For the price my 2003 melody maker was a total gem, though it does have a single p90 and a tune o matic bridge. I've got les Paul standards, juniors and my melody maker is still one of my favorite guitars.
@IAMNOTAGOODCHILD You buy an upgraded bridge with saddles and a stop piece all rolled into one mount. Mine intonates perfectly, and is one of the most reliable guitars in my collection.
You insult Eipiphones but they are good guitars. My LP custom about £530 is really nice. You do have to cherry pick them. Though as I can see where your coming from, with any Epiphone or Gibson guitar they can range from horrific to fantastic and the one I got after visiting the shop often after a couple of months was really good. Low action great sound great tone, I prefer it to my Gibson SG standard and my Rickenbacker 360. So don't give Epiphone a hard time.
Well... I do understand your perspective with this review and agree on a couple of points including the finish issue. However, I really love the MM neck. The body has great resonance that really works better than my P90 LP Deluxe for a number of styles I play. For 300+ bucks a pop, I think a lot of folks have a little bit of customization in the back of their minds when they buy one. I do :)
@bigrock007 The color actually comes off of it. Right on to your hands. Straight down to the bare wood. It won't relic. It just rubs off. You can actually rub your finger across the black part of the sunburst and smear it right across the orange. You can write your name in the finish with your finger tip. Not a good thing.
@noodle4313 No biggie my friend. I simply give my personal opinion on the guitars that pass through here. No harm meant by the review, just a bad one got into my hands and I pointed out what all was bad about it. Thake care and thanks again.
My pleasure. I bought it online and gave it a much needed setup. After doing everything to it I could and still keeping it original...it was simply a junker and I sold it on Ebay for a good hundred bucks more than I paid for it. Funny thing is that I bought it new, in the box from a music store with warranty and everything and still people were willing to pay more for it on Ebay than they could buy it for directly on line. There's the power of that logo again.
So here we are, April 26, 2017, and that very guitar you're holding in the video is selling for prices nearing $1,000 on eBay. The single coil version is selling for up to $600. Might not be a great guitar, but they're appreciating in value. You might want to hold on to it.I got one as a gift in 2008, and I was never super impressed with it, but it's a Gibson and it came from loved ones, so I kept it. Glad I did.
Phil R, I have a mint condition dual-pickup MM (same exact one in this video) with the pickguard film still on it! Curious: did you actually see it selling for the price you've referenced somewhere on Ebay?
Yep. Sure did. Blew my mind when I saw it too. I don't see that listing on there any more, but they still have the single pickup version. www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Melody-Maker-Reissue-/162322812051?hash=item25cb318c93:g:WyQAAOSwA3dYU49S
i must say , the older ones (SG type) are great unique sounding instruments. ive played on a new version and its the last i'll ever try from the NEW MM series .
Yeah, they didn't do a whole bunch of them. They pop up every now and then on Ebay. They did the sunburst and the white in the 2 pickup version. I'm not sure about the black.
Thank you for your honest review. I just tried one out today in the used section at GC. I almost bought it but I had my reservations. For one, the neck pickup was muddy and like 40% louder than the bridge pickup. The bridge pickup was articulate but thin. The middle position was super sweet. the things stayed in tune beautifully. It was light and comfortable. The white finish was flaking off all over it for sure. It was 15 years old by this time to be fair. It would ld make a fun travel guitar/practice buddy--but not an investment.
The secret to these is chromes (flats). Tames all the top end but keeps definition. You should never run it wide open (volume or tone). But it is an awesome guitar if you learn it’s quirks!
Yeah, the neck wasn't horrible except for the finish melting off in your hands, if they are dripping acidic sweat like mine do. You actually play for 5 minutes and your hands are jet black. It would have to be a project guitar and really should say Epiphone instead of Gibson on the headstock.
I picked one of these up on a whim in 2008. Musician's Friend clearance section. Stock pickups were almost inaudible half of the time. Swapped out the pickups with Seymour Duncan's Lil '59 and a JB Jr., slapped some new electronics in it, and threw an adjustable wraparound bridge on it, and it's one of my favorite guitars. Then again, I threw $400 into a guitar I bought for $350. Sounds just as good as my Gibson LP Studio and my Fender American Strat... now.
@LESDT Much appreciated my friend. I'm glad that you enjoy them. I just get so used to getting yelled at that it surprises me when someone pays a compliment. lol Thanks again! Scott
@cpkelley You are exactly correct. Hot rodded, it would be sweet. It just needs some help in my opinion. Some of the folks just don't understand that it's one guy's opinion. Thanks for taking the review for what it is and seeing the true potential in the guitar.
I like my melody maker 😊 The frets are a little sharp I prefer the single pup, not the double I just like the simple look, I’m actually thinking of getting it plekkd 😊I just like how thin it is I wish they made a lollar pup that would fit with no routing Right now it’s my favorite for electric 😊 hey thanks for featuring the melody maker I have the les paul like you but one pup 😊 it’s so easy to manipulate 😊
@inveng Exactly, you can make them sound fair, but they really, really, really skimped on the quality of the build and again, as you pointed out, the finish just falls off and you could put a dent in it if a Q-Tip fell on it. Most folks buy these because the ACTUALLY want them to look beat up, finish falling off etc. (look 60 years old) within the first year they own it. So, they were really produced so that you could get that RELICED look naturally in 1/100th the time. Just not my thing.
No problem at all. In the case of this guitar, it is only the sticker on the headstock that you are paying for. This is worse than any Epiphone in recent years. This guitar shouldn't exist. It's truly that bad.
