Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker

About the Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker

The Les Paul Melody Maker is a USA-made, single-cut Gibson with a thin body under a thin satin nitro finish, made in quite different versions. Examples dated 2003 and 2004 have a Les Paul Junior shaped body, thinner and lighter, with one P-90 and a Tune-O-Matic bridge and stop tailpiece instead of a wraparound. Another version has a single humbucker at the bridge and a baked maple board.

Most common is the 2014 version made for Gibson's 120th anniversary, with a banner inlay at the 12th fret. It has a mahogany body with a carved maple top, thinner than a standard Les Paul, with a belly contour on the back; a '50s rounded neck on a 12 inch radius rosewood board with 22 cryogenically treated frets; two P-90S pickups with slug magnets, two volume and two tone controls and a three-way switch; a compensated Lightning Bar wraparound; white-button Kluson-style tuners; and a full-size headstock reading Les Paul Model, with Melody Maker on the truss rod cover. Measured necks are about 0.81 to 0.85 inch deep at the first fret and 0.95 to 1.0 inch at the 12th, and weighed examples run about 6.6 to 7.8 lb (3.0 to 3.5 kg). The satin finishes are TV Yellow, Wine Red, Manhattan Midnight and Charcoal, the serial starts with 14, and it came in a Gibson gig bag with a dated checklist and paperwork.

The satin wears glossy where it is handled and chips through to the wood easily. Swapped tuners, bridges and added pickguards are common; ask for the original parts.

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Sellers are asking a median of €1,265 for the Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker today, 83% over the €690 it actually sells for (15 recorded sales, last 90 days; most sold between €610 and €710). There are 82 listings live right now across Reverb, eBay United States, eBay Germany, from €560 asking. Figures computed 18 October 2026 by Doirado from cross-platform listing data.