1961/1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Custom vs 1987 Gibson SG 'Standard' (aka 'Shuji')

The 1961/1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Custom and the 1987 Gibson SG 'Standard' (aka 'Shuji') are both electric guitars sharing mid-forward, sustaining, transparent. The 1961/1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Custom leans warm and crunchy. The 1987 Gibson SG 'Standard' (aka 'Shuji') leans dynamic and tight.

Similarity
citedBlended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.

51% — moderately similar

Shared genres
citedGenres both listings are associated with.
  • Hard Rock
  • Rock
  • Blues
Shared tone character
citedDerived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.
  • mid-forward
  • sustaining
  • transparent
Citation fame
citedCitation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.
0%
0%
Price

$18494.61via Reverb

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Description

The Gibson Les Paul SG Custom of 1961 to 1962 marks the transitional period when Gibson redesigned the Les Paul body into the thinner, double-cutaway shape that would become the SG, before the Les Paul name was dropped from the model entirely. It carried the Custom appointments of block inlays, multiple humbuckers and a Maestro vibrato, aimed at the professional end of Gibsons line. Guitars from this transitional era have been associated with players including Carlos Santana and Buddy Guy, whose blues-rooted lead styles suited the SGs brighter, more aggressive voice compared with the single-cutaway Les Paul it replaced.

This 1987 Gibson SG Standard, catalogued under the nickname Shuji, is a solid mahogany body and neck SG with a rosewood fingerboard, trapezoid inlays, a Tune-O-Matic bridge and vintage-style tuners, the specification that has defined the SG Standard since the 1970s. Angus Young of AC/DC has played Gibson SGs exclusively throughout his career, beginning with a secondhand SG bought around 1970 before the band formed, though he is generally understood to favour earlier 1960s and 70s examples over later ones. Independent sources documenting this specific 1987 guitar and its Shuji nickname are limited, so that detail is not asserted as confirmed here.

Genres
citedGenres this gear is documented as being used in.
  • Jazz
—
Tonal lean
  • warm
  • crunchy
  • dynamic
  • tight
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1961/1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Custom vs 1987 Gibson SG 'Standard' (aka 'Shuji') — Shared Character & Differences — NodeTone