ANGUS YOUNG’S JAYDEE SG

THE AXE

As if we weren’t going to round this list off with an Aussie favourite! Angus Young’s custom Jaydee SG was built as a premium upgrade to the Gibson models he favoured throughout the ‘70s, rocking a mahogany body, mahogany and maple neck, bound ebony fingerboard, lightning bolt inlays, two Jaydee Hooligan pickups and gold-plated hardware – y’know, for that extra bit of rock ’n’ roll oomph! Fun fact: one of the requirements Jaydee had to meet was a sweatproof setup – Young liked to crank the heat up onstage, and had his fair share of Gibson SGs die after his sweat seeped into the electronics.

THE STORY

It’s hard to picture Angus Young ripping out on anything other than a crimson red SG – whether a classic Gibson Standard or one of the many he’s had custom made by the UK-based Jaydee company. John Diggins presented the first custom build to Young in 1981, shortly before Young and the rest of his AC/DC brothers made history at the Donningtonset Monsters Of Rock concert.

He’d tend to flick back and forth between the Jaydee model and the Gibsons he already owned, but it’s undoubtable that the Jaydee held a special place in his heart.

THE REPLICA

Jaydee are still cranking out the exact same guitars they built for Young himself – labelled the Donnington SG, they run about $3,000 new, which is pretty damn cheap when you consider how monumental the instrument itself is. The retro schoolboy uniforms (and insurmountable talent) are sold separately, however.