1961 SG

[@LTDZach]

As the owner of this guitar, I figure some backstory is necessary. I found it on Kijiji in 2010, went to look at it and it was in the guys basement buried under a mountain of kids toys. I was told it may have been used at times as a hockey stick or imaginary shield. Anyways, happily paid the $1200cad he was asking. I sold it in 2013 to make rent to a man that gigged professionally. In 2016, my wife tracked him down and bought it back for me as a surprise. Hoping now that it’s all sorted, it will bring many more years of enjoyment to me

[@seanj3667]

That guitar has clearly lived life. I'm glad you got it back and hope you have many years of playing Agnes Young riffs!

[@philipershler420]

And you certainly have taken it to the best luthier around.

[@FlameFlickers]

Your wife sounds like a keeper!

[@JarickL]

Very cool guitar! I loved Mules when I had them, I bet they will be KILLER in here. New frets and board looks amazing. Enjoy!

[@jayartz8562]

You lucky bastard! (wife and guitar)

[@scottishgentlemen6038]

That list of artists had me absolutely wheezing. 😂 Glad you're back and feeling better.

[@daverice2426]

The bone-dry wit is unmatched among YT guitar geeks. He almost had me at "Agnes", even managed to technically mispronounce "MacKaye"

[@speedweasel]

i thought i was having a stroke.

[@beenaplumber8379]

Kudos for mentioning Sister Rosetta Thorpe! (If anyone doesn't know her, get to know her! And it's actually Tharpe.)

[@johnmaki1197]

@@daverice2426 I had to come to the comments to see who noticed it! He had me at Agnus but I kept listening like a dolt. 😀

[@goodun2974]

​@@beenaplumber8379 , there's a documentary film about her.

[@Cankersaurus]

You forgot Frank Zuppa!

[@MrPnew1]

The Grand Wazoo 🎸

[@colintierney9715]

And Robby Krueger

[@davidthorton1068]

😂 he will never make it in America when Canada became the 51 state

[@sndrb1336]

his son dweezy plays his sg on tour. it suffered a mishap and is now fitted with a full body width metal pick guard

[@CellZealot]

And DivaDeep Carlos...

[@gregoryguitars6291]

Dude, I gotta say, I have been learning from you for about 5 years. I've been building guitars for about 20 years. I wanna say thanks. Some of your repair work dictates the way I build these days. My guitars, especially the acoustics, have greatly improved. Thank you Mr. unpronounceable.

[@azbababooey]

I week without a Ted video is a bad week, glad to see you back and getting me to laugh out loud! Love your videos, great work on the guitar.

[@CellZealot]

After mentioning Sister Rosetta Tharpe by name I felt sure we would be treated to some rockin' gospel jams on that SG... Great job on a classic!

[@jimmurphy6095]

I was hoping for a little Sabbath...

[@kbjerke]

@@jimmurphy6095 That was yesterday...🥸

[@aljole683]

I’m not a guitar guy, and I’m not a woodworker. But I love listening to you explain the history of the guitars and the items attached to them, the ideas behind some of the decisions, and the gentle sarcasm applied when required to maintain a vestige of sanity in a world of WTAF. Not to mention the meticulous work you do in all facets of your trade. Seriously, I’ve been subscribed for a while, and I really do look forward to Sunday and your next video release.

[@stevenjohnson2672]

Derek Trucks too. You are my favourite guitar repair channel. Thanks for the knowledge.

[@matterask]

Agnes Young is a forgotten gem of a guitarplayer.

[@kbjerke]

Clarpton and Yorg Harrison are forgotten, too. Sadly missed. 😆

[@Loganblubaugh]

@@kbjerke😂😂

[@uhclem50]

Don't forget Peter Tonesend.

[@triumphdave2449]

I really liked her early work especially, highway to Hull.

[@lindsaythompson726]

Agnes. Who's she?

[@stevehildreth1934]

I have a De Armand SG copy, Korean built. It's an emerald green translucent finish with two tone, gold and chrome hardware. I took it to the12th Fret in Portland! OR and had it worked over. They pulled the plastic nut and replaced it with a bone nut. At the same time they lowered the action to medium low and reset the intonation. That made it a fantastic player and it sounds and looks great! I would constantly chose it over my Les Paul.

