I picked this guitar up when it first came out in 2017, when it was $99. It ended up being backordered for over a month despite the website saying it was in stock, so Sam Ash gave me a $20 refund, bringing the end price to $79 plus tax. I still have it, and it's still one of my favorites to grab and play. I kept it stock until about 2020, when I put about $120 worth of mods into it (GFS "Brighton Rock" pickups and wiring harness, Wilkinson tuners, a preslotted bone nut, and an intonatable wraparound bridge). It was a fun guitar before I modded it, but now it's a genuinely excellent instrument. I absolutely love it
I am actually considering this or a LP DIY Kit and go from there in terms of modifications. The biggest difference is that DIY Kit is mahogany with a mahogany neck (bolt on) and 12" Radius instead of thise Poplar-/Mahogany and 14". I do plan on having P90s, the DIY Kit has Humbuckers, this needs routing....price is the same and i wish to have a natural wood finish (this one would need complete stripping).
@@hussamjamil4980I have bought both a Les Paul and a SG kit and bought some alnico humbuckers for them and some nice tuners. They both play and sound amazing. Better than any Epiphone.
I did something similar: put 2 Lindy Fralin p90's and CTS500 pots wired to 50's style, and an adjustable wraparound. I had to get a new pickguard and cut it to size, and do a little routing of the body. I put on Kluson tuners. I was going to put a Goldtone Zero fret nut, but left it alone. I should probably polish the frets and edges. I call it my po'boy's 50's Les Paul. I did it as a fun project. I almost considered a Bixby trem bar, but I don't think it would have looked good with the pickguard, and I would have to change the selector switch. All in all I'm pretty happy with it. Mine is classic sunburst and I put some classic knobs on it, the pickguard is black.
This is a great episode. Too many other shows find the “cheapest” guitar and instantly throw parts that cost twice as much. More people need to learn to appreciate the cheap guitar. Good frames won’t save bad paintings and fancy guitars won’t save crappy riffs.
@@Aguirrethewrathofgod What they need to do is make the Junior a bit cheaper or give us more options finish wise. I’d be a buyer at 299 for what they offer currently, might spring for what they charge if they come out with some cool colors.
Indio by Monoprice Offset OS30 DLX Electric Guitar with Gig Bag - Sunburst. Isn't to bad sub two hundred bucks its a jazzmaster style with p90 style pickups.
$3000 guitars and up equivalents are exactly what real, original blues was played on. Most if not all blues greats played top of the line guitars that would easily be worth what $3000+ of today's money would have been at the time. They a;ll played the finest guitars of their time. T-Bone Walker's ES-5 , Muddy Water's Telecaster, Lowell Fulson's ES-335 and ES-5, Earl Hooker's black/gold Les Paul Custom and EDS-1275 Double-Neck, Lightnin' Hopkins's Gibson J-50 and Stratocaster, B.B. King's ES-345, ES-335, and black guard Telecaster, Albert King's Flying V's, Freddie King's gold top Les Paul and ES-345, John Lee Hooker's Epiphone Sheraton, gold top Les Paul, Lonnie Johnson's Martin 00-21, Elmore James's Epiphone Broadway, Robert Johnson's Gibson L-1 and KG-14, Sister Rosetta Tharpe's Gibson SG Custom, Little Milton's ES-345, Howlin Wolf's Gibson Firebird V, Epiphone Casino, and custom color Stratocaster, Son House's National Duolian, Otis Rush's ES-355, Albert Collin's Telecaster, Buddy Guy's gold top Les Paul, SG Custon, and Strat, Sonny Boy Willaimson's guitar player, Robert Lockwood Jr,'s Guild Starfire XII 12-String Hollowbody, Magic Sam's Epiphone Riviera sand Stratocaster, Magic Slim's sunburst Les Paul and Fender Jazzmaster, Shuggie Otis' sunburst Les Paul, SG, and ES-335, Big Bill Broonzy's Gibson Style O, Gibson L-7, Epiphone DeLuxe, and Martin 000-28, Taj Mahal's National Duolian, etc., etc., etc. They all played the finest guitars of their time. Anyone says you aren't supposed to play blues on expensive guitars doesn't know much about blues.
@@mr-nr4td Thanks for all the work put into your comment. I've seen videos of a few old blues players. Their guitars looked like junk. Maybe they bought them used. Maybe they used them until they were fully worn. Perhaps they were mistreated. Keith Richards destroyed his guitars with abuse. I owned guitars for twenty years or more (playing them regularly) and some of them looked new until the day they were sold.
@@MrMoneyHelperyou must not have been touring. All my guitars from when I was younger playing in a band and living in a van with four other guys are beat to crap. The guitars I kept at home and played the most still look new despite being thirty plus years old
@@jonnytlong What does touring have to do with it? If the instrument is wiped clean after every use and put into a case it should be fine. Only the frets and strings should wear. It takes years for the finish on a neck to wear away. If it is polished and waxed regularly even the finish will remain. Abrasion wouldn't happen if regular waxing was done. I've owned ukuleles with porous seemingly unfinished necks. After a year of playing, the wood was smooth and glossy. That is the only wear I've ever seen on any of my instruments besides natural paint crazing from age. Keith Richards wore rings, bracelets, and wore jackets while playing. He probably wore big belt buckles too. Such contributed to the destruction of his guitars.
Geez! The 5 string lesson was a simple and easy to follow as anything I've seen. Actually easier. More of that kind of content Phil. Thanks for all you do for the guitar geeks and future geeks too.
Every player needs a guitar like this to experiment with open tunings or slide guitar, something you can leave set up & that makes you keep persisting with those things which are often hard after playing standard tuning. Great video Phil.
When my wife and I made the trip last year for my Birthday to sweetwater, I used the exact same room you did when trying out instruments. It was fun seeing you unbox a guitar in the same room I unboxed and tried instruments in. I am still absolutely thrilled with my Fender Lead iii in purple. Loving humbuckers and the color purple, it was an obvious choice for me.
I have one in sea foam green. I put a Gotoh bridge on it, Fender Noiseless pups, bone nut, reset the neck, filed the fret ends, leveled and polished the frets, added 500k pots, upgraded the selector switch and replaced the tuners. Plays great!
@@Racoldgin not even close ahole. Guitar was $100 parts were around $100 for what i didnt already have and all labour was by me so didnt cost anything. Dont make assumptions and you wont look like an ass.
What did it cost for those upgrades? Did you do the work yourself ?Unless you are able to do it yourself it’s better to buy ..a better guitar .You can’t say a guitar is good if you have to basicallyup grade every component of the Damn guitar.
"The blues aren't supposed to be played on a $3000 guitar!" YES! I like my blues on a rusty resonator or maybe a shovel with a few strings on it. I believe you've got the blues if you're playing a shovel.
When BB King started playing the ES-355 TD in 1967 msrp was $750. Adjusted for inflation that's over $7,000. Charlie Christian's ES-150, adjusted, was $3200. In 1954 Pee Wee Crayton would have had to shell out the equivalent of $2800 to buy his custom red Strat had Leo not gifted it to him. And, last one, T-Bone Walkers out of phase wired ES-5 (natural finish which was extra) cost $390 when new. Or..$4,600 in today monies. The blues can be played on whatever you want. Don't fetishize poverty.
@@vyasadodson9614- I agree with your point, but you could’ve made it without typing “monies”, which is one of the most repugnant non-words in the history of language.
@@derick-smith if it was a joke then cool but I didn't read it as such. It's not far from what I read all the time on yt, in books, documentaries, etc, etc. one of these guys 🙄 usually signals sarcasm pretty well.
Bought one for my son in law. Stacking a few washers under the bridge to help with the wobbly stuff. Than change the strings. Made a world of difference. I’m thankful for these kind of guitars. Great gifts!
At this point, I've watched so much of Phillip McKnight's content. I have to admit, I'm a real fan. I even enjoy the fact that I use to hate the bad camera focus every now and then. But that's not the point of the video, and every video is always so full of substance. Thanks as always Sir Phillip!
Really appreciate the content. I agree you don't always need to have a $3000 guitar, you can easily find a gems in the lower price points. Bottom line if you can get a guitar you just love to play consistently, then you have come out a winner. Keep up the great work Phil!!
