Circa 1953 Custom Built Melita Double Cut Electric Guitar! DeArmond Dynasonics, Grover Tuners!

Up for sale is this vintage circa 1953 Melita custom built electric guitar. This thing is super cool and the epitome of "1950's forward thinking" and we will do our best to describe the instrument and it's back story...

This guitar came out of Philadelphia a few years ago and was attributed to being built either by or for Sebastiano “Johnny” Melita, who was of course the designer of the Melita bridge. While we don't have documentation of this, the story absolutely makes sense when you study the instrument.

We will start with the fact that the original Melita bridge found on this instrument includes the *stupid rare* original string mute, which we have only seen on a few other Melita bridges over the years. We are sure that Melita was in well with Gretsch at this point, which explains the early metal Gretsch knobs that lack the G or arrow branding to the tops, the DeArmond Dynasonic pickups, and the open-back Grover keys (which were found on a number of Gretsch instruments). The Gretsch association also makes sense when it comes the two piece neck construction and the shape of the neck heel and end cap. The Philadelphia connection is further corroborated by the mid-1970's Philadelphia newspaper page that we found in one of the back cavities (pictured and put back inside).

The organ-pipe tailpiece is homemade and is a pretty impressive piece in itself. The original aluminum nut is an early homemade attempt at an adjustable nut. It, along with the tailpiece, is very, very cool.

The instrument plays well, but the original brass frets do show wear and the instrument has a touch of relief in the neck which does not have an adjustable truss rod. While the action is low and comfortable, there's a decent amount of fret buzz on the fretboard and it could use a refret to be 100%. Since it is original, we have opted to leave it alone. The body has a seam separation on the back near the tailpiece, but it is sturdy and doesn't require any attention at this time.

Electronically, the pots date to 1953. When this guitar came in, the bridge pickup was replaced with a dead Hofner pickup. We sourced an original Dynasonic from our parts stash for the bridge position and had our tech install it. The holes from Hofner pickup show slightly from underneath the base of the DeArmond. Due to the age of the wiring, we wanted to go as non-invasive as possible, so the controls are no all functional. The original three-way toggle switch is touchy and has to be in the right spot, but both pickups function. There is a master volume and a master tone, but the other controls are currently not functional.

It appears that Mr. Melita had this built and then used it to test ideas over the years. The hole in the pickguard (which is VERY cool, rolled material much like 1950's Gibson truss rod covers) goes into the body as well, but nothing appears to have ever been wired up there. The black plastic plate on the back and the routing underneath looks to be a later attempt at weight relief, as the guitar is solid maple and a bit on the heavy side. The neck is chunky and has a slight v-shape to it as it heads towards the body. On top of feeling great, look at that flame in the maple!

Overall, while it lacks documentation, we are pretty darn certain of what this is and are willing to stick with the story. If anyone has any additional information, we would love to have it. In parts alone, there's a small fortune here, but this guitar very much needs to find the right home and continue to make music.

No case is included, but this instrument will ship in a brand new, padded gig bag and will be well-packed to ensure safe shipping.

Please be sure to check out our other listings for more great items!

THE FINE PRINT: Most of our items are used/vintage. That being said, all sales are FINAL and we do not offer returns. We only ship within the US. We do NOT make exceptions to this rule. We do not accept online trades. Please check our feedback and buy with confidence. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us!