Gibson SG/Les Paul Junior Owned and Played by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco Solid Body Electric Guitar (1963)
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Gibson SG/Les Paul Junior Owned and Played by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1963), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 124123, cherry lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, original black chipboard case.
This is a great original SG/Les Paul Junior, so called because although built to the sleek sculpted SG design, it still carries the "Les Paul" stencil on the headstock. Gibson deleted these markings in the third quarter of 1963, so this is a very late example. This guitar has recently emerged from the Wilco Loft in Chicago, a bit worn in but a featherweight little screamer.
The bottom-of-the-line Junior distills the essence of Gibson's 1960's sculpted solidbody aesthetic down to the minimum. Fittings on the cherry-finished body and neck are no frills in the extreme, with a single P-90 pickup, solid bar bridge and endless unadorned fingerboard to play on. While originally marketed as a student instrument SG Juniors have been a prime choice for professional players for decades, especially in the hard rock zone. This one remains original except for a later chrome stoptail and retains the classic look and feel.
The neck has the full 1 11/16" nut width and an evolved version of the flatter profile Gibson introduced in 1960-61, but with a more depth and roundness than those. It has a perfect "not to skinny, not too fat" feel. It is a set into the older style squared heel joint; since there is no neck pickup rout Juniors do not generally suffer the heel issues that often plague vintage twin-pickup SGs.
This guitar features one hot "dogear" plastic covered P-90 positioned close to the solid stud-mounted bridge, both standard fittings Gibson used throughout the '60s. The knobs are the metal capped variety common to this era, the pots are dated to the 21st week of 1963. There is no vibrato, which became increasingly rare in the mid-60s; You needed a whammy to play many hits of the day so "stoptail" Juniors became less popular in this surf & twang period than they would be later on, but most players now prefer them.
A grand total of 2318 Juniors shipped out in 1963 just as the guitar boom was heading towards its peak. By the turn of 1965/66 all SG's were built with a large "swimming pool" center body rout covered by an expanded pickguard allowing bodies in stock to be assembled into any SG or Melody Maker model, and this version was lost for decades. This Junior is a little screamer of a guitar, a fantastic and super handy rock machine but also more versatile in operation than many think (Just ask Chris Spedding!). SG's are a mainstay at the Wilco loft but this cherry gem is now looking for a new loving home!
Overall length is 40 in. (101.6 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) deep. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 in. (25 mm.)., 6.09 lbs.
This is a lightly worn in but superb player's guitar showing general wear but no structural damage or repair. The original cherry finish has less fade than many retaining a strong deep color; the only noticeable fade is as typical on the back of the neck. The lacquer shows light checking and randomly scattered dings, scrapes, dents and chips, most heavily on the edges. The top has one noticeable long scratch and a couple of deeper dings, the back has a few heavier dings but no serious buckle wear. The back of the neck has some fade and rub wear but only fairly minor dings, not distracting while playing. The headstock has wear to the back edge and some dings and chips.
There are no cracks or structural repairs. The hardware is a all original except for a later chrome-plated stop tailpiece in the correct style mounted on the original nickel studs. The "heart of the guitar" P-90 pickup remains original as does all the wiring. The original knobs are banged up a bit but still intact. The original pickguard has shrunk up somewhat with a split at the rearmost screw hole and the lower forward tip has popped off. The tuners are the original Kluson Deluxe strips and still work well.
The original larger frets show surprisingly little wear, the nut is original as well. The neck angle is better than many and the lack of a vibrato is a definite asset for the rock-oriented player. This guitar plays excellent with a bright ringing sound even unplugged; when paired with a lively amp it really comes to life. From a playing standpoint this is a particularly friendly Junior. It is still housed in the original black chipboard case, more solid than many over 60 years along with the Wilco Loft tag reading "JT 63 Gibson Les Paul Junior Cherry" along the bottom edge. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a great original SG/Les Paul Junior, so called because although built to the sleek sculpted SG design, it still carries the "Les Paul" stencil on the headstock. Gibson deleted these markings in the third quarter of 1963, so this is a very late example. This guitar has recently emerged from the Wilco Loft in Chicago, a bit worn in but a featherweight little screamer.
The bottom-of-the-line Junior distills the essence of Gibson's 1960's sculpted solidbody aesthetic down to the minimum. Fittings on the cherry-finished body and neck are no frills in the extreme, with a single P-90 pickup, solid bar bridge and endless unadorned fingerboard to play on. While originally marketed as a student instrument SG Juniors have been a prime choice for professional players for decades, especially in the hard rock zone. This one remains original except for a later chrome stoptail and retains the classic look and feel.
The neck has the full 1 11/16" nut width and an evolved version of the flatter profile Gibson introduced in 1960-61, but with a more depth and roundness than those. It has a perfect "not to skinny, not too fat" feel. It is a set into the older style squared heel joint; since there is no neck pickup rout Juniors do not generally suffer the heel issues that often plague vintage twin-pickup SGs.
This guitar features one hot "dogear" plastic covered P-90 positioned close to the solid stud-mounted bridge, both standard fittings Gibson used throughout the '60s. The knobs are the metal capped variety common to this era, the pots are dated to the 21st week of 1963. There is no vibrato, which became increasingly rare in the mid-60s; You needed a whammy to play many hits of the day so "stoptail" Juniors became less popular in this surf & twang period than they would be later on, but most players now prefer them.
A grand total of 2318 Juniors shipped out in 1963 just as the guitar boom was heading towards its peak. By the turn of 1965/66 all SG's were built with a large "swimming pool" center body rout covered by an expanded pickguard allowing bodies in stock to be assembled into any SG or Melody Maker model, and this version was lost for decades. This Junior is a little screamer of a guitar, a fantastic and super handy rock machine but also more versatile in operation than many think (Just ask Chris Spedding!). SG's are a mainstay at the Wilco loft but this cherry gem is now looking for a new loving home!
Overall length is 40 in. (101.6 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) deep. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 in. (25 mm.)., 6.09 lbs.
This is a lightly worn in but superb player's guitar showing general wear but no structural damage or repair. The original cherry finish has less fade than many retaining a strong deep color; the only noticeable fade is as typical on the back of the neck. The lacquer shows light checking and randomly scattered dings, scrapes, dents and chips, most heavily on the edges. The top has one noticeable long scratch and a couple of deeper dings, the back has a few heavier dings but no serious buckle wear. The back of the neck has some fade and rub wear but only fairly minor dings, not distracting while playing. The headstock has wear to the back edge and some dings and chips.
There are no cracks or structural repairs. The hardware is a all original except for a later chrome-plated stop tailpiece in the correct style mounted on the original nickel studs. The "heart of the guitar" P-90 pickup remains original as does all the wiring. The original knobs are banged up a bit but still intact. The original pickguard has shrunk up somewhat with a split at the rearmost screw hole and the lower forward tip has popped off. The tuners are the original Kluson Deluxe strips and still work well.
The original larger frets show surprisingly little wear, the nut is original as well. The neck angle is better than many and the lack of a vibrato is a definite asset for the rock-oriented player. This guitar plays excellent with a bright ringing sound even unplugged; when paired with a lively amp it really comes to life. From a playing standpoint this is a particularly friendly Junior. It is still housed in the original black chipboard case, more solid than many over 60 years along with the Wilco Loft tag reading "JT 63 Gibson Les Paul Junior Cherry" along the bottom edge. Overall Excellent - Condition.