❌SOLD❌ Gibson Melody Maker Double Cut Double Pickup Cherry, 1965

The Gibson Melody Maker Double Cut appeared in 1961, following the 1959 single-cut version and changed to a thin ‘SG’ format in 1966. The Melody Maker launched as a single cut, single-pickup entry level ‘Student’ model. In 1960, it gained an optional second pickup.

This Gibson Melody Maker Double Cut is in good working order with original finish, pickguard and pickups. The original tuners were replaced with Schaller M-6 models some time ago, and the original stop-bar bridge was replaced with a Leo Quan Badass bridge, a part that became available in the late 1970’s and allowed precise intonation adjustments. When new, this example had the optional bent-steel spring Vibrato tailpiece, and that was removed. At some point, the headstock was broken, and was repaired but not well touched-up. The repair seems solid. The frets seem original and are have light wear, likely having been dressed and re-crowned in the past.

This guitar is sold without case. The original case would have been a faux-gator fiber (cardboard) case, and those don’t last forever. A standard gig-bag would easily work, and hard-shell cases are available.

My own first quality electric guitar after a single-pickup Kent Polaris 540, made in Japan by Guyatone and marketed by the prominent distributor B&J in the mid 1960’s, was a double cut, single pickup Melody Maker. To say that the Gibson was a dramatic improvement is an understatement.

Like all variations of this model, the Gibson Melody Maker Double Cut featured a thin Mahogany slab body, Mahogany neck, and Rosewood fingerboard.

Hardware was simple, featuring Kluson Deluxe tuners with creme plastic buttons, a stop-bar wraparound bridge/tailpiece, and electronics mounted entirely on the pickguard. Single pickup models had the pickup in the bridge position, and that pickguard also had a section rising against the end of the fingerboard bearing the ‘MELODY MAKER’ name.

In 1962, another optional feature appeared – the short-form Maestro Vibrola, which looks like this presently available unit from Allparts. This bent-steel spring Vibrola was introduced in 1963 and is in its long form is still used on Gibson SG Standard and Custom models, and some ES-345 and ES-355 models.

The body is somewhat thinner than the higher-cost Les Paul Junior or Special models; here the body is 1.33 inches or 33.9mm thick, compared to the 1.782 or 45.26mm taken from the nearest Les Paul Special body. When the Les Paul was revamped in 1961 eventually becoming the SG, the body was thinned to 1.36 inches or 34.6mm.