The Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker appeared in 2014 as a 120th Anniversary model – a US made, reasonably priced high quality carved-top guitar with a solid history behind the names. The Melody Maker appeared in 1959 and built until 1971 as an entry level, thin slab Mahogany bodied single cutaway model, with one or two single coil pickups and a narrow headstock. The neck was Mahogany with a Rosewood fingerboard. For 1961, a second cutaway was added, but it wasn’t until 1967 that the Melody Maker got the ‘SG’ body shape.

Here we have another rarity – from September 1993, a Gibson Custom Shop SG in Emerald Green Metallic finish with gold hardware and pearloid pickguard! The Gibson SG had been produced for three years before it gained the name ‘SG’. It was originally introduced in 1961 as a complete redesign of the then-unpopular single cutaway, carved Maple top Les Paul model. An additional driving factor was addressing Fender’s characterization of Gibson as old-fashioned.