Gibson SG
The
Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied
electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s.
In mid
1960, the
Gibson Guitar Corporation felt that the
Les Paul signature model, introduced in
1952, had run its course, and decided to change the design. This new design, with a slim double-cutaway body featuring prominent
scarfing around the edges and cutaways, was officially issued in the
1961 model year as a Les Paul signature model. The main idea was to compete with the double cutaway
Fender Stratocaster, which gave players easy access to the higher frets. After
Les Paul's endorsement contract with Gibson lapsed in
1962, the guitar was renamed the 'SG' (an abbreviation for 'solid guitar,' according to Gibson's website) at the end of the
1963 model year.
The 1961-1963 Custom models did not say 'SG', but they did, however, have a Les Paul signature between the neck and the neck
pickup. The Standards have a Les Paul engraved truss rod cover from 1961 to early 1963. Models produced between 1961 and 1965 have the original small pickguard; in 1966 the guitar was redesigned slightly with a different neck joint, most likely to address problems with cracking at the heel, and a larger, semi-symmetrical "batwing" pickguard. This design held until roughly 1970. In 1971 Gibson released a version with a floating "Les Paul" style pickguard and a front-mounted control plate, no doubt as a cost-cutting measure.
Bigsby tailpieces appeared as options and several new models were introduced with this design, such as the low-end SG-100 and SG-200 guitars, and the more luxurious SG Pro and SG Deluxe guitars. In 1973 the design went back to the original style pickguard and rear-mounted controls but with the neck now set further into the body, joining roughly at the 20th fret. By the end of the 1970s, however, the SG models returned to the old design style for the most part, and current versions have returned to the 1966 styling and construction with the large pickguard, which wraps around the pickups on the guitar body (though re-issues and variants of the small pickguard SG are still available).
The SG shape was also offered in a Junior model similar to the Les Paul Junior before it. This model had a single "dogear"
P-90 pickup and an optional whammy bar. The SG Special was introduced not long after, which featured two
P-90 pickups and the optional whammy bar; this model has shown up again recently as the SG Classic while the current SG Special now has two uncovered humbucking pickups.
Gibson now offers many variations and finishes on the basic SG body style, including models such as Special, Supreme, Angus Young Special, Faded, 1961 Re-issue, Menace, and Gothic., as well as premium-priced VOS replicas of the sixties SG Special, Standard, and Custom. Epiphone, a company owned by Gibson, produces a less expensive replica known as the G-400 and also produced an "Elitist" '61 SG reissue up starting in 2003 up until the end of 2005.
Physically, the SG has a shallower body than the Les Paul, and thus is much lighter; the neck profile is also typically shallower, although this varies from year to year and guitar to guitar. The body is made entirely of mahogany, and does not have the curved, maple top section of the earlier design; neither does it have the accompanying binding. Perhaps the most striking visual difference is that the SG is a double-cutaway instrument. The standard SG shares the basic electrical layout (twin humbuckers with dedicated tone and volume controls, three position selector switch) with the standard Les Paul.
The SG Special was the guitar of choice for
Pete Townshend of
The Who during the "
Tommy" era.
Eric Clapton's main guitar with
Cream from March 1967 to mid-1968 was an SG Standard.
Carlos Santana &
Barry Melton played SG Specials at Woodstock in 1969. From the 1970s on,
Angus Young of
AC/DC and
Tony Iommi, of
Black Sabbath have significantly boosted the SG's popularity with their loyal usage. Besides
Young and
Iommi, the instrument became synonymous with many pioneering
hard rock and
heavy metal guitarists of that era including
Wayne Kramer (
MC5),
Glen Buxton and
Michael Bruce (
Alice Cooper),
Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and
Eric Bloom (
Blue Öyster Cult) and
Mick Box (
Uriah Heep).
Other guitarists notable for their use of SG's:
|
Angus Young currently has his own signature model of the SG. |
*
Duane Allman*
Dickey Betts *
John Cipollina *
Jerry Garcia *
Robby Krieger *
Pepper Keenan *
Frank Marino *
John McLaughlin *
Mike Oldfield *
Sister Rosetta Tharpe *
Glenn Tipton *
Derek Trucks *
Hank Williams, Jr. *
Link Wray *
Frank Zappa*
Jimi Hendrix (normally associated with using a
Fender Stratocaster) used a white SG model for his September 9th, 1969, guest appearance on the
Dick Cavett Show.
photo of Hendrix from the Dick Cavett performance*
George Harrison (normally associated with Strats and Teles, also with Casinos) used a SG on Rain and other 1966 videos.
*
Gibson Guitar Corporation*
Gibson EDS-1275, commonly seen as a double-necked SG
*
Guitar Hero, a game by
Harmonix and Red Octane that uses a miniature Gibson SG as a controller.
*
Gibson website*
Detail on Pete Townshend's 1963 SG*
BBC News item regarding George Harrison's Gibson SG*
FAQ article about Eric Clapton's "The Fool" SG
