Gibson Sg Neck Width
With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, most now regard 1950s Goldtops, Juniors, Specials, Standards and Customs as some of the greatest solidbody guitars ever made. Even so, Fender was helping itself to a big slice of the guitar pie and there is a clear sense that Gibson felt itself struggling to adapt.In an attempt to appear less stuffy and conservative, Gibson went from the sublime to the outlandish, and in 1958 shocked the guitar world with the Flying V and Explorer models. Neither proved successful commercially, so after a brief pause Gibson tried again and the body shape we now associate with the SG made its debut in 1961.Gibson began using the SG designation in 1960, and the SG Special of that year was essentially identical to the double-cutaway 1959 Les Paul Special. However from 1961 SG models were very different, with 19th fret body joints and a far thinner double-cutaway body with extensive edge contouring and pointy horns.The Junior, Special, Standard and Custom models all acquired the new look and for a while the Les Paul name was retained. However Les himself didn’t take to the new design because he felt it lacked sustain and was insufficiently stable structurally.
It also bothered him that he would get an unwanted vibrato from the bendy neck, however a certain Pete Townshend would later exploit that characteristic to great effect.And it’s the Townshend association that inspired owner Craig Wallace to track down this stunning 1969 SG Special. Les Paul was right about the structural issues and as well as the usual headstock breaks, many vintage SGs have suffered breaks at the body joint – something virtually unheard of with the earlier Les Pauls. Fortunately this example has survived almost 50 years virtually unscathed. We don’t believe it’s had a particularly hard life, because there is hardly any evidence of playwear, and even the guitar’s case is in fantastic condition – fusty old guitar odour notwithstanding. With that in mind, it’s probably safe to assume this one escaped the attentions of would-be Townshends.The Brazilian rosewood fingerboard is in excellent condition, along with the factory-fitted nut.
Although they are very low and wide, even the frets are original, and the fret nibs are mostly intact. The cherry finish is in outstanding condition and retains most of its hue. We can’t find any lacquer checking, and the very few dents and dings are small and superficial. There is some buckle rash, but it’s fairly minor and hasn’t broken through the finish.Unlike Townshend, Craig prefers to leave the Vibrola tailpiece on his guitar rather than expose the three telltale holes on the front of the body. With the arm removed and stored safely in the case, the guitar is strung up wrapover-style with the original ‘stair step’ compensated bridge. The bridge and tailpiece are chrome-plated and the original tuners would have been, too.Impressed outlines on the rear of the headstock reveal that Craig’s guitar was fitted with the lesser seen and poorly regarded three-on-a-plate open-geared tuners. Instead, Schallers have been added, and they provide smooth and stable tuning without adding too much neck heaviness.
Gibson Sg Nut Width
For reasons we can’t fully explain, this is probably the best-balanced SG we’ve ever encountered.The original switch tip’s thread deteriorated, so it has also been retired to the case, but the guitar retains its original poker chip, scratchplate, knobs and pickup covers. Inside the control cavity all the wiring and solder joints are original and untouched. Ceramic capacitors bridge the CTS pots, which have date codes from the latter half of 1969.The cavity has a brass lining for shielding with foil backing the cover plate. Cherry lacquer on the ground wire indicates that it was installed prior to spraying and where the sides of the cavity are untouched by lacquer, you can see Gibson’s original shade of deep cherry wood stain.In UseThis must have been one of the last non-volute necks and it’s comfortable but still a handful. However it’s quite different in feel from a late-50s Gibson profile and more a deep ‘U’ in shape.
SGs can feel rather flimsy sometimes, but thanks to its neck, this example feels quite robust and solid while remaining lightweight and acoustically lively.This guitar exhibits impressive sustain, precise and clear top end sparkle, and a percussive thump in the bass. It’s a tad smoother, woodier and more compressed that the 1957 TV Special we featured last year.
