Very Rare Morris SG Deluxe (H.S. Anderson) 1973 - John Cipollina Clone? - Bigsby Style Tremolo - Original Maxon Humbuckers - Cherry Finish - Made In Japan MIJ

Very rare possibly custom ordered 1973 Morris SG Deluxe model - Nearly all original with original Maxon made Jaxx Rock Morris engraved chrome covered Jazz Rock Humbuckers and Bigsby style tremolo - With vintage ELK hard case - Made in Japan - MIJ.

• Serial Number: None
• Body: Mahogany pancake body
• Neck: 1 piece mahogany (with headstock ears and no heel cap)
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Fretboard Radius: Compound about 7.25" to 16"
• Fret Edge Binding: No
• Inlays: Mother of pearl dots
• Frets: 22 x Medium (0.9mm tall x 2.4mm wide)
• Nut Width: 42.5mm
• Width at 1st Fret: 42.8mm
• Width at 12th Fret: 51.0mm
• Thickness at 1st Fret: 22.5mm
• Thickness at 12th Fret: 24.4mm
• Nut: Bone
• Tuners: Non original unbranded chrome Schaller style tuners
• Bridge & Tailpiece: Original Japanese made chrome L.P. bridge and Bigsby style tremolo
• Pickups: Original Morris engraved chrome covered Maxon made Jazz Rock humbuckers with 13921 date codes on both (September 21st 1973)
• Neck Pickup Resistance: 8.43K ohm
• Bridge Pickup Resistance: 8.18K ohm
• Pots: Original 1M ohm pots with 73 date codes (July 1973 assumed) - original caps
• Strings: Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 2221 10-46 strings - E Standard tuning
• Weight: 7.52lbs
• Non Original Parts: Tuners
• Case: Vintage ELK brand hard case
• Truss Rod: Works as expected with lots of room to tighten, but at the limit of loose

This is an incredibly rare, and possibly custom ordered, 1973 Morris SG Deluxe, which is based on the 1971-1972 Gibson SG Deluxe, except with a super cool pickguard and MOP dot inlays.

This seems to have been heavily inspired by, or a copy of, the SG that John Cipollina from Quicksilver Messenger Service played - which is one of the coolest looking SG's you'll find!

Information on the Morris Brand is super scarce online, so I don't know the model number for this one, or if there even was one?

But this guitar reminds me a lot, in terms of built quality and components, of a 1973 Greco SP-6 SG Pro I sold last year.

There is no serial number on this - but the pots are dated to to July 1973, and the date stamps on the original Maxon made Morris Engraved chrome covered Jazz Rock humbuckers are 13921 on both, dating them to September 21st 1973, so I'd guess this was a Fall of 1973 built guitar.

From what I can find online about these Morris brand guitars, they were built by the same factory as HS Anderson, and possibly ELK.

This SG looks a lot like the also incredibly rare HS Anderson SG model HS-3, and that is the only other model I have seen with this style pickguard.

Other than a newer set of chrome Schaller style tuners that arrived on this guitar when I got it, everything else appears to original, and this guitar is in good player grade condition. As with most guitars that are over 50 years old, there are a lot of small scratches and swirling, chips, dings, cracks, and dents all over the guitar - but nothing major. Overall, the guitar looks good for its age, and has a consistent patina and/or mojo.

It's made with a 1 piece mahogany neck with a beautiful rosewood fretboard, mated to a pancake mahogany body that has some really nice grain, with chrome & nickel hardware.

The 2 original Morris Engraved chrome covered Maxon made Jazz Rock humbuckers (that's what they are known as - they were simply called Jazz/Rock in catalogs during this time) sound warm and dynamic, with present mids and tight highs, and a full low end. They can cut through the mix really well, and can handle that classic rock and I think they handle fuzz really well. Interestingly, this guitar is fitted with 1M ohm pots.

The neck on this SG is on the thicker side - it starts out at 22.5mm at the 1st fret, and works up to 24.4mm at the 12th fret. It has a round "C" shape carve - with a 42.5mm nut width. To my hands, it feels smaller than these dimensions, so the carve on this one is quite unique.

The fretboard on this one is a really nicely grained rosewood with beautiful swirling grain up and down the entire fretboard. The fretboard appears to have a compound radius, starting out at around 7.25" at the nut and ending at 16" by the last fret.

The fretboard is has real mother of pearl dot inlays, with 22 medium frets. These frets measure 0.9mm wide and 2.4mm tall - this is one of the only guitars I have ever had from Japan with this size frets (so far) again adding to that bespoke feel.

The 22 original medium frets that have been played, but there is only minor play wear across the board, and overall there is lots of life left in these frets, and this guitar plays well up and down the entire neck.

Like all the guitars I sell, I test, thoroughly clean, and setup my guitars completely before I list them. Anything that is missing, damaged, or non original is mentioned in the listing.

I setup all my Gibson style guitars to Gibson factory specs - including neck relief, action, pickup height, intonation, and tailpiece height. So this guitar will be ready to play out of the box (after you tune it up - I ship my guitars with the strings loosened).

Comes with what appears to be the original ELK hard shell case. It's in usable condition, but it is vintage for sure - there is staining all over, and all of the hardware is corroded, tarnish and/or rusted, but all hinges and clasps are intact and working. There is a key, but it doesn't not appear to work this lock (or the lock is broken). Also comes with the original truss rod wrench, and a vintage black leather strap.

Overall, this is an incredible rare vintage Japanese made SG, that also looks, plays and sounds incredible.

If you're looking for a vintage Japanese made SG, you'll want to add this to your collection today.

CONDITION ------------

Overall it's in good player grade shape.

I've tried to capture all of the flaws in the photos and in the description.

The tuners are not original.

Over the entire body of the guitar, top, back, sides, neck and headstock, there are dings, dents, scratches, cracks, chips, hazing, and swirling.

There are some larger dents and scratches on the back of the neck under the lower frets.

There is some buckle rash type scratches on the back of the body.

The chrome and nickel hardware, bridge, tailpiece/tremolo, tuners, and screws all have some very slight form of corrosion, pitting, scratches, and rust, although not too much for the age, there is still lots of shine left, and they do have a consistent patina on them.

All of the black plastics have typical scratches and swirling on them.

All of the non original chrome tuners work properly.

Around the strap buttons there's some strap marks/swirling.

The 22 medium frets have been played, but not much, so there is only minor fret wear across the board, and overall there is lots of life left in the frets, and the guitar plays well up and down the entire neck.

The truss rod works as expected, with lots of room to tighten, but it's almost at the limit of loose. Right now, tuned in E standard with 10-46 strings, there is 0.010" of relief measured between the bottom of the low E string and the top of the 8th fret, with the 1st fret capoed and the 17th fret depressed. This is the ideal amount of relief. If you want less relief, there is lots of room to tighten the rod to do so. If you want more, than you'd need lighter gauge strings.

The bridge is lowered all the way down on the high E side, and the action on the high E side is 0.07".

There are no signs of a headstock or neck repair.

SHIPPING ------------  

Every shipment is expertly packed with great care and includes tracking, signature required on delivery, and full insurance coverage for both the purchase price and shipping.

Every guitar is fully wrapped in bubble wrap, in a cardboard box meant for guitars, with proper support inside. To reduce environmental impact, the packing material (paper, newsprint, gift wrap, bubble wrap, air packets, foam, carboard boxes and/or tube supports, etc...) used may be recycled.

Package dimensions are 118cm x 47cm x 17cm

Note: if you want an exact shipping quote, just send me a note with your postal/zip code, and I'll get a proper quote for your address. 

Note: If you're buying from outside of Canada, you as the Buyer may be required to pay import duties, tariffs, taxes and/or VAT upon delivery, depending on your location and the purchase price.

QUESTIONS ------------

Any questions? Want more photos or detailed shots? Measurements? Shoot me a message, and I'll be happy to answer them, or send more pics, or take any measurements you want/need.

Thanks for looking!