A lot of people love them. They weren't for me at all. I'm really happy that mine is gone. It sounded good as a blues, slide guitar, but I simply couldn't get any other useful sounds from it. And the fact that the finish actually melts off in your hands was a big problem to me. But, lots of people love them and that is always great when someone clicks with an instrument. Not every guitar is for everyone and it just didn't sit right for me. Cheers.
@milanpsycho Thank you. The Mexican Strats are great. You can't go wrong there. Not hardly any difference between them and the USA Strats. Just a little better quality switches and pots in the USA axes, but the Mexican ones are a much better value for the money and you won't hear one bit of difference between them and the USA ones.
@zikazivac94 Of course. You can play any song by any artist on any guitar. The Melody Maker has been made in DOZENS of different styles. The current Melody Makers are actually in the shape of Flying V's, Elxporers and so on with one Humbucker instead of the single coil pickups. So, those would be more distortion friendly than the model reviewed here. I hope that helps (if this was a serious question anyway).
Sounds really great! All the nice lacquer and fittings mean nothing if it doesn't have the sound. Are the P90s reverse wound on the expensive Les Paul heritage or whatever they call it?
LOL, too funny. But it's true, nobody belives the reviews, I'm nobody really and I simply give my own personal experiences and someone else may love it....someone who's never had a guitar before maybe. I just got a 93 Les Paul Studio Lite M III yesterday that has a 5 way switch, 2 humbuckers and a single coil in the middle and a 2 way switch. One position of the 2 way splits the humbuckers and switching and sounds are like a Strat, flip the 2 way and It's all humbuckers and Les Paul again! A+
"My gain is maxed out"...there's your first mistake, this aint a Les Paul into a Marshall amp guitar. second mistake...There's a Volume and Tone knob that you totally forgot to use on that bridge pick up, that is how you would use the single pick up version. I think your review is way exaggerated. It's a $300 dollar guitar and i think a pretty cool one at that. It'll never replace a high quality axe but I don't think that's what you'd buy a Melody Maker, anyway just my opinion.
@noodle4313 "This guy" is me. You are allowed to like it. I simply was giving a review on the particular model that I received. It was only my opinion of this one guitar. Not on EVERY Melody Maker out there. You can have 2 guitars roll off the assembly line in a row and one will be great and the next will be a stinker. I'm glad that you got a great one and are enjoying it. Peace.
@CDNBOBify Thank you. It was nice to actually come over to the comments here and not have to delete the rantings of a 12 year old that had one too many beers and left a string of F word comments here. lol Much appreciated my friend. Scott
Hello again..almost here. I wish i had caught this video before i had bought a 2014 120 anniversary. Ah but it has two pickups. So not a total loss. Dr. Groovy. You were right as usual. Thankyou
I get what your saying and by the way miss your content. but I was thinking of getting the single coil and replacing pickup with a Duncan quarter pounder. and as for faded. I have the sg faded from 2011 the finish has held up very well.
Thanks Scott for firming up my thoughts on this guitar. Searching here for a remedy for this MM's illness's I now know not to start throwing money at it. My single/single pup wont shut up or scream, and now I'm thinking routing for a bridge double coil is just too much of a gamble. Again ... thanks
@keithgatti Now there is a real guitar. Especially those from the early to mid 80's. Humbuckers, single coils, combinations of both, coil splitting, great whammy systems, or the hardtails. They were just of superb quality and worth much more as an instrument than just the weight of the decal on the headstock.
@charliellorente Cool, I'm glad you like it. I personally hated the particular one I received. The very next one off the line could've been great, but this one was a major dog. I can only review the guitar I have in my hands.
I have to say that despite all of the criticism and negativity surrounding this review, the guitar is still reliable if it's given a bit of work. I've had mine for three and a half years, replaced all of the electronics, pickups, and slapped an intonatable bridge on it, and have zero issues with this guitar now. It sounds on par with a lot of the more expensive guitars I own. As with any guitar maker these days, you can wind up with a lemon. Doesn't mean the entire stock of this model is crap.
Did you have to route the body for the new pups ? I like mine but would like a better pup 😊 thanks It plays easier then a lot more expensive guitars I have 😊
Just got one of these for a song... (in Australia money anyway) I knew you must have had one at some stage. It's basically an epiphone, or a toy you're right. I like the thin paint. (I'm a punker)
@nicero870 There is also the fact that I've owned over a thousand guitars, I am way more than qualified to do a review that holds water. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean that it's actually wrong. You can have 2 guitars come off of the assembly line right after one another, one will suck and one will be great, this one sucked. You got the great one, doubtful, but possible. So, there you have it my man. Have a good one.
@DandyWarholsFan Actually she don't she uses a completely different model than these cheap things. She has humbuckers in hers and they are of much better build than these K-mart quality versions. 2 totally different guitars.
@omgitzruffles The dual pickup one sounds a lot better than the single pickup one. It's not that they sound bad, it's the way they are built and the piss poor finish that literally will wipe off on your clothes (if you have acidic sweat like I do) or if you even put it on a guitar stand.....the finish comes off. Just something they overlooked and that they continue to do to a lot of their guitars. I lost any respect for them that I had after these types of finishes came out.
Yeah, they are real piles. LOL It will actually sell on Ebay later today, there are over 40 people watching it and the bid is above what I paid for it new. More Gibson logo hungry folks out there. LOL
@eggymoo Yeah, on my custom guitars....they don't have any knobs at all on them. Just pickup selectors and a kill switch. I don't use the other stuff.....so no need to put them on there. lol So, exactly as you said. No rules really that apply to any 2 people. Just what works for you is all. Thanks my friend.
