Gibson has issued a lot of spectacular SGs over the years, but almost none that are as globally and instantly well-loved as the SG Special Raw Power. Crafted with miles of maple, adorned in nine new finishes and equipped with a pair of uncovered ’57 Classic pickups, the SG Special Raw Power hits all the right notes. Its solid maple body creates fresh, brilliant tone previously unheard of from any other SG. Even the neck and fingerboard are solid maple. You’ll find that notes are vividly clearer, and chords more expressive. With this guitar, Gibson also introduced nine unique finishes so that, depending on your style, you can select a guitar with either a vintage or modern vibe.

Body:

Species

The SG Special Raw Power is the first-ever SG to be crafted of solid maple. The guitar’s tight-grained 2 - 3 piece maple top fits snugly atop a maple body, and top and body are bonded together with ultra-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue. The maple is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, making the SG Special Raw Power another product in the certified line of Gibson guitars.

Grade

The SG Special Raw Power's maple top and body are both Grade C (with the exception of the SG Special Raw Power's finished in Natural Satin; these guitars come with Grade A maple tops).

Design

This guitar is a celebration of all things maple, but beyond its solid façade, the guitar’s interior is chambered to offer weight relief and enhanced tone.

Average Weight The average weight of an SG Special Raw Power body is 5.37 lbs.

Tonal Characteristics

Never before has the SG’s tone been so fresh and so brilliant — with snap, clarity, and definition that tightens up the lows and adds more cut to the highs. And like a number of Gibsons, the SG Special Raw Power's interior is chambered, which gives you a guitar that is louder acoustically and features increased sustain and resonance.

Finish:

Color

A never-before-seen palette of 9 new satin finishes gives the SG Special Raw Power modern personality and gives you more choices than ever before. All coated with Gibson’s superior nitrocellulose lacquer finish, the SG Special Raw Power is available in Satin Gold, Satin Yellow, Satin White, Satin Blue/Platinum, Satin Trans Ebony, Satin Olive Green, Natural, Satin Aquamarine and Platinum. Note that the Natural finish SG Special Raw Power comes with a smoky acrylic pickguard while the other eight finishes come with a standard black pickguard.

Surface Texture

The 30-sheen lacquer finish gives the SG Special Raw Power a sleek surface without masking the natural texture of the wood.

Process

The SG Special Raw Power gets it finish by hand in a process that demands several coats and many hours. Unlike other manufacturers who settle for a polyurethane finish, Gibson opts for a nitrocellulose finish that will encourage the natural vibration of the instrument for a purer tone. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous and actually gets thinner over time. That way your guitar’s wood can breathe and age beautifully.

Neck and Headstock:

Species

The SG Special Raw Power comes with a three-piece solid maple neck. This is the first time that the SG has been available with a maple neck, which is known for its incredible strength.

Truss Rod

Gibson’s traditional truss rod, found in most all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you’ll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain.

Grade C-Grade

Profile

The SG Special Raw Power is fitted with Gibson’s classic ’50s neck profile, which is a thicker, rounder profile that’s been modeled after the neck shapes of the iconic 1958 and 1959 Les Paul Standards.

Joint Angle 5.0° (+/- 15 seconds)

Headstock Angle The SG Special Raw Power headstock is carefully angled at a tried-and-true 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.

Logo

The Gibson logo — one of the most globally recognized logos of all time — is silkscreened onto the headstock of the SG Special Raw Power.

Tonal Characteristics With a maple neck, the SG Special Raw Power's tone is snappier, the response quicker, and the clarity unmatched. In addition, the angled, classical-style peg head offers enhanced sustain.

Average Weight

The average weight of the neck on an SG Special Raw Power is 1.24 lbs.

Neck Fit:

Joint

Gibson uses what is known as the Mortise & Tenon joint to bind neck to body so that the two pieces form one solid unit. This time-tested joint style has been used in all the great woodworking arts — from shipbuilding to cabinetry — and has been proven to yield a stronger neck and body than if the instrument was made from a single piece of wood.

Adhesive

The adhesive used to join neck and body on the SG Special Raw Power is Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today.

Tolerance

When fitting the neck and body together, we take advantage of our precise measuring equipment so that all angles, pitches and alignments maintain a tolerance within .005 of an inch. Not only does this help to keep your guitar in tune but it also maintains proper string alignment relative to the fingerboard.

Joint Angle

0.0° (+/- 15 seconds)

Fingerboard:

Species

The SG Special Raw Power is equipped with a Grade-A maple fingerboard.

Radius

The 12-inch radius of the SG Special Raw Power fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.

Frets

The SG Special Raw Power sports 22 frets.

