Gibson SG Standard with Maestro VOS Electric Guitar, Faded Cherry

Gibson SG Standard with Maestro VOS Electric Guitar, Faded Cherry Review

Gibson SG Standard with Maestro VOS Electric Guitar, Faded Cherry Feature

• Solid mahogany body
• Distinctive twin cutaways - pointed horns
• Maestro vibrato tailpieces that was used in the early 1960s
• Figured acrylic trapezoid inlays

This SG Standard from Gibson Custom is a painstaking recreation of the original, offering you its distinct features and legendary tone decades later. The SG features a solid mahogany body with its distinctive twin cutaways/horns, nickel hardware, figured acrylic trapezoid inlays, single-ply creme fingerboard binding, and more--right down to the Maestro vibrato tailpiece.

An established favorite with completely new modern styling.

Maestro vibrato with lyre-engraved cover plate.

Burstbucker pickups deliver legendary tone.

History
Looking to increase the stagnant sales numbers of the Les Paul Standard models of the mid- to late-1950s, Gibson president Ted McCarty and his reputable team of luthiers and engineers set out to redesign the company's solid body guitar. The result was the introduction in 1961 of what is known today as the Gibson SG line. The first use of the name "SG" actually surfaced on a Gibson guitar in late 1959 with the introduction of the SG Special--a double cutaway model with rounded horns that had previously been listed as a Les Paul since 1955. In early 1961, however, the Les Paul models would undergo a radical change in design in an effort to improve their popularity, and Gibson's standing as a quality builder of electric solid body guitars. Fortunately, the redesigns would make a significant impact on Gibson's market share, albeit slowly at first. On average, about 2,120 SGs shipped per year from 1961 to 1970, with the numbers continuing to increase well into the 1970s. This trend eventually made the SG Gibson's most popular model--a distinction that still holds true today. From 1961 to 1963, the model was still known as the "redesigned" Les Paul Standard, although its namesake did not fully approve of the model's new look. This would eventually lead to the removal of Les Paul's name in 1963, in favor of a new name, the SG Standard.

Body
Short for "solid guitar," Gibson's SG Standards featured a much thinner body made from solid mahogany, with pointed horns, beveled edges, no body binding and distinctive twin cutaways that offered easier access to the guitar's higher frets, along with exceptional resonance, superior tone and greater sustain. The new models were also fitted with one of four vibrato tailpieces that were used in the early 1960s. The vibrato tailpiece that adorns today's SG Standard model from Gibson Custom is the Maestro version with lyre-engraved cover plate that became a standard appointment in 1963. The SG Standard model was also fitted with a new wing-shaped, 5-ply black pickguard, and its new 22-fret mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard and slim-taper profile was quickly recognized as one of the fastest guitar necks in the world.

Near-perfect Recreation
Today, Gibson's SG line remains as one of the most popular and best-selling of all Gibson guitars, and the SG Standard from Gibson Custom is a painstaking recreation of this iconic instrument. Its distinct features and legendary tone are meticulously remade with all the precision and accuracy expected from Gibson Custom, including its solid mahogany body with twin cutaways, pointed horns, beveled edges and nickel hardware. Other standard appointments include its figured acrylic trapezoid inlays, single-ply créme binding along the fingerboard and a 1960s slim-taper neck profile. Its legendary tone comes from two of Gibson's finest pickups--a Burstbucker 1 in the neck position, and a Burstbucker 2 in the bridge. Together these pickups deliver all the power and bell-like humbucker tone of the original SG Standards of the early 1960s. Each SG Standard comes with a standard Gibson Custom case and certificate of authenticity. They are available in a V.O.S. or gloss finish, in either Faded Cherry, Classic White or TV Yellow. They can also be ordered with an original Maestro vibrato tailpiece, or with a lightweight aluminum stopbar.

Nitrocellulose Finish
Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. But this fact has never swayed Gibson into changing this time-tested method, employed ever since the first Gibson guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, which means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can't do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not "seal" wood in an airtight shell--as a poly finish does--and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.

All VOS (Vintage Original Spec) series guitars will use a proprietary process that includes unique steps for staining, wet-sanding, and hand-rubbing; subsequently the guitars reflect what a well-cared for 40-year-old guitar looks like. The result is a remarkable patina that will delight even the most discriminating enthusiast. This Gibson Custom SG was a futuristic design when it was introduced in 1961, and it still has a modern look. Historically correct features include an ultra-thin, 2-horned body, the SG series addressed 2 of what Ted McCarty saw as the major issues of the now-retired Les Paul body style: weight and limited access to the upper treble register. The new body shape of the SG Standard was dramatically lighter than the old Les Paul and offered access to the entire fretboard. This amazing re-creation includes pickups and long neck tenon modeled precisely on the original. The VOS aging treatment makes it look exactly like a vintage original instrument that's been treated with loving care for its whole life with a slightly aged finish and hardware. Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics. A Little SG History In 1961, the Les Paul was redesigned with a thinner body and two sharp cutaway horns that making the upper frets more accessible while lowering production costs. The new guitar was popular, but Les Paul the guitarist did not like it and asked to have his name removed. Gibson renamed the model the "SG" which was short for "solid guitar". Though Les Paul's name was officially removed from the model in 1961, the plastic Les Paul nameplates (positioned between the rhythm pickup and fingerboard) were in abundance in the Gibson factory and SG models having these nameplates were built and sold by Gibson up to end of 1963. SGs have been the choice of world-class artists such as Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, Tony Iommi, and Angus Young.