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'61 Gibson Les Paul SG

young angus

New member
Joined
Apr 17, 2005
Messages
247
"Mine is. Never been broken, the neck joint never came loose, and I gig that guitar in rotation with all the rest of my guitars. I can be pushed out of tune, but I actually like that I have to pay much more attention to my technique when I'm using that guitar. I have to consciously pay attention and just use my wrist and fingers when bending below about the 7th fret, instead up putting my whole arm into it like I do when I play a conventional Les Paul."

Mine´s in perfect condition too. But I don´t gig with it anymore, use it only at home for recording and stuff. You´re right about the different tecnique for a Les Paul-SG. I´ve discovered that it has influenced my playing to become more sensitive, and much less power used to bend. This has lead to a need for thinner strings on all my other guitars. I play mainly jazz-fusion, and that style seems to fit the Les Paul-SG quite well. I remember the Norwegian jazz-fusion guitarist Terje Rypdal used a Les Paul-SG during the 70s. In a Marshall 50w combo. Breathtaking sound and technique.
 

GoldtopTom

Formerly Tomi Matan, Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2003
Messages
588
A guy in my town wants to sell '61 Sg serial number 131!!!!!

Converted to stop tail in 60s and missing pickup coveres.Really worn,like SRV #1 strat,Ok not like that but it had been played a lot.
Wants 5K.
I haven't been able to check it out yet but the price seems fair especially for Europe.

T.
 

RickN

New member
Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Messages
7,143
Tomi Matan said:
A guy in my town wants to sell '61 Sg serial number 131!!!!!

Converted to stop tail in 60s and missing pickup coveres.Really worn,like SRV #1 strat,Ok not like that but it had been played a lot.
Wants 5K.
I haven't been able to check it out yet but the price seems fair especially for Europe.

T.
That could be a decent score if you're looking for a player... Serial number 131, eh? That's great - that's even earlier than mine - mine is #279. :dude
 

andreja marovic

New member
Joined
Jun 1, 2004
Messages
2,688
RedSkyDog said:
Not a '61 but a super clean '62 I stumbled across last year. The amp is a '62 with 2x12 cabinet that really honks with the Les Paul SG! :dude

62LPSG62Bassman.jpg
this gitar looks so GOOD with this amp....
I remeber owning a early 61 Les Paul SN 125, YES it was a KILLER very worn cherry or no color left...
I wish I still have it!
Love SG's and own 3 of them + a SG custom made in 62.
Keep rocking boz,
Andreja
 

Aular

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2003
Messages
902
61 & 62 SG's are supposed to have M 69 pup rings right?...anyone knows?
 

RickN

New member
Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Messages
7,143
Aular said:
61 & 62 SG's are supposed to have M 69 pup rings right?...anyone knows?
Yes. The black ones aren't worth anywhere near as much money as the creme versions.
 

scruffy

New member
Joined
Mar 13, 2020
Messages
1
It's BEAUTIFUL. On one hand $17.5 is a lot to spend on a flawed guitar but on the other hand it'll probably be worth $30K in no time. As cool as they are I haven't played one that sustains above the 12th fret. Don't yell SG/LP fans/owners - I love 'em and owned at least a dozen of 'em but when the price of admission is that high IDK if its worth it when you can piss all over it with a new LPR9 with Tims.


Sorry to get a bit off base but perhaps you could direct me. I have had for over forty years, what I believed to be a 61 les paul jr. but it only has five serial numbers. 14203 Does anyone know about the numbering? It says les paul jr. on the head stock but it looks like an sg. thanks
 

fernieite

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 3, 2010
Messages
609
Sorry to get a bit off base but perhaps you could direct me. I have had for over forty years, what I believed to be a 61 les paul jr. but it only has five serial numbers. 14203 Does anyone know about the numbering? It says les paul jr. on the head stock but it looks like an sg. thanks

Hi Scruffy,
14203 sounds about right for a 1961 Les Paul Junior (SG). That's a really early one.
Great guitars!
I've got an early 1963 Les Paul Junior (SG) like yours.
Welcome to the forum :peace2
 

Adrian

New member
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
10
Now I found this old thread, that I believe started already in 2006? And I had some posts here under the name Young Angus, but had to sign up again because I didn’t remember my password and had a new mail address.

