Gibson SG Guitars

Rare 1968 Gibson SG Standard Left-Handed Maestro Lyre Tailpiece

Bid with confidence…I have excellent feedback! Member of Ebay Community for over 10 years

Year of Birth:  1968  

Source for Year: Link

Serial Number:  911872

Instrument Color:  Dark Cherry

Has Neck Volute:  No

Pot Code Numbers:  CBA-811-1158 500KAT

More photos: Link

Detailed Information

This dark cherry finished mahogany guitar is in beautiful condition. There are some pick scratches on the plastic pick guard, and there are two tiny dings and a few extremely light scratches on the wood, but other than that it is a thing of beauty. I bought this killer guitar in 1975 at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA.  In 1977, while I worked at Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR) in Hollywood, I showed my guitar to Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, who was rehearsing there for a tour.  He played it for about 15 minutes and then offered to buy it.  I never had any intention of selling it and so I kept it.  I also payed it on stage with David Bowie during a rehearsal soundcheck of an Iggy Pop concert at the Los Angeles Forum.  It sounded GREAT with each chord slapping against the back wall of the Forum and back onto the stage.  I played it and my BC Rich Seagull for another 8 years and then got distracted by other events in life. 

The guitar sat in my closet, untouched, for another 20 years.  In 2008 I opened the case tuned up the strings and noticed that there was a small "smile" crack beginning to show just behind the nut on the back of the neck.  I asked around and was told that it was a common fracture on Gibson guitars.  I was referred to a master guitar builder named Toru Nittono (Van Nuys, CA).  Toru was commissioned to build several guitars for Carlos Santana.   He kept my SG for 3 months just to decide how to make the neck stronger than before.  In November 2008 I got the guitar back and he had done a beautiful job.

The neck is a one piece mahogany which is straight as can be.  It has no "made in USA" stamped on the back of the head and no volute.  This combination is extremely rare in left-handed guitars equipped with long Maestro Lyre Vibrato units.  When I first got the instrument I changed the heads to Schaller heads.  I did this because the Schallers were smoother to tune and I thought they looked cooler.  Who knew?  I never thought I'd own a collector's guitar.  I believe these are the original frets.  I've never changed them.  There is some wear on them but they still have a lot of life left in 'em and the ax plays FANTASTIC.  The neck is a medium neck, not a fat baseball bat neck.  The guitar has next to no belt-buckle rash on the backside body.  It has a few knocks in the finish & includes the original Gibson case.  The handle of the case has broken loose on one side and can be either fixed wityh some epoxy or can be replaced.  As for the pots… The solder on the pots has never been tapped. The guitar comes with the original hard shell Gibson case. It sounds great, is fun to play.  It looks & sounds impressive as hell in the studio or on stage.


I urge you to check out the photos on the web page I've set up for this instrument.  There are tons of pics to get the nitty-gritty on this guitar.  Good Luck!

Questions ?  Contact Mario Salinas at:  mas@convention-floor-videos.com

Shipping/handling: Seller to pay for shipping/handling within the continental US.  Includes tracking number and protection against loss/damage during transit.  Carrier is FedEx.  No shipping to P.O. Boxes or locations outside continental US.   Buyer must provide physical shipping address within continental US.  FedEx WILL REQUIRE SIGNATURE at the time of delivery.  Optional local pickup (with cash payment) also available.

Payment Methods: Prefer using EBay's approved escrow company (Escrow.com).  Also accept PayPal payments funded by balance, credit card, or bank funds.  For PayPal payments please provide a Paypal confirmed shipping address.  Payment is due within 3 days of auction end (see payment instructions for details).  Item will be shipped promptly upon receipt of payment (typically within 72 hours).

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Below is some information regarding the pots:

Gibson Pot Code Anolomies.
Gibson used some pots with strange codes during the 1960s that were confusing. These codes don't make a lot of sense, so are noted below.

    * CBA-811-1053: circa 1965 (Gibson parts list)
    * CBA-811-1831: circa 1965 (Gibson parts list)
    * CBA-811-1158: late 1960s.
    * C-70-05675-0: circa 1965
    * CBA-5124: circa 1965
    * CBA-811-3701: unknown date
    * CBA-811-3703: unknown date
    * 70020: circa 1971 & 1977 Gibson parts list
    * 70028: circa 1978-1981 Gibson parts list
    * 70035: circa 1981 Gibson parts list

My source for this information is found that the following location:

Pot Codes Source:  http://home.provide.net/~cfh/pots.html

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