That's an excellent point. I say, "If it sounds good and plays good, it is good." Regardless of what you paid for it. But the best guitar is one that you want to play. That cuts through all the noise guitar players make about these pots, that pick up, this tonewood, that finish, this chinese construction, blah blah blah.
i love this guitar, i bought it in 2019 and everybody was telling me it was a literal piece of crap and not to buy it. but being a weird mash up between an SL and Melody Maker, i loved its weirdness. let alone single coils on any les paul besides the melody maker. and even though the bridge pickup is alittle weak, i love its tone, it sounds surprisingly awesome. mine luckily was a lot more stable. in fact I've never had to adjust the truss rod even though it did have high action out of the box. and really bad fret sprout that did tear my hands up, it doesn't anymore. my only other issues were the shaft to my volume pot broke lol, and i did have to work on the pickup selector once because it needed recentered because it wouldn't select the bridge pickup. but other than that, i still love this guitar. i got it in the same sunset yellow color.
This channel's method for inspecting and setting up guitars is the very best I've seen in my 40 something years of playing guitar. Thank you for all you do!
My recently-departed friend had a 60s Gibson version of this guitar with a set neck in aged tobacco sunburst and over time it became his #1 “go to” practice and performance guitar. Had individual on-off slide switches instead of the 3-way switch and large vintage caps and pots. His widow keeps it around the house for visitors.
I have been an Epiphone fanatic for decades, own three of their finest guitars. This only supports my enthusiasm for the brand. Amazing at this price point.
Well done Phil for showcasing what is possible when things look & feel hopeless after receiving your chosen guitar. You were able to turn a very ordinary example into a guitar that a budding musician would love to play. Cheers ✌️🎸
I bought one a few years back, when they cost even less. The idea was to use it as my first project guitar. I routed the pickup cavities for P90 pickups, made a carbon fibre pickguard, upgraded to locking tuners and a graphite nut, did some basic fret work, and sprayed it with nitrocellulose. Now it’s a classic. ✌ 👽 🎸
Years ago I bought my son a Fender Squire with a small amp for less than 200 buck. Took it to a guy in town that teaches guitar and he tuned it then started playing blues stuff on it. I was blown away by how good an inexpensive guitar can sound.
I had a cheap Ibanez Blazer Strat back in the 80s that I used in the studio whenever a Strat tone was called for. It served me well, and no one listening could tell it wasn't an American Standard Fender. The bottom line is price has little to do with end result.
I did this exact same video a couple of years ago. In fact the series is called "The Cheapest Guitar from Sweetwater" where i went to the store, vlogged it and did a series of videos about this same guitar. It was only $139 at that point
I bought one of these for my Granddaughter from Sweetwater about a year ago and I've played it for about a week now. I really like the guitar enough to buy one for myself, so it would be a great thing to win this give away. Thanks for the review Phil. You explained and helped me get hers where she's gonna want to play it!
In 1988 I found a really cool guitar in a small suburban shop for $300... a used Heritage solid body double cutaway. Found out it was bought new 6 months prior for $1200 from a local luthier who sold Heritages exclusively. Still my fave guitar. But I had various lesser brands and off-brands that were wonderful! A purple Fernandez Strat, an antique violin color Yamaha Artiste, even an old Univox acoustic and some weird off-brand stockless bass. Recorded with them all, and those songs have definite cool vibes to them!
I have one of these bolt on epis. Its been the guitar I used to learn how to do set ups. I also modded it with p90's and its fantastic now. And bonus super light on my back.
Some people badmouth bolt on necks BUT it's worked well for Fender for over 70 years & the neck can be reset with thin hardwood shims to adjust the angle without any major labor.
My cheap, learning guitar was a US made Peavey Predator strat I picked up at a local music store for $110. I tore that guitar apart, rebuilt it, repainted the body, aged the chrome and learned how to set it up. The guitar is so well made from such high quality materials and is now a very unique, one-of-a-kind instrument. From there, I was able to do the same with couple of other guitars. I can work on any style of guitar, dial them in and it becomes quite addicting. I can see why EVH couldn't stop messing with his equipment trying to come up with something new and different.
I absolutely love playing 5 string open tuned guitars!!! For me it offers a freedom while playing. I can just play and have fun without having to think about it too much
I bought the turquoise colored version of this guitar and I had a new nut made to turn mine into a Nashville High Tuned guitar. I also added a Wilkinson bridge with a B and G slide option. I bought this to rewire it myself so I used CTS 250k pots, a JD Moon switch, a Switchcraft jack and an Orange Drop capacitor (22). I bought two Brighton Rock pickups (Bridge and Middle as Middle is reverse wound and will be hotter than a Neck pickup). One thing to note is while you can get Strat pickups in this guitar, I had to put them in opposite of what you see with a Strat because the point of the base needed to point towards the headstock to fit. I also put my Dunlop strap locks on it This is an ideal guitar to learn to mod. Basically the electrics is a Telecaster formula, so its one of the easiest to do (outside of a single pickup guitar). The guitar itself is pretty solid and cleans up well with better looking knobs and hardware. The tuners are the cheap ones but once you have a great nut on there, the tuning issues drop off significantly. Eventually I will replace the tuners most likely with Wilkinson versions of a Waverly style of tuner (lets just keep the brand consistent and they are also cost effective). So this could be a main guitar or a serious backup if you take the time to spec it out right. 😎👍✨
This looks like the perfect guitar to test your luthier skills and as a mod platform. A comfortable neck profile is the most important thing for me,, but those tuners would have to go. Maybe an high-ratio open gear set of hipshots, or a more affordable set of Wilkinson and just have fun.
Clarksdale, Mississippi is a Blues town like no other, right at the heart of the Mississippi delta. You can find blues every night of the week, afternoons, and some mornings too, with some outstanding hometown players and none of them are playing expensive guitars that all the amateurs lust for. The awesome and inspiring music I’ve heard come out of Epiphones and Frender Squires, one of a kind homemade axes and even the most simplistic diddly-bos week in and week out around here proves, without a doubt, it is the talent, passion and feel for the music of the player that makes a guitar perform outstanding and sound wonderful, more so than the most expensive refinements. Regards, Starfish.
Allllways excellent content. Been lurking for 2 years and really appreciate you. I nodded my Epi SL with some single coil hot wound rails. She sounds just about the most punk rock you could imagine. I bought it actually thinking about the punk rockers from the late 70s that bought the cheapest, used Les Paul Jrs they could find. I hope some young musicians are inspired the same way and wanna destroy all art the way real punk rock hearts should!
WOW!!!! THANKS, SO MUCH, PHIL!!! REALLY COOL THOUGH PROCESS, AND DEMO!!! MUCH APPRECIATED!!! I WOULD LIKE TO SEE GUITAR MAKER PRODUCE SOME 5-STRING, INSTRIMENTS!!! AND, ALSO, MAKE SOME THAT ARE MORE LIKE A BOUZOUKI/OCTAVE MANDOLIN!!...ETC.!!! (DOUBLE-STRINGED)...
I've been eyeing the Epiphone Melody Maker as an affordable addition to my collection. It's definitely a basic but stylish instrument at a great price point. Thank you for the wonderful review, introducing me to the CMA Music To My Ears series, as well as giving us all the opportunity to win this guitar.
Dont like wraparound Bridges for Intonation!BadAss only for this issue!I took the Body of this Melody Maker SL,Took a Maestro neck,painted over logo,painted the back white,Put on a Gold metallic gold foil,Gibson,logo,Sealed,painted the body white.Made a Joan Jett Gibson Tribute,with decals,signature,Holographic,neck plate,vintage gavitt,wire,CTS,Tone potts,.022 Bumble Bee Tone cap,Basically wired,like 1959 Lp,Special,with Seymour Duncan pickups.I did have to Route out for Humbuckers.The Neck pickup cavity,can accommodate a humbucker,or P 90.Thanks Phillip!Take care,now!Jcsx
I’ve got that same one a couple of years ago and then I handed it to someone that was learning. I must say I enjoyed it every minute. Nice easy guitar.
My favorite guitar right now is a 1995 Yamaha PAC102S I found used on Reverb for $250. It's like if a Yamaha Pacifica was a Telecaster, which, coincidentally, is also exactly what it is. I've modded it a little bit with some Graphtech bits, mostly because the saddle height screws were too long and digging into my hand, but also partly just for kicks, and now it plays beautifully, sounds awesome, and looks really cool and unique.
My first guitar was a C.G.Winner made by Aria in the 80s. The Pickups sounded horrible but the rest was a cool piece of kit. So after swapping out the Pups for some $50,- set i found online, i still play this thing today and love it.
