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Gibson Melody Maker 1965 (Cherry)


GasolineFlame

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Hi folks,

I've seen a gibson melody maker and have an appointment this friday with the guy who's selling the guitar.

 

I just wanted to ask you for your opinions.

 

What do you think about the guitar? How about their tone characteristic?

What's the price range?

What do you think about the tailpiece? That's not the original standard tailpiece that they used in 1965 right?

Anything special to know about the melody maker?

 

Thanks for your replies

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That year of Gibson Melody Maker can go for over $1,300 in mint condition, and with all-original parts.

 

That one looks to be in good to very good condition, however, and I do believe that is an after-market bridge.

 

The seller should probably expect to let it go for right around $700 at the very most, provided that the neck is true, and that all the electrical functions work when it is plugged in.

 

In my humble opinion.

 

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: The above posting is the personal opinion of the poster Sparquelito, and his alone. No connection between his opinions and the Gibson Guitar Corporation and/or the Gibson guitar web forum is implied.

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I'm going to assume you know nothing about MM's and have never played one, so apologies in advance if that's not true...

 

They are well made, but simple guitars built to a price as a low cost Gibson - open tuners, narrow headstock, cheap pickups....

By '65 I think they all had the standard Gibson scale length. They are extremely light (you will be shocked) as they are very thin bodies - should be single piece Honduras Mahogany and Brazilian rosewood board. Pickups are thin sounding - not great to most people's thinking, but if you play with drive then that's less important, but they are not like a Strat single coil or a P90. You can swap for a stacked humbucker though or a P90 with a special narrow cover. The bridge isn't original (they typically had a basic wraparound), but it looks like a good alternative (maybe a Baddass or similar?). You might experience neck dive, but can always change strap button position or use a wide leather strap.

 

Look, they're a cool addition to any collection, you could modify one without making much difference to value, they probably make a good punk guitar... I have a 61 with just one pickup and use it sometimes for something different. I'd guess anywhere around 700 US for one in average condition as Sparky says would be a decent buy, but they aren't going to cost stupid money anyway, so if you like it then you could spend a bit more without feeling bad about it.

 

Hope it works out.

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At the right price, these are great little guitars. I had those "Melody Maker" pickups in an '70ish ES-320 (full hollow thinline) and loved them for their unique sound and versatility, some really great tones by messing with the tone knob.

 

The original Melody Makers are also a great and affordable platform for mods and experiments. During the early 70's, those guitars were almost giveaways, and many got re-routed for humbuckers, and every other mod you can think of. I've even seen one with body horns cut off, turning the body shape into somewhat of a "teardrop", for high register access for slide playing. It is probably somewhat rare to see one in as close to original condition as this.

 

As for the bridge, that is what is/was known as a "Leo Quan Badass" bridge. It was the first replacement bridge with adjustable intonation to fit the large mounting posts of the Gibson fixed intonation "lightning bolt" style bridge.

 

Edit: Of "rockstars", I think it was Leslie West of "Mountain" that was a known player of MM's.

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Thanks for all your comments. I really appreciate it [thumbup] I'll keep the price you've told me in mind this Friday.

 

I didn't thought the guitar would be on such a low price range. I've never seen this guitar for less than 1000USD (condition: all original, except the bridge) on the internet. There are a lot of '65 MM's on the internet (reverb.com) but everyone starts around 1400USD. The most expensive that I've seen was around 2500USD... [blink]

 

BTW What do you think about the reverb price guide on vintage guitars? Is it a useful tool to check out prices?

 

And last but not least:

Which guitar do you prefer? They are all really affordable vintage guitars.

1. Gibson Marauder (maple fretboard)

2. Gibson S-1 (maple fretboard)

3. Gibson Melody Maker 65 (cherry)

4. ?? another low cost vintage guitar??

 

Which one would be your favorit low cost guitar? Do you have one of these? Did you have one of these in the past? Are there more low cost vintage guitar models?

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'60s Epiphone Olympic - there was also an Olympic Special which was pretty much an exact copy of the Melody Maker, but I'm talking about the straight "Olympic" which was the same body as the Coronet/Wilshire/Crestwood. That whole range was made by Gibson at Kalamazoo and effectively an SG with a different body. The Olympic is cheapest of the range and had one or two Melody Maker pickups. They were made with 'batwing' headstock from around 63-69. I have a 69 with a mini-HB subbed in and it's a wonderful guitar - superb neck taper, smoother neck joint than the MM, and a simple but I think nice looking double cut body. Cost me about 1000 US. The Olympics came in sunburst and cherry. The Olympic Specials by comparison are virtually a MM with Epiphone on the headstock - so just as good as a MM and possibly a bit cheaper without the Gibson name, but I'd go for the regular "Olympic" rather than the "Olympic Special" (prices should be similar). Google both and see what you think.

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  • 4 years later...

Last winter I found and bought back the 65 Melody Maker that was my main guitar in the early 70s. As an 18 year old with no woodworking skills or tools, I butchered the routing with a chisel and drill to add two embossed Gibson humbuckers and Schaller tuners (that made the headstock look like a skinny guy with big ears). Also used auto rattle cans to paint it white. So this guitar never had a chance at collectability.

Since I got it back I’ve been restoring the guitar from decades of bad refinishes, sweat, corrosion, sanding the SN# off the headstock, etc. I was gonna try to maintain as much of what I had as possible, but the pickguard was a mess and the Schallers had to go. I scraped the rosewood fingerboard clean, had to veneer the over sanded headstock and decided to restore it to as “newish“ as I could, with a vintage white finish. The result is a pretty cool guitar with a unique sound and plays like butter. A fortune invested, and not worth much any more, but glad to have her back....

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