[jackman]

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to post a couple pix of my new obsession, Gibson (or G-Scale) guitars.  These are all lightweight (the jr. is on the high end of lightweight), cool looking (in a bare bones kind've way) and very fun and easy to play.  I have the action set up low on the Special (TV Yellow two pu Gibby) and the Epi '57 Jr. Reissue (the other yellow one with a single PU) and haven't made any changes to the Melody Maker, my latest addition.

All three guitars have their strengths and weaknesses. 

LP Special: I love the light weight of this guitar and the P90 sound.  The neck and frettwork are also very nice.  It's got a thin-ish 60's neck with very flat radius (12") and medium jumbo fretts.  Love the TV Yellow paintjob but the Faded lacquer finish is not very durable. This guitar will look OLD very soon.  I think it's cool but many may disagree.  This guitar is great for everything from Punk and Blues to Jazz but is not recommended for high distortion Metal music.  The Gibson tuners are the old school Klewson style and they work great, even though the plastic buttons look a bit cheap.  I had a bone nut installed and the tone improved and there are the guitar stays in tune very well.  Made in Nashville USA by the fine folks who have made some of hte coolest gits in history, this is a great axe. 


Melody Maker:  Love the simplicity of this guitar, slab body, wrap-around non-compensated bridge and no-frills nature of this raw beast.  The single coils are noisy, the paint-job looks kind've home-made, but it's real nitro,  and the non-comp bridge intonates just about "close enough for Rock N' Roll", which is good because that's all this guitar was born to do.  For $350 (on sale at Musiciansfriend), this is the cheapest fun you can have with a Made in the USA guitar that I know of.  She may not be one that you take home to mom, but she's a ton of fun on the cheap.  The small headstock is kindve strange but I'm starting to like it.  This guitar Rawks!



Epiphone LP Jr.:  This is my first Epiphone guitar so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It's technically an Epi "Custom Shop" model, with set neck and Grover tuners.  The Grovers stay in tune nicely and the 50's C shape neck is a joy to play.  The finish is flawless, the fretts are as good as any guitar I have ever played, plus they are JUMBO.  Insanely easy to bend and easy to play with its low action and short 24.75" scale.  The compensated bridge is surprisingly good also.  The poly finish is very durable and the guitar is about as simple as it gets, one PU, a volume and a tone knob.  I love the old-school charm of this axe but I wish it had a P90 versus the P100 humbucker.  True, a P100 is much quieter and I hear Billie Joe has one in his signature model but I prefer the RAW sound of the P90 even if it isn't as well mannered as it's humbucking sibling.  Overall this guitar is fun and easy to play, and the TV Yellow is vry cool looking (to me at least).  Too many guitars and this one is going to go on Ebay soon.  Thankfully, these yellow Jr. reissues are jumping in value (much more than the SB versions) so it should be an easy sell.  Just wanted to post a picture before it goes on the block. 



Cheers!

J

[Bob in St. Louis]

Mighty nice lookin' guitars Jackman.  aa
I like that first one. Makes me want to learn to play.

I hope my 9 year old son doesn't see this. Being the "guitar hero" that he is, naturally he thinks he's ready to duel Eddie Van Halen in "Eruption". 

Bob

[jackman]

Mighty nice lookin' guitars Jackman.  aa
I like that first one. Makes me want to learn to play.

I hope my 9 year old son doesn't see this. Being the "guitar hero" that he is, naturally he thinks he's ready to duel Eddie Van Halen in "Eruption". 

Bob

Thanks Bob,

The first guitar is my favorite of the three, all around, but the others are also fun to play.  The Jr. has the most comfortable neck and best frets.  They are jumbo sized and very nice for bends.  The only gripe I have about the Jr. is the pickup, which is a humbucker.  It's the quietest of the three guitars but lacks the raw edge of a P90. 

The little Melody Maker is the best bargain of the three.  They are on sale for $350 at Musiciansfriend for the two pu version.  I love this guitar!  The intonation is so-so but it's a blast to play because it's so lightweight and the build quality is amazing for a $350, made in the USA guitar.  I did not think this kind of quality was possible at this pricerange.  This would be a perfect guitar for a young person learning to play because it's so easy to play and so lightweight.  I was going to change the PU's and do some modding but I've decided to keep it stock because I love the sound and the vibe of this guitar. 

For a few extra bucks, the DC Special (first guitar) is a great guitar for a kid.  It's also very light and the body is a bit smaller than a Les Paul.  It's kind've expensive, however.  The Jr. is also a great guitar for a younger person but it's a bit heavy.  The finish is hard-shell poly so it's almost indestructable. Almost...

The faded finish on the Gibson guitars is very thin and these guitars are already starting to show some "relic" qualities but I think they are only going to look cooler with age. 

Gibsons (or Gibson style guitars) are easy to play and great for younger people with small hands.  The only down-side is you have to be more careful because headstocks are angled to create string tension, versus a Fender which has string trees to accomplish this task.  Fenders are nearly indestructable and even if you snap the neck, you can bolt on a new one.  Gibsons are a differnt story. 

J

 

[acresm22]

$350 for a Made in USA Gibson...I didn't think that was possible! I want one...

Thanks for the pics and write-up, Jackman.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Thanks for the recommendations J, but I told my son he's not getting an electric until he learns to play a guitar (with strings on it. NOT the silly Guitar Hero P.O.S.).
He saved his own money and bought an acoustic child's cheapie at Walmart for $40. He strums on it a lot. So far he's not hit a note that made Mom or me cringe. At times he actually sounds like he's on to something. But in the end, if I'm going to buy him an electric, and an amp, he's going to have to suffer though playing chop sticks. I had to do that on the piano, I assume there's chop sticks on guiters??? Anyway, he'll have to learn before I risk spend money on an expensive dust collector. I'll do everything I can to encourage him, but I need to see some initiative first.

Bob

[jackman]

Thanks for the recommendations J, but I told my son he's not getting an electric until he learns to play a guitar (with strings on it. NOT the silly Guitar Hero P.O.S.).
He saved his own money and bought an acoustic child's cheapie at Walmart for $40. He strums on it a lot. So far he's not hit a note that made Mom or me cringe. At times he actually sounds like he's on to something. But in the end, if I'm going to buy him an electric, and an amp, he's going to have to suffer though playing chop sticks. I had to do that on the piano, I assume there's chop sticks on guiters??? Anyway, he'll have to learn before I risk spend money on an expensive dust collector. I'll do everything I can to encourage him, but I need to see some initiative first.

Bob

Smart man!  I agree with your logic.  If he improves and shows a serious interest, there are lots of cool guitar bargains to be had.  Good luck!

J

[jackman]

$350 for a Made in USA Gibson...I didn't think that was possible! I want one...

Thanks for the pics and write-up, Jackman.

Yep, made in Nashville TN!  That $350 also includes free shipping and tax (unless you live in a state that charges taxes for internet sales).  It's an awesome deal on a guitar that is a REAL player.  The neck and fretwork are very good.  Body is a slab just like its LP Jr.  big brother.  The single coils are somewhere between a P90 and a Tele.  Can give you some good twang as well as Punk Rock if that's your thing.  Not recommended for Metal but it was born to play the Blues...lucky for me!

Here is a link to the MF website.  I've bought lots of stuff from these guys and have never had a problem.  I've even returned things without any issues.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Les-Paul-Melody-Maker-Dual-Pickup-Electric-Guitar?sku=512641

J