Here’s a vintage 1966 Gibson Melody Maker D model in 100% original condition-including the lightning bolt bridge and tuners! This guitar has no cracks breaks or repairs. It is structural solid and ready to go. This guitar was produced at the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo Michigan, USA. It features a set neck construction with a one-piece Honduran mahogany body mated with a one piece Honduran mahogany neck-the ultimate in sustain! The body is in great condition and the original cherry red finish is translucent; showing off the unique mahogany open grain. There is minimal to zero fade in the red hue-this one is still a nice and bright Cherry red Hue. There are several nicks, dings or other various signs of handling evidence here and there-mostly on the sides and a couple on the top-see photos. The neck joint is solid. The neck itself is a healthy vintage C profile with a depth of .812” at the 1st fret and an even 1.00” at the 12th fret. Nice and chunky up high-but fairly slim down low for easy open chord positioning. There is one peck in the back of the neck but it is negligible and the neck feels nice and smooth. The neck is arrow straight. The tuner all function smoothly enough and the headstock and logo display excellent. The nut measures 1 9/16” wide. The frets have been cleaned, leveled, crowned and polished. They appear close to like new condition-see photos. The string height is set low for a fast and easy action. It measures .010” at the 1st fret and .050” at the 12th fret-the perfect measurements for low action. The bridge height is adjustable so it can be raised or even lowered if you prefer that. The guitar plays like butter up and down the fingerboard with no dead spots or other issues. The pickups both have a strong clear signal and the quintessential melody maker growl! The neck position pickup output measures 7.12 ohms and the bridge measures 7.36 ohms. The potentiometers date to 1966 and they are the original centralab units. All of the electronics function as designed and are smooth and quiet. The guitar is currently strung through the wraparound bridge for maximum sustain and resonance. The vibrola tailpiece is on the guitar-as you can see-and I do have the arm mount (comb) but I do not currently have an arm.
The Melody maker is ridiculously lightweight (5.90 lbs) so it is lots of fun to play and super easy to wield. No shoulder fatigue whatsoever with this one-it feels excellent on a strap or in your lap. It’s oerfect for gigs-studio or even on your couch-feels and sounds great everywhere it goes. The original grey chipboard case is included. It’s in fair condition and the latches all function and the handle is present.
