Epiphone AJ-500ME Masterbilt User manual

SOLID-WOOD ACOUSTICS
Model Hardware Scale Nut Width Neck Materials Headstock FB / Inlay Binding Body Mat. Top Mat. Pickup Colors
DR-500M Nickel 25.5” 1.68” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Split B / N Premium Premium Solid Baggs Element Natural Satin
Unbound Diamond Solid Mahogany Sitka Spruce on DR-500ME
DR-500P Gold 25.5” 1.68” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Split B / N / H Premium Premium Solid Baggs Element Natural Satin
Single-bound Diamond Solid Maple Sitka Spruce on DR-500PE
DR-500R Gold 25.5” 1.68” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Split B / N / H Premium Premium Solid Baggs Element Natural Satin
Multi-bound Diamond Solid Rosewood Sitka Spruce on DR-500RE
DR-500RA Gold 25.5” 1.68” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Split B / N / H Premium Premium Solid n/a Natural Satin,
Multi-bound Diamond Abalone Solid Rosewood Sitka Spruce Vintage Sunburst
AJ-500M Nickel 25.5” 1.68” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Dot B / N Premium Premium Solid Baggs Element Natural Satin
Unbound Solid Mahogany Sitka Spruce on AJ-500ME
AJ-500R Gold 25.5” 1.68” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Dot B / N / H Premium Premium Solid Baggs Element Natural Satin
Multi-bound Solid Rosewood Sitka Spruce on AJ-500RE
EF-500M Nickel 25.5” 1.75” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Vint. B Premium Premium Solid n/a Natural Satin,
Unbound Pearl Diamond Solid Mahogany Sitka Spruce Vintage Sunburst
EF-500R Gold 25.5” 1.75” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Vint. B / H Premium Premium Solid n/a Natural Satin,
Multi-bound Pearl Diamond Solid Rosewood Sitka Spruce Vintage Sunburst
EF-500RCE Gold 25.5” 1.75” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Vint. B / H Premium Premium Solid Baggs Element, Natural Satin,
Multi-bound Pearl Diamond Solid Rosewood Sitka Spruce Cutaway Vintage Sunburst
EF-500RCCE Gold 25.5” 1.75” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Vint. B / H Premium Premium Grade Baggs Element, Natural Satin
Multi-bound Pearl Diamond Solid Rosewood Solid Cedar Cutaway
EF-500RA Gold 25.5” 1.75” Mahogany Tapered / RW / Vint. B / N / H Premium Premium Solid n/a Natural Satin,
Multi-bound Pearl Diamond Abalone Solid Rosewood Sitka Spruce Vintage Sunburst
EN-552 Gold 25.5” 52mm Mahogany Classic Rosewood B Premium Premium Grade n/a Natural Satin
Slot-head Solid Rosewood Solid Cedar
EN-546C Gold 25.5” 46mm Mahogany Classic Rosewood B Premium Premium Grade n/a, Cutaway Natural Satin
Slot-head Solid Rosewood Solid Cedar
EN-546CE Gold 25.5” 46mm Mahogany Classic Rosewood B Premium Premium Grade Baggs Element, Natural Satin
Slot-head Solid Rosewood Solid Cedar Cutaway
EN-546C
With a slightly narrower nut than the standard classical
guitar, plus a cutaway body shape, the EN-546 makes
steel-string guitarists feel instantly at home as they
expand into nylon string guitars. This guitar is available
with the LR Baggs Element system* with a Preamp
voiced personally by Lloyd Baggs to perfectly match
the Epiphone Masterbilt EN-500 series guitars.
EN-552
A solid rosewood body and
solid cedar top give the EN-552
the beautiful, rich tone of a great
nylon string guitar, while the
52mm nut provides a familiar
feel for today’s classical
guitarists.
*The Epiphone Masterbilt Series uses the L.R. Baggs Element system exclusively, which
includes preamp, soundhole-mounted volume control and under-saddle pickup.
**All Epiphone Masterbilt guitars come with a hard Gigbag, embroidered with the Epiphone
Masterbilt logo in gold and a built-in Hygrometer.

