2011 MM Special

[eSGEe]

he makes it sounds better than I ever will.......but I GOT ONE lol

 

[eSGEe]

at 58 seconds in he looks REALLY BOARD --- lol

 

[eSGEe]

only made 1 year.......................

Gibson Melody Maker - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[RVA]

Where is yours? Did I miss the thread?

 

[Cadorman]

My, that is a whole lotta reverb. So, if you're running both pickups (in the middle position) how do you alter the balance between the two pickups?

 

[BFT Gibson]

played mine in the plexi yesterday(2 singles)... interesting. i was torturing mine in comparsion & playing with some gain..then backing down for nice thick clean then 7ish was edge of break ..the high strung singles really have some punch..i just in bucker mode at the moment..but the MM chased a few Fenders out the door..soon as i felt the roundish neck & the fingers landed nice for full chords..put it with The Nighthawk & Duo Sonic as the chord players.

 

[eSGEe]

Where is yours? Did I miss the thread?

No thread yet

My, that is a whole lotta reverb. So, if you're running both pickups (in the middle position) how do you alter the balance between the two pickups?

you dont -- its rock roll baby CRANK IT TO 11 "f" balance !

The trade was essentialy LUMBER for LUMBER-- I have a PICKUPLESS MM and CB has a PICKUPLESS SG.....I have 1 p90 (THANKS @Hackmaster ) in hand and one on route from one mr @JohnnyGoo .........

so hopefully the HNMMS thread will be along by Saturday or before

 

[Cadorman]

No thread yet

you dont -- its rock roll baby CRANK IT TO 11 "f" balance !

The trade was essentialy LUMBER for LUMBER-- I have a PICKUPLESS MM and CB has a PICKUPLESS SG.....I have 1 p90 (THANKS @Hackmaster ) in hand and one on route from one mr @JohnnyGoo .........

so hopefully the HNMMS thread will be along by Saturday or before

What if we drill a hole and solder in another knob? Just for fun?

 

[eSGEe]

I was going to start a new thread--------HNUMMSGD
Happy
New
Melody
Maker
Special
Guitar
Day ----but Im being lazy---

pics for proof ---- I SOLDERED!!!!!! With @CabanaBoy guiding me via email--- (and talking me down from using the 10lb mini sledge hammer I keep at my desk) we worked through the first attemp (which failed to work) --- then on attempt 2 ------ ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is how they come from the factory--


HEre is what long and mcQuade of Canuckistanian music supply fame says about them

Gibson - Melody Maker Special - Ebony

Gibson - Melody Maker Special - Ebony

www.long-mcquade.com

and here is how I hacked this little bastard up------


here are the "trays" that hold the SOAPbar P90's and attach them to the pic guard........


I was blessed with not one but TWO free P90's for this project.....
An UNKNOWN but great sounding Soapy from @Hackmaster (THANK YOU GOOD SIR AND MANY GOOD VIBES YOUR WAY!!!)
and a DOGEAR Duncan Antiquity from one Mr @JohnnyGoo (As always it is a pleasure Sir thank you -- now move to the SWAMP like everyone is required to do by law ) lol
....the test fit..........

I WILL STOP HERE AND POINT OUT BEFORE @Robert Herndon DOES ..........................I SHOULD HAVE COPPER SHIELDED IT WHEN I WAS IN THERE
oh well next string change (roughly mid 2021 ish probably...

I ran into a snag the Duncan has its own tray and .........wouldnt sit right -- nor would it raise up to the required pickup height ---....so.........I did what any good redneck would do
I slapped the damn thing on and screwed it in place ON TOP of the pickguard ..............................and it WORKS! (wonderfully actually)


I also tried several bridge/stoptails.......................
but settled on this lovely USA Made LEO QUAN affair......which also may have come from the Oregon Countryside?
or perhaps Hacks......or Cabanas.....or? offsomething I bought and parted out who knows Ive lost track ----anyway very nice made in 'Merica BAD ASS bridge --

UGLY as home made sin but WORKS and intonates PERFECTLY with stupid low string height---- this little thing is a RIPPER --- screws sticking out --- DOG EARS NAILED TO IT --

but DAMN ----- it sounds and plays AMAZING

 

[JohnnyGoo]

Hell fire that things beautiful. You dont need that Duncan Antiquity P90 to close to the strings anyhow. Its pretty darn hot but main thing is (and i know this from experience ) you will get pick clacking or plucking noise from the plectrum hitting the plastic cover. Looks great man.

