2001 Gibson Pete Townshend Signature SG Special

A live staple during The Who’s true ascendancy to rock god status, Pete Townshend’s SG Special is iconic, serving as a sonic and physical foil, ussering Abbie Hoffman off the stage at Woodstock, and setting stages alight all over the world.

Released in 2001, this model followed the runaway success of the Custom Shop model of the previous year using the then current USA Standard body shape as its basis.

Following the same solid Honduran Mahogany construction, this model featured a 50's profile neck unlike the Custom shop model which featured a Slim Taper neck. Elsewhere both models are very similar, both featuring Grover tuners, Alnico V P90 pickups, bound necks, nitro finish and the Pete Townshend decal. The 2001 release did not have the PT serial number as this was a production model.

This guitar is in excellent shape. The cherry finish still holds its vibrancy and the Custom Shop have really captured that faded shade that's so in keeping with the period. 

There are some bumps and knocks and a little bit of buckle rash on the back, but none of this detracts from the look of the instrument.

The neck too is in great shape. Fretboard and frets show no real signs of wear. The headstock has a few minor knocks and there are also signs that other tuners have been fitted to this guitar at some stage.

Plastics are in great shape as is the hardware.

Electrically everything looks correct with no sign of any solder being disturbed.

The guitar comes with a hardshell case

There's always space for some P90 grit in our lives and there is no substitute for an SG special to give you that punchy delivery when you really need it. This one does not disappoint. Just crank up the HiWatt and you’ll be shaking all over…

The neck is chunkier than you'd expect particularly as it was meant to be modeled on a mid-60s guitar but Gibson were not famous for their accuracy when it came to neck profiles during this period. Having said that, it's not huge and is perfectly manageable.

An understated signature model from a classic period in rock history, it's clear, to the naked eye, that this iconic guitar won’t hang around for long…

Specifications:

Body:

• Beveled, solid Honduran Mahogany body
• Nitrocellulose lacquer finish
• Satin sheen

Neck:

• 1-pc quartersawn Honduran Mahogany
• '50s Rounded profile (.830" / .965")
• Set-in construction
• Joins body at 19th fret
• Indian Rosewood fretboard
• Acrylic dot inlays
• 12" radius
• Open Book headstock
• Gibson logo decal
• Townshend signature decal
• 17o pitch
• 22 frets
• 24 5/8" scale
• 1 11/16" nut width

Binding:

• Single-ply, neck
• Cream color
• Thicker style
• Fret-edge binding

Electronics:

• Two "Soapbar" P-90s
• AlNiCo V magnets
• ~7-8K Ohms DCR
• Black plastic covers
• 3-way switch
• 2 Vol, 2 Tone

Hardware:

• Chrome hardware
• Grover Rotomatic tuning machines
• 14:1 ratio
• Manufactured by Ping
• 5-ply "Batwing" pickguard
• Bell shaped truss rod cover
• 2-ply b/w
• Black Reflector knobs
• Compensated wraparound bridge/tailpiece

Finishes:

• Mahogany Red Satin