How bout the new Epiphone SL?

Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

I they had the pickups that were in my original Melody Maker, I'd go for it, but considering that even the Gibson revamps weren't even close, I guess I'll pass. And please tell me they have other colors.

Of course. The only one I actually find a bit appealing is Ebony.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

That's an interesting assertion. An observation though: A beginner on a $100 guitar probably won't "like" anything about about the guitar; rather, they have that many more things to excuse their crap playing and sound for. "My playing/sound suck; must be the single coils/bolt on/non-intonatable bridge/cheap pots/cheap switch etc." All they'll want later is a "real" Les Paul which as they have been told, by Gibson, that this is obviously not. They'll probably think a $2000 Tele is probably crappy for the same reasons their cheap Epiphone is.

If they started out on an American Strat, they'd have a lot less reason in their own mind to excuse the equipment. But who does something like that any more...

I hadn't thought of that before, I guess it depends on the player. If you like it you might head for a Tele, if not you might flee from one.
 
How bout the new Epiphone SL?

I suppose it makes a good mod platform but there's a whole lot I don't like about that guitar. (And I'm a Gibson guy).
That pick guard is awful.
2 single coils....nope.
Wraparound tailpiece? Nope
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

With all the great used guitars available, no one except a parent buying her kid a first guitar would want that thing.

Or know so little about guitars that they'd buy it in the first place.

My mom bought me my first guitar. It was a Harmony Rocket.

We just took the word of the music store that it was a good guitar because neither of us knew anything.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

Another "first guitar" musing; I started with a piece of crap HSS something or other. The humbucker was so poor it put me off humbuckers for years. The single coils sated me longer and basically put me on a path toward Fender and away from anything that smelled like a Gibson. To this day it seems to me that even cheap ceramic singles can't go as hilariously wrong as cheap humbuckers, which sometimes barely even sound like a guitar. Cheap singles are a better bet for a beginner imo.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

With a bolt on neck, if that's true, they're even a step below a Melody Maker.

Are you implying that bolt-on necks are inferior in some way to neck-through or glued-in necks? And thus all custom shop Fender guitars are inferior to Gibson and Epiphone?
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

In the end, there isn't any use discussing a $100 guitar. That is like complaining that the Starcasters don't sound like Strats or they have non-standard pickguards. It is just a student model in a flashy color, designed to stand out against all of the black or sunburst student models at the store. There are much better guitars to mod- and I don't see (outside of a student market) these being big sellers to more advanced players.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

With all the great used guitars available, no one except a parent buying her kid a first guitar would want that thing.

Or know so little about guitars that they'd buy it in the first place.

My mom bought me my first guitar. It was a Harmony Rocket.

We just took the word of the music store that it was a good guitar because neither of us knew anything.

Would you say the same about a Wilshire? This kinda reminds me of a Wilshire/MM cross breed. (I happen to have a couple of Wilshires and find them to be really great playing and sounding instruments).
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

I would reserve judgement on it until I actually play it and see how it feels and sounds. You can put down a guitar all you want, but until you actually have some experience with it, you're only talking hypothetical crap. Try having an open mind occasionally. You can bad mouth its appearance if you don't like the way it looks, but that's just about it until you play it.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

^ Yep, there is nothing inherent in either its design or construction to attract such ire. Both other bolt on guitars and the original MM's (which are VERY close in style) are good guitars. Even if the guitar plays a bit poorly it still can be called a good guitar due to the comparison to other guitars in its target market.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

In the end, there isn't any use discussing a $100 guitar. That is like complaining that the Starcasters don't sound like Strats or they have non-standard pickguards. It is just a student model in a flashy color, designed to stand out against all of the black or sunburst student models at the store. There are much better guitars to mod- and I don't see (outside of a student market) these being big sellers to more advanced players.

I agree with you totally. Theres so many other things to spend the money on as opposed to a bright colored beginner guitar. Not that it couldnt be made to play ok, but still...
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

Another "first guitar" musing; I started with a piece of crap HSS something or other. The humbucker was so poor it put me off humbuckers for years. The single coils sated me longer and basically put me on a path toward Fender and away from anything that smelled like a Gibson. To this day it seems to me that even cheap ceramic singles can't go as hilariously wrong as cheap humbuckers, which sometimes barely even sound like a guitar. Cheap singles are a better bet for a beginner imo.

My experience with pickups is the exact opposite as yours!!
A friend had a cheap harmony electric guitar with single coils that sounded horrible. And my first guitar had humbuckers....I thought they were much better than the single coils. So nowadays I tend to gravitate toward buckers.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

I agree with you totally. Theres so many other things to spend the money on as opposed to a bright colored beginner guitar. Not that it couldnt be made to play ok, but still...

I think it probably could made to play great. Or fine. Or something. But in the end, once the price of 1 good pickup costs the price of the guitar, there might be better ways to spend your modding money. I am sure it is fine for someone starting out, and does give some variety in the options for student guitars. I mean, something has gotta jump start people into picking up guitars for the first time. If this guitar does it, then I am just fine with that.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

Depends who you are I guess. Some people can make a $100 guitar an amazing listening experience, others need all the help they can get.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

And another question: how come you never hear anybody complaining about Fenders being bolt-ons?

AMEN!! If I hear "bolt-on neck = junk" one more time I will hurl. I had a guy say that to me once about my Gibson Marauder while he was holding his Strat. Seriously. (At the time I also owned a 1962 SG and an ES-335 so its not like I did not understand Gibsons.)
I like bolt-on necks and I like Gibsons. That makes life hard sometimes.

Back on topic: I don't want that Epiphone but I would have when I first started.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

My experience with pickups is the exact opposite as yours!!
A friend had a cheap harmony electric guitar with single coils that sounded horrible. And my first guitar had humbuckers....I thought they were much better than the single coils. So nowadays I tend to gravitate toward buckers.


+1. Single coils are thinner and brighter (one might use the word the word 'shrill' in some cases) than HB's. They're less forgiving when playing isn't quite as accurate, highlighting the slightest mistakes. I'd definitely recommend HB's for beginners.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

I agree that most humbuckers are more forgiving by virtue of greater compression, but I've played more/most humbuckers on cheap guitars that just sound bad. By comparison there seems to be a lower ratio of crap cheap singles to useable ones, even among budget ceramic singles.

What springs to mind are terrible epiphone pickups, gritty, hollow cheap Yamaha humbuckers, the honky, nasal/congested sounding humbuckers on a lot of Korean or Chinese guitars that are miles from the "real thing."
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

I suppose you can lose if the guitar won't stay in tune, or if the amount of work and money it takes to get it playable (and the annoyance of doing so) is greater than the initial cost. But it might be fine. I actually have only seen the pictures, but I don't have hopes for a $99 guitar playing anywhere close to even a $300 guitar.
 
Re: How bout the new Epiphone SL?

If they're on par with the
€pi Les Paul Special 1 P90's it'll be a solid little
Inexpensive guitar.
 
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