, some imports and some domestic built. I have four J-45's and love all of them. They all have their voices. When I saw the add for the AJ 45 ME, it looked great and sounded great in the add so, I took a chance on it. I am certainly glad that I did. This guitar is amazing, in particularly for $599.00. I have had it for a week and it is finally beginning to settle down a bit. All new guitars have a break in period where they are hard to keep in tune until all of the joints get used to being played under standard tuning stress. The only changes that I made to the instrument was to: Polish the frets with 0000 steel wool and I applied three coats of Maguiar's Number 2.0 swirl remover to the finish and then applied Maguiar's cleaner wax. It added a bit of shine and deepened the finish considerably. The finish was a bit too flat for me, almost smoky. I had read that some players were not happy with the flatness of the satin finish. I also restrung it with DR Dragon Skins 12-54. After about a week, the guitar and strings settled down and an amazing instrument appeared. I can find no flaws in the finish nor, build. The tone is big, balanced, warm and wide. I am a long time finger style player, teacher and performer and I have found this to be the best guitar deal that I have ever made. The set-up on the guitar was perfect when it arrived. That has never happened to me before this guitar. I called a friend of mine two days ago and gave him my report and he purchased one that day. If you are sitting on the fence with this instrument don't--it is a wonderful guitar. It does not sound like the new J-45's, if that is what you want, I have one; it sounds like my old ones, from the 1950's and I love that quality about it. The pick-up is great and very easy to balance. Given the all solid wood construction, dove tail neck joint and hyde glue joints, this guitar will only continue to get better in time. I will be purchasing another one for open tunings and slide. I hope that this helps interested buyers out. As usual, the service at zZounds, was first rate. I received the guitar in three days, from purchase date. Congratulations to Epiphone, for building a great guitar, at an amazing price! Capitalism, is a wonderful thing is it not!

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I've been playing for over 20 years. I bought this guitar solely based on the reviews and feedback from other people that had played it. The guitar arrived quickly after ordering it and was flawless right out of the box. I changed the strings to Elixir Nanowebs because that's what I play on most of my other guitars. This guitar sounds warm with big projection. The action was perfect for me, so I didn't make any adjustments there. I love the matte finish. I know some guys dont like that finish, but I think it gives the guitar a great old vibe look. For the money, I dont think you can find a better guitar. This guitar can go mano a mano with some much more expensive guitars out there. The one thing I'm not crazy about are the hidden electronics. I have larger hands so I find it hard to get in there for quick adjustments.

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Beautiful guitar, and it sounds event better than it looks! Flawless finish, set up nicely out of the box.

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Plays great, sounds great, playability is outstanding. Wanted a 68 or less Gibson J-45 and for the $$ I will play my new Epi AJ45. Love its sound and a keeper for sure! Thanks again zZounds! You are outstanding as well!

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The guitar sounds very nice and was set up nice and low but not too low. It is very comfortable and enjoyable to play. Very good value for the price.

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I own the 2016 Gibson j45 and I just got my New Epiphone Masterbilt AJ45me from Zzounds and it was flawless, the action was at spec and intonation was spot on right out the box,and the fit and finish was Beautiful, I replaced the stock Strings with D'addario EXP11, and it sounds really close to my Gibson j45 with the same strings , the neck is comfy, and the satin finish is really nice too, I play the aj45me and my Gibson j45 through my Ltd.Ed. Fender blues jr, ( that I also got from Zzounds ) sounds great , I think the. Cannabis red Rex speaker and Sparkle mod make for a great amp for acoustic guitars I've Been playing both guitars back to back since I got my aj45me 4 days ago. And it's a really sweet playing guitar , gives my Gibson a respectable run for its money , it's not a Gibson of course , but it's a nice alternative ,get one from Zzounds while they last , Zzounds always treats me right and makes sure I get the Guitar or Gear I'm happy with , even if I have to return for replacement, Zzounds rocks

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What a guitar! Loving it! Reminds me so much of the classic slope shouldered dreadnought I owned back in the '50s. That guitar is still available today but at a price 4 or 5 times what I paid for the Epi.

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For what it is, it’s great. It’s not in the same league as a real J45 and doesn’t really pretend to be. What it doesn’t do is deliver the same golden tone as Gibson’s workhorse. What it does do is produce a likable sound all it’s own; as long as you can get over the bland flat finish.With that out of the way, this is an all-solid wood guitar that comes plek’d and ready to rock. I bought this as a gig-worthy backup for my trusty Gibson J29 and it lives up to that need. Is it as good as a Gibson? No it’s not. Is it really good anyway? Yes it is.What I really like about the AJ45 is the tone and playability. It’s got a fine neck that plays fast and feels great. Mine came setup perfectly - which is more than I can say for any Gibson I’ve owned.

