Update:
I love my new Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE! It came with a slight finish defect in the neck but the sound and intonation was great. In fact, in intonation was near pefect all the way up the fret board.
I asked for a replacement from Sweetwater which they quickly sent and the replacement was flawless visually but did not sound as good. I kept the first one.
The sound of this dreadnought is full and crisp. The sound plugged in is very impressive. It has two pickups and I will be experimenting today with how they sound in tandem as well as micing the guitar.
I took a chance on this guitar and can tell you I found a keeper indeed.
Rimshot