Best bang for the buck Epiphone TV Yellow Les Paul jr with two P-90s , four controls, bound neck, bone nut. Replace the tuning machines have a set up. Incredible
Great review Phil as always. You're always one of the refreshing few that respects himself and his audience enough to not spastically spout "for the price" 30 times during a low price gear review. I can't say that about many channels out there.
I've had 500% more fun playing with 5 strings in open G than 6 strings in standard, so I think that's the best tip of the video. Also remember to make the 'Keith face' and strike his carefree strumming/pose to get the right feel
Love your videos because you keep it real and show viewers a lot of handy knowledge that guitar players should know. And growing up a poor southern boy, I've always gravitated towards the budget, bluesy kind of guitars that are probably like a throwback to the old catalog guitars and parlor guitars of a century ago that were favored by many blues musicians. Trying to get the most out of them is both challenging and rewarding when it sounds right. I got an old budget Warlock guitar that's a beater type like that Epiphone but mine has the tune-o-matic bridge on it. I'd rather have a bridge like on that Epiphone. Plug n play! Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge and keep it up!
I picked up one on Craigslist. Open box for $130. I was without guitar and needed something. Got a setup, some new strings, and a Blackstar Fly. Now I have a great travel guitar!
We go through this gauntlet of gear over and over again. At the end of the day it comes down to your ability and the tool you are using to be suitable for your ability and needs. Obviously looks and feel come into the price of a guitar, but so many people try to chase tone that they hear in a record without accepting they will never be able to actually have that tone. There are so many other variables that created it whatever they heard, to include the player. Buy a guitar you like, bond with it, make it yours, and save your money. You'll only impress other guitar dorks by buying some insane guitar. EDIT: This goes for tons of hobbies. I'm currently looking for new hunting arrows and its a giant worm hole. I don't need the best arrows money can buy. I just need reliability.
Listen to the classic Charlie Parker recording from Massey Hall -he’s playing a plastic horn. Proving that a great player sounds great no matter what the instrument.... But hey-we all can’t have The Gift = nothing wrong with geeking out enjoying playing on great gear Great video BTW
Right on the money. I don't have anything against the $150 guitars but I've hated every one I have bought. They just don't feel good. Sweet spot for me seems to be the $600 to $1000 range. Fit and finish is just better and it feels better to play. Above that certainly has diminishing returns. But find what works for you.
Excellent advice. Jimmy Page famously loved cheap guitars including his plywood or particle board Danelectro, which I think was sold here at Sears along with Silvertone instruments.
About a month ago I bought a different Epiphone from another big online seller. Same price, and except for pickups and finish, almost the same guitar as in this video. What I got was a Les Paul Special - same bolt-on neck, only one set of volume and tone knobs, same tuners, same wrap-around bridge, but mine has P90 pickups. I LOVE it. Sounds great, feels great, intonation is almost perfect. mostly it stays in tune... Mine was a display item, and they shipped it in a box that was not the original - but they did a good job of packing it for transit. I couldn't be happier with my $160 Epiphone LP Special.
On a whim, I picked up a beat up black epiphone les paul for $50 at a garage sale. After a proper setup and cleaning, I promptly adopted it as my "sticker guitar", meaning that I put as many stickers on it as I want. I'm a lifelong Fender Strat guy but I really love the Epi LP. For what they are, I'll take them on stage any day.
I love my "Sea Foam" color model I bought a couple years ago. It's just a basic guitar and since I'm a bassist first, I needed an inexpensive second instrument (guitar) to learn and play so I wasn't just a one trick pony. I do wish Epiphone would put out a copy of the Gibson ES- 295 with P-90 pickups and the floral pick guard. I'm a Geordie Walker fan so I'd buy it.
I'm a bit of a cheap guitar addict 😂 which is the way I managed to afford my GAS problem during the pandemic (recovering addict). As I'm in my late 50s, I've swapped wild nights out with quiet nights in learning from a great luthier how to make almost any guitar sound great, and cheap guitars are a safe place to start. That Epiphone (with the tuners of doom) sounded amazing as a g tuned bluesmobile. Just goes to show that it's still the best time ever to be a young guitarist starting out, Still have to change those clunky tuners though... they seem to "trigger" me haha.
These days it's possible to get a very good guitar without spending too much money. I think the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion record a lot of their stuff using "cheap" guitars. If someone can afford an expensive, custom-made guitar that's fine, but consider what you're going to use it for. If someone needs a car for the school run and shopping then it's pointless getting a Ferrari.
I sold off my Gibsons to buy my teenage son his first car and I've been perfectly content with my Epiphones. I own the Jerry Cantrell Wino and the Adam Jones Les Paul Custom, and neither one feels like a compromise. Not even close.
I completely agree. Those guitars resonate so well and the bodies seem to often times be a single piece of wood. Single piece or not they got the goods man, and I have been kicking myself for not buying one a couple years back. I am in need of a LP Special and I really think one of these Epis would fit the bill. It's good to keep in mind that the Junior and Special were meant to be student guitars after all.
My first guitar (and I am still learning on it) is an Epiphone Les Paul Special I in worn ebony-- and I absolutely love it! I got a bundle with a small practice amp-- perfect for a small apartment, and in the evening, I plug in my headset. It feels great; it looks great. It makes me want to learn. Even when I'm having a blah day, I was told, "just hold it. Put your strap on and rest it along your knee and just hold it." They weren't kidding. You're not going to hold a guitar and not play.
I bought one of these maybe 5 or 6 years ago when it was called the “SL” model for I wanna say about £80. I recorded my entire first album with it, it sounds fucking monstrous.
Phil, great points, inspection and open G demo! My most used guitar currently in my AIO SG-style which is my least expensive but sounds and plays amazing!
Really worthwhile review! I appreciate the clear, objective descriptions of the instrument without trying to make some overall point or judgment. Showing what the guitar can do and the kinds of sounds it can produce was super helpful. Very conmstructive. Thanks, Phillip!
I picked up an Epiphone SG Special for £100 over a month ago, and I swear, it's one of the best guitars I ever played. Even the way my hand rests against the bridge is amazingly comfortable, and something I never noticed in any other guitar I've owned. Cheap guitars are definitely NOT what they used to be, and videos like these really help people when trying to find affordable instruments that won't be a let down like in the past. Thanks for your video upload :) PS - I thought the Melody Maker sounded great when everything was all fixed! Great tone :D
I have an Epiphone SG too. £135 new. I consciously decided not to pay for finishing, ie. it's matt black; it's got visible knots. But it's best guitar I've ever owned. Intonation is perfect. Never goes out of tune. It's got mojo. I may never change the strings. I wouldn't sell it for £2,000
Great low budget guitars. Incredible. So what if it's bolt on neck? Having been through the ringer with the big brands over 40 years I'm a convert on these instruments. Change tuners, set it up .... Thanks for the vid Phil
I continue to be amazed by the quality, tone, and vibe of "cheap" guitars, particularly in recent years, as showcased amazingly by this video. If you know anything about setup and electronics, you can take a good guitar and make it great for less than your monthly electric bill. Will it play like a vintage Gibson or Fender? No. But you can buy and tweak tens if not hundreds of different instruments for the price you'd pay for one of those. Well done!
I recently bought a used one of these for about $100 and on a whim I converted it to a glued-in neck. Instead of metal screws and a plate I glued the neck in place and added 5 oak dowels. The thing sounds fantastic now and only weighs 4.8 pounds. I don't bother with a case for it and consider it a great guitar to just throw into the back seat of the car and go to gigs. No need to baby it and I love the lightness of it.
Thank whatever afterlife entity you believe in that Phil and other helpful YT chans show how to do a setup for beginners. All that info was not available to me personally when I started playing and if Dad or your inner circle didn't play, you could have almost given up in frustration not knowing how to get a reasonable tone out of your new guitar whether it be a budget or high value instrument ... I know I almost did give up due to those exact circumstances and not knowing how to get my first "good" guitar, an Epiphone SG, sounding right for the life of me back in the day. Here we are years later, and it's happy days ... bring the blues and rock back to the airwaves and wipe the button pushers off the charts kiddo's ... not that blues or rock ever goes away for us!👍Phil ... you're a Legend, a Gentleman and a Guitar Scholar Sir.
