Les Paul Melody Maker 2014

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sun Dec 07, 2014 3:26 am

Love the fact that this thread was bumped 1 full year on. Makes me wonder how long Westtexasred has actually had this guitar....

That's a lovely guitar but the fret marker looks daft. I loved the clean sounds in the video above but the drive sound was atrocious. I suspect that it responds much better to dirt in real life.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Sun Dec 07, 2014 3:45 am

Haha,thanks. I got it tonite at a Guitar Center Store for $399. I really wanted a Les Paul,but I didn't want to spend too much because I have already spent alot on my tele. I looked at one of the Gibson Les Paul LPJ guitars last night at a different Guitar Center but this Les Paul Melody Maker is a much better guitar(IMHO).Specs are here (link)

The pickups on this guitar are called P-90S.They are based on the original pickups Gibson made for the 1940s ES-125.Like the originals these pickups have 6 Alnico slug pole pieces whereas P-90s made after 1950 have 6 adjustable poles between two Alnico 5 bar magnets.

P-90S vs P-90

[youtube][/youtube]

Melody Maker demo with 4 different amplifiers

[youtube][/youtube]

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Sun Dec 07, 2014 9:24 am

George wrote:Those gains tones were awful lol.

I agree, might be better with fuzz though. Maybe.

Are those polepieces magnetic, or is there a magnet at the bottom? They do sound kind of stratty.

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Sun Dec 07, 2014 2:49 pm

westtexasred wrote:Haha,thanks. I got it tonite at a Guitar Center Store for $399.

The pickups on this guitar are called P-90S.They are based on the original pickups Gibson made for the 1940s ES-125.Like the originals these pickups have 6 Alnico slug pole pieces whereas P-90s made after 1950 have 6 adjustable poles between two Alnico 5 bar magnets.

P-90S vs P-90

[youtube][/youtube]

I didn't know that about P90S, I thought it is usual P90. Though according to that video they sound the same as usual ones.

I like the guitar - thin body which is two thin layers of mahogany and maple, rounded 59 fat neck - to me it's the best profile ever, powerful yet bright when they are clean pickups. It must be lightweight and (I'm sorry for such a cliche) "fun to play" guitar. I think I'm more of a Gibson guy. But with two clauses - 1) I mostly like oddball underdog guitars like Melody Makers of original design, Juniors, solid body Epis of the 60s - they look great, sound great and yet have that loser vibe; 2) I don't like the fact that Gibsons are so fragile and take so much care and attention in maintaince - you can't just put the guitar in the corner of the room and be relaxed.

Great family photo, Epi looks neat

► Show Spoiler

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Sun Dec 07, 2014 6:12 pm

Fakir Mustache wrote:
George wrote:Those gains tones were awful lol.
I agree, might be better with fuzz though. Maybe.

Are those polepieces magnetic, or is there a magnet at the bottom? They do sound kind of stratty.

Thanks for the posts! Yes each pole piece is an alnico slug magnet. Lindy Fralin makes pickups like this too (link)

Below is a Lindy Fralin Alnico Pole Piece P90 Soapbar

FYI Sam Ash is selling the 2014 Melody Makers for $449

http://www.samash.com/2014-les-paul-mel ... lpmm14xx-p

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 3:19 pm

If you don't like the 120th Anniversary inlay Sweetwater has one without it. They have 12 Melody Makers (link) but only this one (serial # 140050136) has the dot markers at the 12th fret.

The color reminds me of the PRS Vintage Mahogany I used to own

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 3:36 am

I got a case for my Melody Maker today. and a new amp too(Bugera).

speedfish · Post by **speedfish** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 3:57 am

Congrats! I was going to pull the trigger on one, but was dissuaded by the rounded 50's neck profile. How do you compare the neck to others?

Thanks,

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 5:00 am

It's not a huge neck.not so different from my other guitars

speedfish · Post by **speedfish** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 10:52 am

Thanks for the neck pics! I didn't realize that it had a tummy contour. Cool.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 1:33 am

speedfish wrote: dissuaded by the rounded 50's neck profile

Gibson's "50s neck" profile is not actually like the 1950s Gibson necks where they were uniformly thick... it's tapered like the '60s profile and they just made it chunkier. It's not "boaty" or "refrigerator" like a '52 RI Tele neck or an old Kay or something, which is what certain actual '50s fat-neck Gibsons were like (the Peter Green/Gary Moore '59 is allegedly one such example).

I have a 2005 Les Paul and SG duo that both have the '50s option neck, and I find that very comfortable with my tiny-ass hands. My brother's Les Paul has the old '80s/'90s profile which became the "60s neck" option in the period my guitars were made, and they're really very similar... just slightly more heft higher up the neck on the 50s.

visceral · Post by **visceral** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:54 am

I think these guitars look cool, but Ive never played one.

LPTradPro · Post by **LPTradPro** » Fri Dec 26, 2014 5:55 pm

westtexasred wrote:I got a case for my Melody Maker today. and a new amp too(Bugera).

I have this guitar too, and I have to ask: what is that case you have it in? Looks like a perfect fit.

John

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Fri Dec 26, 2014 10:49 pm

LPTradPro wrote:
I have this guitar too, and I have to ask: what is that case you have it in? Looks like a perfect fit.

John

It's an Access Stage 3 case. I also kept my Epiphone Basher and my R9 in that case too and they both fit perfectly too.

LPTradPro · Post by **LPTradPro** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 2:47 pm

westtexasred wrote:
LPTradPro wrote:
I have this guitar too, and I have to ask: what is that case you have it in? Looks like a perfect fit.

John
It's an Access Stage 3 case. I also kept my Epiphone Basher and my R9 in that case too and they both fit perfectly too.

Nice! Thanks. I...OMG! They're pricey! Look they're worth it though.