I ’m currently looking for a solid-body electric guitar.
Can you tell me what to look for with regards to pickups?
There are two types of pickups currently used on most
solid-body electric guitars today. There is the single-
coil pickup and the humbucking pickup. Of the two, the
humbucker offers some very distinct advantages over its
older counterpart.
1: The humbucker is inherently
“hum” or noise free.
(Hence the
name humbucking, meaning to
“buck” or avoid hum).
Unlike the
older design of the single-coil
pickup which uses only one coil,
the humbucker uses two coils
wound with copper wire in
opposite directions or connected
in reverse polarity. By winding or connecting in
opposite polarity and
connecting together, side by side, the hum or noise from each indi-
vidual coil is canceled by the other.
2: Most humbuckers offer individual,
adjustable pole pieces. Unlike single
coils which use fixed magnetic poles
or “slugs,” humbucker pole pieces
can be
individually adjusted to
match the height and response of
each individual string. Raise the
pole piece closer to the string and
the string is louder. Lower the pole
piece and the string is softer. After
all, not all guitars or strings respond
the same.
3: The humbucker has a significantly
hotter output level. While most
single-coil pickups use small and relatively weak pole piece mag-
nets, the humbucker uses one or more large ceramic or alnico mag-
nets spanning across the width of the base. This, combined with
two coils, creates a much larger magnetic field which tends to elimi-
nate “deadspots” while increasing the overall “power” of the pickup.
That’s why humbucker equipped guitars such as the Les Paul™ are
typically the choice of rock and heavy metal guitarists.
4: The humbucker gives you
two sounds in one! The single-
coil pickup can only give you
one sound - a single coil
sound. However, by wiring the
humbucker in such a way as to
allow for “coil-tapping,” you
can turn on just one coil of a
humbucker and get the thin,
“twangy” sound of a single.
Then, with the flip of a switch, you can turn on both coils and get
the fat, powerful humbucker sound. Most
humbucker equipped gui-
tars can be modified to add this powerful feature.
Counter Clockwise
(Negative)
Clockwise
(Positive)
Single Coil
(Individual fixed magnetic slugs)
Humbucker
(Pole pieces are adjustable screws
over a large magnet)
On On Off On
(Both coils “on”
for the powerful
sound of
traditional
humbuckers;
perfect for rock
or metal)
(Only one coil
“on” for
a thinner,
twangy sound)
I ’ve heard a lot of professional musicians talk about
guitars they love that have great “sustain.” What exactly
does that mean and what makes a guitar sustain?
When guitarists talk about sustain, they are primarily
talking about an instrument’s ability to prolong the sound
of a note or notes. From the time you pluck the string to
the time that the sound disappears defines sustain. In
general, a guitar will have long or “great” sustain if there
is a good transfer of string vibration to the body, neck
and nut/headstock of the instrument.
1: Good Transfer of String
Vibration at the Tailpiece
In general, there are two
basic types of tailpieces - the
floating (or tremolo) style and
the fixed (or Stop Bar) style.
Of these two, the Stop Bar
(which was invented by Gibson Guitar in 1952) is clearly better at
transferring string vibration to the body of the instrument. Because a
tremolo “floats” it actually acts like a “shock (or vibration) absorber”
and therefore transfers little or no string vibration to the body and
wood of the instrument. On the other hand, a Stop Bar tailpiece has
large 1.25" bolts which anchor the strings into the wood of the body
and effectively transfer vibration to the body.
2: Good Transfer of String
Vibration at the Bridge
Again, there are two basic types of
bridges - those that anchor directly
into or on top of the body of the
guitar (like the Tune-o-matic Bridge
invented by Gibson in 1952) and
bridges that are integrated into a
tremolo unit. For the same reasons listed above, the “floating”
bridge/tailpiece tremolo unit transfers little or no string vibration to
the guitar body. Conversely, a Tune-o-matic Bridge is bolted directly
into the body and sends the vibrations of each string into the guitar
for increased sustain and excellent tone.
3: Good Transfer of String
Vibration at the Nut/Headstock
It is important for the strings to pass
over the nut at an angle significant
enough to create good downward
pressure in order to transfer vibra-
tion. Therefore, a headstock
must be
“angled” at least 15 degrees in order to achieve good string pressure.
An angled headstock is more difficult to make and is typically more
expensive because it requires the use of more wood and/or another
gluing operation. Inexpensive guitars avoid this added cost by
combining a “flat headstock” with gadgets called “string trees” to
arti-
ficially
create downward pressure. Unfortunately, string trees are
inherently bad because they dissipate the transfer of string vibration
and energy. Additionally, string trees create an unnecessary angle
and surface for the string to pass over. Often this causes tuning
problems because the string gets “hung-up” or caught on the tree.
Although it may cost a little more, the “angled headstock” will give
you better tone, less tuning problems, and great sustain.
Tune-o-matic Bridge
BODY
Vibrates as Well
Large Bolts Anchor Strings to Body -
When Strings Vibrate So Does Body
Stop Bar
Tailpiece
15oAngle
Good Pressure
food for thought...

