Why does Angus Young of AC/DC play a Gibson SG?
The Gibson SG is arguably the premier hard rock guitar. You don’t become the weapon of choice for Tony Iommi, Frank Zappa and Ian Mackaye by being a shrinking wallflower. I don’t think a member of Belle and Sebastian has ever been pictured near one, and for very good reason. However, there’s none more associated with the guitar than the talismanic lead guitarist of AC/DC, Angus Young. The Aussie maniac has been slinging an SG around his neck for as long as he’s been dressing up as a schoolboy, but why is that?
AC/DC have been known to “keep it simple, stupid”. As their music shows, if they’ve got a formula that works, there will never be a good enough reason to change it. So, it makes sense that the moment they discovered that their hypercharged blues riffs sound remarkable when played on an SG through a Marshall Amp stack, they stuck with it. That combo has been the heart of the group since their formation in 1973, but even just the look of it suits the band.
The deep brown colour scheme and devil horns complete a look matching the band’s mix of down-to-earth blokiness and camp horror-comedy. What could other guitars do when your breakout album features your lead guitarist wearing literal devil horns? However, there’s another reason why the SG suits Angus Young better than just about any other guitar, and it’s a testament to their self-effacing sense of humour that he’s even gone on record to say why.
You see, Angus Young is kind of a short-arse. And by kind of, I mean he’s five foot two. There’s a reason he’s been stuck in a comedy schoolboy uniform for over half a century. Most electric guitars, especially the great big humbucking monstrosities that Gibson have put out are surprisingly heavy. All except… you guessed it… the SG. The SG is a lot thinner and a lot lighter than most guitars. The neck is thinner as well, meaning smaller hands have half a chance of fretting chords and playing solos.
Young himself had to learn this the hard way, as he talked about his history with the SG in an interview with Guitar World. When asked if he’d tried any other guitars, he said, “I tried a Les Paul when I was a lot younger. I tried the Les Paul, and because of the weight of the thing, it nearly dislocated my hip. I’ve always found with SG’s that if you are a short guy—about five foot two(!)—you can get your hands around them.”
Thus, not only their sound but a huge part of their image was born. In many ways, the SG became a shorthand for the band itself. It doesn’t change because it doesn’t need to. It does exactly what they want it to do. It’s not about comfort—it’s about finding the right tool for the job and getting to work. May we all find something that serves us as well as the Gibson SG serves Angus Young.
