What have we here? A super tidy 1961 Gibson Melody Maker, in very nice condition.

Introduced in 1959, the Melody Maker was designed to be an inexpensive to produce guitar that might be within reach of those who might not be able to consider the full fat Gibson experience. Examples of this are the slimmed down and straight sided headstock, and all the electronics being preassembled on the scratchplate before being attached to the guitar, Strat style. 

Despite the cost cutting measures, these are still Instruments from Gibson’s golden era, and this one in particular has a lot going for it. The two original single coil pickups have a very cool and gnarly sound, with a bite that you just can’t get from humbuckers.

Electrics are all correct too, with the four centralab pots dating to May 1961.

The finish on this is in lovely condition, particularly as these guitars were often starter guitars, its unusual to see one that’s led a relatively charmed life. If you look under the pickguard you can see that the finish has faded a little, but overall this is a great example of an early 60's sunburst finish.

The neck has a nice Medium C profile and is very comfortable to play, while the original frets are in great condition with minimal wear on the fingerboard. Just take a look at the pics...

It comes with its croc skin cardboard case too which is also in pretty good condition considering these do not last that long.

One of the better Melody Makers out there at the moment? Most probably… If you’re after something a bit different to add to your collection or a quirky guitar from Gibson’s history, this is definitely a guitar you need to consider…