Appearing only in 1979, the Gibson “The SG” was built much like an SG Standard, but using Walnut in place of Mahogany. In 1980 it was relaunched as the SG Firebrand. The primary difference between this model and the Firebrand is the way the Gibson logo was applied. Here, it is a gold-coloured decal, and on the Firebrand, it is branded into the headstock.

Walnut was regularly used as a tonewood in stringed instruments until the 1930s, and was very commonly found in banjos. The availability of laminates for low cost instruments seems to have displaced it, and higher end models focused on Mahogany, Rosewood and Maple. Recently, Walnut is being found on more and more quality instruments. It is a resonant wood with a warm tone, and an attractive grain structure.

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Gibson has always been experimenting with alternative materials, and for 1979 offered ‘The SG’, essentially an SG Standard with Walnut for the body and neck and Ebony for the fingerboard. Typical of the period, the body and neck are both three-piece construction, and the neck has the characteristic late-70’s volute to strengthen the headstock. The gloss lacquer finish was light, showing off the Walnut grain. For hardware, Grover Roto-Matic tuners with metal Keystone buttons are installed, there’s a standard ABR bridge and stop tailpiece, and the pickups are stock coverless T-tops (there’s a T on the top of each coil). The bridge pickup has one creme and one black coil, as standard.

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Features:

• Condition: Very Good (Used)

• Brand: Gibson

• Model: The SG

• Finish: Natural Walnut

• Categories: Solid Body

• Year: 1979

• Made In: United States

• Number of Strings: 6 String

• Right / Left Handed: Right Handed

• Body Shape: SG-Style

• Body Type: Solid Body

• Includes: Original Case

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Guitar Historical Information:

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We purchased this guitar from its original owner's family about a year ago. This guitar has been played but loved over the years. This guitar has been gone through and is confirmed from the 1979 era based on all date codes on the guitar. This is a very rare collectors guitar and is priced accordingly. More information and photographs available upon request. 

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Price: Call for price

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Interested? Contact us now!