Thank you my friend. I have a few Gibsons that are fine, a couple that are great and a lot that are just ok or suck. So, they are no longer anything special, the decal has no true value anymore. I doubt that these things are even made here. They are too nasty to have had any attention paid to them by any real musician during the build process. You are correct, it would cost more in parts to make it decent than it cost to begin with. That Ibanez beats this easily.
Yeah, they make better guitars at Wal-Mart. I wouldn't advise anybody to get these. Just another attempt by Gibson to slap their name on a piece of driftwood and put their logo on it and have it sell.....it worked, now it's getting ready to work again as I put it back on Ebay where I found it. LOL
@GamerMan57 That is awesome that you got the G-3!!!!!!!!!! Those are the coolest basses ever made. I always think I'll have to delete whatever comment is made in this review. They are usally pretty nasty responses. lol But, this one I loved. You actually "GET IT" and take it as just what it was meant for. Just warning folks about what it really is. Sure, it sounds ok, but it's a real bomb of a guitar. NOT "DA BOMB". lol Enjoy that G-3 and toss a video of it on here if you would.
@ChineseR0ck Nope, I keep guitars 100% original. If something needs changed, then it shouldn't be sold or purchased in the first place. I have to buy things sight unseen and unplayed and unheard since I live in the middle of the Nevada desert and things like music stores don't exist for hundreds of miles and over mountains. So, you gotta pull the trigger, cross your fingers and hope for the best. Sometimes you get bit in the butt like with this axe, but I made a profit from it. WooHoo!
@eggymoo I always run all my guitars wide open on everything. When you go to cutting anything on the volume, you lose your high end, so I use Morley active volume pedals for that, they are the only one's that don't change your tone when all you want to do is lower or raise your volume. I've since sold this heap and couldn't be happier. I actually made a hundred bucks over what I paid for it new. So, very happy to see it gone. Easily one of the worst of over 1,000 guitars that I've owned.
@omgitzruffles It would be a LOT better guitar with a few coats of clear on it so that the finish didn't come off on your clothes etc. But, it really should be priced in the $200.00 range. You can squeeze some usable tones from it, but....they shouldn't have made it SOOOOOO nasty because it has ALWAYS been their budget guitar. For the price of these, you can buy a GREAT 70's or 80's Matsumoku made Ibanez, Aria Pro, Greco or whatever and have 10X the quality and tone.
Just like put a new pup in the single coil version like a P90 and it should sing. Also, feel free to hit the body with some nitro and that should keep it covered for many years.
@Kingddd333 I could have bought a better sounding guitar at Wal-Mart, but no this came via Musician's Friend. Then again, Musician's Friend is owned by Guitar Center and they often tend to get the "hand me down" guitars and returns from Gibson, so....that could have a lot to do with it.
@zikazivac94 Be VERY careful swinging this particular version of the Melody Maker. The wood is so amazingly cheap that no matter what kind of strap locks you use, your strap button will rip right out of this wood. You had better find a large piece of metal to mount your strap buttons to, then screw it into the front and back of your guitar in like 4 places on the front and back for each assembly and in both locations. Seriously, these are made out of like balsa wood, very, very, very cheap.
@CurtinBones Paul Reed Smith SE series guitars. They blow everything in that range out of the water. I have a few of them and they smoke pretty much any guitar I have. They kill all of my Gibsons and Fenders and they are the imports. You can't go wrong with any PRS. They are simply amazing.
@fatu6613 I hate nitro finishes, they can't hold up to anything. Then again, simply rubbing your finger across the finish actually left a mark and the paint ends up on your fingers. Just a crappy finish. I'll take Poly any day over this.
@seamonie48 Superb guitars. They really are no different than the USA guitars except for slightly cheaper switches and pots. They sound, play and are every bit as great as the USA Fenders.
@nccamokid It's a waste of money at any age. You can get much better guitars than this for the price and Gibson don't have to make it. You can get a lot better guitars than most $2,000.00 Les Pauls for about $400.00 Once you get past whatever makes people buy the decal, you'll discover much better guitars with different decals on the headstock. There are just so many guitars from the late 70's and early 80's that are built so much better and sound way better. Look for Japanese.
@Guitarvirtuoso666 But it really is that cheap. I've seen hundreds of Epiphones that are the same price that are much better built and sound and play much better than this guitar. you are correct, it doesn't even deserve the name Epiphone. Possibly, Kay, Silvertone or even First Act.
@hultapagen Very true. The Mexican Strats are of good enough quality that they are very fine guitars. The American ones have slacked off so much that there really isn't enough of a difference to warrant the hike in price. The Japanese Fenders have been superior since day 1.
I think it shouldn't say epiphone, because that would imply that it is a budget model of a budget model, which would be going a little to far in terms of cheapness I think:D
@jetlag51 Yeah, there are other videos here on You Tube of the black one that looks really just like someone took a wet rag and went in circles polishing it and it just smeared the finish like a dirty window cleaner that cleans yor windshield with mud at the New York city stop lights. It's amazing how easily the finish runs. Check the video out of the black one on here, very strange how they did these finishes.
@seamonie48 They are better than these particular Melody Makers, but not by much. They are of course a humbucker equipped axe and will sound like such, they are made better, but that finish will still come off on your cleaning rag, on your skin, on your clothes etc. The whole "faded" thing is not a good thing if you have majorly acidic sweat like I do. You need a good Poly finish or the finish will honestly end up all over you. Nitro melts when I touch it. Seriously.
@JohnsonjohnsonmrMr I sold that sucker long ago. I was so happy to see it got. I actually got more out of it on Ebay than I paid for it brand new. Some funny folks out there.
BTW... you were joking about the tailpiece being aluminum. If you were lucky enough to find one on there, it would have plenty in common with all of the 50s Les Pauls (even MMs of that decade used the same aluminum tailpiece as the LPs). The Gibson repro would cost you 160 bucks, now.
@firefoxmoz Yeah, I fully understand. I never would have bought this guitar if I were able to try it out before I bought it. I don't live anywhere close to any music stores, so I have to buy everything online and hope for the best and whatever doesn't cut the mustard or turns out great, gets a review on the particular guitar I received. The next Melody Maker off the line could've been fantastic. I simply got a lemon. I'm glad you ended up with a good one. I know that people have good ones.
@CurtinBones It played horrible. I set it up so the action was fine, but that feeling of the finish melting off in your hand was horrible. I can't believe people actually play these. I was so happy to sell it and actually make a profit. If it had a smooth neck instead of the balsa wood feel and the paint literally coming off in your hands, it might have been different. I would give it positive marks if there were any to give. I paid for it wanting to like it, but it just was that bad.
@HereMikeWas LOL, thanks Mike. They sold a lot of them because of the name on the headstock and the price, so they know how to sell a sticker, that's for sure.
@SoAwesomelyFunny The Peavey stuff can be found for right around 2-3 hundred for the USA stuff on Ebay. You really can't beat them. A much better guitar than this nasty Gibson thing is. Actually they are every bit as good, if not better than a lot of the USA Fender stuff.
@nicero870 I wish I didn't sweat, that would be a God send. I can rust any metal on a guitar within 2 days if it's not very well cleaned after every use. I envy you there. I never liked the Gibson's myself, but I've discovered a few classics that are way more Fender than they are Gibson that I really am enjoying. The 70's S-1, Marauder and such. Anything with bolt on necks and single coils. I know how you feel about the Tele too. Gotta love 'em.
@betraythesean You're right, as long as you replace everything on the guitar, it will be livable. All except for the neck and the body, but those can be replaced too I suppose. Yep, as long as you put a couple grand into it, you might end up with a cool, little $400.00 guitar.
@fatu6613 Yeah, some folks don't have this problem at all. This particular guitar was just a lemon right out of the box. I don't even think the paint was even dry when it got here. lol
@ColtyRamone Yeah, I'm more aware than most as to the gain that each guitar can handle. But a good Stran handles high gain situtations fine and dandy. It's just a bad guitar and really should be pointed out and that's all this video was for. To point out that it is a really, really bad guitar all around. That's all. Thanks for your input though. Scott
@TomAlexWhyte4SALE Yep, you'll realize the longer you play it, just how much of a piece of crap it is. So, I played it.....played some more, kept talking and was ready to throw it in the trash by the end of the experience. So yeah, it's a 100% honest review. I would expect this from a 13 year old's response (yes I checked in on you as I knw you had to just be getting your pubes right about now).
@keithgatti I would back out of both ideas. This is a REALLY horrible guitar and Seymour Duncan easily has the worst pickups on the market. So, I would scrap the whole project and simply get a great guitar that has REAL pickups in it to begin with so that you don't have to change pickups in it to make it sound better.
@metiltdah Groovy, if it trips your trigger....there's one on Ebay now going for more than $200.00 more than it was new. Which is what I got out of mine. I was never so happy to get rid of a guitar in my life. lol
@ahoneyman Exactly! Someone that actually gets it! That is correct my friend. Gibson has made many fine, cheapo guitars in the past, this one simply hit way below the quality belt. lol
I fell in love with the sound in the shop but I regret buying it. The finish is coming off like you said and it dents so easily mine is covered with loads of little dents and I am careful with it.
@milanpsycho Yeah, you can get guitars that are so much better at half the price. You can buy a GREAT 70's or 80's Matsumoku made Ibanez, Aria Pro, Greco, Washburn or whatever and have 10X the quality and tone.
@seamonie48 I've owned a few of the 60's Les Paul Jr. back when I could pick them up all day long for a couple hundred dollars each. They were really cool and well made. I used them on a lot of gigs and really enjoyed them.
For the price my 2003 melody maker was a total gem, though it does have a single p90 and a tune o matic bridge. I've got les Paul standards, juniors and my melody maker is still one of my favorite guitars.
@IAMNOTAGOODCHILD You buy an upgraded bridge with saddles and a stop piece all rolled into one mount. Mine intonates perfectly, and is one of the most reliable guitars in my collection.
After 10 years of ownership and a p90 from lollar in the neck , the finish is still on , the fact that it is so light is very pleasing .
I love the lightness and thin body 😊
I briefly owned one, and thought it was great. I loved the neck. It's too bad I had to sell it
You insult Eipiphones but they are good guitars. My LP custom about £530 is really nice. You do have to cherry pick them. Though as I can see where your coming from, with any Epiphone or Gibson guitar they can range from horrific to fantastic and the one I got after visiting the shop often after a couple of months was really good. Low action great sound great tone, I prefer it to my Gibson SG standard and my Rickenbacker 360. So don't give Epiphone a hard time.
Well... I do understand your perspective with this review and agree on a couple of points including the finish issue. However, I really love the MM neck. The body has great resonance that really works better than my P90 LP Deluxe for a number of styles I play. For 300+ bucks a pop, I think a lot of folks have a little bit of customization in the back of their minds when they buy one. I do :)
@bigrock007 The color actually comes off of it. Right on to your hands. Straight down to the bare wood. It won't relic. It just rubs off. You can actually rub your finger across the black part of the sunburst and smear it right across the orange. You can write your name in the finish with your finger tip. Not a good thing.
