• THIS IS THE 25th ANNIVERSARY YEAR FOR THE LES PAUL FORUM! PLEASE CELEBRATE WITH US AND SUPPORT US WITH A DONATION TO KEEP US GOING! We've made a large financial investment to convert the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and recently moved to a new hosting platform. We also have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!
  • Please support our Les Paul Forum Sponsors with your business - Gary's Classic Guitars, Wildwood Guitars, Chicago Music Exchange, Reverb.com, Throbak.com and True Vintage Guitar. From personal experience doing business with all of them, they are first class organizations. Thank you!

Calling Early-60s SG Experts

Attila

Formerly Are9
Joined
Sep 23, 2002
Messages
272
Hi all,

I'm looking at a '61 SG, that I'm told is all-original. Figured I'd post a few shots, and see if any of you guys notice any potential "red flags".

Thanks.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1571.jpeg
    IMG_1571.jpeg
    295.2 KB · Views: 47
  • IMG_1572.jpeg
    IMG_1572.jpeg
    324.6 KB · Views: 46
  • IMG_1573.jpeg
    IMG_1573.jpeg
    311.8 KB · Views: 43
  • IMG_1574.jpeg
    IMG_1574.jpeg
    243.1 KB · Views: 52
  • IMG_1575.jpeg
    IMG_1575.jpeg
    263.6 KB · Views: 51
  • IMG_1576.jpeg
    IMG_1576.jpeg
    271.4 KB · Views: 53
  • IMG_1577.jpeg
    IMG_1577.jpeg
    220.2 KB · Views: 49

Attila

Formerly Are9
Joined
Sep 23, 2002
Messages
272
Thank you ---I'll be passing on this one.

Though just for my education: 1) Those tuners are not the type that a '61 SG would have originally had? 2) How can you tell that there was a refret?
 
Last edited:

corpse

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
5,119
Tuners STB and frets wear- and the splits at the wing. Not epic repairs by any stretch.
The fret job looks odd- they could have left more room towards the ends.
I have played one of these and they are awesome sounding with great PUPs.
Gary- why would those tuners need any routing?
The only flag I see is for something that needs new frets, I have never seen a headstock without some chipping on it.
 

Subliminal lanimilbuS

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2023
Messages
508
Being told it is all original is a little worrisome. Tuners as mentioned. Hard to tell all parts without seeing it up close, but saddles on bridge are incorrect. What is the asking price?
 

garywright

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
16,181
Tuners STB and frets wear- and the splits at the wing. Not epic repairs by any stretch.
The fret job looks odd- they could have left more room towards the ends.
I have played one of these and they are awesome sounding with great PUPs.
Gary- why would those tuners need any routing?
The only flag I see is for something that needs new frets, I have never seen a headstock without some chipping on it.
I guess route wasn’t the best word to use …most of us in the old days just drilled straight on through when switching tuners that required a screw on bushing like the ones shown or Grovers even ..course they proper way is to just slightly ream the headstock face
 

gary buff

Active member
Joined
Nov 18, 2001
Messages
195
Asking price was 21K.
Wow, that's crazy.

If you can do w/o PAFs you can get this one for less. No affiliation whatsoever, at this point in my life after having been lucky enough to own most of the "good ones" I just like looking at the pictures.😄

 

Attila

Formerly Are9
Joined
Sep 23, 2002
Messages
272
Wow, that's crazy.

If you can do w/o PAFs you can get this one for less. No affiliation whatsoever, at this point in my life after having been lucky enough to own most of the "good ones" I just like looking at the pictures.😄

Yeah, after the feedback here, I've moved on; not interested in it at all.
 

blueline

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Messages
197
Hard to make an assessement without the picture of the back especially the neck join and pickguard.
 

garywright

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
16,181
I disagree. Any decent luthier could easily fix it and reglue the headstock wing before it gets worse and cause much more damages.
that’s very true…exactly what are you disagreeing with ..no one said it was a difficult repair only that the seller left a large easily repairable headstock split As Is .
 

Subliminal lanimilbuS

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2023
Messages
508
I was working with some 60 year old plywood last week. Even something as simple as that I couldn't believe how much better it is than what we are offered today.
 

Subliminal lanimilbuS

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2023
Messages
508
Also, that headstock cracking is easily repairable and could be done quite invisibly. Whoever put those new thread together tuners on probably didn't route the holes bigger properly and pushing them in spread the wood grain apart. Unfortunate, but could also be brought back to spec with the correct tuners and also wouldn't show. If that is the only problem other than the changed parts it isn't a bad candidate. Many of this era SG's have repairs at the heel and headstock neck joint that would be more of a deterrent for most.
 

poor man's burst

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 3, 2010
Messages
583
Top