Inlays

Traditional acrylic dot inlays decorate the maple fingerboard on the SG Special Raw Power, while a single trapezoid inlay makes an appearance at the 12th fret. This distinctive look is available only on the SG Special Raw Power series guitars. Figured, swirl acrylic gives the inlays the much-desired mother-of-pearl look.

Average Weight

The average weight of a maple fingerboard is approximately .23 lbs.

Tonal Characteristics

Maple is a very popular fingerboard material. Because maple has fewer pores, less finish is needed. That makes it easier for each note to jump off the fingerboard.

Nut:

Material

The nut on the SG Special Raw Power is made from Corian, which is mainly composed of acrylic polymer. It’s a very durable material, delivers enhanced sustain, and holds the tolerances of the precision cuts made by Gibson’s PLEK machine. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard to ensure proper tone and sustain transfer.

Width

The width of the nut on the SG Special Raw Power is approximately 1.695”.

Pickups:

Model

The SG Special Raw Power sports a pair of uncovered ’57 Classic pickups. Inspired by those original PAFs, the ’57 Classic pickups are made to the exact same specs, including Alnico II magnets, nickel-plated pole pieces, nickel slugs, maple spacers, and vintage-style, two-conductor braided wiring.

Wire Material

The wire used in the neck and bridge pickup is made from enamel.

Coil Material

The coil of each pickup is made from ABS plastic, which is hard and durable and can withstand a broad range of temperatures.

Pole Piece Material

The pole pieces inside each pickup are made from either nickel or brass.

Pole Piece Position From Nut

In the neck pickup, the pole pieces are positioned 18.63” from the nut, while the pole pieces in the bridge pickup are positioned 23.44” from the nut.

Magnet Position From Nut

The Alnico II magnet in the neck pickup is positioned 19” from the nut, while the Alnico II magnet in the bridge pickup is positioned 23.13” from the nut.

Tonal Characteristics The uncovered ’57 Classic pickups on the SG Special Raw Power provide warm, full tone with a balanced response, packing that classic Gibson PAF humbucker crunch.

Electronics:

Volume Controls

The SG Special Raw Power features two Black Speed volume controls with potentiometers made by CTS. The pots (short for potentiometer) have an ohm reading of 300k, which allows for a smooth variation from soft to loud.

Tone Controls

The SG Special Raw Power features two Black Speed tone control knobs with a potentiometer made by CTS. The pot has an ohm reading of 500k, which is the highest value for a panel pot, and provides a very smooth transition between highs and lows.

Toggle Switch

The SG Special Raw Power features one three-way toggle switch made of stainless steel and adorned with a crème cap. This switch acts as the instrument’s pickup selector. In the down position, only the bridge pickup is active. In the middle position, both pickups are active. In the up position, only the neck pickup is active.

Output Jack

The SG Special Raw Power features a 1⁄4” output jack made by Switchcraft. Its super heavy duty construction holds your guitar cable securely in place. The jack is offset by a plastic crème jack plate.

Hardware:

Tuning Keys

The headstock of the SG Special Raw Power is equipped with vintage-style pearloid tuning keys. Plated in nickel and sealed with a special lubricant, these keys are designed to withstand a lifetime of tunings.

Bridge

In 1954, Gibson rocked the world when it debuted the tune-o-matic bridge, setting a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. Included on the SG Special Raw Power, the tune-o-matic provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields a great union between the strings and body, which results in excellent tone and sustain. The bridge on this SG is made from Zamak then plated with Chrome, and each one weighs approximately .11 lbs.

Tailpiece

Every Tune-o-matic bridge is combined with a separate “stopbar” tailpiece, which is essentially a modified version of the earlier wraparound bridge that’s designed to further enhance the connection between the strings and the body. The stopbar tailpiece on this SG is made from Zamak then plated with Chrome, and each one weighs approximately .24lbs.

Strap Buttons

The SG Special Raw Power’s aluminum strap buttons are the same style and design that Gibson has used since the early 1950s.

Plastics:

Truss Rod Cover

As with most Gibson guitars, the truss rod cover on the SG Special Raw Power is made from vinyl plastic, and is shaped like an antique bell. The truss rod on this guitar is engraved with the word ‘SG.’

Pickguard

Note that the Natural Satin finish SG Special Raw Power comes with a smoky acrylic plastic pickguard while the other eight finishes come with a standard black plastic pickguard.

Control Knobs

The control knobs on the SG Special Raw Power are Gibson’s Black Speed knobs.

Strings:

Gauge The SG Special Raw Power is fitted with genuine Gibson strings, sizes .010 - .046.

Accessories:

Gig Bag

Your SG Special Raw Power comes protected in one of Gibson’s durable gig bags.