Plenty of people still treat Epiphone acoustic guitars as cheap stand-ins for a Gibson. The Masterbilt DR-500MCE breaks that habit.
This is an all-solid dreadnought made with old-school touches like hand-scalloped bracing, plus a bone nut and saddle for that vintage snap. Then it’s wired with a dual-source eSonic preamp for the stage.
That blend of vintage build and gig-ready electronics is rare at this price. The slim, Plek’d neck is the other thing players tend to notice first.
We flatpicked it, fingerpicked it, and ran it through an amp to see who it really fits. The sound and feel come next, and you can size it up against our best acoustic guitars roundup.
Epiphone DR-500MCE
An all-solid mahogany acoustic-electric dreadnought with dual-source electronics for gigging players who want vintage tone.
Pros
- All-solid tonewood with hand-scalloped bracing
- Versatile dual-source eSonic-2HD electronics
- Slim, Plek'd neck for fast, buzz-free playability
- Real bone nut and saddle for bright vintage tone
Cons
- Onboard EQ range is somewhat limited
- A little heavier than laminate dreadnoughts
Sound and Playability
The DR-500MCE produces a thick, authentic old-school sound, helped along by its solid mahogany body and hand-scalloped bracing. The tone is sweet and balanced, with rich lows and clear highs that bloom as the notes resonate, and it holds up well whether you’re flatpicking, fingerpicking, or strumming hard.
The real bone nut and saddle add a bright, slow-ringing character that suits blues, country, and jazz.
Playability is where the DR-500MCE quietly impresses. The SlimTaper D-profile neck is slim and hand-shaped, and a deep cutaway opens up the upper frets, so fast licks and complex chords stay comfortable all the way up the 20-fret rosewood fingerboard.
Epiphone also lists the guitar as “Plek’d” for ultimate playability, meaning a Plek machine scanned the neck, filed the frets, and set up the instrument so it plays in tune with no fret buzz out of the box.
Build and Features
The DR-500MCE is built around an all-solid wood design, which is rare in this price range where spliced necks and laminate bodies are the norm. The Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, pearloid inlays, and 25.5-inch scale length all nod to the original 1930s Masterbilt, while the adjustable truss rod keeps the string action dialed in.
It’s offered in natural spruce or vintage sunburst, both with a glossy topcoat for added strength and shine.
The electronics are the headline feature. Inside the body sits an eSonic-2HD stereo preamp fed by two pickups: a NanoFlex under the bridge and a Shadow NanoMag at the neck position.
A blend slider lets you balance the two sources, each pickup gets its own EQ control, and a dedicated button helps tame feedback and phasing on stage. There’s also a built-in tuner and two output jacks for true stereo operation, giving you a rich, natural amplified tone that’s easy to shape.
Who It Is For
The DR-500MCE is a strong fit for the gigging acoustic player who wants vintage tone without a boutique price tag. The slim neck and deep cutaway reward flatpickers and fingerstyle players, while the dual-source eSonic-2HD system gives stage performers far more amplified control than a typical single-pickup acoustic.
If you mainly want a casual living-room strummer, a lighter laminate guitar may suit you better, but if you value all-solid tone and serious onboard electronics, this is squarely your guitar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Epiphone DR-500MCE all-solid wood?
Yes. The DR-500MCE uses an all-solid wood design rather than the spliced necks and laminate bodies common at this price, which is a big part of why it sounds so full and resonant.
What electronics does the DR-500MCE use?
It’s fitted with an eSonic-2HD stereo preamp powered by two pickups, a NanoFlex under the bridge and a Shadow NanoMag at the neck. A blend slider, per-pickup EQ, a phase/feedback button, and dual output jacks let you balance and shape the amplified tone.
Is the DR-500MCE good for fingerstyle?
It’s. The slim, hand-shaped SlimTaper neck and deep cutaway make flatpicking and fingerstyle comfortable across the whole fretboard, and the balanced tone keeps individual notes clear.
Does the DR-500MCE come with a built-in tuner?
Yes. The eSonic-2HD system includes a built-in chromatic tuner, along with two output jacks so you can run the guitar in stereo. Engaging the tuner mutes the output, so you can tune silently between songs on stage.
Final Thoughts
The Epiphone DR-500MCE packs an unusual amount of guitar into an acoustic-electric under $1000: all-solid construction, hand-scalloped bracing, a Plek setup, and a genuinely flexible dual-source preamp. The limited EQ range and slight extra weight are easy trade-offs for the rich vintage tone and stage-ready electronics on offer, and it only gets more likeable the longer you play it.
We happily recommend it, and if you needed more proof, Epiphones are good guitars.
