Gibson SG Standard Solid Body Electric Guitar (1965)
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Gibson SG Standard Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1965), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 356658, cherry lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a fine player's example of a late-model original pattern SG Standard from 1965, the final original year for this classic model before a re-design changed the look of the guitar for the rest if the decade. It retains the older small pickguard and pickups mounted to the body, features abandoned by 1966 for a larger pickguard covering a universal "Swimming pool" rout in the body. This one shows an old typical heel repair but remains original except for the tuning machines and an excellent player.
With the deep cherry lacquer finish on its exquisitely sculpted double-cutaway body this was an incredibly radical looking and feeling instrument when new, offering more unencumbered neck than anyone had ever seen! It mounts two hot yet sweet "Patent Number" humbucking pickups, little changed from the final PAF's and still one of Gibson's finest sonic creations. The wiring and solder appear untouched; the visible pot date codes are from the 29th week of 1965.
All hardware is chrome plated except the adjustment wheels for the original Tune-O-Matic bridge, which has Nylon saddles. The Gibson Deluxe Vibrola tailpiece has the long engraved rear cover piece which has no real function but does dress the guitar up a bit! The controls are topped with metal capped back-painted plastic knobs.
The bound rosewood fingerboard has trapezoidal pearloid inlay. The neck profile is the slimmer 1965-71 version, with a 1 9/16" nut width. The headstock has Gibson's classic "crown" inlay on the face and has been fitted with Grover Imperial tuners, likely when fairly new. These heavy chrome "Jazz Box" machines look somewhat out of place on an SG but do dress it up with an unusual flair compared to the stock Klusons, or the common replacement Grover Rotomatics.
These mid-60s SGs with the sculpted mahogany bodies and Patent # pickups have an aesthetic and sonic character unlike any others. They actually have a chiming, bell like sound at low volume but of course are now most highly prized as rock machines. While fairly popular when new they really came into their own in the late 1960s with the advent of high volume amplification (from Marshall, especially) unleashed the screaming beast within!
Exactly 1731 of these elegantly badass guitars were shipped in 1965, the model's highest total so far. The SG Standard has always remained a popular guitar; many '65s have been more heavily used than this one. The model had a particular heyday in the late '60s and early '70s -- anyone who has seen live footage of Cream (or dozens of other period bands) in the later 1960s knows what these ultra light and responsive SG/Les Pauls are capable of in a high volume context! Simply one of the classic rock guitars of any era, this is a superb player and a more versatile instrument than many think.
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 13 1/4 in. (33.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This is a nice player's example of a 1963 Les Paul Standard, showing only some fairly light use for 60 years along. The heel is the weak spot on these, and this one has had the neck reset after shifting but the joint was not cracked or broken as many have been; the neck tenon is fully intact and undamaged. There is fill and touch up visible around the joint and one small split to the body on the bass side of the pocket. Heel repairs are very common on this model and this one had less of a structural impact than most of them!
The guitar remains original except for the tuner substitution. This installation caused a small split below the low E machine on the headstock wing, down from the mounting screw. This has been sealed and touched up; it is visible but inconspicuous. Apart from these repairs the finish remains completely original and retains a very strong deep red cherry color with very little fade even on the back of the neck. The lacquer shows some fine checking with dings, scratches and dents overall. The headstock edges have a few small dinks but are cleaner than most.
The hardware is all original and complete except as noted the tuners, which are at least period correct and lend the guitar a special if oddball period look. The oft-missing vibrato arm with its screw and nylon bushings is present. The chrome plating shows minor scratching corrosion most visibly to the lead pickup cover. The original pickguard has some scuffing and has shrunken up just slightly but is fully intact with no cracks or popped corners.
