Took a punt on this earlier in the week and boy am I glad I did! It's a 1967 - 71 era Melody Maker (allegedly!) that's been a bit hacked about, refinished and relic'd - the interesting thing is the seller thought it might have had a replacement neck, possibly from a '65 or '67 SG - the serial number is difficult to make out - not sure what the first digit is - but there are some knowledgeable people on this forum so perhaps someone will be able to help...
Whatever it is, it plays wonderfully - the neck is absolutely HUGE but really comfortable and playable (and also seems to be made up of 3 pieces?). It's already been routed under the pickguard so I'm going to put either a set of humbuckers or P90's in as soon as I get a chance and stick a 3 way toggle on (probably on the scratchplate roughly where a normal SG switch would sit). Spent all night playing it and I love it!
Comments
Is it a 3 piece neck? If it is, it's definitely 1969 or later. Early 1969 3 piece necks didn't necessarily have a volute or a paddle headstock.
The serial number looks the right size and "font" for a genuine Gibson, it's just been rubbed when the finish has been removed from the back of the neck. If the first digit in the serial number is an 8 and not a 3 then would be more in favour of it being a '69 neck. The closed "b" and "o" and no dot over the "I" in the logo would also put it around 1969 or later. In that year there wasn't necessarily a "Made in USA" under the serial number.
So it may be that the guitar is all 1969. The body / neck join look right for that era as well.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
I'm sure its not an earlier neck, SG specials were bound. The 3 piece definitely suggests '69. Perhaps they did a run with MoP logos? or perhaps the logo was added later? Still looks like a Gibson neck to me. old Gibson's from the late 60's early 70's are always a bit of an enigma they seem to be all over the place spec wise. The effect of the Norlin "accountants" kicking in I guess.
Large headstock Melody Makers not that unusual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF3CEUMO-CE
There is even one here with mother of pearl logo...
http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-melody-maker-2-1968-natural#
But the black face on the headstock seems unusual. Neck joint (and colour) looks right so maybe the headstock face is refinished.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein