Col Mustard
Well-Known Member
Your guitar is quite unique... I suggest you DON"T consider modding it in any way.
It should be set up by the best luthier you can afford, played and maintained lovingly,
and the music that it makes will be different than anybody else's guitar.
In 1969 Gibson had been subjected to a corporate takeover by the Norlin Corporation,
and those guys brought in bean counters and efficiency experts to suggest how to
maximize profits. They hadn't done much harm yet, but in 1971 they began to mess
with the SG design in ways that guitarists came to dislike. Your guitar looks like it
was made before some of the damaging changes took effect. 1971 was a year when
Gibson introduced changes one by one. Not all at once.
The elimination of the SG's lovely bevels was one of those things they did to the design
to make them cheaper to build. Your guitar has minimal bevels on the front of the cutaway
and none on the back. This screams '70s. For a long time, guitars that look like this were
panned undeservedly. Now it's regarded as an unusual feature that wasn't made for
very many years. It was unpopular then, it's quaint now. I believe the bevels were made by Gibson
craftsmen using a rasp. So eliminating them meant less time in the factory, more profit.
But Gibson was forced by lack of sales to reinstate the bevels little by little through the
'70s, so that by the eighties they were trying to make them like they did in the sixties.
It was a bad idea to eliminate the bevels, and Gibson was forced to eat crow.
The addition of the volute on the back of the headstock was actually a good idea...
they were trying to prevent headstock breaks (which led to guitarists returning their busted
Gibsons on warranty). At the same time, they started making 3 piece laminated necks
instead of one piece solid mahogany. This was also a good idea, because it made a
stronger neck. But guitarists hated this, saying that the laminated wood would suck tone.
Not true, but it got repeated a lot. Just like now. Your guitar might predate this change too,
if it's got a one piece mahogany neck.
The necks of guitars of this period were more narrow than we see now, by 1/8 of an inch maybe.
Some players like the narrow neck, some don't. I think they stopped doing that in the late '70s
once again forced to do so. People refused to buy them.
Take a good look at the neck to body joint. In 1971 Gibson eliminated the normal 4 degree
back angle of the neck to the body. Their advertising guys called this the "90 degree neck pitch"
which meant that the neck was parallel to the top of the body. Maybe it was cheaper to
produce, but it didn't sell well and Gibson stopped doing that by like 1973 or so. Nearly all Gibson
guitars up until 1970 have a 4 degree back angle, including Les Pauls, ES series, Gibson acoustics
and maybe Explorers and Vees.
Above is a 1971 SG "Deluxe" owned by a friend of mine. He bought it new in the '70s and kept it stock
all this time. No mods. His has the parallel neck, and no bevels, and also the Les Paul style p/g, and the
control cavity on the front of the guitar. (yours doesn't) I believe his was made later than yours.
But like your guitar, this SG Deluxe has an ABR-1 bridge (sixties style).
Later '70s SGs had the "harmonica bridge." ...Which was also a good idea that bombed.
Guitars like this can be played, and they can be set up, but it's just different from what players regard
to be "normal" and it was unpopular. Your guitar might predate the "90 Degree Neck Pitch", in which
case it will feel right when you play it. See why I described your instrument as "unique?" Gibson only
made them like this for a few years.
The pickups are excellent... prolly hand wound "Patent Number" p'ups made the same way as the
vaunted "PAF" pickups, and likely made by the same workers. The difference between PAF pickups and
the later sixties ones is the uniformity of the 5000 turns they gave them on the winding machines.
Fifties pickups were wound by eye, "until they were full." That gave the PAF pickups the occasional
"overwound" tone that people have come to treasure.
So this guitar is an unusual critter. A lot of great music was played on guitars of this time period,
and I personally think the bad reputation was not deserved. Since yours only has a few of the
"Norlin changes" it's particularly interesting. Get it set up by an expert, and rock that sucker.
It should be set up by the best luthier you can afford, played and maintained lovingly,
and the music that it makes will be different than anybody else's guitar.
In 1969 Gibson had been subjected to a corporate takeover by the Norlin Corporation,
and those guys brought in bean counters and efficiency experts to suggest how to
maximize profits. They hadn't done much harm yet, but in 1971 they began to mess
with the SG design in ways that guitarists came to dislike. Your guitar looks like it
was made before some of the damaging changes took effect. 1971 was a year when
Gibson introduced changes one by one. Not all at once.
The elimination of the SG's lovely bevels was one of those things they did to the design
to make them cheaper to build. Your guitar has minimal bevels on the front of the cutaway
and none on the back. This screams '70s. For a long time, guitars that look like this were
panned undeservedly. Now it's regarded as an unusual feature that wasn't made for
very many years. It was unpopular then, it's quaint now. I believe the bevels were made by Gibson
craftsmen using a rasp. So eliminating them meant less time in the factory, more profit.
But Gibson was forced by lack of sales to reinstate the bevels little by little through the
'70s, so that by the eighties they were trying to make them like they did in the sixties.
It was a bad idea to eliminate the bevels, and Gibson was forced to eat crow.
The addition of the volute on the back of the headstock was actually a good idea...
they were trying to prevent headstock breaks (which led to guitarists returning their busted
Gibsons on warranty). At the same time, they started making 3 piece laminated necks
instead of one piece solid mahogany. This was also a good idea, because it made a
stronger neck. But guitarists hated this, saying that the laminated wood would suck tone.
Not true, but it got repeated a lot. Just like now. Your guitar might predate this change too,
if it's got a one piece mahogany neck.
The necks of guitars of this period were more narrow than we see now, by 1/8 of an inch maybe.
Some players like the narrow neck, some don't. I think they stopped doing that in the late '70s
once again forced to do so. People refused to buy them.
Take a good look at the neck to body joint. In 1971 Gibson eliminated the normal 4 degree
back angle of the neck to the body. Their advertising guys called this the "90 degree neck pitch"
which meant that the neck was parallel to the top of the body. Maybe it was cheaper to
produce, but it didn't sell well and Gibson stopped doing that by like 1973 or so. Nearly all Gibson
guitars up until 1970 have a 4 degree back angle, including Les Pauls, ES series, Gibson acoustics
and maybe Explorers and Vees.
Above is a 1971 SG "Deluxe" owned by a friend of mine. He bought it new in the '70s and kept it stock
all this time. No mods. His has the parallel neck, and no bevels, and also the Les Paul style p/g, and the
control cavity on the front of the guitar. (yours doesn't) I believe his was made later than yours.
But like your guitar, this SG Deluxe has an ABR-1 bridge (sixties style).
Later '70s SGs had the "harmonica bridge." ...Which was also a good idea that bombed.
Guitars like this can be played, and they can be set up, but it's just different from what players regard
to be "normal" and it was unpopular. Your guitar might predate the "90 Degree Neck Pitch", in which
case it will feel right when you play it. See why I described your instrument as "unique?" Gibson only
made them like this for a few years.
The pickups are excellent... prolly hand wound "Patent Number" p'ups made the same way as the
vaunted "PAF" pickups, and likely made by the same workers. The difference between PAF pickups and
the later sixties ones is the uniformity of the 5000 turns they gave them on the winding machines.
Fifties pickups were wound by eye, "until they were full." That gave the PAF pickups the occasional
"overwound" tone that people have come to treasure.
So this guitar is an unusual critter. A lot of great music was played on guitars of this time period,
and I personally think the bad reputation was not deserved. Since yours only has a few of the
"Norlin changes" it's particularly interesting. Get it set up by an expert, and rock that sucker.
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