Gibson Melody Maker

See earlier reviews for standard features. My model is the 62 or later double cut away with compensated but mininaly adjustable bridge/taipiece. RECOMENDATION: Wilkinson make a similar but slightly adjustable bridge(like used on the (HAMMER STUDIO))that could work on this model for those who use standard gauge lighter strings as the standard bridge on my model required custom gages for accurate intonation.

Well cared for models I have played sound superior to all but the finest crafted modern guitars. Remember however that this is a student model an has NO features. It must be set up very precicely for acurate intonation. With a simple Treble Pass/Bleed on the volume control it is amazingly versitile. SIMPLE MOD: move the pickup so that the ears are on the top of the pickguard to gain some gain.

Once set up to my specs by a master luthier this guitar can be equal to many modern guitars in the same price range. The finish on my model was checked from temp variation but othewise intact.DO NOT REFINISH this guitar even if it has severe COSMETIC damage as the aged finish contributes to the SUPERIOR tone. I am sure this guitar was set up well on its first day of playability. You can feel it.

This guitar is so simple nothing could go wrong that didn't cause extensive danage.

Even if I was the original owner I don't know if Gibson would honnor the warrenty if it ever had one.

Classic Gibson. I expect these will be collectable in a decade or so DON'T SELL CHEEP.

This beautiful Gibson Melody Maker was designed in the 1960s so it has a double-cut instead of a single cut most Melody Makers today have, and of course it was made in the USA or else it wouldn't be a Gibson! Has 22 frets, a solid-top. This however only has a tone and volume knob, but thats all you really need because the thing only comes with one single-coil pickup! Came with some sort of Gibson single-coil, who knows what type. I have no idea what electronics or woods the guitar is made of, but not sure if that really matters. Has that nice "vintage sunburst" finish. As for the body style, its kind of a cross between a Les Paul double cut and an SG, you might want to do an image search if you want to know more in detail. There practically is no bridge as there is nowhere to lower/raise the action, instead has a wrap-around...err...thingy. The tuners are the original ones that came with the guitar in 1961. The neck is nice and smooth, great for any guitarist for its neither slim nor fat. The body itself is very thin, and VERY lightweight, not something that'd throw out your back any day!

I like to play a lot of hard rock, metal, band chords together, and this guitar doesn't just do that! This guitar is EXTREMELY versitile and suits practically ALL genre styles. The single coil is a tiny bit noisy, but when the tone knob is knocked down to about 0-3, the noise is knocked down to nothing. Has a beautiful warm and POWERFUL aggressive sound. When knocked down to drop-D this thing sounds so aggressive and full it could take out an army of anything. I play with a Fender "G-DEC - Junior" practice amp and for any of you who own one, the guitar will sound beautiful through all of the settings. The only thing I have a problem with is when the gain and tone are turned to max, the thing squeals like your girlfriend when she's pissed off.

OK, this thing is 46 years old and has a bit of a rough life. Although its not damaged beyond reason, it has a few knicks and scrapes and dents. Nothing to make a big deal about, personally I think it adds to that "old-and-has-been-through-a-million-gigs-and-beyond-awesomeness" look. The action, I've noticed, is not adjustable (or to my knowledge), but the action is decent, not extremely low nor high. The frets buzz slightly with new strings, but after a little while and a little wear that is completely resolved and is not a problem.

I've dropped this thing on a metal footstand because I didn't lock up the case, and I bet you can guess what happened to it! Though, it didn't take much of a beating at all and only suffered a minor dent. After 46 years, the finish has not faded a bit. The strap buttons could be tightened a bit, but like I said, its 46 years old so it may not of originally been like that. If I did gig, I would not have a single problem gigging without a backup, because this guitar gets the job DONE!

This guitar is a hand-me-down from my dad. And uh, well my dad was helpful for re-stringing it and stuff I guess lol.

I own a Jackson Dinky JS20 and an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, and this thing can't be beat. I've been playing for a mere few months, but I'm up to the point where I can play some Nirvana solos, metal riffs, and how very well this guitar does all that! If this were stolen or lost, I would NOT be able to replace it seeing as how its a unmodified vintage model and probably costs $1500. I would be devistated if this were damaged beyond repair or stolen.

I can't say I hate anything about it except for the fact that it lacks a tremolo, but I wouldn't for the life of me slap something new on a vintage model.

