Restoring a Vintage Gibson found in Horrific Condition 

Man please don't change the pickup. That sounded incredible! And great playing, as always.

The feedback really gives it a unique tone. It’s the kind of guitar that just says, “I’m a rebel, and I’ll decide the tone.”

I like the minimalist, care-taker approach you take with your restorations. It's like you coax them back to health to pick up where they left off and they can still recognize themselves in a mirror. It sounds amazing. Thanks for giving this old guitar some new life!

Please don't change anything. It is a melody maker as it should be. Great restauration work. It looks awesome and I like the sound very much.

Here's the deal , your words said one thing but your face while playing told a totally different story . That expressed your true feelings of the guitar. You stopped and held a note while it touched your soul . That guitar has earned it's stripes,rock it as it is.

Glad that all these beautiful old things are coming into your possession, Matthew. You give them new life.

I found it remarkable that the feedback kept trying to get loose, the way you held it right on the edge was stunning! The way you had to alter your playing to get the best out of that guitar was so interesting and unique. Keep it as close to the way it is as possible.

Nice job on getting it right again without going overboard. My two cents: you already have a P 90 mahogany body guitar. Keep it as it is, and use it for recording to add color and texture. Like on all of those Led Zep records that have odd guitar tones that sound fantastic collectively. Also, it has made it this far in it's life without being hacked up and clearly has served someone very well. I mean, look at it, someone played the snot out of it for a long time. You don't do that with a guitar that is a dud. It may take a while to grow into what it has to offer. Anyway, I've seen lots of Melody Makers converted to P 90 for relatively cheap, I'd leave it alone and love it for what it is.

Hey Matthew, what you do is truly a service. These guitars in terrible condition would be lost to time. You see their beauty and preserve them for the future. You recognize them for what they are...pieces of history. Cheers man

If pure gold had a sound...this sent tingles of sheer glory down through my spine and it in turn reverberated throughout the very center of my being. Thank you so very much for this my brother.

Huge respect for not only playing the crap out of these guitars but also basically doing al your own restoration work. That's true love and dedication!

You have the patience of Job & the skill of an artisan. That guitar sustains so long with sweet harmonic overtones. Thank you for the video. Keep em coming!

Wow! Very sensitive restoration. I agree with your approach at not levelling the fretboard. A guitar that age needs to show it’s heritage. And my goodness, at 10 minutes and 48 seconds, it was like the guitar was crying tears of joy that someone had taken the time to restore it. Amazing tone. Worth the microphonics in my opinion. Great job. 👏

I hope you find a thousand more old relics like this. I really enjoy your restoration videos. Best on the net Matthew!

Just makes me miss the Melody Maker I had stolen around 1971 even more!

I've got one of those. Really love it a lot. I'm sure this thing is already done. But I just thought I would mention for anybody else that has one. Lollar sells a complete pickguard with electronics and custom P90 pickup. Just unscrew old setup and screw on the new one. All you have to do is solder the ground wire to one of the pots and you're done. No routing required. Sounds just like my vintage les paul jr. You will love it.

Oh man Mr Scott, I'm not a guitar player, I just love guitar and the people that play them(I'm amazed at the dedication to the craft)I have fallen in LOVE with the sound of this guitar. It kinda took hold and carried me away for a bit. I'm sure it has something to do with your amazing skills of course. great channel brother, keep at it. and please play this guitar more for us.....

Such a cool looking beat Melody Maker. I hope it doesn’t end up looking too clean. Great vid

*You got a gift my boy. In playing the guitar and in restoration. Plus nothing beats the sound of a Gibson.*

Thats one of the coolest looking and best sounding old guitar I’ve ever seen. Old LPs and Strats are seemingly everywhere. You don’t see too many of these. And something like this is what an old working bluesman would have played.

10:47 and 12:03 those unbelievable notes damn near made me cry.. that beautiful guitar, so abused and neglected and now singing beautifully again as she should.. Thank you so much for this Matthew, this was truly special!

Oh man. I don't think I've ever heard a guitar that gave me that sort of reaction before. So unique and really just touched the right part of my brain. Wow. Please do not change the pickup

You are a magician who plies his trade with unbelievable skill and playing is as close to legendary as possible. Love it.

I love the look of the physical dips of the fretboard wear. Glad you kept it.

That's just amazing. It's hard to believe how compliant and receptive to repairs that guitar was considering it's age and condition. What a jewel. I certainly found immense satisfaction in seeing how little effort it took to bring it back. Also, it's surely a testament to your skill and attention to detail, but no amount of that can overcome a really defiant instrument. Just fantastic in all aspects.

Fantastic job honoring the soul of this guitar! As you said in the video, “it’s really a unique sound”, and a glorious sound it is. Felt like I was front row at the Fillmore East.

Beautiful job putting this relic back in service that's all it needed

Perhaps the best video you have released. The pickup is great as is. The magic is in the player’s soul and fingers. Great job all around.

