Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker

As previous reviews say, this guitar couldn't be more simple. 1 pickup, 2 knobs, 1 jack. Set neck, 22 frets. The finish is a simple paint that shows the grain of the wood. I just got three of these at the Guitar Center sale: 2 yellow and 1 red.

I'm using this through a Mesa Boogie studio 22. I strung one of them with Gibson Vintage 11 strings, and it sounds full and solid, as you'd expect from the P90. I jammed with a band yesteday, and both the clean and distorted sounds cut trough the mix well.

The finish is cheap, but that's part of the charm. The only thing I don't love is the paint on the back of the neck: it feels slightly "sticky". I sanded off the paint on the neck and finished the bare wood with tung oil and this makes the neck play faster.

Don't know yet... There's not much to go wrong, and I'm hoping the finished will wear off over time.

Don't know

I was considering buying one of these for $299 earlier in the week, but the sales person suggested I come back for the Memorial Day sale. This guitar would have been a good deal at $299, and unbeleivable at $99.

Just picked this thing up at a blowout price of $299 with an SKB hardshell case and gibson deluxe bag thrown in for another 80! I had my pick of about 5 and nothing could touch the tv yellow one that I first tried. Year model is an 03, 22 frets, mahogany body, and what I believe is a mahogany neck. Gibson website for 04 says spanish cedar or equivalent, but musicians friend lists the neck as mahogany. I give this thing a 7 on features, because I would like a p90 in the neck and an extra set of tone/volume controls so you could run them parallel and cancel the hum or just cut the volume on the neck and use the toggle as a mute. Bottom line: I just picked up a USA Gibson, with a set neck that sustains for days, perfect action/setup/intonation, the exact same hardware as a 5k dollar les paul for under 300 bones. Will say that the white button gibson deluxe kluson tuners work perfectly and make you feel like you are playing a 59.

I have owned at one time or another a Les Paul Studio, Standard, Custom, and Les Paul Special Junior and can HONESTLY say that not one of those guitars comes close to sounding as good as this guitar's P90 through my Mesa MKIII head and ported widebody Rivera cab. Hands down best rock sound I have ever heard with unbelievable clarity. The mahogany body and set neck lend a very warm full les paul sound. I test drove this thing on a mesa lone star next to an array of sg specials and standards and the 490 and 496 pickups sounded horribly muddy next to the P90. The pickup does hum as it is a single coil, but the noise is only there when you aren't playing.

I say 10 here with the caveat that this was the only one out of 5 guitars tested that was set up so nicely. Most of them had horribly high action, but this one was absolutely perfect all the way around. If you are buying mail order it might be worth getting a pro set-up out of the box.

As durable as any Gibson--probably more given the simplicity of this machine.

I have dealt with Gibson over the years and they have alway provided wonderful customer service on a range of issues. I had a tuner break off when a friend knocked over my Studio and the sent me a brand new gold Kluson right away. In another instance I had ordered a gibson hardcase from a deadbeat dealer (later busted for guitar theft) who didn't follow through with the order so Gibson worked with me directly on it. Lifetime warranty is pretty rock solid.

Been playing for 11 years and have gone through the 'gear escalation phase' topping out at a David Thomas McNaught Custom guitar costing well over 4k that I sold weeks after it arrived (6 months to build), vowing never to pay that much for a guitar again. The melody maker is the essence of a real players guitar with everything you find on any other USA Gibson, but without the aesthetic appeal making it costs thousands of dollars more. This thing will blow away 95% of the guitars in Gibson's line for under 300 bones.

No features, really. USA made, thin body and fast neck, looks to be mahogany. A single dog-ear P-90 under a Tune-O-Matic bridge and stop tail with single tone and volume controls. Nice Kluson tuners with white button keys, TV Yellow satin finish over an unfilled body so it's nice and grainy. Feels like an old friend. Came with a nice, thickly-padded bag. If you're looking for a basic rock machine, this is it. I almost wish it had less features, and I could deal with a wraparound/Badass bridge and a kill switch instead of controls, but versatility never hurt anyone.

Sounds ballsy and raw, like a P-90 should, through a variety of amps. I'm using it mostly through a 4x10 Peavey Classic 50, and it truly is a rock machine. It's the rock guitar sound at it's most basic, so you could use it for pretty much anything...the clean sound is very punchy and nice. I usually use thinner single coil guitars and a bass booster to add some kick through the Classic 50, but this guitar needs none of that. There's a lot of variation in the volume knob for different sounds, but I don't use them much, as my preference for a kill switch might suggest. Great sound, period.

Set-up is pretty good from the factory, no buzz but the low E is a little stiff from being a tad on the high side. I'll take a tad lower action over a lack of buzz any day, but I also don't really care about cleanliness in playing, as evidenced by the fact that I bought what is essentially a student guitar design from the '50s. The only complaint I have is on the dressing of the fret ends; a few of them are a little jagged, but nothing that a few minutes of work won't fix. The price has to be considered in all this...you can't be too picky with an American-made Gibson for under $400. The finish is great. It already looks old without being cheesily "aged" and hopefully it will wear naturally without having to be abused.

