🤷‍♂️ The $111 Epiphone Les Paul Melody Maker E1 is very odd [electric guitar review and demo]

This is the Epiphone Les Paul Melody Maker E1 (Les Paul SL) review. I bought this guitar on sale from Musician's Friend for $111.30 + taxes. Want to hear about guitar deals? Subscribe to Riff City: artofshred.com...
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LINKS OF NOTE
🎸I did an unboxing and first impressions video of this budget beginners guitar when I first got it a few months ago. Check that out here: • FIRST IMPRESSIONS: $11...
🤘Epiphone SG Special Limited I review: • Should YOU buy the CHE... (buy this guitar instead if you're buying a super cheap Epiphone)
🪛How to intonate your guitar: • How to INTONATE your g...
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Some of my original thoughts are the same as those first impressions and some are not. One thing hasn't changed: this guitar is VERY light and feels cheap.
BUT I can still actually recommend it to beginners if you're looking for a cheap Les Paul with single coils. Why? Because it arrived playable out of the box. No fret issues and nothing wrong with it. That is always a win in this very cheap price range because it's not super common. (Even expensive guitars can arrive with fret issues.)
Like every guitar that isn't setup the action was a little high for my liking (though not egregious) and of course the guitar needed to be intonated. It did come with the allen wrench for intonation but did not come with a truss rod allen wrench to adjust the neck. This Les Paul Melody Maker did not need a truss rod adjustment but it is nice when guitars come with the truss rod wrench since it's such a cheap little tool.
Specs on this Epiphone Les Paul Melody Maker E1:
24.75" scale length
Poplar body (feels like balsa haha)
1960s Slim Taper D neck profile
22 medium jumbo frets
12 inch fretboard radius
Epiphone 650SCR™ Ceramic Single-Coil in the neck
Epiphone 700SCT™ Ceramic Single-Coil in the bridge
1 volume, 1 tone, 3 way pickup switch
Made in China
Did you notice this review kinda got away from me? Ehh, it happens.
Thanks for watching!

[@ArtOfShredYT]

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[@markpell8979]

I've got some 'nice' guitars and also a selection of cheap Epis and Squiers. Love 'em all. You just have to be ready to tweak 'em a little, even the more expensive ones. This little LP wannabe is cool and quirky and sounds pretty good to me. I may get one just to make my snob musician friends mad, and I could rock this thing just fine in a band situation. You know what I mean. That's why I've become such an instant fan of your channel. Carry on brother!

[@senseiruss]

Great review and demo. Your comments are quite accurate. I bought this for 2 reasons - it was very inexpensive and it had the LP shape, but had single coils, which is rare. It played decently, but the tuners wouldn't hold tune very well. As you mentioned, it's insanely light weight! A decent guitar for beginners. Replaced them with Grover tuners and that helped a lot. I have a dozen guitars, so I ended up giving it to a friend who needed a guitar to play, since she had to sell hers (a 1973 Gibson Les Paul Custom, that she had since 1973) so she could pay the rent and many bills. This guitar cost me practically nothing, and she deserved to have at least something to play. Happily for her, she was able to get $4,500 for that Gibson Custom LP, and now has at least a decent guitar to play.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Thank you for sharing. Nice of you to give her that guitar!

[@gavinvonmeyer3746]

And I can tell you, that since I have an exact model like the black one here, your friend actually has a great guitar to play on, cause for me, this guitar is a keeper. And I am enjoying mine stock - the more I play it the better the tones seem to get and mine stays in tune after loooong practice sessions with string bending, slides, etc.

[@Alpha_WK]

@@gavinvonmeyer3746 Maybe I got lucky but this is a well made guitar. Tuners work and stay in tune for a good while. No clue about intonation so I won’t go there. The neck is straight and feels nice. No sharp frets . No dead notes . Easy to adjust action. Tone and volume work as they should. Selector switch has 3 very distinct tones. So no problems as far as hardware. The actual tone of this guitar can’t be put in a category. Playing clean it sounds like every other guitar. With gain it has its own peculiar gnarly sound. Also it is light and really fun to play. I’m sure most serious guitar players wouldn’t be caught dead playing this guitar but I’m not a rock star so it’s fine.

