Flying V Melody Maker

[gwEm]

I sort of like it.. not sure if I want one though



thumb up on the aggressive pickguard look, the volume knob position and wraparound. thumb down on the headstock, and it would have been really cool to have a P90 or mini-HB in there.

[gwEm]

also - maple body, mahogany neck... wtf?! wrong way round guys...

the 491T (ceramic PAF) pickup sounds interesting, but I wonder if it will sound very scooped in the mids

heres the marketing spiel:

Like their predecessors, these Melody Makers designed for the tonal demands of the second decade of the 21st century possess everything you need to rock, with none of the superfluous extras that get in the way. All are crafted from select tonewoods, carry a genuine Gibson USA humbucking pickup, and are built with traditional high-quality features such as a set-in neck, 24 3/4" scale length and 1 11/16" width at the nut. In short, nothing is spared in the effort to make these genuine Gibson guitars, but they come in a format that saves you a bundle. This great looking model is crafted in the image of a classic Gibson Flying V with a gorgeous nitrocellulose finish. In short, nothing is spared in the effort to make these genuine Gibson guitars, but they come in a format that saves you a bundle.

Maple has a long history in electric guitar making, and is one of the strongest tonewoods used in luthiery. A body crafted from solid maple gives the Melody Maker Flying V outstanding clarity and sustain, and helps it retain sharp note definition even through a heavily cranked amp, while also allowing a thinner body than most electric guitars. The guitar's glued-in neck is crafted from solid quarter-sawn mahogany for superior strength and resonance, and carved to a superbly fast yet comfortable "Melody Maker profile" that measures .835" at the 1st fret and .930" at the 12th. In a contemporary departure from the norm, this neck carries a fingerboard made from torrified maple, a heat-treated form of maple that has the rich brown look of rosewood but is superior in strength and durability, and totally sustainable besides. Rendered in the seminal shape of the original Flying V of 1958—still one of the most radical guitar designs the world has ever seen—the Melody Maker Flying V has deadly looks, tone, and playability.

To give this guitar a punch equal to its heritage, Gibson USA loads the Melody Maker Flying V with one of its most versatile pickups. The single 491T humbucker in the bridge position is crafted in the image of Gibson's acclaimed PAF ("Patent Applied For") humbucker of the late '50s, but updated with a ceramic magnet for great power, clarity and sustain, and routed through a single volume control to keep it all simple. Go easy and it purrs sweetly; hit it hard, and there's as much crunch, wail and sustain on tap as any rocker will ever need. Anchored by a timeless and tuneful stud-mounted wraparound bridge at the body end and a set of efficient enclosed tuners at the headstock, with a PLEK-cut Corian nut for enhanced sustain and ultimate intonation precision, it's an incredible package for the player who wants a slice of full-bore Gibson USA quality at a stripped-down price.

[gwEm]

it seems they also have SG and Explorer ones too


edit:

Heres the Explorer one, couldn't find a good one of the SG so far, but it looks like a classic melody maker when they were in the SG shape, expect for the humbucker bridge



edit 2:

The SG one:

[Philly Q]

thumb up on the aggressive pickguard look, the volume knob position and wraparound. thumb down on the headstock, and it would have been really cool to have a P90 or mini-HB in there.

Agreed - the headstock looks like an attempt to mimic the narrow MM headstock, but for no good reason.

Thumbs down on the jack socket placement, too.

I bet it's got a bloody slim-taper neck, hasn't it?  (Edit:  oh, I can see the neck dimensions now I've bothered to read the blurb.  And a burnt maple fretboard, eh?)

[gwEm]

I bet it's got a bloody slim-taper neck, hasn't it?

I believe so..

These guitars aren't horrible, but they could have been alot nicer.

The normal modern Flying V neck profile is lovely, its a shame they changed it. a stubby 1970s V headstock would have been cool with these.

Ridiculous to put the MelodyMakerV headstock on the Explorer one. I'd have probably gone for the Explorer one if it had the right headstock, since I happen to think the pickguard looks rather cool

[Jonny]

The bottom of the pickguard sort of looks like... :/

Which is the face I make deciding if they're nice or not.

[FELINEGUITARS]

heres the marketing spiel:

Like their predecessors, these Melody Makers designed for the tonal demands of the second decade of the 21st century possess everything you need to rock, with none of the superfluous extras that get in the way. All are crafted from select tonewoods, carry a genuine Gibson USA humbucking pickup, and are built with traditional high-quality features such as a set-in neck, 24 3/4" scale length and 1 11/16" width at the nut. In short, nothing is spared in the effort to make these genuine Gibson guitars, but they come in a format that saves you a bundle. This great looking model is crafted in the image of a classic Gibson Flying V with a gorgeous nitrocellulose finish. In short, nothing is spared in the effort to make these genuine Gibson guitars, but they come in a format that saves you a bundle.

Maple has a long history in electric guitar making, and is one of the strongest tonewoods used in luthiery. A body crafted from solid maple gives the Melody Maker Flying V outstanding clarity and sustain, and helps it retain sharp note definition even through a heavily cranked amp, while also allowing a thinner body than most electric guitars. The guitar's glued-in neck is crafted from solid quarter-sawn mahogany for superior strength and resonance, and carved to a superbly fast yet comfortable "Melody Maker profile" that measures .835" at the 1st fret and .930" at the 12th. In a contemporary departure from the norm, this neck carries a fingerboard made from torrified maple, a heat-treated form of maple that has the rich brown look of rosewood but is superior in strength and durability, and totally sustainable besides.

 Rendered in the seminal shape of the original Flying V of 1958—still one of the most radical guitar designs the world has ever seen—the Melody Maker Flying V has deadly looks, tone, and playability.

 

Someone at Gibson doesn't even know their own company heritage
Nothing like a 58 V body shape
 58 shown below

[gwEm]

The bottom of the pickguard sort of looks like... :/

It reminds me of the Hamer KK Downing signature pickguard.



Feline: I was thinking the same thing!

[Philly Q]

Ridiculous to put the MelodyMakerV headstock on the Explorer one. I'd have probably gone for the Explorer one if it had the right headstock, since I happen to think the pickguard looks rather cool

I think the Explorer and SG look better than the V. 

If I bought one, I'd be tempted to mod it like your Tipp-Ex V - relocate the jack socket further down the body (not at all sure how I'd drill a channel for the wires...  :? :lol: ) and move the volume control to where the jack is now.  Maybe.

[gwEm]

I think the Explorer and SG look better than the V. 

Except for the bizarre choice of woods and pickup, the SG one is a totally acceptable instrument I think

[keith]

The bottom of the pickguard sort of looks like... :/

It reminds me of the Hamer KK Downing signature pickguard.



Feline: I was thinking the same thing!

Flamin ell look at that lot nice family there Gwem I like the look of that Hamer Ex. with the binding

[gwEm]

(that pics not of me ;) )

[AndyR]

Hmmm... I'm not "completely sold" on any of them.

I could live with the headstock on the V and Explorer. But not the pickguard on the Explorer, I can see the appeal, but just not for me.

Unfortunately, I really don't like the Melody Maker headstock though (reminds me of the cheap no-name first or second guitar I owned), so the SG is out altogether! :lol:

[gwEm]

tried one today. it was nicely put together. good setup. quite liked the burnt maple fingerboard.

edit: if it wasn't for the shite looking headstock, i'd probably have been tempted