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Gibson Melody Maker Electric Guitar  

Product #512640
  • MSRP:
    $699.00
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  • Vintage Burst

    $489.00 Top Rated

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  • Ebony

    $489.00 Top Rated

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    { "name": "Ebony", "status": "instock", "price": 489.0, "isOnSale": false, "msrp": 699.0, "salePrice": 489.0, "listPrice": 489.0, "isPriceDrop": false, "promos":[ "topRated", "topSeller", "guarantee", "international" ], "warranty": true, "sku": "site1sku512640000035000", "displaySku": "512640000035000", "serialized": false, "stickerText": "Top Rated", "shipsFree":true, "condition": "New" }

  • Worn White

    $299.00 Top Rated

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    { "name": "Worn White", "status": "instock", "price": 299.0, "isOnSale": true, "onSalePrice": 190.00, "msrp": 699.0, "salePrice": 299.0, "listPrice": 489.0, "isPriceDrop": false, "promos":[ "topRated", "topSeller", "guarantee", "international" ], "warranty": true, "sku": "site1sku512640000341000", "displaySku": "512640000341000", "serialized": false, "stickerText": "Top Rated", "shipsFree":true, "condition": "New" }

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Gibson

American-made quality at an entry-level price.

Resurrecting one of the most popular electric guitars in Gibson's history, the Melody Maker is an accurate, affordable re-creation of the original Melody Makers of the late 1950s.

Originally introduced as a student model, much like the Les Paul Junior, the Melody Maker became a player's favorite for its light weight, comfortable neck, and great tone.

Today's Melody Maker Les Paul guitar is no exception. With a slim, light, mahogany body and set mahogany neck; period-correct pickguard housing a special design single-coil pickup; vintage-style wraparound tailpiece; rounded neck profile, and rosewood (or baked maple, depending on stock on hand) fingerboard; the Melody Maker is an unbelievable value for players of all ages, styles, and skill levels.

Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.

Features

  • BODY
  • Body Species: Mahogany
  • Jack Location: Top
  • NECK
  • Species: Mahogany
  • Profile: Rounded
  • Neck Joint Location: 16th Fret
  • FINGERBOARD
  • Species: Rosewood (or baked maple depending on stock on hand)
  • Scale Length: 24-3/4"
  • Total Length: 18.062"
  • Number of Frets: 22
  • Nut width: 1.695"
  • Inlays: Dot
  • HARDWARE
  • Plating Finish: Chrome
  • Tailpiece: Wraparound
  • Knobs: Black tophat
  • Tuners: Vingate white button
  • ELECTRONICS
  • Bridge Pickup: single-coil
  • Controls: One volume, one tone
  • Manufactured in: Nashville, TN

Make it yours! Order today.

Write a Review Overall Rating Customer Reviews 107 See all 107 customer reviews...

Shockingly Good

| Review By: Shawn Chatman | 2 months, 3 weeks ago

3 people out of 3 found this review helpful

Features:
Quality:

I tried my first Melody Maker in a guitar store and instantly fell in love. A few blemishes here and there, but nothing to cringe at.  The pickguard could have used another screw between the pickup and the controls.  The finish is thin, as some people have mentioned, but that is a GOOD thing for tone.  And this has tone to spare.  The stock single coil sings under moderate to high gain.  Through a Fender Prosonic and a Deluxe Reverb the guitar is very versatile if you play with the tone knob. It almost has a bit of Telecaster snap, and can produce a similar tone to early Led Zeppelin. I have two of these, and switched in a both a P90 and a Seymour Duncan Custon Mini-Humbucker in at various times (require body routing a bit).  Such easy changes to this guitar can give you monsterous tone with different flavours.  Looking for a third now to rout out to try a Seymour Duncan JB, Pearly Gates, or Gibson 57 Plus in.  The playability is even better than the tone.  I current play a couple Melody Makers, a Les Paul Special Junior, and an SG Standard, and have owned Strats and Telecasters in the past.  The Melody Maker plays better any other guitar I have.  The LPJS is close, but the MM takes the cake.  I could not recommend this guitar more, if you're not a super stickler for flashy guuitars.

Value:

A steal at twice the price! Well, maybe not at twice the price, but with a good high quality paint (nitrocellulose I mean), nice tight grain mahogany, and quality hardware this is the best value going.  This guitar does not NEED anything out of the box.  The tuners are stable, the pots are HQ, the nut is good Corian, and my two MMs intonate perfectly.

Overall:

The best bang for the buck out there.  Better tone than guitars four times its price. Dual P90s in one of these may make it the best guitar (and guitar buy) on the planet.

