“Gibson would have been aware of the popularity of Fender vibratos and maybe considered Bigsbys to be too expensive or too closely associated with Gretsch. Either way, the company devised its own”: What this Golden Era ’63 SG tells us about Gibson design

Although not as outlandish as the Explorer and Flying V, the SG’s pointy horns and sharp body contours were nevertheless radical for the era and it continues to divide opinions decades after its debut at the July 1961 NAMM Show in Chicago.

When analysing many of Gibson’s late 1950s and early ’60s designs, it’s often helpful to consider them in the context of the competition the company faced from Fender.

Flagship models such as the Stratocaster, Jazzmaster and Jaguar had popularised smaller lightweight bodies, double-cutaways for easier upper-fret access, and increasingly slim and fast-feeling necks.

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In contrast, the Les Paul Standard and Custom were essentially heavy scaled-down jazz guitars, and while the semi-solids were easier to play higher up the neck, they were also bulky and feedback prone.

Slimline Tonic

The Les Paul Junior and Special models indicated where Gibson’s approach to guitar design and construction was heading when the double-cutaway body shape was introduced in 1958. In a sense, the SG can be seen as an evolution of the Special, with a solid mahogany body that was slimmed down from a nominal 1.5 inches to 1.375 inches and given pronounced contours to sharpen up the plank-like appearance.

Many players welcomed the enhanced playability these new features offered, but there were some drawbacks. The lighter bodies resulted in the SG’s notorious tendency towards neck heaviness and, for some, the long skinny necks made SGs feel more like longbows with guitar strings.

There were structural issues, too, that made the challenge of keeping them in tune second only to the challenge of keeping them in one piece.

SGs are just as vulnerable to headstock breaks as any other vintage-era Gibson model, but slimming down the body also meant that there was less wood and reduced glueing surface area where the neck joined the body.

As a consequence, many SGs have suffered breaks where the neck joins the body and extensive repairs are not uncommon.

Less Les

To his credit, Les Paul identified the SG’s structural issues from the get-go, and by the third year of production the embossed Les Paul logo was quietly removed from the truss rod cover.

The model name was also changed from the Les Paul SG Standard to the SG Standard. Les later suggested: “The problem that the SG had was the fact that you could pull back on the neck and it wasn’t strong enough. I don’t want no vibrato by bending on the neck. I want a good solid instrument, and it didn’t sustain as good. Otherwise, it’s a good instrument.”

It must be said that there’s no evidence the likes of Frank Zappa, Angus Young and Derek Trucks ever struggled with a lack of sustain. As for the whippy necks, Pete Townshend used them to create vibrato effects and control feedback, as you can hear on Live At Leeds.

He was eventually forced to stop playing SGs, however, because replacements couldn’t be found in sufficient numbers to replace those rendered unusable by his ferociously physical playing style and tendency to clout self-righteous hippies at music festivals.

Les Paul models of the 1950s ranged from entry-level Juniors and Specials to the flagship Standard and Custom models. SGs followed suit, with the same P-90/humbucker split but far greater consistency in the way they were constructed. And just like before, the two-pickup Standard model was far more popular than the glitzy gold-plated three‑pickup Custom.

For some collectors, the golden era of the SG Standard lasted from 1961 to ’63. Besides the kudos of retaining the Les Paul branding, SGs from that era stand a good chance of having those fabled ‘Patent Applied For’ humbucking pickups.

Although Gibson was granted its patent in 1959, it continued using up stocks of these pickups and Patent Applied For decals for years afterwards, and there are documented examples of gold-plated units still being installed as late as 1965.

This is where things become murky because not all Patent Applied For pickups were created equal. The version that Gibson was making after mid-’61 had shorter Alnico V magnets, which generate a fatter and more midrange focused tone.

Also, some examples have Patent Number decals, despite conforming in all other respects to the Patent Applied For formula. With so much money riding on them, the devil really is in the decals.

