Gibson Guitars Unveils the 1961 Les Paul Tribute

Eric Clapton, Robby Krieger, Angus Young, Derek Trucks—each has made some of rock’s greatest music using a Gibson SG.

Now, harking back to the SG’s iconic beginning, Gibson is proud to announce the 1961 Les Paul Tribute—a guitar that captures the glorious vibe of the original 1961 Les Paul/SG, but with enhancements befitting the 21^st century.

The SG’s history is well-known. In 1961, Gibson unveiled a radical new configuration of the traditional single-cutaway Les Paul, utilizing a sleek double-cutaway design. Since 1962, the instrument has been known simply as the SG Standard.

An undeniable classic, the original Les Paul/SG Standard nonetheless featured a Deluxe Vibrato unit (commonly known as the “Sideways Vibrato”) that never functioned quite as well as intended. In an exciting move, for the 1961 Les Paul Tribute, Gibson USA has remedied this imperfection by re-engineering the Sideways Vibrato in such a manner that it provides smooth, efficient action with perfect pitch return. Other features include a body and neck crafted from lightweight Grade-A mahogany; a dark, Grade-A rosewood fingerboard with traditional look and feel; two PAF-style ’57 Classic humbucking pickups; vintage-correct hardware and historically accurate plastics.

The 1961 Les Paul Tribute also comes protected in a Gibson hardshell case and includes an owner’s manual, adjustment literature and a truss-rod wrench. For a more detailed look at this remarkable instrument, click here.