Epiphone: MB-250

Submitted by greggfla on 2/28/2007

Where Purchased: GuitarCenter.com

Year Purchased: 2007
Price Paid: $599.00 ($US)

Sound

My musical style is Bluegrass & Country and this banjo suits them just fine! I was very surprised with the sound of the Epiphone MB-250 when I first tried it. The MB-250 has the same quality sound as some of the other "high priced" banjos I have played, and is far superior to others in it's price bracket. For what I paid, you just can't beat it.

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

I bought the banjo online from GuitarCenter.com It took only 5 days from the time I ordered it to the day it was delivered! The packing was pretty good, no damage from the shipping.

There was no "pre-setup" done on the banjo at all. I had to do it myself, which wasn't hard and didn't take much time. The neck did have a slight bow in it so I adjusted the truss rod and that took care of it. I'm going to put a Snuffy Smith bridge on it and a set of new Gibson strings. At some point down the line I'll put a new tailpiece on it and install a Shubb 5th. string capo. The action is nice and it plays well up the neck.

Setup Rating: 5

Appearance

I love the appearance of the MB-250, it has that classic "Earl Scruggs" Gibson look to it which I absolutely love.

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

As far as reliability goes, I can't give an opinion based on years of playability, I haven't owned it very long, but it's a well built solid instrument. The only thing I plan to change on it is the tailpiece and bridge. So far it has proven very reliable and I am very confident that it will stand up to the reputation of quality that the Epiphone/Gibson names carrys for many years to come.

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

I haven't had a problem with my banjo where I had to call customer service. I did call them however because I had a question about the warranty. When I called the Epiphone "800" number, I was put directly through to the 24 hour Gibson Customer Service Dept. They were friendly and helped me out right away.

I have other musician friends that have dealt with Gibson Customer Service and said they are very easy to deal with and got satisfactory results every time.

The Epiphone MB-250 comes with a limited lifetime warranty. (I'm waiting a while before I install the Shubb 5th string capo, as it will void the warranty)

Customer Service: 10

Components

The MB-250 has:
Planetary tuners.
A geared 5th string tuner.
The truss rod cover came with the trade mark Epiphone "E" engraved on it.
Has classic heart style inlay fret markers starting at the 3rd fret.
A one piece flange with 4 thumb screws holding the resonator on.
The neck and resonator are Mahogany with a cream colored inlay and circle design on the back of the resonator.
The bridge is plain wood & ebony.
The tailpiece kind of resembles the Waverly style.
Has a plain chrome arm rest.
Has duel coordinator rods.
Weighs 18 pounds.

Components Rating: 8

Overall Comments

I highly recommend this banjo, for the price I paid it's a quality instrument. If my banjo was ever lost or stolen I'd have no second thoughts about going out and buying the same banjo right away. I love every thing about this banjo, from the sound to the looks to the price I paid!

Overall Rating: 10