Gibson Les Paul Deluxe vs Gibson SG Custom 1973
The Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and the Gibson SG Custom 1973 are both electric guitars. The Gibson Les Paul Deluxe leans tight and mid-forward. Current prices: $2499.95 vs $6799.
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Blended 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.55% — moderately similar
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Genres both listings are associated with.- Hard Rock
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe
Gibson · electric guitar
Gibson SG Custom 1973
Gibson · electric guitar
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$2499.95via Reverb
$6799via Reverb
The Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, built with mini-humbuckers rather than the full-size humbuckers of a Standard or Custom, became a defining guitar for Pete Townshend, who played Deluxes almost exclusively on stage from 1973 to 1979, often adding an extra middle pickup to his own examples, leading Gibson to eventually release three Pete Townshend signature Deluxe reissues based on his personal Wine Red 1976 Number 1, gold-top Number 3, and cherry sunburst Number 9 guitars. Ace Frehley also played a converted-humbucker Deluxe during the 1970s, while Brian May tried one briefly around 1974 to 1975 after growing frustrated with a Stratocaster's thinner tone, only to find the Les Paul Deluxe unsatisfying as well and return to his homemade Red Special. The mini-humbuckers give the Deluxe a brighter, more focused voice than a standard Les Paul's full-size pickups.
Dave Murray can be seen holding a three-pickup Gibson SG on the back cover of Iron Maiden's second album Killers, a guitar likely dating to 1973 based on its block inlays and triple-pickup layout consistent with an SG Custom, and its bridge lacking a tremolo arm, a standard SG Custom feature only through 1973. By the time it was photographed, the neck pickup had been swapped for a high-output bladed humbucker, most likely a DiMarzio X2N, though that pickup wasn't introduced until 1979, meaning the guitar was modified sometime after its Killers-era appearances. The guitar made no further documented appearances following the Killers tour but resurfaced decades later during Iron Maiden's Future Past Tour for a performance of Wasted Years.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Alternative Rock
- Classic Rock
- Rock
- Metal
- Blues
- tight
- mid-forward