slowhand_6 Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 I can only imagine this has been posted here many times before, but let me ask again. What does "SG" of the Gibson SG stand for? It was covered in the Les Paul issue of Guitar Player a few months back. But I can't remember. I know the SG is an early version of the LP that Les himself didn't like. Therefore, it recevied the new name. And that new name was etched on a plate nestled between the end of the neck and the first position humbucker. Anyone help with the missing info? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 it means solid guitar. but i have heard people say it meant second generation. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowhand_6 Posted May 13, 2004 Author Share Posted May 13, 2004 Bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicalhair Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 I thought it meant Standard Guitar-- I'm not saying I "know" anything, but that is what I thought. Solid would make sense. check out some comedy I've done: http://louhasspoken.tumblr.com/ My Unitarian Jihad Name: Brother Broadsword of Enlightened Compassion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowhand_6 Posted May 13, 2004 Author Share Posted May 13, 2004 I just received a reply from gibson Customer Service who confirmed it is indeed Solid Guitar! Thanks everybody! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Originally posted by Guitarzan: it means solid guitar. but i have heard people say it meant second generation.SG does, indeed, stand for second generation, not solid guitar. (Though I've seen erroneous references to this. After working at Gibson Customer Support I have yet to see any documentation to back up the "solid guitar" claim. If you want the official word from Gibson, contact Rame Eskridge or one of the other guys at Gibson Customer Support.) What we know of as the Les Paul was designed by Les Paul, engineers at Gibson, or both, depending on who you're talking to. Les says it was his design, McCarty said it was Gibson's design with Les' seal of approval. Either way, Les Paul certainly agreed to associate his name with this Gibson product before its' initial manufacture. It's been the Les Paul model from the beginning, in 1952. In 1961, Gibson decided to change the design and renamed it the LP SG, or Les Paul Second Generation. The original Les Paul body was discontinued entirely. This was intended as a permanent change. Unfortunately for Gibson, but fortunately for solid body electric guitarists, Les Paul was not at all happy with the LP SG and insisted Gibson remove his endorsement, in the form of his name, from the instrument. Midway through 1961 the LP SG became, simply, the Gibson SG. I'd have to check some sources, but it was a few years before the classic Les Paul model was reintroduced. It wasn't until around 1969 that several famous rock guitarists began tossing around opinions that the late 1950's Les Paul's were the most desired guitars around. By the time Led Zeppelin really hit big in the early to mid 1970's, the late 1950's LP's were coveted by the biggest names in rock, but Jimmy Page almost single handedly made those vintage LP's worth a mint. Meanwhile, the SG eventually found its' own audience and Gibson has never quit building them. Famous guitarists such as Pete Townshend of The Who and Angus Young of AC/DC carved out a nice niche of guitarists who wanted something racier than the LP yet more comfortable than a Flying V or Explorer. The SG certainly fit that bill nicely with it's sharp, double cutaway design. If you don't believe me, do some research. The Gruhn Guide and other books about the history of the Les Paul model have plenty of information on the subject. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Yuhp. What Neil said. (Yeah, like it needs my approval to validate!) So... who here besides Neil and myself knows what the "ES" in the model designation of many various Gibsons stands for? Anyone? Anyone?? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite: Yuhp. What Neil said. (Yeah, like it needs my approval to validate!) So... who here besides Neil and myself knows what the "ES" in the model designation of many various Gibsons stands for? Anyone? Anyone??Suck-up! (K-i-d-d-i-n-g..., K!) It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite: Yuhp. What Neil said. (Yeah, like it needs my approval to validate!) So... who here besides Neil and myself knows what the "ES" in the model designation of many various Gibsons stands for? Anyone? Anyone??"Electric Semi-Hollow"?? May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudcat Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite: Yuhp. What Neil said. (Yeah, like it needs my approval to validate!) So... who here besides Neil and myself knows what the "ES" in the model designation of many various Gibsons stands for? Anyone? Anyone??That would be "Electric Spanish" if I'm not mistaken. Man, do I carry a lot of useless information around in my head! Mudcat's music on Soundclick "Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBBPaul Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite: Yuhp. What Neil said. (Yeah, like it needs my approval to validate!) So... who here besides Neil and myself knows what the "ES" in the model designation of many various Gibsons stands for? Anyone? Anyone??Electric Spanish Our new and improved website Today's sample tune: Lonesome One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Yuhp. Mudcat and PBBPaul gotted it naileded. E-lectric Sssssssssspanish. ____________________________________________________________ BONUS QUESTION: "Electric Spanish" ...As opposed to what? Anyone? Anyone?? ____________________________________________________________ (By the way, I don't mean to come off as smarmy or know-it-all, I just think guitar geek stuff is cool, that's all! Twangy "Trivial Pursuit", "Vintage Electric Edition"!) Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgstrat Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 BONUS QUESTION: "Electric Spanish" ...As opposed to what? Anyone? Anyone?? As opposed to... ...Electric Hawaiian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 Electric Spanish (Ed McMahon voice:) That is cor-RECT, sir! It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 sgstrat- bingo! That didn't take too long... can't be I'm as erudite a guit-geek as I thought I was... hmmmnn... !! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 I heard that the reason Les Paul had his name removed from the guitar was because of his impending divorce with Mary Ford. His endorsement deal with Gibson was up for renewal and he let it expire rather than lock himself into having to fork over 50% of his take for the next few years. "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 Originally posted by Gabriel E.: I heard that the reason Les Paul had his name removed from the guitar was because of his impending divorce with Mary Ford. His endorsement deal with Gibson was up for renewal and he let it expire rather than lock himself into having to fork over 50% of his take for the next few years.yes, that is what i have read as well. there is so many different stories when it comes to the Les Paul. i guess everyone involved in the early years of the LP remembers it all in slightly different ways. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 A July, 1999 interview with Les Paul by Denver Smith yielded the following exchange. DS: Didn't they try to redesign it a few years after that, in the mid- or late 50's? And you were upset with that? LP: No, you've got some strange information there, but that's o.k. DS: There was one version called the Les Paul Jr. Right? LP: Yes. DS: Were you happy with that? LP: Fine. The one I wasn't happy with was the SG. That happened in '60 or '61. When that guitar came out, I told them to take my name off of it until they got it right. DS: You weren't happy with the sound, isn't that right? LP: No, I was physically unhappy with it because it would play out of tune if you pulled on the neck or leaned on it. It was very fragile. It was not strong enough between the neck and the body. So what I did was I put the heat on them until they made a better one. In the mean time, and this is where I think people are getting a little confused, my wife (Mary Ford) and I were going through a divorce, and until the divorce was settled, there were to be no guitars made with my name. Gibson didn't do very well without the name Les Paul on that guitar. There was a lapse between 1961 until I finished my divorce. Then we made a new deal in '66 and started talking about making a new Les Paul guitar. That's what happened. It was a matter of waiting until my divorce was settled. It would appear this began due to Les' disappointment with the Les Paul SG, and morphed into a divorce related issue. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 And thrown into the mix is the fact that the Gibson Les Paul guitar sales were declining terribly; I understand that in '60-'62, dealers had a hard time selling them (the now beloved "sunbursts" and "goldtops", that is). Many faded vintage specimens are just so faded from languishing in direct sunlight in store windows, as the finish Gibson used on the "sunbursts" then didn't take so well to solar exposure. In any case, sales figures of the day probably didn't make Gibson try very hard to keep up an endorsement-deal with Mr. Poulfus! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgstrat Posted May 16, 2004 Share Posted May 16, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite: sgstrat- bingo! That didn't take too long... can't be I'm as erudite a guit-geek as I thought I was... hmmmnn... !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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