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On the Hunt: 1960-1963 Gibson LP/SG with Factory Stop Tail

mitchguitar13

New member
Joined
May 22, 2015
Messages
2
Hello all,

I was recently talking to a friend of mine who has been in the vintage guitar world much longer than me (I'm 23 year old, been reading and bugging older cats for about 5 years now) and we were discussing the hen's teeth out there. I trust this guy big time, no shady business and no fish stories and he told me of an early 60's LP/SG with a factory stop tail at a guitar show. He said he had a chance to buy it, but he had just spent the last of cash on something else. Anybody seen one? The one he saw he remembers having a crack in the body through the control cavity area.

I've got no photos and can't find any elsewhere, but here's a Reverb listing that's claiming a 1960 Gibson LP/SG, so there are definitely early ones out there. Don't see why there couldn't be a stop tail transitional model.

https://reverb.com/item/2540247-gibson-sg-les-paul-1960-one-of-the-first-one-made-kind-of-prototype

Wasn't able to find any info on this elsewhere on the forum, but feel free to move/remove if info is available elsewhere.

Thanks!
 

1955Junior

New member
Joined
Jan 1, 2004
Messages
285
In the late 1980s, I bought an early SG/LP Std. (1960) with inked on serial number and original brown hard case with pink lining (like the one in the Reverb ad) - from the original owner's family. Mine had the sideways vibrato tailpiece as well. I've never seen nor heard of an SG/LP Std. with a factory stop tail - and that would be rare bird for sure.
 

Cream Fan

Active member
Joined
May 1, 2003
Messages
2,695
If there were factory stop-tails on SGs, they were probably special-ordered that way. I personally have never seen one. That said, I once owned a mint SG/LP with a four-digit stamped serial number (6776) that had the threaded bushings for a stoptail AND a side-to-side Vibrola. I once believed it was a factory goof, but if that were the case, it either would have been destroyed or there would have been a CUSTOM MADE plate covering them. I've since come to believe the bushings were installed by a previous owner—aftermarket—as the bushings were un-plated brass and not the plated steel Gibson had been using on Bursts and 335s.
 

27sauce

Active member
Joined
Jul 9, 2007
Messages
4,415
This pic is from the ‘63 Selmer catalog.
B9953026-30-F7-4252-AA14-524-C01467518.jpg
 
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