Garcia's SG

[Mosfed]

Watching Festival Express (June-July 1970) I noticed Garcia had a different SG than I had previously seen - like an early 60s - with the original small pickguard and no bigsby. And then the shot of CC Rider with Garcia on a rosewood (?) tele. And then some random Strat with Rick Danco Janis and others including Bob and John Dawson.

Pretty damn cool.

[TI4-1009]

Speaking of which....

I finally got my SG. For me it's always been the most beautiful regular production electric guitar. I've "sort of lusted" after one for about 45 years, since the days of high school dances. The Jerry connection is just icing on the cake (now that makes me feel old- I wanted an SG before Jerry started using one )Live Dead has always been my favorite "official" Dead album, IMHO that was around the peak time. So having my Tiger and all I sure as hell wasn't going to be plunking down big bucks for an SG (not if I liked sleeping in my bed and not on the couch- or in the garage...). A few weeks ago I found an interesting hit with my compulsive "lefty Gibson SG" ebay search- a guitar repair shop had one up that had come in in three or four pieces (thanks for starting all that Pete...), they put it back together and had it up for bid as a solid player- if you weren't interested in the cosmetics. That's me! I bid what I thought it was worth to me, got it, and was pretty impressed when it arrived- looked better than I expected, plays great, and has a good dollop or two of mojo to boot. It was obviously a real road warrior, but it sure has some serious tone. Smells like a smokey bar, original beat up Gibson case- what's not to like? My inclination would be to "restore it"- take it apart, clean it up, replace rusty screws, etc., but I'm sort of liking the "authentic relic" vibe it has. I'm considering taking up smoking and wearing sunglasses inside.





It has a Custom Shop decal on the back of the headstock, Gibson tells me it is a 1997 '61 Reissue special ordered and Custom Shop built because they didn't offer a lefty. Someone has been in the control cavity, gobs of solder in there, I think the pickups have been changed- they should be the two-wire '57's but they are four wire, I won't know until I pop them out.

So far I'm lovin' it- looks and sound. Alongside the Tiger it's "Beauty & the Beast" And those first notes of St. Stephen sound just perfect through the JBL Ks!

[Tennessee Jedi]

[TI4-1009]

The classic Woodstock shots:



and:



Not Woodstock but SG:

[tigerstrat]

Watching Festival Express (June-July 1970) I noticed Garcia had a different SG than I had previously seen - like an early 60s - with the original small pickguard and no bigsby. And then the shot of CC Rider with Garcia on a rosewood (?) tele. And then some random Strat with Rick Danco Janis and others including Bob and John Dawson.

Pretty damn cool.

Jerry's first SG run was on a 1967 Standard, from late 1968 through August of 1969. After playing an early 60's Stratocaster from Sept '69 to February '70 or shortly thereafter, he switched back to an SG, but this time around it was a circa 1961 "Les Paul SG" model. He played that one approximately thru the end of 1970.



regarding the 1969 rosewood Telecaster, that was evidently loaned to Jerry by Delaney Bramlett, who received the guitar from George Harrison sometime after he played the concert on the roof of Apple Records.

[Smolder]

both rosewood necks?

"...loaned to Jerry by Delaney Bramlett, who received the guitar from George Harrison sometime after he played the concert on the roof of Apple Records."

and how cool is that???

[mijknahs]

I assume his SG's were totally stock - no mods?

[Rusty the Scoob]

I assume his SG's were totally stock - no mods?

They were modding Phil's basses pretty heavily by then, for what it's worth.

[TI4-1009]

With Owsley, Healy, and Alembic hovering about?! -assume nothing. With that motley group assume it was cobbled with unless proven otherwise.

[mijknahs]

With Owsley, Healy, and Alembic hovering about?! -assume nothing. With that motley group assume it was cobbled with unless proven otherwise.

Wickersham told me the didn't re-wind pickups so if the pickups look stock, they probably are. I wonder if they put any active electronics in it (like a blaster)?

[waldo041]

Wickersham told me the didn't re-wind pickups so if the pickups look stock, they probably are. I wonder if they put any active electronics in it (like a blaster)?

the blaster was not born until 72, per wickersham.

~waldo

[mijknahs]

Wickersham told me the didn't re-wind pickups so if the pickups look stock, they probably are. I wonder if they put any active electronics in it (like a blaster)?

the blaster was not born until 72, per wickersham.

~waldo

So then probably nothing "active" in those guitars, right?

[tigger]

I assume his SG's were totally stock - no mods?

I've read that Jerry's SGs did not have the stock strings from the factory. Owsley was the first to theorize that strings began to sound dull over time, and eventually devised a method to remove them from Jerry and Bobby's guitars and install new ones. With the success of American Beauty, they were able to afford to do this on a nightly basis.

[mijknahs]

I assume his SG's were totally stock - no mods?

I've read that Jerry's SGs did not have the stock strings from the factory. Owsley was the first to theorize that strings began to sound dull over time, and eventually devised a method to remove them from Jerry and Bobby's guitars and install new ones. With the success of American Beauty, they were able to afford to do this on a nightly basis.

It probably took the entire Alembic crew to get those suckers off the guitar.

[TI4-1009]

I assume his SG's were totally stock - no mods?

I've read that Jerry's SGs did not have the stock strings from the factory. Owsley was the first to theorize that strings began to sound dull over time, and eventually devised a method to remove them from Jerry and Bobby's guitars and install new ones. With the success of American Beauty, they were able to afford to do this on a nightly basis.

..providing Parish with a source of income.