Used Vintage 1969 Gibson SG Standard

Sonic Evaluation

Some guitars are so awesome that I can scarcely fight the urge to run through a wall, Kool-Aid man style, and this serial is one of them. It's a marvelous example of Gibson's Kalamazoo-era craftsmanship, and its wide dynamic range, rich voice, and capacity for meanness made me want to play it all day! First things first; this SG is wonderfully expressive. It has an expansive three-dimensional harmonic response that manifests itself as warm, vocal sweetness when you play with a light touch and snarl and sizzle when you dig in (the "hair" or upper-harmonic overtones are also spectacular!). The midrange can bite or sing, and the highs can sound glassy or jangly, and the lows can sound woody and twangy or deep and warm, all depending on how hard you flog it. The neck pickup is warm and chocolate-y, the middle position has a lovely chime and jangle, and the bridge position has a beautiful combination of crunch and sparkle. If you're looking for a dynamic yet rich-sounding SG with tons of mojo, this serial will both inspire and delight you.

Born Under a Bad Sign

Back in 1961, the folks at Gibson decided it was time to refresh and re-imagine the Les Paul, and boy did they ever hack and slash! In order to freshen things up, they did away with the maple top and the sunburst finish. Instead of Les's design, they presented Mr. Paul with a sleek, contoured horned devil made out of lightweight mahogany. 'Ol Les was NOT pleased and asked them to kindly take his name off the truss rod cover. This left the Gibson marketing team in a bit of a lurch, so they scrambled to find a name for their new axe and landed on "Solid Guitar."

After its inauspicious birth, the SG did indeed prove itself to be a Solid Guitar in every sense of the word (who knows, maybe the SG works so well for rock and roll because it was born under a bad sign--it does have horns, after all!). Its aggressive styling and muscular tone quickly made it a favorite of a whole host of guitarists from Angus Young to Pete Townshend to Tony Iommi to Dickey Betts. When you step back and think about it, it's pretty wild that the dude from Black Sabbath played the same guitar as the dude in the Allman Brothers! A staggering amount of players in many genres have made classic records using an SG. The length and breadth of the list of SG aficionados is a testament to its incredible versatility and universal appeal.

Condition Report

This '69 SG is AWESOME! It shows the typical battle scars you'd expect from an instrument that has been played for a long time (dings, tarnishing, scrapes, chips, marks, plastic warping and discoloration), but it's all honest playwear, and it has clearly been well-loved and taken care of. It also appears to be all original! The frets have undergone some work over the years, and they measure .101"x.030" with no string wear at the moment. A previous owner removed the pickup covers, and they have been lost to the sands of time. Fun fact: the pots are dated to the 52nd week of 1968! The case is also a bit unique, as it is age-appropriate but likely intended for an EB-0 so it's a little oversized. It could very well have been sold originally with the guitar, but we have no way of knowing. All in all, this '69 SG is in magnificent condition, and it's practically dripping with mojo!