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Worth going after? Opinions sought

mrjamiam

Asked by mrjamiam,

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mrjamiam Veteran HFCer

mrjamiam

Posted
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A local-to-me Craigslist ad: https://huntsville.craigslist.org/msg/5342356570.html

Pics in the ad, relevant text here: "'65 Gibson melody maker. has been rerouted for a p90. p90 reads kent Armstrong on the bottom. sounds like a 60's gibson should. low action. jumbo frets with plenty of life left. machine tuners installed. holds tune very well. has small pressure crack in headstock between tuners .pics. does not effect play at all. has newer gibson usa melody maker bridge on it from what i can tell. a real beauty and a real relic of a guitar. make an offer. will throw in an epiphone hard case that i got it in. thinning the herd. it plays so good i haven't adjusted anything on it since i got it."

So, a potential problem crack in the headstock and lots of unoriginal piece parts - pickup, bridge, tuners - are called out. I don't know older Gibsons. Anything else you can spot? Any opinion on the pricing?

27 answers to this question

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Steve Haynie Veteran HFCer

Steve Haynie

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If that Melody Maker is not a short scale, and it does not look like one, it has the potential to be a rock and roll machine. At least go try it out. There are some cracks you can live with, so give that a good look. If the guitar has been holding up you might have a potential winner.

crunchee Veteran HFCer

crunchee

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I'd ask how wide the neck is at the nut...it wouldn't surprise me if it was noticeably more narrow than a 'modern' Gibson, especially since it's a 'student'-level guitar.

mrjamiam Veteran HFCer

mrjamiam

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I'd ask how wide the neck is at the nut...it wouldn't surprise me if it was noticeably more narrow than a 'modern' Gibson, especially since it's a 'student'-level guitar.

Interesting. Since it's local, I should be able to try it. The ad copy doesn't make the seller seem super knowledgeable. But since my fingers are on the stubby side, that may not be a big problem for me.

The Shark Veteran HFCer

The Shark

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I had a '65 SG Standard that I sold to a guy in Europe years ago. My best friend Chris used to work on Pat Travers' guitars. I noticed that one of his Melody Makers had the exact same neck. It was substantial, but not too thick. It was as wide as the SG. I purchased this one unmolested and, well, molested it. One of my favorite guitars ever. The Antiquities in it are stellar. The Melody Makers from '65 are some of the greatest projects/deals around...

MelodyMaker003.jpg

Jeff R Veteran HFCer

Jeff R

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I don't know if my hip-shot reaction is the best gauge, plus I fix and modify/upgrade stuff as well as play stuff, but my first thought is 50-year old Gibson guitar for stupid affordable price, even with issues (that appear to be easily addressed). If this was right in my backyard and ripe for an in-person inspection and possible cash-in-hand deal, I would have been on it already.

Bloozguy Veteran HFCer

Bloozguy

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I don't know if my hip-shot reaction is the best gauge, plus I fix and modify/upgrade stuff as well as play stuff, but my first thought is 50-year old Gibson guitar for stupid affordable price, even with issues (that appear to be easily addressed). If this was right in my backyard and ripe for an in-person inspection and possible cash-in-hand deal, I would have been on it already.

^^^^^^

This

Back in the 60's, the common misconception was that Melody Makers, SG Juniors, etc. were guitars that you played if you couldn't afford something "good". Now that I'm older and (hopefully) wiser every one of those that I've played has been an absolute screamer...my 1960 Epiphone Wilshire included. B)

So if you haven't snagged it already just do it.

mrjamiam Veteran HFCer

mrjamiam

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Thanks for weighing in. I've reached out to the seller.

Also, my cookie fortune from lunch tells me that "A surprise treat awaits you.". So I'm optimistic.

Jakeboy Veteran HFCer

Jakeboy

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I hope you get it. That is a KILLER deal on a great guitar. I missed a mint mid 60s Melody Maker about 3 years ago. It went for $650...absolutely mint. I found out the day after it was sold to a pawn shop...they now want $1500.....there it sits.

Bloozguy Veteran HFCer

Bloozguy

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No response from the seller. Not too surprising I guess - he who hesitates and all that. Next time I'll know.

Did you try calling or just contacting through Craigslist?

Bloozguy Veteran HFCer

Bloozguy

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His ad said he preferred email or text, so I emailed back via CL.

If I were you I would try sending a text to the phone number he listed in the ad. I emailed someone through CL once and all of my replies were getting caught up in their email system spam filter and they never knew I was trying to contact them.

mrjamiam Veteran HFCer

mrjamiam

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His ad said he preferred email or text, so I emailed back via CL.

If I were you I would try sending a text to the phone number he listed in the ad. I emailed someone through CL once and all of my replies were getting caught up in their email system spam filter and they never knew I was trying to contact them.

Point taken. I have let my "burner" phone number expire, and was a bit hesitant about giving up my "good" one.

mrjamiam Veteran HFCer

mrjamiam

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And I don't even have to put any magic in? Excellent!

Keep in mind that the only original bits are the body, neck, fretboard and maybe the frets - I'm not sure I could tell a refret. It looks like all the hardware is either gone or replaced.

But it is a working guitar. I can have some fun with it while considering what, if anything, to do with it. I feel a visit to murkat coming on...

Steve Haynie Veteran HFCer

Steve Haynie

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The refin takes some of the fun out of it. It looks like someone has already turned it into a rock and roll machine. If anything it would be worth checking out even if you do not buy it.

Jakeboy Veteran HFCer

Jakeboy

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Congrats on the score!!!

And Carfish, buy the MM and slap some vintage wound pups in there!

mrjamiam Veteran HFCer

mrjamiam

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Congrats on the score!!!

And Carfish, buy the MM and slap some vintage wound pups in there!

Thanks!

On the topic of the Minneapolis MM (ooh, 3M!), since it's already been refinished, I personally wouldn't feel bad about further modding it with fullsize pickups if it otherwise seems like a player. It will still have the old mahogany and rosewood. Just don't take it to a chimp for the routing.

In my brief flurry of research on MMs, it seems like it's not too common to find an unmolested one. Maybe since it was downmarket to begin with, not many folks felt constrained to keep it original - too many obvious improvements to make. And probably most were in hands of youngsters, who are not very inhibited about making mods.

crunchee Veteran HFCer

crunchee

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I had a couple of mid-late '60's MM SG models once upon a time, bought cheap due to their being heavily modded by others, and apparently done with questionable levels of DIY expertise and judgement...not all of which was evident until I started poking and prodding inside and around the guitars. Non-original PUs, electronics, and tuners; finishes stripped and clear-coated with God-knows-what (one with a brush :wacko:), questionable repairs done at the neck/body joint and the control cavity/output jack, and other signs of hackery. There wasn't much original left except for the wood. I had intended to strip them down and get those guitars done right, but I really disliked the narrow necks, and there wasn't much I could do about that. The necks weren't anemic IMO, the profiles were nice and round, and I would have been happy with the necks if they weren't so damned narrow at the nut! <_< I got rid of those, and I got rid of my '80 Hamer Specials for the same reason: the necks were too narrow at the nut. None were bad guitars though, if I could have lived with the neck width, plus dealing with any previous boogery on the MM SGs.

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned THIS particular MM yet in this string, and good luck finding any of those old 'Velvet Hammer' PUs:

http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/Joan-Jett-Bone-Crunching-Rhythm-Guitar.aspx

http://www.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/joan-jett-and-the-melody-maker.aspx

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