However, I bragged in this old thread about my old les Paul SG 1961 and it has gone through some minor changes since 2006. I first put on some Grover tuners in Kluson style. Since the original nut broke I tried to find a vintage nut, but they were expensive for an old piece of plastic. I decided to go real vintage and had my luthier making a nut from a 30 000 years old piece of mammut ivory. Some crackling sounds had started coming from the pickups and I let my luthier re-solder the wires and the annoying noice disappeared. I also put on all the original covers for the pickups and the side-to-side trem.
So... how did this minor restauration project end? Well, the guitar now look very nice and original. And it sounds better, the sustain improved with the mammut nut.

And here’s a soundclip where I play it when it was finished. It’s from the CD Blue Congo with my group GuitCussion - the group has 2 guitarists and 2 drummers - and the totally improvised tune Phoksundo 2 contains a 9 minutes long solo with the Les Paul SG 1961, but it starts with the other guitarist playing sitar. Just wait:

Phoksundo 2:
https://m.soundcloud.com/guitcussion/phoksundo-part-2-low-res-track-from-new-cd-blue-congo
 
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brandtkronholm

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2006
Messages
2,737
...And here’s a soundclip where I play it when it was finished. It’s from the CD Blue Congo with my group GuitCussion - the group has 2 guitarists and 2 drummers - and the totally improvised tune Phoksundo 2 contains a 9 minutes long solo with the Les Paul SG 1961, but it starts with the other guitarist playing sitar. Just wait:

Phoksundo 2:
https://m.soundcloud.com/guitcussion/phoksundo-part-2-low-res-track-from-new-cd-blue-congo

I'm really diggin' this! Very nice! :dude:
 

Adrian

New member
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
10
Thanks!
Perhaps some technical information can be of interest for people here.
In this clip I use only the neck pickup. And my luthier discovered a fun thing when he made the necessary re-soldering of the pickups. They are both marked with PAF-badges that has almost fallen off, but the neck pickup had a small dark magnet, and the bridge a bigger grey magnet. It therefore seems that Gibson has put an alnico V in the neck and an alnico II in the bridge. I have heard some people with Gibsons from the early 60s who also say that they got different magnets in neck and bridge, and the alnico V is in neck and the II in the bridge. One guy I spoke with on Internet said that his ES 335 had pickups marked PAF and PAT, and the PAT was in the neck. Seems that Gibson in the early 60s had some control of what they were doing. Since an alnico V seems to give a more solid bass in the neck, and an alnico II a smoother sound in the upper register?
Anyway, the improvised clip is recorded live in the studio, in one single take. I use my old Fender Blues Deville 212 modded with some NOS-tubes so it’s clean all the way. The overdrive comes from a Boss OD3 - it’s somewhat like Michael Landau runs his stuff.
 
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Aloha_Ark

Active member
Joined
Apr 2, 2020
Messages
154
Now I found this old thread, that I believe started already in 2006? And I had some posts here under the name Young Angus, but had to sign up again because I didn’t remember my password and had a new mail address.

You too? Well, I guess you can call yourself "older Angus" after 14 years. Lucky that you have a 1961 with PAFs, as so many have been raided for their original pickups. I have a '61 as dated/sold by Gruhn. Purchased as-is with junk pickups and neck to body repair. Guitar has the klugey vibrato with folding hinged arm. I wish I had the time to replace it with a stoptail, and better pickups. Happy you could get a nice sound out of your SG.


The link to the guitar on solidbodyguitar.com is no longer active (guess they went under around 2013).
 
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Adrian

New member
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
10
Nice with an old Les Paul SG anyway. Some work and I guess it will shine.
But was is a ”klugey” vibrato?
 

crashbelt

Active member
Joined
Apr 10, 2016
Messages
103
I got the Mojoaxe block to replace the sideways vibrola internal mechanism. Looks the same cosmetically and totally reversible. Great improvement in sustain, tuning stability and break angle. There was a great thread here about them with many happy customers. I have no connection with Mojoaxe but their parts are great.
 
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