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I rebuilt a '62 Melody Maker a little while ago

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 2:29 pm
by Friedl
This is a fantastic little rock machine. It's light and very resonant, and sounds great on an overdriven tube amp.
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This is how it started. Yeah, that's brown paint brushed onto the body. We were calling it "whole wheat burst". The neck was broken in two places and it had some less professional forstner bit work in the past.
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Re: I rebuilt a '62 Melody Maker a little while ago

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 3:57 pm
by msc_
Nice! What pickup are you using?

Re: I rebuilt a '62 Melody Maker a little while ago

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:25 pm
by Friedl
msc_ wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 3:57 pm Nice! What pickup are you using?
It’s a Zhangbucker Tireiron in mini-hum format. I bought a used pickguard loaded with it to get the pickup and the template to make my own pickguard. Playing Joan Jett songs or No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Beastie Boys sounds about perfect, buts it’ll do punk rock all day, too.

Re: I rebuilt a '62 Melody Maker a little while ago

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:40 pm
by Mossman
Nice work! But if it were me, I don't think I'd be able to resist putting a neck pickup in there, since it has the routs for it. But I haven't caught the one-pickup-guitar bug yet.

Re: I rebuilt a '62 Melody Maker a little while ago

Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2021 4:12 pm
by msc_
Friedl wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:25 pm
msc_ wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 3:57 pm Nice! What pickup are you using?
It’s a Zhangbucker Tireiron in mini-hum format. I bought a used pickguard loaded with it to get the pickup and the template to make my own pickguard. Playing Joan Jett songs or No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Beastie Boys sounds about perfect, buts it’ll do punk rock all day, too.
I have a newer MM (2000s) that's loaded with a pair of Buddha filter-tron style HBs that does the same thing. Those MMs are great great little guitars!
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Re: I rebuilt a '62 Melody Maker a little while ago

Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2021 8:39 pm
by Jaymo
You sir, are doing the Lord's work.
I love to see a wreck of a guitar or bass lovingly repaired/restored.