Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

[PoorMan]

Mod ideas?

In addition to the more common P-90 mod, I think a mini-hum would be cool. (yes, I know they made them with P-90s)

Oh yeah, post pics.

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

I'm is!

I got this one from brother Wattage and it was loaded with a Hotrails and a set of Grover tuners plus a skull and cross bones sticker...right after I got it I dropped on a set of Bigsby Palm Pedal string benders.





After some live situation playing something had to be done about the intonation...it was fine for banging chords and lead work but slide work tuned to a chord and bending notes within that chord was too much for the old school wraparound so I have since added a NOS Pat Pen Leo Quan Bad Ass tailpiece.



There are more mods on the way but I'm still a little undecided at this point so when I decide what to do I'll finish it up, until then I'm rocking it as-is.

[Wattage]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

That was a real good sounding guitar, I was just going to pop in an give props to the HR in it.

A Lil '59 would be a great pup for that guitar too IMO.

FWIW it is the Strat version of the HR and I used a dremel tool to remove a little wood to make it fit. Didn't take a lot of work but the cavity needed to be opened a little bit.

[PoorMan]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

I'm is!

I got this one from brother Wattage and it was loaded with a Hotrails and a set of Grover tuners plus a skull and cross bones sticker...right after I got it I dropped on a set of Bigsby Palm Pedal string benders.





After some live situation playing something had to be done about the intonation...it was fine for banging chords and lead work but slide work tuned to a chord and bending notes within that chord was too much for the old school wraparound so I have since added a NOS Pat Pen Leo Quan Bad Ass tailpiece.



There are more mods on the way but I'm still a little undecided at this point so when I decide what to do I'll finish it up, until then I'm rocking it as-is.

That looks like a fun little beast!

[PoorMan]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

That was a real good sounding guitar, I was just going to pop in an give props to the HR in it.

A Lil '59 would be a great pup for that guitar too IMO.

FWIW it is the Strat version of the HR and I used a dremel tool to remove a little wood to make it fit. Didn't take a lot of work but the cavity needed to be opened a little bit.

I can't get parts to make a single coil sized bucker like that (only Gibbo style mini-buckers)...but it sure would be easy to drop a little 59 in one.

[ItsaBass]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

That one with the palm pedals is awesome!

I don't have a 2007+ one. Mine is late 2003, when they came without a pick guard and had a single P90. The finish was also different. It wasn't satin nitro. It was a much cheesier rubbery flat paint applied over a gloss clearcoat primer. The paint rubs off easier than most, leaving behind the gloss nitro clear coat.

It is stock. It's one of my most played guitars because it is my most-often-used backup on stage, and I also leave it lying around the room so I can pick a guitar up at any time. I also use it as my main guitar on stage from time to time, when I feel like spending some quality time with it.

Right now it is wearing D'Addario 13's w/ wound G as an experiment, but I like it better with 11's with a wound G. The teeny neck doesn't handle the 13's too well. It has this S curve and a twist that are impossible to get out, so I cannot really be set up ideally. As soon as a couple of the 13's break, I'll go back to the 11's.

Aside from the P90, the other cool thing about these slightly older ones is that they have a TOM and stop tail piece. At the time they were out, they were the best bang for the buck of any brand new guitar IMO.

I think the wood specs might have changed as well. Mine has a mahogany body, rosewood board, and the neck is either mahogany or Spanish cedar. I don't remember which. It looks like mahogany where it is wearing through, but Spanish cedar may look similar.

The newer ones were also jacked up in price...and all for a guitar with specs that are not as attractive as the older ones like mine. Older ones went for as low as $350, and were usually marked for $420.

As for the skinny MM pickups on the new ones, they sound fine, if you want the classic stock MM tone. I prefer the P90 in mine, however. I'll bet your idea of a mini hum would sound great too.

Here is a pic of what the older ones looked like. I still think they are the score of the modern MM line.

[9unslin9er]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

I have a 2011 single humbucker, single volume version. Comes with a Gibson 491t ceramic. It's my main guitar.

[ErikH]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

I would so rock one of those, any version. I like the classic look of the one with the pickguard and I also like the simplicity of the P-90 model.

[PoorMan]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

I ended up buying an '07. As of right now I'm planning on a dog-ear P-90

[o.p-i.v]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

That one with the palm pedals is awesome!

I don't have a 2007+ one. Mine is late 2003, when they came without a pick guard and had a single P90. The finish was also different. It wasn't satin nitro. It was a much cheesier rubbery flat paint applied over a gloss clearcoat primer. The paint rubs off easier than most, leaving behind the gloss nitro clear coat.

It is stock. It's one of my most played guitars because it is my most-often-used backup on stage, and I also leave it lying around the room so I can pick a guitar up at any time. I also use it as my main guitar on stage from time to time, when I feel like spending some quality time with it.

Right now it is wearing D'Addario 13's w/ wound G as an experiment, but I like it better with 11's with a wound G. The teeny neck doesn't handle the 13's too well. It has this S curve and a twist that are impossible to get out, so I cannot really be set up ideally. As soon as a couple of the 13's break, I'll go back to the 11's.

Aside from the P90, the other cool thing about these slightly older ones is that they have a TOM and stop tail piece. At the time they were out, they were the best bang for the buck of any brand new guitar IMO.

I think the wood specs might have changed as well. Mine has a mahogany body, rosewood board, and the neck is either mahogany or Spanish cedar. I don't remember which. It looks like mahogany where it is wearing through, but Spanish cedar may look similar.

The newer ones were also jacked up in price...and all for a guitar with specs that are not as attractive as the older ones like mine. Older ones went for as low as $350, and were usually marked for $420.

As for the skinny MM pickups on the new ones, they sound fine, if you want the classic stock MM tone. I prefer the P90 in mine, however. I'll bet your idea of a mini hum would sound great too.

Here is a pic of what the older ones looked like. I still think they are the score of the modern MM line.

besides headstock, whats the difference between that and a junior?

[c0ri]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

these are very pretty pieces. thank you for posting pictures.

[PoorMan]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

besides headstock, whats the difference between that and a junior?

I had a 90s junior and (by the looks of it) the difference is the finish, headstock, and no pickguard...the rest looks the same.

[Wattage]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

Why don't you rewind the stock pup. It isn't bad just a little low on the output side.

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

Just as a point of reference, here's a 1967 MM. It has a DMZ Fast Track 2 in it. I really miss that guitar.

[Wattage]

Re: Anyone Rocking a 2007+ Melody Maker?

besides headstock, whats the difference between that and a junior?

Cedar body instead of mahogany, the body is also thinner than a Jr.