[@mikecouvillon2393]

Thanks, Ted. Glad you are feeling better!!

[@samuelhatman8995]

Great to have you well once again! You brought an SG back to life... truly that would be, Saved by Grace. Thanks Ted!!!

[@danytoob]

Welcome home Ted, good to have you back. I've got a '65 special (bought it in '70 or '71 from the original Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. ... $190, no case). It had that vibrola that I replaced with the Leo Quan Badass ... actually able to get the intonation correct!

[@gwendohshidt]

it was nice to see some original stuff in the control cavity!

[@bradc32]

man that fretboard turned out beautiful

[@tjm5492]

And in his pre-PRS days, Carl Los Antana.

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

I'm pretty sure that he was famous for playing a Yamaha SG (likely an SG 2000, or similar), though I don't know for sure that he never used a Gibson. The Yamaha is effectively a full thickness Les Paul, but with the SG cutaways. It's an original design, yamaha just happens to use SG as a part of their model number for the same reason Gibson did. People associate the SG model with that specific design, but yamaha have a lot of more eccentric stuff that's technically part of the SG line if you want to go by the model number. They're famous for being boat anchors but they're really high end instruments and they probably outperform equivalent era Gibsons.

[@ChrisBassTXP]

​@@casanovafunkenstein5090He definitely used Gibson SG's in the late 60's/early 70's. Yamaha came a little later. He had a raw, powerful sound back then

[@phucdims1984]

A friend of mine had a mid 60's model SG, Got stolen when he played a job a Centenary College, years later TAG told me how much he missed that particular guitar at times. I tried to make him feel better, and told him I liked his sound with the Strat'. Hope it helped. RIP, rest in peace Thomas Allen Graves.

[@sneifert1968]

Long neck tenon, as even w/ SG’s is fine and more than solid.. Tue headstocks? Well it is a Gibson😂

[@richardcarle786]

Sorry about the loss of your friend! 🙏

[@jimp65]

Thanks Ted for your excellent videos! I trick I learned years ago is to use a foot pedal on/off switch for shutting off dremel tools when routing on neck or guitar bodies, that way you don’t have to move your hand off the dremel motor.

[@TommySG1]

I’ve always loved this model by Gibson. For me, it’s just so much more comfortable to play as opposed to a Les Paul. In thickness, weight and also far more easy to access your upper fret registers. I currently own three of them and I love them all. Thanks for sharing this Ted 😊🤙

[@Geeman002]

Nice to have you back 👍 I hope you are feeling better. I think Carlos Santana played one of these at Woodstock (but I’m not up on all the possible models). Well, I looked it up and he played an SG special with P90s, like this was originally.

[@timothymallon]

Carlita Santorita!

[@stu-j]

I have 2 favourite guitars and its the SG and the Telecaster! Both guitars are so versatile and the SG junior single p90 is probably my favourite of the SG line! So light and comfortable to play but have a massive sound to them and even unplugged they are very acoustic!

[@GeorgeSharp-rv6ez]

Ted, glad that you're back. Sounding smooth as ever. I figured you would be all raspy, you must have healed fast (even though it probably didn't seem very fast to you). Thank you for keeping that wonderful SG going! Take care-------George

[@Loganblubaugh]

Great video! Wanted to add some additional info you were mentioning towards the end ab some funkiness with the bridge. In 61 a special would only have a wrap tailpiece where the abr1 bridge sits now. That’s it. No vibrola obviously either. The abr 1 was added and vibrola unit which as you said helps with light sg bodies that tend to have neck dive. Either put the bar towards the back or take it off completely like Eric Johnson and you’re ready to rock

[@pamartin]

Concerning the control cavity, each time Ted said: "There's some original solder here..." there was apprehension in his voice as he thought how to explain the previous semi-stifled barfing of solder present on the controls. Hats off, applause and proper accolades to Ted for not just losing it and proclaiming: WTF!!! 😂😂😂 You're a true professional, Ted. I, Sir, am of a lesser quality. I would have seen that and truly proclaimed: WTF!! Keep on. You're the best!

