SeriesGibson Melody Maker

Gibson has really owned a large portion of the market with there great sounding and rich volume guitars such as the Explore, SG, and especially the infamous Les Paul. This is basically the cheaper version or junior version of a LP guitar. This guitar is shaped like a LP and has that familiar tone and ring to it. This guitar features a single coil pickup which is unusual to many of the models that Gibson guitars make. UTILIZATION Features BODY Body Species: Mahogany Jack Location: Top NECK Species: Mahogany Profile: Rounded Neck Joint Location: 16th Fret FINGERBOARD Species: Rosewood (or baked maple depending on stock on hand) Scale Length: 24-3/4" Total Length: 18.062" Number of Frets: 22 Nut width: 1.695" Inlays: Dot HARDWARE Plating Finish: Chrome Tailpiece: Wraparound Knobs: Black tophat Tuners: Vingate white button ELECTRONICS Bridge Pickup: single-coil Controls: One volume, one tone Manufactured in: Nashville, TN SOUNDS This guitar sounds like a LP guitar because of the shape first of all but also the wood combination that is used throughout the construction process. This guitar has a nice rich tone but it has a cool single coil quality to it that makes it a very different sound than I am used to in the Gibson instruments. I am used to that thick Gibson sound and this is more of a focused tone that has a little beef behind it. Tye sound could use a little bit more beef and I think a pickup replacement would be in order with this guitar. i would suggest getting a nice boutique single coil from another manufacture's and sticking it in there to get a better overall tone with the instrument. OVERALL OPINION The price of this guitar is very nice. You can get a great sounding American made guitar for right at around $450 which is stellar price. Overall, this is a cool guitar but in my opinion it is not a main stay guitar. It is not going to be a main guitar for most people because it just has that unusual tone that most people I think are unfamiliar with. This is a very less expensive version of the true Le PAul guitars but it still has a wow factor in my eyes that appeals to me.

The Jonas Brothers have been fairly well known for playing GIbson guitars, and the Les Paul Junior has been one of their go-to instruments for a very long time. It's not too different from a regular Junior, but a lot more attention has been put into these. The guitar has a mahogany body with a mahogany neck and ebony fretboard, 22 frets, dot inlays, hard tail bridge, pickguard, two P90 pickups, one volume, one tone and a three way switch. UTILIZATION This guitar actually comes PLEK'd from Gibson, and you can definitely tell a difference. The frets are perfectly level, and you can get some retardedly low action on this thing. It's almost like playing on water when you slam it. The nut was cut properly, so no issues with tuning stability either. It has a graphic on it that I don't really care for, but that's more of an "eye of the beholder" kind of thing. The biggest gripe I have with this guitar is that it doesn't come with a hard shell case. Instead, it had a gig bag, and I think that something of this caliber should at least have a real case to protect it. SOUNDS The guitar sounds very solid. The first thing you notice is that it's fairly light and resonant. That's a big plus towards getting a good tone out of these guitars. The P90s in the guitar sound absolutely ripping, and they're pretty versatile. Don't expect these to be some super hot pickups; they're not. However, they can deliver one hell of a good rock tone. Put these through a cranked Marshall, and it's tonal bliss. Put them through a nice Fender, and you got some great blues and jazz tones. P90s really work great in these guitars, and I'm a big fan of them vs humbuckers for rock and certain types of leads. OVERALL OPINION For the price, this guitar is pretty much a steal. The biggest flaw is that it doesn't come with a hard shell case. That aside, it's a very good buy. I think everybody should at least have one P90 equipped guitar around for those silky, bubbly rhythm and lead tones.