I have a 64 Melody maker with 2 single coil pickups. double cut away
Original yellow sunburst color. When I take it out every one looks and stares. The original machine heads are replace with Grovers. Rosewood neck and flat frets. Made in the USA.
The rest is all original.I purchased the guitar when I was in grade 12.
25 years ago now and the guitar is 1 year older than me.
I am a true Canadian.Rocker

I play classic rock. So it is the perfect guitar for this. Okay a little bit of country but that is it.
I play with various Boss pedals and a Yamaha classic 80 watt amp. It is very quite when still.
I only wish I had 2 because I am scared it is going to get to worn.

It can be a little scream box and when I need it to pound out the tune it can.

After a tweek here and there it is great. It has the regular markings that a 41 year old guitar has.

This guitar plays well and everytime I jam,

I feel it sounds better. So I give it two thumbs up.

I gig it now and donot have a back up besides a Laravee I play.

I take it to the local repair shop. They usually fix it with out charging much because they love getting a special old guitar in like it.

They also discuss with my wife when she picks it up how wonderful it is.

She doesn't care all the same. In her eyes it is a guitar.

I have beed playing for 28 years. I own many pedals. To many to list.
I play a Fender Capistrano.
Laravee , Concert and a Gibson SG

I still love the Melody maker even though it is old.

I've got a 1966 Gibson Melody Maker Serial #: 578643 B. I bought it off eBay when I was in the market for an SG or melody maker, and this was the best of both worlds because it was as cheap as a melody maker, and had the SG body! I assume that it was purchased in the 70s by someone who saw it and realized an oppurtunity to make their own customized SG out of a cheap factory defected 66 Melody Maker and so they stripped whatever hideous paint the melody makers had in 66 (turquoise or purple I think) and replaced the white pickguard with a black SG pickguard, Deluxe Kluson tuners, put in a bad-ass bridge rerouted the thing for humbuckers. 3 way selector, 2 tones and volumes, neck pickup unknown but bridge I think is Dimarzzio Super Distortion. Mahogany all around and rosewood fretboard, I forget Indian or Brazilian. Thinner neck than I'm used to but feels great. I love this guitar and I feel an affinity with it, but it's come a long way from being just a Gibson Melody Maker so I'm affraid I can't rate it here.

I play classic rock & roll, blues and some country-like stuff and this guitar sounds pretty good for all, although the pick-ups have obviously been replaced and so much has been done it's not much of a testament to the company. I play through a Marshall JCM800 with minimal preamp and a vox wah and it sounds really mean. The guitar is not noisy but with the current pickups (I think the bridge pickup is a DiMarzzio Super Distortion) it is not extremely articulate. It sounds a lot fuller than my strat but at times can be a bit too muddy. If you really play with the middle selector and the amp you can make some really cool tones and with a good bit of variety. It sounds almost perfect to my ears, but am getting Dave Stephens "tone king" pick-ups to replace them and really make it perfect. Because so much work has been done, I can't rate the original guitar.

The action was awesome when it got to my hands, very low and extremely playable, but I was at least the second owner of this guitar so I can not say how the factory set it up. The replacement pick-ups were super-glued in and the pots are a mess. The bridge was replaced by a bad ass and many people say whoever stripped the paint off did a terrible job, but it looks great to me, the mahogany really shines. I can not rate the factory though, again.

This guitar is real sturdy, although it has fallen over a few times (I'm still young so I don't get heart attacks over these things) and sort of slightly screwed up the intination the third time, but before that broke few strings and gigged without backup, though a back-up really should be used. The hardware are largely replacements, don't seem like they're going anywhere for a while though.

Never needed help, it's so bastardized the company couldn't help me anyway.

I've been playing I think 6 years now I believe and am 19. The only other electric I have is a Fender American Strat (Wayne's Wold 2 Edition) rerouted for Seymour Duncan specialty P90s in the humbucker size. This guitar sounds a lot better to me than that, it's screams character. If I lost it, I'd look for another good deal on an older gibson, or maybe get a Heritage or Orville, it would be impossible to find another guitar like this. I love the way it looks, so bad ass with the sg horns and the little headstock and the mahogany finish, and I have no real complaints. I think once it has some of Dave Stephens' hand wound pickups in there, it will be one of the greatest guitars for its price you could imagine (and unique too.)

1960 Single Cutaway, Single Pickup, one tone, one volume control with solid one piece mahogany body.
Serial # 0 7050. Origional tuners still work great. Replaced the bridge with a badass. Replaced the nut with bone.

I play Blues/Rock. This guitar is perfect. I run it through a 1983 Fender Champ II, an origional tube screamer, and Morley Wah = EAR-GASM
WOW!! This thing can scream, wail, cry, or sing smoothly. It does it all. The action and sustain is better than my 1963 ES-330. That says a lot.

I was going to have this guitar refinished but when we say the one piece mahogany, we left it natural with just enough stain to accent the grain.

I used this guitar live for 10 years. Now it hardly leaves the studio. This guitar is 45 years old. I'm 48. I think it'l outlast me.

No need for customer support. It plays like new.

I've been playin for 30 years. I owm 13 electric guitars. This is my favorite one.

Mine is a '64 model. Double cut mahogany body, fat neck, tobacco sunburst, one vol, one tone, one pickup. All original with original faux-alligator case. Very simple, it is what it is.

It sounds a bit like a Telecaster neck pickup stuck in the bridge position of a LP Jr. Polite and clear, not snarling like a good P90. Still a very nice tone though. Not much variety, but the tone knob is quite effective - I back it off to around 7 for a slightly warmer sound, then ramp it up to 10 for maximum clang. It's not as bright as I feared it may be, which is a good thing in my mind.

Gibson made damn good guitars in the old days. Nice resonant woods. I like the thick neck, it feels very comfy. Initially it wouldn't stay in tune, but I changed to a set of 11-50s and that fixed it - intonation improved as well. Think about it: back in '64 all guitars came with heavy strings, they were designed for them, and they sound and play better strung that way.

Has survived 40 years in a flimsy case without so much as a neck break or finish checking - to me that says durable (or careful previous custodians). Must be a "Wednesday guitar".

Started playing in '86. I play through an early 70s Champ with a Weber alnico.

Old Melody Makers are about the only McCarty-era Gibson that has remained affordable, and admittedly that was one of the reasons I sought out a totally original specimen. But they are a nice addition to any player's arsenal, particularly if you like Juniors or Esquires but want something a bit different.

1963 Made in USA

22 frets

Solid top, cherry finish over mohagany, set Spanish Cedar neck
One pick-up , bridge pick-up replaced with a DiMarzio DP101 dual sound/super distortion

Has a wrap around tailpiece

Schaller tuners

D-shaped neck

I played blues, rock, metal and just about anything else that came to mind on this guitar. I seems to be very versatile, but it just wasn't for me. The Schaller tuners made it neck heavy and had it not been for me using a leather strap the neck would probably point south with out any effort.

Very rich and full of tone. Harmonics (pinch and natural) come through well. Action and intonation are very easy to adjust.

This is a well balanced instrument, musically speaking....

Too old to make a fair assessment.

Mine had a broken headstock and was repairED with dowels and Elmers wood glue. The finish had some significant checkering but hey how many 40 year olds do you know with out any wrinkles...ha

Definitely needs a fret job.

I would move the strap button by the neck up to the upper arm of the guitar. I had a tendency to tilt outward. This would probably help with the neck heavy problem too.

Some what dependable.
Would not gig withut a back up.

FAILS TO CONSISTENTLY STAY IN TUNE . VERY, VERY SENSITIVE TO WEATHER CHANGES.
OVERALL PROBABLY AN AWESOME GUITAR WHEN IT WAS MUCH YOUNGER.
COMPARE WITH A RE-ISSUE TO SEE IF THERE REALLY IS MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE. GO WITH THE NEWER ONE IF POSSIBLE.

N/A

YOU CAN DO A WHOLE LOT BETTER FOR THE MONEY. KEEP LOOKING IF YOU ARE NOT SURE.!

Mine is a 62, double cutaway, Cardinal Red. It has been modified (not by me) with new pickups & tuners. I had to get a new pickguard made for it because the old one had been cut in half and the pots were mounted onto something resembling a tuna can lid! It has the original wrap-around bridge/ tailpiece, which rules. Tuners are Schallers, and this baby stays in perfect tune even after being banged around in its case while transported. I think this guitar may have originally been a one pickup model. I paid $200 for it in 1988 and it was well worth it.

I mostly play Classic Rock, Punk Rock and original stuff, and this guitar can do it all. Most of the time I'm crankin' it through a Fender Performer 650 and a Fender Twin stacked. The only effects I ever use are a Boss distortion, Boss chorus and occasionally a delay for Reggae flavored stuff. It can scream like a demon or purr like a kitten simply by using the guitar's volume knob. Very clear sounding, yet will crunch like a mother when you turn it up. I can't think of anything I don't like about this axe, except that I worry about breaking the neck or peghead off because it's so thin! I keep this one either in my hands or in its case.

The action has always been low, very easy to play. The thin neck is perfect for my stubby fingers. I can really play this one. Makes my 82 Les Paul Standard neck feel like a log!
I have recently had it rewired and set up by my rockin' blood brother Buschman, and it's nicer now than it's ever been. He liked it so much that he's bought a couple old Melody Makers as well.

