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Show your unusual Gibson !

Grog

Active member
Joined
Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
Sorry, this is not a Gibson.

True, this never was a Gibson in any part. It was an example made by a guy that wanted to show the original concept that was intended for the Corvus & the Futura. They were originally intended to be headless guitars.
 

Cliff Gress

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
3,301
Not mine, but unusual.

0ZcS6s2.jpg
 

miczap

Active member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Messages
213
2003 Les Paul Melody Maker

limited run of 250, Santa Maria Jacareuba Body, Spanish Cedar Neck, big fat’ old Vintage p90. Total beast.


The Melody Maker was returned to the Gibson line as a sub-model of the Les Paul model.[9] It offered a mixture of traditional Melody Maker features (straight-sided headstock, white button tuners, jack positioned on the top) and traditional Les Paul Junior features (bridge-mounted dogear P-90 pickup, Junior-style control mounting and pattern).

Like both the original Melody Maker and the original Junior, the Les Paul Melody Maker featured dot inlays as fretboard markers and did not have a cap on its top. Unlike either the original Melody Maker or the original Junior, both of which used wraparaound bridge/tailpiece units, the Les Paul Melody Maker used a Tune-O-Matic bridge and separate stop tailpiece.

The Les Paul Melody Maker also differed from other Les Paul submodels in the width of the neck (20 millimeters thinner at the 1st fret, 25 millimeters thinner at the 12 fret) and the length of the heel (125 millimeters shorter).This model of the Melody Maker is considered a collecter's item now as it is discontinued and only limited units(250) were made.


(pickguard is tacked on with double sided- comes guardless when stock)

236QWlN.jpg
 

RocknRollShakeUp

Active member
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
2003 Les Paul Melody Maker

limited run of 250, Santa Maria Jacareuba Body, Spanish Cedar Neck, big fat’ old Vintage p90. Total beast.


The Melody Maker was returned to the Gibson line as a sub-model of the Les Paul model.[9] It offered a mixture of traditional Melody Maker features (straight-sided headstock, white button tuners, jack positioned on the top) and traditional Les Paul Junior features (bridge-mounted dogear P-90 pickup, Junior-style control mounting and pattern).

Like both the original Melody Maker and the original Junior, the Les Paul Melody Maker featured dot inlays as fretboard markers and did not have a cap on its top. Unlike either the original Melody Maker or the original Junior, both of which used wraparaound bridge/tailpiece units, the Les Paul Melody Maker used a Tune-O-Matic bridge and separate stop tailpiece.

The Les Paul Melody Maker also differed from other Les Paul submodels in the width of the neck (20 millimeters thinner at the 1st fret, 25 millimeters thinner at the 12 fret) and the length of the heel (125 millimeters shorter).This model of the Melody Maker is considered a collecter's item now as it is discontinued and only limited units(250) were made.


(pickguard is tacked on with double sided- comes guardless when stock)

236QWlN.jpg

I got a used one of these in black for like $350 some months ago. I wasn't planning on it but it sounded great and it has this amazing fat but super comfy neck I just had to take it, esp for the price! I had no idea that they only made 250 of them.
 

miczap

Active member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Messages
213
I got a used one of these in black for like $350 some months ago. I wasn't planning on it but it sounded great and it has this amazing fat but super comfy neck I just had to take it, esp for the price! I had no idea that they only made 250 of them.

Man- these things are so few and far between, but they've definitely got something special about them. They go for like 700-900 range usually so that's a steal! There's one on reverb at the moment in cherry for like $850 which I'm eyeing off. I'd love a second one to mod.
 

LaPanthere

New member
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Messages
13
Not much. Seems like they were the "Custom" version of the Corvus. I believe they had gold hardware.

If I remember well the difference between the Corvus and the Futura was the neck, set neck on Futura rather than the bolt-on on the Corvus. This seems to be confirmed on Wikipedia and guitar.com after some researches:

''An upscale Corvus with a set rather than bolt-on neck was marketed under the name "Futura"

''The Corvus was introduced in 1982, made for two years, then dropped due to poor sales. There were three model variations, and a fixed neck version called a Futura. With its bizarre body shape it’s one Gibson that almost defies adequate description, although the term ‘can opener’ has been used.''
 

RocknRollShakeUp

Active member
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
Man- these things are so few and far between, but they've definitely got something special about them. They go for like 700-900 range usually so that's a steal! There's one on reverb at the moment in cherry for like $850 which I'm eyeing off. I'd love a second one to mod.

It’s my fave sit on the couch and noodle guitar. Super light and super resonant, very loud acoustically. Amplified The P90s snarls on 10, and cleans up when I roll the volume down as expected. I had to screw the pole pieces up some to get them closer to the strings as recommended for P90s. I was thinking of getting a thin shim maybe, but I’m not sure I need to bother. Mine came with no case and kind of a funky gold pickguard, that I guess was put there by the previous owner. I think I may replace it with a tort shell guard. It also smells kind of like cheap cologne a little... can’t figure that one out at all. Maybe the last owner was a Lady’s Man. If I ever gig it I’ll have to go to the gas station to find matching cologne so I don’t create an olfactory mismatch and scare away the ladies buahaha. But this little MM is like my ‘lil ugly cheap cologne wearing Rocknroll bastard and I dig it lots!
I haven’t checked, but do these come with 350k pots as the USA LP’s are likely to do? Even the P90s need 500k pots to get vintage correct brightness and clarity correct?
Thanks for hipping me to what I stumbled into! When my now 6 year old can handle it, it will make for a great 1st quasi Les Paul Junior sort of thing!
 
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PabloHarlem

New member
Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Messages
28
This thread just shows Gibson hasn't just been a bit crazy in their ideas recently.....they have always produced crazy designs! - I think Les Paul really did make them in the solid body field.
 

miczap

Active member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Messages
213
It’s my fave sit on the couch and noodle guitar. Super light and super resonant, very loud acoustically. Amplified The P90s snarls on 10, and cleans up when I roll the volume down as expected. I had to screw the pole pieces up some to get them closer to the strings as recommended for P90s. I was thinking of getting a thin shim maybe, but I’m not sure I need to bother. Mine came with no case and kind of a funky gold pickguard, that I guess was put there by the previous owner. I think I may replace it with a tort shell guard. It also smells kind of like cheap cologne a little... can’t figure that one out at all. Maybe the last owner was a Lady’s Man. If I ever gig it I’ll have to go to the gas station to find matching cologne so I don’t create an olfactory mismatch and scare away the ladies buahaha. But this little MM is like my ‘lil ugly cheap cologne wearing Rocknroll bastard and I dig it lots!
I haven’t checked, but do these come with 350k pots as the USA LP’s are likely to do? Even the P90s need 500k pots to get vintage correct brightness and clarity correct?
Thanks for hipping me to what I stumbled into! When my now 6 year old can handle it, it will make for a great 1st quasi Les Paul Junior sort of thing!

Haha- ditto. Suuper acoustically loud- it's the Santa Maria timber (no other Gibson guitar I know of seems to have used it) and ultra-slim body... vibrates like no other.


I pick this thing up when I'm at my desk and can't be bothered plugging in. I haven't tried screwing up the pole pieces- i'll give that a go and see how I like it. I haven't checked the pots either- i'll have a look.


One other weird thing about this model is the finish. Super weak, sweat soluble finish that comes right off onto my hand every time I play this thing for a long enough, hard enough session.
 

Cholo

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2002
Messages
35
In 1986, my first Gibson was something I had never seen before or since. It was a ES 335-S which is a solid body ES 335. It was the deluxe model. It played very nice but it wasn't rock and rolly enough for me. Just looked goofy. I kept it for about a month and then traded it for a 1974 Gibson Alpine White 20th Anniversary Les Paul Custom which I still own. It's plenty of rock and rolly.

I didn't take any pictures but the link should show you what they looked like.

https://www.chicagomusicexchange.co...ofessional-deluxe-sunburst-1980-s544/11012854
 

mistersnappy

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2006
Messages
7,321
Can't find the pics I took of mine but, its just like this one except mine has double-ring Klusons. '41 ES-300.

Well, hell, I can't seem to upload a pic. Just imagine a blond one and yer in the ballpark.
 
Last edited:

Ed Driscoll

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
4,691
In 1986, my first Gibson was something I had never seen before or since. It was a ES 335-S which is a solid body ES 335.

Looks a bit like the double cutaway guitars Carvin was building back then:

bognitjgkewmt5cdce7e.jpg


file.jpg
 
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