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tjon901 « Accurate reissue of the 1961 Les Paul »
Published on 06/30/11 at 11:31In the early 60s Gibson was looking to change up the Les Paul and lower their production costs. In 1961 Gibson came out with a new version of the Les Paul and it is what we call the SG today but back then for a few years this was the Gibson Les Paul. Gibson was looking to lower the production costs of making their guitars so they simplified the design a little bit. To do this they redesigned it to have a flat top and double cutaways. They got rid of the maple top so the body is just mahogany. The early small pickguard SG's are my favorites. This guitar has a 60s profile neck so it is nice and thin and fast. It has dual Gibson 57 classic pickups. Each pickup has its own volume and tone control and are switched with a 3 way switch. It has 22 frets on a rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays. The headstock has 6 Gibson Kluson tuners.
UTILIZATION
One of the big advantages of the SG had over the Les Paul it was intended to replace was playability. The SG was designed in such a way to give better fret access than the earlier Les Paul. The neck is not mounted as deep into the body as is with the Les Paul. The 60s profile neck also helps playability. The 50s Gibson neck profile is very big and some people find it hard to play. This design gives it a few problems. The early SG's like this one have weak neck joints. The neck joint on SG models is very weak compared to Les Pauls or even bolt on guitars. This weak neck joint makes some SG's prone to going out of tune. With the neck mounted so far out on the body and the body being so thin and light, SG's are prone to neck dive. When playing an SG standing up you may find yourself holding up the neck due to this awkward balance between the neck and the body. This can be solved by moving the strap peg to the upper horn like on Tony Iommi's SG guitar.
SOUNDS
Due to the thinner body than a Les Paul these guitars have a brighter more crispy tone. The Classic 57 pickups are modern day imitation of the classic PAF pickup that Gibson made famous. With the Classic 57 PAF style pickups this guitar is a blues and rock machine. The 57's have just the right amount of sag in the tone so you can really work the dynamics like you would with a set of real vintage pickups. The neck pickup is super smooth and when you throw in some tone knob you can get that sour tone like you have a parked wah on. The bridge pickup has a little more bite and spank to it. With some gain you can get good classic rock tones from the bridge pickup. These pickups can handle more gain than a set of PAF's could. Because of their modern design they retain their composure longer than a set of old pickups could. If you are looking for a metal sound a set of Seymour Duncans or EMG's can drop right in and completely change the dynamics of the guitar.
OVERALL OPINION
The 61 Les Paul is one of my favorite guitars. Many people do not know th ehistory of the model. I feel bad when people call real 61-63 Les Pauls SG's. Anyways, the 61 reissue is a great guitar and a faithful replication of the 1961 Les Paul. The guitar has all the beautiful cares and bevels that the old SG's had. This guitar is versatile and very easy to play. Everyone should have an SG in their collection.
UTILIZATION
One of the big advantages of the SG had over the Les Paul it was intended to replace was playability. The SG was designed in such a way to give better fret access than the earlier Les Paul. The neck is not mounted as deep into the body as is with the Les Paul. The 60s profile neck also helps playability. The 50s Gibson neck profile is very big and some people find it hard to play. This design gives it a few problems. The early SG's like this one have weak neck joints. The neck joint on SG models is very weak compared to Les Pauls or even bolt on guitars. This weak neck joint makes some SG's prone to going out of tune. With the neck mounted so far out on the body and the body being so thin and light, SG's are prone to neck dive. When playing an SG standing up you may find yourself holding up the neck due to this awkward balance between the neck and the body. This can be solved by moving the strap peg to the upper horn like on Tony Iommi's SG guitar.
SOUNDS
Due to the thinner body than a Les Paul these guitars have a brighter more crispy tone. The Classic 57 pickups are modern day imitation of the classic PAF pickup that Gibson made famous. With the Classic 57 PAF style pickups this guitar is a blues and rock machine. The 57's have just the right amount of sag in the tone so you can really work the dynamics like you would with a set of real vintage pickups. The neck pickup is super smooth and when you throw in some tone knob you can get that sour tone like you have a parked wah on. The bridge pickup has a little more bite and spank to it. With some gain you can get good classic rock tones from the bridge pickup. These pickups can handle more gain than a set of PAF's could. Because of their modern design they retain their composure longer than a set of old pickups could. If you are looking for a metal sound a set of Seymour Duncans or EMG's can drop right in and completely change the dynamics of the guitar.
OVERALL OPINION
The 61 Les Paul is one of my favorite guitars. Many people do not know th ehistory of the model. I feel bad when people call real 61-63 Les Pauls SG's. Anyways, the 61 reissue is a great guitar and a faithful replication of the 1961 Les Paul. The guitar has all the beautiful cares and bevels that the old SG's had. This guitar is versatile and very easy to play. Everyone should have an SG in their collection.