electric guitars &
electric basses

the archtop collection
emperor regent™
>Huge body, huge sound, great
personality. The Regent’s Spruce
top and floating mini-humbucker
make this guitar an out and out
jazzer with sweet tone!
One of the “100 Best Buys”
Guitar Player , Nov, 1997
joe pass
emperor II™
Authorized By & Designed In
Cooperation with Joe Pass
>When the late, great Joe Pass
played the guitar, people listened.
Pick up an Emperor II and you
just might get a similar response!
(
Also available Left-Handed)
broadway™
>A big body for all occasions.
Just like the Regent, but with
twin humbuckers, 3-way switch,
2 volume and 2 tone controls.
Early Epiphone Ads

made to be played...
Model Pickups Hardware Scale Nut Width Neck Neck Mat. FB / Inlay Binding Body Mat. Top Tailpiece
Emperor Regent 1 Floating Mini-HB Gold 25.5” 1.68” Set Maple RW/Block & Tri B/N/H Lam. Maple Select Spruce Frequensator
Joe Pass Emperor II Alnico Classic HB/Alnico Hot HB Gold 24.75” 1.68” Set 3-pc Maple RW/Block B/N/H Lam. Maple Select Spruce Avail - L-H
Broadway Alnico Classic HB/Alnico Hot HB Gold 25.5” 1.68” Set Maple RW/Block & Tri B/N/H Lam. Maple Select Spruce Frequensator
Zephyr Blues Deluxe 3 P-90s (M = Rev. Pol) Gold 25.5” 1.68” Set Maple RW/Block B/N/H Flame Maple Flame Maple Frequensator
Zephyr Regent 1 Humbucker Gold 25.5” 1.68” Set Maple RW/Split Parall B/N Mahogany Lam. Maple Trapeze
AlleyKat Alnico Classic HB / “NY” Mini-HB Chrome 24.75” 1.68” Set Maple RW/Block B/N Mahogany Flame Maple StopBar
FlameKat 2 “NY” Mini-HBs Chrome 24.75” 1.68” Set Maple RW/Dice B Mahogany Lam. Maple Licn Bigsby
WildKat 2 Alnico-V P-90s Chrome 24.75” 1.68” Set Maple RW/Dot B/N Mahogany Flame Maple Licn Bigsby
zephyr™“blues”
deluxe
>Based on the legendary 1949
Gibson ES-5, this big bodied
blues machine is fitted with 3
Alnico V P-90s, 3 volume
controls and 1 master tone
control. Unlike the original
however, the middle pickup
is reverse polarity for
hum-canceling tone!
zephyr™regent
>Simply beautiful! That’s how
to describe this classic archtop
featuring 1 humbucker, 1 volume
and 1 tone. Not a lot of hardware,
just great jazz tone!
alleykat™
>The AlleyKat features the
Kat-
Series
small, semi hollow-body
design, Tune-o-matic bridge,
StopBar tailpiece and a combina-
tion of a Alnico Classic
Humbucker in the bridge position
and a “New York” Mini humbucker
in the neck position. The result is
a guitar that’s as unique as you
are, with great sustain, comfort
and sound!
wildkat™
>Like the AlleyKat™and the
FlameKat, the Wildkat features
the small semi-hollow body. And
we’ve added two Alnico V P-90s
for classic tone and now featuring
a Licensed Bigsby Vibrato.
What a sound!
flamekat™
>The ultimate road-rocker,
equipped with 2 “New York” mini-
humbuckers and now sporting a
Licensed Bigsby Vibrato! With
Dice knobs, Dice Inlay and Ebony
finish with Flame decal...
It’s so Hot!!!
Best Electric
under £500

b. b. king lucille™
Authorized by B.B. King and
Gibson USA
>Long live the King!.. of the Blues that is,
Mister B.B. King! Some of B.B.’s personal
touches on this signature model include a TP-
6 fine-tuning tailpiece, semi-hollow body
design with no soundholes and that famous
name on the headstock. With twin
humbuckers, Vari-Tone switch, stereo output
and awesome looks that are synonymous
with the blues... this lady is sweet!
noel gallagher supernova™
& union jack supernova™
>Noel Gallagher, guitarist for Oasis -
Britain’s #1 rock band - worked closely with
Epiphone engineers to perfect his Signature
Model. It looks smashing and plays like
budda! ...
Several years ago, Noel had a Union Jack
flag custom painted on his Epiphone
Sheraton. In the past few years, many have
tried to copy his idea but now, here's the
"real thing.” Presenting... the Noel Gallagher
Union Jack SuperNova complete with all the
same great features of the SuperNova but
now with the distinctive red, white and blue
British flag.
the archtop collection
Featuring TP-6 fine-tuning tailpiece,
Vari-Tone switch and Stereo output

