tonedef102 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Hi there, Several years ago I inherited a green Gibson SG from my father. Unfortunately, there is no serial number (that I can find). I was wondering whether you could help me in identifying the model. My father bought it from someone and so we have no original paperwork and I think it has at some point been repainted as I have never seen an SG with this pain job before (I think this may be covering the serial number?). Any help would be greatly appreciated! http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/tonedef1984/slideshow/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 You may be right about the serial number. The square inlays and bridge style suggest it's maybe late 70's or early 80's. Pics of the top of the back of the neck where it meets the headstock and the backs of the pickups would help to date it. Not sure what the exact name is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick_s Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Can't help with the dating, but that colour really suits the SG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonedef102 Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 Thanks for your help! Here are the pictures you said could help. http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/tonedef1984/slideshow/ Thanks, I love the colour, really unusual, makes it stand out a bit! Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 By the date code on the pot, it would be no earlier than 1973. Possibly a 1974. Possibly a '73-'74 SG Standard/Deluxe. It would have came with the old-style 3-point pickguard. Cool color! description for that (yours looks to have fingerboard binding?) Are all of the pot codes similar? (13773XX) Can you see evidence of the pickguard screws? It could be that very few of these shipped out ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonedef102 Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 Amazing, thank you so much! Two last questions, do you know what pickups are installed and do you think they are the originals? Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 You are welcome! It is hard to make out from the pics. There are many on the Forum that would be more knowledgeable on the pickups from this era. That being said ,they be 'tarbacks' which are very popular Gibson humbuckers. http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-1305575.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Collins Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Looks like a '73 SG Custom that probably had a Bigsby and harmonica bridge (judging from the tailpiece location and bridge angle) before the refin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Thanks for your help! Here are the pictures you said could help. http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/tonedef1984/slideshow/ Thanks, I love the colour, really unusual, makes it stand out a bit! Thanks guys! Yep, has the neck volute and Super Humbuckers. Was probably top of the line at the time. Also agree with the other assessments so far as date, mods and model. Here's a 74 SG standard and might be what yours looked like before the mods. 74 SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hey David, if a Custom, was the middle pickup route 'filled in' before refinish, do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Amazing, thank you so much! Two last questions, do you know what pickups are installed and do you think they are the originals? Thanks again! Those pickups are probably the originals as they seem to show up in a number of guitars from the 70s. I believe that those are the pick ups that Bill Lawrence designed when he was working at Gibson. They were in the first SG that I bought in the late 70s or so. Bill had planned to use them in the solid body L5 I believe. You can research this as the information should be available online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Collins Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hey David, if a Custom, was the middle pickup route 'filled in' before refinish, do you think? Sorry, I think I typed "custom" as a reflex (was just appraising a '74 SG Custom the other day). I didn't see any obvious signs of a fill, so probably a '73 SG Standard. The tailpiece location though looks like it was installed later to replace what was likely an original Bigsby, and the lack of angle to the bridge suggest that the post locations are original to the "harmonica bridges" they used at this time. The tar-back pickups and electronics certainly seem all original though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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