1970 Gibson Electric Solid Bodies Catalogue
SG Custom, Standard, Special, Junior, Melody Maker-D, Melody Maker-12

Catalogue Index

1970 Gibson Les Paul catalogue

1970 electric solid bodies catalogue The solid body guitars manufactured by Gibson in 1970 are shown here, with the exception of the Les Pauls, which had their own Les Paul catalogue. Models shown are the SG Custom, SG standard, SG Special, SG Junior, Melody maker D and Melody maker 12

1970 was a fantastic year for the Gibson SG, shipping 12914 instruments. In total more SG guitars were sold than in any other single year in the period 1961-1979, selling a third more than the next best year 1965 (8871 units). Most of these sales came from two models, the Standard (6677 - double the previous years sales) and the Special (4982). Perhaps it was the influence of popular bands of the time (Clapton with his SG standard, and the remarkable performances of the Who and Santana at Woodstock the previous year - both SG Special users). Walnut, a new colour option announced in 1969 became available, and almost 60% of the Specials were shipped in this colour. It became the default colour for the Custom, which sported a fetching white pickguard, and was also available for the standard, and Junior - though shipping figures for these models are not split by colour.

1972 Gibson electric solid bodies catalogue

Despite the sales sucess of 1971, Gibson redesigned the SG in mid 1971; partially to decrease production costs (front routed control panels) and partially to improve the instrument (volute to improve neck strength). This resulted in a new Custom, and the Standard and Special renamed to Deluxe and Pro accordingly. The Junior and melody Maker models were dropped in favour of new budget models the SG100, SG200 and SG250. The very similar looking 1972 Gibson solid bodies catalogue shows details of these instruments

1970 Gibson bass catalogue	1970 Gibson Electric Acoustics catalogue
1970 Gibson Les Paul catalogue	1970 Gibson electric solid bodies catalogue
1970 Gibson thinline catalogue

The 1970 Gibson catalogue consisted of 12 separate brochures, each concentrating on a specific area. This was the first time the Gibson catalogue had been split into so many sections

Gibson Angus Young Signature SG Nickel Hardware

A faithful reproduction of Young's trademark axe! It's exact, even down to the worn engraving on the Lyre Vibrola tailpiece. Mahogany body and neck, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl trapezoid inlays, single-bound neck, nickel hardware, a '57 Classic humbucker (neck), an Angus Signature humbucker (bridge), and devil graphic on headstock. Definitely a guitar that's made to rock "all night long."

Gibson ES-137 Custom Electric Guitar Light Burst Gold Hardware

Based on the ES-137 Classic, the Gibson ES-137 Custom Electric Guitar is the first Gibson archtop to employ a mahogany center block for reduced feedback and greater sustain. Other features are all Gibson deluxe: laminated curly maple body, binding on top and bottom, bound fingerboard, bound peghead, ebony fingerboard, split-diamond overlay headstock, pearloid split-diamond fingerboard inlays, 6-way Varitone switch that filters tone from fat to thin, and '57 Classic pickups (the original Gibson humbuckers from 1957). The magnets and 42-gauge enamel-coated wire are from the original suppliers and the pickups are built by Gibson on the original machinery.

available in candy apple red, cherry sunburst, light burst and tri-burst

Gibson Steve Howe Signature ES-175 Guitar Vintage Sunburst

Based on the '64 ES-175 that was Steve's first good guitar and the one to which he has returned throughout his long career, this stunning signature model features everything he loves best: maple top, back, and sides, split-parallelogram mother-of-pearl inlays on a rosewood fretboard, full body and neck binding, inlaid ebony bridge base, unique nickel T-trapeze, and 2 '57 Classic humbuckers. Independent volume and tone controls with a 3-way toggle. Deep, rich tone rings out from a full hollowbody with a deep cutaway for easy high-fret access.

Gibson SG Supreme Bass Natural

Gibson 57 Custom Black Beauty Les Paul Electric Guitar Bigsby Gold Hardware

The choice of many star performers!
In 1957, the Les Paul collection entered a new age of sound, featuring a new humbucking pickup that launched the sound heard around the world. Offering tone variations unavailable on any other Les Paul, the '57 Black Beauty is equipped with 3 BurstBucker pickups to offer a unique palette of vintage sound. Other features include a carved mahogany top and solid mahogany body, a one-piece mahogany neck with 22-fret ebony fingerboard, ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece, 24-3/4" scale, 1-11/16" nut width, body/neck/peghead binding, and ebony finish.

Gibson Thunderbird IV Active Bass Zebra Wood