I have gigged extensively with this guitar. It is very dependable and I've never had a problem with it. I use this for my main axe and keep my LP Standard as a backup if I break a string in the middle of a set. Although it gets a lot of use, I am always very careful with it and very few others get to touch it. I would bawl like a baby if it ever got broken. This guitar is like one of my kids!

Never dealt with the Gibson company. Don't intend to. I know enough great repair men that will do whatever I need done, and do it right.

I've been playing since the mid '70's, and this is the best axe I've ever had. I've been through Les Pauls, Teles, Epiphones, etc and nothing can touch this. If it were stolen or lost, I would first hunt down the thief like a dog or spend the rest of my existence looking for it. In the meantime I would try to get another one just like it.
Eventually I would like to get another pickup for the bridge position if I could find one that would sound even better...

made in 1968 by the Gibson guitar company in the USA. 22 frets. SG-shaped body, natural wood finish, 2 single-coil pups, 3 pos switch with 2 volume, 2 tone. the original tremolo unit/bridge was replaced with a micro-tuner bridge, not sure of the manufacturer. i replaced the original, creaky tuners with mini-grovers--never goes out of tune, really.
came with the original, flimsy hard case.

i play loud rock, in all of it's forms. i love the sound of this guitar--esp the neck pup, a lot like a tele--piercing with great sustain.play "Beck's Bolero" over and over--you get the idea! can also get that classic Cream sound out of it--how? dunno.
i play it with a variety of amps--prefer my pal's Fender Twin--gotta get one! i use it with my Crate GT 212 (i'm broke!), sounds fine but hisses a bit if i'm too close. it could be a wee bit louder--so i'll take off 1 pt fer that. but tonewise i luv it.

i got the guitar off of ebay in 2003 for peanuts, i had it set-up by a pro. had to clean the pots and switch, they are fine now. the neck is amazing!
more than one of my musician pals claim this is their favorite neck. these are guys that play $2,000+ guitars, so i guess it's cool. the finish has seen better days, it's striping--a common problem with this model i am told. i thought about having it refinished, but it just oooozes so much attitude i am loathe to touch it.

i've played it live, and let my friend play 'communication breakdown' on it at a show when i was done--no problem! like i said it stays in tune forever. there is a crack in the body near the neck joint--i have been assured it was perfectly repaired, but it does make me a bit skittish, so i do prefer one of my heavier guitars for shows---just me.
i got strap locks on it to prevent further accidents, though.
i imagine this baby will last--it's been around since 1968 and is still a champ!

never dealt with them except to get more info about my Melody Maker KZII-they couldn't tell me much, so if anyone has any info about THAT guitar--please share it!

i've been playing since i was a kid...now i am old. i play bass and guitar. the guitar was exactly as described to me: scrufy but awesome. i've always been lucky getting cool guitars cheap, this was one of the best! i love it's looks, it's odd half-Gibson half Fender sound and it's a real conversation piece. i notice the price on these has been climbing alot.
no complaints. i can't imagine anyone not being satisfied with one of these. if you are considering picking one up---do it! i'll give it a 9--it could be a wee bit louder. it's still loud enough to hurt tho.

I've got a 65 that was given to me by my grandfather.Its a double cut away and its very standard with single everything and all original hardware but the quality is great.

I play mostly rock but I play all types of rock.punk,metal,classic rock,etc. and it fits my style perfect.but im shure it would fit basicly any type of rock. It sounds awsome on and of the amp i've played on lots of amps including a crate, a marshal hafstack,an old fender 65watt amp, a marshal practice amp, and about everything else and this guitar sounds good on everything.

this guitar is almost 40 years old and has plenty of nicks and dings but still looks great.my grandpa said tht it was almost perfect when he got it and since it was made by gibson im sure it was. as i said it has all original hardware but the stock pickup sounds great. it could probably use a refretting but it still feels and look great.

I've played a couple of live shows with it and will probably continoue too. It has lasted this long without needing anythig but strings and will probably outlive me and (if i have any)my children. though made to be more economic its still a quality guitar.well if that doesnt convince you the fact that its a gibson should.

I've never needed to deal with customer support but since its gibsin that were talking about im shure that they would be worthy of a high rating.

this is an underrated great old guitar. in my oppinion,they dont get much better.I havent been playing long(about 3 years)but I play constintly and ive played about every kind under the sun,dozens of strats & teles,a les paul or two same with sgs,plenty of bc rich,ibanez jturser,etc. etc. and my old melody maker takes the cake.