In contrast, the ’57 Special was brighter, louder and had more harmonic richness in the midrange.Playing this guitar is almost effort free. The action is so low and the frets so flat that you can whizz around this neck like lightning. It almost goes without saying that upper fret access couldn’t be much easier and your fingers might venture into higher altitudes than they are accustomed to.Irrespective of the non-50s tone control wiring, these P-90s clean up just as nicely as any 1950s Special or Junior we’ve played. There is no loss of clarity and it can go from brutal powerchords into a sound not dissimilar to an acoustic tone. Given Townshend’s later preference for piezo pickup-equipped bridges on his Strats, it’s no wonder that SG Specials were his main stage guitars between 1968 and 1971.Although the frets are low, we don’t experience any difficulties bending strings or adding finger vibrato. It seems the trick is to set the action a little higher above the frets than you usually would so you can get some purchase under the strings. It helps that the set of 0.010s on this guitar feel more like a set of 0.009s.The controls take some getting used to because it’s all too easy to bash the switch when you’re adjusting volume and the jack socket location causes access issues with the tone controls unless you use a right-angled plug.
Intonation is also a bit of an issue, but only on the G-string. One has to wonder why, when they finally got around to making a compensated wrapover tailpiece, Gibson calibrated it for a wound G.All things considered, the minor quirkiness enhances the guitar and the tone and playability are every bit as impressive as the condition. It’s all about midrange raunch, sweet upper midrange bite and a hint of woody aggression with fast and feather light action. Craig informs us that although he doesn’t currently gig with it, this SG Special is his main home guitar and is often taken to band rehearsals.Judging by the condition, we think it might end up seeing more action with him than it did in its first 49 years!Key Features1969 Gibson SG Special. 0007DESCRIPTION Solidbody electric guitar. Made in the USA.
0007 BUILD Solid mahogany body, glued-in mahogany neck with bound Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, dot markers and 22 frets. 0007 HARDWARE Schaller tuners (replacements). 0007 ELECTRICS 2x P-90 single-coil pickups, 2x volumes, 2x tones, 3-way selector switch. 0007 FINISH Cherry nitrocellulose. 0007 SCALE LENGTH 628mm/24.75”.
Gibson Sg Parts
0007 NECK WIDTH 38mm at nut, 50mm at 12th fret. 0007 NECK DEPTH 21mm at first fret, 25mm at 12th fret.
0007 STRING SPACING 34mm at nut, 51mm at bridge. 0007 WEIGHT 3.57kg/7.88lbs.
Product DescriptionThe double-cutaway Gibson SG, known as the “solid guitar,” turns heads, fills ears with incredible tones, and captures the imagination. Stability, balance, and blistering speed are the hallmarks of this instrument – these are the reasons so many of history’s most influential guitarists have made the SG their instrument of choice.
The GIbson SG is adaptable and is fully equipped to handle rock, blues, metal, pop, jazz, and a number of other musical stylings. Originally released in 1961, a variation of the instrument fitted with two PAF Gibson humbuckers officially took on the name “SG Standard” in 1963.
The popularity of the model exploded and the rest, as they say, is history!The brand new 2019 Gibson SG Standard captures the pure essence and feeling of those original SG instruments, all while implementing modern build techniques and fresh design details to for today’s guitarists. A pair of Gibson humbuckers, the 490R and 490T, drive the Gibson SG Standard’s voice and tonal flavor, while the consistency of the solid body provides outstanding playability. Product ReviewI suppose this is what you get for purchasing a restock item, but this instrument is in pretty rough shape. I looking forward to my first experience with a Gibson and was hoping for a easy instrument to travel with. When I received the instrument, there was loose Pick-ups that interfered with strings at the first fret and problems with staying in tune.
I took it too a luthier for set up and he was puzzled about how I received an axe in this condition. On the bright side, the soft case was the most impressive I've seen and I look forward to travel with it.
Can't wait to get it back from repair to see what all the excitement is about owning a Gibson SG!!! Copyright © 1996-2019 American Musical Supply, Inc. All rights reserved. American Musical Supply reserves the right to correct pricing and/or product specifications in the event of typographical errors found in our print catalog or on our website. If a product is listed at an incorrect price due to such errors or because of inaccurate information received from a supplier, American Musical Supply shall have the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed, whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged. If your credit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is canceled, American Musical Supply will issue a credit to your credit card account in the amount of the charge.