This thing seems built to last. I've thrown it around quite a bit and it never felt fragile, and there's not much on it that can break/go wrong. With only four elements wired in, even an electronic problem will be easy to fix. Finish is thin, but well-applied and it seems solid. I think it's meant to wear a bit, as Gibson didn't even bother with grain filler, and I love it. Strap buttons are solid, but small. I replaced them with straplocks, but only because I swing and flail a lot. The buttons are perfectly fine for normal use. I always keep a backup, but I'd use this without one if I had to.

Standard Gibson lifetime warranty. Won't use it, because nothing on this guitar other than possibly total pickup failure is worth the effort of a warranty claim.

A fantastic piece of work, especially for the money. If you want a bare bones rock machine, this is your guitar, and it's a steal. For a long time I wanted something along the lines of an LP Jr. for that raucous sound, but because of budget constraints, and not wanting to go the Epiphone route, I've been limited to the awesome (but somewhat fragile) middle position on a pair of Danelectros. With the LP Melody Maker, Gibson has given people on a budget a chance to land their own old school flame thrower, and I salute them for it. Fantastic.

2003 usa made mahogany? plank, with dog-eared p-90. satin yellow.

i play everything from electric blues to qotsa. i use a fender blues junior, a vox wah, a boss os, and on occasion fuzz. this guitar has such a raw crunchy,pure sound; it is really superb. the guitar is very light and small which might be the only thing i dont love about it.

action needed a little tweaking. no other flaws

i would and do depend on this guitar as a main tool. this guitar is just a solid block of wood with no frills. a baseball bat with a p-90 perfect!

samash if their prices weren't so good i would not buy from them.

playing for 17 years. i also own a gibson es135 which i also love. the melody maker is better for the price though. i would buy another if this was ever stolen. my favorite guitar was my usa tele, but this melody maker is making its way to the top.

'03 NAMM Show USA made w Letter of Authenticity and gig bag.

Looks like a LP Junior but has smaller head, thinner body, Kluson tuners with white plastic keys, tune-o-matic w stop tailpiece, satin finish (this one's yellow), no pickguard.

One P-90 dogear pickup in bridge position; one vol; one tone; input jack on front.

24&3/4" scale; rosewood fingerboard; medium frets, fairly nicely finished.

It could be mistaken for an Airline brand guitar, but then it would have a lousy neck and frets and be MUCH cheaper. As it is, it's Gibson's lowest price in decades, and a hoot to play.

No features. As basic as a Traveler Guitar!

Sounds nasty and primitive, like with Joe Walsh's attitude!
Rock and Roll machine.
Lots of sustain, and as much output as a humbucker (better highs though).
Can be turned down and tamed too though, just not as much fun.
It's got P-90 wallop and you'd never suspect the body wasn't full thickness LP Jr.
Good snarl.
I use it with Tech 21 amps (TM 10, Power Engine, SansAmp Classic) for Blues and Rock. Will do country too.
Even Jazz, but the trebles are a bit pingy and it sustains a LOT!

All good.
The finish drags on the neck a bit (maybe it's lacquer?).

Tiny strap buttons.

I can't imagine it NOT being reliable, the basic design is 1950's, and there are functioning LP Juniors around from that era still.

I don't think the finish is meant to hold up forever.

Basic Gibson warranty.

I've never bothered with any company.

If it needs work, I'll do it.

Playing guitar 40 years. All styles.
When I play jobs I use a Guild Jazz guitar for Standards and Swingtunes.
This Melody Maker is just for fun and Blues jams, etc.
I wanted something for sustain and distorted sounds, Country leads, etc., and just goofing around with friends and doing nasty guitar god licks.
Reminds me very much of a '93 LP Jr I had, but that one had a P-100, which I didn't really care for. Necks are about the same.
I love the neck and the fret finish.
Time will tell on the finish, but I don't mind if it isn't sanding sealed. Just adds to the campyness.
Tuners are good, and I like tune-o-matics.
It's a toy to me, but it could be used for world tours by some Rock star, no problem.

Brand new guitar purchased at Sam Ash in Edison. I called them and was told they would set aside a yellow for me. Got there and no yellow. Tried the red and was knocked out! Nothing fancy, P90, one volume, one tone, stop tailpiece and tune-o-matic. Great tuners! Sam Ash advertises the body and neck as mahogony, Gibson website says "Brazilian mogambi", or some such wood. I don't remember specifically but this is a lightweight.

Sound is great! Raucous, sharp, nasty Day Tripper-like lead tone. Roll the volume back a bit and you've got nice jangly chords.

