Gibson releases SG 24 limited run 50th anniversary model
(Dave Molter | Posted 2011-02-19)
Gibson Guitars made big news back in 1959 when it debuted a new Les Paul design that had a thin, double-cutaway body designed for easier access to the upper frets and a lightning-fast, slim neck with a nearly non-existent heel. There was just one problem: Les Paul didn't like the guitar and suggested that his name be removed from the headstock plate. In 1961, Gibson complied with his demand (although the Les Paul name didn't come off the truss rod cover plate until 1963) and called the guitar the SG --for "solid guitar."
But there's no denying that the SG was popular with players -- it carries some of the same chunky sound of the LP Standard, without the weight, but also had a voice of its own. By the time the single-cutaway Les Paul returned in the late '60s, the SG Standard was already a legend, and had forever claimed its place in rock history. The SG is still popular today, being played by Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi and AC-DC's Angus Young, among many others.
To celebrate 50 years since the introduction of this seminal design, Gibson USA unveils the SG Standard 24 ($2,129 MSRP), a guitar that captures all the classic ingredients of Gibson's great double-cutaway solidbody model, with a few clever twists to make it even more versatile for today's demanding performer -- including extending the fretboard to 24 frets. Like the best SGs of the past 50 years, the SG Standard 24 starts with a solid mahogany body and glued-in, quarter-sawn mahogany neck, a pairing that ensures ringing sustain, superb tonal depth, and plenty of clarity and richness.
The body's thin dimensions make this a pleasurably light guitar to play, while its classically beveled edges also make it comfortable on the forearm. To update the format for the 21st century, however, Gibson USA gives the SG Standard 24 the 24-fret neck that its name implies, with even the uppermost of its medium-jumbo frets easily accessible thanks to the SG's legendary deep double-cutaway design. Combine this with a beautifully ergonomic rounded neck profile, and you've got one of the sweetest playing rock machines available today.
Two of Gibson's popular PAF-style 57 Classic humbucking pickups translate the SG Standard 24's sonic goodness to your amp of choice, yielding anything from deep, warm vocal tones in the neck position to endless growl and roar in the bridge, to round and snappy tones in between. The classic pairing of a Nashville Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece keeps it all rock-solid and resonant, while up at the other end a PLEK-cut Corian nut ensures clean intonation and singing sustain. Top it all off with a set of vintage-style tuners with pearloid buttons, a unique "50 Years" headstock emblem, and a high-gloss nitrocellulose finish in Antique Ebony, and you've got a spectacular celebration of one of the world's favorite electric guitars, all wrapped up in an instrument you can gig with today. Each guitar includes a Gibson hardshell case and owner's manual, and is covered by Gibson's Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.
Fro more information, visit wwws.gibson.com.