I have an Epiphone LP Jr. that cost me $99 on sale maybe 10 years ago. It's a great guitar! I've owned Gibsons, Fenders and have several PRS, Sterling guitars (plus a partscaster and some acoustics) but I STILL play that LP Jr.!
hope they're better than when they came out, only $99 but you could cut firewood with the fret ends. The pickguard still makes it look like it's made by Fisher-Price.
Around ten years ago, my brother-in-law purchased a LP Special I with p-90s to start learning guitar. He gave up pretty quick and the guitar ended up in his garage with the headstock snapped off. He told me if I could fix it, then I could have it. After some wood glue and a little sanding, it was good to go, and it’s one of my favorite guitars to play now.
Have always appreciated your videos. They are very informative. The one that first got my attention, was one where you diagrammed out who actually manufactured the guitars (at that time) on a white board. Very eye opening for a novice player. I would also like to enter your drawing for the $150 Epiphone.
I've got one. Bright but really low output 5,5K single coils. My inexpensive strats are louder and sound better with ~8K pickups, better with overdrive pedals, too. This guitar is feather light, which is nice.
I have one in the same color. After significant time put into it, I like it alot. Really comfortable. Pro tip if your buying one: Buy new strings to go with it. Tuner's are fine. It's the strings that have failed in storage or something. I put 9's on mine
Good review and good mindset for this type of instrument. Honestly I thought the pickups sounded pretty decent for what they were. And having to do some set up and fret/nut refinement at that price point should be a given and figured into the purchase. Thanks for continuing the content, brother. You are making me want to make a trip to Sweetwater.
I sold my Gibson Les Paul for half what I paid for it following a job loss. Gave my AS Strat to a local working musician who had all his guitars stolen after a gig. Since then I've only bought Chinese made cheap guitars and they do just fine for me.
Nice demo and analysis, Phil. I have one of these in black. It IS a cool guitar! The pickups are certainly NOT what you ever would expect on a "Les Paul" model!
The roughly $500 Epiphones have been blowing me away. For lower price range, Squire seems to have a little more quality, but I’m not a huge fan of them personally.
Lol. You did exactly what i did years ago, same guitar but the P90 version. Got it for $99 and made a great slide guitar. Only needed it for one song, and it served its purpose well.
I will suggest adding the half-out-of-phase mod, via use of a switching pot for the tone control. This cuts some of the bass for the neck pickup, when reversing its phase. It serves up a different sound when both pickups are used that is not the usual nasal tone we expect from phase-flipping, and does not suffer from the expected volume loss. Reducing the bass in the neck pickup results in less overall cancellation. Fender used it in the older Jerry Donahue Telecaster, and it does a credible job of mimicking the neck+middle tone of a Strat, without requiring a 3rd pickup. I've implemented it on two of my guitars, and like it a lot. I use a .01uf series cap to cut the bass on the neck pickup, but one is free to try other values. And, much to my surprise, it also works with humbuckers. Obviously, they won't sound like a Strat, but you still get an additional very usable sound from the N+B setting. It is unlikely to apply in the case of the Epi SL, but one of the perks is that when using just the neck pickup with the bass cut, you get another sound as well.
That’s a great take Mark. I believe it’s also an option with a ‘sound’ explanation and great simple diagram in the Haze Guitar wiring book….yeah it belongs on everybody’s cocktail table Don’t put it away on a shelf…. It’s á fabulous resource that should be grabbed when lightning strikes your inner guitar nerves 🎸⚡️🎸 Heat up that soldering gun…..
Inspired by the Donahue Telecaster, I used that mod on the guitar I built with 2 x P90s, a 4 way switch and a push-push pot. It now has 8 distinct sounds, out of which I find 5 are really useful. The 'half out of phase/series' position is the most unique - it has a honk that sounds a lot like Stevie Wonder's clavinet in Superstition, and is surprisingly great for fuzz tones, too.
@@meadish It's a sorely neglected option that I wish more people would explore. I guess it gets overlooked because traditional "out-of-phase" gets a bad rap from the thin sound. I forget whether it was Bill Lawrence or Red Rhodes who came up with it, but it's a big improvement on what people may *think* they are declining to install.
I had one of these. Surprisingly the neck pick up on mine was super warm. The bridge however was whiny. I upgraded the plastic bridge and tuners before giving it away. I think the bridge adjustment screws were getting stripped. At the time is was 119 dollars. I got it because it looked cool. It served it's purpose. Use 9s. I think 11s will rip that bridge out eventually.
I'd really like to see a higher end version of this guitar, exact same thing but with maybe a bound neck, better woods, better fret job, better tuners and some higher end electronics. The strat style single coils are a really interesting addition and it'd be cool to see more Les Pauls like that. The Sunburst SL just looks sick, I'd love to have one of those, even just as a novelty guitar.
I picked up on one at my local GC store and was immediately impressed by the resonation I was getting (I don't plug in guitars when I want a new one, I feel for vibration), that guitar was unreal but it was repaired after the headstock was broke. I couldn't bring myself to by it.
€ 3000,- looks for my taste and I'm even digging the sound. Playability, hardware, woods might be the actual $ 159,- but whatever. In my prime guitar buying times i wouldn't think for a second 🤩 beautiful lil beast!
My dad bought me the cheapest POS guitar for starters. The barb wire grade strings on that were a match made in hell. After I teared my fingers bloody, while learning how to play, I was able to play on ANYTHING, as even a $100 guitar felt like putty in my hands afterwards. So all in all - thanks dad for giving me tough love, that formed my will. My will to learn to play guitar was stronger than all the pain. Then he saw that and bought me a real guitar.
If a guitar stays in tune and doesn't functionally fail in use, then it's all we need. The top 95% of guitar prices are for 5% of the functional benefit, and probably only 5% of the players buying them have the developed skill set to where that 5% difference is meaningful in application. But FOMO in marketing is real. I love what I have but I feel a constant pull of the idea of something better.
My mantra is, " no matter how many guitars i buy, my playing never improves",
Simon
Same 😂
The one thing I've figured out to justify my growing collection of guitars is that I have them tuned on different open tunings he he he
Same
Me 2 yo tambien
I picked this guitar up when it first came out in 2017, when it was $99. It ended up being backordered for over a month despite the website saying it was in stock, so Sam Ash gave me a $20 refund, bringing the end price to $79 plus tax. I still have it, and it's still one of my favorites to grab and play. I kept it stock until about 2020, when I put about $120 worth of mods into it (GFS "Brighton Rock" pickups and wiring harness, Wilkinson tuners, a preslotted bone nut, and an intonatable wraparound bridge). It was a fun guitar before I modded it, but now it's a genuinely excellent instrument. I absolutely love it
I am actually considering this or a LP DIY Kit and go from there in terms of modifications. The biggest difference is that DIY Kit is mahogany with a mahogany neck (bolt on) and 12" Radius instead of thise Poplar-/Mahogany and 14". I do plan on having P90s, the DIY Kit has Humbuckers, this needs routing....price is the same and i wish to have a natural wood finish (this one would need complete stripping).
nice !
@@hussamjamil4980I have bought both a Les Paul and a SG kit and bought some alnico humbuckers for them and some nice tuners. They both play and sound amazing. Better than any Epiphone.
I remember playing this one in the store just out of curiosity and I thought it was quite nice. Great guitar for the price.
I did something similar: put 2 Lindy Fralin p90's and CTS500 pots wired to 50's style, and an adjustable wraparound. I had to get a new pickguard and cut it to size, and do a little routing of the body. I put on Kluson tuners. I was going to put a Goldtone Zero fret nut, but left it alone. I should probably polish the frets and edges. I call it my po'boy's 50's Les Paul. I did it as a fun project. I almost considered a Bixby trem bar, but I don't think it would have looked good with the pickguard, and I would have to change the selector switch. All in all I'm pretty happy with it. Mine is classic sunburst and I put some classic knobs on it, the pickguard is black.
This is a great episode. Too many other shows find the “cheapest” guitar and instantly throw parts that cost twice as much. More people need to learn to appreciate the cheap guitar. Good frames won’t save bad paintings and fancy guitars won’t save crappy riffs.
Epiphone needs to start putting P90s on more budget (sub 400 dollar) guitars and I’ll be a customer again.
That's true. There is so much potential for the epiphone and it's original model, but Gibson just didn't put enough effort in it
@@Aguirrethewrathofgod What they need to do is make the Junior a bit cheaper or give us more options finish wise. I’d be a buyer at 299 for what they offer currently, might spring for what they charge if they come out with some cool colors.