Love all your videos, but the repair / restoration ones are always an extra special treat, and so inspirational. Great stuff!

It sounds great. The way the notes sustain and bloom is really nice.

Nice job nice subtle restore without destroying the petina

Thanks for showing the step by step process and the demo, it shows that both you and that guitar are aging very well. I think it sounds fine, call it done and be proud of your work. That's my opinion.

That's a lot of work for sure but what a beautifully sounding guitar! I heard the microphonics but it adds to the character of that vintage instrument!

I think the guitar sounds incredible. You did a great job of resurrecting it!!

Your way of playing is really intense ! No effect, a bit of crunch, much dinamics in your hands. So beautiful

So nice to see a craftsman at work, all done with love and care. Thank you for allowing us to watch,,

Love the way it looks and sounds. Congrats Scott!

A Melody Maker was the first electric guitar I ever played back in the 60's. Belonged to a friend who played way more than the three chords I knew at the time.

If you take a pencil and sand it in half lengthwise (and get the tip sharp) then you can lay it flat on the frets and mark the curvature onto the nut so you can see it when you cut the slots.

I love watching you work. I'm a Bass player. I do a little work on my gear. Nothing to complicated, I leave that to the professionals. Thank you. God bless.

I think you did amazing work. That guitar sounds magical.

I think a p-90 is a great option. If the guitar was mint condition I would say leave it alone but it’s not, so drop a p-90 in it. These are my favorite videos of yours to watch! Great work and great playing per usual.

Fantastic job Matt. Always a pleasure to watch you play and restore your equipment! The care you take and the respect to history you show is incredible.

I didn’t know you were so skilled in repair work! Not only an excellent player!

I totally enjoy what you do on this channel! Thank you for sharing these beautiful old guitar's with us. It's amazing how each & every one has it's own unique personality. It's magical!

I for one really enjoy the form factor of these videos, Matthew! A day in the life of a vintage guitar owner and repairer is a small escape from my run-of-the-mill workhorse instruments I own. 😂 Don't get me wrong, my instruments are my babies, but a guy's gotta have some aspirations!

I love the preservation approach over restoration any day. Bravo!

Heyo, Matthew! It does the heart good to see these rescue videos. Thanks to your interest and time there is one more Melody Maker back into the world, before your efforts there was one less. Great video, Thank You for sharing!

Great guitar, I really enjoyed watching the work done, thanks!

Wow! The sustain that Melody Maker has is incredible. A beautiful sounding piece of music history. Where do you find these gems?

This is a good example of why I love your RU-vid content. This was such a relaxing video to watch. And as always, your guitar playing is top-notch.

Great resto! Like that you didn't mess with the patina and fretboard wear. Exactly what makes a vintage guitar cool.

I predict melody makers will soon be rising in value. That sounds fabulous

What a project! I enjoyed watching the restore. She sounds amazing! She sings and hits some amazing notes. The pickup sounds amazing! I wouldn't change it. Keep it as is! Gorgeous piece of history!

I agree with some others. Don't route it for a P90. Enjoy it for what it is or put a Novak in it. I really enjoyed your playing and restoration work and the sound of this old dog. Great video. Thanks!

Nice job. I used to make classical and flamenco guitars. Fretting tip: Dehumidify the room and let your guitar acclimate to the dehumidified room. Don't go too dry or there will be problems. Do this before you start re-fretting and dressing the fret ends. When the guitar is reintroduced to the humidity of the location where it will live; the wood will swell a little and the fret ends will be just slightly shallow of the edge of the neck. If you do it right you're much less likely to get sharp little fret ends sicking out. Nice plying too, Matt. I can tell you're feeling the guitar.

Well done, terrific use of 15 minutes on a Sunday morning… motivated me to pull my single coil Melody Maker off the wall and grab my ceramic slide. Thanks for sharing!

OMG. I have one of these. It's my 'birthyear guitar'. Mine has 'Melody Maker' in white on the pick guard at the fret board end. My local luthier told me the neck has a 'twist' that was not able to be repaired even though he tried to 'reheat' it. So the intonation is bad as a result. But the guitar SINGS! I was so happy to find this video. Thank you!

What a beautiful old guitar,won't stop ringing.

For many years now, i have done what you are doing and it is very rewarding. make them play as good as they can and no one can say you did not do what you knew needed doing ,Your quest for tone has led you to the best place you could possibly discover. The magical years of Gibson and Fender guitars is simply magical in many ways. The magic of what you have discovered should last for at least another 500 years or more then they will become legend of the future beyond our lifetime .Most that truly understand know these instruments are legendary now.

That thing sounds amazing. I love how microphonic that old pickup is. Lots of accidental magic coming out of it.

Big fan of the restoration videos! It's awesome to see someone put genuine love and appreciation into an instrument like that.

Bro that thing sounds great but 99% of that is YOUR excellent ability to make it sing. Great job!

