Angus Young Signature SG
Few players are so closely associated with their guitars as AC/DC’s acclaimed virtuoso Angus Young. Since blasting out of Australia in the mid 1970s, through to their meteoric rise to stardom in the 1980s and eventual estimated worldwide sales of over 150 million albums, Angus Young’s guitar of choice has always been Gibson’s SG. Honoring an incredible guitarist and guitar, the Angus Young Signature SG is Gibson’s fitting tribute to one of hard rock’s true legends. It has been designed and manufactured to Angus’ exacting specifications—a true, faithful reproduction of his trademark instrument. The Gibson Angus Young Signature SG features an engraved lyre vibrola, Angus’ classic “Devil Signature” decal on the peghead, and the scorching Angus Young Signature humbucker in the bridge position, combined with Gibson’s PAF-inspired ’57 Classic humbucker in the neck position. With the classic, streamlined mahogany SG body, traditional 22-fret mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard and rounded profile, and twin cutaways for easier access to the higher frets, the Gibson Angus Young Signature SG honors the legacy of a true guitar hero. Available only in Angus’ personal favorite Aged Cherry finish.
Finishes
Hot Points
The Gibson Logo
The most innovative and revolutionary stringed instruments of all time have carried the name Gibson—the Les Paul, the ES-335, the Explorer, the Flying V, the SG. The list goes on and on. There is no mistaking the classic, hand-crafted mother of pearl logo, inlayed into a pressed fiber-head veneer that is then glued to the face of the mahogany headstock. A thin coat of lacquer finishes the process. It is the most recognizable logo in all of music, representing more than a century of originality and excellence. There is simply no equal.
Angled Headstock with Angus’ Classic “Devil Signature” Decal
The angled headstock is another example of Gibson’s industry-changing way of thinking. Every Gibson headstock is carved out of the same piece of mahogany as the neck then fitted with Gibson’s traditional wing blocks. It is not a “glued-on” headstock, and the process takes craftsmanship, time, and effort. But the rewards are worth the effort. The headstock is carefully angled at 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain. The headstock on Angus Young Signature SG also features Angus’ classic “Devil Signature” decal on the peghead, adding the personal touch of a true guitar legend.
Adjustable Truss Rod
The adjustable truss rod is a Gibson innovation that revolutionized the guitar. Before this ground-breaking discovery in the early 1920s, the truss rod was used only to strengthen and stabilize the neck. By making it adjustable, the truss rod now allows a guitar to be set up using a variety of string gauges, as well as string heights. This easily accommodates any style of playing, and allows a limitless range of set-up options. And by placing it at the base of the headstock, the adjustable nut is easily accessible, even while the strings are still on the guitar.
Custom Angus Young Neck Profile
No guitar neck profiles are more distinguishable than the neck profiles employed on the Gibson models of today. The neck profile found on the Angus Young Signature SG is based on the more modern, slim-tapered necks most commonly associated with the Les Paul and SG models of the early 1960s, but tailored to Angus’ exact personal specs, making it Gibson’s narrowest neck. The neck is machined in Gibson’s rough mill using wood shapers to make the initial cuts. But once the fingerboard gets glued on, the rest—including the final sanding—is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.
22-Fret Rosewood Fingerboard
Rosewood has always graced the fingerboards of the world’s finest stringed instruments, including many of today’s Gibsons. The fingerboards on the Angus Young Signature SGs are constructed from the highest grade rosewood on the planet. The rosewood is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled wood experts before it enters the factories. The resilience of this dense and durable wood makes these fingerboards extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The 12-inch radius of the fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.
Nickel and Silver Alloy Fret Wire
The fret wire on the Gibson models is a combination nickel and silver alloy (approximately 80 percent nickel and 20 percent silver) specifically designed for long life and superior wear. Gibson’s traditional “medium/jumbo” fret wire is first shaped by hand, then cut to an exact 12-inch radius. After hand pressing it into the fingerboard, a machine press finishes the job to eliminate the gap between the bottom of the fret wire and the fingerboard.
Trapezoid Inlays
The classic trapezoid inlay is one of the most distinguishable features of many traditional Gibson models, including the Angus Young Signature SG. A figured, swirl acrylic gives these inlays that classic “pearl” look. They are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn’t require the use of fillers.
Set-Neck Construction
Like all classic Gibson guitars, the necks on the Angus Young Signature SGs are distinguished by one of the more traditional features that have always set them apart—a glued neck joint. Gluing the neck to the body of the guitar ensures a “wood-to-wood” contact, no air space in the neck cavity, and maximum contact between the neck and body, allowing the neck and body to function as a single unit. The result? Better tone, better sustain, and no loose or misaligned necks.
Solid Mahogany Body
Probably the most central of all SG features is its solid mahogany body. The mahogany goes through the same rigorous selection process as all of Gibson’s woods, and is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled wood experts before it enters the factories. Inside the Gibson factories, humidity is maintained at 45 percent, and the temperature at 70 degrees. This ensures all woods are dried to a level of “equilibrium,” where the moisture content does not change during the manufacturing process. This guarantees tight-fitting joints and no expansion, and controls the shrinkage and warping of the woods, in addition to reducing the weight. It also improves the woods’ machinability and finishing properties. Consistent moisture content means that the SG will respond evenly to temperature and humidity changes long after it leaves the factory.
‘57 CLASSIC AND ANGUS YOUNG HUMBUCKERS
Since the mid-1970s, Angus Young has been driving the sound of AC/DC with his Gibson SGs, which are always equipped with Gibson humbuckers. Several years ago, Angus teamed up with Gibson to produce the ultimate bridge position pickup—the Angus Young Signature humbucker. With enamel-coated wiring, special Alnico V magnets, and matched coils, the Angus Young humbucker delivers a blistering combination of vintage-style punch and ripping humbucker tone. At the neck position, Gibson’s ’57 Classic pickup—the result of Gibson’s drive to capture and recreate the tone of the original PAF pickups of the late 1950s and early 1960s—provides a warm, full tone with a balanced response, and packs that classic Gibson PAF humbucker crunch.
Tune-O-Matic Bridge
The Tune-o-matic bridge was the brainchild of legendary Gibson president Ted McCarty in 1954. At the time, it was a true revelation in intonation, and set a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. This pioneering piece of hardware provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields a great union between the strings and body, which results in excellent tone and sustain. It is combined with a separate “stopbar” tailpiece, essentially a modified version of the earlier wraparound bridge. To this day, the Tune-o-matic remains the industry standard. It is the epitome of form and function in electric guitar bridge design, and is one of the most revered and copied pieces of guitar hardware ever developed.
Nitrocellulose Finish
Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar—including the Angus Young Signature SG—is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. But this fact has never swayed Gibson into changing this time-tested method, employed ever since the first guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, which means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can’t do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not “seal” wood in an airtight shell—as a poly finish does—and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.
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