If Epi issued a Johnny Thunders TV Yellow DC Junior, they'd sell a Million of them. It boggles the mind.
The SG specials with two p90s are very close to that price point, don’t miss out on the model!
Indio by Monoprice Offset OS30 DLX Electric Guitar with Gig Bag - Sunburst. Isn't to bad sub two hundred bucks its a jazzmaster style with p90 style pickups.
"The blues aren't supposed to be played on a a $3,000 guitar." Wisdom. That yellow color is sweet, especially with the painted neck and headstock.
$3000 guitars and up equivalents are exactly what real, original blues was played on. Most if not all blues greats played top of the line guitars that would easily be worth what $3000+ of today's money would have been at the time. They a;ll played the finest guitars of their time.
T-Bone Walker's ES-5 , Muddy Water's Telecaster, Lowell Fulson's ES-335 and ES-5, Earl Hooker's black/gold Les Paul Custom and EDS-1275 Double-Neck, Lightnin' Hopkins's Gibson J-50 and Stratocaster, B.B. King's ES-345, ES-335, and black guard Telecaster, Albert King's Flying V's, Freddie King's gold top Les Paul and ES-345, John Lee Hooker's Epiphone Sheraton, gold top Les Paul, Lonnie Johnson's Martin 00-21, Elmore James's Epiphone Broadway, Robert Johnson's Gibson L-1 and KG-14, Sister Rosetta Tharpe's Gibson SG Custom, Little Milton's ES-345, Howlin Wolf's Gibson Firebird V, Epiphone Casino, and custom color Stratocaster, Son House's National Duolian, Otis Rush's ES-355, Albert Collin's Telecaster, Buddy Guy's gold top Les Paul, SG Custon, and Strat, Sonny Boy Willaimson's guitar player, Robert Lockwood Jr,'s Guild Starfire XII 12-String Hollowbody, Magic Sam's Epiphone Riviera sand Stratocaster, Magic Slim's sunburst Les Paul and Fender Jazzmaster, Shuggie Otis' sunburst Les Paul, SG, and ES-335, Big Bill Broonzy's Gibson Style O, Gibson L-7, Epiphone DeLuxe, and Martin 000-28, Taj Mahal's National Duolian, etc., etc., etc.
They all played the finest guitars of their time.
Anyone says you aren't supposed to play blues on expensive guitars doesn't know much about blues.
@@mr-nr4td Thanks for all the work put into your comment. I've seen videos of a few old blues players. Their guitars looked like junk. Maybe they bought them used. Maybe they used them until they were fully worn. Perhaps they were mistreated. Keith Richards destroyed his guitars with abuse.
I owned guitars for twenty years or more (playing them regularly) and some of them looked new until the day they were sold.
@@mr-nr4tdHound Dog Taylor's Teisco Delray was $25 at White Front discount stores😂
@@MrMoneyHelperyou must not have been touring. All my guitars from when I was younger playing in a band and living in a van with four other guys are beat to crap. The guitars I kept at home and played the most still look new despite being thirty plus years old
@@jonnytlong What does touring have to do with it? If the instrument is wiped clean after every use and put into a case it should be fine. Only the frets and strings should wear. It takes years for the finish on a neck to wear away. If it is polished and waxed regularly even the finish will remain. Abrasion wouldn't happen if regular waxing was done.
I've owned ukuleles with porous seemingly unfinished necks. After a year of playing, the wood was smooth and glossy. That is the only wear I've ever seen on any of my instruments besides natural paint crazing from age.
Keith Richards wore rings, bracelets, and wore jackets while playing. He probably wore big belt buckles too. Such contributed to the destruction of his guitars.
Geez! The 5 string lesson was a simple and easy to follow as anything I've seen. Actually easier. More of that kind of content Phil. Thanks for all you do for the guitar geeks and future geeks too.
Every player needs a guitar like this to experiment with open tunings or slide guitar, something you can leave set up & that makes you keep persisting with those things which are often hard after playing standard tuning. Great video Phil.
I'd use it to perfect my Jimi @ Monterey act.
This one would pretty cool if you set it up like a lap steel.
maybe every player needs a guitar like this to keep him from wasting his money :)
@@alldaylong7107lol
Monoprice Tele $89 used it at a gig a day later, 3 guitarists played it and wanted to buy it. Never goes out of tune .😂
When my wife and I made the trip last year for my Birthday to sweetwater, I used the exact same room you did when trying out instruments. It was fun seeing you unbox a guitar in the same room I unboxed and tried instruments in. I am still absolutely thrilled with my Fender Lead iii in purple. Loving humbuckers and the color purple, it was an obvious choice for me.
He mightve been able to pick up your scent a bit still!
I went to GearFest in 2018 and I need to go back, I'm only in Ohio.
I’ve always felt a guitar is a tool for creativity. As long as it plays great and stays in tune I could care less what it cost.
me too
With the creativity of that fly, I would want you in my band.
@@masonkanterbury3007 Lmaoo, best comment branch I've seen in a while
Couldn't care less.😊
so you DO CARE? how much?
I have one in sea foam green. I put a Gotoh bridge on it, Fender Noiseless pups, bone nut, reset the neck, filed the fret ends, leveled and polished the frets, added 500k pots, upgraded the selector switch and replaced the tuners. Plays great!
So basically, you took a $150 guitar and put $500 into it? Could've added another $200 and found a decent Gibson Les Paul Special.
LOL
@@Racoldgin not even close ahole. Guitar was $100 parts were around $100 for what i didnt already have and all labour was by me so didnt cost anything. Dont make assumptions and you wont look like an ass.
Sounds like a lot of aftermarket add ons. How much $$ did you put into it?
What did it cost for those upgrades? Did you do the work yourself ?Unless you are able to do it yourself it’s better to buy ..a better guitar .You can’t say a guitar is good if you have to basicallyup grade every component of the Damn guitar.
@@kevintaylor5079 when you have to go through that you know the guitar was better suited for firewood
"The blues aren't supposed to be played on a $3000 guitar!" YES! I like my blues on a rusty resonator or maybe a shovel with a few strings on it. I believe you've got the blues if you're playing a shovel.
When BB King started playing the ES-355 TD in 1967 msrp was $750. Adjusted for inflation that's over $7,000. Charlie Christian's ES-150, adjusted, was $3200. In 1954 Pee Wee Crayton would have had to shell out the equivalent of $2800 to buy his custom red Strat had Leo not gifted it to him. And, last one, T-Bone Walkers out of phase wired ES-5 (natural finish which was extra) cost $390 when new. Or..$4,600 in today monies. The blues can be played on whatever you want. Don't fetishize poverty.
@@vyasadodson9614- I agree with your point, but you could’ve made it without typing “monies”, which is one of the most repugnant non-words in the history of language.
@@crusheverything4449 maybe. but it was fun to type and I was trying to be less mad.
@@vyasadodson9614 Dude, it was an obvious joke. Unclench your sphincter a little.
@@derick-smith if it was a joke then cool but I didn't read it as such. It's not far from what I read all the time on yt, in books, documentaries, etc, etc. one of these guys 🙄 usually signals sarcasm pretty well.
Bought one for my son in law. Stacking a few washers under the bridge to help with the wobbly stuff. Than change the strings. Made a world of difference. I’m thankful for these kind of guitars. Great gifts!
At this point, I've watched so much of Phillip McKnight's content. I have to admit, I'm a real fan. I even enjoy the fact that I use to hate the bad camera focus every now and then. But that's not the point of the video, and every video is always so full of substance. Thanks as always Sir Phillip!
Really appreciate the content. I agree you don't always need to have a $3000 guitar, you can easily find a gems in the lower price points.
Bottom line if you can get a guitar you just love to play consistently, then you have come out a winner.
Keep up the great work Phil!!
That's an excellent point. I say, "If it sounds good and plays good, it is good." Regardless of what you paid for it. But the best guitar is one that you want to play. That cuts through all the noise guitar players make about these pots, that pick up, this tonewood, that finish, this chinese construction, blah blah blah.
i love this guitar, i bought it in 2019 and everybody was telling me it was a literal piece of crap and not to buy it. but being a weird mash up between an SL and Melody Maker, i loved its weirdness. let alone single coils on any les paul besides the melody maker. and even though the bridge pickup is alittle weak, i love its tone, it sounds surprisingly awesome. mine luckily was a lot more stable. in fact I've never had to adjust the truss rod even though it did have high action out of the box. and really bad fret sprout that did tear my hands up, it doesn't anymore. my only other issues were the shaft to my volume pot broke lol, and i did have to work on the pickup selector once because it needed recentered because it wouldn't select the bridge pickup. but other than that, i still love this guitar. i got it in the same sunset yellow color.
