I’ve chosen the SG as my type of guitar since I saw the VHS of the Ac/Dc Show at Donington on ’91, I was in love with the band and the SG, what a powerful beast! those devilish horns yet so sexy with those feminine curves.
I’ve been trying to purchase all of the models I’ve seen Angus using… but the one that was harder to find was the Custom SG he uses on the back in black tour… and that he still uses every now and then, the black and white SG… such an iconic instrument that I’m still struggling to understand why Gibson hasn’t released a Angus Young Signature of that specific model.
Anyway…. I’ve been after this guitar for quite sometime. I know that I could’ve just purchased a 70’s custom with 3 pickups and make some mods… but… I wouldn’t feel too comfortable with that… I would’ve kept the 70s custom with 3 pickups and try to buy another one with 2 pickups :).
I finally stumbled upon the Guitars of the Week. something Gibson did back in the mid 00’s, I remember vividly these models coming up… one of the most sought after is the Diablo SG, but I didn’t remember the Guitar of the Week number 38… this is an almost exact replica of Angus’ black and white…. apart from the fact that it is not Black… it is Dark aged cherry or something like that.. but it really looks the part.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger, and man… is this a great guitar or what! I know it might not be the best investment I have… because no one really is after this specific model.. but who cares… this instrument is stunning in every way, I could make a few more adjustments to make it more similar to Angus’… but I choose not to… I even left the string gauge it came with it… ’10s even though I’ve been using 09’s for years… I fell in love with the ’10s again.
I sort of believe in leaving guitars as original as possible because that’s the way it was designed and intended to be played, every component and even the setup were carefully thought to work together
The guitar itself is a Standard SG built with Custom Shop parts, so for example you get:
Grover Tuners and an Ebony Fingerboard, the previous owner had replaced the bridge ’57 pickup with an Angus Young model, I’ve read mixed reviews about this pickup… and of course Angus does not really use it but I like it… it’s a hot bright pickup it’s pure raw hard rock.
I almost forgot to mention… who doesn’t love a split diamond on a Gibson :).
December 19, 2019 at 06:37
I just recently discovered this guitar while doing the same as you. I was looking for an SG Custom that would require little modifications to get it close to Angus’. I’m now waiting for one to come up for sale. I recently saw a post stating that this guitar has a fat neck (maybe 50’s style). I was hoping for a slim neck which I thought SG Customs normally had. The Gibson archive specs says it has an “SG” neck profile whatever that means. Great collection there by the way. If you have time to reply, I would really appreciate it.
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December 19, 2019 at 16:27
Hi Mark,
Thank you for the message, the neck in this guitar is somewhat like a standard… I was just comparing to all the SGs I have and it’s closer to a modern standard, I wouldn’t say a 50s neck… I think those are often associated with chunkier les pauls. on the gibson archive page you’ll see the nut width… it is the same as the current standards too.
This guitar is great…I got 7 SGs and this is usually the one I take to my gigs… together with my 71.. which has a tiny neck!
I see them coming every now and then… mostly on reverb, if you do find one… just buy it… you won’t regret it… mine has an AY signature pickup… it rocks quite well!
hope this helps!
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March 17, 2020 at 14:36
Hello, I have also been looking for this SG for a long time, it is magnificent !! I just found one for sale. But the seller has no idea of the sale price. Do you have an idea? How much did you buy it? Thank you in advance . Nicolas
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March 17, 2020 at 16:36
Hi! Thanks for the message.
I paid £1900 for it, it was located in France
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March 17, 2020 at 16:36
I’ve seen them for £1700 too.
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March 20, 2020 at 07:21
Hi Enzo,
Just picked this guitar up yesterday. It make’s my SG 120th sound like a toy. The neck is great. I might actually prefer the standard neck over the slim taper like my 120th. The pickups are great. I assume they are the original 57/57+. The low end is what impressed me the most. I appreciate your reply to my original comment/question. That is what made me pull the trigger on this one when I saw it available.
I paid the equivalent of L1700. I don’t have the pound sign on my keyboard.
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March 20, 2020 at 20:27
Congratulations Mark!! Very happy for you, it is an awesome guitar and also limited 🙂 so it’s extra special.
Thank you for reading the blog, the SG is a definite rock machine! Enjoy it!
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August 24, 2018 at 08:11
Looks fantastic
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