Review: 2006 Silvertone SSL3

Review: Silvertone 2006 SSL3

When I saw this guitar listed here without a review, I couldn't resist jumping in with my favorite cheap guitar story. You see, in my area, there's this cool guitar shop that isn't an authorized Gibson or Fender dealer, so they carry everyone else's stuff. You name it; Ibanez, Dean, BC Rich, Jackson, Danelectro, Hamer, Schecter, Samick, Turser, and the list goes on.

Also, they will buy ANYTHING if you are willing to go low enough. They even sell used Esteban guitars, although they've given up on that lately. Want a dreadnought with the Mexican Flag painted on it? It's there, for 50 bucks.

So, it's no surprise that a Silvertone SSL3 is there, although that's not why I played it. I played it and prayed it was like its early ancestor, the coolest of Les Paul copies. Sure, you hear all the time about the “lawsuit” guitars, and the great Japanese Les Paul copies of the 80's.

None were as cool as the Silvertone Les Paul copy. It was some sort of Ebony, with a mirrored pickguard, some oddball 90-degree cutaway, and neat mini-humbucker-style pickups. Like the SSL3, it had a clean tone that was akin to a banjo, and a nice distorted, if simply loud tone. The problem was that the store wanted 300.00 for it, more than a new one.

However, every time I went to that store, it was still there, and my attempts to get the price down were rebuffed. One day, their website noted that the price had dropped to 200.00. I headed there, and according to the clerk, lost the race by around one hour. I won't say that my heart was broken, but if any guitar is like a Moby Dick to me, it's that old Silvertone.

Les Paul copies are a dime a dozen, and many, like the Agile, have great reputations. The trouble is, the attraction of a particular guitar is really about extremes.

A 4000.000 Gibson has an aura about it. A super cheap copy like that odd duck Silvertone has an aura. A medium-priced copy, like an Epiphone, doesn't. It's like Silvertone knows that their gig is to make guitars that you can just go to an ATM machine and get the cash to buy, and have spent decades (via various owners who seem to share the same philosophy) honing that skill.

Sort of like, they can't match a top-of-the-line Gibson version, so they make a cool plank of wood that only superficially resembles one. And that 90-degree cutaway isn't as weird an idea as you might think. If you look at the profile of a Gibson Nighthawk (not Blueshawk) and the old Silvertone LP copy, there's an amazing resemblance.

That resemblance ends, of course, when you play each of the instruments. The modern Silvertone is more in the mold of the Epiphone in that it sports humbuckers now, a tune-o-matic stop bridge, and a quilted top. What wood they use to make that quilted top is conveniently left out of any ads, but I'm sure it's around the quality of a low-level Squire.

The humbuckers are not bad. The clean tone, the key to any Les Paul is not very good, but for the Alternative style rocker, it will serve quite well. Most hard rockers play at volumes where the type of guitar isn't as important anyway. Like I once said in another review, the best SG sound I ever heard at concert volume was from a Jay Turser with a single P-90. Play this guitar loud, and you get a harsh, but very cool wall of sound.

The only disappointment I experienced was that the company decided to go with a quilted top, yet keep the cool old profile. Those old Silvertones are now going for a few hundred now on eBay and other places, if you can find one.

Also, those mini-humbucker-style cover pickups were perfect with a mirror pickguard. Silvertone needs to go back to its roots. So, if you have a couple of hundred bucks, or less (if a used one comes around), it's not a bad deal. But it's not a very exciting guitar in its modern version. 

If there comes a day the company decides to reissue the old model, then wild horses couldn't keep me away from the ATM machine.

- Al Handa

  2007

Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2007. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.

The Quitturz by Al Handa

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED

Here's info on some of my Vella books:

The Quitturz (title not changed on ad yet)

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09PC3L6PC

I, Ivy

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0B3RCBT4D

The Forbidden Lost Gospels Of Murgatroyde

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJ2TW4P1

The Boogie Underground Think Tank: How To Survive The End Of Civilization

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BG6LNXTG

The Adventures Of Queen Khleopahtra: Ruler Of Egypt, Time Traveler, and Literary Detective

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJC122G7

Please check out and listen to my music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other music sites. Please add any cuts you like to your playlists!

