1962 Gibson Les Paul / SG Pelham Blue Joe Riggio Refinish

Description: Up for sale is this fabulous ca. 1962 Gibson Les Paul/SG Standard. The guitar is a refinish, expertly executed by the incomparable Joe Riggio in aged Pelham Blue. Video: https://youtu.be/0m9uC2ASr0E?si=B7Ig9V9ehtsU-a_g As such it is a player grade piece. But its most important parts are still vintage (including the pickups). Additionally, not only the refinish but the entire reassembly and setup was done by Joe. You can be assured it not only looks the part, but is a fabulous player. This guitar has the most sustain of any Lyre-tailpiece SG/Les Paul I have played. It really rings and sounds killer! Also, to be upfront: the case that comes with the guitar is in the last photo. The marigold case was just for the “glam shots”. It is not included. Let me give you a quick rundown of the parts and pieces. The wood on this guitar is original, and definitely dates before 1965. My designation of this as a 1962 is my best guess based on the specs and parts that were on it when I got it. Definitely 1964 or earlier. It has the wider 1 and 11/16th inch nut characteristic of these year. The entire guitar has been refinished once before and the finish sanded off (I have a few photos of it prior to the refinish). The serial number was lost when this was done. But the parts that were on the guitar as well as the other features of the body and parts (original inlays, Brazilian fretboard) definitely confirmed it as an original Gibson body and neck. Someone had put a large late sixties style guard on it, but it clearly had the screw holes for the small guard and accompanying tenon cover. This made it the perfect candidate for a restoration. Here is what is original and/or vintage (i.e. from the 1960s). The body and neck are original with no headstock breaks or heel cracks (amazing, I know!). The frets, fretboard, and headstock inlays are original to the instrument. The Lyre tailpiece is also a vintage pre-1965 Gibson part. This may have originally come with a sideways vibrato, but I prefer the Lyre (so we went with that). The pickguard is a vintage and from another early 60s Gibson SG/Les Paul (wide Bevel, small guard). The control cavity cover is original to the guitar, but it still has lacquer on it (probably from a previous respray). It can likely be removed with some TLC. The pickups are patent number sticker Pre-T-Tops with purple wire. They are very similar to the later “short magnet” PAFs, just with a different sticker. Gibson made the switch to Patent Numbers around 1961-1962 so these are basically era correct. A guitar like this could have originally came with Patent Applied For Pickups as it seems to come from the overlapping era, but the original pickups were long gone. It had replacement Gibson-embossed Patent Number Stickers when I first bought it. The strap buttons are also vintage. The knobs are all 1960s vintage, although they are not a matched set. Repro parts include the tenon cover (not yet on the guitar—on order), the poker chip “treble-rhythm” surround for the switch (not yet on the guitar), the switch tip, pots and wiring, tuners (it had Grover’s at one time), Pickup surrounds, bridge (repro Aged nickel ABR-1), posts, wheels, and truss rod cover. A lot of the screws are not original. If I am forgetting anything or anything is unclear, please send me a message. Sonically, the guitar sounds killer. The two pickups provide quite a contrast in tone. The neck pickup is mellow and smooth, while the bridge pickup roars when cranked. The mix of the two in the middle position is quite nice, blending the two in a sweet sounding combination. The serial on the back of the headstock is not original, and as far as we know not in the range of what Gibson used for ink stamp serials numbers. It is actually the serial number of Joe Riggio’s “burst”—just backwards :). So there is no funny business possible with passing this off as an original, although we went with it to complete the restoration and the “look” of the guitar. Although there are no headstock breaks, when we were at the last stage of reassembly, and installing the tuners, a thin split appeared along the wing of the headstock. Many would call this a “wing separation“. It came about from screwing in a tuner screw in the stock hole. You can see a thin line on that side of the headstock, but it all sealed up nicely. Additionally, at one time the guitar suffered a control cavity crack, but that has been addressed as well. The original binding is still intact, but thins out a little bit towards the neck joint. It’s missing in a couple areas along the edges of the front board in the upper fret area. But the transition from the area with binding and where it is missing is “smooth“. In other words, you don’t really “feel “it when you’re playing up there. At this point, it’s just a cosmetic issue. You can repair the binding if you so desire. It’s a great guitar. I would love to keep it but have to pass it on :). No tremolo bar. Ships worldwide. Will be packed carefully. I don’t falsify customs forms.

Price: 11500 USD

Location: Lake Stevens, Washington

End Time: 2024-09-02T03:14:17.000Z

Shipping Cost: 200 USD