Model Pickups Hardware Scale Nut Width Neck Neck Mat. FB / Inlay Binding Body Mat. Top Tailpiece Available
The SuperNovas Alnico Classic HB/Alnico Hot HB Chrome 24.75” 1.62” Set Maple RW/Split Parall B/N Lam. Maple Lam. Maple StopBar
B. B. King Lucille 2 HBs w Stereo Vari-tone Gold 24.75” 1.68” Set Maple RW/Block B/N/H Lam. Maple Lam. Maple TP-6
Kaukonen Riviera Deluxe Alnico Classic HB/Alnico Hot HB Gold 24.75” 1.62” Set Maple RW/Dot B/N Lam. Maple Lam. Maple Licn Bigsby
Sheraton II Alnico Classic HB/Alnico Hot HB Gold 24.75” 1.68” Set 3-pc Maple RW/Block & Tri B/N/H Lam. Maple Lam. Maple StopBar L/H
Riviera 2 “NY” Mini-HBs Chrome 24.75” 1.68” Set Mahogany RW/Parallelogram B/N Lam. Maple Lam. Maple Frequensator
ES-295 2 Alnico-V P-90s Chrome 24.75” 1.68” Set Mahogany RW/Split Parall B/N Lam. Maple Lam. Maple Licn Bigsby
Casino 2 Alnico-V P-90s Chrome 24.75” 1.62” Set Mahogany RW/Parallelogram B/N Lam. Maple Lam. Maple Trapeze L/H
jorma kaukonen riviera™
deluxe
>The famed guitarist of Jefferson Airplane
& Hot Tuna wanted a Riv built to his exact
specifications. The Jorma Kaukonen Riviera
Deluxe sports an Epiphone Alnico Classic
Humbucker and Alnico Hot HB pickups, Gold
hardware, Grover machine heads, Dot fret
markers and Gold Licensed Bigsby Vibrato!
ES-295
>Authorized by Gibson USA.
The ultimate rock-a-billy box, with
cream P-90s, Gold finish and now
featuring a Licensed Bigsby
Vibrato this baby will give you
wang for your twang. Based on
Gibson’s ES-295 introduced in
1952. It’s good to be back!
sheraton™II
“A price / performance ratio
that seems to good to be true.”
Guitar World, Dec. 1994
>If it’s good enough for the
Boogie Man, John Lee Hooker,
it’s good enough for anyone!
(
Also available Left-Handed)
riviera™
>With twin “New York”
mini-humbuckers and solid
center block, the Riviera
maintains vintage appearance
and thoroughly modern tone
with reduced feedback.
made to be played...
casino™
>One of Epiphone’s most
famous models, the Casino has
changed little over the years. The
combination of the hollow body
and twin P-90’s delivers a warm
yet bright sound that sparkles!

Model Pickups Hardware Scale Nut Width Neck Neck Mat. FB / Inlay Binding Body Mat. Top Tailpiece Available
Dot Studio Alnico Classic/ Alnico HOT Black 24.75” 1.68” Set Maple RW/None B/N Lam. Maple Lam. Maple StopBar
Dot Alnico Classic/Alnico Classic Chrome 24.75” 1.68” Set Maple RW/Dot B Lam. Maple Lam. Maple StopBar
the archtop collection
the dot™
Authorized by Gibson USA
>Everyone wants to own a Gibson
ES-335 “Dot.” Now everyone can
with this Epiphone, authorized by
Gibson USA. THE original ES style
semi-hollow body introduced in the
spring of 1958.
the dot™studio
>Epiphone’s DOT Studio brings new
looks, new functionality and new
affordability to Epi’s wide array of semi-hollowbody
electric guitars. Bold new finish colors, ranging
from hot Tomato to cool Ice Blue, give the new
model its own distinctive flair, and the simplified
electronics - just a single tone and single volume
control - make for easier sound management. The
trademark DOT design, named for the pearl dot fin-
gerboard markers on early models, was invented
by Gibson in 1958 to meld traditional features of
hollowbody electrics with the performance of a
solidbody. The thinbody, double-cutaway style was
adopted by such legendary Epiphones of the
1960s as the Riviera and Sheraton. The Epiphone
DOT Studio features black or white body binding,
black hardware, no fingerboard inlay, die-cast
machine heads and open-coil Alnico-V humbucking
pickups
(with a HOT pickup in bridge position) .Itis
available in Black, Ice Blue, Alpine White, Lemon,
Tomato, and Dolphin Gray.

