Upon its release back in 1961 the SG Standard was one of the most radical designs the guitar world had ever seen, and it still makes a bold statement today.
The diverse list of guitar stars that have taken variations of the SG model to heart over the years includes Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Angus Young, Frank Zappa, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Gary Louris of The Jayhawks and many, many others. Today, Gibson USA offers the SG in two distinct varieties — the SG Standard and SG Special — siblings that are similar at their cores, but subtly different too.
The SG’s beginnings
When Gibson revamped the Les Paul Standard of 1958-’60 into the Les Paul/SG of 1961 (later simply SG Standard), it introduced a wealth of features that continue to appeal to a wide range of players, long after the reintroduction of the single-cutaway model that it was intended to supercede, many of which are shared by today’s SG Special and SG Standard. The solid mahogany body was thinner and lighter than any solidbody Gibson had produced before, and it still provided a wealth of rich, warm, woody resonance, but with a little extra snap and zing to the tone — all without the back ache. Its slightly offset twin-horned double cutaways were more than just a radical adornment: The design offered better upper-fret access than players had ever experienced before, just one of the features that made SGs famously playable. Another, the fast yet comfortable neck, also survives on today’s SGs, which wear the more rounded “late ’50s” neck profile.
The SG Standard with a Heritage Cherry finish
In 1957 Gibson purchased New York's Epiphone Guitar Company and moved production to Kalamazoo, Michigan. With plans to expand retail distribution by differentiating Epiphone dealers from Gibson dealers, Gibson began production of a new line of "Kalamazoo-made and designed" Epiphones in 1959. For over a decade, Epiphone solid body guitars and basses were produced right alongside Gibsons. These Epiphone guitars represented some of the highest quality and best sounding instruments of their generation. They provided unique shapes, pickup arrangements, and tonal signatures not seen on comparable Gibson models of the day. Under appreciated at the time of their release, numerous artists through the years have recognized the unique appeal of these guitars. Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Paul Gilbert and Steve Marriot are but a few of the artists that have embraced the tone and build quality of these Kalamazoo built Epiphones. One such Epiphone instrument was the Wilshire.
