The Japanese market SG-70 was introduced in 1998, essentially as a re-branding of the discontinued Orville SG-65. In 2000, the SG-75 Gothic was added to the lineup. It's unknown for how long this model was produced, as it does not appear in any catalogs. In 2002, the SG-70 was discontinued, but it essentially just moved to the Elite Series, becoming the Elite SG '61 Reissue and gaining American made pickups, nickel hardware and a bone nut.
In 2005, the '61-SG LQ was introduced, essentially resurrecting the SG-70, but adding an acrylic lacquer finish. As Gibson ended its relationship with Yamano in 2006, that would be the end of Japanese made SGs sanctioned by Gibson.
Interestingly, the Japanese market SGs actually had heels with a hangover (like many original '60s SGs), which was a feature not present on the Gibson '61 Reissue. That feature would only appear on Gibson's Historic SG reissues.
Related:
SG-70[]
- 1998-2001
- 70,000 Yen
Body:
- Beveled, solid African Mahogany body
- Angled heel
- Polyurethane finish
Neck:
- 1-pc quartersawn African Mahogany
- Set-in construction
- Joins body at 22nd fret
- '61 style heel
- Rosewood fretboard
- Acrylic trapezoid inlays
- 12" radius
- Large Open Book headstock
- Resin impregnated fiberboard veneer
- Inlaid Mother of Pearl Epiphone logo
- Inlaid Mother of Pearl crown
- 17o pitch
- 22 frets
- 24 9/16" scale
- 1 11/16" nut width
Binding:
- Neck, single-ply
- Frets over binding
Electronics:
- Two Japanese humbuckers
- Ceramic magnets?
- ??? Ohms D.C. resistance
- 3-way switch
- 2 Vol, 2 Tone
- 500k pots
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Gotoh SD90 tuning machines
- 5-ply "Angel Wing" pickguard
- Bell shaped truss rod cover
- 2-ply b/w
- "Gibson" hot stamp
- Black Reflector knobs w/ pointers
- Gotoh ABR-style Tune-O-Matic bridge
- Gotoh stopbar tailpiece
Finishes:
- Heritage Cherry
- Alpine White
- Ebony
- Navy Blue (Limited Run)
SG-75 Gothic[]
- 2000
- 75,000 Yen
Body:
- Beveled, solid African Mahogany body
- Angled heel
- Polyurethane finish
- Satin sheen
Neck:
- 1-pc quartersawn African Mahogany
- Set-in construction
- Joins body at 22nd fret
- '61 style heel
- Ebony fretboard
- Epiphone "E" inlay at 12th fret
- 12" radius
- Large Open Book headstock
- 22 frets
- 24 9/16" scale
- 1 11/16" nut width
Electronics:
- Two uncovered Japanese humbuckers
- Ceramic magnets?
- ??? Ohms D.C. resistance
- 3-way switch
- 2 Vol, 2 Tone
- 500k pots
Hardware:
- Black hardware
- Grover Rotomatic tuning machines
- 1:14 ratio
- Manufactured by Ping
- Single-ply "Angel Wing" pickguard
- Bell shaped truss rod cover
- Single-ply black
- "Gibson" hot stamp
- Black Bell knobs w/ pointers
- Gotoh ABR-style Tune-O-Matic bridge
- Gotoh stopbar tailpiece
Finishes:
- Pitch Black
'61-SG LQ[]
- 2005-2006
Body:
- Beveled, 2-pc African Mahogany body
- Angled heel
- Catalyzed acrylic lacquer finish
Neck:
- 1-pc quartersawn African Mahogany
- Set-in construction
- Joins body at 22nd fret
- '61 style heel
- Slim Taper profile
- Rosewood fretboard
- Acrylic trapezoid inlays
- 12" radius
- Large Open Book headstock
- Resin impregnated fiberboard veneer
- Inlaid Mother of Pearl Epiphone logo
- Inlaid Mother of Pearl crown
- 17o pitch
- 22 frets
- 24 9/16" scale
- 1 11/16" nut width
Binding:
- Neck, single-ply
- Frets over binding
Electronics:
- Two Japanese humbuckers
- Ceramic magnets?
- ??? Ohms D.C. resistance
- 3-way switch
- 2 Vol, 2 Tone
- 500k pots
Hardware:
- Nickel hardware
- Gotoh SD90 tuning machines
- Kluson style design
- 1:15 ratio
- Green Keystone buttons
- 5-ply "Angel Wing" pickguard
- Bell shaped truss rod cover
- 2-ply b/w
- Black Reflector knobs w/ pointers
- Gotoh ABR-style Tune-O-Matic bridge
- Gotoh stopbar tailpiece
Finishes:
- Heritage Cherry