[@gavinvonmeyer3746]

@@Alpha_WK I actually think there are some pros who would gig with these things... I honestly also think I am one of the lucky ones, cause I have zero complaints with mine, only the action is a little high, but I have no issues with that either, of which I am scared to tamper with action settings, so I might only try dealing with that the day a string eventually snaps. But I totally love the clean tones I get... In fact, I practice with it 99.999% of the time without plugging it into amp, cause the guitar to me is not as loud but loud enough to be played like an acoustic.

[@Alpha_WK]

@@gavinvonmeyer3746 You can adjust string height/action very easily! Use a screwdriver on the top screws on the two posts on the bridge. Clockwise. Actually the only problem I’ve found which I neglected to mention is that the hardware is very cheap metal and using a screwdriver can leave marks and indentations. You might have to loosen the little screws attached to poles also. But it can be done in two minutes.But Iagree it’s a very usable comfortable guitar. And you’re right it does sound good acoustically

[@SEEKPRODUCTIONS100]

I just aquired this about 2 days ago and i'm 43 and been playing since I was 9 or 10 but started to play more at 14. This guitar for an intermediate player like me and I was maybe lucky this one is holding it's tune after a few hours of playing with it. It's been absolutely a dream to play.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Sweet, happy you dig it! 🤘

[@christianjaycastillo6555]

I own a burst of this guitar. Changed the bridge, and strings. Not an expert but i tried adjusting truss rod. I love the ceramic tone. Also, not tired playing for hours.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Sweet. What kind of bridge did you replace it with?

[@mtus647]

Great video. You should explore upgrading it just for the heck of it, looks like a pretty fun and challenging mod platform

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Thank you! That's not a bad idea, but I have to like a guitar to want to use it as a mod platform. I don't particularly like this guitar, even though it's fine. I did buy a DiMarzio Super Distortion for the Epiphone SG Special I reviewed so I'll do a video on that pretty soon.

[@mtus647]

@@ArtOfShredYT maybe upgrading it with cheap Aliexpress parts? White Donlis hot rail pickups, Kaynes locking tuners Might be interesting

[@ArtOfShredYT]

I'll consider it but we'll see 🤘

[@eclipse_1240]

I got one of these as my first guitar back when they were called the Les Paul SL. The fretwork was not good and I was never really comfortable with it. I ended up switching from the cheapest Epiphone to the cheapest Gibson (New Old Stock 2017 Gibson M2) and my leaning curve skyrocketed. I have read bad reviews on that guitar, but mine has no quality issues and it just feels right in a way the SL never did.

[@ThomasMarchiano-h9o]

I'm a guitarist that's been playing on and off for 45 years. I love Epiphone guitars, I own 10, 4 SGs I sg les paul custom, 2 les Paul's, 1 explorer, a steel lap guitar and an EB0 bass, I love them all and highly recommend Epiphone for all levels of guitarists.!

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Nice, thanks for sharing! I'm an Epiphone fan in general, even though this Melody Maker E1 (aka Les Paul SL) doesn't really do it for me.

[@ThomasMarchiano-h9o]

Thanks my friend, rock on always!

[@DEEKUS1935]

I own this guitar, the yellow one. Fine as a cool looking retro style, for a beginner, as an inexpensive novelty, as an office guitar or traveler, etc. Plays and sounds ok. But yeah, it's an entry level budget guitar. Don't expect greatness for very low money. I recommend it for what it IS as I describe here. If you want a great one to gig with, this ain't it. You'd have to mod it. And it's a good mod platform.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Thanks for sharing! Yeah, I agree with pretty much everything you wrote here 🤘

[@jeanlawson9133]

With Wilkerson bridge and tuner's and bone nut...it is awesome 😎....the pickups are hum cancelling with both used... I love mine..$125.00....with all the mods....the bridge sets the intonation correct and the whole instrument comes alive even resonates...

