Gibson SG Custom Solid Body Electric Guitar (1969)
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Gibson SG Custom Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1969), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 880805, walnut lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.
This is a fairly rare variation of the Gibson SG Custom, the top line model in their sculpted solid body series. This Custom was built in 1969, when a lot of things were in flux in Kalamazoo. The re-introduction of the original 1950s style Les Pauls was a roaring success, but the SG's still stood their ground in the hyper-amplified music of the day and remained very popular. Still the Custom was always an expensive guitar, and shipped in much smaller quantities than other SG variants.
This '69 Custom shows a number of changes from earlier 1960s models. The most obvious is the finish; the stock color was white up into 1969, when it was changed to this more natural looking "walnut" livery in deference to the hippie aesthetic of the times. In 1966 all SG's had been modified with a large center body rout covered by an expanded pickguard allowing bodies in stock to be assembled into any SG or Melody Maker model. This guitar's three humbucking pickups are hung beneath the 3-ply white pickguard instead of mounted to separate rings as earlier examples. The gold-capped plastic knobs are the late '60s "witch hat' style. Besides the large pickguard it also has the streamlined and much more solid neck joint adopted at the same time, which finally cured the heel issues that plagued earlier SG's.
The neck itself is a 3 piece mahogany laminate with no volute or made in USA on the back of the headstock; these would arrive in 1970. It is very skinny at the nut (a hair under 1 9/16") but surprisingly deep, especially as it approaches the body. The third digit in the original serial number got mis-stamped and is not really legible. The bound ebony fingerboard has genuine pearl block inlay and the very small, flat "fretless wonder" fretwire preferred by Les Paul himself. The multi-bound headstock sports the Super 400 style split diamond inlay and is fitted with Kluson Sealfast "Waffleback" tuners. The Gibson catalog touted the "New extra-slim, low action neck" as a standout feature.
All hardware is gold plated including the Deluxe long-plate Gibson Vibrola, de rigeur in the mid-60s but falling out of favor in the "heavy" later 60s. The neck angle is amazingly sharp, quite the most oblique we have EVER seen on a period SG with tons of break off the Vibrola so it actually works well. This is a fairly short-lived version of the Custom; by the end of 1971 SG models lost the large pickguard, going thru some more changes before settling down to the familiar mid-70s style.
This guitar retains all 3 original Patent # pickups and wiring with visible pot codes to the 28th week of 1969. The pickups are quite powerful sounding, but the middle position is VERY out-of-phase, in "wild dog" territory! It is a fairly rare guitar;
only 451 Customs shipped that year compared to over 3300 SG Standards. Taking the decade as a whole the figures are even more striking; from 1961-70 only 2641 Customs were sold compared to over 21,000 Standards. The List price September 1969 was $525 plus $73.00 for the #0537 deluxe gold-plush lined shaped hardshell case. This one was first bought right here in Brooklyn, with an original receipt from December 23, 1970 (right before Christmas!) from the Sam Ash on King's Highway in the case pocket. He got the guitar for $395 plus $52 for the case, a fairly substantial discount from list!
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 13 1/4 in. (33.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This is a nice example of this relatively rare Gibson creation, with a great vibe showing not all that much play time over 55 years. There is a small repair to the back of the body just below the neck heel, where it looks like perhaps the guitar took a hit on the strap button. There is a sealed grain split on either side of the screwed-in strap button, with stress marks extending along the finish seams on the treble side of the heel. This area is completely solid and going nowhere but is visible; whatever happened the much more vulnerable spots at the neck heel itself and especially the headstock show no damage at all.
This all-original dark lacquer finish shows light checking on the body and the headstock face and only minor wear with some scuffs, dings and a few chips on the back edges. The back of the neck has some tiny feelable dinks and one larger filled in ding behind the 11th fret area. The frets are the original "fretless wonder" flat-crowned narrow wire, they are very low but show minimal wear and still playable. Most modern players would prefer other wire; a refret can be easily arranged but we have left the instrument in its original state for now.
The guitar in fact remains all original except for a couple of screws on the back panel. The pickups are three original patent # humbuckers and all solder joints appear untouched. The lacquered gold plating has less wear than many, mostly on the pickup covers. "Fretless Wonder' wire considered, this is a great playing and sounding guitar, a "wow"-producing instrument even on just opening the case, which is the original yellow-lined black hardshell. This SG has a serious late '60s/early 70's hard rock vibe, it would look even wickeder standing in front of a Marshall or Hiwatt stack! Very Good + Condition.
This is a fairly rare variation of the Gibson SG Custom, the top line model in their sculpted solid body series. This Custom was built in 1969, when a lot of things were in flux in Kalamazoo. The re-introduction of the original 1950s style Les Pauls was a roaring success, but the SG's still stood their ground in the hyper-amplified music of the day and remained very popular. Still the Custom was always an expensive guitar, and shipped in much smaller quantities than other SG variants.
This '69 Custom shows a number of changes from earlier 1960s models. The most obvious is the finish; the stock color was white up into 1969, when it was changed to this more natural looking "walnut" livery in deference to the hippie aesthetic of the times. In 1966 all SG's had been modified with a large center body rout covered by an expanded pickguard allowing bodies in stock to be assembled into any SG or Melody Maker model. This guitar's three humbucking pickups are hung beneath the 3-ply white pickguard instead of mounted to separate rings as earlier examples. The gold-capped plastic knobs are the late '60s "witch hat' style. Besides the large pickguard it also has the streamlined and much more solid neck joint adopted at the same time, which finally cured the heel issues that plagued earlier SG's.
The neck itself is a 3 piece mahogany laminate with no volute or made in USA on the back of the headstock; these would arrive in 1970. It is very skinny at the nut (a hair under 1 9/16") but surprisingly deep, especially as it approaches the body. The third digit in the original serial number got mis-stamped and is not really legible. The bound ebony fingerboard has genuine pearl block inlay and the very small, flat "fretless wonder" fretwire preferred by Les Paul himself. The multi-bound headstock sports the Super 400 style split diamond inlay and is fitted with Kluson Sealfast "Waffleback" tuners. The Gibson catalog touted the "New extra-slim, low action neck" as a standout feature.
All hardware is gold plated including the Deluxe long-plate Gibson Vibrola, de rigeur in the mid-60s but falling out of favor in the "heavy" later 60s. The neck angle is amazingly sharp, quite the most oblique we have EVER seen on a period SG with tons of break off the Vibrola so it actually works well. This is a fairly short-lived version of the Custom; by the end of 1971 SG models lost the large pickguard, going thru some more changes before settling down to the familiar mid-70s style.
This guitar retains all 3 original Patent # pickups and wiring with visible pot codes to the 28th week of 1969. The pickups are quite powerful sounding, but the middle position is VERY out-of-phase, in "wild dog" territory! It is a fairly rare guitar;
only 451 Customs shipped that year compared to over 3300 SG Standards. Taking the decade as a whole the figures are even more striking; from 1961-70 only 2641 Customs were sold compared to over 21,000 Standards. The List price September 1969 was $525 plus $73.00 for the #0537 deluxe gold-plush lined shaped hardshell case. This one was first bought right here in Brooklyn, with an original receipt from December 23, 1970 (right before Christmas!) from the Sam Ash on King's Highway in the case pocket. He got the guitar for $395 plus $52 for the case, a fairly substantial discount from list!
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 13 1/4 in. (33.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This is a nice example of this relatively rare Gibson creation, with a great vibe showing not all that much play time over 55 years. There is a small repair to the back of the body just below the neck heel, where it looks like perhaps the guitar took a hit on the strap button. There is a sealed grain split on either side of the screwed-in strap button, with stress marks extending along the finish seams on the treble side of the heel. This area is completely solid and going nowhere but is visible; whatever happened the much more vulnerable spots at the neck heel itself and especially the headstock show no damage at all.
This all-original dark lacquer finish shows light checking on the body and the headstock face and only minor wear with some scuffs, dings and a few chips on the back edges. The back of the neck has some tiny feelable dinks and one larger filled in ding behind the 11th fret area. The frets are the original "fretless wonder" flat-crowned narrow wire, they are very low but show minimal wear and still playable. Most modern players would prefer other wire; a refret can be easily arranged but we have left the instrument in its original state for now.
The guitar in fact remains all original except for a couple of screws on the back panel. The pickups are three original patent # humbuckers and all solder joints appear untouched. The lacquered gold plating has less wear than many, mostly on the pickup covers. "Fretless Wonder' wire considered, this is a great playing and sounding guitar, a "wow"-producing instrument even on just opening the case, which is the original yellow-lined black hardshell. This SG has a serious late '60s/early 70's hard rock vibe, it would look even wickeder standing in front of a Marshall or Hiwatt stack! Very Good + Condition.