Way back in 1961 when the SG Standard temporarily replaced the Les Paul Standard in the Gibson lineup, few were aware that a future icon of rock guitar was being introduced to the scene. Originally called the "Les Paul/SG", this radical, double-cutaway electric with two dramatic asymmetrical pointed "horns" and a thin all-mahogany body was worlds away from the single-cutaway maple and mahogany Les Paul that it replaced. It proved to have similar power, punch and versatility, but also expressed a voice all its own, one that has grabbed many heavy rock and metal players in particular, alongside countless classic rock and blues artists. By the time the single-cutaway Les Paul returned in the late ’60s, the SG Standard was already a legend, and had forever claimed its place in rock history. To celebrate 50 years since the introduction of this seminal design, Gibson USA unveils the SG Standard 24, a guitar that captures all the classic ingredients of Gibson’s great double-cutaway solidbody model, with a few clever twists to make it even more versatile for today’s demanding performer. Like the best SGs of the past 50 years, the SG Standard 24 starts with a solid mahogany body and glued-in quarter-sawn mahogany neck, a pairing that ensures ringing sustain, superb tonal depth, and plenty of clarity and richness. The body’s thin dimensions make this a pleasurably light guitar to play, while its classically beveled edges also make it comfortable on the forearm. To update the format for the 21st century, however, Gibson USA gives the SG Standard 24 the 24-fret neck that its name implies, with even the uppermost of its medium-jumbo frets easily accessible thanks to the SG’s legendary deep double-cutaway design. Combine this with a beautifully ergonomic rounded profile, and you’ve got one of the sweetest playing rock machines available today. Two of Gibson’s popular PAF-style '57 Classic humbucking pickups translate the SG Standard 24’s sonic goodness to your amp of choice, yielding anything from deep, warm vocal tones in the neck position to endless growl and roar in the bridge, to round and snappy tones in between. The classic pairing of a Nashville Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece keeps it all rock-solid and resonant, while up at the other end a PLEK-cut Corian nut ensures clean intonation and singing sustain. Top it all off with a set of vintage-style tuners with pearloid buttons, a unique "50 Years" headstock emblem, and a high-gloss nitrocellulose finish in Antique Ebony, and you’ve got a spectacular celebration of one of the world’s favorite electric guitars, all wrapped up in an instrument you can gig with today.