lous1952
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Posts posted by lous1952
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You have what appears to be a 1969 SG Special
It has the 3 piece neck, which is stiffer than the 1 piece neck, no volute, no "Made in USA" stamp.
The Gibson logo also has no dot over the "i", and the "o" is open like a "u".
I have a 1969 SG Standard with similar features.
I also have a 1968 SG Special with the same Kluson tuners that yours would have had originally.
Here's a picture of my '68 Special- yours would have had the same Kluson tuners.
You are also missing the bushings that fit on the front of the peghead.
Even though you have chrome hardware, the tuners would have been nickle plated, as is the case on mine.
You can get reproduction Kluson tuners that look like the originals and say Kluson Deluxe on them, although in 1 row, unlike mine which has 2 rows, but yours might have had the 1 row anyway.
You can get a set of tuners, with bushings and screws, on ebay, for a very nice price from this guy:
Disregard what the caption says- they are the right ones.
The only problem that you may have is if the holes have been enlarged for the tuners that are on it.
If they have been enlarged to 3/8", which was common, you need conversion bushings like these:
Your peghead does not appear to have been drilled, but you can never tell until you measure it.
As for the Vibrola arm, they are the same for Specials, Standards and Juniors.
This guy sells a very good reproduction for a good price.
You can watch ebay and try to find original tuners, but they were usually taken off for a reason, or are very worn.
I have reproduction Kluson tuners on my 1969 Standard and have had no trouble with them.
You might be able to find a vintage Vibrola arm, but you'll pay big money for it, and they usually don't look much different than the reproduction arm unless they're beat up, and your SG is too nice for a beat up arm.
Also, your fretboard needs oiling.
Fret Doctor is the best fretboard oil out there, available here:
When you're done, your SG Special will look like mine.
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Put the pictures up, including the back of the headstock, and then I'll tell you which parts to get.
Excellent reproduction tuners are available that are better than the originals and look and fit correctly.
The arm is available too.
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Gibson didn't make SG's in '66--I had on a long time ago and the serial# started with 810' date=' and it was a '68, so my guess is yours is a '69 or '70--I can usually tell from the contour bevels what the year is as far as '60's--the contours got shallower and cheesier after '69.[/quote']
Gibson made SGs in 1966.
1966 was a transitional year from small to large pickguard versions.
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Put up pictures front and back, with headstock, and I can tell you what year it is.
I just purchased a late 60's SG Standard and am trying to pin down the actual year of the instrument. Per ther serial number (84
in Gibson USA
Posted
I apologize for not giving you better information yesterday, I was on a cheesy computer, and I was not with it last night.
SG Specials and Juniors got whatever tuners were available.
Yours could have had plastic or metal button tuners.
I have to say, I can't remember seeing open gear tuners with metal buttons on a 1969 Special, and I have my doubts about their originality.
I don't think that Kluson is reproducing those tuners, if they are Klusons.
These are closed tuners that should fit and were much more common on Specials.
They should work, but check the dimensions.
Tuners
As for the bridge plate, it's possible that it came from an earlier version like was on a Melody Maker.
You can buy a new reproduction nickle unit, but it won't match your chrome hardware.
You can possibly buy a complete vintage unit, but you'll pay for it.
Vintage Vibrola
Or you can keep an eye out for just the plate itself on ebay, they do show up occasionally.
If you buy a complete unit you can sell the extra parts on ebay and get some of your money back.