The OG SG AKA Les Paul

The above beast is a 2015 recreation of Gibson’s first SG. You’ll find sweet pics of the original in Tony Bacon’s SG Guitar Book: 50 Years of Gibson’s Stylish Solid Body Guitar. While not as famous as the Stratocaster, Telecaster or brand mate Les Paul, the Gibson SG cuts one of rock’s most recognized silhouettes. The name of the above SG is the 1961 Les Paul Tribute. Now before you scream typo, read on.

The first SG arrived in 1961 as an upgrade to the Les Paul. Think of it like an i-Les Paul 2. It actually had a lot of the characteristics of an i-upgrade. It was totally redesigned, thinner, and faster. The fastest neck in the world if you believe the advertisements.

The obvious question is why would anyone mess with something as iconic as the Les Paul. Some feel the same about the i-phone 4—and the original line up of Van Halen. But back in 1960, the Les Paul had the image of yesterday’s guitar and was being outsold by Fender’s new double cutaway the Stratocaster.

Still, why Gibson didn’t simple release their new 6-string under its own moniker is a good question.

Upon its arrival, the new Les Paul SG had its fair share of haters, including a player by the name of Les Paul. The latter no doubt had a lot to do with the double cutaway being rebaptised the SG in 1962. BTW, SG stands for solid guitar, which is kinda LOL. But misguided marketing efforts aside the solid-body looked and sounded amazing and it took off selling 18,000 units in its first three years. Not exactly i-phone numbers, but it was way ahead of the Les Paul which only managed 1,650 units from 1958 to 1960.

For the full story pick up the SG book. Author Tony Bacon has been dropping serious knowledge on guitars for a couple of decades and his latest doesn’t disappoint. The book is loaded with vintage and rare SG pics including Eric Clampton’s Fool and Frank Zappa’s Roxy.

For details on the 1961 Les Paul Tribute AKA SG click.