Gibson Melody Maker D

About the Gibson Melody Maker D

The Melody Maker D is the two-pickup Melody Maker (the D means the pickups, not the double cutaway), Gibson's student model built in Kalamazoo: a thin slab mahogany body, a one-piece mahogany neck, 22 frets on a 24.75 inch scale, and two single coils with two volume and two tone controls and a three-way switch, all mounted on the pickguard.

The body changed several times. It arrived in 1959 with a single cutaway; in 1961 it moved to a double cutaway with rounded horns, usually sunburst. In 1965 came a body with more pointed horns, usually cherry, and the last version used the SG shape. During 1965 the nut narrowed from 1 11/16 inch; later necks measure about 1 9/16 to 1 5/8 inch, slim near the nut and fuller toward the 12th fret. Mid-1960s examples have the compensated lightning-bar wraparound in place of the earlier slanted one. Measured 1960s necks are about 0.79 to 0.87 inch deep at the first fret and 0.92 to 1.03 inch at the 12th; weighed examples come in at about 5 to 6.9 lb (2.3 to 3.1 kg). The original case is chipboard, often faux alligator, and pot date codes are the usual way to date one.

Look under the pickguard before buying: many were routed for humbuckers or P-90s. Replacement tuners leave extra or enlarged holes in the headstock. Replica wraparounds compensated for a plain G string, or adjustable bridges, are frequent swaps, often with the original included. Headstock cracks and neck breaks are the usual repair, so check under a blacklight.

In one paragraph

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The Gibson Melody Maker D sells for €1,850 today (10 recorded sales, last 90 days; most between €1,450 and €2,350), up 9% on the €1,691 of the 90 days before. There are 32 listings live right now across eBay United States, Reverb, from €616 asking, a median ask 20% over the sale median. Figures computed 18 October 2026 by Doirado from cross-platform listing data.