Review: 2007 Samick LS450: The Holy Grail Of Les Paul Copies?

Review: 2007 Samick LS450: The Holy Grail Of Les Paul Copies?

One of my favorite subjects is Les Paul copies. I've pored over literally dozens of texts and spec sheets, checked out hundreds of reviews of Agiles, Tursers, Memphis, Epiphone, Silvertone, “Lawsuit” Japanese copies, and the numerous no-names that all their buyers hope will do one thing; give them a Les Paul that sounds as good as the real thing for thousands of dollars less!

It's not for lack of trying or choices. Agiles have the reputation of being the closest copies in terms of wood but after upgrading the pickups six months later, the owner is trying to sell it on Craigslist for 250.00, saying of course, it's just as good as a real Les Paul.

Samicks have another reputation. Buy an Epiphone, and you're really buying a Samick, so save your money and just get the latter. There's something to that though Samick no longer makes Epi's.

The LS450 is gone and out of production. If you want a new Les Paul copy you have to get the Avion line. Which on paper looks pretty good. A mahogany guitar with a real maple cap (instead of alder like Epiphone likes to use), nice styling, and a cooler cutaway. Add two good PAF pickups and you would probably get 80% of the Les Paul, at one-fourth the price. Get a used LS450 and the savings go up. That's not a bad ratio.

In some ways, the quest for a cheap but effective Les Paul is going to lead to disappointment. Frankly, the Les Paul is a seriously overpriced guitar and is so due to demand. If a guitar costs a lot of money, it adds an aura you can't replace.

Unless you're someone who just cares about sound. Then guitars like the Samick give you options. On a practical level, many companies are making Les Paul copies with mahogany bodies, maple caps, and set necks. You can see the lower-line Gibson Les Pauls that are coming out, so the company is aware of the market reaction to expensive LPs.

Also, many guitar buyers (mainly the younger ones) have a hard time seeing the value added to money ratio on a Gibson Les Paul, and are making the Les Paul copy market a hotter and hotter one.

The Samick LS450 is a very decent copy, particularly in the sunburst. It has the sharper Silvertone-style cutaway, a nice finish, decent tuners, and good stock pickups. Its wood may not be as high grade as a Les Paul, but it is a set-neck mahogany guitar with a carved maple cap. That's a good basic framework to improve into a better guitar, and it has a very good word-of-mouth reputation.

The Gibson Les Paul is still the King. However, there was a time when Ford and Chevy laughed at those funny little cars coming over from Japan, and now they can't make a car that's better than a Toyota.

Looking at guitars like the Samick LS450, and its successor, the Avion series, you have to wonder; at what point will Gibson and Fender suddenly find they can't build a better guitar than the overseas factories at the same price (hint: now). After all, at some point, the Asians will be able to make guitars to higher specs and will realize that they don't have to be subcontractors for peanut wages.

- Al Handa

  2007

Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2013. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.

The Quitturz by Al Handa

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED

Here's info on some of my Vella books:

The Quitturz (title not changed on ad yet)

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09PC3L6PC

I, Ivy

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0B3RCBT4D

The Forbidden Lost Gospels Of Murgatroyde

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJ2TW4P1

The Boogie Underground Think Tank: How To Survive The End Of Civilization

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BG6LNXTG

The Adventures Of Queen Khleopahtra: Ruler Of Egypt, Time Traveler, and Literary Detective

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJC122G7

Please check out and listen to my music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other music sites. Please add any cuts you like to your playlists!

Review: 2007 Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet

Review: 2007 Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet

The Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet looks like a souped-up Les Paul copy, particularly the Ebony model which sports a pearloid pickguard. Like most Gretsch's of this type, the body length is a bit longer and leaner. This model also comes with a Bigsby (and costs about 100.00 more). 

The body has some hidden value that Epiphones in this price range (or above for that matter) rarely have, which includes a chambered mahogany body. Considering that the mass is similar to a LP, this is a good chunk of quality wood. Add to that a great neck, with good action, medium jumbo frets, and, well, passable rosewood on the fretboard. The bridge section included their version of a tune-a-matic, and a nice, thick retro “G” tailpiece.

