Empire Guitars 1964 Gibson SG Standard Electric

Summary: It is widely agreed that 1964 is the year the SG came into its own, dropping the Les Paul moniker in 1963 while increasing the thickness of the neck profile and replacing the side pull vibrato with the more reliable Maestro Vibrola in ’64. This Gibson SG boasts the original “Patent Number” humbuckers and the original bridge and Maestro Vibrola. The neck angle is nearly perfect for an SG during this time period, allowing for the lowering and raising of the bridge as needed. This SG is all original and is in great condition for a vintage istrument from the early 1960’s.

Body: Mahogany with a Cherry nitrocellulose finish.

Neck: Mahogany with a Rosewood fingerboard, 24.75” scale length, 1.680” nut width, trapezoidal pearl inlays, 22 frets, the neck tenon was longer in 1964 creating a more stable instrument and also adding more sustain.

Pickups/Hardware: Two Patent Number humbuckers (the neck pickup is missing the sticker, but you can still see where the sticker was), the potentiometers date to 1964 (Please See Photos), Maestro Vibrola tremolo system, nylon saddles, two volume/two tone controls/three-way pickup selector, Kluson Deluxe tuning keys, original nickel hardware.

Cosmetics: This guitar has wear that is consistent with an instrument from the early 1960’s. There are small dents and dings on the body/neck/headstock (Please See Photos). There are light surface scratches throughout on the body. The nickel hardware has aged beautifully. The pickguard has shrunk just a little. This was hard to photograph, but if you’d like to see more pictures, please feel free to ask. There is some light checking on the back of the neck. On the face of the headstock, there is a circle around the “A” string tuning peg where a string has scratched the finish. On the back of the headstock, there is a small crack near the “E” string tuning key that runs up to the “A” string tuning key. It appears to be structurally sound (Please See Photos). There is small scuff on the back edge of the body near the volume/tone controls. This guitar is in great shape and plays very well.

Playability: Our in-house guitar tech has inspected, setup, and restrung this guitar with a new set of 10’s. The neck is straight, the truss rod is fully functional, and the action has been setup low and comfortable.

Weight: 7.220 lbs.

Case: This guitar ships in the original case, professionally packaged, and fully insured.