Gibson Limited Run SG Melody Maker Electric Guitar  

This guitar is a plain-Jane, no frills rocker that with a few minor tweaks 

will turn out amazingly crunchy sound (I’m playing through a 100 watt Fender head). 

This guitar comes with the Melody Maker headstock, humbucker pickup, standard wraparound bridge (tailpiece), and factory set-up. 

The FLAW is the bridge (tailpiece) and factory set-up. 

The bridge (tailpiece) rolls forward. 

The strings are set noticeably high off the fret-board.  

The out-of-the-box guitar does not intonate well. 

I installed Tone Pro II Locking Posts, an aftermarket wraparound low profile bridge (tailpiece), set the action low, and intonated the bridge (tailpiece). 

This guitar now plays like silk!!

You can’t beat the value for the price provided that you invest more in aftermarket parts to enhance its playability.

It’s a great lightweight guitar with big sound. 

This is an excellent guitar for taking on the road whether your primary, secondary, or tertiary axe. 

I like to alternate between this and my Telecaster on steroids. 

Two totally different sounds.

This was exactly what I was looking for. A simple, basic quality instrument built to last a lifetime.

the 491 humbucker rips like no other! The guitar pickup itself is worth the money.

There was a small scratch on the pickguard but otherwise it was set up perfect right out of the box. A simple string tune up and I was recording away! The stings are bright- Im going to try pure nickel when I need to restring. The simple volume knob is more of presence knob. From 1-4 it controls volume but 4-10 increase the presence and growl. Really cool idea, close enough so you can can voices mid recording. Plek cut nut and a high end pickup on a piece of solid mahogony, for this price? WOW.

Hands down you will not find a better value for the money. I still can't believe I got it so cheap! I would take this over any 'high end' epi or squire et al. This is a fine musical instrucment, and it built accordingly. I have a les paul to compare it to- the sound is similar to the 498T. This is a good basic guitar that would be excellent for the beginner or for the stage.

This is not a jazz guitar and you wont make it sound like a tele twang. This is a rock guitar and Im so happy with it for what it does. You really need a tube amp to make it sing. Even my lil 4 watt Vox makes it sing and roll!

After two weeks there has been some stuff that is no big deal, but just enough that Im going to return my SG.  Now that the excitement of taking a real Gibson out of the box has faded, Im a little disappointed in the finish. Yes, its budget, but the finish is just bad. Not so much the paint, but the sanding of the body on mine is unacceptable. It looks like the finishing machine / sandpaper of whatever bit the body and sent it through at a strange angle. There are sanding ridges all over the front. It arrived with a big ding on the neck and one on the lower edge of the body. They obviously used a tool to wind the strings up because there are circular marks into the paint around the tuning heads. Its sad that this is a Gibson because a 249.00 Squier is a way better, finished guitar relatively speaking. Im very meticulous about my stuff. I feel you are  paying for just a decal with this version.

Budget or not, I expect more from Gibson. This guitar just squeeked over the line to non-keeper status upon closer inspection.

Its is what it is . . . A relatively unfinished, budget Gibson. But hey, we'll take it ! It's about time Gibson remembered us poor people. Maybe not a Custom Shop SG, but way better than an original Melody Maker --a very playable, badazz sounding guitar. Probably not for you if you are into jazz or other frilly stuff. Thanks Gibson, keep 'em coming . . .

  This is a nice no-frills guitar. The maple body gives it a little better balance than a traditional all mahogany SG. I am not in love with the tailpiece. I checked it with the Peterson, and the intonation is off on almost every string. I will replace it with a tun-o-matic tailpiece. The truss rod is set a tiny bit too high, but that is an easy fix. I am intrigued by the Torrefied Maple fretboard. I have always preferred ebony to rosewood, and this material feels more like ebony than rosewood. I think it is much nicer than a cheap piece of rosewood. I hate the reason it is necessary. The gubment should not try to force Gibson to outsource their fretboard work (fix the economy instead....) Kudos to Gibson for not caving on that point. I like the American ingenuity at finding solutions.

  The quality of the body and neck is quite nice. My only pang is the sharp edges on the frets. I went to a store to buy a Les Paul Melody Maker a few years ago, and bought a PRS SE Singlecut instead for that very reason. I might tape it up and hit it with some 600 grit paper and a little steel wool. It is not a giant problem and you should not let that stop you from owning a nice guitar like this. It is what it is. I don't expect it to be exactly like my 1970 SG Standard for this kind of money.

  The pickup is a surprise. It looks like a humbucker but it stills has the chime and bite of my single coil Melody Maker. In fact, it "sounds" like a Melody Maker more so than an SG. It fattens right up with the Big Muff, though and has plenty of sustain.

  The Melody Maker headstock contrasts well against the SG body and gives this guitar a unique look.

  You cant beat the price for a real made in USA Gibson SG!

If I could do so without my wife busting me, I would fill the room with these things, and mod them all with different pickup combinations. Its also a cheap body for painting or decorating in case you want to get your "Fool" on! It is a solidly built guitar, and totally upgradeable. If you love the SG, and only a Gibson will do, this is.