This is a fine playing SG albeit with a noticeably slimmer neck than earlier models. The original large frets have been crowned down a bit with no subsequent wear and play very well. It offers sounds ranging from sweet to snarly, or truly rampaging when pushed into overdrive. It rests in its original yellow lined black case looking fast just sitting still, to this day one of the wickedest rock machines ever. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This is a fine player's example of a late-model original pattern SG Standard from 1965, the final original year for this classic model before a re-design changed the look of the guitar for the rest if the decade. It retains the older small pickguard and pickups mounted to the body, features abandoned by 1966 for a larger pickguard covering a universal "Swimming pool" rout in the body. This one shows an old typical heel repair but remains original except for the tuning machines and an excellent player.
With the deep cherry lacquer finish on its exquisitely sculpted double-cutaway body this was an incredibly radical looking and feeling instrument when new, offering more unencumbered neck than anyone had ever seen! It mounts two hot yet sweet "Patent Number" humbucking pickups, little changed from the final PAF's and still one of Gibson's finest sonic creations. The wiring and solder appear untouched; the visible pot date codes are from the 29th week of 1965.
All hardware is chrome plated except the adjustment wheels for the original Tune-O-Matic bridge, which has Nylon saddles. The Gibson Deluxe Vibrola tailpiece has the long engraved rear cover piece which has no real function but does dress the guitar up a bit! The controls are topped with metal capped back-painted plastic knobs.
The bound rosewood fingerboard has trapezoidal pearloid inlay. The neck profile is the slimmer 1965-71 version, with a 1 9/16" nut width. The headstock has Gibson's classic "crown" inlay on the face and has been fitted with Grover Imperial tuners, likely when fairly new. These heavy chrome "Jazz Box" machines look somewhat out of place on an SG but do dress it up with an unusual flair compared to the stock Klusons, or the common replacement Grover Rotomatics.
These mid-60s SGs with the sculpted mahogany bodies and Patent # pickups have an aesthetic and sonic character unlike any others. They actually have a chiming, bell like sound at low volume but of course are now most highly prized as rock machines. While fairly popular when new they really came into their own in the late 1960s with the advent of high volume amplification (from Marshall, especially) unleashed the screaming beast within!
Exactly 1731 of these elegantly badass guitars were shipped in 1965, the model's highest total so far. The SG Standard has always remained a popular guitar; many '65s have been more heavily used than this one. The model had a particular heyday in the late '60s and early '70s -- anyone who has seen live footage of Cream (or dozens of other period bands) in the later 1960s knows what these ultra light and responsive SG/Les Pauls are capable of in a high volume context! Simply one of the classic rock guitars of any era, this is a superb player and a more versatile instrument than many think.
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 13 1/4 in. (33.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 9/16 in. (40 mm.).
This is a nice player's example of a 1963 Les Paul Standard, showing only some fairly light use for 60 years along. The heel is the weak spot on these, and this one has had the neck reset after shifting but the joint was not cracked or broken as many have been; the neck tenon is fully intact and undamaged. There is fill and touch up visible around the joint and one small split to the body on the bass side of the pocket. Heel repairs are very common on this model and this one had less of a structural impact than most of them!
The guitar remains original except for the tuner substitution. This installation caused a small split below the low E machine on the headstock wing, down from the mounting screw. This has been sealed and touched up; it is visible but inconspicuous. Apart from these repairs the finish remains completely original and retains a very strong deep red cherry color with very little fade even on the back of the neck. The lacquer shows some fine checking with dings, scratches and dents overall. The headstock edges have a few small dinks but are cleaner than most.
The hardware is all original and complete except as noted the tuners, which are at least period correct and lend the guitar a special if oddball period look. The oft-missing vibrato arm with its screw and nylon bushings is present. The chrome plating shows minor scratching corrosion most visibly to the lead pickup cover. The original pickguard has some scuffing and has shrunken up just slightly but is fully intact with no cracks or popped corners.
This is a fine playing SG albeit with a noticeably slimmer neck than earlier models. The original large frets have been crowned down a bit with no subsequent wear and play very well. It offers sounds ranging from sweet to snarly, or truly rampaging when pushed into overdrive. It rests in its original yellow lined black case looking fast just sitting still, to this day one of the wickedest rock machines ever. Overall Very Good + Condition.