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Thanks for sharing. I would agree it's a good mod platform.

[@Pookiestud]

I am picking mine up today. Got it off Facebook marketplace and plan to mod it a bit to do some home recording :)

[@rustorian]

@@ArtOfShredYTwhere can I get tuners and a bridge like what your talking about?

[@ArtOfShredYT]

@@rustorian Lots of places. eBay, GuitarFetish, Reverb. Depends what you want and your budget.

[@williamarthurfenton1496]

It's entirely a lottery with budget guitars as far as fret problems go. I have bought an astonishing fourteen Squire CVs, Epiphones and Gretsch guitars and the only one I had very noticeable fret issues with was the Les Paul Studio, which costs about £400, which is significantly more expensive of course than either of your specials. But then I am pretty tolerant of slight fret buzzing. Very inconsistent with finish blemishes and the like, which frankly don't bother me in the slightest given the price.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Thanks for sharing, William! I'm tolerant of slight buzz but if a fret's too high it'll require work. That said, I've found Squiers to have the most fret issues so far and Epiphones have been pretty great. Have also had good luck with the two Indios I've reviewed. And of course my favorite budget guitar (Mitchell MS450) was basically flawless.

[@__blue--blood__7857]

I had a option of taking this model which is the cheapest epiphone Les Paul on the market or the epiphone Les paul Slash special AFD model . I chose the Slash model as it looks more like a les paul and it has 4 pick ups . The other reason is Ive been a long time fan of Guns n roses and the album Appetite for destruction . Many reviews on the net say that it sounds pretty close to a real Les Paul . I wouldn't go that far as real Les Pauls are made by Gibson . The wood quality is way better and the pick ups are high quality. I do know when I pick it up and play that its got a way different sound to my Squier Stratocaster guitar . But saying all that Im glad they made cheaper Les paul guitars for people that really cant afford an expensive Gibson Les Paul. Its like owning a Les Paul without actually owning one but somehow it still feels satisfying 😂

[@ArtOfShredYT]

The Slash model is definitely better than this Melody Maker model. Thanks for sharing! 🤘

[@MikeX50]

I think if you just go up $50 - $75 there are several other guitar options that are much better than this one. Thanks for sharing though and helping us common folks from wasting money!

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Yup! From a common folk who is wasting money I agree with you 🤣

[@mahoganymarco9199]

There always will be a better guitar.. So that's a bit weird to say over a low end... That actually with few mods you can make a great practice guitar.. And not only

[@TheTwangKings]

I think it will be a good travel guitar, very light body and a full scale is a good combination. GP magazine praised it for good sound and playability. Tuners are garbage, but I'd hesitate to upgrade them because they are light! I don't know what you are using in the demo, but I heard demos that sounded much better, no offense.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

No offense taken. Everyone is different. If this is what you're looking for then all good!

[@rnrsteev]

I think it sounds really good. I just ordered one. How You criticized it (fair) maybe why I'll like it. oh yeah, she gettin modded with a H.O. DiMarzio, de-tuned and Fuzzed, Orange amplified. maybe a little bit loud.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Sweet. I feel like the new Know Your Gear video is going to convert a lot of people to it, but there are so many better options in the price range that I'd still go with something else personally. If you're planning to mod it that's a different story, though!

[@rnrsteev]

@@ArtOfShredYT I agree. I recommend different gitters to people that I don't personally own. Ibanez and Ltd come to mind. I love My little Steinberger but that's not for everyone, and the strings are a bit pricey.