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The guitar showed up before noon on the second day. So the shipping time was awesome. I was super excited to get this guitar and spent hours reading reviews and watching vids on YouTube. I've owned mid end Martins, and 2k dollar Taylors. I grew up in a musical family and have been able to play Martin D-42s to HD-28s. Guild D-55 and currently play on my Old mans Gibson J-45 when I visit. We play a lot together so I lm quite familiar with the J-45. Reading what everyone had said about the Epi Aj45 got me pretty excited. It showed up and I quickly opened the box to pull out the Epi box it came in. The box was tore up and re-taped which was a pretty obvious sign that it was used and returned. I won't lie, that pissed me off. But whatever. Before I strummed one note I looked the axe over with a fine toothed comb. One finish blemish that almost looks like belt rash, and a small ding on the headstock. A little black marking on the binding, and all of these I can live with. I play my guitars, I bring them camping and to music festivals. I believe that's what they are for, although I personally want to be the one to add these marks of character. First thing I noticed was the weight...it's heavy. It reminds me of and old Gibson Les Paul. Doesn't really bother me, but twice the weight of a J-45. One thing I loved about guitars is the smell. Is that weird? Anyway Martins have such a good natural smell, i could smell it once I walked into my living room. This one, smells like elmers glue. I mean really smells of glue. Again, something I can live with, just a note. The guitar looks beautiful in my opinion. I read a lot of reviews regarding the satin tobacco burst finish being too dull. It's satin, that's the point. One thing I don't like about the J-45 is the heavy gloss. Especially on the neck. Feels like plastic to me. Don't get me wrong that guitar is 2400 for a reason. No comparison between the J-45 and this Epi, I don't care what anyone tries to say. On to playability. First strum...BUZZZZZ. The action was SO low, it was impossible to play. Literally. Now I'm turning green and about to hulk smash this thing off the floor. Maybe I have an anger issue, but like I said, I spent hours researching this thing. Also why I felt compelled to write an honest review. I know guitars need to acclimate for a couple days. I did that. I made one quarter turn counter clockwise on the truss rod and that helped a bit. Still buzzes. I'm going to need to shim the bridge saddle. Again annoying but sometimes that what you have to do. The fit and finish are pretty good, not as good as I have read. The sound hole paint is sloppy, and non existent in some places. The body was full of particles of wood, paint and glue. The construction is very good and solid. The inlays are spot on and way better than my last lower end Martin (1k) the headstock had "Martin" stamped on and already starting to wear from my capo resting there. Who cares really. The Grover sta-tite tuners are really nice. I love the look and solid feel. The sound. The sound is a bit "Tinny" not warm or bassy at all like a J-45 or even like my Martin Jr. Dread. I think that it will open up however and I'm really hoping to get some lower end out of it. It does resonate for days which I like. I will say it plays like butter and is far easier than most acoustics. I love that. It's just lacking in the sound department as of right now. Is it worth 650? Ehh, probably bc most decent acoustics are spendier than that. I'd say save up and get the new Gibson HP series for 1499. I'm just impatient so here I am with the Epi. I do think that with time this guitar will be worth the money, and if they stop making them, won't lose much value. Maybe even gain years down the road bc it is built well. I live in the damn sticks, so I don't get the chance to hit a music store and play multiple guitars, but I'd highly recommend doing that vs buying one sight unseen and un-played. Last note...I played a Seagull rustic mini jumbo, and I think the sound was better and almost half the price. I just HATE Seagull headstocks. Hideous. Hope this helps!

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The Masterbilt line has produced some great sounding wood for the money. And anyone who cares about guitars at all, wouldn't mind taking a guitar out in public no matter HOW it looks as long as its got the sound. Grow up!

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As a youngster I listened to Wes Montgomery. Later it was Earl Klugh and George Benson. With my beating up on this guitar it has that sound. I'd recommend the AJ-45ME for the pro or the beginner.

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Guitar arrived and when unpacked showed signs of previous unpacking. Shipping bag cover was ripped and not secured around guitar. Tuning machine pegs were noticeably at different heights and guitar would not stay tuned.

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This guitar plays and sounds just great. Great action out of the box. Unfortunately the poor matte finish makes it suitable only for home practice. Unimpressive and dull flat finish simply ruins this guitar for playing in public. There's not a speck of gloss or shine to be found anywhere on it.

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