Topic: Morgan-Monroe M-50

Currently looking at an M50, selling for $440.00.
Anybody own one? I'm guessing they retail new around a grand.
If I buy it, I will have to sneak it into the house and hide it for a spell...

Hank's prosepctive gutiar player said: "Mr Williams, I'm not sure I can play for you, the onliest chords I know are C D & G"
Hank repleis, after a short pause: "Well, what else is there?"

Re: Morgan-Monroe M-50

I had one for about a year and it was a great guitar!  Fit and finish was good, not great but good....  Tone and playability was awesome. The nut width is 1 11/16 but the string spacing felt crowded to me and I prefer more radius on a fret board (morgans are about a 15 inch radius similar to Martins) so I eventually parted with it. It comes with 2 neck options... A slim D shaped neck (what mine was) and a modified v which to me felt chunky and odd when barring. 

As a cautionary note.... I used to help run the local mom and pop music store and we carried these. I found that they were not very consistent. Some sounded great and some only so-so.

Here's a link to a review by guitarworld magazine (be sure to scroll down for a good sound demo/video of it) http://www.guitarworld.com/morgan_monro … tic_guitar


And here's a few pics of mine...
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2322/1793569813_e39446da7a_z.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2109/1793572615_4c1641ebf7_z.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2213/1793577479_592f740f46_z.jpg

The spruce on top was good grade. Supposedly AAA but there's no set guidelines for grading tone wood so luthiers can claim pretty much any grade they want....  Side stepping with a little tantrum here wink You know people nowadays get all worked up about straight tight grain being better because its more appealing to the eye and it gets the highest grade... Yet they want that deep bass of the martins of old.  The reason guitars then had more bass and often superior tone is because of the tops (alot of it anyway). they had wide grain often with waves and some tight grain... You know a barrage smile That's the era when looks weren't important and tap testing tops was still the norm. It was all about tone so what if it had some waves, wide grain, or uneven color, it resonated better and was used. Now it doesn't pass the grade and is set aside for cheaper guitars or trashed altogether.  Studies support that wider grain results in more bass and a more "open" sound where tight grain often increases highs and reduces bass....   Okay end of rant, Sorry about that wink

Anyway the tops usually looked nice but the rosewood backs were all stained very dark and the grain (when you could see it) wasn't the most impressive on most that I saw.... Not bad quality per-say but not quartersewn really well. Like 2nd choice i guess....   But like I said, mine sounded awesome and I never had any troubles with it... It was a surprisingly stable guitar for all solid construction. Stayed in tune for weeks.

[b][color=#FF0000]If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something.
[/color][/b]         [b]Peace of mind. That's my piece of mind...[/b]

Re: Morgan-Monroe M-50

$440 sounds like a good deal. I owned a MM Blues 32 for a while. Nice guitar but I sold it due to GAS.

Re: Morgan-Monroe M-50

I will advice if you ever encounter one of their Imperial Koas to run away from it sad I was so impressed with my M50 that I ordered an Imperial koa dread... I tried my best to love it, tried all kinds of strings and such but it just did not make the cut. Very dry and shallow tonally sad
Looked good though...lol (except for the ultra cheap gold colored plastic tuner buttons)
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3035/2568134187_697ba8d5bd_z.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3040/2568959204_4e54e535b9_z.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2061/2568135441_463df11ff2_z.jpg

[b][color=#FF0000]If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something.
[/color][/b]         [b]Peace of mind. That's my piece of mind...[/b]

Re: Morgan-Monroe M-50

Well, I went to see it. It was a beautiful looking guitar, all glossy rosewood back and sides, a boatload of inlay, very very pretty. I played it a bit, and it has a nice "feel" - d neck model. Sounded great, if a bit heavy on the low end. Nice ring.
There was a problem, though. There is a gouge in the neck, repaired, but you can still feel it when you play. Doesn't really affect playabilty much, but the repair doesn't match the neck well at all, so while you can't feel it, you can see it and it does affect your playing. I don't know.

Hank's prosepctive gutiar player said: "Mr Williams, I'm not sure I can play for you, the onliest chords I know are C D & G"
Hank repleis, after a short pause: "Well, what else is there?"

Re: Morgan-Monroe M-50

There's an imperial KOA on Ebay. I was watching it but not seriously. I just like the looks. I will heed Guitarpix advice: start running!

Re: Morgan-Monroe M-50

naolslager wrote:

There's an imperial KOA on Ebay. I was watching it but not seriously. I just like the looks. I will heed Guitarpix advice: start running!

Smart move!  The best thing about that guitar was the case....   Ultra nice case for such a cheap guitar!  When I sold mine I kept the alligator case and sold it in a cheaper hardcase I had laying around smile

[b][color=#FF0000]If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something.
[/color][/b]         [b]Peace of mind. That's my piece of mind...[/b]