[@frettingitforward]

Cool stuff dude 🤟

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Glad you liked it! 🤘

[@joesimon2018]

"Feel cheap" what does that mean? Light is actually a good thing and something that's a premium. This guitar achieves it by having a solid poplar wood body instead of plywood loaded with glue. The neck is also one piece and not scarf jointed. It also has no stud tailpiece which helps keep the weight down. Of course single coils and less electronics hardware helps. All I found cheap in mine were the tuners. Upgrade those and buy used and you have a great guitar for little cash out of pocket

[@ArtOfShredYT]

But it still feels cheap 🤣

[@deepiper6529]

I had this guitar in the brown sunburst color, and i just couldn't get ovet the sound of the pickups. The bridge pickup sounded tinny and weak, The neck pickup had a nice sound, better than that bridge pickup. I'm not a modder so I sold it and havent looked back.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Yeah I hear ya. These are definitely not my favorite budget guitar pickups. But some people really like them, so to each their own

[@versechorusverse2470]

What I was going to do with that was essentially turn it into a mustang. Like get all the electronics and get the sound of a mustang with the look and feel of a Les Paul.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Interesting idea. It already has single coils and the pots aren't going to affect the sound all that much. But if you're replacing these pickups with pickups from a Mustang it just might work. Let me know how it goes 🤘

[@versechorusverse2470]

@@ArtOfShredYT I’ll make a video as soon as I get the parts lol

[@ArtOfShredYT]

@@versechorusverse2470 sweet!

[@pfhrmb]

Is it possible to install a vibrola/tremolo bar on this? I have this guitar. Im a beginner

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Hypothetically possible but it'd be so much work it wouldn't be worth the time and expense.

[@roy9066]

I'm quite interested getting one just for looks, and fun modding. I wonder if the pickups are regular strat single coil pickups? Will I be able to put in those pickups that are lying around?

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Good question. I haven't looked at the guts yet but I imagine you could drop in strat pickups. Not sure about string spacing, though

[@rjasontwenty1099]

well , i have epiphone stg les paul and compare to my fender strat, it's a heavy guitar and than playing with my strat, so light, feels like balsa ...lol

[@The.pilgrims.band.offical]

Is this a good guitar for someone who just wants to play rhyme an isn’t all that fussed

[@ArtOfShredYT]

It's fine but there are better options in the price range

[@gnawbabygnaw]

Thanks 🤙🤙

[@ibberman]

Amazing, mine don't feel light at all,.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Ok

[@stevetemple8826]

Looking like Riff City is out of business.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Huh?

[@micksterminator3]

There is one for 40usd new in my area. I'm tempted but gonna pass. I hated my Epiphone sg, I'm sure this will be worse

[@ArtOfShredYT]

It is definitely worth $40, but it's also worse than any Epiphone SG I've ever played

[@micksterminator3]

@@ArtOfShredYT I don't have a single coil guitar at the moment (only humbuckers with coil taps) Might go for it, but a cheap strat sounds kinda cool as I don't have any vibratos. I guess I can always flip it if it's not my thing.

[@ArtOfShredYT]

@@micksterminator3 These single coils are not great sounding to me. I'd go with a Squier Sonic Mustang or maybe Affinity Strat. Used Affinity is pretty common for around $100 depending on your location

[@micksterminator3]

@@ArtOfShredYT thanks for the heads up. I'll keep an eye out

[@jameschamplin1742]

Good god, I think Epiphone might be the last guitar maker using those cheesy-ass tuners. Even $100 Amazon Strats have die cast tuners at this point. Seriously, Epiphone? You have to use these trash tuners still?

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Haha, tell us how you really feel 😆

[@brandonnmartinez5064]

It’s poplar wood

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Yeah I know. I wrote that in the description. Feels like balsa though 😆

[@josephzummo9685]

It's a terrible platform to mod. Tuners , pick ups and electronics are sub par. Played 1 in a store for 5min maybe and put it down. Awful. Buy a squire

[@ArtOfShredYT]

That's the whole point of mods. To replace all the parts that are sub par.

[@josephzummo9685]

@ArtOfShredYT it's all sub par terrible wood both neck and body.

[@slimturnpike]

Is this basically the same model as the Epiphone Les Paul SL?

[@ArtOfShredYT]

Yup same thing as far as I can tell