❌SOLD❌ Gibson Melody Maker Single Cutaway Sunburst, 1960

Introduced in 1959 as a student model just below the Les Paul Junior, the Gibson Melody Maker wound up in the hands of a number of professional rock guitarists. The Melody Maker was built from 1959 to 1971, in single and double pickup (the Melody Maker D) versions, in full scale and short scale. The original single cutaway model seen here was built until late 1960, then replaced with a double cutaway version. In 1966, the body shape changed to the pointed-horn SG style. In 1971, the line was dropped in favour of the SG-100 and SG-200 models, which lasted one year.

The construction of the Gibson Melody Maker is simple – a relatively thin Mahogany slab body, a Mahogany neck with a narrow peghead and a Rosewood fingerboard. The head is narrow to reduce material and production costs; if you look at most full size Gibson pegheads, there are ‘wings’ glued to the center section to provide the width without a large amount of waste. From introduction until about 1966, Gibson, like many other builders at the time, used Brazilian Rosewood for the fingerboards.

Hardware on the Gibson Melody Maker is as simple and straightforward as the construction. Open gear strip tuners with creme plastic buttons are at the head, and at the other end of the string is a stop tailpiece style bridge. The strings go through the ‘front’ of the bridge and wrap over the top. Either one or two single coil pickups were installed, along with all other electronic components, to the single layer black pickguard, which has ‘Melody Maker’ screened where it meets the end of the fingerboard. Volume and tone controls were added for each pickup, and the output jack was also on the pickguard.

This example of the single cutaway, single pickup Gibson Melody Maker dates to 1960 and is in great condition, and apparently all original. Wear is remarkably light, though the nitrocellulose lacquer sunburst finish shows natural and expected checking. The back shows some buckle or jean-rivet rash. There are a couple of small dings around the edges. The frets appear to be original and are very lightly worn.

This is a very cool and fun guitar to play. It’s very light and resonant, and plays cleanly with a full, warm and clear sound.

The original case for the Gibson Melody Maker was typically a fibre – cardboard – and few of those have survived. This example is sold with a gig bag.