Do you own the product?:
Yes
Have you used the product?:
Yes
Musical Experience:
16 years -Dedicated Amatuer
Style of music you play:
Blues, Blues Rock, Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Blues, some metal.
Where you live:
Washington State

Did you find this review helpful? yes no1114803

Does what I want so it can stay

| Review By: Louie McNeal | 11 months, 3 weeks ago

4 people out of 5 found this review helpful

Features:
Quality:
Value:
Overall:

Overall its a great guitar for ME.     You may need something with a lot more things to play with, but I just need it to play music and it does that in spades.     The intonation is great, its light enough that I don't have to have any medical treatment after a 4 hour show and it looks great (I got the black one).     I guess, compared to some other Gibson's out there, it is a bargain, but still... maybe another little bit off the tag would really make me feel better about it, but I'm a bargain hunter so take that as you will.

I love this little guitar.     I am not a lead guitarist, so let me get that out of the way.     I sing and play rhythm guitar and this is perfect for ME.     It has one knob and its for volume.     I have owned about a hundred guitars in my life, and I have found that tone knobs are for people with indecision anyway.

Very good quality.     It was stage-ready right out of the box.     I just tuned it up and it was magnificent.     It holds tune great and the neck is straight as an arrow.     I have never, repeat NEVER bought a guitar in my life that I didn't need to have set up... until I got this one.

I think it could probably be a bit cheaper seeing as it is a fairly simple no frills unit, but what do I know?

Do you own the product?:
Yes
Have you used the product?:
No
Musical Experience:
20+ years stage and studio
Style of music you play:
Clasic Rock
Where you live:
KY

Did you find this review helpful? yes no1043054

MADE IN U.S.A. rules !!

| Review By: Dr. LaRrY | 1 year, 1 month ago

1 people out of 2 found this review helpful

Features:
Quality:
Value:
Overall:
Just got one of these Worn White MM after many years of saying I would, and glad I finally got it ! This little guy is a great twapper to grab for any style. I do clean finger picking to full metal and this can do them all, STOCK ! I was gonna change the bridge and pickup and tuners but thought I'de just have another guitar like I already own ! So I'm leaving it the way it came and just play it. I'm NOT a fan of wraparound bridges due to the lack of intonation adjustment and the stock strings poked my right palm when muting but careful string placement when I changed them took care of that. Also had to sand the neck down a bit becuase its finish was way too pourous for my feel AND some frets had sharp edges. Pickup is darn quiet for being a single-coil and goes thru my Mesa Roadster on the modern channel good and after I dropped the action way down, I could fly on this thing ! ONLY mod I'de consider is adding another stock pickup in the neck position, thats it ! Just get one ! They're cheaply priced, fun to play and MADE RIGHT HERE !
Do you own the product?:
Yes
Have you used the product?:
No
Musical Experience:
Playing stringed things since 1978
Style of music you play:
3-Stooges meet EVH
Where you live:
Winston-Salem

Did you find this review helpful? yes no910953

I bought the MM for my 11 year old

| Review By: Phamzig | 1 year, 2 months ago

0 people out of 12 found this review helpful

Features:
Quality:
Value:
Overall:
Not a bad guitar for a kid or someone who just wants to play around at home. I love the way it sounds but it feels like a toy. the finish and feel of the wood feels cheap but when you plug it in, it rockzz! I Dont want to sound vain but I wouldn't play this live at a rock show, I would be embarrassed. So if it's your first Gibson then get it cuz it rocks but if you want to be a rocker then skip it and get yourself a grown up Les Paul junior or SG.
Do you own the product?:
Yes
Have you used the product?:
No
Musical Experience:
Active Musician, Rocker!!
Style of music you play:
Punk, Noise, Alternative, More Noise
Where you live:
Los Angeles, CA

Did you find this review helpful? yes no976546

for those who care about tone...

| Review By: the bp hater | 1 year, 3 months ago

1 people out of 1 found this review helpful

Features:
Quality:
Value:
Overall:
It was about a year ago when i bought my Gibson melody maker and im still amazed by it. The tone is sensational you can go from warm to in your face bite with only one pickup! And its light, very light this guitar is so light and comfortable to play you could play several hours and not get tired. Now im not one who cares about aesthetics so i dont mind that there are places on the guitar that arnt sanded very well or how the finish is fading rapidly because this thing plays so well you wont care about things like that.  
Do you own the product?:
Yes
Have you used the product?:
No
Musical Experience:
active musician
Style of music you play:
Rock n Roll
Where you live:
Helena MT

Did you find this review helpful? yes no1061672

See all 107 customer reviews...
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