Did you changed the pots? Maybe they are 500k
@noodle4313 No biggie my friend. I simply give my personal opinion on the guitars that pass through here. No harm meant by the review, just a bad one got into my hands and I pointed out what all was bad about it. Thake care and thanks again.
My pleasure. I bought it online and gave it a much needed setup. After doing everything to it I could and still keeping it original...it was simply a junker and I sold it on Ebay for a good hundred bucks more than I paid for it. Funny thing is that I bought it new, in the box from a music store with warranty and everything and still people were willing to pay more for it on Ebay than they could buy it for directly on line. There's the power of that logo again.
So here we are, April 26, 2017, and that very guitar you're holding in the video is selling for prices nearing $1,000 on eBay. The single coil version is selling for up to $600. Might not be a great guitar, but they're appreciating in value. You might want to hold on to it.I got one as a gift in 2008, and I was never super impressed with it, but it's a Gibson and it came from loved ones, so I kept it. Glad I did.
Phil R, I have a mint condition dual-pickup MM (same exact one in this video) with the pickguard film still on it! Curious: did you actually see it selling for the price you've referenced somewhere on Ebay?
Yep. Sure did. Blew my mind when I saw it too. I don't see that listing on there any more, but they still have the single pickup version.
www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Melody-Maker-Reissue-/162322812051?hash=item25cb318c93:g:WyQAAOSwA3dYU49S
Ah, looks like we got one here: www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Melody-Maker-Electric-Guitar-ORIGINAL-Vintage-2007-U-S-A/272371638710.
I paid $349 for the dual version, which was the Musician's Friend-specific model. Seemed like a sweet price back in early 2008. :)
From what my brother in law tells me, the single pickup version they gave me was about the same price that you paid. Hold on to it!
i must say , the older ones (SG type)
are great unique sounding instruments.
ive played on a new version and its the last i'll ever try from the NEW MM series .
Yeah, they didn't do a whole bunch of them. They pop up every now and then on Ebay. They did the sunburst and the white in the 2 pickup version. I'm not sure about the black.
Thank you for your honest review. I just tried one out today in the used section at GC. I almost bought it but I had my reservations. For one, the neck pickup was muddy and like 40% louder than the bridge pickup. The bridge pickup was articulate but thin. The middle position was super sweet. the things stayed in tune beautifully. It was light and comfortable. The white finish was flaking off all over it for sure. It was 15 years old by this time to be fair. It would ld make a fun travel guitar/practice buddy--but not an investment.
How did you find the neck profile? I am looking at these but I cannot find neck dimensions on these anywhere! Cheers 👍
The secret to these is chromes (flats). Tames all the top end but keeps definition.
You should never run it wide open (volume or tone). But it is an awesome guitar if you learn it’s quirks!
@@capsfan12345 chrome flats ?? Strings ? Flat wound strings 😊
Yeah, the neck wasn't horrible except for the finish melting off in your hands, if they are dripping acidic sweat like mine do. You actually play for 5 minutes and your hands are jet black. It would have to be a project guitar and really should say Epiphone instead of Gibson on the headstock.
2:00 never ever use wall hangers with Nitro finished guitars
I picked one of these up on a whim in 2008. Musician's Friend clearance section. Stock pickups were almost inaudible half of the time. Swapped out the pickups with Seymour Duncan's Lil '59 and a JB Jr., slapped some new electronics in it, and threw an adjustable wraparound bridge on it, and it's one of my favorite guitars. Then again, I threw $400 into a guitar I bought for $350.
Sounds just as good as my Gibson LP Studio and my Fender American Strat... now.
I like mine too… did you have to route the body to fit the pick up in
??? Thanks 😊
@@fleadoggreen9062Single coil mini humbuckers from Seymour Duncan. No routing required. Also, 13 years after that comment the guitar is still killer.
Dont understand the bad comments. Sounds amazing
@LESDT Much appreciated my friend. I'm glad that you enjoy them. I just get so used to getting yelled at that it surprises me when someone pays a compliment. lol Thanks again!
Scott
if the faded series are so bad then what do you think about the gibson SG special faded?
@cpkelley You are exactly correct. Hot rodded, it would be sweet. It just needs some help in my opinion. Some of the folks just don't understand that it's one guy's opinion. Thanks for taking the review for what it is and seeing the true potential in the guitar.
What's your opinion on the 2011 model? It's got one humbucker pickup.
@omgitzruffles My pleasure my friend and have a great holiday season!
I like my melody maker 😊
The frets are a little sharp
I prefer the single pup, not the double I just like the simple look, I’m actually thinking of getting it plekkd 😊I just like how thin it is
I wish they made a lollar pup that would fit with no routing
Right now it’s my favorite for electric 😊 hey thanks for featuring the melody maker I have the les paul like you but one pup 😊 it’s so easy to manipulate 😊
@inveng Exactly, you can make them sound fair, but they really, really, really skimped on the quality of the build and again, as you pointed out, the finish just falls off and you could put a dent in it if a Q-Tip fell on it. Most folks buy these because the ACTUALLY want them to look beat up, finish falling off etc. (look 60 years old) within the first year they own it. So, they were really produced so that you could get that RELICED look naturally in 1/100th the time. Just not my thing.
No problem at all. In the case of this guitar, it is only the sticker on the headstock that you are paying for. This is worse than any Epiphone in recent years. This guitar shouldn't exist. It's truly that bad.