Not many features, just a go-ahead, no-nonsense rock and blues guitar. Very impressive build, rock solid, fabulous neck, beautiful fretwork and nut and did I mention I love these tuners?

Everything here is top notch quality. For $399 this is the guitar to buy for yourself or for your 8 year old son to start learning on (I actually bought it for my son Matt to start lessons, it's nice and small with a full 24.75" scale neck).

Lifetime warranty, I don't expect any peoblems though.

If you're into owning an Gibson and don't have $1000 - 2000 laying around, this is the guitar to buy. It's perfect.

Multi-piece mahogany body, one piece mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. Pearl dot inlays. Nashville tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece. Gibson-Deluxe tuners with small plastic buttons. Les Paul body shape, but the body is Melody Maker thin. The headstock is of the very small, straight-sided Melody Maker configuration. One P-90 pickup, one volume control, one tone control, a top-mounted output jack. Thin satin cherry finish -- no grain filler, no clear coats.

The guitar comes with nothing: no case, no gig back, no paper work.

The guitar has one P-90 pickup, one volume control, one tone control. An interesting twist: the tone control is connected, not to the hot lead of the pickup, but to the wiper of the volume control. What does this mean? It means that with the tone control rolled back a bit, the guitar brightens up as you roll the volume down and gets fatter as you roll the volume up all the way. A very useful feature for moving between rhythm and lead playing.

The P-90 hums like crazy if you get too close to a source of "buzz," but that goes with single coil territory and the payoff in sound is worth it. More than a few sounds are available through variations in control settings and pick attack. Much more versatile than one might expect from a single pickup.

I use it for blues, classic rock, and pop.

The factory set-up was well done, including the nut slots. The guitar had suffered, however, due to the low humidity at the store. So it needed a truss rod adjustment and some dressing of the fret ends. Not a big deal. The action is a bit lower than my usual preferences, but that's not a problem. I haven't touched the pickup adjustment (polepiece heights); the factory set-up seems good.

The hardware is first-rate, the same as on high dollar Gibsons. The finish is, by design, very thin. I expect (and hope) that it will start showing wear very soon. The steeply angled headstock looks vulnerable to me, but I have played Fenders for years and am used to their exceptional ruggedness.

Best I can tell is that the warranty is lifetime. The guitar came with no paperwork or documentation.

I've been playing since the mid-1970's and have owned all sorts of guitars over the years. There is something special about this guitar. It has a personality, a voice. I was not looking for a second electric guitar, I've been trying to bring things into better focus. But this guitar grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go.

This "10" rating indicates, not that this is the guitar for everybody, but that it does what it does with excellence.

Well, that's what Elderly Instruments calls it. Anyway, a brand new, very inexpensive Gibson ($400 at EI). No "features" except maybe the Nashville bridge. It's the most basic thing you can think of....a slab of wood shaped like an LP but no top/carving, a P90 PU, a stop tailpiece and Nasville bridge (so it could be slightly simpler) a vol and a tone knob, a rosewood fretboard with dots, a nut, and six pearloid button Kluson style closed tuners. Mine's TV yellow, kindof rough finish (not relic, but not shiny and pretty).

Fandamntastic. The P90 is killer, and surprisingly quiet....only a slight 60 cycle hum. Plenty bright and cutting, and dial off the tone and thick and creamy comes in. Funky, bluesy, ballsy, killer tone.

Set up fine and all, but I'm a Pyramid Gold flatwound guy for almost all my guitars. And P90s are perfect, since you can adjust the pole pieces to their proper heights, which is good since I love them wound G strings (oh yeah, baby). Finish is nice....again, not pretty....TV Yellow's kindof an ugly color, but it's got some history to it, and the flat finish looks great on this very basic guitar. Tuners work well and hold their tune, the nut was actually cut (which isn't always the case with Gibsons), and intonation was a breeze with the Nashville bridge. Nicely finished frets, neck is ok (I like the bigger late '50s baseball bat necks, and this one's more of a '60 speed neck, but no big deal).

I think this guitar will age rapidly in a GOOD way (it'll show wear but hold together).....as long as you don't drop it.....as with any LP type guitar it's got the extreme headstock angle, and if you drop it it will break, dude. Otherwise, there's not much on it that could break!

No idea.

I've been playing about 30 years now (too bad it doesn't sound like it.....). For the money, and as long as you don't want bells and whistles, BUY THIS GUITAR!!! Unfortunately for my checking account I can count on both hands the guitars I'm sorry I bought. This is NOT one of them. If you love P90s, want some sort of "vintage vibe" but without going over $1000 (HELL, without going over $500!!!), this is a fantastic guitar. No, you're not getting much for your $400, but if you want a US made Gibbo with great sound and play-ability and vibe, this is a fantastic deal. MUCH better than Fender's Hy 1 Strats (I've got one....it's ok, but this is WAY more than ok).