Gibson Joan Jett Blackheart Melody Maker Electric Guitar (with Case)

From laying the foundations of punk with The Runaways in the mid to late '70s, to scoring hit after hit with her own band The Blackhearts, Joan Jett has long been devoted to her Gibson guitars, and to one hard-traveled, heavily modified mutt of an old Melody Maker in particular.

Jett knows that her Gibson's--from the most elite Les Paul to the humblest "student" model--have the power to grind out the rock like no other guitar, and whether chunking down the punk power chords or wailing out scorching leads, they get the job done every time. "I got my Melody Maker in 1977," Jett says about the guitar she has made one of the most iconic instruments in rock and roll. "It was light and it sounded great. It was the guitar I had in the Runaways and then played on all my hits, like 'I Love Rock N' Roll' and 'Bad Reputation' and 'Do You Wanna Touch Me.' It's my baby."

To celebrate her achievements, Gibson USA introduces the Joan Jett Blackheart, a guitar made in the image of her own simple yet powerful go-to Gibson, but with upgraded appointments befitting a deluxe artist's model. With the Melody Maker's light and incredibly resonant solid-mahogany body, a quarter-sawn solid-mahogany neck with 17-degree headstock pitch, a Tune-o-matic (ABR-1) bridge with stopbar tailpice and a Corian nut to keep it all ringing true, and a single zebra-coil BurstBucker 3 pickup in the bridge position for a hot yet vintage response, the Joan Jett Blackheart is equipped for your most aggressive sonic assault,… read more while still capable of singing sweetly when desired.

Single Volume and Tone controls provide all the sound crafting you need, while a sideways mounted "kill switch" toggle lets you cut out when necessary, while avoiding any accidental dead air when you're thrashing hard. To dress up this lean, mean rockin' machine, the guitar's neck wears an ebony fingerboard with red dot inlays in the traditional positions of the single dots, with two white hearts at the 12th fret, and a satin ebony black nitrocellulose finish to let you know it means business. All guitars come with a plush-lined Joan Jett hardshell case, and a Gibson Owner's Manual with full care instructions. Check out a Joan Jett Blackheart at your authorized Gibson dealer, and get ready to rock.

Body
Species
The body of each Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart is crafted from solid mahogany, just like the original Melody Makers of the '60s. This classic tone wood has yielded some of the most sought-after tones in the history of rock.

Tonal Characteristics
Mahogany is a medium-dense wood with excellent resonance and superior sustain, and it offers a rich, round, warm tone, but with plenty of high-end sheen and good midrange presence. The mahogany of the Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart also lends a percussive snap and some added clarity to the tone of the guitar.

Design
The body of the Joan Jett Blackheart is made to the design of the Melody Maker of the early to mid '60s, with two cutaways for outstanding access to the neck's upper frets.

Weight
The total average weight of a Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart body is under 4 lbs, making for an extremely light finished guitar.

Finish
Color
The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart has a satin ebony finish.

Process
The guitar is hand-finished in nitrocellulose in a multi-step process that is carefully monitored to ensure minimum build-up, to produce a finish that breathes with the guitar and enhances natural resonance. Unlike many other manufacturers, who settle for a polyurethane finish, Gibson opts for a nitrocellulose finish that will encourage the natural vibration of the instrument for a purer tone. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous and actually gets thinner over time.

Surface Texture
The Joan Jett Blackheart has a grain-textured satin finish for a worn-in feel.

Neck and Headstock
Neck Species
The neck of the Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart is constructed from solid, quarter-sawn mahogany.

Tonal Characteristics
The slim, back-angled headstock and quarter-sawn mahogany neck work together with the solid mahogany body to provide exceptional tonal richness and extra resonance.

Neck Profile
The neck on the Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart is carved to Joan Jett's own requirements, with a fast yet comfortably rounded profile that measures 0.810" thick at the 1st fret, and 0.940" thick at the 12th.

Tolerance
When fitting the neck and body together, we take advantage of our precise measuring equipment so that all angles, pitches and alignments maintain a tolerance within .005 of an inch. Not only does this help to keep your guitar in tune but it also maintains proper string alignment relative to the fingerboard.

Joint
Although based on an entry level model, the Joan Jett Blackheart still benefits from Gibson's 100-plus years of craftsmanship in its glued-in neck joint. Gibson uses what is known as the Mortis & Tenon joint that perfectly sets the neck into the body resulting in the two pieces forming one solid unit. This time-tested technique has been used for millennia in all the great woodworking arts--from shipbuilding to cabinetry--to create one solid wood unit from two separate sections, and has been proven to yield a stronger neck and body than if the instrument was made from a single piece of wood.

Headstock
Angle
The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart headstock is carefully angled at Gibson's traditional 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.

