Gibson Sg Les Paul Standard (1961-1963)
In 1960 to 1963 gibson changed the body of the gibson les paul standard to an SG type body with 2 symetrical pointed horns (cutaways) , they had thinner necks and were called the gibson SG les paul standard models .Some prototypes were made in late 1960 with "les paul model" on the peghead, but they were officially produced and sold in 1961 at a list price of $310 with crown peghead inlays,
the guitar had 2 humbuckers (PAF) , had a les paul logo on the truss rod cover , side -pull vibrato , mahogany body , cherry red finish , pickguards was small and black ( covering about 1/5 of the body ) , and had trapezoid inlay blocks on the fingerboard. In 1962 some models had inlaid ebony blocks on the tailpiece .
In Late 1963 they had gibson maestro vibrolas ( lyre-style covers) , gibson took out the les paul logo on the truss rod , made the necks a little larger ( better built ) and renamed the guitar the :
Gibson SG Standard ( 1963-present )
Basically the gibson sg standard guitars stayed the same except for some minor feature changes. In 1966 gibson started manufacturing the sg standard with larger pickguards surrounding the pickups .In 1973 they had black plastic covers covering the humbucking pickups , in 1975 gibson added a tun o matic bridge , during the late 70s bigsby vibratos and stop tailpieces along with more color variations were added such as walnut , tobacco and white .
During the eighties metal covered humbuckers were installed and they went from small pickguards to large to small again in the early 90s , more colors were added and basically until today the bulk of the guitar stayed the same .
The gibson sg was fairly popular but really hit it mainstream when rockstars and guitar players such as george harrison from the beatles ,and eric clapton from cream started exploring its capabilities .
Angus Young from ac/dc took the sg standard to a new level when he plugged this guitar in his old marshall amp and created one of the most influential guitar sound in the rock n roll and hard rock business , the sound was simple ,BIG , bluesy , Phat , raw and powerful .
In 1986 gibson also made an SG reissue model , these gibson guitars had 60s style pickguards (small), trapezoid inlays , crown pegheads , cherry finishes , nickel plated hardware , and plastic tuner buttons , they were renamed Sg '62 reissue in 1988 , discontinued in 1991 and were reintroduced as the gibson Sg '61 Reissue in 1993 to present.
In 1988 they also introduced the gibson sg '62 reissue showcase edition with emg pickups . ( only 200 were made )
Vintage Price Value For 2009 :
1961 - 1963 > $19 000 to $25 000 ( SG les paul standard )
1963 - 1965 > $18 000 to $25 000 ( SG Standard )
1966 - 1967 > $7 000 to $8 000
1968 - 1969 > $6 500 to $8 000
1970 - 1975 > $2 500 to $4 000
1976 - 2000> $1 200 to $1 600
1986 - 1991 > $9 00 to $1 300 ( sg reissue /'62 sg reissue )
1988 - 1989 > $1 200 to $1 500 ( Sg '62 reissue edition /200 made )
1993 - 2000> $9 00 to $1 500 ( SG '61 Reissue )
1961-1963 > Avg Upward Trend of 36% a year since 20001963-1965> 33% 1966-1967> 22% 1968-1970>16% 1971-1975>11%
This is just a brief review of the gibson sg standard guitars but there are also many factors that can determine the value of the guitar such as colors , factory bigsbies , pickups ( PAF or not ) ...etc.
Always verify first with someone who knows his vintage guitars for consulting before buying or selling ....
Buying Advice For Used & Vintage Gibson sg les paul standard Guitars
If you want to buy used or vintage sg standard guitars , you can find gibson sg standard guitars for sale on ebay , however they don't have them all the time ...
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I have a 1989 Gibson SG Standard and it is my favorite guitar to pick up play. It's very interesting in that the input jack for the amplifier cord is on the side bottom of the guitar (similar to a les paul) rather than on the face of it a little under the pickups like we know SG's have. The people at Gibson told me they only made these in '88 and '89, but I have never seen one like this other than my own. Does anyone know if this is really rare and this is a real collector's peice?
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My father-in-law who hardly plays guitar at all showed me his guitar that his uncle gave him many years ago. It was down in the corner of his basement. I saw it and thought, "what the heck!" an old Gibson SG but it said Les Paul on it and it had a bigsby. He was going to give it away. I told him to hang on a bit and let me check into it. It is a 1962 Les Paul SG and we found one on Ebay going for $24,000. WOW! He is going to hold onto it now.
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I have one of the cleanest 100% original 63 Les Paul Customs white, 3 pickup, side pull vibrola, 3 pickup, gold hardware (some very slight tarnish), with super clean original case and unused original strap, plus all hang tags and case candy. No receipt, but know the price because he started to fill out warranty tag, but never sent it in.
I've seen a few other white LPCs around from this era, but most have had refretting, refinishing, neck repair, replaced parts, etc. and they still go for over 20k
i can only imagine what mine would go for now, let alone another 5-10-20 years
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I am looking to purchase a vintage SG and I am looking at 2 not so popular models - looking for a recommendation from this more experienced group - play mostly hard rock (Sabbath, AC/DC from the 70s) - they are made in 71-72 - one is an SG Series 2 (2 - mini-humbucker pickups) 1972 and the other is a SG 200 - from 71 (2 single coil pickups - same as Melody maker) - both have that odd knob configuration accessable from the front of the guitar - only 2 knobs with slide switches - they are both about the same price - between $1000 and 1300 - both are all original and in excellent condition - any recommendations???
