ticketsMember | Make a donation

SG

Gibson American
Duane Allman American
1961-1962
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
Duane Allman used this Gibson SG as his main slide guitar with the Allman Brothers Band, most famously on the live recording of “Statesboro Blues” from At Fillmore East (1971). Coguitarist Dickey Betts gave Allman the instrument in 1971 so he would not need to spend time in between songs retuning his guitar for slide playing. After Allman’s death in October of that year, the guitar passed down to his protégé, Gerry Groom, and later to Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

Technical Description:
Mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard; 24¾ in. scale; cherry-red finish; set neck with pearloid trapezoid inlays and cream binding; mother-of-pearl Gibson logo and crown inlay on headstock; two PAF humbucking pickups, three-way selector switch, two volume and two tone controls; nickel ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge, pickup covers, and Grover Rotomatic tuners, black and silver plastic knobs, three-ply black and white plastic pickguard; tuners and tailpiece replaced

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: SG
  • Artist: Gibson (American, founded Kalamazoo, Michigan 1902)
  • Artist: Duane Allman (American, Nashville, Tennessee 1946–1971 Macon, Georgia)
  • Date: 1961-1962
  • Geography: Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States
  • Medium: Mahogany, rosewood, nickel, plastic, mother-of-pearl
  • Dimensions: Length: 39 3/4 in. (101 cm)
    Width: 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm)
    Depth: 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm)
    Weight: ~5-7 lbs.
  • Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
  • Credit Line: Collection of Graham Nash
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments