Gibson SGJ 2013 - CH

As part of the 2013 Year of Les Paul celebrations, Gibson USA brings you a new SG model that’s available at an entry-level price to suit any budget. When it took over briefly from the Les Paul Standard in 1961, the SG was very much a part of Les Paul’s vision, and the SG remained an iconic Gibson electric even after the single-cutaway Les Paul Standard returned later in the decade. The SGJ offers all the ingredients that made the most desirable Les Paul Standards legendary—classic tonewoods, innovative hardware, two genuine humbucking pickups, and of course Gibson’s acclaimed build quality and playability—all wrapped up in a stripped-down, no-nonsense package that makes this guitar a flat-out performer. Simpler esthetics and a cool worn-look finish technique add up to big savings for the player, and the SGJ still looks great in your choice of Cherry, Chocolate, Hand-Rubbed Vintage Burst, or Hand-Rubbed Transparent White, all in grain-textured nitrocellulose lacquer.

Mahogany is one of the most revered tonewoods in the history of guitar making, with a rich, deep sound and a long tradition at Gibson USA, and it remains the cornerstone of the SGJ. The guitar’s body is crafted from solid mahogany in the iconic thin, lightweight offset-double-cutaway style, with distinctive “horns” and beveled edges for improved playing comfort. A neck made from hard-wearing maple is glued into the body and carved to a ’50s rounded profile that measures .818” at the 1st fret and .963” at the 12th. It is topped with a genuine rosewood fingerboard that carries 24 medium-jumbo frets to extend your playing reach, and elegant pearloid dot inlays. There’s no pickguard or fingerboard binding to clutter the straight-on, stripped-down look of the SGJ, while quality touches continue with a PLEK-cut nut made from black Corian™ to subtly echo the black top-hat knobs and black pickup rings and covers. The traditional back-angled headstock is silkscreened with a gold Gibson logo that stands out clear and proud.

A pair of Gibson’s popular Modern Classics™ humbucking pickups fire up the SGJ. The 490R in the neck position and 490T in the bridge are made to emulate PAF humbucker and modified to suit the needs of the contemporary guitarist, with Alnico II magnets and standard-wound coils for plenty of warmth and clarity and scorch and sizzle in your lead playing. An independent volume and tone control per pickup plus a three-way toggle selector switch allows a broad range of sonic variations, while Gibson USA’s legendary Tune-o-Matic bridge and Stopbar tailpiece ensure solid sustain and outstanding intonation. A set of vintage-style tuners with black keys provides an impressive 16:1 gear ratio for precise and efficient tuning. Put it all together, and the new SGJ is the fastest road to a genuine Les Paul, sparing none of the tone, while putting the legend in your hands with far less load on your wallet.