2004 Gibson Gary Rossington 61 "Free Bird" SG Standard Tom Murphy Aged
Collector grade Limited Edition Rossington SG including the super rare "presentation display case" and one of the first 75 so with BRAZ Rosewood!! :-)
On October 19, 1977, two days after releasing their album Street Survivors, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina. The following day they boarded a Convair CV-240 airplane to take them to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they were to perform at Louisiana State University. The plane ran out of fuel near the end of the flight and crashed near its destination. Lead vocalist and founding member Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist and vocalist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (Steve's older sister) and assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick all died as a result of the crash. Guitarist Gary Rossington recalled hearing what sounded like hundreds of baseball bats hitting the plane's fuselage as it began striking trees. The sound got louder and louder until Rossington was knocked unconscious; he awoke some time later on the ground with the plane's door on top of him. And if that wasn't enough, fellow guitarist Allen Collins died a few years later in 1986 from complications after a car crash he suffered in 1982... As Co-founder and last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington helped define Southern Rock music with memorable guitar work on such classics as Free Bird and Sweet Home Alabama. He died March 5 2023 at the age of 71.
When discussing Gary Rossington and his Gibson guitars, many people tend to focus on the Les Paul nicknamed "Bernice", but there is a special guitar that deserves to be mentioned: Gary's cherry red 1961 Gibson SG Standard, still called a Les Paul at the time.
The '61 SG played a crucial role in Lynyrd Skynyrd's performances and recordings, appearing on many tracks from their debut album "Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd" and influencing Rossington's musical style and playing technique, contributing to the success of many of Lynyrd Skynyrd's hit songs. But this guitar is mainly known for it's soaring lead tones when played in the raging storm called "Free Bird".
In 2002, Gary Rossington handed over his beloved '59 Les Paul to Gibson Custom Shop's legendary master Tom Murphy for the first Artist Aged series, which was a huge success. A year later in 2003 (when the Gibson Custom Shop Historic celebrated its 10th anniversary) the Gibson Custom Shop team, Tom Murphy, and Gary Rossington collaborated once again to create 150 Gibson SG Gary Rossington signature models based on the 1961 SG, also known as the "Free Bird" SG.
Each guitar was personally aged by Tom Murphy to simulate every scratch, ding, and metal aging on the guitar's body, giving it a realistic appearance and feel as if it had gone through decades of use. What's even more special is that only the first 75 guitars, with serial numbers 1-3001 to 1-3075, were made with the BR rosewood fingerboards, known as the "holy grail" of tone woods. This not only stays true to the original spirit but also enhances the guitar's tone and performance, with full and powerful lows, clear and bright mids, and crisp and strong highs. When combined with the original Gibson Burstbucker pickups, the SG guitar produces the iconic rock sound that can truly impress you, especially when pushed into a Marshall stack on full tilt. However, if you prefer blues or clean tones, this SG guitar can also be easily tamed to sounds as smooth and easy as a baby's butt.
Gary Rossington's playing style and this red Gibson SG create a perfect combination, making it an indispensable guitar in his musical career and a classic representation of the Gibson SG. If you are a guitar enthusiast or collector with a strong interest in Gary Rossington's music style and SG guitars, this guitar is definitely worth your attention and collection. They don't come up for sale a lot as you know!!
The guitar comes including the super rare "presentation display case", COA Certificate of Originality, Gibson Gold Warranty card and the Gibson black "Custom Art Historic" SG hardshell case with deep purple interior.