vintage gibson
(EX-JULIAN COPE)
Our brief history of the Gibson SG TV includes one battle-worn example
Single P-90 equipped solidbody Gibsons first arrived in 1954 in the form of the single-cut Les Paul Junior and its twin, the Les Paul TV. To all intents and purposes, the TV was identical to the Junior, aside from finish. While Juniors were released in Gibson’s traditional Sunburst, TVs were described by Gibson as Limed Mahogany – a kind of yellowish/light brown colour similar to blonde Fender finishes of the time. The name ‘TV’ was possibly derived as a reference to either Les Paul’s famous TV appearances, the popular blonde furniture finishes synonymous with early 50s TV cabinets, the belief that a lighter finish would show up better on black-and-white television, or, perhaps, any inspired combination of the above!
The Les Paul TV was crafted to the same standard on the production line at Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory as its higher-end Les Paul siblings, using the same high-quality Honduras mahogany for necks and bodies, and Brazilian rosewood for fingerboards. Consequently, they are widely considered to be great-sounding instruments, with many a guitarist preferring their more modest, stripped-back look and feel.
The guitar distinctly changed its appearance twice. In 1958, it altered from a single-cutaway body to a doublecutaway design with rounded horns, and, in late-1959, its name was changed to the SG TV (SG denoting ‘solid guitar’). As shown on the featured guitar, in 1961, its rounded horn double-cutaway design was superseded by what is widely referred to as the ‘SG’ body shape (although it had already been designated as the SG TV since 1959) and its finish changed to white.
“It’s the original white finish,” says its owner, who prefers to remain anonymous, “but the headstock’s been smashed off, the heel’s been broken, and it’s been refretted. I was a bit nervous about the repairs when I bought it, but it’s been absolutely fine. It’s an amazing guitar!”
Whereas collectors primarily value originality and condition, many players will actively seek out non-original guitars with replacement parts, repairs and refinishes, while tending to focus more on whether they connect to the guitar purely as a working instrument. So, what sold it to the owner on this old, battle-scarred SG TV? “Simplicity,” he tells us. “Just one open A powerchord and I was totally hooked! I remember it was going into a little Cornell amp. With a single pickup, volume and tone, and a crunched-up amp, you can do it all from the guitar controls. It’s really intuitive to use and lightweight. It balances out really well and it’s not neck-heavy. I like the stripped-back feel with no binding on the fingerboard and the neck profile is killer; it’s not a slim ’62 – it’s quite fat.
“I’d been searching for an SG for absolutely ages and had about £1,800 to spend, but I ended up paying £1,000 for it. A mint one with the original case would be more like £4,000 to £5,000 these days. I guess you could say I was in the right place at the right time!
“I picked it up about 10 years ago. It was one of the last guitars sold out of the old Vintage and Rare Guitars shop in Bath. Julian Cope had brought it in that day and the manager told me, ‘If you want it, you’d better come in and buy it tomorrow, because we’re closing down!’”
“It’s the original finish, but the headstock’s been smashed, the heel’s broken, and it’s been refretted…”