A lot of people love them. They weren't for me at all. I'm really happy that mine is gone. It sounded good as a blues, slide guitar, but I simply couldn't get any other useful sounds from it. And the fact that the finish actually melts off in your hands was a big problem to me. But, lots of people love them and that is always great when someone clicks with an instrument. Not every guitar is for everyone and it just didn't sit right for me.
Cheers.
@milanpsycho Thank you. The Mexican Strats are great. You can't go wrong there. Not hardly any difference between them and the USA Strats. Just a little better quality switches and pots in the USA axes, but the Mexican ones are a much better value for the money and you won't hear one bit of difference between them and the USA ones.
@zikazivac94 Of course. You can play any song by any artist on any guitar. The Melody Maker has been made in DOZENS of different styles. The current Melody Makers are actually in the shape of Flying V's, Elxporers and so on with one Humbucker instead of the single coil pickups. So, those would be more distortion friendly than the model reviewed here. I hope that helps (if this was a serious question anyway).
@groovydjs what are you rating it against though? Top of the range gibsons and fenders or guitars of the same price, like mexican strats/tele's?
Sounds really great! All the nice lacquer and fittings mean nothing if it doesn't have the sound. Are the P90s reverse wound on the expensive Les Paul heritage or whatever they call it?
LOL, too funny. But it's true, nobody belives the reviews, I'm nobody really and I simply give my own personal experiences and someone else may love it....someone who's never had a guitar before maybe. I just got a 93 Les Paul Studio Lite M III yesterday that has a 5 way switch, 2 humbuckers and a single coil in the middle and a 2 way switch. One position of the 2 way splits the humbuckers and switching and sounds are like a Strat, flip the 2 way and It's all humbuckers and Les Paul again! A+
"My gain is maxed out"...there's your first mistake, this aint a Les Paul into a Marshall amp guitar.
second mistake...There's a Volume and Tone knob that you totally forgot to use on that bridge pick up, that is how you would use the single pick up version.
I think your review is way exaggerated.
It's a $300 dollar guitar and i think a pretty cool one at that.
It'll never replace a high quality axe but I don't think that's what you'd buy a Melody Maker, anyway just my opinion.
@noodle4313 "This guy" is me. You are allowed to like it. I simply was giving a review on the particular model that I received. It was only my opinion of this one guitar. Not on EVERY Melody Maker out there. You can have 2 guitars roll off the assembly line in a row and one will be great and the next will be a stinker. I'm glad that you got a great one and are enjoying it.
Peace.
this is the most honest review i've ever seen. thank you
@CDNBOBify Thank you. It was nice to actually come over to the comments here and not have to delete the rantings of a 12 year old that had one too many beers and left a string of F word comments here. lol Much appreciated my friend.
Scott
Hello again..almost here. I wish i had caught this video before i had bought a 2014 120 anniversary. Ah but it has two pickups. So not a total loss. Dr. Groovy. You were right as usual. Thankyou
I get what your saying and by the way miss your content. but I was thinking of getting the single coil and replacing pickup with a Duncan quarter pounder. and as for faded. I have the sg faded from 2011 the finish has held up very well.
Thanks Scott for firming up my thoughts on this guitar. Searching here for a remedy for this MM's illness's I now know not to start throwing money at it. My single/single pup wont shut up or scream, and now I'm thinking routing for a bridge double coil is just too much of a gamble. Again ... thanks
@gunsnflamethrowers You are correct. That's the only part of it worth owning.......the logo. The rest makes for a decorative lampl
@metiltdah I'm looking forward to hearing how you like it. I really do hope you get a good one. Mine was just the worst guitar I've ever had.
@keithgatti Now there is a real guitar. Especially those from the early to mid 80's. Humbuckers, single coils, combinations of both, coil splitting, great whammy systems, or the hardtails. They were just of superb quality and worth much more as an instrument than just the weight of the decal on the headstock.
@charliellorente Cool, I'm glad you like it. I personally hated the particular one I received. The very next one off the line could've been great, but this one was a major dog. I can only review the guitar I have in my hands.
I have to say that despite all of the criticism and negativity surrounding this review, the guitar is still reliable if it's given a bit of work. I've had mine for three and a half years, replaced all of the electronics, pickups, and slapped an intonatable bridge on it, and have zero issues with this guitar now. It sounds on par with a lot of the more expensive guitars I own. As with any guitar maker these days, you can wind up with a lemon. Doesn't mean the entire stock of this model is crap.
Did you have to route the body for the new pups ? I like mine but would like a better pup 😊 thanks
It plays easier then a lot more expensive guitars I have 😊
Just got one of these for a song... (in Australia money anyway) I knew you must have had one at some stage. It's basically an epiphone, or a toy you're right. I like the thin paint. (I'm a punker)
@MrPeteEa Are they currently out there now and are they calling them Melody Makers?
@nicero870 There is also the fact that I've owned over a thousand guitars, I am way more than qualified to do a review that holds water. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean that it's actually wrong. You can have 2 guitars come off of the assembly line right after one another, one will suck and one will be great, this one sucked. You got the great one, doubtful, but possible. So, there you have it my man. Have a good one.
@DandyWarholsFan Actually she don't she uses a completely different model than these cheap things. She has humbuckers in hers and they are of much better build than these K-mart quality versions. 2 totally different guitars.
@omgitzruffles The dual pickup one sounds a lot better than the single pickup one. It's not that they sound bad, it's the way they are built and the piss poor finish that literally will wipe off on your clothes (if you have acidic sweat like I do) or if you even put it on a guitar stand.....the finish comes off. Just something they overlooked and that they continue to do to a lot of their guitars. I lost any respect for them that I had after these types of finishes came out.
@metiltdah Groovy, let me know if you like it.