Before you go rushing to buy and convert this 390.00 wonder (stopping off to buy two aftermarket humbuckers) into a lighter weight Les Paul (which is an attractive idea), be aware that the pickup configuration makes that virtually impossible unless you know how to rout out a guitar. 

The reason is that the pickups are T.V. Jones designed mini humbuckers, which can't be swapped out for virtually anything you can get at Guitar Center. Not even Gretsch has a clear upgrade path for this model, which given the body design, should be towards a Duo's humbuckers (but alas, it isn't).

Even more interesting, the humbuckers are classic vintage “H” style, with two rows of pickup poles. You can micro-adjust tone with those. However, be aware that if you adjust the poles too different, it may create an out of phase effect also. It'll be a challenge to someone used to single pole row humbuckers, but it's worth the effort. 

However, if you're considering buying a Gretsch, you wouldn't be thinking about trying to mold this into a Les Paul anyway. This is a Gretsch, and moreover, it is a rocker's Gretsch. Unless you have a pretty good tube or valve amp, you can pretty much forget the clean tone on this one. The front pickup sounds like baling wire, and the back pickup sounds OK. Lower the pickup, and you'll get a decent acoustic-like clean tone but forget even sounding like an Epiphone. 

Then, turn on the gain button, and suddenly the guitar comes alive. That chiming, bell-like sound with a hint of twang comes out of the front pickup, and the bridge PUP hits you with the smoothest twanging you'll ever hear. The Tele's worst enemy has arrived.

Crank the amp and you'll find that those T.V. Jones mini's make THE rockabilly sound, and all manner of classic sounds will come as you get to know the guitar. Also, crank the amp gain all the way up, and it's still the cleanest, smoothest distortion at this price range on up to the 1000.00 class.

Ironically, even though it has a poor clean tone (for many amps), its “jazzy” tone with light distortion is exceptional. Experiment with amp and tone settings, and this guitar will pretty much do what you want with it (even sound a bit like a Les Paul when in gain mode). This axe will chicken-pick at high volume as well as any telecaster, American made or not. If you are into the Gretsch sound, you'll shake your head at how a guitar like this could be so cheap.

Of course, the reason is simple. Like many Epiphones, the guitar is made in China. Which has created the interesting and ironic comments now coming up on the internet (and in private deals I've seen and made) where the once derided Korean guitars are becoming preferable to Chinese ones. The reason? Quality issues. However, and there are always exceptions, at least some of the guitars I've seen come out of there have been of exceptional quality and price. The Epi PR-5 Limited Edition was a superb value at 300.00.

Looking over my Pro Jet, I see no serious flaws, the chrome parts are flawless, and the pearloid pickguard is too cool for words. Also, since I got it for 300.00, I have no cause for complaint. A guitar of this construction with T.V. Jones designed pickups would have been 800.00 if American made, probably more. Or else cheaper materials like alder would have been integrated into the construction.

This Gretsch is part of a new manufacturing cycle, now based in China, and it will difficult for even old timers to quantify how good this or that guitar is given that the price will often be quite low. I'm sure the parent company, Fender, is watching this quite closely for future Squire models. 

Like I said in an earlier review about import Gretsch guitars; it’s nice to see a company put its name on the entire model line. It tells you that they stand behind every product it puts out, and that you don't have what they consider to be a “cheap” or “economy brand” model line. If you buy a Gretsch, you have a Gretsch, period.

Gretsch has had its ups and downs, but with guitars like this, their wild and cool sound will be blasting out of amps well into the next century. As well it should.

- Al Handa

  2007

Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2007. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.

The Quitturz by Al Handa

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED

Here's info on some of my Vella books:

The Quitturz (title not changed on ad yet)

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09PC3L6PC

I, Ivy

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0B3RCBT4D

The Forbidden Lost Gospels Of Murgatroyde

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJ2TW4P1

The Boogie Underground Think Tank: How To Survive The End Of Civilization

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BG6LNXTG

The Adventures Of Queen Khleopahtra: Ruler Of Egypt, Time Traveler, and Literary Detective

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJC122G7

Please check out and listen to my music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other music sites. Please add any cuts you like to your playlists!

