Melody Maker
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Joan Jett was a founding member of the Runaways and, later, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Seeking a lighter instrument than her Les Paul, she bought her first Gibson Melody Maker from Eric Carmen of the Raspberries and used it to record hits such as “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Bad Reputation.” This example was Jett’s touring guitar from the 1980s to the present day. It is decorated with stickers celebrating feminism and gay identity, including a lesbian love symbol, a leather pride flag, and one that reads “girls kick ass.”
Technical Description:
Mahogany body and neck, ebony fingerboard; 22¾ in. scale; worn white finish; set neck with dot inlays; inlaid mother-of-pearl Gibson logo on headstock; one humbucking pickup prewired to pickguard, volume and tone controls; nickel tune-o-matic bridge and Grover tuners, one black and clear plastic knob and one white plastic knob, black plastic pickguard; painted over in white, killswitch added, tuners replaced, stickers added
Technical Description:
Mahogany body and neck, ebony fingerboard; 22¾ in. scale; worn white finish; set neck with dot inlays; inlaid mother-of-pearl Gibson logo on headstock; one humbucking pickup prewired to pickguard, volume and tone controls; nickel tune-o-matic bridge and Grover tuners, one black and clear plastic knob and one white plastic knob, black plastic pickguard; painted over in white, killswitch added, tuners replaced, stickers added
Artwork Details
- Title: Melody Maker
- Artist: Gibson (American, founded Kalamazoo, Michigan 1902)
- Artist: Joan Jett (American)
- Date: 1977
- Geography: Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States
- Medium: Mahogany, rosewood, plastic, nickel
- Dimensions: Length: 39 in. (99.1 cm)
Width: 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm)
Depth: 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm)
Weight: 5-7 lbs. - Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
- Credit Line: Courtesy of Joan Jett
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments