Description
As a co-founder of seminal alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, and the founder and leader of Wilco, one of the most adventurous alternative-minded bands working today, Jeff Tweedy has consistently displayed an uncanny knack for setting infectious tunes within adventurous and compelling musical contexts. In both his singing and his guitar playing, Tweedy has shunned the straight and narrow in favor of emotive attitude and gritty, trenchant tones, and established his presence as a modern legend in the process. In honor of his achievements in the broad spectrum from alternative country to experimental contemporary rock, Gibson USA introduces the Jeff Tweedy Signature SG ’61. This stunning rendition of the SG stays true to the specs of the inaugural year of this iconic guitar, with the decorative “Lyre” vibrato tailpiece cover, two of Gibson’s most accurate PAF-style humbucking pickups, and the rare and highly desirable Blue Mist finish in hand-sprayed nitrocellulose lacquer. In short, it’s a beauty of an SG that looks every bit as good as it sounds.
The body of the Jeff Tweedy Signature SG ’61 is crafted from solid Grade-A mahogany in the classic asymmetrical “double-horned” deep double-cutaway design. A light and supremely resonant wood, mahogany gives this guitar outstanding tonal richness and depth, with plenty of clarity and sustain. Coupled with the SG’s characteristic beveled edge—a big part of this model’s distinctive styling—the mahogany’s light weight also enhances playing comfort. The guitar’s quarter-sawn Grade-A mahogany neck is carved in a slim but rounded early ’60s profile that measures .800” at the 1st fret and .895” at the 12th, with a natural satin-finished back for a smooth playing feel. It is glued into the body with Gibson’s acclaimed deep set-neck joint, and topped with a fingerboard made from premium rosewood. Acrylic trapezoid fingerboard inlays, a mother-of-pearl Gibson headstock logo and holly inlay, and a cream pickguard all subtly enhance its style.
To help this vintage-inspired SG sound as good as it looks, Gibson USA loads the Jeff Tweedy Signature SG ’61 with a pair of BurstBucker 1 pickups with nickel covers, some of the most accurate PAF-styled humbuckers available today. Made with genuine unpolished Alnico II magnets, and wound with 42-AWG enamel-coated wire just like the originals, these pickups employ unequal turns of wire in each coil for that characteristic PAF bite and edge. The pair is wired through the traditional four-knob Gibson control section, with upgraded “Orange Drop” caps on the tone pots. For added playing versatility, the guitar also carries an authentic Maestro-style vibrato tailpiece with decorative Lyre cover, partnered with a Tune-o-matic bridge, with vintage-style Tone Pros tuners.
ABOUT GIBSON:
Orville Gibson founded the company in 1902 as “The Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co., Ltd.” in Kalamazoo, Michigan to make mandolin-family instruments. Gibson invented archtop guitars by constructing the same type of carved, arched tops used on violins. By the 1930s, the company was also making flattop acoustic guitars, as well as one of the first commercially available hollow-body electric guitars, used and popularized by Charlie Christian. www.gibson.com
