€ CALL OR MAIL

For Price and An In-Hand Description

Make * Gibson

Model * Melody Maker

Year * 1963

Color * Cherry Redhead

Finish * Glossy

Pickups * 1 Singlecoil

Condition * Mint

The Melody Maker was introduced in 1959 as an entry-level solid body electric for beginners. The line ran till 1971 and had a good few variations in its life.

This is a ’63 Cherry Red version with the larger and longer body and rounder cutaways. This particular design ran till ’66.

The Melody Maker was played by Mick Jones, Robby Krieger and Keith Richards to name but a few.

Tags: 60′s, blues, electric, epiphone, gibson, guild, guitar, keith richards, les paul, lightweight, melody maker, mick jones, rare, recording, robby krieger, sg, single-coil pickup, sixties, vintage

Here is bunch of cool pieces I found along the famous Music Row in midtown Manhattan.

These aren’t really guitar stores anymore. They are more like museums, whose customers must be the rich and famous but whose history is undeniable. Below are a few bits that caught my eye.

A 75 thousand dollar Strat (which is just laughable). Hendrix’s invoice for a Harmony, an Epiphone and a Les Paul, the classic sixties tape delay – The EchoPlex (also pictured from another store), and a couple of packs of strings as far as I can read.

I also snapped a quick shot of Dave Glimour’s famous Blacktop Strat.

The most interesting thing on Music Row though was the great “Old Yellow” – the guitar used to demo amps and effects in-store for the famous and the common alike – the coolest looking coke bottle double cutaway Danny I have ever seen – probably the coolest guitar I have ever seen. I mean what a history that thing has. Played by so many of the greats. “Old Yellow” is a legend in its own right now.

Tags: $75000, 1954, 50's, 60's, 70's, acoustic, america, american, amplifier, bands, blackie, blacktop, blues, brooklyn, classic, collector, danelectro, dave gilmour, DC-1, DC-2, deep south vintage, double cutaway, ds vintage, electric, fender, gigs, guitar, guitarist, harmony, hofner, import, ireland, jimi hendrix, jimi hendrix experience, kay, liverpool, mitch mitchell, new york city, noel redding, nyc, old yellow, pink floyd, rare, recording, rock, silvertone, single-coil, soid-body, strat, stratocastor, sunburst, supro, teisco, telecaster, vintage

Deadly sounding late 40′s Silvertone Lapsteel made by Harmony in Chicago circa 1948.

The electronics are very similar to Gibson’s early 40′s Kalamazoo units and it’s reckoned that Gibson sold the unused stock of these pickups too Harmony after WWII.

Very cool, ultra-light and powerful lapsteel that still sounds great nearly 70 years on.

Tags: 40′s, 50′s, blues, chicago, danelectro, electric, fifties, forties, gibson, guitar, harmony, kalamazoo, kay, lapsteel, nathan daniel, rare, sears, silvertone, single-coil pickup, slide, vintage

Tags: 1448, 60's, amp in case, beck, blues, chicago, danelectro, electric, guitar, lipstick pickup, masonite, nathan daniel, rare, recording, sears, sears and roebuck, silvertone, sixties, slide, sparkle, vintage, vinyl sidewalls

This beast is a 4-octave range, dolphin-nosed Silvertone 1444 U1 bass. This one is a 1961 model (I think) because of the lined pickguard.

It’s in mint condition. Super fast playing. You can solo away to your hearts content on this one. Comes with the original hardcase!

The 1444 was the first 4-string bass offered by Sears and was the longest running member of the 4-member Silvertone bass family that started out with the rare, and ahead of its time, 1373 6-string “Baritone” bass in 1958.

Feautures a Dano style U1 body and the famous Dano bridge and the Dano skate key tuner system.

This one sounds really cool, real twangy honky sounding and especially cool with a nice load of ratty distortion.

