New (Old) Guitar Day

Mototech

I already own a 1965 Melody Maker D, which is currently being refinished by Daniels Guitars, 1965 being my birth year.

I came accross this & couldn't resist it. Another '65 Melody Maker, but modified in a Pat Travers style. It has been fitted with a pair of embossed cover pickups, most likely from 1972 & the pots & capacitors have been changed to suit the humbuckers. The pots are dated 1973, so it is safe to assume that is when the conversion took place.

It plays very similarly to my other one, but the humbuckers make it a very different machine from  the original, now all I need is one fitted with P90's!

Rabs

Nice.. I like that.. An upgraded classic 

SteveRobinson

Love that. It's been upgraded in a good way

Mototech

SteveRobinson said:

Love that. It's been upgraded in a good way

That's what I thought, well done too, lookslike it left the factory like that.

JezWynd

Excellent upgrade and nice to see one in such good condition; so often they've been trashed.

Mototech

JezWynd said:

Excellent upgrade and nice to see one in such good condition; so often they've been trashed.

I was assured it had never been refinished,  so is in amazing condition for a 55 year old guitar.

Funkfingers

Certainly tidier than my single pickup '65. (Mine is all original except for the Mojoaxe bridge currently installed.) 

What machineheads are you using? 

Regarding P90 sounds, if you have the Skylark single coil pickups, try rolling the tone pots back to somewhere between 5 and 7.

Seymour Duncan and Kurtis Novak both now P90-voiced pickups under MM/Skylark covers.

Mototech

Funkfingers said:

Certainly tidier than my single pickup '65. (Mine is all original except for the Mojoaxe bridge currently installed.) 

What machineheads are you using? 

Regarding P90 sounds, if you have the Skylark single coil pickups, try rolling the tone pots back to somewhere between 5 and 7.

Seymour Duncan and Kurtis Novak both now P90-voiced pickups under MM/Skylark covers.

Machine heads are Kluson Deluxe,  I'm assuming fitted at the same time as the other mods, though the original heads on my other one hold tune very well.

I really like the original pickups in my D, as you say, the tone control is very effective, but If I could find one that had real P90's fitted I'd be very tempted by it.

AK99

Jz - I haven't so much as heard of Pat Travers since I loaned my 'Makin; Magic' album to a friend about 40 years ago now

Mototech said:

Another '65 Melody Maker, but modified in a Pat Travers style. 

What are the Pat Travers mods - twin pickups ?

Mototech

AK99 said:

Jz - I haven't so much as heard of Pat Travers since I loaned my 'Makin; Magic' album to a friend about 40 years ago now

Mototech said:

Another '65 Melody Maker, but modified in a Pat Travers style. 

What are the Pat Travers mods - twin pickups ?

Yes, his had twin humbuckers fitted in place of the single coils.

AK99

Nice. That thing is in superb condition. Hope you enjoy it

Funkfingers

Mototech said:

If I could find one that had real P90's fitted, I'd be very tempted by it.

The baseplates of the Skylark single coil pickups are surprisingly wide. Hence, the pickup cavities are sufficiently generous to accommodate a soapbar P90 without alteration to the wood.