Gibson SG Guitars

OK, here's a project that can be handled any number of ways, as you like.  Basically, there is one neck, and there are two bodies.  All other parts needed for a complete guitar are present and installed, working, on the black body.  There is also what seems to be an original Gibson SG case.  The easiest thing would be to just glue the neck on, add strings and strap buttons (both included in the case pocket) and play.  Use Titebond or hide glue. Here's what happened: 

The original guitar was a mid-70's Gibson SG Special with 2 of those short-lived single-coil pickups.  Someone did a Pete Townsend on it, from all appearances (Pete Townsend favored SG's also, maybe because they break so dramatically.)  I received this as a stripped neck-partial body hulk in the case, missing the (still-missing) lower bout--that's the natural-colored body in the pictures.  A small bit of the heel of the neck was still attached to the body side of the crack there, and was not intact enough to reattach after I separated the neck and removed the parts of the body still clinging to the tenon.  I replaced the small chip, as seen in the neck photo.  The neck was otherwise undamaged, and still retains the factory decal and serial number. I also reattached the fretboard which was loose.

The remnants of the original body are included in the pictures and in the auction.  Wood is definitely still missing and I don't have it.

The black body is from a completely different source.  In the 80's the Gibson factory left Nashville to go to Montana.  They left behind a substantial amount of what they considered to be junk, just like they did when they left Kalamazoo.  The Kalamazoo stuff keeps showing up on eBay to this day.  Most of the Nashville stuff was intentionally destroyed by bandsawing it, but the pieces were still stored--together, for some reason.  An eBayer who went by the username Shawn of Bardsong (Bardsong Music in Nashville) got hold of a lot of these pieces and glued them back together.  I myself bought several of them (including a chambered-body inlayed prototype) and can tell you, he did a great job of it.  This is one of those bodies.  It was fully-shaped but only partially routed:  the neck pocket and the control cavity were done, the pickup recesses were not.  Now, this body also had been recessed for a clock mechanism from the back.  If it looks unusual around the controls, it is.  The SG models in the late 80's sported two volume pots and ONE tone control, so the control cavity and holes were different from the norm.  This may have been the 1989 Centennial model, from what I've read.  Anyway, that's the history of this body.  Small traces of its history still show through my paint job, and I've tried to photograph them as best I could so you'll know what you're getting.

The case is pretty nice, but not perfect, and one photo shows a patch holding replaced hinge rivets.  One vintage guitar dealer tells me the case may be worth more than the guitar.  There are a few scrapes and a little rust, but it still works.  It is a hard case, but NOT wood.  The thick padded lining is all still there.

Ok, the rest of it.  The pickups are Gibson 490T (bridge) and 498 (I think, at the neck).  The bridge is real Gibson and the tailpiece is Epiphone.  The pickup surrounds are aftermarket, somewhat incorrect--it's hard to find gold bezels. The knobs may be anything, but look Gibson.  A set of D'Addario strings is included.  The wiring is aftermarket and works. The tuners are true Gibson Deluxe Klusons.

There it is.  I've left the neck and body separate so that the buyer can either glue it together and play it (won't take a luthier) or use the parts for other projects.  The black body needs rubbing out or stripping and refinishing.  The natural body needs---well, the finish is nice.  I don't have the rest of it.  If you buy it, you'll sure have a story to tell about it!

NOT-SO-FINE Print:  I'm sorry, I ONLY SHIP TO THE USA.  If you are elsewhere, you can buy it but you'll have to come get it.  I only take Paypal, and within 3 days of the end of the auction.  I ship UPS as per the estimate below, and I insure it.  I only take returns for freight damage or GROSS misrepresentation on my part.  I've tried very hard to tell and picture everything, but if a wire comes loose during its travels, be a sport and stick it back on.  I WIL NOT take it back for some made-up junk.  I got my lone bad feedback from a guy who took the electronics apart then complained I'd sold him a dud before ever contacting me.  Turns out he didn't understand the switching output jack.  Another claimed the fretboard was falling off and would cost him $150 to replace.  I took it back and--guess what--there was nothing wrong with it.  I took back a banjo because the buyer complained he couldn't turn the friction tuners; my 110 pound wife could.  If you have any questions, please ask.  This guitar has had a rough life--don't expect a new Bennedetto.

Oh--if the shipping costs less than the estimate, I'll refund the difference!