[@PageMarker1]

And...17 minutes of artistic perfection by our Neighbor to the North that went by too quickly!

[@briefcandle]

Gun to head: I think Fugazi might be my favorite band ever. Thanks for making us all better luthiers, man.

[@garnethubbard6098]

Glad you're feeling better cuz these videos make me feel better

[@randelcross]

Derek Truck comes to mind as well... the sounds he squeezes out of the neck of his SG is magical!

[@thesffog1814]

Dirk Tracks Rocks.

[@AdamWellsMusic]

I love watching your videos. I’ve learned a lot!

[@mikemorrisonmusic]

I hope you’re feeling better!!

[@doe53]

I hope you are on the mend, Ted. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy learning the historical information while seeing how quality repairs are done. It's such a good combination.

[@DrKennyWang]

Sounds pretty good with those new pickups. Good work!

[@TaralgaBushAdventure]

Nearly spat out my Milo when you said "Agnes Young"...but then loved all the other mashed names. Keep 'em coming!

[@RegisteredCornball]

It's good to see that they left a lot of the original stuff in there

[@Ronsonic]

Long time SG guy here, That guitar came with a wraparound bridge and may have had any one of the various vibrato bars Gibson was experimenting with in that era. That might have been the torsion bar version that early. I think the sideways bar was reserved for the higher end models.

[@fulci6734]

Thank you Ted 👍👍👍🎥🎬 🎸

[@EliseandDanchannel]

When I was around 14, I had made a new friend, and we got together with a couple other of my friends. He said he had a Les Paul which got us excited. 14 and owned a Les Paul! When he pulled out this guitar, I responded that it was not an LP. After a few moments of yes it is, no it's not he pointed to the head stock where it said Les Paul Special. I was rather surprised as I had no idea of the story about Les Paul, the guitar and Gibson creating this LP Special most know as an SG. Live and learn. He was also playing though a 50 watt Kustom that for some reason was not much louder than my Princeton. He said it had been looked at, but it was what it was. Hope he still has that LP Special. I still have my 69 Princeton.

[@OscarMicMusic]

I did the same upgrade to my 2019 Pelham blue special. Added 57 classics and a vibrola with custom pick guard. My luthier did not drill any part of the neck tenon so the neck pick up is a little lower

[@xpowerchord12088]

So glad you flipped the pickup rings!!!

[@margaretanncarno4014]

Glad that you are feeling better!

[@JonDeth]

These old guitars have a sacred spirit about them. I really don't see guitars as sacred but for those that are vintage or there was some deeper meaning behind their purchase or creation. I played what I'm certain was an original 1960's Stratocaster close to a year ago when I jumped on purchasing a Lee Jackson era Crate halfstack and even though the strings were literally a half inch over the fingerboard, it has that sacred feel about it. *The feel of the neck, the paint, the smell of age, the balance and the sound was like it teleported here from another world.* That guy had a few hundred thousand dollars in vintage gear from tube amps to leslie speakers and everything in between. *It will be an interesting time to be alive when some of that stuff is well over 100 years old and plays like it did the day it rolled onto the store's showroom floor.

[@uncleremus64]

Nice save, Ted. Thanks for the video.

[@thexfactor9999]

I thought I was losing my mind for a second there.

[@James-j5d3f]

Caught in some sort of Mandela Effect?

[@seanj3667]

Who says you weren't? No one here is qualified to make that judgement.

[@michaelgreenwood2516]

Glad your feeling better

[@3373-g8z]

There’s actually so many that have played them! The guys in Tesla come to mind too, but ol Agnes of AC BGees fame, is possibly responsible for their continued popularity!

[@dlmyrs]

Nice! Looks great and some great work. Thank you.

[@WJSpies]

also Billy Gibbons (ZZTop) he has custom shop made SG (w/ relief carved face) models now, but he bought them factory made for a long while

[@robostyle9773]

Thanks for another great video

[@Echo-Head]

Honestly the biggest design improvement they made over the Les Paul was moving the pickup selector switch somewhere voracious strumming wouldn't have a chance of flipping it.