Truss Rod
Gibson's traditional truss rod, found in most all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you'll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain.

Logo
A simple gold Gibson logo graces the top of the headstock face of the Joan Jett Blackheart.

Adhesive
The adhesive used to join neck and body is Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today.

Neck Pitch
The neck of the Joan Jett Blackheart is attached at a 3.25-degree angle. Fingerboard and Nut

Fingerboard
Species
The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart is equipped with an unbound ebony fingerboard, which enhances note attack and articulation. A hard, dense, dark-black exotic wood, ebony has commonly been regarded as a deluxe, upgraded option on electric guitars, and has been used by Gibson in the past on the Les Paul Custom. Ebony is also extremely hardwearing, and more resistant to humidity and climate and weather changes than many other fingerboard woods.

Frets
The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart sports 22 jumbo frets, all immaculately dressed and polished.

Tonal Characteristics
Ebony is a very popular up-market fingerboard material, known for its strong, clear tone. Radius
The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart fingerboard has the 12" radius that is preferred by the vast majority of rock players. It provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates "dead" or "choked out" notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.

Inlays
The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart fingerboard carries red dot position markers at frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 15, 17, 19, and 21, and two white hearts at the 12th fret.

Nut Material
The Joan Jett Blackheart's nut is made from Corian, which is mainly composed of acrylic polymer. This popular synthetic alternative to bone offers a very durable material, delivers enhanced sustain, and holds the tolerances of the precision cuts made in the slotting process. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard to ensure proper tone and sustain transfer, and its nut slots are cut with Gibson's PLEK system to ensure precise fit, break angle, and string spacing.

Nut Width
The width of the nut on the Joan Jett Blackheart is approximately 1.695", one of the most popular nut widths on Gibson guitars through the course of the company's history.

Pickups
Pickups Model
The Joan Jett Blackheart is equipped with a single zebra coil (black-and-cream) BurstBucker 3 pickup in the bridge position. Recognized as one of Gibson's most accurate vintage PAF humbucker reproductions, the BurstBucker 3 is made with an unpolished Alnico II magnet and enamel-coated wire just like the originals of the late '50s, and is wound to replicate a higher output range that only a small percentage of the original pickups presented. Also like the originals, that were produced with hand-operated machinery, the BurstBucker 3 has slightly mismatched coils for more edge and "single-coil" like snap and clarity in the final tone.

Tonal Characteristics
The BurstBucker 3 offers an outstanding blend of punch and power, with enough output to grind out crunching power cords and singing leads alike, while it can also wail sweetly with plenty of depth and warmth when the Tone and Volume are dialed back.

Electronics
Volume and Tone Controls
With a single pickup, the Joan Jett Blackheart uses single Volume and Tone controls. The former consists of a high-quality 300k linear pot, while the latter comprises a 500k non-linear pot with a .022uF capacitor for a smooth, natural attenuation of highs.

Toggle Switch
The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart features a single two-way "kill switch" that can turn off all sound from the guitar when instant silence is desired. It is mounted sideways (with an east-to-west orientation) so it can't accidentally be knocked into the "off" position while playing. For the creative guitarist this also opens up some possibilities for dramatic electronic on/off stacatto effects.

Output Jack
The guitar features a 1/4" output jack made by Switchcraft. Its super heavy duty construction holds your guitar cable securely in place.

Hardware
Tuning Keys
The headstock of the Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart is equipped with Mini Grover tuners with chrome buttons and an efficient 14:1 gear ratio. These tuners were a popular upgrade on several classic electric guitars of the '60s and '70s.

Trussrod Cover
As with most Gibson guitars, the truss rod cover on the Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart is made from black and white vinyl plastic and shaped like an antique bell. On this model, the truss-rod cover is engraved with Joan Jett's signature.

Strap Buttons
The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart's aluminum strap buttons are the same style and design that Gibson has used since the early 1950s.

Pickguard
The Jett Blackheart has a traditional Melody Maker-style single-ply black pickguard.

Bridge
In 1954, Gibson revolutionized guitar hardware when it debuted the Tune-o-matic bridge, setting a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. Included on the Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart, the tune-o-matic provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields excellent coupling between strings and body, maximizing resonance, tone, and sustain. This bridge is made from Zamak then plated with chrome.

Tailpiece
Every Tune-o-matic bridge is combined with a separate "stopbar" tailpiece, which is essentially a modified version of the earlier wraparound bridge that's designed to further enhance the connection between the strings and the body. The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart's stopbar tailpiece is made from Zamak then plated with chrome.

Control Knobs
The control knobs on the Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart are Gibson's black witch-hat knobs with silver inserts, found on many vintage and modern Gibson guitars.

Strings
The Gibson USA Joan Jett Blackheart is fitted with genuine Gibson strings, sizes .010 - .046. read less