Chris
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While I am asking - one more question - if I purchase a non-vintage Gison SG 61 reissue or the Tony Iommi customer version of the same - (both are about $1,000 more than the vintage models listed in teh porevious post - but they are new or near new) - would that be a smart option - is the quality and tone of these new Gibsons the same as the vintage? or is there a noticable difference -
Chris
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Dessaint
Posted
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steven
I have a Les Paul SG, serial# 106397, apparently a '63. I have had it since 1968. The sideways tremolo was replaced with a stationary Gibson bridge. At least one original pickup was replaced, maybe both. The tuners were replaced with Schallers. I may or may not have the original parts in a shoebox in the garage. Anybody have an idea of the worth of this guitar? duster5150@yahoo.com
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Hi,
Very interesting blog. I am thinking about buying what I think is a 73 SG standard (serial number 056539). Can anyone confirm that this is in fact a 73? Also, what is the approximate price range for this guitar? The one I am looking at has had no repairs, but has a few dings and scratches.
Thanks,
IK
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I have a vintage all-original 1961 Gibson Les Paul SG with PAF (Patent Applied For) Humbucker pickups. I have personally owned this guitar for 47 years. I purchased it brand new in 1961. This guitar is all original and has never been worked on or refinished. The guitar has all the original hardware just as it did when it was new in 1961. The finish is a cherry red, (Faded on front). There are a few minor dings and scratches, There are hair line aging cracks in the clear coat finish, not in the wood. It also includes the original case. The case is missing the handle and is not attached to the case but it is there.
The serial number on the back of the headstock is: 40751
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Abadox
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stratosqueeg
I have a 1960 Les Paul in white.
I have posted pics and it has created some controversy.
The guitar is all original as far as i can tell and i truly believe that it was probably one of the proto-types made before it went into production in 61.
see pics at: http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/vintage-les-pauls/32990-my-rare-1960-les-paul-white.html
regards
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I have what I think is a very rare 1965 Gibson SG with a factory blue color, rather than the traditional cherry red. I have never seen another one, have been told that this was an extremely limited color from Gibson. The guiter is in great condition, with two silver humbuckers, a Maestro vibrato bar, and all original parts. It has the original black custom hard case.
I bought it new in 1966. It has been played by Rick Derringer (when he with The McCoys in 1966) and Tony Hicks (lead player for The Hollies in 1966) during live shows.
I am interested in selling this guitar. Anyone intersted?
Posted
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Dave
I learned how to play guitar on a vintage 1960's SG. I don't know anything about what model it was, but I can describe it with intimate details.
The tuning pegs were Kluson-type but without the covers (open gears), the body had the classic SG pointy horns, the finish was a dark brown, the pickup was a single coil covered in black plastic and mounted on a diagonal near the neck with a chrome metal plate surround, the controls were a master volume - master tone - input jack all mounted on a similiar looking chromed metal plate as the pickup surround.
The bridge looked like a stamped chromed metal plate with a sleigh back end curl (where the string slots were) - the string saddles looked like a separate tune-o-matic bridge piece that was also stamped out of thinner metal (it was square -not rounded- with open ends and the string saddles were plastic but fully adjustable) - and the whole bridge had a chromed stamped metal cover with the Gibson name-scroll etched into the top, the neck had single dot inlays with side dot markers, the headnut was bone.
I haven't found ANY INFO on this particular model. Some bloke at Guitar Center thinks it might have been a Melody Maker. No way. When I got it back in 1969, it was told to me that it was a "student version" of the SG. A Jazz guitar collector once claimed that it might have been a custom made SG.
Well, NOW you all are going to kick my ass around the block after you hear this - after I graduated from high school (1980) I promptly bought a new Yamaha electric and ... took my electric saw and ... yes dumbass me ... I chopped up the SG and tossed the remains into the garbage. ONLY NOW DO I REALIZE MY FOOL-HARDY MISTAKE. Because now that SG could have been sold for well over $5000 to $8000, even in it's beatup condition. Well, live and learn.
Anyone wanna help me figure out what SG it was, you may contact me at (hienz1@juno.com).
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I have an all original 1961 Les Paul SG for sale. Serial # 27xxx. George Gruhn calls it "fine original condition." PAFs. Kluson DeLuxe. Sideways vibrola. Cherry red. No cracks or repairs. No major dents or dings. Some minor finish crazing. Never been gigged. Remarkable. Will sell internationally. angular.banjos@yahoo.com This is being posted 8/21/09
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I have a 66 Gibson SG standard purchased new in Pelham Blue. It has the small pickguard, frames on the patent pickups, and Maestro Vibrato. It is absolutely flawless without any chips or scratches. With much research, I have not seen another in this condition. It has been hard to determine a true value due to the rarity.
excellent commentary on a really cool axe. I appreciate the market value assessments. I have a few old Gibsons, and they are really great guitars, well worth the money if you like music and have decent ears - they are toneful and a real blast to play. Rock on! peace...