GIBSON SG LES PAUL CUSTOM (1961-63 MODELS)

  • 1961 Gibson SG Les Paul Custom - owned by Les Paul
    Gibson SG Les Paul Custom
  • Back view of 1961 Gibson SG Les Paul Custom - owned by Les Paul
    Gibson SG Les Paul Custom - back

Overview

Brand name: 

Product: 

  • electric guitars

Series name: 

Dates of manufacture: 

1961 to 1963

The GIBSON SG LES PAUL CUSTOM was originally introduced as the latest in the Les-Paul series of Gibson guitars in 1960, in response to the flagging sales of their single cut-away Les-Paul Standard. The Les-Paul name was dropped from this guitar (apparently Les Paul didn't like the guitar), the model officially renamed the SG Standard in 1963. The first years of SG production (1961 to the end of 1963) have Les Paul logos on their headstocks or in the area below the fingerboard. In each of its first three years of availability, the SG model sold more than 6,000 units—swamping the total of approximately 1,700 Les Paul Standards sold between 1958 and ’60.

The GIBSON SG LES PAUL CUSTOM had two humbucking pickups each with its own  volume and tone controls, and  3-position selector switch. Mahogany neck and double sharp cutaway mahogany body, tune-o-matic bridge, 24 3/4” scale length. The bridge was tune-o-matic bridge with a side-pull vibrato, blackface peghead with pearl logo inlay. Hardware was nickel and the guitar came in a cherry finish.

Specifications (20)

Body

Body materialmahogany body
Body shape featuresdouble cutaway
Body styleSG body style
Pickguard materialwhite pickguard

Hardware

BridgeGibson vibrato, tune-o-matic bridge
Hardware colorgold hardware, gold-plated hardware
Tailpieceebony tailpiece

Fretboard

Fingerboard inlay materialpearl fingerboard inlay material
Fingerboard materialebony fingerboard
Fingerboard position markersblock fingerboard position markers

General

Finish colorsblack finish, white finish
Number of strings6 strings

Neck

Neck materialmahogany neck
Number of frets22 fret
Peghead (headstock)bound headstock
Tuner layoutthree-each-side

Controls

Pickup selector controls3-way selector switch
Tone controls2 tone controls
Volume controls2 volume controls

Electronics

Pickups configuration3 humbucker pickups

Prices (1)

DatePriceConditionNameComments
2012$110000goodguitar-listA 1961 Gibson SG Les Paul Custom (owned by Les Paul himself) was featured on the History Channel’s Pawn Stars. Les Paul’s Nephew took it in to sell - along with the papers to prove it, including a letter Les Paul wrote to Gibson containing his less than enthusiastic response to Gibson’s redesign of his signature guitar. The guitar was eventually sold on eBay for $110,000.

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