Gibson SG Melody Maker Review

Recently I found myself in Guitar Center browsing Gibson guitars when I saw the Sg Melody Maker. I'm a huge fan of the SG body shape and I knew I had to try out an SG such as the Melody Maker model which only had a volume control knob and a single humbucker pickup in the bridge position.

I brought one down from its display stand and plugged it into a Peavey 6505+ and turned on the Lead Channel. I turned the volume knob on the guitar all the way up and I commenced to play some very distorted power chords. The sound coming out of the amp surprised me. Even though it didn't have a tone control it had a very great sound for rhythm playing. The chords were fat, but also had a great crunch and the neck was thick which allowed for more sustain and made playing chords satisfying.

I played some basic power chord progressions for a little while and then I proceeded to play some lead guitar. Bends were easy to execute because of the thicker neck and even with the different bridge setup it was easy to bend and keep the guitar and tune.

I dialed in a scooped tone for metal and aggressive punk and it handled the tone very well.

In all it's great instrument for anyone who is looking for a great rhythm guitar axe, someone who doesn't care about tone, or wants to have a guitar where they don't have to switch pickups. However, regardless of if you prefer to play lead, it's better suited to be a rhythm axe.

Final Verdict:
Great if:
you want to play rhythm guitar
Don't like tone knobs on guitars
if you hate guitars with lots of controls

Bad if:
You want a 24 fret guitar
Want to switch or use two pickups for soloing

Top 5 Metal Amps

This article on Gear-Vault has awesome information about the top 5 amps for heavy metal and hard rock: http://www.gear-vault.com/top-5-amps-peavey-5150-6505/

I never realized that there were so many hard rock and metal amps. The article states that hard rock and metal guitar players must buy a lot of amps since there are so many amps marketed to those players.

I'm not surprised that Marshall is considered number one since it is an iconic brand. I'm also not surprised that the Peavey 5150/6505 and the Mesa Boogie Dual/Triple Rectifiers are on there. Both pack a lot of punch and an awesome metal/hard rock tone.

Fender American Special Stratocaster HSS Review

There were many new instruments and amplifiers that appeared at NAMM 2010. Many of the companies present had a treat for those who love high gain. Fender had a really great one in particular. They introduced the Fender American Special Stratocaster HSS for those who love the feel, shape, and tone, of an American Fender Stratocaster with a humbucker in the bridge position. This is perfect for someone who wants a stratocaster suited for anyone who loves high-gain. As an added bonus it comes at a street price of $799.99. This instrument is a steal with its affordable price along with great features and sound.


Image from http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-American-Special-Rosewood-Stratocaster-HSS-Electric-Guitar?sku=584386

For more information check out:
http://www.fender.com/features/americanspecial/#/models

For videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhvK7ADPd5E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljpSePLeFyI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vke1zp1pDgc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUNMKD7xKyw

Gibson SG: The Guitar that Heavy metal was born on

Tony Iommi, the guitarist who is credited with the inventing heavy metal played a Gibson SG. For those who don't know he was the guitarist for Black Sabbath, the band who is credited with inventing Heavy Metal. Some say that all heavy metal comes from Black Sabbath. There are many metal groups influenced by Black Sabbath. Even the grunge movement was influenced by Black Sabbath.

Originally he was going to play Fender Stratocaster, but the Stratocaster pickup broke on him when he was recording. The only other instrument he had was an SG, which he used as a spare. And as they say, the rest is history.

Here are two pictures of an Gibson SG Standard: