james_dean85 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Hi guys, my fist post!!! Just got my first Gibson, Its a "Les paul melody maker"-cherr. serial nr-02214557. I am just a bit confused about the origin of the guitar. According to Wikipedia, this model dates between 2003-2006 and only 250 guitars were made, making them highly collectable???? Apparently this is a combination between the original MM and the Jr. As it has a P-90 pick up+ a thiner MM kind of neck. According to guitar dater: Your guitar was made in: Nashville Plant, TN, USA August 9th, 2004 Production Number: 257 If only 250 were made, this cant be the 257th.???? I would really be thankfull if you guys could give me info about this guitar. Thank you very much for your time. Filipe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 sorry i can't help you with your question, welcome to the forum and now you own a gibson i hope you stick around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_dean85 Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 sorry i can't help you with your question, welcome to the forum and now you own a gibson i hope you stick around cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Do you have one of those MMs that were being sold at Best Buy for $400? I think the local store here had more than 250 on display... Please be more specific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_dean85 Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Do you have one of those MMs that were being sold at Best Buy for $400? I think the local store here had more than 250 on display... Please be more specific. Thanks, for your response Riverside, no have bought it on ebay 2nd hand, apparently its a combination between the original JR and MM, as it has a P-90 PICK UP, though a thinner MM kind of neck. And the wood is: Santa Maria-very light. Please see below the specs: Here is its specs according to Wikipedia Les Paul Melody MakerGibson Les Paul Melody Maker Manufacturer Gibson Period 2003 - 2006 Construction Body type Solid Neck joint Set Scale 24.75" Woods Body Santa Maria (Jacareuba) Neck Spanish cedar Fretboard Rosewood Hardware Bridge Tune-O-Matic Pickup(s) 1 P-90 Single-coil Colors available Satin Cherry, Satin Ebony and Satin Yellow (Pictured) Les Paul Melody MakerThe Melody Maker was returned to the Gibson line as a sub-model of the Les Paul model.[10] It offered a mixture of traditional Melody Maker features (straight-sided headstock, white button tuners, jack positioned on the top) and traditional Les Paul Junior features (bridge-mounted dogear P-90 pickup, Junior-style control mounting and pattern). Like both the original Melody Maker and the original Junior, the Les Paul Melody Maker featured dot inlays as fretboard markers and did not have a cap on its top. Unlike either the original Melody Maker or the original Junior, both of which used wraparaound bridge/tailpiece units, the Les Paul Melody Maker used a Tune-O-Matic bridge and separate stop tailpiece. The Les Paul Melody Maker also differed from other Les Paul submodels in the width of the neck (20 millimeters thinner at the 1st fret, 25 millimeters thinner at the 12 fret) and the length of the heel (125 millimeters shorter).This model of the Melody Maker is considered a collecter's item now as it is discontinued and only limited units(250) were made. soorry for the long post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_dean85 Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 here is a pic, looks like a JR but its not!! Strange one!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 No offense there chief, but the number of guitars made doesn't make it collectible. There are other reasons to not make many things. That body wood was probably viewed as an alternative to mahogany, which is getting more scarce all the time. Mid 2000s there there was an effort to get all respsonsible and stuff but you know what? A Gibson not made out of mahogany just...ain't....right somehow. Guitar players are a pretty conservative bunch at best, and don't much cotton to changin stuff that's worked since we's kids. That may have been around the time they started severely limiting rosewood, and mahogany was thought to be next, so it would have been a good time to start(panic) trying to make them out of something else. Cedar for bodies and necks has been tried and doesn't usually do well as a solidbody electric guitar, leave it to the classicals I guess is the thought. So, our hosts probably attempted to make very cheap guitars using very cheap body wood that is a sub species of Santa Maria and is found all over Mexico and you can probably have an acre of 400 foot trees for about 30 bucks and make seven zillion of them things. The cedar isn't all that hard to come by anymore, so it was probably thought of as a pretty cheap alternative as well. But it probably just didn't go over so well, so they just didn't make many. As for 250? Nobody actually knows how many of anything Gibson, Fender, CFMarteen, any of them makes because thems that knows don't say. Good luck with it, I hope you play it and enjoy it for what it is. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_dean85 Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_dean85 Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 No offense there chief, but the number of guitars made doesn't make it collectible. There are other reasons to not make many things. That body wood was probably viewed as an alternative to mahogany, which is getting more scarce all the time. Mid 2000s there there was an effort to get all respsonsible and stuff but you know what? A Gibson not made out of mahogany just...ain't....right somehow. Guitar players are a pretty conservative bunch at best, and don't much cotton to changin stuff that's worked since we's kids. That may have been around the time they started severely limiting rosewood, and mahogany was thought to be next, so it would have been a good time to start(panic) trying to make them out of something else. Cedar for bodies and necks has been tried and doesn't usually do well as a solidbody electric guitar, leave it to the classicals I guess is the thought. So, our hosts probably attempted to make very cheap guitars using very cheap body wood that is a sub species of Santa Maria and is found all over Mexico and you can probably have an acre of 400 foot trees for about 30 bucks and make seven zillion of them things. The cedar isn't all that hard to come by anymore, so it was probably thought of as a pretty cheap alternative as well. But it probably just didn't go over so well, so they just didn't make many. As for 250? Nobody actually knows how many of anything Gibson, Fender, CFMarteen, any of them makes because thems that knows don't say. Good luck with it, I hope you play it and enjoy it for what it is. rct Thanks for the post RCT, That is the Wikipedia description of this especific model, but I dont seem to find many arround (Les paul Melody Makers). Just checking if anyone owns one like this that would have more info about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Thanks for the post RCT, That is the Wikipedia description of this especific model, but I dont seem to find many arround (Les paul Melody Makers). you can still buy melody makers now brand new mate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANNIC Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 you can still buy melody makers now brand new mate... Not like his you can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_dean85 Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 you can still buy melody makers now brand new mate... I know, These new ones are crap, very thin sound, the pick is no good, in the other hand mine has a P-90, so no comparison there. And another diference: in this new ones is that all the electronics, knobs are embodded in the pick up guard to make it cheaper to manufacter. See the diference in this nowadays MM model pic: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 [quote name='james_dean85' timestamp='1303756854' post='908165' ]... Jacareuba ... There you have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Is that picture of your guitar, James Dean? The red one? Looks like Fender lined the nut and bridge up Looks like a fun guitar. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_dean85 Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Is that picture of your guitar, James Dean? The red one? Looks like Fender lined the nut and bridge up Looks like a fun guitar. rct Sory dude, didnt understand the joke!!, yeah its a nice guitar, very light,dirty kind of sound, quite nice with distortion. The P-90 IS a real screamer!! But apparently no one has much info on them, that makes me wonder that they should be quite rare than. cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Yes, P90s yummy. From the angle of the foto, looks like there is too much neck on the low E side of the strings, which would be because the nut and bridge are misaligned, or the string is messed up real bad at the saddle. But I think it is the picture angle and nothing more. Misaligned nuts and bridges have long been a...feature of Fine Quality Fedner instruments. Only in recent years for the tele at least did they actually do something about it. As I did when they didn't line up, I complained loudly. So hang in there, after a time you'll start getting more and more of the guitar jokes that abound, and have fun with the Melody Maker. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_dean85 Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Alright, Its seems ok. Have been enjoying If anyone knows anything about this guitar, please share with me. Thanks, for all the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Wikipedia is not always accurate-and sometimes biased, depending on who contributes the info (anyone can contribute with a valad reference, or an invaled reference. So, pertaining to the "collectable", it is possible it would be somewhat collectable by some, but that doesn't have to mean it is desirable to the point of being worth more money, but problably might be collected because the would cost so little to obtain. It really is a cool guitar as far as MM's go. Not your typical either. It has a p-90 and a separate bridge and tailpiece, which would obviously make it more desirable than your typical MM. But as for it increasing in value, have to keep in mind it can only go up so much until it would make more sense that a buyer would just buy a Jr with the same features and then some. But, cool guitar. Didn't actually know they existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Well, the "other" James Dean said, " Trust and belief are two considerations. You must not allow yourself to be opinionated." You state that today's MMs are " crap." Hmmmm.......................... :unsure: ..... I remember these coming out, and wondering WTF, Cedar and some wood named after a ship....................... The value depends on what one is willing to pay for something....I'd offer $275.00 for this guitar...But that's me........ Many guitars are made with lessor wood......Sometimes it matters, sometimes not...Fender is making some Strats out of pine, one Gibby model is mostly poplar, which is a wood I wouldn't even burn in my fireplace........... Even lessor wood when aged can sound good to very good.......Your MM isn't really 'rare', neither is it common.... It's pretty, has a nice stock Gibby P-90, and if you like it, that's what counts most..................... .... Cheers, Damian........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson Artist Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Hi guys, my fist post!!! Just got my first Gibson, Its a "Les paul melody maker"-cherr. serial nr-02214557. I am just a bit confused about the origin of the guitar. According to Wikipedia, this model dates between 2003-2006 and only 250 guitars were made, making them highly collectable???? Apparently this is a combination between the original MM and the Jr. As it has a P-90 pick up+ a thiner MM kind of neck. According to guitar dater: Your guitar was made in: Nashville Plant, TN, USA August 9th, 2004 Production Number: 257 If only 250 were made, this cant be the 257th.???? I would really be thankfull if you guys could give me info about this guitar. Thank you very much for your time. Filipe I almost bought one of those! Pickups,wood, and other things are different from todays mm. They are sweet and mm today come with a wraparound while yours comes with a Tune 0matic bridge. btw, wikipedia can be edited by anyone so its not the place to be looking for true factual information as its loaded with factual errors. Still, thats a sweet mm and the only one i saw on craigslist sold pretty fast at 400. I know i had cash week after i saw the ad and the guy emailed me back and told me it was gone, he originally asked for 450 and got 400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_dean85 Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 I almost bought one of those! Pickups,wood, and other things are different from todays mm. They are sweet and mm today come with a wraparound while yours comes with a Tune 0matic bridge. btw, wikipedia can be edited by anyone so its not the place to be looking for true factual information as its loaded with factual errors. Still, thats a sweet mm and the only one i saw on craigslist sold pretty fast at 400. I know i had cash week after i saw the ad and the guy emailed me back and told me it was gone, he originally asked for 450 and got 400. Cheers for your response, I have learned that normally they do not come with the scratch plate as mine did, but people normally add them to the guitar to give a jr kind of look. I am really happy with it, its a little beast, very light but very powerful, cant compare with the nowadays MM models, they are quiet weak in terms of sound response due to the single coil installed in them. I hope you get one, check on ebay, they seem to pop up once in a while. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Yep it's a Les Paul Melody Maker instead of a Gibson Melody Maker they were made for a couple years 2003 - 2006 or something around there by far the largest production was 2004. they were a semi close copy of the 59 model and sold as a cheaper option than the 59 reissue they were selling then. I have a red one and a black one that I bought new the red one came with the pick guard on it the black one is a cool satin finished black and came without a pick guard. The one I really liked was a satin white and hey looked great with a pick guard added. I wouldn't say they were better than a standard MM just different. They do have a p-90 but it's a special made p-90 and not much of a pickup really. They are a really cool little guitar and they would be fun to mod which is why I kept these two plan on doing something fun with them somedays. As for rare that depends what you mean by rare? if you mean are there many of them floating around then yep they are kind of rare you don't see many of them. If by rare or collectable you mean really valuable than nope, there still a Melody Maker with crappy pickups etc. As a example there's a guitar store near me that has one on the wall it's been there for a few years because he has it listed at 400 bucks he probably won't ever sell it for that because it's just not worth that much. I bought the two I have second hand and a couple years ago and I paid $320 for both of them still new i the boxes. Mine came with a really different for Gibson brown canvas gig bags is that what your came in also? They are a fun guitar and kind of cool looking but there definitely a player not a collectable at least in my opinion. I saw one listed on Gbase recently for $599 but thats the highest price Ive ever seen so depending on what you paid you can tell if you could sell it for a profit or not Elderly had a black one that was 400 if I remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre S Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Spanish Cedar is popular for acoustic instruments especially. Kauer Guitars and a couple of other small guitar builders use it in their electrics. Its supposedly light and resonant, possibly more so than the mahogany that Gibson USA uses. (in most cases) The guitar might have been more popular had they not mix and matched woods. An all Spanish Cedar guitar for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Spanish cedar like all wood comes in several grades the most common is used for cigar boxes quite a bit so that tells a lot of people what wood were talking about. Would not be my first choice for anything of real value but not a bad wood just not a high quality wood even for cedar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre S Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Spanish cedar like all wood comes in several grades the most common is used for cigar boxes quite a bit so that tells a lot of people what wood were talking about. Would not be my first choice for anything of real value but not a bad wood just not a high quality wood even for cedar. Even so, they make nice woods for guitars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7lND7_R55U Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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