SG Future Tribute

Gibson USA is celebrating 2013 as the Year of Les Paul, and is blowing it up big with a new series of decade-dedicated Tribute SGs, each of which honors the artistry and innovation of inventor and guitarist Les Paul by capturing the essence of a great SG guitar from one of four different eras. All embody the full magic of this legendary guitar design, but are stripped down for improved value and no-nonsense performance. The SG Future Tribute captures the look, feel, and tone of the guitar world’s most legendary double-cutaway solidbody, and equips it for the player of the future, while making it available today. Primed for optimum playability and versatility, the SG Future Tribute carries a pair of “zebra-coil” ’57 Classic™ humbucking pickups for a blend of vintage warmth and contemporary articulation, along with a superbly comfortable custom asymmetrical neck profile. Gibson’s acclaimed bridge and tailpiece team up with futuristic Steinberger™ gearless tuners to ensure smooth playability and precise tuning and intonation. And, like all Les Paul and SG 2013 Tribute Series guitars, the SG Future Tribute is available upgraded with Min-ETune™ automated “robot” tuners for a nominal upcharge. The SG Future Tribute looks great in your choice of Heritage Cherry, Vintage Sunburst, or Ebony Black finish, all Vintage Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer. 

The SG Future Tribute takes the classic platform of the original SG Standards forward into the 21st century. Built in the image of the legendary SG Standards, the SG Future Tribute starts with a foundation of solid mahog, a tonewood with a long tradition at Gibson. A solid mahog body is crafted in the distinctive, thin asymmetrical dual-cutaway style, with iconic pointed “horns” and beveled edges to enhance playing comfort. A solid mahog neck is glued into the body in Gibson’s time-tested tradition and carved to an ergonomic and superbly comfortable new asymmetrical profile that fits the natural shape of the human hand, with depths of .800” at the 1st fret and .875” at the 12th, making this one of the most playable SGs yet created. It is topped with a genuine rosewood fingerboard that carries 24 medium-jumbo frets to maximize the playing reach of the SG style, along with traditional trapezoid inlays. In keeping with the stripped-down ethos of this powerful performer, both body and ’board remain unbound, and there’s no pickguard to obscure the finish. A PLEK-cut nut made from black Corian™ subtly complements the knurled chrome knobs and black pickup rings. The headstock is silkscreened with gold Gibson and holly logos. 

The SG Future Tribute ensures its sonic versatility and hot looks with a pair of zebra-coil humbucking pickups, consisting of a standard-wound ’57 Classic™ humbucker in the neck position and a slightly over-wound ’57 Classic Plus™ in the bridge position for hotter lead tones. The ’57 Classics™ recreate Gibson’s esteemed PAF humbuckers by using genuine Alnico 2 magnets and 42-AWG enamel-coated wire. They are also enhanced with evenly matched coils for a smooth, singing tone, and wax potting to combat microphonic squeal at high volume levels. The result is a pickup that is thick, rich, and warm, yet clear and articulate—perfect for the broad demands of today’s music. The traditional wiring complement of an independent volume and tone control per pickup plus a three-way toggle selector switch allows a broad range of sonic variations. To anchor it all down, Gibson USA loads in a classic Tune-o-Matic bridge and Stopbar tailpiece, then rams it all into the future with a set of super-efficient Steinberger™ gearless tuners, a hardware set that partners up for solid sustain and precision tuning. Put it all together, and the SG Future Tribute presents the perfect celebration of the SG for the 21st century, wrapping it all into a great guitar that brings the look, feel, and sound of a contemporary SG to the hands of the demanding players of today, and tomorrow.