Cherry On Top

According to some SG aficionados, the ultimate year for the model was 1963, so we’re pleased to have got our hands on a ’63 SG. Better still, it’s one of those ever so rare examples that retains its full history.

This guitar can be traced back to Hessy’s Music in Liverpool where its original owner purchased it. That same owner consigned it to Gardiner Houlgate in Wiltshire to be auctioned, where it achieved a hammer price of £10,000 in December 2025.

It is clear that this SG saw a lot of action on the Liverpool circuit and the owner is known to have played for The Squares, The Renicks and The Twig. He also regularly performed at the iconic Cavern Club and even shared the stage with The Beatles prior to acquiring the guitar. One of the most charming features is a ‘Frank Hessy LTD’ sticker that the shop applied to the rear of the headstock.

Thankfully, this SG was spared the modifications that were so often done to guitars during the ’60s and ’70s. There is quite a bit of playwear on the back of the neck, along with finish rub-throughs on the edges, and the dings and dents that are typically acquired by gigging guitars. But the finish retains a vibrant cherry colour and there is no evidence of repairs or overspray.

The electronics are also all original, with a full set of 1963 potentiometers and two original pickups. Since 1963 was a crossover year for such things, it’s hardly a surprise to see a Patent Number pickup in the bridge position and a Patent Applied For in the neck. Guitars & Musical Instruments auctioneer Luke Hobbs suggested that the decal is the only significant difference and that both pickups sound exactly the same.

Other than one replaced tuner screw and a new switch tip, this SG is completely original. The owner’s son brought it to Gardiner Houlgate in a Frank Hessy-supplied hard case, which also contained the original Gibson strap.

Sideways Glance

Another reason ’63 SGs are so popular is that they retain most of the desirable early features, but most are unencumbered by Gibson’s notorious sideways vibrato. No doubt this device has its fans, but in most cases any attempt to use it in earnest is just a prelude to tuning mayhem. Since owners generally fold up the arm and tuck it out of the way, it makes one wonder why Gibson went to the bother of making these.

Gibson would have been aware of the popularity of Fender vibratos and maybe considered Bigsbys to be too expensive or too closely associated with Gretsch to be used on its guitars. Either way, the company devised its own vibrato, with a bar that moved side to side, rather than up and down.

As someone who has removed a few of these, this writer can also report that they are extremely heavy. And that’s possibly their best attribute because sideways vibratos do a fine job of counteracting neck dive, and some credit them with enhancing sustain.

Given the aforementioned tendency of SG necks to induce vibrato (whether you want it or not), vibratos on SGs may seem as superfluous as go-faster stripes on a Ferrari. But the Maestro Vibrola unit that features in this guitar is actually very effective, despite being as under-engineered as the sideways vibrato was over-engineered.

The Maestro, which replaced the sideways vibrato, is little more than a springy piece of metal that is screwed onto the body. So long as you respect its limitations, you can use it to apply gentle Bigsby-like vibrato with confidence that your strings will stay in tune. The trickiest part is finding the sweet spot where the screw-on arm stays tight enough to provide good feel but can swing out of the way when it’s not needed.

As for the sizable ‘lyre’ faceplate, it attaches to a metal frame that is also screwed onto the body. They serve no practical purpose, but they do look good.

Between 1963 and the end of the decade, the SG continued evolving. By 1965, Gibson had transitioned from nickel-plated to chrome-plated hardware, and soon after the neck joint was revised. Known as the ‘Stair Step’, the rejigged join was moved closer to the 19th fret and the heel was elongated for additional strength and stability.

The fretboard width at the nut gradually reduced from 1 11/16 inches to 1 9/16 inches, and ended up at 1 5/8 inches. Gibson also changed the headstock angle from 17 to 14 degrees, and the pickguard was enlarged to extend beyond the bass strings and eliminate the need for pickup rings. These days, you can choose whichever style or feature set you prefer from the current range of Epiphone and Gibson models.

• With thanks for Gardiner Houlgate for allowing us to photograph this guitar.
• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.