Review of: Epiphone DR-100 Guitar
by Brian Lamacraft
Tones
0%
Playability
0%
Hardware
0%
Value
0%
30
%
Overall
- Perfect beginner acoustic guitar
- Sounds great for the price you pay
- Easy to pick up and play
- Comes in several colors
- Lacks the punch of a full-featured acoustic guitar
- Hard to play higher frets because there is no cutaway
The Epiphone DR-100 is a quality beginner acoustic guitar that will help you get started playing guitar, stumbling along to your first songs, or even writing at that first song faster than you ever believed before.
This guitar is very easy to play and has everything you need to begin to play acoustic guitar without that giant price tag that many acoustic guitars have. You will be impressed by the sound of this instrument and how easy you’ll be able to strum it.
This is a very affordable acoustic guitar and one of the top sellers of the Epiphone brand so you know you are getting a guitar that has a lot of value.
Full Detailed Epiphone DR-100 Review
Many beginner guitar players and even those that have been playing for quite some time dream about writing their own songs. We spend a lot of time with our instruments and want to create that perfect song.
Most players end up writing songs on acoustic guitars. The main problem that we face when buying an acoustic guitar is that they are very expensive instruments and we often can’t afford them.
If you want to start creating songs there is one company that makes exceptional beginner guitars so you can begin to write those songs without spending a whole lot of money.
Let’s have a look at my Epiphone DR-100 review to see what this beginner acoustic guitar has in store for you.
I looked at this guitar in several different categories including tones, playability hardware, and overall value…
Epiphone DR-100 Tones
This guitar features excellent acoustic sounds. You’ll be able to play all of your favorite music whether it is folk, country, rock, bluegrass, classical, or other styles of acoustic music.
You will find it very easy to strum chords and play some simple lead lines.
It has a very nice sound to it despite the lower price tag.
Beginners will enjoy playing this guitar because they’ll be able to create all of their favorite music with it without a lot of trouble.
Since this guitar is a dreadnought style acoustic guitar it has a nice booming sound to it.
There is not much this beginner acoustic guitar can’t do. I was very impressed by the sounds I was able to get out of this guitar without a whole lot of trouble.
Epiphone DR-100 Playability
The main thing that it doesn’t feature is a cutaway so it’s harder to hit the higher frets.
This probably isn’t the instrument for you if you want to play a lot of lead acoustic guitar but for simple rhythm strumming and for learning basic chords it excels in that area.
You will find the neck nice and smooth and you shouldn’t have any problems playing basic chords at the beginning of position or even strumming some barre chords.
For anyone that just wants to pick up an acoustic guitar and pick some chords now and again or is learning how to play their favorite songs, this guitar is a good choice.
I was amazed at how easy it was to play and how chords and scales sounded on the instrument.
Epiphone DR-100 Hardware
This guitar features a select spruce top so you get a lot of tone out of the instrument, especially in this price range.
Spruce produces a very nice sound for acoustic guitars especially in at this price range.
It also features a rich sounding mahogany body so chords and single notes will boom out while you play them.
This instrument also features an Okoume glued neck.
The tuning pegs on this instrument are nickel and they help stabilize the tuning of the guitar.
The bridge of the instrument is well set and you also get bridge pins which are easy to remove and will hold the strings in their position.
There is a nice pickguard on this instrument which helps protect the top of the guitar from damage.
You get a set of D’Addario 12s on this instrument but I would go for a lower gauge string if you are a beginner as it won’t be as hard on your hands.
Epiphone DR-100 Value
In this Epiphone DR-100 review also looked at the value of this guitar.
This guitar has a lot of its value especially if you are a beginner player that is just getting started playing the instrument.
It’s quite easy to play and you should be able to pick it up without a lot of trouble.
This is a basic acoustic guitar it has everything that you need to start sounding great.
If you’ve been playing for some time you’ll naturally want something a little bit more than what this guitar offers but it is an exceptional beginner guitar.
You’re not going to be spending a whole lot of money on this guitar but you get good value for the dollars that you are spending.
Who is the Epiphone DR-100 Guitar Suited For?
This guitar is best suited for those that are just starting out playing guitar and want a high-quality acoustic guitar that doesn’t cost a whole lot of money.
This instrument is also well suited for an intermediate player that wants to get into acoustic guitar but doesn’t know where to start.
Epiphone makes very best acoustic guitars as well as electric guitars and this one is no exception.
It’s perfect for anyone that wants to play their favorite acoustic songs or simply strum chords and have a good time at a campfire.
Epiphone DR-100 Review: Build and Finish
In terms of acoustic guitars, this Epiphone DR-100 looks great.
It is a full-sized dreadnought style acoustic guitar.
You can get it in a couple of different finishes which is a nice added touch considering many acoustic guitars only come in natural.
The headstock has a nice Epiphone logo on it and the headstock also has some added details like lettering on the truss rod cover.
The guitar is also well finished and I didn’t notice any problems with the finish on this instrument like you might find on other lower-cost acoustic guitars.
Everything looked great right out of the box so you should any problems with your instrument.
This acoustic guitar is well supported by braces inside the guitar and they don’t rattle or move around as some other cheap acoustic guitars do.
Epiphone DR-100: Feel and Action
This acoustic feels great in your hands and you shouldn’t have any problems playing it.
The guitar is well-suited to playing chords and for strumming along to all of your favorite songs.
The action on the instrument was set up quite well right out of the box so you shouldn’t have to change this.
If you plan to change the action on an acoustic guitar, I advise that you take it to a professional through a guitar store to do this for you because it’s easy to ruin the action on an acoustic guitar if you try to change it yourself.
If you find the strings too hard to play, I would suggest going with a lower gauge as these are easier on your fingers.
As a beginner, you may find your fingers get sore on the standard 12 gauge strings that come with this acoustic guitar. Simply lower the string gauge and you will find the instrument much easier to play.
Epiphone DR-100: Overall Sound
This guitar offers a nice average acoustic guitar sound in a very low-cost beginners instrument.
For beginners, it’s easy to create some good sounds. It is easy to do all sorts of acoustic guitar work from simple strumming to picking notes and doing lead runs.
I was well satisfied with the sounds. I was able to get out of this acoustic guitar and for beginner instrument, it is well worth the price.
You get a lot of value out of this acoustic guitar and it’s one of Epiphone’s best sellers for a reason it is simply easy to play.
Watch a video of Epiphone DR-100 demo sound from Gear4music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZxrR5SkBjM
Conclusion
Now we have reached the end of my Epiphone DR-100 review.
If you are looking for a simple low-cost acoustic guitar, this Epiphone is the right choice.
It’s a very simple guitar to play and it has that nice dreadnaught style sound we all crave in an acoustic guitar.
Beginners are going to find the guitar very easy to pick up so they can begin to strong with their first chords.
If you are new to acoustic guitar or changing from electric guitar to an acoustic, this is a good choice as that first beginner instrument.
Their guitar is well put together and has everything that you could need to start streaming and writing those first songs.
Image Credit:
Adam Perlmutter, an acclaimed guitar journalist and editor of ‘Acoustic Guitar’, holds a master’s from New England Conservatory. Based in Culver City, he excels in writing, transcription, and engraving. His works, including ‘Color Your Chords’, blend music theory with practical guitar insights. At Fretterverse, Adam’s expertise enriches content for guitar enthusiasts of all levels.