 

[eSGEe]

no issues there
1. it sits JUST right height wise
2. I dont pick that far back

OH @Cadorman you asked about pickup blending??? ---- leave switch in middle position---- move picking hand over the pup you want MORE tone from --- or stay in the middle-- custom Ferengi "blend" knob -- no soldering ...... LOL

 

[Inspector #20]

I was going to start a new thread--------HNUMMSGD
Happy
New
Melody
Maker
Special
Guitar
Day ----but Im being lazy---

pics for proof ---- I SOLDERED!!!!!! With @CabanaBoy guiding me via email--- (and talking me down from using the 10lb mini sledge hammer I keep at my desk) we worked through the first attemp (which failed to work) --- then on attempt 2 ------ ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is how they come from the factory--
View attachment 47639

HEre is what long and mcQuade of Canuckistanian music supply fame says about them

Gibson - Melody Maker Special - Ebony

Gibson - Melody Maker Special - Ebony

www.long-mcquade.com

and here is how I hacked this little bastard up------
View attachment 47640

here are the "trays" that hold the SOAPbar P90's and attach them to the pic guard........
View attachment 47641

I was blessed with not one but TWO free P90's for this project.....
An UNKNOWN but great sounding Soapy from @Hackmaster (THANK YOU GOOD SIR AND MANY GOOD VIBES YOUR WAY!!!)
and a DOGEAR Duncan Antiquity from one Mr @JohnnyGoo (As always it is a pleasure Sir thank you -- now move to the SWAMP like everyone is required to do by law ) lol
....the test fit..........
View attachment 47642
I WILL STOP HERE AND POINT OUT BEFORE @Robert Herndon DOES ..........................I SHOULD HAVE COPPER SHIELDED IT WHEN I WAS IN THERE
oh well next string change (roughly mid 2021 ish probably...

I ran into a snag the Duncan has its own tray and .........wouldnt sit right -- nor would it raise up to the required pickup height ---....so.........I did what any good redneck would do
I slapped the damn thing on and screwed it in place ON TOP of the pickguard ..............................and it WORKS! (wonderfully actually)
View attachment 47643

I also tried several bridge/stoptails.......................
but settled on this lovely USA Made LEO QUAN affair......which also may have come from the Oregon Countryside?
or perhaps Hacks......or Cabanas.....or? offsomething I bought and parted out who knows Ive lost track ----anyway very nice made in 'Merica BAD ASS bridge --

UGLY as home made sin but WORKS and intonates PERFECTLY with stupid low string height---- this little thing is a RIPPER --- screws sticking out --- DOG EARS NAILED TO IT --

but DAMN ----- it sounds and plays AMAZING
View attachment 47644

That work looks good!!!!

Maybe copper shielding isn't needed in your neck of the woods. We have a radio station transmitter on the hill above us. Unshielded guitars play the station's broadcast through the amp.

 

[Hackmaster]

Bravo good sir.
Now sell the Gibbo pups...

 

[CabanaBoy]

Cool deal eSGEe - glad it's got a new home. That little MM is a great guitar. It was in like new mint condition when I got it. An older guy bought it new from Sam Ash, was wanting to play again. Got it home and just couldn't play because of his hands, so he packed it away in the closet. I guess after a few years he was like, might as well sell it. That's when I got it - factory everything - nothing touched - with very little playing time. It was in such nice condition I kept it in the case - didn't want to ding or scratch it - never even played it - I know, stupid. Anyways, decided to let it as I really am liking my whammy guitars. I only got low ball offers and that wasn't happening...

Well, Adrain brought over the Brown Bess SG that no one seemed to love and it immediately took a like'n to me - so - we swapped. The SG didn't have Gibbo pups in it, and know eSGEe would just rip them out, and knowing won't be happy with the SG until it has Gibbo pups, part of the deal was he keeps the SG pups and I keep the MM pups, so I could either use the MM P90's myself (I really like the gibbo stock pups) or hopefully trade them for a set of humbucker Gibbo pups. Oh, and he kept his fancy Godin bag and I kept the Gibbo bag...

So, the 2016 T-series know one loved, the Brown Bess fighting with everyone it came in contact with, decided to surrender to me. The the mint MM I was afraid to play for fear of scratching or denting now resides with Da'Ferengi...

 

[RVA]

I think the tray to which you refer is called a base plate. They are removable, and I think you could take the original off the Duncan

 

[eSGEe]

I think the tray to which you refer is called a base plate. They are removable, and I think you could take the original off the Duncan

I thought about that Ray.....but it looked "complicated"


the holes and all mount right up -- I can remove the Dog ear with no effect to the stock pickguard....

Now sell the Gibbo pups...

BUWAHAHAHAh its like we share a brain! --- but I didnt get the Gibbos in the trade-- lol

 

[eSGEe]

The the mint MM I was afraid to play for fear of scratching or denting now resides with Da'Ferengi...

I hate to break this to you but its likely going to get scratched....or dented....or dog snot, fur...or coffee spilled on it ...........but it is CERTAINLY getting played ---several hours last night and at least an hour this morning all ready

 

[JohnnyGoo]

Coffee you say

 

[Inspector #20]

So, the 2016 T-series know one loved, the Brown Bess fighting with everyone it came in contact with, decided to surrender to me. The the mint MM I was afraid to play for fear of scratching or denting now resides with Da'Ferengi...

