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Gibson SG Les Paul Standard, 1962

Manufacturer Gibson Brands, Inc.

Associated name Les Paul

Date1962

Mediumwalnut; ebony; rosewood; metal; plastic

DimensionsOverall (HWD) (overall): 5 × 101 1/2 × 32 1/2 in. (12.7 × 257.811 × 82.55 cm)

Credit LineMoPOP permanent collection

Object number1997.229.1

Text Entries

Portal Description

This 1962 Gibson Les Paul SG (later known as the SG Standard) is an early example of Gibson’s update to their wildly-popular Les Paul model.

The company started producing the Les Paul SG (“SG” for “solid guitar”) in 1961 and gave it a twin-cutaway body, similar to the Stratocaster, which was produced by their main competitor, Fender. The model’s namesake, guitarist Les Paul (1915- 2009), didn’t like the new design. When his endorsement deal with Gibson ended in 1963, Paul’s name was removed from the guitar, which was thereafter called the Gibson SG.

Despite Paul’s feelings about the instrument, some guitarists were so enthralled by the SG’s thin neck, lightweight and nuanced tone that the guitar garnered a new nickname: the “Super Gibson.” Even so, many musicians loved the original design, causing Gibson to resume production of the original, single cutaway Les Paul design in 1968. The SG has since become one of the most popular electric guitar models ever produced.

Physical Description

The guitar has a beveled-edged twin-cutaway body, made of solid walnut with a transparent red finish and two metal-covered humbucking pickups in the center of the body. The lower end of the body features a four controls (two volume, two tone), a three-way pickup selector, a jack socket, a black laminated plastic pickguard, a six-saddle bridge, and a Gibson Maestro vibrato. The guitar features a walnut neck, ebony and rosewood fingerboard, crown markers, a crown inlay on headstock, the words “Les Paul” visible on truss-rod cover, and plastic tuning machine buttons.

CopyrightThe organization that has made the Item available reasonably believes that the Item is not restricted by copyright or related rights, but a conclusive determination could not be made. For more information, see http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/

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