69 SG Update! With Pics

[Core]

So after Thanksgiving I planned on making a trip out to Norm's Rare Guitars in The San Fernando Valley. If any of you are aware of them they are great guys. I wanted to have them look over the 69 I picked up a couple weeks ago as I just felt like it might need a set up done to get the tone I was looking for as well as maybe work on a couple others I had.

After seeing they also had a 69 SG in store I sat down and played with it to get a feel just to see if there was anything different as we all know this is the best way to find the right guitar for you. This one immediately hit my radar as it had such a huge neck! Was very unusual I must say and compared to the one I owned quite a bit thicker. The width was nearly the same which is nice but overall throughout was much beefier. Here's the kicker though. It's still unclear at this point if it's a 69. It has no volute but it does not have the thick rounded 69 heel we've been seeing lately here.

Anyway I A/B both this one and mine for quite awhile and I'm noticing this one plays very evenly and has a thicker tone. More midrange. Mine was more trebly. Norm confirmed that the thicker neck would do that and increase sustain as well. I asked well what could we do for a trade? So after much playing and consideration I made a deal to trade SG's and sold both my guitars as well. Made some cash and walked out very happy.

Once I got home and plugged in to both my Marshall SL's I was awestruck THIS WAS THE TONE I was searching for all along. I don't think I've gotten goosebumps playing much before but this guitar left me with goosebumps afterwards. Oh man. Thicker, more midrange but definitely more treble than the LP BUT much more controllable throughout the board. Just the pefrfect blend and what I've always heard on records.

Today I went to measure both the 69 and my 82 LP Custom and to my surprise the SG had a thicker neck! 7/8" compared to 3/4". Smaller in width 1 9/16" which is nice for me but overall thicker. No wonder such great tone and sustain. Very very happy at this point. Now here's were it's a different guitar than what's been posted recently. It appears to be – to my untrained eye but thanks to you all I'm learning – that's it may have been shaped and built in late 69 as it has no volute but it does not have the thick round heel like the other 69 I just traded for. The serial number is 904xxx and the pot codes are 10/70 so could it have been made before the pots and everything was added later? Or could it be some sort of transitional experiment to fatten up the headstock pre-volute?

Anyway it is one badass guitar, finally what I've been looking for and nails the tones we all know them for. It's very clear and articulate throughout the fretboard. Something that was lacking for me in the other guitar. It's complete and everything works very well. Here are some pics for you all to enjoy.

[Monstronaut]

Amazing!! This is exactly what I'm looking for at the moment, a thick neck large guard sg. Yours looks great! Congrats.

[Kevin James]

Looks great

I will be the first to admit I am certainly no expert in SG's past 68, my knowledge is all centered around the 1960 -65 versions and to a lesser extent up to 68, but that does look to me to be a 1970.

The heel, the cutaway bevels the serial number, the pots (according to your post) and even the case all say 1970. What I find strange is there is no "Made in USA" stamp on the back of the headstock. I would fully have expected to see that on this guitar.

But, everything else says 1970 including the serial number and pots and the solder joints look to me to be original so it is pretty unlikely that the pots were from a different guitar, they look factory original to me.

<edit>
Just realized there is no volute either. Strange. All 1970 features and dates yet two key things you would expect to see in a 70 are not there, the volute and the "Made in USA".

I'd like to see Solodallas chime in on this one.

[Stratottack]

You've got yourself one nice SG there. Would love to hear it.
CONGRATULATIONS

[Funky54]

Wow... thats really nice. One of the nicest SG's I have ever seen.

[HOT-BRIT]

nice one

[Core]

Thanks guys! Yeah the only kicker is the fact that it doesn't have a volute and as you said the "made in USA" stamp. Everything does appear to be original including the ABR1 which the other one was missing.

The combination of Honduran mahogany and dark cherry produces a real fiery look in the sunlight. Just love that about these.

I'll upload a couple clips once I get home tonight. Records very well with the Xoom h4 hand held mic.

[Core]

Originally Posted by Stratottack

You've got yourself one nice SG there. Would love to hear it.
CONGRATULATIONS

Here's a few clips I was playing with. A little sloppy in places, hands getting tired, but should give you a sense of the guitar. Amp is 74 Marshall 1987 unmodified, channels jumped running clean with an XTS Atomic Overdrive pedal in front, through an '84 1960B cab with G12T-75's into a Xoom H4 handheld mic.

It's been a long tedious process for the past couple years getting the most natural recorded tone I can get from guitar/amp/cab and I think I've finally got there. Going through several Marshall's, recording gear, guitars, cabs, you name it to get to the point where I'm liking liking it. Still needs some work but I think base of it is there.

