A c.1962 Gibson SG Les Paul Standard

Details

A c.1962 Gibson SG Les Paul Standard
Serial No. 47764, in cherry red finish, double cutaway mahogany body, mahogany neck, twenty-two fret bound rosewood fingerboard with crown inlays, headstock face with crown motif inlay, truss rod cover with Les Paul lettering, two humbucking pickups, four rotary controls, selector switch, metal bridge, side-pull vibrato unit and black pickguard; and a black hardshell contour case with yellow plush lining and Lee Dickson's handwritten adhesive paper label Gibson S.G. Les Paul 47769 Cherry Red - Trem

The SG Les Paul Standard with a new body shape was introduced in 1961 replacing the Les Paul Standard model which was discontinued in 1960.

Eric Clapton said that he bought this guitar "...for nostalgic reasons..." wanting "... to recreate the same experience as the psychedelic guitar ..." he'd used with Cream [see illustration]. He thinks that this model is ..."an incredible design.." but found that he couldn't switch back into using it having got so accustomed to Fenders. Lee Dickson recalls that Clapton disliked the tremolo [vibrato] on this particular model.
Gibson SG Les Paul Standard/Cherry Red

Literature

FORTE, Dan, Tribute To Slowhand Interview in Guitar World, Harris Publications Inc., December, 1989
MARTEN, Neville Would You Buy A Used Guitar From This Man? Article in Guitarist, 15th Anniversary Special, Clapton Issue, June, 1999, p.68

Lot Essay

Clapton's psychedelic SG was painted by a group of Dutch artists known collectively as 'The Fool'. In an interview for Guitar World in 1989, Clapton recalls that he used the psychedelic-painted SG on stage as well as in the studio. Producer Tom Dowd recalls that Clapton used the psychedelic SG during the recording of Disraeli Gears, Cream's second album.

In a recent interview with Neville Marten for Guitarist, Lee Dickson said "There are a couple of SGs in the sale: a lovely Junior [lot 29] and this Standard. To my knowledge, Eric has never recorded with them or used them live. But he has owned and played them, and if you like SGs, these are two great examples."

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