The SG was the first of 5 brand new Gibson's i purchased between 2017 and 2018. I had always thought the SG was a cool looking guitar, so i bought this one in September of 2017.

The neck angle is outside Gibson specifications by several degrees. This was confirmed by a Gibson warranty tech in Fountain Valley, California.

In order to keep the strings from digging into the bridge, i used a Faber locking tailpiece screw with height adjustable shims. Its a good fix, but this aspect of the guitar's assembly really bugged me.



Next was the noisy pickups. The guitar hummed and buzzed wildly, making it difficult to play. It would also feedback at even very low volumes and it would broadcast our local radio station through the amp.

I couldn't use the guitar at work because of how noisy it was and i was pretty pissed off about that.

I started by shielding the guitar with over 9 feet of copper tape from Art Of Tone in Ventura, California. This eliminated the radio station broadcast, but the buzz, hum and feedback persisted.

I pulled the PCB and replaced it with a vintage 50's style Gravitt harness and Bourn pots from Gary "Tone Man" Standefer and the noise persisted.

I left the guitar untouched for several weeks to keep from sawing it in half. One day, i ordered a set of cheap GFS Classic II humbuckers. When i installed them, the buzz and hum went totally away, as did the guitar's tendency to feedback.

The Gibson tech in Fountain Valley examined the pickups and advised that both the bridge and neck pickups appeared to have some kind of "abnormality." He actually installed them (a 490T/490R combo) in another guitar and they behaved exactly the same way as they did in the SG.

Nicolas Chemsak at Gibson eventually replaced them through Gibson's warranty and i sold them on Reverb.

The GFS pickups were still in it when Adrian received the SG.

I had difficulty intonating the SG. The Gibson tech noticed the nut was improperly cut and the string heights at the first fret were all over the place, so he replaced the nut. He also smoothed the sharp fret edges.

By this time, i no longer really had a Gibson.

Everything on the guitar had to be replaced or reworked just to make it usable in the studio and for live performances. I seldom played it because of my frustration with it.

For about a year, it was played almost exclusively by my guitar students.

I paid $749.00 for the SG, another $129.00 for the poly case, $44.00 for the Faber Tone Lock tailpiece studs, $90.00 for the custom Tone Man harness, $20.00 in copper tape, $60.00 for a local tech (before I started learning my own repairs) to screw up the intonation twice and $70.00 for a pair of GFS pickups.

My total (actual cash) investment on the SG was now $1,620.00 and i was just beyond disgusted with the time and energy this Gibson had consumed.

The SG spent 6 months for sale on TTR and Reverb - with poly SKG case - for $700.00 with no takers, but several offers of $250.00 to $300.00.

One day, i saw a post by Adrian about a China made, Slash Les Paul Les Paul replica that he had. When i started examining the photos, i noticed that neck angle, neck lateral position, string spacing and alignment were all remarkable, so i offered him a trade.

The China-made Slash replica was just incredibly well put together. Perhaps it was just a fluke, but every dimension on the guitar was verified by the techs at B.Hefner in Whittier, California on CNC measuring equipment and every fret, the bridge post location and the nut shelf (scale length) were dead-on.

In fact, all (4) of my next new Gibson's would end up being examined by B.Hefner and the "Chinese Junk" i got from Adrian was closer to Gibson's actual specs than ANY of the genuine Gibson's were.

These included (2) new 2016 Gibson Les Paul 50's Tributes, one new 2017 Gibson Les Paul Studio T and one used 2015 Gibson Les Paul Standard, all of the new Gibson's were returned to Gibson for misplaced frets, fretboard humps, neck angle errors and electrical noise issues.



The used 2015 Les Paul Standard was given to one of my guitar students as a gift.

That was the end of my Gibson purchases.

For me, the basic build dimensions are either a dealmaker or dealbreaker. Hardware can be swapped in if the basic dimensions are correct. Once i had a solid Les Paul husk, i set out to build a guitar with the very best hardware available.

I always dug how Gibson Les Paul's looked on stage and my heroes played them, so i set out to build my own Gibson Les Paul Custom Replica.

I volunteered under a local luthier and he agreed to help me learn the trade. This ended my dependency on techs.

Once i learned setup, and how to identify dimensional anomalies that i cannot change, i was able to build a decent guitar and identify those belonging to clients that need reapirs beyond what can be done from a practical standpoint.

I love telling people that my "Gibson Les Paul's" are fakes, but they look and play killer...better than any "real Gibson" i have ever played, including highly praised relics from the 1950's.







Glad this thing worked out for you!!!!@!!!!!

 

[CabanaBoy]

Bra

I hate to break this to you but its likely going to get scratched....or dented....or dog snot, fur...or coffee spilled on it ...........but it is CERTAINLY getting played ---several hours last night and at least an hour this morning all ready

Ya, but it's your guitar now to do what ever you please with....