Gibson Brian Ray SG Standard

Brian Ray gets a signature guitar from Gibson for 2015, a Bigsby vibrato with Vibramate equipped SG Standard.

Gibson Brian Ray SG Standard

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The new Gibson Brian Ray SG Standard has a very unique “Silver Fox” finish, something beyond the usual color combinations that we see on SGs. It
follows classic design elements and combines them with modern appointments as approved by the artist.

Brian Ray is a multi-instrumentalist popularly known for his guitar/bass work with Paul McCartney. He joined Paul’s touring group in 2002 and has been a mainstay ever since. On top of that, he continues to do session work with many big name artists, and as such he has more than enough experience and expertise to know what he is looking for in a guitar. And what he wanted was given to him in the form of the new Brian Ray SG Standard.

The guitar starts off with the usual SG double cutaway body design that features sharp cutaway edges. The body is crafted from a single piece of mahogany and finished in special Silver Fox finish in thin wet-sanded nitrocellulose lacquer.

The body is where the genuine Bigsby vibrato is installed using Vibramate hardware, which allows for easy mounting and removal. This means that should you want to, you can switch to the more traditional stopbar design with the included tailpiece studs and stopbar. I can’t imagine anyone doing that to a perfectly versatile guitar but at least the option is there.

The guitar comes equipped with Gibson’s latest Burst Bucker pickup on the neck paired with the more traditional 57 Classic Plus pickup on the bridge. This interesting combination is made more versatile with the guitar’s built-in push-push coil splitting electronics. Other controls include a 3-way pickup selector and independent knobs for adjusting volume and tone for each of the two pickups.

The guitar’s one-piece mahogany neck has a profile specially crafted for Brian Ray, topped by a one-piece rosewood fretboard. It has a 12″ fingerboard radius, 1.687″ nut width and a scale length of 24.75″. Traditional trapezoid inlays serve as fret markers on the neck. Other features include Reissue Kluson Deluxe Green tuning keys, cream fingerboard binding and w/b/w standard SG style pickguard.

As expected, the new Gibson Brian Ray SG Standard commands a premium price tag of $4,699. Visit Gibson for the complete specifications and other details.

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