The Legendary SG
The Gibson SG Standard began life in 1961 as the "new and improved" Les Paul. However, Les was not particularly fond of the design, which featured a thinner mahogany body with beveled edges and pointed horns, so the guitar eventually got a new name: the SG (for "solid guitar"). The SG was a big success for Gibson - obviously the right design for the times. Today's SG Standard has changed little from those original guitars. It still has a lightweight mahogany body, a fast-playing slim-taper neck, and two hot humbuckers. If you want to play a legend - check out the Gibson SG Standard.
- Gibson SG Standard at a Glance:
- A Rock Classic
- Fast-playing Neck
- Fat, Smoking Humbuckers
The Gibson SG Standard s a rock icon with a fascinating history. It's hard to believe that by 1961, Gibson decided to discontinue the original Les Paul guitar. Their motivation is unclear. Weak sales? The urge to try something new? In any case, the first SGs were actually called Les Pauls, but Les himself wasn't in favor of that for a variety of reasons. So, in a bold move, this solid guitar was renamed SG, which stood for, uh, solid guitar. A few years later, Gibson started making the original Les Pauls again, but the SG proved so popular that they kept making them. The reason is easy to understand. It's actually quite a cool looking instrument, delivering the classic humbucker sound for people who don't particularly want or need a Les Paul Standard. The SG Standard is also a much lighter weight instrument. Yet it doesn't cut corners. You still get the mahogany body and a pair of hot humbuckers that deliver all the warm, fat tone you could ever want.
Fast-playing NeckThe Gibson SG Standard has a slim-taper mahogany neck. Early Les Pauls had huge necks, but by 1960 the neck underwent several modifications until it became what's known as the slim-taper design. The SG took it one step farther, making the neck among the fastest ever designed. Hey, Frank Zappa played one and the guy had some wicked chops. If you like the combination of a fast mahogany neck and the snappy ebony-like attack of a baked maple fingerboard, you'll love this SG Standard.
Fat, Smoking HumbuckersGibson's SG Standard packs humbucking power. When you really want to cook on a solo or deliver some thunderous power chords, you reach for a guitar that's got a pair of humbuckers, right? Forget all those thin "out-of-phase" guitar sounds that session players overused in the 1980s and (sad to say) right through much of the '90s. That's not for you. Your sound is all about the warmth, punch and midrange complexity you can only get from a pair of Gibson humbuckers. The SG Standard comes with a pair of 'em: a 490R in the neck position and a 498T at the bridge. You get uncompromising power, whether you're playing rhythm or digging into a solo.
Gibson SG Standard Features:- Handcrafted in Nashville, TN
- Thin, lightweight bevelled mahogany body
- Full-size "Batwing" SG pickguard
- Genuine mahogany neck (with comfortable SG Taper)
- Baked Maple fingerboard with Trapezoid Inlays
- Chrome hardware; Vintage tuners
- Gibson 490R/498T Alnico II Humbuckers
- Gibson Hardshell Case included