I bought this Epiphone and replaced the pickups, the bridge, and the tuners. It sounds amazing, using it both live and in the studio.
Thanks, Phillip! We love diving into the geeky stuff too - thanks for teaching us all!
This channel's method for inspecting and setting up guitars is the very best I've seen in my 40 something years of playing guitar. Thank you for all you do!
My recently-departed friend had a 60s Gibson version of this guitar with a set neck in aged tobacco sunburst and over time it became his #1 “go to” practice and performance guitar. Had individual on-off slide switches instead of the 3-way switch and large vintage caps and pots. His widow keeps it around the house for visitors.
I have been an Epiphone fanatic for decades, own three of their finest guitars. This only supports my enthusiasm for the brand. Amazing at this price point.
Well done Phil for showcasing what is possible when things look & feel hopeless after receiving your chosen guitar. You were able to turn a very ordinary example into a guitar that a budding musician would love to play. Cheers ✌️🎸
I bought one a few years back, when they cost even less. The idea was to use it as my first project guitar. I routed the pickup cavities for P90 pickups, made a carbon fibre pickguard, upgraded to locking tuners and a graphite nut, did some basic fret work, and sprayed it with nitrocellulose. Now it’s a classic.
✌ 👽 🎸
This Epiphone is one of the best guitars for a build project. I upgraded the hardware on mine as well, now it is my main instrument.
Years ago I bought my son a Fender Squire with a small amp for less than 200 buck. Took it to a guy in town that teaches guitar and he tuned it then started playing blues stuff on it. I was blown away by how good an inexpensive guitar can sound.
I had a cheap Ibanez Blazer Strat back in the 80s that I used in the studio whenever a Strat tone was called for. It served me well, and no one listening could tell it wasn't an American Standard Fender. The bottom line is price has little to do with end result.
3:33 the action gives me Nostalgia
I did this exact same video a couple of years ago. In fact the series is called "The Cheapest Guitar from Sweetwater" where i went to the store, vlogged it and did a series of videos about this same guitar. It was only $139 at that point
I bought one of these for my Granddaughter from Sweetwater about a year ago and I've played it for about a week now. I really like the guitar enough to buy one for myself, so it would be a great thing to win this give away. Thanks for the review Phil. You explained and helped me get hers where she's gonna want to play it!
In 1988 I found a really cool guitar in a small suburban shop for $300... a used Heritage solid body double cutaway. Found out it was bought new 6 months prior for $1200 from a local luthier who sold Heritages exclusively. Still my fave guitar. But I had various lesser brands and off-brands that were wonderful! A purple Fernandez Strat, an antique violin color Yamaha Artiste, even an old Univox acoustic and some weird off-brand stockless bass. Recorded with them all, and those songs have definite cool vibes to them!
I have one of these bolt on epis. Its been the guitar I used to learn how to do set ups. I also modded it with p90's and its fantastic now. And bonus super light on my back.
Some people badmouth bolt on necks BUT it's worked well for Fender for over 70 years & the neck can be reset with thin hardwood shims to adjust the angle without any major labor.
My cheap, learning guitar was a US made Peavey Predator strat I picked up at a local music store for $110. I tore that guitar apart, rebuilt it, repainted the body, aged the chrome and learned how to set it up. The guitar is so well made from such high quality materials and is now a very unique, one-of-a-kind instrument. From there, I was able to do the same with couple of other guitars. I can work on any style of guitar, dial them in and it becomes quite addicting. I can see why EVH couldn't stop messing with his equipment trying to come up with something new and different.
Yes! Pred is a low price guitar deal!
I absolutely love playing 5 string open tuned guitars!!! For me it offers a freedom while playing. I can just play and have fun without having to think about it too much
I bought the turquoise colored version of this guitar and I had a new nut made to turn mine into a Nashville High Tuned guitar. I also added a Wilkinson bridge with a B and G slide option.
I bought this to rewire it myself so I used CTS 250k pots, a JD Moon switch, a Switchcraft jack and an Orange Drop capacitor (22). I bought two Brighton Rock pickups (Bridge and Middle as Middle is reverse wound and will be hotter than a Neck pickup). One thing to note is while you can get Strat pickups in this guitar, I had to put them in opposite of what you see with a Strat because the point of the base needed to point towards the headstock to fit. I also put my Dunlop strap locks on it
This is an ideal guitar to learn to mod. Basically the electrics is a Telecaster formula, so its one of the easiest to do (outside of a single pickup guitar). The guitar itself is pretty solid and cleans up well with better looking knobs and hardware. The tuners are the cheap ones but once you have a great nut on there, the tuning issues drop off significantly. Eventually I will replace the tuners most likely with Wilkinson versions of a Waverly style of tuner (lets just keep the brand consistent and they are also cost effective).
So this could be a main guitar or a serious backup if you take the time to spec it out right. 😎👍✨
This looks like the perfect guitar to test your luthier skills and as a mod platform. A comfortable neck profile is the most important thing for me,, but those tuners would have to go. Maybe an high-ratio open gear set of hipshots, or a more affordable set of Wilkinson and just have fun.
Clarksdale, Mississippi is a Blues town like no other, right at the heart of the Mississippi delta. You can find blues every night of the week, afternoons, and some mornings too, with some outstanding hometown players and none of them are playing expensive guitars that all the amateurs lust for. The awesome and inspiring music I’ve heard come out of Epiphones and Frender Squires, one of a kind homemade axes and even the most simplistic diddly-bos week in and week out around here proves, without a doubt, it is the talent, passion and feel for the music of the player that makes a guitar perform outstanding and sound wonderful, more so than the most expensive refinements. Regards, Starfish.
Allllways excellent content. Been lurking for 2 years and really appreciate you. I nodded my Epi SL with some single coil hot wound rails. She sounds just about the most punk rock you could imagine. I bought it actually thinking about the punk rockers from the late 70s that bought the cheapest, used Les Paul Jrs they could find. I hope some young musicians are inspired the same way and wanna destroy all art the way real punk rock hearts should!
Y es.
WOW!!!! THANKS, SO MUCH, PHIL!!! REALLY COOL THOUGH PROCESS, AND DEMO!!! MUCH APPRECIATED!!! I WOULD LIKE TO SEE GUITAR MAKER PRODUCE SOME 5-STRING, INSTRIMENTS!!! AND, ALSO, MAKE SOME THAT ARE MORE LIKE A BOUZOUKI/OCTAVE MANDOLIN!!...ETC.!!! (DOUBLE-STRINGED)...
I've been eyeing the Epiphone Melody Maker as an affordable addition to my collection. It's definitely a basic but stylish instrument at a great price point. Thank you for the wonderful review, introducing me to the CMA Music To My Ears series, as well as giving us all the opportunity to win this guitar.
Dont like wraparound Bridges for Intonation!BadAss only for this issue!I took the Body of this Melody Maker SL,Took a Maestro neck,painted over logo,painted the back white,Put on a Gold metallic gold foil,Gibson,logo,Sealed,painted the body white.Made a Joan Jett Gibson Tribute,with decals,signature,Holographic,neck plate,vintage gavitt,wire,CTS,Tone potts,.022 Bumble Bee Tone cap,Basically wired,like 1959 Lp,Special,with Seymour Duncan pickups.I did have to Route out for Humbuckers.The Neck pickup cavity,can accommodate a humbucker,or P 90.Thanks Phillip!Take care,now!Jcsx
I’ve got that same one a couple of years ago and then I handed it to someone that was learning. I must say I enjoyed it every minute. Nice easy guitar.
My favorite guitar right now is a 1995 Yamaha PAC102S I found used on Reverb for $250. It's like if a Yamaha Pacifica was a Telecaster, which, coincidentally, is also exactly what it is. I've modded it a little bit with some Graphtech bits, mostly because the saddle height screws were too long and digging into my hand, but also partly just for kicks, and now it plays beautifully, sounds awesome, and looks really cool and unique.
My first guitar was a C.G.Winner made by Aria in the 80s. The Pickups sounded horrible but the rest was a cool piece of kit. So after swapping out the Pups for some $50,- set i found online, i still play this thing today and love it.