usa collection
john lennon
“revolution” casino™
john lennon
“1965” casino™
john lennon limited edition usa casinos
>In cooperation with Yoko Ono, Epiphone proudly offers two
Limited Edition
John Lennon Casinos. The John Lennon “1965” Casino is a reproduction
of the guitar as John originally purchased it with the sunburst finish and stock
hardware. In 1968, the newly sanded down to the bare wood, “natural” version
of his Casino can be heard on the recording sessions for The White Album.
The John Lennon “Revolution” Casino is a reproduction of the “stripped” guitar
as it remains today. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each will be
donated to The BMI Foundation, Inc. for the John Lennon Scholarship Fund
which supports music education.
Model Pickups Hardware Scale Nut Width Neck Neck Mat. FB / Inlay Binding Body Mat. Tailpiece
JLH 1964 Sheraton 2 Gibson NY Mini-Humbuckers Gold 24.75” 1.68” Set Mahogany RW/Block & Triangle B/N/H Lam. Maple/Spruce Frequensator
JLH 1964 Sheraton II 2 Gibson NY Mini-Humbuckers Gold 24.75” 1.68” Set Mahogany RW/Block & Triangle B/N/H Lam. Maple/Spruce StopBar
John Lennon “Revolution” Gibson USA P-90s Nickel 24.75” 1.68” Set Mahogany RW/Parallelogram B/N 5-lyr Maple/Birch Trapeze
John Lennon “1965” Gibson USA P-90s Nickel 24.75” 1.68” Set Mahogany RW/Parallelogram B/N 5-lyr Maple/Birch Trapeze
john lee hooker
1964 sheraton™
john lee hooker
1964 sheraton™II
john lee hooker limited edition usa sheratons
>There was only one John Lee Hooker, father of foot-stompin boogie, the Boogie Man, the Crawling
Kingsnake. He introduced to the world a chugging country rhythm behind amplified blues and a gruff
emotional voice. And on top was a starkly intense guitar, that greatly influenced a number of young
rock and rollers in the ‘60s and ‘70s including the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds and ZZ Top. John Lee
was associated with a variety Epiphone archtops, but most closely with the '64 Sheraton.
This “outdid” ES-335 has been duplicated exactly, to the original 1964 specifications... Boogie on!
made to be played...

zakk wylde signature
les paul®custom
Authorized by Zakk Wylde and Gibson USA
>Zakk Wylde, guitarist with Ozzy Ozbourne and his own Black Label
Society, needs little introduction. But his new signature model from
Epiphone does! Start with a Les Paul Custom and add a hard maple,
unfinished neck for biting tone and lightning-fast feel, EMG HZ pickups
for powerful rock tone, and custom bullseye graphics, and you’ve got a
one-of-a-kind rock machine!
the les paul collection
bob marley limited edition
les paul®special
>Dedicated to the memory of this legendary Reggae pioneer, the
Epiphone Bob Marley Commemorative Les Paul Special captures
the simple, yet powerful message of his music. Features include a
solid Mahogany body, one-piece mahogany neck, Alnico Classic
and Alnico Hot HB pickups and Grover machine heads.
Also comes with a special, graphic adorned, “hemp” gigbag.
lynyrd skynyrd
30th anniversary les paul®goldtop
>To commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the legendary American band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Epiphone proudly
offers this Limited Edition guitar. Sure to become a classic - just like Skynyrd! It features all you would expect
in a GoldTop Standard, plus the band’s name on the fretboard and 30th Anniversary logo on the back!
Includes commemorative gigbag.
Zakk Wylde
Joe Perry
joe perry “boneyard” lp
standard plus
Authorized by Joe Perry and
Gibson USA
> The new Epiphone Joe Perry
“Boneyard” is modeled after the
Aerosmith guitarist’s personal Gibson
Les Paul, which features a custom
finish designed by his wife and Gibson’s Custom Shop. The
tiger-striped maple top is finished in a unique yellow-green
Aged Tiger hue, and the headstock sports the “Boneyard” logo
that Perry uses for his home recording studio and his brand of
hot sauce. Pickups are Gibson USA Burstbucker II (reverse
polarity) and Burstbucker III vintage-style humbuckers.