Ray currently performs guitar in Paul McCartney’s band, so while he’s not a household name, he’s certainly a big name player deserving of his own speccy signature model. His Custom Shop model with Gibson combines the classic looks of the original SG Junior model with an assortment of modern appointments to make it an extremely versatile players workhorse.
With a solid mahogany body and neck paired with a pristine Rosewood fretboard, the SG Junior is a notable 1/8 inch thicker than a regular SG, which injects a fat dose of low and midrange punch into the instrument’s tone. The neck also features a long tenon and is glued into the body with hide glue, while the fretboard is adorned with a custom crown inlay at the 12th fret.
In the electronics department, the Brian Ray ’62 SG Junior boasts a classic P90 bolstered by a passive ‘induction coil’ tucked under the pickguard. When engaged via the push/pull tone knob, this reduces RF interference and high-gain noise, making it a pretty nifty feature for the live guitarist. The guitar also features a distinctive convertible bridge design that gives players the choice between a Tune-O-Matic ABR-1 / wrap-tail bridge or a Vibrola tremolo and stop bar tailpiece setup, which Gibson claim can be changed over “in the time it takes to change strings.”
This one looks like it’ll be a hit with many a guitarist (if they can handle the pricetag), and it’s defintely cool to see Gibson give the SG Junior some love. Those ’60s Junior models are ripper player-grade vintage instruments, and look sick onstage too.
Check out the model in further detail here.
