Gibson SG

Gibson Les Paul SG with Maestro Tremolo

2 × volume
2 x tone
1 × 3- pick-up selection

The Gibson SG is a model of electric guitar. It is produced since 1961 by the U.S. company Gibson. She was originally intended as a successor to the Gibson Les Paul.

History

End of the 1950s decreased the sales of electric guitars from Gibson. To respond to the competition of the models from Fender, especially the Fender Stratocaster and Fender Jazzmaster, Gibson guitar, several new models have been developed. Attention was focused particularly on the modern design of the guitars because Gibson wanted to solve the image of the conservative jazz guitar maker. The previous model Gibson Les Paul 1961 was taken completely out of the program and replaced by the successor model developed in the same year Les Paul SG. The letters " SG " should emphasize that it is this guitar to an electric guitar with a solid body is ( " Solid Body Guitar" ). The most striking difference to the design of the Les Paul was the carcass cutout on both sides of the fingerboard ( double cutaway ). This should give a modern look and ease the playability of the high frets of the SG.

The guitarist and sound engineer Lester William Polfus ( stage name " Les Paul " ), the namesake and co-developer of the Gibson Les Paul was, was not satisfied with the new model SG. In particular, its body shape displeased him ( " Someone will be injured by the sharp horns still "). Since Les Paul's contract expired in 1962 at Gibson, he retired officially. The model name " Les Paul SG " was then shortened to " SG ". In later interviews, Les Paul, the main reason remembered for his retreat in reality the unloved new form of SG was not so much, but the pending divorce from his wife and duo partner Mary Ford Les Paul was afraid of high maintenance payments to his estranged wife and not interested in a lucrative contract extension with Gibson. Higher revenues were for Les Paul means higher payments, which is why he retired at that time almost entirely from the music business.

As the demand for the original Les Paul model increased again in the 1960s, Gibson took this guitar in 1968 back into the program. Since that time, the models SG and Les Paul will be produced in parallel.

Construction

Body and neck of the guitar are made almost entirely of mahogany, only the set-in neck into the body carries a rosewood fingerboard. The body is lacking in comparison to the Les Paul glued on the ceiling made of maple wood. Next, the body is smaller and thinner, making the guitar in relation to the Les Paul is very light. The scale length of the neck usually is 24.75 inches ( 628 mm).

As pickups were initially " PAF " humbuckers, which were now replaced by the more modern 490R and 498T models. Other versions of the SG had several Tonabnehmerbestückungen such as P -90 single coils (model " Special" ) or up to three humbuckers (Model "Custom" ).

The guitars of the first model years were equipped with a vibrato system in which the lever is moved sideways (parallel to the pickguard ). From 1963, we used the more popular Maestro Vibrola, more rarely, a Bigsby. Since the early seventies SGs have a stoptail tailpiece like a Les Paul usually.

Models

The models of the SG based on the different versions of the Les Paul. In addition to the "Standard" ( two humbucking pickups with chrome covers, simple beige skirt ( Binding) of the fingerboard, fingerboard inlays in trapezoidal design, chrome colored hardware ) is the model " Custom" available that is especially visually enhanced (multiple beige / black striped Binding to the top plate, gold colored hardware, partly a fingerboard made of ebony, fingerboard inlays of mother of pearl block-shaped, in part, three humbucking pickups ). The lower price segment is equipped with various models of the " Special" - and " Junior" series uses, most of which are visually and technically simpler equipped (missing binding, P90 pickups, " Dotinlays ", etc.).

Gibson also built a few basses with the same body shape, the EB -0 with a large humbucker at the neck and the EB-3 with an additional small humbucker at the bridge. Like all early Gibson basses also had these models a Short Scale Scale length of 30.5 inches. The EB -3 was known in the late 1960s, mainly due to the Cream bassist Jack Bruce, but gained due to the special sound behavior ultimately still not very widespread popularity: Although these models provided the basis of their full- mahogany construction and the pickup configuration contribution powerful an enormously fundamental tone with deep bass, but lacked the sound of ups and brilliance. Many of the former Bass plants could this bass sound also not transferred with appropriate solid contours, resulting in a muffled, boomy and sound muddy.

In addition to Gibson himself for the Gibson Group subsidiary company Epiphone also offers various SG models. The products range from affordable beginner instruments with screwed or glued necks to high-quality copies of the manufactured in Japan Elitist series. The model Epiphone SG G-400 is a copy of the Gibson SG Standard in 1961, the model Epiphone G- 310 is a replica of the Gibson SG Special.

The Gibson SG in music

By Humbucker mounting the Gibson SG has a warm, typical for Gibson instruments powerful sound. Due to the thin, solid mahogany body, the sound of the SG is usually more direct and more percussive than in the other models. For this reason, the tone of the SG offers especially for distorted sounds in rock music.

Among the prominent guitarists who play on a Gibson SG or played are Frank Zappa, Carlos Santana, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, who plays a left-handed version, Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, and Pete Townshend of The Who (SG Special) or Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Mick Taylor, especially to his time with the Rolling Stones. Eric Clapton played during his time with Cream, among other Gibson models also an SG that had been hand painted by the Dutch artist group " The Fool ". John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service and Copperhead was almost his entire life true to this type of guitar. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, as well as Duane Allman and Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band were temporary SG player. Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes and Derek Trucks are young guitarist with a preference for this model.

Become legendary Angus Young of AC / DC, who almost exclusively plays on stage a SG. Young claims to own an extensive collection of guitars of the type in which some models are located from each vintage. For this reason, Angus Young Signature SG own two models and a "Tribute " - SG model of Gibson were dedicated. More Signature instruments have also been prepared for Townshend, Iommi and Robby Krieger of The Doors.

Jack Bruce of Cream belonged in the 1960s alongside Andy Fraser of Free and Felix Pappalardi of Mountain of the few famous musicians who used an SG bass. Jim Lea ( Slade ) played in the 1970er/80er-Jahren a modified EB 3 His bass had a third pickup. Mike Oldfield played, in addition to his Fender guitars, Gibson SG Junior, of whom he had three models (1962, 1963, 1966), one of them retrofitted with a guitar synthesizer; 2006 Oldfield sold two of its SG Junior guitars for charity.

Also in console games, the Gibson SG is known. In the game Guitar Hero II, a Gibson SG is used at a scale of 3/4 as a guitar controller.

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