1962 Gibson Les Paul SG - Cherry

Player grade 1962 Gibson Les Paul / SG.

This 1962 Gibson SG retains many of the features that make these early examples so desirable. It has the lightweight all-mahogany construction, original cherry finish, and Brazilian rosewood fingerboard expected from the period. The finish looks right for the year and Black lights appropriately. But you don’t see any clear difference between the repaired area and the rest of the neck. This suggests that the neck may have been oversprayed.

It is fitted with a Bigsby B5 vibrato, and there are two visible screw holes behind the bridge from a previous reversed modification.

The knobs, guard, switch tip, tenon cover, and back plates appear to be original. The nut has been replaced. A truss rod cover is missing a screw.

At some point in its life the guitar suffered a broken headstock and received a headstock graft replacement. The repair uses a long triangular splice that is clearly visible in the photos. The headstock angle is slightly shallower than original, but the guitar remains structurally sound and plays well. It appears they may have used the original veneer on the headstock, but I’m not 100% sure. Because of the repair, the original serial number is no longer present. The guitar can nevertheless be confidently dated to 1962 based on the original potentiometers, which carry the code 1346241. The original pots and pickups were removed by the previous owner and are not with guitar.

The neck has the comfortable, slim profile associated with early SGs, and the Brazilian rosewood fingerboard has the feel and character you would expect from a well-played vintage instrument. The tuners are later double-ring Kluson Deluxe-style replacements.

The electronics have been completely updated. It is fitted with a set of Fralin Pure PAF pickups along with a Fralin wiring harness and a .05 mfd tone capacitor. The pickup covers are later replacements. The result is an excellent sounding guitar with plenty of clarity, warmth, and dynamic response while offering the reliability of modern electronics.

Overall, this is a player-grade vintage SG with significant modifications, but it remains an excellent instrument. It captures much of the resonance, feel, and character that make the early SGs so appealing while offering outstanding playability and great tone. Any part not explicitly identified as vintage or original should be assumed to be replaced.

The guitar comes housed in a 1960s Gibson SG case. The interior is in decent shape. The exterior is completely missing the black Tolex and has tape on it.