Introduced in 1959, the Melody Maker was intended for those looking for the Gibson experience on a budget. Built at Kalamazoo, the slimmed down headstock and pre-assembled electronics were a step away from the traditional Gibson construction methods but meant that between 1959 and 1970, Gibson shipped 47,000 units making it one of the marques most popular models. Sunburst and cherry were standard finishes until the late 60s, so solid colour examples are very rare.

This example seems to have been a custom order, the engraved trussrod cover alludes to this. It's certainly very rare to find a Cardinal red example, by 1965 cherry was by far the most common finish. The finish is in great condition, dinked in places but nothing too extensive.There is no sign of any overspray, touch up or repairs.

If you have a look at the video you will see this very guitar ably demonstrated by a young Toby Lee at Normans Rare Guitars around 4 years ago!

The neck is reasonably chunky and very comfortable to play, while the original frets have plenty of life left with zero wear on the fingerboard. As with the body, there are a few bumps and knocks but nothing too extensive.

The hardware is in excellent condition. 

Electrics are all correct too, with the four centralab pots dating to mid 1965. The tuners have been changed but no enlarged posts and one knob is newer than the other three.

The guitar comes with a softshell case

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.

Rare finish and perfect as something a bit different to add to your collection? Grab this one before its gone…