Here we have a vintage 1962 Gibson Melody Maker in its original sunburst finish. This super-solid guitar has no breaks, cracks or repairs. It plays and sounds fantastic. It was made in the same year as the Cuban missle crisis (1962) at the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo Michigan, USA. It’s seen some history for sure. S/N 54050
The body is a 1-piece slab of Honduran mahogany with a set neck-which is also a 1-piece Honduran mahogany. This marriage represents the ultimate in sustain and resonance and is the same construction used on Les Paul Juniors and Specials of the 1950’s. The fingerboard is Brazilian rosewood.
So all of the woods used in this guitar are no longer available Legally. The body is in great shape and the finish exhibits handling wear throughout. There is some minor checking on the top-see photos. There are superficial line scratches and nicks all over the body-see photos. This an earlier style melody maker with the rounder body and wider neck slot. Some people say the added girth around the neck slot adds to the thickness of the tone (More growly/more melody makerish)
The neck joint is solid and the neck angle is great. The neck itself is a big profile, vintage C shape. The thickness measures .818” at the 1st fret and .908” at the 12th fret. It is smooth and straight. It feels really good-like a vintage guitar should. The tuners are double line klusons which appear original. They work nice and smoothly. The headstock and logo have been exposed to heat-so the finish is blistered a bit-see photos. The truss rod cover is slightly warped but maintains its duty faithfully. The treble side of the headstock, bottom front and rear edge of the body also have some blistering in the finish-see photos.
The nut measures 1.69” wide (1 11/16”) which is the highly desirable pre-’65 version. The Brazilian rosewood fingerboard is clean and feels smooth. The frets have been cleaned, leveled, crowned and polished and they appear at a near-new, shiny condition and height-see photos. The string height is set low for a fast and easy action. The string height measures .010” at the 1st fret and .050” at the 12th fret. The guitar plays easily-which a light string pressure up and down the fingerboard. The pickup has a strong clear signal that measures 7.51 ohms. It has the quintessential Melody Maker growl with a thick tone. It just sounds so rock & roll. The electronics all function smoothly and quietly. The tone potentiometer was replaced in 1974. The volume potentiometer is a clarostat and dates to 1960. Maybe. It’s difficult to decipher clarostat codes. The bridge was changed to a Leo Quan ’badass’ which improves intonation. The original stud inserts were not moved or anything-so it can be easily switched back to an original style non-compensated wraparound bridge if you prefer originality over intonation adjustability. The guitar is very lightweight-tipping the scales at 6.14 lbs. It is easy to wield and feels great on a strap or in your lap. No shoulder fatigue with this one whatsoever. This is a really great vintage Gibson guitar. It is solid and has no breaks, cracks or repairs or any other structural issues at all. It is set up and ready to go. Comes with soft case.
