Gibson Melody Maker...

SlopeSoarer

... I love the thought of a really stripped back, simple, light guitar but are they any good?

There seems to have been quite a few variations of Melody Makers are any variants better than others?

designerseye88

Are you looking at Modern versions or older 50/60's versions? 

SlopeSoarer

Just looking and wondering so nothing set in stone... 

OilCityPickups

SlopeSoarer said:

Just looking and wondering so nothing set in stone... 

I had a modern 'Melodymaker Explorer' from the batch that came out in 2011 I think it was ... personally I liked it a lot. 

SlopeSoarer

I love the shape of Explorer's but I'd look a right knob with one: )

Funkfingers

The recent budget price ones could make a fun project. Plenty of scope for pickup and control changes - not least for cosmetic reasons. (The scratchplate has space for 2V, 2T.) Fettle the fret ends and fingerboard edges while you’re at it.

stimpsonslostson

I had a reissue one like this:

https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--OH401w_T--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1369937902/lukea9oftsq8tkydwcrr.jpg

Great wee guitar & surprisingly versatile- very responsive to adjustment of vol, tone & attack. It had a very thin body & weighed virtually nothing. 
The neck was properly DEEP, not particularly wide but a real "baseball bat". 
The finish dings up if you so much as breathe near it! 

I sold it to fund a new LP Jr... Unfortunately this was 4 years ago so THAT didn't go well for me. D'oh. 


The other variant I’d like is the one that looks like a LP Jr, but has a tune-o-matic and P90... but that’s simply because I’m a fan of Dave Hause & he has one that sounds great. 

https://youtu.be/3WFS9d_0TPQ

(I’ve posted the video before somewhere, but I really enjoy it & there are some cool guitars being used- I’d happily take the Coronet, Rickenbacker, Melody Maker or Jim Dandy!)

Rocker

I have a SC Melody Maker with single HB pickup, single volume control, wrap over bridge and lots of dings.  Hard to imagine a better punk rock sounding guitar, it snarls in a wonderful way.  

Henrytwang

I’ve got a few Melody Makers made between 2003 and around 2012. I think that they’re  great little guitars . My personal favourites are a couple I own that were made in 2003 and 2006. These guitars have tuneomatic bridges, stop bar tail pieces and dog ear P90 pickups . Another great sounding one is an all maple guitar with a humbucking pickup and just a volume control.

tony99

SlopeSoarer said:

I love the shape of Explorer's but I'd look a right knob with one: )

You're right in that the MM Explorer only has the one, but how do you know it's the right knob?

It could be the left knob or the middle knob to be fair.

Bridgehouse

You can get a mid/late Epiphone Olympic for under a grand - Made in Kalamazoo by Gibson, same wood and hardware as the Gibsons of the time - later ones have the cool batwing headstock and it’s pretty much the same formula as the melody maker but more interesting IMHO

danishbacon

The 2014 120th anniversary in yellow is one of my big regrets in letting go.

suspiciousminds

When the M2 melodymakers were being sold on amazon i picked up a teal one.
Now, the body and neck are fine but i’m in the process of replacing the electrics and the crappy humbuckers.
 

SlopeSoarer

Thanks for the comments, very encouraging.

I never realised how hard it is to type a post while being a passenger in a car! 

Funkfingers

You would never survive a HarrySeven road trip.