Sadler Vaden, the long-serving six-string lieutenant to Jason Isbell in the 400 Unit, has teamed up with Gibson for a special signature SG based on the 2005 SG Standard he has played ever since producer Paul Ebersold gifted it to him.
Finished in Natural Burst, with a pair of uncovered custom-wound Alnico II humbuckers complete with zebra bobbins, a black pickguard to complete the look, it’s one of those cools that is infinitely cooler for not trying too hard.
And there’s something about that finish and the zebra ‘buckers… For our money, this could be one of this year’s must-have Gibson guitars, the hit no one saw coming.
Gibson has always done a neat line in aspirational electric guitars, applying the figured maple razzmatazz to big-bodied jazz guitars, its Les Pauls. It’s the brand that made a metallic gold finish a thing – not to mention aged nitro time machine vintage replicas.
But let’s not forget that some of its most enduring – its best – designs have had a blue collar appeal. Think of the J-45, it’s highest-grossing acoustic guitar, or the Les Paul Junior, the rock ’n’ roll machine.
Vaden sees something of this in his SG. It is but a plank of judiciously carved mahogany that presents players with a blank canvas to play whatever they like on it.
“It’s a workhorse guitar,” says Vaden, mentioning the W-word so we can safely use it now. “Say a producer in Nashville needs an SG, and they pick that thing up, this thing will do anything they want it to do. I wanted it to be an inspiring guitar.”
It’s hard to underestimate the impact Vaden’s original 2005 Gibson SG Standard had on him when he got it. After a gear theft in Philly, Ebersold gave it to Vaden to keep the show on the road, and it turned out to be one of those instruments whose arrival is pure kismet, unlocking all kinds of sounds.
Vaden says it doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of the 400 Unit or not, or what style of music you want to play.
“There’s going to be a certain amount of people that are fans of me and the band and want it as a collector’s item, but aside from that, I really wanted to have something out there that’s a great instrument,” he says. “That’s what that guitar means to me. My SG was a gift to me, to keep things going, to take on the road – it’s a tool.
“What I hope is that someone buys this guitar – whether they are a fan of me and the band or not –and they pick that thing up and are like, ‘This is a great guitar! This sounds good! I can take this on the road and in the studio.’”
As for the fundamentals, well, its an SG – mahogany body, a glued-in mahogany neck, 12” radius rosewood fingerboard with acrylic trapezoids counting out the 22 medium jumbo frets.
The proportions won’t shock anyone. There’s the 24.75” scale length, a rounded neck profile that’ll feel comfortable for long-ass jam sessions. It has a long neck tenon. The hardware is a familiar aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic and Vintage Deluxe tuners with keystone buttons. It’s ready to clock up some road miles.
You really have to look closely to find the Sadler Vaden signature details, i.e. the “SV” engraving on the truss rod cover where it would typically read “SG,” or inside the case, where there is a signature guitar strap, stickers, and a trading card.
Play it hard and you can put your own signature wear and tear on it. The Sadler Vaden SG Standard is out now and is priced $1,999.
See Gibson for more details.