[@dalgguitars]

Thank you for your videos.

[@Loxx_Sustainar]

Love your channel!

[@ronmarkell4436]

First thumbs up no. #1 after years of subscribing. Glad to see you’re feeling better.

[@rob_in_stowmarket_uk]

King halirilus! 😬 And great restoration of function and playability… love an SG, especially this finish. 👍

[@donhall2759]

They really should have made those SGs with a neck-thru design. If I ever build a replica, that's what I'm doing.

[@SxSxG666]

The list of flaws of Gibson guitars is very long.

[@ringsystemmusic]

I think they’ve done a few short Custom Shop runs of that?

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

The issue with that is that this was conceived as a way to cut costs, so trying to do it with a neck through design would have lowered the profitability of the instrument. I feel like the better solution would have been to make it a single pick up instrument with a more expansive set of controls to allow for different tonal options. The trouble with that is that people assume that more pickups are better and a great guitar with one pickup will never get the same attention as a mediocre one with two, even if the one pickup is set up to be just as versatile as the two. The neck joint is fine so long as you don't chisel most of the tenon out in order to fit a pickup in the neck position, but it probably wouldn't sell with just the one pickup (though Les loved having a bunch of tonal variations available through switches, so they might have been able to keep the endorsement if they actually consulted him and asked him to help design the controls, like they did on the Recording model)

[@jonathandavenport9572]

Good day sir hope you are feeling well

[@carlmontney7916]

Santana used an SG Special at Woodstock. Through one of the first Galien Kruger Amps ever produced.

[@jbafromny]

And let’s not forget Sam Andrew, John Cippolina, and Jerry (or is it Cherrt?) Garcia. Also, thar guitar would have had a wrap tail bridge originally. So for sure the tune-o-matic and vibrato are add-on. My first good guitar was a 73 SG Special with mini humbuckers.

[@mikedavis3841]

I've got a 1967 SG Melody Maker that has had major back surgery but the neck joint held .👍

[@theothertonydutch]

Going down that line of biblically correct guitar prayers around 1:50 was a trip. Drink responsibly, kids. Especially you, Daniel.

[@EdUdremmurd]

Your videos are the highlight of my week. So glad you're back and feeling better!

[@Donorcyclist]

Kind of fun hearing the three takes around 6:45. 😁

[@inherentmirth5180]

Wendy Carlos Santana played an SG I believe, on the album "Switched on Spock."

[@kevinwager9284]

Nice work

[@robertsuch8043]

Another thing that I found that helps neck stability is putting a honking big washer behind the strapholder at the neck joint. It turned my epi olympic from a cheese cutter into a real player

[@schmutz1g]

I've got a cheap thinline hollow body which I love that also needs a much heavier tailpiece to balance out the neck dive. Just havent found the one I like yet, nor the bravery to install it lol.

[@EbonyPope]

Oh man. Another video. They bring me so much joy.

[@MarsG0Dofw4r_]

Robbie kreiger as well. Buzz Aldrin play this one?

[@aminahmed2220]

Awesome video as always have a great day also I subscribed to the channel

[@HilmarLange]

Hey there Ted, nice to have you back. 👍

[@1777DK]

A 62 would probably have had a wrap-around bridge, so not only is the vibrola a retrofit the bridge is too. But that is probably a good thing, because the wrap around is higher than the tune-o-matic if I remember it correctly.

[@jeffseven2194]

1974, my first good guitar was a used 1965 Gibson SG Jr. $80

[@Guitarzan8]

1975, my 1st good guitar was a white ‘63 Gibson SG with 2 alnico pickups. $50. Like an idiot I sanded off the white and stained it (brown). I replaced the set bridge with a badass brass. I played it for years in the 70s and 80s, then it burned in a bar fire in WI where we were setup to play.

[@geronimox1971]

Glad you`re feeling better Ted...great vid as per usual.

[@seanj3667]

Apparently there is original stuff in here. (honestly I like when you get an accidental look at how the sausage is made)

[@GreenpointRemembers]

That guitar screams funny business

[@JamesJozef]

There’s certainly original stuff in there!

