Over the past thirty-seven weeks Gibson’s put out a few real lookers, a few clunkers, and a wide array of just so-so semi-customized Guitar Of The Week instruments, but yesterday’s release of the ’67 SG Special Reissue with P-90 pickups is easily the one guitar from this program that I’d really like to own.
Week 37 effectively marks the triumphant (if short lived) return of the classic SG Special, black soapbar P-90s and all––an instrument perhaps most associated with The Who’s Pete Townshend, who played early-model SG Specials extensively from late 1968 through 1971 (including legendary performances at Woodstock and Isle of Wight.)
Basically a budget guitar––with what could be considered an unnervingly light body for anyone who really thrashes around on stage––the SG Special still managed to throw off a huge amount of sustain, while those early P-90s packed a heavy, growling mid-range punch (particularly when pushing a tube-amp into overdrive.)
It’s of course too early to tell how Gibson’s new re-issue ’67 SG Special will stand up to the originals (or even Gibson’s official Pete Townshend Signature SG,) but for now we can at least take a look at the specs––
The Specs The guitar will feature a mahogany top & back, mahogany neck with SG-profile (24 3/4″ scale length,) rosewood fretboard with dot inlays and 22 frets, single-ply fretboard binding, nickel plated hardware, stopbar tailpiece, Nashville bridge, black “top hat” knobs, and classic green key tuning machines.
Electronics, of course, will include a pair of black soapbar P-90 pickups with Alnico magnets, dual volume controls, dual tone controls, and 3-way pickup switching.
The ’67 SG Special Reissue will be made available in a limited edition run of 400 guitars, but so far there’s no word on pricing. Here’s hoping it will be inline with current production-level SG Specials (roughly in the $999 range.)
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #26 :: ’61 SG Reissue Classic White
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #28 :: Les Paul Classic Custom W/Dual P-90s
- Leaked! Gibson Guitar Of The Week #48: RD Standard Reissue Silverburst
- EGR’s Gibson Guitar Of The Week Index
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #32 :: SG Special With EMGs
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #35 :: ’61 SG In Satin Antique Walnut
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #20 :: Les Paul Studio Satin Ebony
- Gibson Giving Away A Guitar Of The Week
October 4th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
FQM:
Gibson “GOW” 67 SG Special Reissue List $1698.00
“Week 37″ Heritage Cherry Finish
ID #: SG67HCNH1
PRICE: $1,159.00
October 4th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Yeah, as someone who holds the LIVE AT LEEDS/WOODSTOCK/LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT era The Who as a benchmark for great guitar tone, I’m sorely tempted on this ‘un, too.
October 5th, 2007 at 8:53 am
I have last year’s version of this guitar, when they were calling it the classic.
It’s a really nice piece of work.
Here’s exactly what mine looks like:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1219/544252609_70a468372d_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1222/544252607_50e1050697_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1259/544252599_e5904a795e_o.jpg
October 30th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Similar to the SG Classic…..but not quite. I have an SG Classic (which is bloody fabulous!), but I am also ordering one of thee 67 SG Specials from the guitar of the week program. The 67 version has the smaller pickgaurd and different tuners. The Classic has (like the original specials) cheap ‘button’ tuners. The 67 special noted here has ‘green’ (I assume Kluson Deluxe) tuners. In either event, I upgraded my Classic to Grovers and will probably do the same with the 67. I will probably also lose the cheesy ‘sg’ truss rod cover and replace it with a plain trc.
I’m interested to hear how the P-90′s in the 67 will compare to the ones in my Classic.
July 6th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
I needed another guitar like I needed a hole in my head but the look of the Gibson SG ’67 Reissue drew me in like a moth to a flame. The cherry finish, the small pick guard and the black P-90s were a powerful combination.
I’d never bought a guitar over the Internet, never even considered investing in something so personal without being able to touch and examine it first. For a month I gazed at the Gibson factory photo of it and any others I could find. I called American Music Supply a half a dozen times with questions, each one more detailed than the last. What about the neck size? What about the neck binding? They were patient, I was flaky.
Had the supply been limitless I might still be debating about it but I couldn’t let the last one get away. My fear of sudden poverty was overwhelmed by my fear of certain remorse. Neurosis is a funny thing! When the known world supply of new ’67 Reissues dwindled to nine I made the buy. Good decision!
Yes, there is ivory neck binding. The neck is a comfortable medium size and feels more stable than some SGs. The action’s good. The P-90s growl. Subtle adjustments to them make a big difference. The look is – like the photo promised – suberb. The eye is never distracted from the cherry finish.
The ax is a comfort to play and that’s a good thing – because a good guitar will get you through times of no money better than the other way around!
From the backwoods of Georgia,
Allen