Gibson SG Junior, Cherry (1968)

From bright and chimey to fat and punchy, Gibson's SG Junior reminds us that the a single-pickup guitar is anything but one-dimensional.

In many ways, 1968 marks the end of what vintage guitar lovers consider the Golden Era of Gibson electrics. There's generally some truth to that, as ownership changed hands not too long after '68, bringing on many changes that would impact the company's storied and frankly legendary history. There are always exceptions of course, but in looking at the arc of Gibson's success, 1968 marked a pivotal year while delivering some excellent guitars.

Case in point with this mid/late 1968 Gibson SG Junior. Just in from the original owner, this is just a spectacular example both in terms of originality, condition, playability, and tone. It retains it deep, rich Cherry Red finish that shows very little in the way of play or handling wear. A few small finish chips (treble side neck heel and treble side waist) are the most notable, with just some light finish scuffs and some pick wear on the pickguard.

What To Know

The lone soapbar P90 is delivers an impressive amount of output at 8.11k but without sounding too midrange-forward. It's bright and chimey and has the ability to get fat and punchy all with just some slight manipulation of the volume and tone controls - typical Junior-style fashion here!

The neck carve is a pretty standard slim C with a fat but smooth taper, and the original frets still have plenty of life and deliver great playability. All of the chrome-plated hardware is original to the guitar as well. The most identifiable age marker is the presence of the original "witch hat" knobs that Gibson began using in 1968 after about 8 years of employing the "reflector" style on their electrics. The narrow-bevel large pickguard is free of cracks or warping as well.

As the original owner recounts, the original chipboard case simply did survive the way the guitar did, and ended up being tossed out. It's accompanied by an aftermarket gig bag that fits it well.

Great weight and balance, superb resonance, and all the right tone you want out of the all-Mahogany classic, a late 60s SG Junior doesn't really get any better than this.