Best bang for the buck Epiphone TV Yellow Les Paul jr with two P-90s , four controls, bound neck, bone nut. Replace the tuning machines have a set up. Incredible
Great review Phil as always. You're always one of the refreshing few that respects himself and his audience enough to not spastically spout "for the price" 30 times during a low price gear review. I can't say that about many channels out there.
I've had 500% more fun playing with 5 strings in open G than 6 strings in standard, so I think that's the best tip of the video. Also remember to make the 'Keith face' and strike his carefree strumming/pose to get the right feel
Really well done! Thanks for all the info. Never thought a $150. guitar could sound so good - especially after your setup.
Making cool tunes with a budget guitar and only 5 strings. Love it and thanks for the chance to win a cool vibes guitar.
Love your videos because you keep it real and show viewers a lot of handy knowledge that guitar players should know. And growing up a poor southern boy, I've always gravitated towards the budget, bluesy kind of guitars that are probably like a throwback to the old catalog guitars and parlor guitars of a century ago that were favored by many blues musicians. Trying to get the most out of them is both challenging and rewarding when it sounds right. I got an old budget Warlock guitar that's a beater type like that Epiphone but mine has the tune-o-matic bridge on it. I'd rather have a bridge like on that Epiphone. Plug n play! Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge and keep it up!
I picked up one on Craigslist. Open box for $130. I was without guitar and needed something. Got a setup, some new strings, and a Blackstar Fly. Now I have a great travel guitar!
We go through this gauntlet of gear over and over again. At the end of the day it comes down to your ability and the tool you are using to be suitable for your ability and needs. Obviously looks and feel come into the price of a guitar, but so many people try to chase tone that they hear in a record without accepting they will never be able to actually have that tone. There are so many other variables that created it whatever they heard, to include the player.
Buy a guitar you like, bond with it, make it yours, and save your money. You'll only impress other guitar dorks by buying some insane guitar.
EDIT: This goes for tons of hobbies. I'm currently looking for new hunting arrows and its a giant worm hole. I don't need the best arrows money can buy. I just need reliability.
Listen to the classic Charlie Parker recording from Massey Hall -he’s playing a plastic horn.
Proving that a great player sounds great no matter what the instrument....
But hey-we all can’t have The Gift = nothing wrong with geeking out enjoying playing on great gear
Great video BTW
Right on the money. I don't have anything against the $150 guitars but I've hated every one I have bought. They just don't feel good. Sweet spot for me seems to be the $600 to $1000 range. Fit and finish is just better and it feels better to play. Above that certainly has diminishing returns. But find what works for you.
Excellent advice. Jimmy Page famously loved cheap guitars including his plywood or particle board Danelectro, which I think was sold here at Sears along with Silvertone instruments.
About a month ago I bought a different Epiphone from another big online seller. Same price, and except for pickups and finish, almost the same guitar as in this video. What I got was a Les Paul Special - same bolt-on neck, only one set of volume and tone knobs, same tuners, same wrap-around bridge, but mine has P90 pickups. I LOVE it. Sounds great, feels great, intonation is almost perfect. mostly it stays in tune... Mine was a display item, and they shipped it in a box that was not the original - but they did a good job of packing it for transit. I couldn't be happier with my $160 Epiphone LP Special.
An expensive guitar doesn't make you a better guitarist. Playing lots of guitar makes you a better guitarist.
On a whim, I picked up a beat up black epiphone les paul for $50 at a garage sale. After a proper setup and cleaning, I promptly adopted it as my "sticker guitar", meaning that I put as many stickers on it as I want. I'm a lifelong Fender Strat guy but I really love the Epi LP. For what they are, I'll take them on stage any day.
I love my "Sea Foam" color model I bought a couple years ago. It's just a basic guitar and since I'm a bassist first, I needed an inexpensive second instrument (guitar) to learn and play so I wasn't just a one trick pony. I do wish Epiphone would put out a copy of the Gibson ES- 295 with P-90 pickups and the floral pick guard. I'm a Geordie Walker fan so I'd buy it.
I found one of these in a charity shop for £45, a real bargain, and a nice little guitar.
I'm a bit of a cheap guitar addict 😂 which is the way I managed to afford my GAS problem during the pandemic (recovering addict). As I'm in my late 50s, I've swapped wild nights out with quiet nights in learning from a great luthier how to make almost any guitar sound great, and cheap guitars are a safe place to start. That Epiphone (with the tuners of doom) sounded amazing as a g tuned bluesmobile. Just goes to show that it's still the best time ever to be a young guitarist starting out, Still have to change those clunky tuners though... they seem to "trigger" me haha.
These days it's possible to get a very good guitar without spending too much money. I think the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion record a lot of their stuff using "cheap" guitars. If someone can afford an expensive, custom-made guitar that's fine, but consider what you're going to use it for. If someone needs a car for the school run and shopping then it's pointless getting a Ferrari.
I sold off my Gibsons to buy my teenage son his first car and I've been perfectly content with my Epiphones. I own the Jerry Cantrell Wino and the Adam Jones Les Paul Custom, and neither one feels like a compromise. Not even close.
I completely agree. Those guitars resonate so well and the bodies seem to often times be a single piece of wood. Single piece or not they got the goods man, and I have been kicking myself for not buying one a couple years back. I am in need of a LP Special and I really think one of these Epis would fit the bill. It's good to keep in mind that the Junior and Special were meant to be student guitars after all.
Now that you got the LP special get a paul reed smith
@@dankhill6851 I don't like them, or their price. An SE ight be in my future at some time though.
My first guitar (and I am still learning on it) is an Epiphone Les Paul Special I in worn ebony-- and I absolutely love it! I got a bundle with a small practice amp-- perfect for a small apartment, and in the evening, I plug in my headset. It feels great; it looks great. It makes me want to learn. Even when I'm having a blah day, I was told, "just hold it. Put your strap on and rest it along your knee and just hold it." They weren't kidding. You're not going to hold a guitar and not play.
I bought one of these maybe 5 or 6 years ago when it was called the “SL” model for I wanna say about £80. I recorded my entire first album with it, it sounds fucking monstrous.
Link to album?
Phil, great points, inspection and open G demo! My most used guitar currently in my AIO SG-style which is my least expensive but sounds and plays amazing!
That's so cool Phil, great info for beginners and definitely something fun for the veterans seeking something new without busting the bank
Had an Epiphone Les Paul since 2006. Played many gigs and recorded with it over the years. Has never let me down. Cost £400
I gotta say this was one fun episode. and after all, playing guitar should be fun. thanks for the 5 string tip.
Really worthwhile review! I appreciate the clear, objective descriptions of the instrument without trying to make some overall point or judgment. Showing what the guitar can do and the kinds of sounds it can produce was super helpful. Very conmstructive. Thanks, Phillip!
Other than choosing the Wood finish over the Yellow, I'd definitely add this guitar model to my collection. Very good video.
To hear you play the Keith riff made it worth the price of admission,❤️🎸🥁✌️
I bought this exact model and it plays great. Less than $200 🤯
Wow this is by far the most captivating and straight forward enlightening video about guitars I’ve watched! Pleasant to watch too. Thx!
Anders
Sweden
I picked up an Epiphone SG Special for £100 over a month ago, and I swear, it's one of the best guitars I ever played. Even the way my hand rests against the bridge is amazingly comfortable, and something I never noticed in any other guitar I've owned. Cheap guitars are definitely NOT what they used to be, and videos like these really help people when trying to find affordable instruments that won't be a let down like in the past. Thanks for your video upload :)
PS - I thought the Melody Maker sounded great when everything was all fixed! Great tone :D
I have an Epiphone SG too. £135 new. I consciously decided not to pay for finishing, ie. it's matt black; it's got visible knots. But it's best guitar I've ever owned. Intonation is perfect. Never goes out of tune. It's got mojo. I may never change the strings. I wouldn't sell it for £2,000
Great low budget guitars. Incredible. So what if it's bolt on neck? Having been through the ringer with the big brands over 40 years I'm a convert on these instruments. Change tuners, set it up .... Thanks for the vid Phil
I continue to be amazed by the quality, tone, and vibe of "cheap" guitars, particularly in recent years, as showcased amazingly by this video. If you know anything about setup and electronics, you can take a good guitar and make it great for less than your monthly electric bill. Will it play like a vintage Gibson or Fender? No. But you can buy and tweak tens if not hundreds of different instruments for the price you'd pay for one of those. Well done!
