Did you know-not everything rolling out of the Gibson factory in the 1970's weighed over 10lbs and crushed shoulders and backs for years to come?
Here to set the record straight is this Welterweight and very well-kept 1973 Gibson SG Custom model complete with factory Bigsby Vibrato and the maximum allowable amount of pickups. This particular instrument was produced at the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo Michigan U.S.A. in 1973. The beautiful Walnut finish remains glossy and very clean. The guitar was obviously very well-maintained and is in very good condition. There are no breaks, repairs or issues whatsoever. Draggin' Guitars has carefully inspected and fully verified the authenticity of this amazing unit. It has been professionally set up and is ready to go-it needs nothing.
The body is the familiar double cutaway SG silhouette with front and rear bevels. It is a One-piece Mahogany body with a 3-piece Mahogany set-neck construction. The original Walnut finish is nice and glossy with a vibrant swirling grain! The original gloss clear coat has that nice vintage shine that shows off the contours with just the right amount of reflection. The color goes really well with the Gold hardware and has a nice contrast with the black pickguard, knobs, pickup rings and headstock. The finish shows minimal handling evidence-see photos. It is really nice! The neck joint is an excellent fitment.
The neck is smooth and straight. It has a vintage Slim-C/Slim-taper profile with a neck depth measuring .824" at the 1st fret and .970" at the 12th fret. The nut width measures 1.58" wide. The original Gold Grover tuners are the best of both worlds: full-sized Grover base with the classic "tulip" keys. They work perfectly. The headstock displays excellent. The Custom model featured the split Diamond inlay along with a 5-ply binding that accentuates the shape and just looks SO good. The logo and everything around it has the perfect touch of patina and the truss rod cover includes the requisite "SG Custom" engraving. The Ebony fingerboard is super clean and the pearloid block position markers are in excellent condition as well. The frets are the standard Gibson Custom "Speed Frets" (low and thin for lightning fast action). They are super clean, perfectly level and have been crowned and polished for good measure. The action has been set low for a fast and easy playing experience. The string height measures .010" at the 1st fret and .045" at the 12th fret! The guitar plays like butter up and down the fingerboard.
The pickups have an excellent signal and are my favorite part of the whole package. They are the original Gibson "SuperHumbuckers" AKA "Tarbacks" designed by Bill Lawrence. These pickups are basically a T-top bobbin with a powerful Indox 7 ceramic magnet that hits your amplifier very HARD. This produces a signature punch and aggressive midrange with a tight bass response and clear high-end over the top. These pickups provide an unmistakable chunk and dynamic. There's really nothing else like it-I highly recommend it. They can afford a wide range of resistance and still balance well. This set measures 7.31 ohms in the bridge position, 8.73 in the middle and 4.98 for the neck position. The controls all function smoothly and quietly. The original potentiometers date the SG Custom to 44th week of 1973. The original 'harmonica' bridge and saddles are in good condition as is the original Bigsby Vibrato tailpiece. The strap pins are the Gibson diamond-shaped "Posi-Lok" units more commonly associated with later 1970's Custom models. They possibly replaced the round style buttons-or maybe this is one of the first Gibsons to use them. At any rate-they match the rest of the original Gold hardware and function perfectly. Everything else on this guitar is certainly original-and these strap pins can easily be replaced with the earlier style without any modification. The pickguard is nice and flat. The Gold hardware shows slight patina throughout-most noticeable on the pickup covers.
The guitar feels very comfortable and is lots of fun to play. It is lightweight and has an excellent balance. The guitar only weighs 7.57 lbs. You can forget all about shoulder fatigue with this unit-it feels great on a strap or in your lap. It is equally at home in the studio or on-stage and doesn't mind couch-duty either. Comes complete with original chipboard case.
