The Gibson Melody Maker is an electric guitar first introduced in 1959 and discontinued in 1971. It was designed as an affordable alternative to the Gibson Les Paul Junior. The original model featured a thin slab-style mahogany body and a glued one-piece mahogany set neck, with all electronics mounted on the pickguard.
Initially, the Melody Maker had a single cutaway body similar to the early Les Paul Junior, which was changed to a symmetrical double cutaway in 1961. In 1966, the design was updated to resemble the Gibson SG, adopting pointed horns and a large white scratchplate.
Despite the discontinuation in 1971, Gibson has revisited the Melody Maker’s body styles at various times, including variations with double cutaways and unique features like Joan Jett’s guitar configuration.
