Here’s a rare,1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Custom in original Polaris white with the super rare (for a Custom) ebony block, short Vibrola trem. In this near mint condition, it would be prime contender to top any vintage guitar pageant out there…
According to LP forum gossip, only approximately 20-25 of these were ever made - the LP/SG Standard with the ebony block is quite a bit more common and we have had a few of those, but this is the only LP/SG Custom we have had the privilege to offer for sale, fitted with that cool ebony block Vibrola. It is lightweight, has the original small frets that actually play real well, all three pickups are lovely and strong with the classic out of phase sound in the middle position.
We originally sold this to its current owner around four years ago and are delighted to be able to offer it back to the marketplace on his behalf once more.
This guitar is quite breathtaking. It is not totally mint as this particular colour does not take too kindly to age. There is some minor checking and a little bit of clear coat yellowing but this is being picky as overall this is one of the cleanest, original Les Paul SG Customs we have seen and to describe it as near mint would not do it an injustice… Even the gold plating, save for a few of the usual wear marks, is in exceptional shape. It is one of those guitars that pop out at you as soon as you open the case.
Serial number, like on a lot of these white 60’s SG’s, is very difficult to make out but under a strong light you can just about see 79573 which is 1962. I would hazard a guess at early 1962 as it still has the 1961 type SG neck join without the lip.
It seems at some stage the original Grover tuners were replaced with Schallers but these were soon returned with no lasting imprint left on the guitar. It did however leave 6 small screw holes on the rear of the headstock that my luthier has expertly filled in and touched up. You will struggle to see these and we cannot even photograph them well. There are also signs of small touch up areas in the fretboard binding and nut region where it often separates slightly on these original white Customs.
In addition to this, the covers for the 3 x original Patent Applied For pickups have been off/on but they have not been disconnected from the pots so no rewinds or repairs. All three PAF’s have their stickers on the underside with one having most of the sticker worn off yet by the spacing of the letters left, you can tell it is a PAF.
I believe a couple of the screws in the pickguard have been replaced too and judging from the wear pattern, the middle pickup may have been played with the pole pieces facing the bridge for a while. The wiring harness inside the LP/SG Custom is long enough to allow you to do this without disconnecting the pickup and some people prefer it this way.
Correct case is also in very nice shape and has the correct wide pebble grain and orange interior with the brass Gibson logo still attached.
This is a very rare guitar and what’s more it is in exceptional condition. If you are after one of these, I think you will struggle to find a finer condition example.