Gibson Angus Young Signature SG - Aged Cherry

The angled headstock is another example of Gibson’s industry-changing way of thinking. Every Gibson headstock is carved out of the same piece of mahogany as the neck then fitted with Gibson’s traditional wing blocks. It is not a “glued-on” headstock, and the process takes craftsmanship, time, and effort. But the rewards are worth the effort. The headstock is carefully angled at 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain. The headstock on Angus Young Signature SG also features Angus’ classic “Devil Signature” decal on the peghead, adding the personal touch of a true guitar legend.

No guitar neck profiles are more distinguishable than the neck profiles employed on the Gibson models of today. The neck profile found on the Angus Young Signature SG is based on the more modern, slim-tapered necks most commonly associated with the Les Paul and SG models of the early 1960s, but tailored to Angus’ exact personal specs, making it Gibson’s narrowest neck. The neck is machined in Gibson’s rough mill using wood shapers to make the initial cuts. But once the fingerboard gets glued on, the rest—including the final sanding—is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.

Since the mid-1970s, Angus Young has been driving the sound of AC/DC with his Gibson SGs, which are always equipped with Gibson humbuckers. Several years ago, Angus teamed up with Gibson to produce the ultimate bridge position pickup—the Angus Young Signature humbucker. With enamel-coated wiring, special Alnico V magnets, and matched coils, the Angus Young humbucker delivers a blistering combination of vintage-style punch and ripping humbucker tone. At the neck position, Gibson’s ’57 Classic pickup—the result of Gibson’s drive to capture and recreate the tone of the original PAF pickups of the late 1950s and early 1960s—provides a warm, full tone with a balanced response, and packs that classic Gibson PAF humbucker crunch.

Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar—including the Angus Young Signature SG—is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. But this fact has never swayed Gibson into changing this time-tested method, employed ever since the first guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, which means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can’t do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not “seal” wood in an airtight shell—as a poly finish does—and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.