Brand: Gibson
Instrument Categories: Electric, Guitars, SOLD, Solidbody
The Gibson SG Special first appeared in 1959, but as a Les Paul model featuring a slab body with rounded double cutaways. For 1961, the Les Paul line was completely redesigned and by 1963 the SG name replaced Les Paul’s. The SG Special was popular throughout the 1960’s and was famously used by Pete Townsend for many shows and recordings including Live at Leeds (there a 1968 model).
Here we’re looking at a Gibson SG Special in the classic Gibson cherry finish, with the short Vibrola tailpiece and compensated ‘stop bar’ bridge combination. In overall good condition, the primary wear is to the frets and fingerboard – this guitar has been used as intended! The finish, while showing natural lacquer checking has a few wear spots but is generally complete. Soon after this example was built, Gibson began fitting a larger, ‘Bat Wing’ pickguard.
The construction of the Gibson SG Special is fairly simple. The body is a one-piece slab of Honduran Mahogany, as is the neck. The fingerboard is Brazilian Rosewood, typical of the period, and features binding and dot position markers. The headstock is painted black with a gold Gibson decal. For hardware, strip-mounted Kluson Deluxe tuners with creme buttons are at the head and the Vibrola and Stop Bar Bridge at the other end of the strings. Electronics include a pair of P-90 pickups with a selector switch, individual volume and tone controls, and an output jack. The neck pickup is, as stock, moved away from the fingerboard than on early models to improve neck joint strength and stability.
This is a very cool, great sounding guitar!
This Gibson SG Special is sold with an aluminum flight case – definitely not the original case!
- Model: SG Special
- Year: 1965
- Finish Cherry Red
- Class: Vintage
- Serial Number: 324882, built during 1965 in Kalamazoo Michigan
- Country of Origin: USA
- Condition: Good
- Date Posted: 01/02/2021
- This instrument has been sold
- Consignment Item
- Including None case
- Instrument Weight: 6.6lbs 3kg
- Scale Length: 24.75in 628.6mm
- Nut Width: 1.697in 43.11mm
