'65 SG Maestro Vibrola

[Alan189 2]

Hi folks,

 

I've been searching for one of these guitars in cherry for a good while and can't seem to find one!

 

Does anyone have this particular model for sale?

 

My other option would be just to buy a normal SG and modify it up with the maestro vibrola tailpiece!

 

Cheers,

Al

[tweed2 385]

Alan, Allparts carries one that is real close, but without the engraving on the cover. Someone recently posted a picture of one that they bought, then had it engraved (do a search here, it'll come up). Unless it was next to the real thing, you couldn't tell it wasn't. At $150, plus shipping, plus engraving though, kind of expensive. Have you tried Gibson Parts directly? Or, keep an eye on eBay. I see them on there ocasionally. I'm not so sure that retrofitting will cover the existing post holes completely, something to think about.

 

http://www.allparts.com/Tremolo-Tailpieces-s/151.htm

 

If they weren't so expensive, I'd put one on my G400. They are the right vibrato unit for that style guitar. Good luck.

 

[Blueman335 32]

Coolest-looking vibrato ever. I have a red '65 Epi, I think there were only 400 or 500 made, so it'll take a while to find one. Keep checking eBay, they pop up once in a while. There's also black '65's with gold hardware, and a small number of alpine white '65 Customs which are beautiful. The only current/recent production Epi SG with a maestro is in pelham blue.

 

The problem with putting on an aftermaket maestro is that the quality is spotty and they are expensive. They look kind of plain without engraving. To retro-fit one you have to remove the stop bar, and that leaves two big holes that are pretty obvious, the maestro doesn't really hide them. Your best bet by far is getting one that came from the factory with a maestro.

[jcwillow777 15]

If you want a Maestro Allparts is really the way to go. Before I got my cherry G-400 with Maestro I had my local guitar shop contact Gibson to see if I could buy one from them. I was considering putting one on a standard G-400. Their answer was no. They may have changed since then, but my guess is no. Fortunately I was able to find one with a Maestro. I have to say that the Maestro on my G-400 has the best response of any of my guitars with trems. I have several with Bigsbys and a couple of Strats with trems. I have no intentions of ever selling my G-400.

 

[Alan189 2]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

I just went out and bought a brand new Epiphone SG Pro (ebony) and I've ordered one of those Maestros :-)

 

I'll post before and after photos when complete! The guitar is nice as it is just now, coil tap feature is pretty nifty, really getting that strat tone.

 

It came with the Wilkinson deluxe tuners... I'm not too keen on them though. Might swap them out for Grover Deluxe ones or just the standard Grover chrome kidney shaped ones.

 

I decided to get a ebony SG so that when I remove the bushing they will be harder to notice plus the fact the black SG looks killer.

 

I did have an old 1997 Korean SG (cherry) before and ended up selling it.

 

Your cherry SG with the maestro has toally made me drool though, can't wait for my maestro to arrive. It won't have the engraving on it but I think I can live with that :-)

 

Cheers

[tonematter 0]

The Pelham Blue ones are pretty abundant these days. Cool looking in their own right. I owned one but sold it. But I still have the Cherry '65 one.

 

The Maestro is a unique vibrato. I've found it's the only one that has real bounce action - a bwah-bwah-bwah-bwah bounce-back ability that other trems can't match in quickness response. Something like a Jazzmaster/Jaguar trem has quite a delayed reaction in comparison.

[Blueman335 32]

The Maestro is a unique vibrato. I've found it's the only one that has real bounce action - a bwah-bwah-bwah-bwah bounce-back ability that other trems can't match in quickness response.

 

+1. Very responsive, and maestros have the best handle of any vibrato.