Used Vintage 1971/1972 Gibson SG

Sonic Evaluation

This early-seventies SG is a shining example of how expressive and dynamic great vintage Gibsons are! It's of one those old guitars that immediately feels like a dear old friend that you've never met from the first moment you sit down with it. It's so responsive that it practically feels like an extension of your hands! When you play softly, it sings beautifully. When you dig in, it screams like a demon! That's to say, when you play softly, the notes have this glassy, warm, open quality, but when you dig in, the glass shatters and sizzles into a beautiful snarl. It also has sustain for days, and the attack has just the right amount of vintage-style sag.

In general, this guitar was a warm, throaty quality to it, meaning that it has oodles of chewy, thick midrange. The bridge pickup is warm, punchy and well-sculpted with excellent presence, while the neck pickup is much thicker, with broader midrange response, deep woody lows, and sweet, singing highs.

Practically speaking, this guitar's voice compelled me to play much more expressively. I paid more attention to dynamics and articulation when playing rhythm parts, and that vocal quality inspired me so much that I had a few "whoah, did I play that" moments when I was taking my obligatory five-minute guitar solo.

If you're looking for a dynamic SG with tons of vibe and mojo, check this serial out!

Condition Report

This SG--which appears to be a late '71 or early '72 example--is in fantastic shape! It looks amazing for its age, with some typical marks, dings, chips, scratches, and tarnishing, but nothing egregious. Call this one lightly-aged! The frets are original and in superb condition. Though they have likely been re-crowned or leveled at some point, they feel great, and they measure .101" inches by .030" inches. Almost everything appears to be original except for the bridge posts, which a previous owner sheared off at the body before installing new posts behind them--a common mod to improve intonation issues back in the day. The pickups sounds like a rock and roll dream, too! The neck measures 7.49k ohms and the bridge measures 7.51k ohms, so they're quite even and balanced. To top it off, it comes with its original hardshell case!

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