Angus Young Signature humbucker (bridge).2 2005 Back In Black 25th Anniversary Signature.More detailed info on Angus' personal SGs here. The finish is also much lighter and more translucent than the production version, and the pickup covers appear to be nickel plated instead of chrome. This is curious, as Angus' original is not neck-through. Most notably, it is said to have a neck-through build. This appears to be the earliest prototype and has a couple noticeable differences from the production version. There are no noticeable differences from the final product.Īn extremely rare "production sample" for the Custom Shop signature is owned by Matthieu Lucas of Matt's Guitar Shop in Paris, France. They have "artist proof" and a number written in white marker on the back of the headstock. There is circumstantial evidence that these guitars may have been produced as early as 2008 and the release was possibly delayed.Īrtist proof pre-production models have since surfaced. Another smaller difference from the original is the Gibson logo on the headstock Angus' original uses the squared font found on a 1970/1971 SG Standard, while the replica uses the font that succeeded that one. The original also appears to have been made from African Mahogany instead of the typical Honduran Mahogany used by Gibson. However, while the original likely features T-Tops rewound by JayDee, the Gibson replica features Seymour Duncans similar to what Angus uses in his other SGs on recent tours. This guitar was used most frequently on the tours for For Those About To Rock, Who Made Who, Black Ice and the Stiff Upper Lip Live DVD. The Custom Shop model, however, was a direct replica of a circa 1970 SG Standard (Gibson incorrectly calls it a '68 and implies it was his first SG, which it wasn't) that Angus had almost entirely rebuilt by JayDee guitars in 1982, with distinctive lightning bolt inlays. Again, the USA model was not a direct replica of any SG Angus owns, but seems to be loosely based on a refinished Ebony 1963 SG Standard he has used heavily live since 1991 (and which has been his #1 ever since the Stiff Upper Lip tour), with the addition of lightning bolt inlays. In November 2009, two new Angus Young Signature SGs were introduced. This model was produced continuously through 2009. Earlier examples tend to be lighter in color and more brownish-red, while later examples are darker. The body design was borrowed from the contemporary SG Standard and it was built on the regular production line. That said, there's much variation due to hand-sanding and most of these guitars seem to have thicker necks than the official specification. The result is that the Angus Young Signature has the thinnest official neck specification ever used on a production SG. However, one feature was inspired by a specific SG of his the neck profile of his very first SG, which was very thin. While not a direct copy of any particular SG that Angus used, it was styled generally after the 1966-1971 Batwing style SGs Angus played most often in his early career. The Angus Young Signature SG was introduced in July 2000.