“It’ll suit those players who like to hit hard and make their guitar really shout”: Epiphone Masterbilt Texan review
Guitar World Verdict
For less than a grand, you’re getting a lot of acoustic guitar with the Epiphone Masterbilt Texan. It’s a bit of an outlier versus the more popular J-45 and Hummingbird, but if you don’t fancy a shorter scale or the Hummingbird is a little too garish for your tastes, it’s a brilliant acoustic in its own right.
Pros
+Great value for money
+Beautiful looks
+Long scale for extra volume
+Fantastic sustain
Cons
-String tension won’t suit all
-Battery pouch is a bit unsightly
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Although not as well known as its more famous cousins, the J-45 and the Hummingbird, the Epiphone Masterbilt Texan could be just the thing if you want the look and feel of a Gibson round-shouldered dreadnought but prefer a longer scale length. Famously used by guitarists like Paul McCartney, Peter Frampton, and Noel Gallagher, the Texan is no stranger to the hands of legendary players despite not carrying the full-fat Gibson logo on its headstock.
With its ultra-thin nut width and longer scale, the Texan first appeared way back in 1958, manufactured in two factories in Philadelphia and Kalamazoo. The original model was classified as an Advanced Jumbo rather than the round-shouldered dreadnought we see now, but that was just Gibson’s way of labeling their dreadnought guitars.
(Image credit: Future/Matt McCracken)(Image credit: Future/Matt McCracken)
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Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at Guitar World. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on guitars, amps, pedals, modelers, and pretty much anything else guitar-related. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including MusicRadar, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog. A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and writing and recording in bands, he’s performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the country in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at.
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