Matthew- what a great set of vids. There’s something about taking an old beat up anything and giving it new life that just pulls me in. But the best part was watching u synch up w the guitar as you played. Awesome. Keep these vids coming!

Nice Ax! Very, very sweet sound, Great for recording. Well done Sir! Pliladelphia Luthier Rocks Tech Tip: Get a cartridge respirator and do the bulk of your grinding on the bone nuts with a standard bench grinder. Use the side of the wheel instead of the edge and mark your cut with a sharpie. This'll save you a ton of time shaping the thing. After your finally done with the nut hit it somewhat lightly with some 400 grit wet sandpaper. Then 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 and finally Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish in that order. Bone polishes beautifully.

It's beautiful as it is and sounds lovely from here. Love the fact you didn't level the fretboard and kept the wear and tear. Great work and very interesting video. Loved the playing as well.

Your show is the best. Knowledge, entertainment and a true love of these instruments. Thank you!

Well done on giving it new life. Great understated playing too,

The sound is awesome. I'm glad that you're leaving the pickup it in. What a unique sound, especially the clean at the beginning. Love it.

I really enjoy watching you work and hearing you play. Thanks.

Always enjoy your repair videos. Good information session without being long winded. And hearing you play the guitar at the end of the video is always a treat.

What a mellow and beautiful sound. It may not be ideal for stage work, but for sensitive studio work, you've got a winner. Be well my friend.

Don’t change it. If it’s problematic for stage use keep it in the studio. Nice work and super tasty playing.

Finish the nut and make it play the best it can play but leave the rest alone. It has a very unique character both in sound and how it looks tells its story.

Been waiting for this one :). That guitar is giving off a very happy vibe. It's spirit is glad that you took care of it, healed it and made it whole so it could make music again. You and that guitar are destined for some good sounds young man! Get it on recordings. It's your friend and wants to be played by you. Don't you ever let it go. Best Regards and Best Wishes for 2023!

We got remember the age of this beauty and get the time she as played by !!!! Realy good job man !!!!! Story teller!!!

You made that look easy ! Nice job !

That guitar has a surprisingly distinctive sound. It's not quite like any guitar I have heard before. Good job.

Nice sound Matthew. I love how the sustains bring a sweet ring, yet the soft attack sound just right. Great work.

that is a magical piece of timber! Great video, thank you for sharing.

sounds amazing. and looks amazing. my favourite replacements song has that pickup sound. Yeah! I enjoy your restoration videos the most!

leave it as it is! Amazing work and playing! Thanks for the lovely video.

Love this kind of work, Matt :) Please do continue to make them for us. And well done on the repair work. It's apparent you are just getting better and better at all of that stuff as well. I love your playing, and that's how I found your channel. But other than that I am a junkie for Guitar DIY, Build, Rep and restoration videos and channels - so getting that as well from you, is a very welcommed treat ;) Keep up the good work and the amazing playing!

Thanks for being an authentic and honest YT channel. An Australian viewer.

Watched 2 of these and I'm hooked! Fantastic job and so articulately explained. Great playing as well!

guitar restoration is so relaxing to watch! thanks for the video!

Sounds so sweet. You obviously have the skills to renovate it. Well worth the effort !

I think you did a great job of a sympathetic restoration. Love it

An incredible restoration and a beautiful sound...just brilliant.

lovely done, lovely playing, lovely sound

One of the most beatifull tone that I ever heard! Such sustain!

Bought a reissue 1957 Les Paul Custom . "The original black beauty" , built by the Murphy Lab and I love it. A well spent investment.

Enjoying this beautiful video on a Saturday morning with a nice cup of coffee in my hand. What a treat! These vintage Gibsons have something to them...

That pickup is the perfect blend of a Tele bridge pickup and a P90! Keep it!

So rad. Really great to see your work on it. I love my 1960 Melody Maker D. Lollar makes a drop in P90 pickup and pickguard for Melody Makers. No routing necessary. All you have to solder is the bridge ground wire. I'm doing that to mine in a few weeks.

Happy 2023 to you Matthew. Nice way to wind down my week ( this being Friday & I’m FREE , from work at least till Monday again) enjoyed watching you breath some new life into your latest find . Sounded pretty Damn good , & yeah just a bit microphonic there in some instances, but It’s not that bad . I myself have a few too many guitars & while my Fender Strats handle my amps & volumes just fine , my Old Ibanez Artcore AS-73 isn’t as compliant & I have to adjust myself or amps to compensate. It’s all part of the game as they say . Enjoyed this post & best wishes in this new year man 👍👍

The value of old Melody Makers is about to go through the roof 🥴 Great restoration, great guitar, great playing as always 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Pretty cool practical approach to the chores at hand. AND.....WHAT A GREAT SOUND IT HAS.

Man, to restore this guitar, then play it like you made it......respect

You have heaps of cool guitars that you can play in a band setting. This one has lasted all those decades without being molested. Keep it original and let the legacy live on