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Epiphone Les Paul Melody Maker E1 Electric Guitar - Ebony

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Poplar Body, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fretboard, and 2 Single-coil Pickups - Ebony
19 Item ID: ENOLEBCH

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Epiphone Les Paul Melody Maker E1 Electric Guitar - Ebony
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Start Your Guitar Journey with Real Les Paul Vibe

The Epiphone Les Paul SL guitar delivers the look and feel of one of the world's most popular electric guitars, and it's also the most affordable Les Paul ever made. Comprised of a poplar body with mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard, the Les Paul SL is primed for rock and blues, and just like its namesake, it's amazingly versatile in a wide range of styles. The Epiphone single-coil pickups with ceramic magnets offer Master Volume and Master Tone controls for simplicity, with a three-way switch lending access to a wide range of sounds.

Related Videos: Les Paul Melody Maker E1 Electric Guitar - Ebony

Great guitar for beginners

With the Epiphone Les Paul SL, new players will develop skills and techniques that directly translate to one of the most popular electric guitars ever made. Master Volume and Master Tone controls make it easier and faster to explore a range of sounds; compared to having separate volume and tone controls for each pickup. And the Les Paul SL features an intonated stopbar tailpiece that you won't have to adjust for optimum tuning — one less thing on your instrument to fuss with. If you're looking for a starter guitar that will inspire you to keep playing, Sweetwater can definitely recommend the Les Paul SL.

Epiphone Les Paul SL Solidbody Electric Guitar Features:

  • The most affordable Les Paul guitar ever made
  • Poplar body with mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard
  • Two Epiphone single-coil pickups with ceramic magnets deliver classic tone
  • Simple and capable controls include Master Volume, Master Tone, and 3-way pickup selector
  • Designed to bring you true Les Paul looks, feel, and vibe, for less

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Electric Guitar Buying Guide

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape Les Paul Melody Maker
  • Body Material Poplar
  • Body Finish Semi-gloss
  • Color Ebony
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Mahogany
  • Neck Shape 60's SlimTaper, D profile
  • Neck Joint Bolt-on
  • Radius 12"
  • Fingerboard Material Laurel
  • Fingerboard Inlay Pearloid Dots
  • Number of Frets 22, Medium Jumbo
  • Scale Length 24.75"
  • Nut Width 1.692"
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Epiphone Lighting Bar Compensated Wrap Around
  • Tuners Premium Covered, 14:1 ratio
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Eiphone 650SCR Ceramic Single-coil
  • Bridge Pickup Epiphone 700SCT Ceramic Single-coil
  • Controls 1 x master volume, 1 x master tone
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: ENOLEBCH1

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Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5

Customer Added Media

Epi

This is my favorite, except, i like my Epi ES339, and my Gretsch, and the Epi LP, and the brand new Mitcell a/e, and the Epi SG. Oh, i didnt include the Squier Telecaster
by Me now on

Just what I was looking for

I have been looking at these for a while now and finally pulled the trigger on a black one that arrived about a week ago. I intend to get two more and mod all three in different ways but the ideas I have for the black one will require the least amount of work and money so I was holding out for it to be in stock. For the past week I have just played it and evaluated it to see what needs to be done and what can wait. The first thing I did was lower the bridge height by about one and a half or two turns on both sides. This has been a night and day difference in itself. Other than that I haven't changed anything yet. The first thing I noticed was how light weight it is compared to a Les Paul Standard. And the immediate second thing is how wide the neck feels at the nut. Awesome for me because I wish my Standard had a bigger neck. I have large fat hands. The frets are good and I have no dead spots anywhere. The fingerboard could be rolled and the fret ends smoothed but not bad for a one hundred and fifty dollar Chinese guitar. The nut on mine is set pretty much perfect height wise and may only need a little more angle on the slots but so far it's working. Intonation was very close and after lowering the bridge is as spot on as my ears can hear. That is probably dumb luck but I'll take it. So as it sits right now the only thing that is needed are new tuners. The tuners function but that is all. I don't like the Schaller style buttons and the ratio is too low. I don't feel gear lash per se but there is definitely enough play that it is hard to get my top E on the first try. The neck pickup is actually pretty good out of the box and the bridge pickup is ok. I can get some nice chugging spank from the neck. The bridge is very clear and bright but just short of harsh. Turning down the tone knob helps but a little more winding would be even better. Both the neck and bridge positions have noticeable hum but not unbearable and not noticeable when playing. The middle position is very interesting. It cancels the hum with opposite winds and cleans the sound up much more than I expected. I go from a crunchy overdrive to a full on clean sound with just the switch. Not only that but the clean sound is really good. Like GEO said it has a very acoustic sound that surprised me quite a bit. I'm planning to change out the tuners and replace the pickups with p90's. I also want to move the jack to the lower bout and ad a second tone knob where the jack was. The bridge is much better than I thought it would be but I will replace it if I decide to go with nickel tuners.
by Kelley from Texas on
Music background: Playing for a while but only playing

Epiphone Les Paul Melody Maker E1

Good quality and affordable
by Shanton P. from Las Vegas on
Music background: Musician

Pretty Remarkable

I have owned one of these for several years. It is by a good margin the cheapest guitar I own. I play it all the time, though.

I guess given its price, I'll say first that after several years of use it still functions perfectly. The pots are fine, the neck is straight, and so on. So if you are contemplating getting one for a child of yours interested in starting guitar, this would be the best choice I can think of. It seems impervious to pretty much everything.

As for the sound, some would call the pickups anemic, I am sure. I have a couple of Teisco type guitars, and to me these pickups have the same pure, sweet little voice the goldfoil (and plastic top) pickups as on those now-overpriced rigs. It's a pretty sound that makes you slow down and linger a bit on notes, play simple stuff with satisfaction. If your kid aspires to something nastier, you could buy him a soldering kit and a cheapo, overwound dogear P90, teach him how to install it in the bridge position, and let 'er rip. Instant nasty. As for me, I like it as is. As to playability, it plays shockingly well for such a cheap guitar. It hasn't even developed any fret sprout. The neck is of middling width and thickness, an excellent place for a beginner to start.

I love this thing. As I say, I have many more expensive guitars, but this one gets a full share of play. For Sunday morning noodling, it might be my favorite. If you've got a kid, get him (or her) one of these, for sure.
by Sweetwater Customer on
Music background: Played fifty years.

Epiphone melody maker

Nice introductory level guitar. But good enough for
The pro's
by Tobin from San. Antonio , Texas on
Music background: Music interests. Part time play for personal enjoyment
See also: Solid Body Guitars, Epiphone, Epiphone Solidbody Guitars
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