Gibson has gone way back to the early sixties with the SG Original, a glorious new take on a much lusted after electric.
You'll need some serious disposable income (or access to a substantial overdraft at least) to get hold of one, as they're launching with an MSRP of $3199 (that's around £1992), but let's face it, you're unlikely to regret a purchase as pretty as this.
Find out what Gibson has to say about it below, or visit the official Gibson website for more details.
Gibson press release
When it comes to the classics, sometimes you just have to have it original—and it doesn't get much more classic than Gibson's legendary SG, a rock and blues icon since its introduction in 1961. The new SG Original from Gibson USA brings back the look, feel, and tone of the most desirable SG Standards ever made, thanks to the use of Grade-A tonewoods, exacting specs, and premium hardware and pickups. From the slim '60s neck profile, to the trim early '60s headstock shape and smaller '61 pickguard, to the tonally rich and versatile '57 Classic humbucking pickups, to the vibrola tailpiece with "lyre" cover, the SG Original nails the vibe of the seminal SG in every respect, bringing you a stunning "reissue" style guitar at an impressively affordable price. With its high-gloss nitrocellulose finish in Heritage Cherry, complemented by acrylic trapezoid inlays, it looks superb, too, and offers the unparalleled playability you only get from a genuine Gibson.
The construction of any great electric guitar begins with great woods, and the new SG Original from Gibson USA has a foundation of some of the most hallowed tonewoods in Gibson history. The body is made from solid Grade-A mahogany, a wood known for its depth and richness, and crafted in the distinctive, thin asymmetrical dual-cutaway style, with iconic pointed "horns" and beveled edges to enhance playing comfort. The glued-in neck is also made from Grade-A mahogany, this time cut to the quarter-sawn orientation for superior strength and resonance, and carved to a fast, slim '60s SG profile that measures .800" deep at the 1st fret and .890" at the 12th. It is topped with a bound fingerboard made from a single piece of Grade-A rosewood, with a 12" radius, 22 medium-jumbo frets, and a PLEK-cut Corian™ nut with a width of 1 11/16"—all major factors in Gibson's legendary playing feel. The larger vintage-style headstock has the classic mother-of-pearl Gibson logo and holly inlays.
The SG Original recreates the great tones of vintage SG Standards via a pair of '57 Classic humbucking pickups, some of the most popular recreations of vintage PAF humbuckers available today. Each carries a genuine Alnico II bar magnets and is wound with 42-AWG enamel-coated wire, for the characteristic blend of warmth and creaminess that made original PAFs legendary, updated with wax potting for howl-free performance at high volume levels. The traditional wiring complement of an independent volume and tone control per pickup plus a three-way toggle selector switch allows a broad range of sonic variations. Gibson USA loads in a Tune-o-Matic bridge with a Lyre vibrato tailpiece to expand your playing horizons, and a set of genuine TonePros™ vintage-style tuners with an efficient 16:1 gear ratio for rock-solid tuning. Add it all up, and for look, feel, and tone, the SG Original is a stunning recreation of the iconic early '60s SG Standard.
Each guitar includes a black Gibson hardshell case, owner's manual, and truss-rod wrench, and comes covered by Gibson USA's Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.