Yeah, they are real piles. LOL It will actually sell on Ebay later today, there are over 40 people watching it and the bid is above what I paid for it new. More Gibson logo hungry folks out there. LOL
Was about to pick one of these up for a deal (for a Gibson at least), but you've convinced me to save my money!
@eggymoo Yeah, on my custom guitars....they don't have any knobs at all on them. Just pickup selectors and a kill switch. I don't use the other stuff.....so no need to put them on there. lol So, exactly as you said. No rules really that apply to any 2 people. Just what works for you is all. Thanks my friend.
Thank you my friend. I have a few Gibsons that are fine, a couple that are great and a lot that are just ok or suck. So, they are no longer anything special, the decal has no true value anymore. I doubt that these things are even made here. They are too nasty to have had any attention paid to them by any real musician during the build process. You are correct, it would cost more in parts to make it decent than it cost to begin with. That Ibanez beats this easily.
the hanger has burnt the nitro finish. thats why they say not to use those hangers with nitro guitars.
Yeah, they make better guitars at Wal-Mart. I wouldn't advise anybody to get these. Just another attempt by Gibson to slap their name on a piece of driftwood and put their logo on it and have it sell.....it worked, now it's getting ready to work again as I put it back on Ebay where I found it. LOL
@GamerMan57 That is awesome that you got the G-3!!!!!!!!!! Those are the coolest basses ever made. I always think I'll have to delete whatever comment is made in this review. They are usally pretty nasty responses. lol But, this one I loved. You actually "GET IT" and take it as just what it was meant for. Just warning folks about what it really is. Sure, it sounds ok, but it's a real bomb of a guitar. NOT "DA BOMB". lol Enjoy that G-3 and toss a video of it on here if you would.
Many thanks. Much appreciated. I've actually got a few more fun ones coming up for you next week. I hope you'll enjoy them too!
Cheers.
@ChineseR0ck Nope, I keep guitars 100% original. If something needs changed, then it shouldn't be sold or purchased in the first place. I have to buy things sight unseen and unplayed and unheard since I live in the middle of the Nevada desert and things like music stores don't exist for hundreds of miles and over mountains. So, you gotta pull the trigger, cross your fingers and hope for the best. Sometimes you get bit in the butt like with this axe, but I made a profit from it. WooHoo!
@eggymoo I always run all my guitars wide open on everything. When you go to cutting anything on the volume, you lose your high end, so I use Morley active volume pedals for that, they are the only one's that don't change your tone when all you want to do is lower or raise your volume. I've since sold this heap and couldn't be happier. I actually made a hundred bucks over what I paid for it new. So, very happy to see it gone. Easily one of the worst of over 1,000 guitars that I've owned.
@omgitzruffles It would be a LOT better guitar with a few coats of clear on it so that the finish didn't come off on your clothes etc. But, it really should be priced in the $200.00 range. You can squeeze some usable tones from it, but....they shouldn't have made it SOOOOOO nasty because it has ALWAYS been their budget guitar. For the price of these, you can buy a GREAT 70's or 80's Matsumoku made Ibanez, Aria Pro, Greco or whatever and have 10X the quality and tone.
@earthvssoup26 You can diss the shoes you want, but you should trust a guy with the track record I have.
Just like put a new pup in the single coil version like a P90 and it should sing. Also, feel free to hit the body with some nitro and that should keep it covered for many years.
Nitro ? Like a clear coat ?
@Kingddd333 I could have bought a better sounding guitar at Wal-Mart, but no this came via Musician's Friend. Then again, Musician's Friend is owned by Guitar Center and they often tend to get the "hand me down" guitars and returns from Gibson, so....that could have a lot to do with it.
@zikazivac94 Be VERY careful swinging this particular version of the Melody Maker. The wood is so amazingly cheap that no matter what kind of strap locks you use, your strap button will rip right out of this wood. You had better find a large piece of metal to mount your strap buttons to, then screw it into the front and back of your guitar in like 4 places on the front and back for each assembly and in both locations. Seriously, these are made out of like balsa wood, very, very, very cheap.
@CurtinBones Paul Reed Smith SE series guitars. They blow everything in that range out of the water. I have a few of them and they smoke pretty much any guitar I have. They kill all of my Gibsons and Fenders and they are the imports. You can't go wrong with any PRS. They are simply amazing.
@fatu6613 I hate nitro finishes, they can't hold up to anything. Then again, simply rubbing your finger across the finish actually left a mark and the paint ends up on your fingers. Just a crappy finish. I'll take Poly any day over this.
@jetlag51 That is true, you actually get less with this one. They should honestly charge half the price.
@seamonie48 Superb guitars. They really are no different than the USA guitars except for slightly cheaper switches and pots. They sound, play and are every bit as great as the USA Fenders.
@nccamokid It's a waste of money at any age. You can get much better guitars than this for the price and Gibson don't have to make it. You can get a lot better guitars than most $2,000.00 Les Pauls for about $400.00 Once you get past whatever makes people buy the decal, you'll discover much better guitars with different decals on the headstock. There are just so many guitars from the late 70's and early 80's that are built so much better and sound way better. Look for Japanese.
@Guitarvirtuoso666 But it really is that cheap. I've seen hundreds of Epiphones that are the same price that are much better built and sound and play much better than this guitar. you are correct, it doesn't even deserve the name Epiphone. Possibly, Kay, Silvertone or even First Act.
@hultapagen Very true. The Mexican Strats are of good enough quality that they are very fine guitars. The American ones have slacked off so much that there really isn't enough of a difference to warrant the hike in price. The Japanese Fenders have been superior since day 1.
@CalebDeike My pleasure. They really are dogs, but some people are dog lovers. lol
I think it shouldn't say epiphone, because that would imply that it is a budget model of a budget model, which would be going a little to far in terms of cheapness I think:D
@jetlag51 Yeah, there are other videos here on You Tube of the black one that looks really just like someone took a wet rag and went in circles polishing it and it just smeared the finish like a dirty window cleaner that cleans yor windshield with mud at the New York city stop lights. It's amazing how easily the finish runs. Check the video out of the black one on here, very strange how they did these finishes.
@seamonie48 They are better than these particular Melody Makers, but not by much. They are of course a humbucker equipped axe and will sound like such, they are made better, but that finish will still come off on your cleaning rag, on your skin, on your clothes etc. The whole "faded" thing is not a good thing if you have majorly acidic sweat like I do. You need a good Poly finish or the finish will honestly end up all over you. Nitro melts when I touch it. Seriously.
@JohnsonjohnsonmrMr I sold that sucker long ago. I was so happy to see it got. I actually got more out of it on Ebay than I paid for it brand new. Some funny folks out there.
BTW... you were joking about the tailpiece being aluminum. If you were lucky enough to find one on there, it would have plenty in common with all of the 50s Les Pauls (even MMs of that decade used the same aluminum tailpiece as the LPs). The Gibson repro would cost you 160 bucks, now.
@firefoxmoz Yeah, I fully understand. I never would have bought this guitar if I were able to try it out before I bought it. I don't live anywhere close to any music stores, so I have to buy everything online and hope for the best and whatever doesn't cut the mustard or turns out great, gets a review on the particular guitar I received. The next Melody Maker off the line could've been fantastic. I simply got a lemon. I'm glad you ended up with a good one. I know that people have good ones.
nice to see some honesty in reviews
@manbearpig937 Nope, I'm not Bill, but...........here's your sign!
@bravawa I don't doubt it, any Wal-Mart guitar can kick this things butt. lol
@CurtinBones It played horrible. I set it up so the action was fine, but that feeling of the finish melting off in your hand was horrible. I can't believe people actually play these. I was so happy to sell it and actually make a profit. If it had a smooth neck instead of the balsa wood feel and the paint literally coming off in your hands, it might have been different. I would give it positive marks if there were any to give. I paid for it wanting to like it, but it just was that bad.
@HereMikeWas LOL, thanks Mike. They sold a lot of them because of the name on the headstock and the price, so they know how to sell a sticker, that's for sure.
@SoAwesomelyFunny The Peavey stuff can be found for right around 2-3 hundred for the USA stuff on Ebay. You really can't beat them. A much better guitar than this nasty Gibson thing is. Actually they are every bit as good, if not better than a lot of the USA Fender stuff.
@groovydjs what would you recommend then in the same price range?
@nicero870 I wish I didn't sweat, that would be a God send. I can rust any metal on a guitar within 2 days if it's not very well cleaned after every use. I envy you there. I never liked the Gibson's myself, but I've discovered a few classics that are way more Fender than they are Gibson that I really am enjoying. The 70's S-1, Marauder and such. Anything with bolt on necks and single coils. I know how you feel about the Tele too. Gotta love 'em.
@betraythesean You're right, as long as you replace everything on the guitar, it will be livable. All except for the neck and the body, but those can be replaced too I suppose. Yep, as long as you put a couple grand into it, you might end up with a cool, little $400.00 guitar.
Thank you for the honest review
@fatu6613 Yeah, some folks don't have this problem at all. This particular guitar was just a lemon right out of the box. I don't even think the paint was even dry when it got here. lol
@ColtyRamone Yeah, I'm more aware than most as to the gain that each guitar can handle. But a good Stran handles high gain situtations fine and dandy. It's just a bad guitar and really should be pointed out and that's all this video was for. To point out that it is a really, really bad guitar all around. That's all. Thanks for your input though.
Scott
@groovydjs
You're probally right. But do you happen to have any experience with vintage melody makers. I mean, were they always this bad?
LOL, yeah....there's nothing lucky about Melody Makers from any decade.
@TomAlexWhyte4SALE Yep, you'll realize the longer you play it, just how much of a piece of crap it is. So, I played it.....played some more, kept talking and was ready to throw it in the trash by the end of the experience. So yeah, it's a 100% honest review. I would expect this from a 13 year old's response (yes I checked in on you as I knw you had to just be getting your pubes right about now).
@keithgatti I would back out of both ideas. This is a REALLY horrible guitar and Seymour Duncan easily has the worst pickups on the market. So, I would scrap the whole project and simply get a great guitar that has REAL pickups in it to begin with so that you don't have to change pickups in it to make it sound better.
@metiltdah Groovy, if it trips your trigger....there's one on Ebay now going for more than $200.00 more than it was new. Which is what I got out of mine. I was never so happy to get rid of a guitar in my life. lol
@ahoneyman Exactly! Someone that actually gets it! That is correct my friend. Gibson has made many fine, cheapo guitars in the past, this one simply hit way below the quality belt. lol
I fell in love with the sound in the shop but I regret buying it. The finish is coming off like you said and it dents so easily mine is covered with loads of little dents and I am careful with it.
@milanpsycho Yeah, you can get guitars that are so much better at half the price. You can buy a GREAT 70's or 80's Matsumoku made Ibanez, Aria Pro, Greco, Washburn or whatever and have 10X the quality and tone.
@seamonie48 I've owned a few of the 60's Les Paul Jr. back when I could pick them up all day long for a couple hundred dollars each. They were really cool and well made. I used them on a lot of gigs and really enjoyed them.