None more cherry, here is the early, first series, 1960 Gibson Les Paul/SG Standard.

Designed to take on the Fender’s more futuristic stylings, the 60s brought about the new look Les Paul with a lighter body and a slimmer, faster neck. Initially released without Les’ name attached due to his pending divorce from Mary Ford and though he never liked it, it proved to be one of the more popular of Gibson’s forays into the angular.  

This guitar is quite the stunner. The body is in very nice shape and has retained its great cherry colour. There are a few dings here and there but nothing too serious. As this is an early example, it has some features that are exclusive to this version such as the longer pickguard and the neck joint, an achilles heel which thankfully has escaped damage. It also has an inked on serial number just like a 1960 Burst. In fact, with its serial number of 011174 there are even some 1960 Bursts around with higher serial numbers than this one!

The neck, like the body, has a few minor dings but again retains its wonderful cherry hue with some light fading and showcases the stunning mahogany grain. The fretboard shows very little sign of wear. Another early feature is the inked serial number, phased in this period.

The all nickel parts look very good with maybe a very little dulling. There has been some pitting on the trem.

The plastics are in great shape with the shallow dish knobs still retaining their reflectors.

Electronically everything looks to be correct with no sign of any changes or solder having been disturbed. It also has 2 x unmolested PAF (Patent Applied For) pickups of course.

The guitar comes with its correct brown Lifton hardshell case with pink lining, which just like the guitar is also in pretty nice condition.

Tonally, this guitar  really brings quite a unique perspective on the twin humbucker combination. The smoothness of the neck pickup with the bite of the bridge and never too woofy. Like any Gibson from this period and earlier, there is such a scope to the sound, a notion that was lost with later incarnations from the venerable manufacturer.

If you’re searching for an SG for the collection then you cannot go wrong with this one. Grab it before it gets away…