Melody Maker heart transplant!

[chuckocaster]

Got my Melody Maker all buttoned up today! I had originally modded this to house a 70's Gibby mini, but decided to use that mini in my new Tele. So I put a P90 I had custom made for me into it. I also swapped the stock bridge for a nice Wilkinson aluminum intonated unit. I could tell right off while putting on the strings that the bridge had increased the sustain, and had also made the guitar sound "clearer" and louder! I've been really impressed with all of the Wilkinson products I've bought and used.

The pickup is wound to 8.5K, and uses both A5 & A2 mags. I like the way P90s sound when made this way! You get a nice mix of the tonal flavors of these magnets. I might add a mounting bar off a mini to this at a later date, for now it's fine. Using the mini bar lets you use HB mounting screws and springs to hold the pickup up. This adds microphonics to the pickup, and increases the inductance. The sound may not be for everyone, but i LOVE what it sounds like. I did the same trick in my DeArmond, that's where I first came up with that trick. What I like about this guitar, pup, and setup is that it sounds very "deserty" if that makes any since... Basically, I could probably make a Queens of The Stone Age album. This guitar sounds killer with my fuzz pedals, some psycho delay, and my Ampegs.

So, here she is! I'm kinda wanting to add some tortoiseshell to this girl, but I do like the look of how she sits now. IDK, maybe I'm just getting a little too OCD.

Thanks for looking! And feel free to give me some feedback.

[Don]

You've been busy! I love this guitar!

[Rickenjangle]

That's really nice. I've always thought those Gibby MM had a great sound - even with just the one single coil. I'll bet the 90 really adds something special.

[chuckocaster]

I think the old ones sound better cuz of the wood they used? To me, a guitar this simple needs to use THE BEST parts. Also, this is one of those guitars that sounds better tuned down. It sounded lifeless in standard tuning, once tuned down it comes to life.

It's a fun guitar tho, light weight, pretty versatile for the limited electronics, it responds to your changes in playing technique. I still plan on building myself a pine Jr too, but that'll be later.

Thanx guys!

[tugboat]

Another sweet one! Makes me really want to give my DC special a spin!!

[jeru]

You have been busy, dumbass..! They both look great, and more than that, I'm gratified that you like the way they turned out, sound, play. Good on you. Get LOUD.

[Gravity Jim]

So cool. Back in the 70s my pal Gary had a cherry red Melody Maker, and that guitar just snarled like a beast through a good amp. With a P90 it should breathe some fire.

[chuckocaster]

The idea for this came from a friend's MM. His is an old one too, but someone had put an old HB in it. He never dissected it, but it's probably early 60's we're guessing. We used to Jam on it through a tweed deluxe after rehearsal. That one had the ZZ Top tone in spades! It also didn't hurt that Mark is a great player, and knows all those songs inside and out.