There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportion, Edgar Allen Poe once wrote. He wasn’t writing about guitars, to be sure, but those words seem made for Gibson’s SG…
The guitars’ devilish horns arrest your attention straight away, but it takes a while to notice that the body is subtly offset, too. The carve on the top of the body is wider and more sensuous than the lower edge of the instrument. Everywhere on the SG you find asymmetry, contradictions. For example, the vibrato unit that was originally fitted to it was infamous for not working properly and yet the guitar’s balance isn’t quite right without it, because the SG was designed to have a counterweight to its long neck behind the bridge. Oddities like this didn’t stop players from becoming loyal to the SG over the years, though, from Robbie Krieger of The Doors to Derek Trucks.
Perhaps its resistance to being easily categorized is really the secret to the SG’s longevity, for what can’t quite be pinned down can never truly go out of style. Want a guitar that wails like a Les Paul but weighs less than a Strat? Want to play everything from blues to the metal on one guitar? The SG can handle it all. Like a black leather jacket, the SG fits in everywhere yet always retains a touch of renegade spirit. This is its story.
GIBSON SG HISOTRY: THE FIRST TWO DECADES
At the tail-end of the 1950s, Fender’s Stratocaster was reigning supreme over the electric-guitar market while sales of Gibson’s single-cut Les Paul were heading south. Kalamazoo needed to fight back. And in 1961, the double-horned beast was born, supplanting Lester’s original and leaving a legacy all of its own…
Words Tony Bacon
Denne historien er fra September 2021-utgaven av Guitarist.
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Denne historien er fra September 2021-utgaven av Guitarist.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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BASIC INSTINCTS
The sophisticated range of Swedish-designed guitars made by .strandberg* has lured thousands of players over to the headless side. But the company's new stripped-back Boden Essential model is its strongest play yet for the hearts and minds of mainstream players
Second String
As PRS's more affordable USA-made S2 line moves into its second decade, the series gets a revamp with - at last - USA-made pickups and electronics. What took so long?
PABLO VAN DE POEL
When a band from The Netherlands describes themselves as 'raw, psychedelic Southern rock', it may take a little cognitive processing to work out what that might mean. One listen to DeWolff, however, and you will be duly transported to the 60s for some fuzzed-out rock 'n' roll
THE BERNIE MARSDEN COLLECTION
With a fabulous collection of the late Bernie Marsden's guitars, amps and other highly collectable music gear going under the auctioneer's hammer on 11 June, we were thrilled to have the chance of a sneak preview
LENNY KRAVITZ
Some 35 years since the release of his debut LP, for his 12th record, Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz is back again with equal doses of vigour and vibes, using vintage guitars and the purest valve amps
GEORGE VJESTICA
You may not know him at first glance, but the work of Stoke-on-Trent native George Vjestica has probably impacted some of your favourite albums and movies
DICKEY BETTS
Emerging from the shadow of Duane to write signature hit Ramblin' Man, the Allman Brothers guitarist was a hard-living pioneer of Southern rock
NICK GUPPY
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our highly valued amplifier guru, who died suddenly in April
Lucky Break
Alex Bishop blends old wood with new in an attempt to fix a severely damaged guitar headstock
Tones Behind The Tracks
Cedric Burnside learnt at the knee of his fabled grandfather, but his latest album is a hill country blues masterclass on his own terms