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| Model | Gibson SG Special |
| Available | 1961-date (not continuous) |
| Pickups | Two single coil P90s, mini-humbuckers from around 1973. |
| Scale | 24 3/4" |
| Body | Mahogany |
| Neck | Initially one-piece mahogany, laminated mahogany by 1970. Rosewood fingerboard, with dot inlays, changing to block inlays by 1975. |
| Frets | 22 |
| Hardware | 2 volume, 2 tone, nickel, then chrome hardware throughout |
| Finishes | Cherry, White, Walnut, Ebony, Natural |
The SG Special was a popular guitar, in the Gibson SG range, selling in high numbers in the 1960s and early 1970s. According to released shipping figures, over 30,000 SG Specials were shipped between 1961 and 1979, with 1973 (3534), and 1965 (2618) the peak years. It is still available from Gibson today, and there is also an Epiphone SG Special.
The defining feature of the Special, over any other SG model, is the twin P90 pickup configuration. The SG Junior was similar, but having just one P90. P90s are single-coil pickups, unlike the humbuckers used in the SG Custom and SG Standard. Of course, there are always exceptions with Gibson, and for a time in the mid 1970s, the SG Special had small humbuckers too, though not identical to those fitted on the other SG models. Otherwise, differences between the models were cosmetic. All had the same mahogany bodies, set mahogany necks, and control layouts.
Famous users of the SG Special include Pete Townsend of the Who, who played his late sixties SG Special for much of the late 1960s and early 1970s, most famously at Woodstock. Another great user is Carlos Santana, who also used an SG Special at Woodstock.
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Two ways new! A lovely new finish in a new shade of limed mahogany or Gibson's new cherry red... an ultra-modern new sculptered shape - the solid body double cutaway design that provides easy access to all 22 frets
