In 1972 Gibson produced a series of 'Guitar of the Month' brochures, each dedicated to one of their high end models, the Les Paul Recording guitar, L5-CES, ES-175D, Super 400-CES, ES-355TD-SV and Byrdland. Each brochure was a single sheet folded into four panels, with details of the instruments themselves, their features, musical purpose, and a little history behind the development of each guitar. Only the Les Paul Recording was a new model; the others were all well established in the Gibson line. Follow the link to see scans and further information on these leaflets and other Gibson guitar catalogues from the CMI and Norlin periods.

1966 Kalamazoo KB-1 bass

Gibson assembled these 30 1/2" scale Kalamazoo KB-1 basses in their electronics plant in Kalamazoo, MI - separate from the main Gibson plant. They used the same components and hardware as on the Gibson EB bass series; but with a pre-painted masonite body and a bolt-on maple neck; a very different construction to Gibson's usual output. Initially the KB bass had a Mustang-shaped body (see the 1966 Kalamazoo KB-1, left), which was soon redesigned with the classic SG shape (see the 1967 Kalamazoo KB-1, right). Have a listen to sound clips of this bass here.

Older updates here

home | guitar classifieds | forum | sitemap | search

Google+ | Facebook

Trying to find a guitar valuation?
Do you want to buy/sell a guitar?

Gibson SG
Solid body electric guitar

Latest posts on the VintageGuitar forum
forum index | post message

Tuner broken on my '73 SG Special
2 replies
last message by Deelow
01/04/2013 12:59

1971 Gibson SG Custom
2 replies
last message by Gitar Dave
26/01/2013 11:58

1965 Gibson SG Standard
4 replies
last message by Jackaboutguitars
29/07/2012 18:03

Gibson SG Special
8 replies
last message by MARK SUSSEX
05/07/2012 03:48

1971/72 Gibson SG Pro
1 replies
last message by jules
02/02/2012 15:36

Gumtree 70s Gibson SG - Bristol
0 replies
last message by jules
31/12/2011 05:53

The Gibson SG is a true design classic that has stood the test of time, remaining popular for almost half a century. The list of SG players is a who's who of the guitar. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Pete Townsend, Carlos Santana, Angus Young. And so on.

The SG Custom and the SG Standard were available first in early 1961. The high end Custom had gold plated hardware, 3 pickups and pearl inlays throughout. A very fine guitar. Both models sold well. A letter to Gibson dealers from late June 1961 explains "The New Model Les Paul Custom ... AND the New Les Paul Regular ... are enjoying tremendous acceptance. Sales of both models have already passed last year's entire output."

This sucess lead naturally to the addition of more models to the range: SG Junior, SG TV, SG Special, ranging in price from low to high. Even the Melody Maker was redesigned from it's popular body style to the SG shape. The number of SG models available fluctuated, reaching a peak in the early 1970s when there were also the SG Deluxe, and entry level models SGI, SGII, SG100, SG200 and SG250.

The SG is a Gibson staple, and hasn't changed significantly in nearly four decades. But of course there have been changes in hardware, neck profile, construction methods and so on - common to all Gibson instruments made in a factory always trying to improve upon its designs whilst remaining profitable over the long term. Models came and went. Have a look at the Gibson SG 1960s timeline and the SG 1970s timeline for some examples of these variations.

Or have a closer look at these SGs

Back to the GIBSON INDEX | comment