 

Review: 2023 EPIPHONE LES PAUL SL MELODY MAKER

GUITAR REVIEW: EPIPHONE LES PAUL SL MELODY MAKER

The Les Paul Melody Maker has been around since the 50s and has traditionally been a student economy model, whether Gibson manufactured it (or later on by (Epiphone).

The most well known early configuration was a single P90 (or Humbucker later on) in the bridge position. As a result, the double pickup models were called Les Paul Juniors or other names.

However, the earliest ones also had single coil pickups, a model that was later reissued to mixed reviews.

The various models are well documented on the Internet and are interesting reading for those who wish to learn more about the Melody Maker. 

It's worth noting that in the 60s and 70s, the original Gibson versions became famous because of artists like Leslie West of Mountain and Mick Ralphs of Bad Company, among others, who used one for recording and live performance.

The notoriety predictably put the guitar's price into expensive collector territory (with the inevitable hosanna-type praise for its miraculous vintage tone).

Fender had two student models, the Mustang and its hard-tail variant, the Duo-Sonic. The latter gained fame from its use by Patti Smith and others in the early Punk era, and the price of those went up, but in the original configuration, it remains a higher-priced model in the Squier economy line.

…credit where credit is due…

One has to give Epiphone and its parent company, Gibson, credit; they've kept the original style Melody Maker among the cheapest in the market and competitive with the multitude of cheap guitars coming out of China. 

That makes it an instrument that draws passionate raves or condemnation, and it's best to evaluate it like an Olympic gymnastics judge and throw out the highest and lowest scores. That gives a prospective buyer a reasonable middle ground of information.

I recently purchased this guitar because my current collection is all acoustic (for various reasons), but wanted an electric for fun and possible use for recording, and it had to be as cheap as possible.

I looked into the various guitars in the two-hundred price range. I saw a lot of nice models starting from about a hundred, which were Chinese copies of traditional designs which mainly enjoyed rave reviews on YouTube (which is the best place to hear how a particular axe sounds).

The problem with print and video reviews on guitar sites is that those are all too often just material taken from press releases or, in the case of YouTube, paid infomercials that many channels are eager to do for a price. Some YT reviewers have publicly alluded to the practice, but as a rule, it has stayed a dirty little secret.

I view YouTube reviews as a great way to hear how a particular guitar sounds and ignore the recommendations. In the case of electrics, it's valuable to listen to those demonstrated through the players' various types of amps and skill levels. 

…YouTube videos…

A pro can make any guitar sound great, but videos by amateurs are a better glimpse into how it might sound when you're playing it (and, of course, we assume that great things will come from your efforts).

So, the perfect choice was cheap, very cheap if possible. That meant since the construction and materials were going to be basic, it had to have an outstanding cool factor and low-cost mojo.

In the 70s, that meant finding a used guitar like the Fender Duo-Sonic (or a less desirable model like a Jazzmaster) or failures like the various Gibson models that attempted to be Fender-like or cheaper versions of the Les Paul (early specials, etc.).

That's not an option in 2023. Every model from that era is now a collector item out of my desired price range.

The main problem with the various one hundred dollar copies of classic guitars, besides the sound, was that I  do have a bit of snob in me, so a cheap copy of a Telecaster or Strat isn't appealing to someone who's played the real thing since the early 70s.

…two choices…

That left the Melody Maker or Mustang/Duo-Sonic, but the latter is a premium item even in the Squier line. There is a Mustang in the same price range as the Melody Maker, but it's a modernized version with Humbuckers that look and sound good but lose too much in translation in the eyes of an old geezer who remembers the good old days of Fender cheapies. An excellent choice for a modern player, though, and it was a close second choice.

This particular Melody caught my eye because it looks like the original but with a paint job and specs that would look good for a higher-range Fender Squier.