Amazing really
Sorry... this guitar is ok in the beginning... but after just a couple of years it becomes crappy.
Your videos are always so informative, honest, and cool. Thank you.
Always love to see you check out budget gear with the same passion and attention to detail you give to premium atuff!
I recently bought a used one of these for about $100 and on a whim I converted it to a glued-in neck. Instead of metal screws and a plate I glued the neck in place and added 5 oak dowels. The thing sounds fantastic now and only weighs 4.8 pounds. I don't bother with a case for it and consider it a great guitar to just throw into the back seat of the car and go to gigs. No need to baby it and I love the lightness of it.
Thank whatever afterlife entity you believe in that Phil and other helpful YT chans show how to do a setup for beginners. All that info was not available to me personally when I started playing and if Dad or your inner circle didn't play, you could have almost given up in frustration not knowing how to get a reasonable tone out of your new guitar whether it be a budget or high value instrument ... I know I almost did give up due to those exact circumstances and not knowing how to get my first "good" guitar, an Epiphone SG, sounding right for the life of me back in the day. Here we are years later, and it's happy days ... bring the blues and rock back to the airwaves and wipe the button pushers off the charts kiddo's ... not that blues or rock ever goes away for us!👍Phil ... you're a Legend, a Gentleman and a Guitar Scholar Sir.
I have an Epiphone LP Jr. that cost me $99 on sale maybe 10 years ago. It's a great guitar! I've owned Gibsons, Fenders and have several PRS, Sterling guitars (plus a partscaster and some acoustics) but I STILL play that LP Jr.!
hope they're better than when they came out, only $99 but you could cut firewood with the fret ends. The pickguard still makes it look like it's made by Fisher-Price.
I hate that pick guard but that can be fixed
@@gmac8852 It's completely routed underneath, so not by much.
Around ten years ago, my brother-in-law purchased a LP Special I with p-90s to start learning guitar. He gave up pretty quick and the guitar ended up in his garage with the headstock snapped off. He told me if I could fix it, then I could have it. After some wood glue and a little sanding, it was good to go, and it’s one of my favorite guitars to play now.
Honestly, at the end of the day, it's really not the guitar. It's how you play it. Great video.
True but when you take it to the next level you want a quality guitar that helps you play with excellence!
I think the thing is gorgeous and there is NOTHING bad about the tone. Epiphone wills sell a bunch of these thanks to you. Good breakdown & review.
Have always appreciated your videos. They are very informative. The one that first got my attention, was one where you diagrammed out who actually manufactured the guitars (at that time) on a white board. Very eye opening for a novice player. I would also like to enter your drawing for the $150 Epiphone.
Oh wow this was my first ever guitar but in a light blue and i loved it
That sounds incredible. Really love the pickups. I'd have to play it in real life but really impressive.
I've got one. Bright but really low output 5,5K single coils. My inexpensive strats are louder and sound better with ~8K pickups, better with overdrive pedals, too. This guitar is feather light, which is nice.
@@pekkatervala8476 This replaced a P90 version, and is worse in almost every way. The low end squire bullets are way better.
I have one in the same color. After significant time put into it, I like it alot. Really comfortable.
Pro tip if your buying one: Buy new strings to go with it.
Tuner's are fine. It's the strings that have failed in storage or something. I put 9's on mine
Good review and good mindset for this type of instrument. Honestly I thought the pickups sounded pretty decent for what they were. And having to do some set up and fret/nut refinement at that price point should be a given and figured into the purchase. Thanks for continuing the content, brother. You are making me want to make a trip to Sweetwater.
I sold my Gibson Les Paul for half what I paid for it following a job loss. Gave my AS Strat to a local working musician who had all his guitars stolen after a gig. Since then I've only bought Chinese made cheap guitars and they do just fine for me.
"Look, the blues aren't supposed to be played on $3,000 guitars!" 😅Should be a T-shirt 👍
Nice demo and analysis, Phil. I have one of these in black. It IS a cool guitar! The pickups are certainly NOT what you ever would expect on a "Les Paul" model!
The roughly $500 Epiphones have been blowing me away. For lower price range, Squire seems to have a little more quality, but I’m not a huge fan of them personally.
Lol. You did exactly what i did years ago, same guitar but the P90 version. Got it for $99 and made a great slide guitar. Only needed it for one song, and it served its purpose well.
Fantastic video Phil, very inspiring for someone who wants to get into playing guitar. Love the 5 string open G idea. Thanks 😁
I bought that exact guitar to bring to work and ended up using it as a slide guitar- pretty dang fun. No action adjustment needed for that 😉
I will suggest adding the half-out-of-phase mod, via use of a switching pot for the tone control. This cuts some of the bass for the neck pickup, when reversing its phase. It serves up a different sound when both pickups are used that is not the usual nasal tone we expect from phase-flipping, and does not suffer from the expected volume loss. Reducing the bass in the neck pickup results in less overall cancellation. Fender used it in the older Jerry Donahue Telecaster, and it does a credible job of mimicking the neck+middle tone of a Strat, without requiring a 3rd pickup. I've implemented it on two of my guitars, and like it a lot. I use a .01uf series cap to cut the bass on the neck pickup, but one is free to try other values. And, much to my surprise, it also works with humbuckers. Obviously, they won't sound like a Strat, but you still get an additional very usable sound from the N+B setting. It is unlikely to apply in the case of the Epi SL, but one of the perks is that when using just the neck pickup with the bass cut, you get another sound as well.
That’s a great take Mark. I believe it’s also an option with a ‘sound’ explanation and great simple diagram in the Haze Guitar wiring book….yeah it belongs on everybody’s cocktail table Don’t put it away on a shelf…. It’s á fabulous resource that should be grabbed when lightning strikes your inner guitar nerves 🎸⚡️🎸
Heat up that soldering gun…..
Inspired by the Donahue Telecaster, I used that mod on the guitar I built with 2 x P90s, a 4 way switch and a push-push pot. It now has 8 distinct sounds, out of which I find 5 are really useful. The 'half out of phase/series' position is the most unique - it has a honk that sounds a lot like Stevie Wonder's clavinet in Superstition, and is surprisingly great for fuzz tones, too.
@@meadish It's a sorely neglected option that I wish more people would explore. I guess it gets overlooked because traditional "out-of-phase" gets a bad rap from the thin sound. I forget whether it was Bill Lawrence or Red Rhodes who came up with it, but it's a big improvement on what people may *think* they are declining to install.
I had one of these. Surprisingly the neck pick up on mine was super warm. The bridge however was whiny. I upgraded the plastic bridge and tuners before giving it away. I think the bridge adjustment screws were getting stripped. At the time is was 119 dollars. I got it because it looked cool. It served it's purpose. Use 9s. I think 11s will rip that bridge out eventually.
I'd really like to see a higher end version of this guitar, exact same thing but with maybe a bound neck, better woods, better fret job, better tuners and some higher end electronics. The strat style single coils are a really interesting addition and it'd be cool to see more Les Pauls like that. The Sunburst SL just looks sick, I'd love to have one of those, even just as a novelty guitar.
They do make it it’s called a Gibson Les Paul jr.
I picked up on one at my local GC store and was immediately impressed by the resonation I was getting (I don't plug in guitars when I want a new one, I feel for vibration), that guitar was unreal but it was repaired after the headstock was broke. I couldn't bring myself to by it.
Wonder what telecaster pickups would sound like in it
That is what I'm going to do. Thanks for the great idea 💡. Going to try and make a nice pick guard for it.
I think the pickguard would have to be routed in order to fit a tele bridge pickup.
€ 3000,- looks for my taste and I'm even digging the sound. Playability, hardware, woods might be the actual $ 159,- but whatever. In my prime guitar buying times i wouldn't think for a second 🤩 beautiful lil beast!
My dad bought me the cheapest POS guitar for starters. The barb wire grade strings on that were a match made in hell. After I teared my fingers bloody, while learning how to play, I was able to play on ANYTHING, as even a $100 guitar felt like putty in my hands afterwards. So all in all - thanks dad for giving me tough love, that formed my will. My will to learn to play guitar was stronger than all the pain. Then he saw that and bought me a real guitar.
If a guitar stays in tune and doesn't functionally fail in use, then it's all we need. The top 95% of guitar prices are for 5% of the functional benefit, and probably only 5% of the players buying them have the developed skill set to where that 5% difference is meaningful in application. But FOMO in marketing is real. I love what I have but I feel a constant pull of the idea of something better.