What have we here? A super tidy (in fact near enough Mint) 1965 Gibson Melody Maker in its original Cherry finish, and with original factory fitted vibrola!

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 mid 1965.

The finish on this is in astonishing condition, particularly as these guitars were often starter guitars, its unusual to see one that’s led such a charmed life. In fact if you look under the pickguard there is zero fading on the vibrant cherry red finish. This is something we rarely see.

The neck is reasonably chunky and very comfortable to play, while the original frets are in just about brand new condition with zero wear on the fingerboard. Just take a look at the pics..

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

The cleanest original Melody Maker 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…