Green Day – Letterbomb
http://www.infectionrecords.com/69Gi...Letterbomb.wav

Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant, one of my favorite songs to play
http://www.infectionrecords.com/69Gi...ettyVacant.wav

AC/DC – If You Want Blood – playing with the riffs later on in the song.
http://www.infectionrecords.com/69Gi...uWantBlood.wav

AC/DC – Long Way To The Top
http://www.infectionrecords.com/69Gi...ayToTheTop.wav

AC/DC – Riff Raff – been learning this song lately and getting there. Still a little stiff on my fingers in the first or second part. But I love this song.
http://www.infectionrecords.com/69Gi...thRiffRaff.wav

Hope you all take a listen and enjoy!

[sasquatch]

Sweet!
Has the guitar had a refret? There are no nibs on the fret ends

[Kevin James]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

Sweet!
Has the guitar had a refret? There are no nibs on the fret ends

Frets look original to me. The whole "no nibs, must be a refret" thing is silly. I have seen several that were absolutely original frets and the nibs were gone.

Most refrets will fret OVER the binding, that is not the case here. I'll bet ya anything if you meaure the width on a micrometer they come to .098 which was the original fret width.

[Core]

Yes as far as I know myself it has not been refretted not any other repairs. And Kevin you are dead on with that number. That's exactly what it measures.

I put in word to Gibson through their request center, online with my serial number. They responded pretty quickly and at first didn't have an exact answer through shipping logs as that number didn't come up in any old records. Their rep Jon Sutherland asked to see pictures and any history so I sent him several to try and help date it. He came back today and confirmed what I had suspected.

"Thanks for the reply, and NICE SG!! Unfortunately, there are several shipping ledgers that are no longer around(this block of numbers being one of them). The electronics do appear to be original, so this likely began production in late 1969 before volutes were added, and completed/shipped in early 1970."

Glad to see they really love their old guitars and are willing to look into such requests.

[BadBeat78]

WOW, what A beauty!!!!!!
And again:
You lucky bastards in the US!!!

[josep_cla]

That's a neck!!!

[HOT-BRIT]

69 was a good year for them

[Nay]

Originally Posted by BadBeat78

WOW, what A beauty!!!!!!
And again:
You lucky bastards in the US!!!

Lucky buggers in the US and right handed players.

Never even seen a photo of a righty Gibson from the 60's that I can recall, unless it was made for a famous artist.

[GTrocker]

Sweet Axe, reminds me of AC~DC when I saw it, bet it plays and sounds wonderful.


Rock it,
J~

[wheelman]

One of my favorite frets right there. FAST and effortless.

[Zack]

great condition

[tspoon5150]

Beautiful guitar and nice score......

Enjoy......

[SoloDallas]

Great axe, the kind I like best.
Kevin is humble (most good and knowledgeable guys are) but he's obviously right in saying, it looks strange.
NOT that is a "bad" strange! It just has mixed features, which thing wasn't maybe that rare at the time, since transitions were more often than not, with mixed features.
Dotted "i" would/could mean 1971. Very shallow cutaways would mean '70/'71.
More squared body in general would mean 1970s. Heel is definitely 1970/1971.

But lack of volute is strange indeed.
Me, I almost like more the 1970/1971 models because of my passion for earlier AC/DC.
These, but I make an exception for 1968s specifically, which among them all sound and play the best to me (to personal disbelief).

Great axe, congratulations

[backfromcali.]

Originally Posted by SoloDallas

Great axe, the kind I like best.
Kevin is humble (most good and knowledgeable guys are) but he's obviously right in saying, it looks strange.
NOT that is a "bad" strange! It just has mixed features, which thing wasn't maybe that rare at the time, since transitions were more often than not, with mixed features.
Dotted "i" would/could mean 1971. Very shallow cutaways would mean '70/'71.
More squared body in general would mean 1970s. Heel is definitely 1970/1971.

But lack of volute is strange indeed.
Me, I almost like more the 1970/1971 models because of my passion for earlier AC/DC.
These, but I make an exception for 1968s specifically, which among them all sound and play the best to me (to personal disbelief).

Great axe, congratulations

Your knowledge about SGs is outstanding. Thank you for sharing!

[KRaZeE]

Originally Posted by Core

As much as I prefer deeper bevels, I have to say I love this shot. Every time I look at it, it feels like I am going to get stabbed.

[TarHeelKid]

Sweeeeeeeeeeeet