Gibson Melody Maker
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| Gibson Melody Maker | |
| {{{image}}} | |
| Manufacturer | Gibson |
| Period | 1959 - 1971 |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid |
| Neck joint | Set |
| Woods | |
| Body | Mahogany |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Rosewood |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | wraparound tailpiece |
| Pickup(s) | 1 or 2 single coils |
| Colors available | |
| Sunburst | |
The Gibson Melody Maker is an electric guitar made by Gibson Guitar Corporation. It is a budget model aimed at beginners.
Contents |
[edit] Melody Maker (1959-1971)
The Gibson Melody Maker was first launched in 1959 and discontinued in 1971. It had a thin slab-style mahogany body.[1] All the electronics, from the small single-coil pickups to the cable jack, were assembled on a scratchplate and installed in a rout in the front of the body. The strings ran from a straight-sided simplification of the traditional Gibson headstock at one end to a wraparound bridge/tailpiece unit at the other. [2]
[edit] Body style
From its launch until 1965, the Melody Maker had a single-cutaway style similar in profile to the Les Paul model. A double-cutaway version called the Melody Maker d was introduced in 1962. The body style was changed in 1966 to a style similar to the SG, with pointed "horns", a large white scratchplate, and white pickup covers instead of black.[3]
[edit] Options
Options on the Melody maker included two pickups instead of one and a short-scale neck. A twelve-string version was introduced in 1967.[3]
[edit] Melody Maker (1977-1983)
The Melody Maker d (double-cutaway) model was revived in 1977 and discontinued again in 1983. [3] Some minor changes were introduced into the design including single coil pickups embossed with the Gibson logo, all metal tuning pegs and a later day Gibson stop tail piece and tune-o-matic bridge.
[edit] All American II
The Gibson All American II was built in the mid-1990s as part of the company's "All American" line which also included The Hawk and The Paul II. [4] It was inspired by the original Melody Maker, but differed from it in having chrome tuners, no scratchplate, controls rear-mounted in the traditional Gibson solid-body style, and a bridge/vibrola unit.[5]
The All American line was discontinued in 1998.
[edit] Les Paul Melody Maker
| Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker | |
| {{{image}}} | |
| Manufacturer | Gibson |
| Period | ? - 2006 |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid |
| Neck joint | Set |
| Woods | |
| Body | Mahogany |
| Neck | Spanish Cedar |
| Fretboard | Rosewood |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Tune-O-Matic |
| Pickup(s) | 1 P-90 Single-coil |
| Colors available | |
| Satin Cherry, Satin Ebony and Satin Yellow (Pictured) | |
The Melody Maker was returned to the Gibson line as a sub-model of the Les Paul model.[6] It offered a mixture of traditional Melody Maker features (straight-sided headstock, white button tuners, jack positioned on the top) and traditional Les Paul Junior features (bridge-mounted dogear P-90 pickup, Junior-style control mounting and pattern).
Like both the original Melody Maker and the original Junior, the Les Paul Melody Maker featured dot inlays as fretboard markers and did not have a cap on its top. Unlike either the original Melody Maker or the original Junior, both of which used wraparaound bridge/tailpiece units, the Les Paul Melody Maker used a Tune-o-matic bridge and separate stop tailpiece.
The Les Paul Melody Maker also differed from other Les Paul submodels in the width of the neck (20 millimeters thinner at the 1st fret, 25 millimeters thinner at the 12 fret) and the length of the heel (125 millimeters shorter).
[edit] 2007 Melody Maker
In 2007, the Melody Maker became a separate model. It now has a smaller single-coil pickup than the P-90, a wraparound bridge/tailpiece unit, a mahogany neck, and a pickguard similar to the original Melody Maker. The CEO of Gibson said in reference to the new Melody Maker that it could "almost be considered a reissue of a 1959 Gibson Melody Maker." The guitar is offered in satin finishes and is one of the most economical Gibson guitars in recent years.[7]
[edit] Popularity
The Melody Maker is a favorite of rock artist Joan Jett who has been using the model since the beginning her music career with The Runaways in the late 1970s.
The 1959 Melody Maker is the main instrument of Carl Barat, formerly of The Libertines, now lead singer and guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things. Jon Foreman of the band Switchfoot uses this guitar in the music video for "We Are One Tonight".
The guitar is often said to be ugly in its simplicity, but the simplicity of design, raw tone and organic look make it, along with the Les Paul Junior and the Les Paul T.V. model, a very popular guitar with guitarists in many so-called "alternative" styles of music.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Blue Book of Electric Guitars Sixth Edition - Gibson Electric Guitars and Basses
- ^ Bacon, T. "The Ultimate Guitar Book" p. 88 Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1991 ISBN 0-86318-640-8
- ^ a b c Vintage Gibson Guitar - Gibson Melody Maker
- ^ Gibson Electric Guitars - Discontinued Models
- ^ Gibson All American II
- ^ Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker
- ^ Gibson Melody Maker
