Rare 2006 Epiphone Limited Edition '61 SG LQ Lacquer SG Standard - Ebony (Black) - With Original Gigbag - Made In Japan MIJ

Rare Used 2006 Epiphone Limited Edition '61 SG LQ Lacquer Japanese Domestic Market - SG Standard - In classic Ebony (Black) lacquer Finish - Made in Japan by the highly revered Fujigen factory in Japan - MIJ.

• Serial Number: F602116 (2006)
• Body: 2 piece centre-seam mahogany body
• Neck: 1 piece mahogany
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Fretboard Radius: About 12"
• Fret Edge Binding: No
• Inlays: Acrylic celluloid looking inlays
• Frets: 22 x Medium Jumbo (1.0mm tall x 2.7mm wide)
• Nut Width: 43.2mm
• Width at 1st Fret: 44.2mm
• Width at 12th Fret: 52.5mm
• Thickness at 1st Fret: 20.1mm
• Thickness at 12th Fret: 24.3mm
• Nut: Bone?
• Tuners: Original Nickel plated non branded Japanese made Kluson style tuners with ivory type buttons
• Bridge & Tailpiece: Replaced nickel Gotoh GE104B bridge with original nickel tailpiece
• Pickups: Original Epiphone Alnico V pickups
• Neck Pickup Resistance: 7.50K ohm
• Bridge Pickup Resistance: 7.52K ohm
• Pots: Original 500k pots
• Strings: Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 2221 10-46 - E Standard tuning
• Weight: 6.80bs
• Non Original Parts: Gotoh GE104B bridge & bridge studs
• Case: Original black padded Epiphone gig bag
• Truss Rod: Works as expected with room lots of room to tighter, but at the limit of loose

This is a 2006 Epiphone Limited Edition '61 SG LQ Lacquer SG Standard model, in rarely seen Ebony (black) finish, made for the Japanese Domestic market in the famous Fujigen factory.

If you're looking for a black '61 Style SG from Japan with a lacquer finish - this is it.

This was a limited edition run in 2006 - different from the previous Epiphone SG's. You can identify the LQ series by the headstock logo, the font used is different, along with the serial number, which is stamped into the back of the headstock rather than a serial number ink stamped onto the back of the headstock.

I've had a few different MIJ SG's from different brands (Tokai, Greco, Edwards, Burny, Aria), and the Fujigen made SG's are some of the best to come from Japan in terms of the wood & materials used, the construction methods, and the body contours.

This Epiphone '61 SG LQ has body carves and contours more like a Gibson Custom Shop '61 or '64 SG model than a Gibson USA SG Standard, with deep bevel carves, long/deep neck tenon, and the heel that overhangs the neck slightly - a hallmark only found from SG's made in the Fujigen factory, along with some of the early Gibson SG models and the current Custom Shop models.

The Ebony black lacquer finish on this guitar looks amazing from every angle. Who doesn't love a gloss black SG? Although it's hard to tell for certain under the solid finish, this guitar is made from what appears to be a 2 piece centre-seam mahogany body with a 1 piece mahogany set neck. It's also light weight, at only 6.80bs, making it a joy to play both sitting down and standing up.

A previous owner, or shop, installed a new Gotoh GE104B bridge - they filled the original bridge stud holes and redrilled the and inserted the new studs. They did a great job, and when the bridge is installed, you cannot see the work. Although I love vintage guitars, sometimes old ABR style bridges can be loose and rattle - but these newer Gotoh bridges look like a vintage bridge, but are incredibly solid.

Other than the bridge, everything on this guitar appears to be original, and the guitar is in very good players grade condition. There are some dings, dents, chips, scratches and fine swirling all over the guitar, and a bit of the finish has chipped off around the heel joint (it's only the black finish - the neck join is solid as a rock - this is common to see on these LQ SG's). But this guitar has definitely not been abused, and considering it's a gloss black finish, it's in great shape. There are no signs of a headstock, neck or heel repair, or any other major repairs.

All of the original nickel hardware looks good and still has lots of shine left in most area - it has faded to that matte gray look in some areas that nickel is known for. There is very little signs of tarnish, pitting, corrosion or rust on any of the hardware, and everything works as expected.

The neck has a slim taper "C" shape carve - it's thin (but not too thin) and wide, and is a joy to play on. This is closer to a Gibson Custom Shop SG than a Gibson USA '61 slim taper neck. The fretboard is a dark brown rosewood with a a beautiful grain all the way up the fretboard, with celluloid looking trapezoid inlays, and 22 medium jumbo frets.

The 22 medium jumbo frets that have been played, with most play wear on the 1st to 12th frets mainly on the plain strings, but overall there is lots of life left in these frets, and this guitar plays excellent up and down the entire neck.

The original Epiphone pickups sound fantastic - they use an Alnico V magnet and are lower DC resistance, similar to a P.A.F. humbucker, coming in around 7.5K ohm for both. This lower wind means these pickups are clear and articulate, but thanks to the Alnico V magnet used, they still have a good amount of output, and can drive an amp easily, but also clean up well when you roll down on the volume. They can handle nearly every genre really well.

All the guitars I sell, I test, thoroughly clean, and setup 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 the original high quality Epiphone padded gigbag, and the original hang tag showing the model and serial numbers.

Overall, this is a rarely seen, incredibly looking, playing and sounding SG.

If you're looking for a Japanese SG that can hang with the best of them, don't miss this one.

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

Overall it's in very good player grade shape.

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

The bridge is not original - the previous bridge studs had been filled, and new holes drilled for the current studs. The work was done well, and when the bridge is installed, you cannot see that the work that had been done.

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

There is a larger and a smaller dent in the top of the body on the bass side below the bridge.

There are some finish chips on the tips of the headstock edge.

Around the sides of the heel joint, a small amount of the finish has flaked or peel off. This is just the finish - the neck joint is solid with no movement. This is pretty common to see on this era of Fujigen made SG's especially the LQ series.

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

All of the original nickel hardware looks good and still has lots of shine left in most area - it has faded to that matte gray look in some areas that nickel is known for. There is very little signs of tarnish, pitting, corrosion or rust on any of the hardware, and everything works as expected.

There is a small dent on the bridge humbucker cover.

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

All of the non branded nickel Japanese made tuners are straight and work as expected

The 22 medium jumbo frets that have been played, with most play wear on the 1st to 12th frets mainly on the plain strings, but overall there is lots of life left in these frets, and this guitar plays excellent up and down the entire neck.

The truss rod works has plenty of room to tighten, but is currently all the way loose. This guitar is setup in E standard with Ernie Ball 10-46 Regular Slinky stings. Currently, there is 0.005" of relief measured between the bottom of the low E string and the top of the 8th fret with the 1st fret and 17th fret depressed. In this state, the guitar can setup easily with low action and plays without any buzzing or problems. This neck is really strong, and resists the pull of the strings on its own, without the need for the truss rod.

There no signs of a headstock, heel or any other repairs.

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!