The tie-breaker was the maple neck and alder body with classic Melody Maker styling. The single tone and volume knobs would be familiar to any Tele player, and having controls for each pickup is a matter of taste.

The classic sunburst with P-90 pickups is available in this model line for those who like the vintage look. In my case, I've always preferred the single-color automobile look (aka Fender) and more traditional single coils. Those who love the P90 sound will like this one.

Also, the alder and maple model was part of the starter kit version. The material can be poplar or other woods when sold by itself.

Interestingly, this model has a neck scale similar to a Tele or Strat but slightly wider like a Les Paul. In other words, it's a full-size neck, making it slightly "neck heavy," though it doesn't dive for the floor like a Gibson SG. 

The best place to get this model is from a store where it can be played or from a site that states that it's been set up and has a good return policy. Mine came directly from Epiphone, which frankly isn't as reliable. The guitar could have been sitting in the warehouse for a while and needed adjustment and fretwork. 

I can do those things due to experience, but a beginner may not be able to or have a friend who can. 

…spend more…

I also decided to spend a little more and get the starter pack. My tuners (except my old school Korg from the 90s) had corroded, which modern clip tuners can do, and it saved me the trouble of getting accessories like a gig bag separately at more cost. The little amp is cute and OK for what it is.

The main reason I like Epiphones is that their guitars have nice playing necks, are constructed with good materials, and have excellent cosmetics. Electronics were sometimes mediocre in the past, but these days that's not the case.

The main thing is among the large pack of cheap guitars available these days, the brand name does mean something, and I had a good idea of what I was getting with this brand in a mail-order item.

It did need setup, but otherwise, it's highly playable, and through my small Fender amp, which was the only electric equipment still in my gear collection, it does sound a bit like a Strat.

The front pickup has a middle-position Strat sound, and the bridge is kinda Tele-like, but the Epi single coils are brighter and have a pleasant chime. That works well for future projects in an 80s New Wave bag. If I needed a purer Fender sound, then a Squier Tele or Strat could have been had for a little more money.

That's the guitar voice I'm getting, and yours will probably be different depending on the amp, pedal, or playing style. 

…further investigation…

This Melody Maker seems to have a wide range of sounds, judging from what I heard in the numerous YouTube videos, and checking those out is recommended for those interested in buying this model. Listen to it demonstrated by pros and beginners, so you hear what it'll sound like at first and what's possible with dedicated practice.

Though the experts will say that guitars like this are just a stepping stone to better models, in my essay after this review, I make the point that if you can't make pro-level sounds on a beginner guitar, then a more expensive guitar probably won't help.

In my case, it's a perfect part of a collection. In your case, it's the start of a journey and more than good enough to produce the music you hear in your head; after that, it's talent and practice.

...and I should note the ones who become pros tend to be the ones who put in the time and work hard at it. In other words, it's all in your hands, not how much the guitar costs.

Note: I rarely list specs as those are widely available in more detail online, but this a good idea here as this line has been around for decades, and the materials used can vary.

- Al Handa

Specs:

Brand: Epiphone

Model:  Les Paul SL Melody Maker (dual single-coil config.) 

Color: Turquoise (other colors avail.)

Body Material: Alder

Neck Material: Maple

Fretboard Material Type: Granadillo

Guitar Pickup Configuration: Open coil 650SCR single-coil pickup (neck) and 700SCR single-coil pickup (bridge)

Hand Orientation: Right

Guitar Bridge System: Adjustable, intonated wrap-around "Stop Bar Combo" bridge

Controls: Single master volume and tone knobs.

The Quitturz by Al Handa

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED

Here's info on some of my Vella books:

The Quitturz (title not changed on ad yet)

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09PC3L6PC

I, Ivy

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0B3RCBT4D

The Forbidden Lost Gospels Of Murgatroyde

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJ2TW4P1

The Boogie Underground Think Tank: How To Survive The End Of Civilization

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BG6LNXTG

The Adventures Of Queen Khleopahtra: Ruler Of Egypt, Time Traveler, and Literary Detective

 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJC122G7

Please check out and listen to my music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other music sites. Please add any cuts you like to your playlists!