Melody Maker

Gibson’s “Golden Era”—the late 1950s and early 1960s—is best known for the emergence of the company’s iconic Les Paul Standard. But the Les Paul wasn’t the company’s best-selling guitar during this historic period. That title belongs to the legendary Melody Maker.

 

Today’s Melody Maker is a loving tribute to the style and spirit of the 1959 edition of that beloved guitar. It is also remains one of Gibson’s most popular models, as well as its most affordable USA-made guitar. Originally introduced as a student model, the Melody Maker became an instant hit for its solid, slim, and lightweight mahogany body, its super comfortable neck, and outstanding tone. Today’s version is no exception. It features the same thin, solid mahogany body, and a one-piece solid mahogany neck with the traditional ’50s rounded profile and 22-fret rosewood fingerboard. The pickguard and electronics are period-correct, and the pickup is a special-design singlecoil that delivers vintage tone and performance. With a vintage-style wraparound tailpiece and white button tuners, the Melody Maker is an instant classic—an incredible value for players of all ages, styles, and skill levels. It is available in Satin Vintage Sunburst, Satin Ebony, and Satin White.

Finishes

        

Hot Points

The Gibson Logo

The most innovative and revolutionary stringed instruments of all time have carried the name Gibson—the Les Paul, the ES-335, the Explorer, the Flying V, the SG. The list goes on and on. There is no mistaking the classic logo, silk-screened onto the face of the mahogany headstock, with a thin coat of lacquer finishing the process. It is the most recognizable logo in all of music, representing more than a century of originality and excellence. There is simply no equal.

Angled Headstock

The angled headstock is another example of Gibson’s industry-changing way of thinking. Every Gibson headstock is carved out of the same piece of mahogany as the neck then fitted with Gibson’s traditional wing blocks. It is not a “glued-on” headstock, and the process takes craftsmanship, time, and effort. But the rewards are worth the effort. The headstock is carefully angled at 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.

Adjustable Truss Rod

The adjustable truss rod is a Gibson innovation that revolutionized the guitar. Before this ground-breaking discovery in the early 1920s, the truss rod was used only to strengthen and stabilize the neck. By making it adjustable, the truss rod now allows a guitar to be set up using a variety of string gauges, as well as string heights. This easily accommodates any style of playing, and allows a limitless range of set-up options. And by placing it at the base of the headstock, the adjustable nut is easily accessible, even while the strings are still on the guitar.

50s Rounded Neck Profile

No guitar neck profiles are more distinguishable than the neck profiles employed on the Gibson models of today. The more traditional ’50s neck profile is the thicker, rounder profile, emulating the neck shapes of the iconic 1958 and 1959 Les Paul Standards. The neck is machined in Gibson’s rough mill using wood shapers to make the initial cuts. But once the fingerboard gets glued on, the rest—including the final sanding—is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.

22-Fret Rosewood Fingerboard

Rosewood has always graced the fingerboards of the world’s finest stringed instruments, including many of today’s Gibsons. The fingerboard on a Gibson Melody Maker is constructed from the highest grade rosewood on the planet. The rosewood is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled wood experts before it enters the factories to be fitted onto the neck of the Melody Maker. The resilience of this dense and durable wood makes these fingerboards extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The 12-inch radius of the fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.

Nickel and Silver Alloy Fret Wire

The fret wire on the Gibson models is a combination nickel and silver alloy (approximately 80 percent nickel and 20 percent silver) specifically designed for long life and superior wear. Gibson’s traditional “medium/jumbo” fret wire is first shaped by hand, then cut to an exact 12-inch radius. After hand pressing it into the fingerboard, a machine press finishes the job to eliminate the gap between the bottom of the fret wire and the fingerboard.

Dot Inlays

Classic dot inlays are one of the most distinguishable features of many traditional Gibson models, including the ES-335, Les Paul Junior, and Melody Maker. A figured, swirl acrylic gives these inlays that classic “pearl” look. They are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn’t require the use of fillers.

Set-Neck Construction

Like all classic Gibson guitars, the neck on a Melody Maker is distinguished by one of the more traditional features that have always set them apart—a glued neck joint. Gluing the neck to the body of the guitar ensures a “wood-to-wood” contact, no air space in the neck cavity, and maximum contact between the neck and body, allowing the neck and body to function as a single unit. The result? Better tone, better sustain, and no loose or misaligned necks.

Slim, Solid Mahogany Body

The most central of all the Melody Maker’s features is its slim, solid mahogany body. The mahogany goes through the same rigorous selection process as all of Gibson’s woods, and is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled wood experts before it enters the factories. Inside the Gibson factories, humidity is maintained at 45 percent, and the temperature at 70 degrees. This ensures all woods are dried to a level of “equilibrium,” where the moisture content does not change during the manufacturing process. This guarantees tight-fitting joints and no expansion, and controls the shrinkage and warping of the woods, in addition to reducing the weight. It also improves the woods’ machinability and finishing properties. Consistent moisture content means that a Melody Maker will respond evenly to temperature and humidity changes long after it leaves the factory.

Gibson’s Special Design Singlecoil Pickup

The legendary Melody Makers of the late 1950s and early 1960s were the best-selling models of Gibson’s famed “Golden Era,” and with good reason—they were lightweight, equipped with a comfortable neck, and capable of exceptional tone courtesy of Gibson’s own singlecoil pickup. Today’s Melody Maker sports a special-design singlecoil pickup that delivers that same vintage tone and performance. A stellar combination of high output and sweet treble response, this multi-ceramic magnet pickup provides plenty of punchy bite when needed, as well as incredible sustain and cutting power.

Compensated Wraparound Bridge/Tailpiece

A classic piece of hardware first used on the Les Paul Junior, the compensated wraparound bridge/tailpiece on the Melody Maker offers a simplicity and functionality that is hard to match. It provides a firm seating for the strings, and allows the player to adjust intonation and string height as needed. It also yields a great union between the strings and body, which results in excellent tone and sustain.

Nitrocellulose Finish

Applying a satin nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar—including the Melody Maker—is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. But this fact has never swayed Gibson into changing this time-tested method, employed ever since the first guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, which means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can’t do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not “seal” wood in an airtight shell—as a poly finish does—and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.

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