anyone tried the new Gibson melody makers?

[Mrjones2004x]

Been gasing for one of the new melody makers Gibson brought out this year and boy did I make a mistake selling my p90 loaded guitar!

Selling my Gibson SG special with humbuckers now as p90s really are the best sound ever! This looks to be a great guitar spec wise and a good price at about £500
Spec is mahogany body, maple cap, maple neck new type of p90s.

Been watching some demos and I love the or15 sound with this amp it really sound amazing!

Thoughts ?

GUITAR TONE - LES PAUL MELODY MAKER 2014 SOUND DE…: http://youtu.be/6m5in70JL6Q" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Les Paul Lover]

That's probably a lot if guitar got the cash.


If only I had spare cash!!!!!

[myboss57]

That's why I keep the Seymour Duncan P-Rail that's in my Standard always set to P90! Been thinking of swapping for two Phat Cats.

I've realized that I am a P90 man!

[Boy_Narf]

HOLY CRAP! GIBSON HAS KNOBS WITH NOTCHES NOW? I might have to order a set

I have a 2011 Les Paul Junior. Since they have a few differences I can only comment on a few things. The intonated bridges from Gibson are kind of crappy. Up to around fret nine the intonation is decent, but after that it's hit or miss. If this is to be your main guitar I would swap that our for a bridge with adjustable intonation ASAP. There are many cheap aftermarket options that can be installed without modifying the guitar.

The guitar plays very well, but I do find that the neck gets sticky during extended playing sessions. I looks like the new MM has a painted neck as well, so be aware of this.

The P90 in my LPJ sounds glorious! It is by far my favorite tone into any amp. Even on a clean setting, it has this sparkle that neither my Tele, or LP Studio have.

Other thoughts. The construction quality on my LPJ is shoddy. I had to order a second one because the first one had so many flaws. That being said this one still have a few blemishes.

1. Finish sucking into the grain.
2. Paint chips under the hardware.
3. Dent on the 2nd fret. I thought it was just gunk, but after taking it to my tech he confirmed that it was a ding treated with wood filler.
4. Tuners are pretty shotty. They look like the same ones. I might recommend replacing these as well if you are a heavy handed player.

All that being said, the tone of my LPJ can not be beat. It sounds so good I can overlook the few shortcomings and intonation/tuning issues. Just make sure you play a few different models. The lower end american Gibson guitars are all over the map when it comes to quality. But I can assure you that it will sound very very good.

[Mrjones2004x]

Thanks for the honest reply.

Yeah I plan on trying before buying. Won't order online anymore for guitars.

Got about 5 to 6 weeks to sell my Gibson SG which will pay off my holiday Im going on in a couple of weeks then I will be going to a couple of stores to play them.

Also with Gibson there neck angles vary so much sometimes you end up with bridge jacked up really high which I don't like.

I always wondered does a guitar sound different if the strings are further away from the body or closer? I'm guessing it would be less acoustic the further away they are?

[Boy_Narf]

IME a guitar with higher action has more sustain and sounds "fuller/bigger". This spring my Martin reacted quite severely to the weather changes. The truss rod needed to be tightened since the strings were a mile off the fret-board. Once I made the adjustment, I found that the tone seemed "choked". With my acoustic it has always been a balancing act between tone and play-ability.

When it comes to electric I think that the distance of the strings from the pickup makes the most difference. You have to get the perfect balance of magnetic pull and output.

With a set neck yes you are a little screwed if the neck angle is off.

Do you have an american SG? If so I'm not quite sure why you would get rid of it for a MM.

[myboss57]

Do you have an american SG? If so I'm not quite sure why you would get rid of it for a MM.

This is a great point, why not swap out pups and try some humbucker sized P90s? My SG is a '96 American and I wouldn't think of ever selling it!

Hell, you could even route out the body if you're sure about the P90 love!

[Mrjones2004x]

Selling the SG to pay off my holiday which is booked.
I can't bond with the SG shape either. The body Cut is in the wrong place and it sits funny which I just can't get use to. Otherwise I like the guitar but if it doesn't feel comfortable there isn't a point in playing it. From looking at it the melody maker cut out is similar to the les Paul shape so the position will be better for me

[bclaire]

SG's do sit funny. I have two SG's and don't really play them much. My 68 SG Jr hangs funny - you can never let go of the neck when it's on you as it will immediately dive...

[Bensnake]

Every man with some sort of pride should have (at least) one SG!

[a.hun]

Every man with some sort of pride should have (at least) one SG!

Probably right. If I got one though it wouldn't be my second Gibson, it'd be my second Gordon Smith...
http://www.gordonsmithguitars.com/archi ... /sg-range/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They are lovely to play, especially with the slightly deeper set neck compared to the Gibson SG solving the balance problem.

Haven't tried the new MMs. Agree with the post from Boy_Narf. Play it first, preferably a couple of them. Gibsons (cheap or otherwise) can be fantastic or they can be basically useless as players instruments. Very few will be totally unflawed, but not all flaws really affect playablilty. If you do find a good sounding / playing one grab it.
Hint on checking LPs, which should mostly apply to the MMs: Easiest way to spot real lemon neck joints is to (gently!) tap around the back of the body with your fingernails, and hope the sound doesn't become hollow at the back of the neck joint itself. You want to hear 'clunk' not 'click'!
Couple more good hints:
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showpo ... stcount=13" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Andy.

[myboss57]

I'll take take your SG Jr Billy!!
To the OP:
And oh, I misread your initial post! Right, gotta pay bills! And yeah, if you're not getting along with the feel then I hear you, it's gotta go!

[Bensnake]

To the OP:
And oh, I misread your initial post! Right, gotta pay bills! And yeah, if you're not getting along with the feel then I hear you, it's gotta go!

+1

[Progbusters]

Yeah I tried at store. It's really nice. Here's a cool video even using an orange http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6m5in70JL6Q

[a.hun]

Yeah I tried at store. It's really nice. Here's a cool video even using an orange http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6m5in70JL6Q

Nice example of rattling microphonic valve(s) with the Vox on that vid!

Attractive guitar. Usual Gibson bone dry rosewood board, but nothing that oiling the board with the first few string changes shouldn't sort. My own 2000 LP Jr. Special was much the same and it worked out nicely.

Like I say play before buying, but a good one should do the biz.


Andy.