Gibson's latest signature guitar for "Captain" Kirk Douglas, the guitarist of The Roots, is one of the company's most innovative SGs, with enough tonal options to satisfy any sonic wanderer.
If you think you've seen this before, you're not entirely mistaken. Back in 2013, Gibson offered a limited-edition Kirk Douglas SG in a Vintage Cherry finish.
This year's revived model, however, does not offer just a fresh coat of Inverness Green or Ebony paint. It's a redesigned player that brings Douglas' own master-volume mod into the production run.
Each of the three BurstBucker pickups has its own individual volume control, as well as a push-pull function that allows for single-coil tones. While the three-way selector switch gives you the option of neck, bridge, or both, you can use the volume knob for the middle pickup to blend in the desired signal from it at any time.
The truly unique feature is the addition of a master volume knob on the pickguard, within a pinky's reach for quick volume swells, in effect giving you Strat-like swell-ability. You can watch Douglas demonstrate in Gibson's announcement video.
In it, Douglas also credits his SG-playing inspirations: Jimi Hendrix (whose SG Custom served as the basis for 2020's Gibson Custom Shop Jimi Hendrix 1967 SG Custom) and Sister Rosetta Tharpe (whose SG-wielding legacy still reigns large today).
The new Kirk Douglas Signature SG is available in Inverness Green or Ebony for $2,499 USD.