Tags: 1373 6-string “Baritone” bass, 1444, 4 octave range, 4-string, 60's, bass, blues, chicago, danelectro, dano u1 body, dolphin-nosed, electric, guitar, lipstick pickup, long scale, masonite, nathan daniel, original hardcase, rare, recording, sears, sears and roebuck, silvertone, sixties, skate key tuner, super long-scale, vintage, vinyl sidewalls

This is more commonly known as the Jimmy Reed Model for it’s association with the late, great blues man. It’s a much sought-after instrument. Its a heavy, fat-necked beast because of the huge pickup magnets and the electronics hidden behind the expansive pickguard and all fastened to a solid block that extends from the neck to the bottom of the body.

All this gives it great warmth and body. It’s a great playing guitar, fast frets and a really beautiful piece of 50′s design. Sounds amazing with lovely feedback tones up and down the neck, huge bottom end and a lush mellow presence.

The 1381 dates from ’55 / ’56. The Kay version was Jimmy Reed’s preferred guitar but Howlin’ Wolf and his sideman Hubert Sumlin also played these beauties.

Tags: 1381, 50's, blues, chicago, danelectro, electric, fifties, guitar, harmony, howling wolf, hubert sumlin, jimmy reed, kay, lipstick pickup, nathan daniel, rare, recording, sears, sears and roebuck, silvertone, slide, vintage

This is the guitar that started it all for me. It was the first vintage guitar I ever bought after being the proud minder of a Silvertone Twin Twelve (possibly the greatest sounding guitar amp ever made) for a friend of mine. After hearing that I was convinced this was the way to go so I hunted down a U1.

And I found this little mutant, which was put together by some other slide guitar loving friends of mine in Woodstock Atlanta Georgia. I think this is a modded ’59  as it has the top mounted jack out, and the Georgia lads handmade tele-style bridge and pickguard for her and also added the phat studio style control knobs.

Amazing sounding short scale lipstick tube pickup glory…

The Silvertone 1304 Wishbook model was the only model offered from the Sears & Roebuck “Wish Book” Catalog. This odd changeling was only available for 3 years between 1958 and 1960, with each yearly model having a few subtle differences like a top or side mounted jack, a circular cut-out or metal back panel or a straight or sweep cutaway.

All were a mid-positioned single lipstick (just like the classic 1448), but this was a unique pickup placement for the U1 series family, only available on these models.

This guitar has a coke-bottle headstock, loads of player wear on the neck, plenty of nicks and scratches, a circular back panel cut-out, and a straight cutaway unlike the 1960 version.

Tags: 1304, 50's, 60's, blues, chicago, coke-bottle headstock, danelectro, electric, fifties, guitar, lipstick pickup, masonite, mid-positioned lipstick pickup, nathan daniel, rare, recording, sears, sears and roebuck, silvertone, sixties, slide, u1 body, vintage, vinyl sidewalls

Sekova guitars were imported to New York City in the 60′s. They were designed by a Swedish immigrant Peter Sekova but built by the Great Fuji Gon Gakki Factory where old skool original Ibanez were built.

It is than likely some Sekova’s were also built at the Teisco factory.

This one is a cool-sounding unknown lightweight single-coiled Greenburst model with a great big accentuated fish fin headstock and a cool little honking sound.

Tags: 60's, blues, electric, fish fin headstock, guitar, ibanez, japan, lightweight, new york, peter sekova, rare, recording, sixities, teisco, vintage

Norma guitars were built in Japan between ’65 and ’70 by Tombo and distributed out of Chicago.

This one is another unknown model with amazing sounding gold foil pickups and a decent whammy.

(The pickups in this guitar are often taken out and used in acoustic guitars to superb effect).

Tags: 60's, blues, chicago, electric, fish fin headstock, gold foil pickups, guitar, harmony, japan, kay, lightweight, norma, rare, recording, sixties, teisco, tombo, vintage, whammy

This Strat knock-off sounds better than most new cheap Fenders I’ve heard. Kent guitars didn’t make it out of the 60′s. I reckon this one is pretty late on, probably a ’69.

Another lawsuit model. Another exact copy. Its really weighty – possibly the heaviest solid body I have ever held.

Nice big tone. Classic Strat sound. Out for Refurb and Restoration (R&R)

Tags: 60's, 70's, blues, electric, fender, guitar, harmony, japan, kay, kent, rare, recording, seventies, single-coil pickups, sixties, strat, stratocaster, vintage, whammy