TRASH OR TREASURE
Zachary r. fjestad
A ‘70s Oddity: The Gibson SG- 200
Dear Trash or Treasure:
This odd Gibson guitar was purchased
sometime in the 1970s and, as far as I can
tell, is all original. I think it is an SG because
of the body style, but I have never seen
another one like it with these pickups. I
have the original case, but the bridge cover
appears to be missing. The serial number is
972190 and it has “Made In USA” and a “ 2”
stamped under the number. I’m not planning on selling this guitar, but I would like to
know what it is and what it is worth. Thanks!
Woody
Silver Spring, Maryland
Hey, Woody.
You’re right, this is an SG. And there’s a
reason you don’t see many of these guitars:
the SG- 100, SG- 200, and SG-250 were only
produced for a little over a year in the early
1970s! Many Gibson enthusiasts agree that the
1970s were a dark period for Gibson guitar
production, and most players and collectors
don’t seek out these guitars. However, the SG
continues to be a successful guitar for Gibson,
and many performers have used them, including Tony Iommi, Pete Townshend, and, most
notably, Angus Young of AC/DC.
The SG body style goes back to 1958, when
Gibson redesigned the Les Paul Junior with its
first-ever double-cutaway solidbody. At the time,
the single-cutaway Les Paul wasn’t selling as well
as Gibson had hoped, so the company planned
to apply this new rounded double-cutaway
style to the entire line. By 1960, the Junior and
Special were renamed as SGs, which stood for
“solid guitar.” According to folklore, SG was a
temporary term for the body style, but Gibson
never came up with another name and SG stuck.
In late 1961, Gibson introduced a different double-cutaway with pointed, beveled bouts that
became the SG body style we know today. This
new body style was applied to all Les Paul models available at the time, and they were labeled
Les Pauls until 1963, when Gibson and Les Paul
temporarily parted ways. Paul was never too
crazy about the new design of the Les Paul
model, and he didn’t renew the contract to use
his name on three of Gibson’s guitars. In 1968,
the Les Paul was reintroduced with the traditional single-cutaway design, but Gibson continued
production of the SG as well. Ted McCarty left
Gibson in 1966, which is widely known as the
start of a downhill slide in Gibson’s production
quality. By the 1970s, Gibson was beginning to
experiment in research and development, and
your guitar is a product of this experimentation.
Gibson discontinued the Melody Maker
series in 1970 and replaced it in late 1971with
three new SG models, all sharing the same
body and features: the SG- 100, SG- 200, and
SG-250. Gibson steered away from traditional
designs in these guitars, using a slightly larger
body shape, no neck pitch, and single-coil
pickups. Looking back, all these new features
were essentially downgrades. While the body
became more durable with maple construction, it was heavier and bulkier to play. The
fingerboard, strings, and top of the body
became parallel with each other, resulting in
a high action over the body. The single-coil
pickups sounded thin and tinny compared to
humbuckers and P-90s. This new series wasn’t
very well received and was quickly replaced in
late 1972 with the SG-I, SG-II, and SG-III.
The SG- 100, SG- 200, and SG-250 all share
these common features: maple body (
mahogany has also been observed), set maple neck,
22-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays,
black headstock overlay with gold Gibson logo,
three-per-side Kluson tuners with small buttons,
Tune-o-matic bridge with an odd connected
base plate and bridge cover, single-coil Melody
Maker-style pickups with black covers inscribed
with “Gibson,” and an angled control plate
with Volume and Tone knobs. The SG- 100 has
a single pickup and was available in cherry or
walnut finish. The SG- 200 has two pickups with
two slide switches and was available in black,
cherry, or walnut finish. The SG-250 is identical
to the SG- 200 in electronics and construction,
but features a cherry sunburst finish.
According to Gibson’s shipping records, just
over 5,000 SG- 100, SG- 200, and SG-250s were
shipped during their short production in 1971
and 1972. Serialization is not a very useful
dating tool from this era, but it is likely that
your guitar was made in 1971. A total of 2,448
SG-200s were produced in walnut finish, but
only 23 were shipped in 1972. The “ 2” under
the serial number indicates that the guitar was
a factory second, meaning there was a flaw in
the wood or finish. Instead of discarding the
guitar, Gibson sold it at a discounted price with
a full factory warranty. Today, your guitar is
worth between $800 and $1000, as it appears
to be in excellent condition. The SG- 200 is not
valued nearly what some of Gibson’s classics
are today, but it is a Gibson nonetheless and
an important part of their heritage and history.
Perhaps more collectors and players will take
notice of this guitar as the ’50s and ’60s models become more rare and expensive.
Zachary R. Fjestad
Zachary is the author of the Blue Book of Acoustic
Guitars, Blue Book of Electric Guitars, and the Blue
Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
Questions can be submitted to:
Blue Book Publications
Attn: Guitar Trash or Treasure
8009 34th Ave. S. Ste #175
Minneapolis, MN 55425
bluebookinc.com
guitars@bluebookinc.com
