Gibson SG Junior Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1964), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 248667, cherry lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, original brown alligatored chipboard case.

This is a very clean original 1964 SG Junior, made the year after the "Les Paul" logo stencil was deleted from the headstock. As either a "Les Paul" or an "SG" this Junior distills the essence of Gibson's 1960's sculpted solidbody aesthetic down to the bare minimum. Fittings on the deep cherry-finished body and neck are no frills in the extreme, with a single P-90 pickup, solid bar bridge and endless unadorned fingerboard to play on. This one remains all original with the classic '64 look and feel.

The nut is 1 21/32" wide on a fairly chunky-feeling neck with a somewhat deeper, more rounded evolution of the flatter profile Gibson introduced in 1960. The neck gets noticeably thicker as it approaches the body, set into the old style squared heel joint. Since there is no neck pickup rout Juniors do not generally suffer the heel issues that often plague vintage twin-pickup SGs.

This guitar features one hot "dogear" plastic covered P-90 positioned close to the solid stud-mounted bridge, both standard fittings Gibson used throughout the '60s. The knobs are the metal capped variety common to this era, which have lost their "Tone" and Volume" markings. There is no vibrato, which was increasingly rare in the mid-60s; You needed a whammy to play many hits of the day so "stoptail" Juniors became less popular in this surf & twang period than they would be later on, but most players now prefer them.

A grand total of 3364 Juniors shipped out of Kalamazoo in 1964 just as the guitar boom was heading towards its peak. By the turn of 1965/66 all SG models were built with a large "swimming pool" center body rout covered by an expanded pickguard allowing bodies in stock to be assembled into any SG or Melody Maker model, and this version was lost for decades. While originally marketed as a student instrument SG Juniors have been a prime choice for professional players for decades, especially in the hard rock zone. This deep cherry '64 is a little screamer of a guitar, a fantastic and super handy rock machine but also more versatile in operation than many think (Just ask Chris Spedding!).

Overall length is 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm.), 13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 21/32 in. (27 mm.).

This is a very nice example of this sleek minimalist classic showing superficial wear overall but no structural damage or repair. The original cherry finish retains a strong very deep color; the only noticeable fade is a bit on the back of the neck from hand contact. The lacquer shows very minimal checking and randomly scattered dings, scrapes, dents and chips, mostly on the back which also has several noticeable spots of "curly cord burn" markings. The headstock has wear to the edges and small dings and chips.

There are no cracks or structural repairs. The hardware is all original; as it often the case the pickguard has shrunk up somewhat and cracked at the two lower corners. The "heart of the guitar" P-90 pickup remains original as does all the wiring; the pot dates are soldered over but all are unaltered. The original knobs are intact; the metal caps have lost their markings and have dented up a bit from being pressed down over the pot shafts. The original Kluson Deluxe strip tuners still work well with the original buttons still intact.

The original large frets show some light wear, the nut appears replaced. The neck angle is better than many and the lack of a vibrato is a definite asset for the rock-oriented player. This guitar plays very well with a bright ringing sound even unplugged; paired with a lively amp it really comes to life, a very friendly Junior that absolutely rips when cranked. It is still housed in the original brown alligator chipboard case, more solid than many with an artful gothic script of (we would assume) the band name "PROFITS" stenciled across the lid; a pun or a wish manifest? Overall Excellent Condition.