[@ChristofferNelsonG]

You forgot Ruby Kruger from the Duurs. That fingerboard looks 100 times better. Leaving finger grooves for aesthetics would have been silly. With the covered HBs it looks like a new machine. Just wish you'd got that Vibrola working. They are universally hated, but I love them.

[@andoros.7017]

cant forget Funk Sapple's Roxy & Baby Snakes (Not-So-Gibson) SG's.

[@steelscooter]

Agnes Young, famous for Dirty Beads Sold Dirt Cheap 👵

[@ChrisShortyAllen]

That's exactly how I would renovate it. Well done. 😂😂

[@shroompicn-shrooman]

I think I'd just put new CTS pots in it . Seems like it would have been quicker than cleaning off all that solder just to reattach the wires . And I would have scrapped most of the wires and cleaned them up making it a neater job. Its a player grade anyways what would it matter. I'd keep the caps that were there though and reused them. That's me though. That bowl of spaghetti makes my OCD hurt 😂.

[@TheloniousBosch]

I think there’s a famous photo of Jammy Handracks playing one of those there Essjeeps.

[@franklinslamo]

This guitar probably had a stoptail bridge and was converted to a tune-o-matic setup with the Maestro. I just had an original one of these on my bench.

[@alext8828]

The neck looks beautiful now.

[@romanhed]

Looks like there's a lot of original stuff in there!

[@thelongvirtuesignal8551]

Ah yes, who could forget the wonderful SG that Clapton used in Krem.

[@kcmsterpce]

As I get older (and weaker), I realize how amazing the SG is for the back and shoulders! Also, it has amazing tone. That upper fret access is divine as well.

[@hanovergreen4091]

I went to an Ibanez QX54. Amazingly light and maneuverable. 5 lbls. Just in case your GAS ever acts up again :). Best Regards and Best Wishes!

[@guitarzan2626]

I think the sg is the ultimate electric guitar.

[@seanj3667]

You should try picking up my Steve Harris signature P-bass. It's about 12 lbs.

[@markiacomini5830]

There's plenty of us Americans who hope you remain a Canadian luthier. Great job!

[@johnbhumphrey]

Shipping would be cheaper if he happens to nationalize.

[@seanj3667]

@@johnbhumphrey not when the tariffs kick in.

[@robo6590]

What I've never heard anyone point out about the SG is: you just can't find a better dance partner of a guitar.

[@keithosterberg]

Hope you’re over the respiratory issues. Another SG guy: the recently passed Wayne Osmond. And before people laugh, you should hear him on the Osmonds’ “The Plan.”

[@harlanthejester]

Dipsy Doodle... Love it. Bob Ross style.

[@stephenbridges2791]

That guy will be very happy, I'd bet. With all that work, almost like NGD.

[@CapstoneTider]

Frank Hannon of Tesla gets some great tones

[@jamesnewton485]

Lick Wrag played an SG during live performance of Rumble.

[@davidnuckols8151]

Les Paul's wife Mary Ford used one painted white.

[@the_releaser]

The reason i play guitar is because of Agnes Young. The SG has always been a dream guitar for me since the early 90s. I have a vintage brand VS6 that i got about 3 years ago. I'm not really a brand guy. My next purchase is possibly going to be a Harley Benton DC Custom, and one day I will have an authentic "Chibson" SG.

[@zaphodbeeblebrox9109]

Sg special can be bought used/brand new around 600 quid mark

[@seanj3667]

The upper tier Epiphones are pretty damn good and much cheaper than the Gibson ones. If you are handy, and patient, it might even be worth buying a husk and putting it together yourself over time.

[@TimHenrion]

Can't believe you left out Canadian SG aficionado Mank Frarino !...

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

I dig that neck jig. Is that the Stew Mac? Very cool video.

[@peterstephen1562]

Did I see that heel joint with the body wood running over the heel like thd button on a violin family instrument ?

[@sylvaind9086]

Good ole CT contact cleaner!👍 I use it too.😁

[@robertstan2349]

holy smokes that action is high and i thought i ran mine high

[@ComedyZola]

Tell ya what that Derek Trouques can really play.