Help designing a new pickguard for a modded 59' Melody Maker

[Jsil13]

Hey guys, a few weeks ago I was given a 1959 Gibson Melody Maker. Here's the link to my thread- http://www.tdpri.com/threads/ngd-old-melody-maker-special.948215/

So far I've replaced the super heavy Grover tuners with more vintage correct Klusons, installed a bone nut, replaced the Bad Ass bridge with a Mojoaxe, and got it all set up. Played a gig with it last night and it rips. The P90's are from a 1965 SG Special.

While I was having the work done to it the pickguard started breaking a bit. I'm not a huge fan of the current pickguard shape. It reminds me of the old Gibson Sonex. The routing underneath isn't pretty either so I don't think I can make it smaller without refinishing the guitar, and I love the current finish. It was refinished back in the late 60's.

Any ideas? I'm not concerned about being vintage correct since this thing is already a mishmash of a few guitars.

 

[guitarbuilder]

I'd get a piece of tagboard and trace the body. Then measure in from the perimeter the most common measurement the current one is at the waist. Make a series of dots and then connect them with a French curve or what ever you have. That way you'll have an "offset" perimeter line. Tape that to new pickguard material and cut it out and drill the holes. Maybe a hybrid with what you have and a marauder pickguard? Obviously you'll have to take the current one off and add that to the mix.

If you don't mind filled in screw holes, maybe get a new mm pickguard for p90s and get rid of what's on there.


https://reverb.com/item/3459686-gib...ard-d-2-pickup-c-1960s-black-original-vintage

 

[guitarbuilder]

https://www.wdmusic.com/pickguards-gibson-melody-maker.html

 

[Jsil13]

I'd get a piece of tagboard and trace the body. Then measure in from the perimeter the most common measurement the current one is at the waist. Make a series of dots and then connect them with a French curve or what ever you have. That way you'll have an "offset" perimeter line. Tape that to new pickguard material and cut it out and drill the holes. Maybe a hybrid with what you have and a marauder pickguard? Obviously you'll have to take the current one off and add that to the mix.

If you don't mind filled in screw holes, maybe get a new mm pickguard for p90s and get rid of what's on there.


https://reverb.com/item/3459686-gib...ard-d-2-pickup-c-1960s-black-original-vintage

Thank you guitarbuilder. I'm not opposed to filling screw holes. There are already a bunch of them on there.

There's a few of them. I feel like I could do a better job hiding them. Next time I have to restring it I'll take off the guard and see what's going on under there. My tech did a bunch of work to it, but I haven't seen the routing. I like the idea of the old melody maker guards with the area between the pickups being exposed, but since I don't know what it looks like under there I don't know if I can do that.

 

[Jsil13]

https://www.wdmusic.com/pickguards-gibson-melody-maker.html

I've used a few of their guards in the past. definitely an option. Thanks again.

 

[SecretSquirrel]

I love it like it is, really cool guitar and congrats! Though I like the present pickguard shape just fine, I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with for a new one. My own recent pickguard design seemed to go over like a fart in a spacesuit but *I* like it!

I didn't see the pickguard breakage the first time, it's not that bad but definitely worth a brand spanking new one.

I just really dig the guitar. My eyes often skip over LPs but this draws me in.

 

[Jsil13]

I love it like it is, really cool guitar and congrats! Though I like the present pickguard shape just fine, I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with for a new one. My own recent pickguard design seemed to go over like a fart in a spacesuit but *I* like it!

I didn't see the pickguard breakage the first time, it's not that bad but definitely worth a brand spanking new one.

I just really dig the guitar. My eyes often skip over LPs but this draws me in.

I'm not an LP guy either. I've had probably 100 guitars but never a Les Paul. Granted this isn't the same in any way aside from the shape. I typically play a Jazzmaster or a Telebird I threw together. I recently sold my SG and my Duesenberg Caribou so I had been on the lookout for a "player grade" vintage guitar to replace them. I wasn't expecting to be given one. Pretty surreal.

 

[JL_LI]

I like it the way it is. Sort of like batwing SG guard meets PRS Mira. I’m also pretty consistent in the way I view making mods. Is there anything wrong with it now? What do I think can be made better? Really? It’s that last question that stops me in my tracks more than the two preceding it. Just saying.

 

[Jsil13]

I like it the way it is. Sort of like batwing SG guard meets PRS Mira. I’m also pretty consistent in the way I view making mods. Is there anything wrong with it now? What do I think can be made better? Really? It’s that last question that stops me in my tracks more than the two preceding it. Just saying.

Making a new one the same shape is also an option. Maybe just changing the two top corners to be more rounded to fit the body shape a bit more. Maybe just leaving the shape as is. I'll probably play it as it is for awhile or until it falls apart.

 

[Zepfan]

The way it looks now is okay, only thing I might change ie to make the front around the neck flow more with the body shape. Use Black/White/Black sheet. I usually like Tort the most, but I think Black suits this guitar well.

 

[Jsil13]

The way it looks now is okay, only thing I might change ie to make the front around the neck flow more with the body shape. Use Black/White/Black sheet. I usually like Tort the most, but I think Black suits this guitar well.

That's kind of where I'm leaning too. Rounding the corners by the neck to fit the shape a bit more, but keeping the rest of the shape the same. I thought about maybe using some of the yellowish style tort, but I'm 95% going to go for black or b/w/b. I switch almost all my pick guards to black anyway, so why change this one? Haha.

 

[Zepfan]

That Yellow Tort with a bit of Tiger Stripe might not look bad, but B/W/B would be great.

 

[Engraver-60]

I like the shape of what you've got, but it does not remind me of a Melody Maker. The MM's I remember were the SG versions of the early 60's, so going to the horn was more what I envisioned it to be. Sort of like this:

But, following the 4 controls the way you have it now. A Tele Deluxe is more what yours reminds me of.

 

[Jsil13]

Here's what it originally looked like before the mods and refinish.

I like the shape of what you've got, but it does not remind me of a Melody Maker. The MM's I remember were the SG versions of the early 60's, so going to the horn was more what I envisioned it to be. Sort of like this:

But, following the 4 controls the way you have it now. A Tele Deluxe is more what yours reminds me of.

 

[rangercaster]

An iconic vintage guitar deserves the original design ...just my opinion ...

 

[Jsil13]

An iconic vintage guitar deserves the original design ...just my opinion ...

All of the mods were done in the late 60's to early 70's. The guy that gave it to me has had it since 1974 and he got it the way that I did. The original owner got the body as a husk and put the pickups and wiring from a 1965 SG Special into it. To me those pickups would be superior to the single coil MM pickup. If I could put one on similar to the original but for two P90's I would, but it depends on what the routing underneath looks like.

 

[2blue2]

but B/W/B would be great.

but I'm 95% going to go for black or b/w/b.

I vote for B/W/B for this fun old iconic guitar.

 

[hopdybob]

i always found this a looker

 

[vanr]

Dang. I would just play the thing.

 

[Dacious]

How about modelling it on the Joan Jett model? Her's is a 58. Bwb or tortoise.