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There are many good reasons to get into the SG Special: Santana at Woodstock, Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath, or The Who’s Pete Townshend during their Tommy and Woodstock era. A large-pickguard Special is usually associated with the latter, but Pete’s SGs were in a much poorer state than this one, even though they were practically new at the time. Thankfully, this one didn’t belong to him, so it’s been spared from a life of getting smashed and put back together.
This beautiful 1968 Special has all the right specs of that lovable model: the neck binding (as on a Standard) with dot markers (as on a Junior), the witch hat knobs, a complete and functional Vibrola vibrato. No breaks, no excuses, all original except for the tuners which are individual models instead of three on the same plate for each side. The cherry red is vibrant and sexy, and doesn’t have any of that brownish walnut hue that late sixties SG tend to get. But the main reason why that Special is so attractive is of course its pair of P90s, pickups that can bite, scream and purr with more clarity and liveliness that any PAF. This one is clean enough for collectors, but it should absolutely be played.