Swap
Swap
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue
VS
Playability
73
Sound
71
Build
72
Value
57
Score
72
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logoMusician's Friend logo
Playability
73
Sound
71
Build
72
Value
57
Score
72
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logo
Add more to comparison

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged vs 1963 SG Special Reissue

Reasons to Get
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged over 1963 SG Special Reissue

Paint Finish
Aged vs Nitro
Paint has been artificially aged

Reasons to Get
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue over 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged

Paint Finish
Nitro vs Aged
Thin finish that creates aging marks faster
Avg. Weight
6.85lbs (3.1kgs) vs 7.025lbs (3.2kgs)
Tends to be lighter

Other Key Differences
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged vs 1963 SG Special Reissue

No Key Differences Found

Shared Features
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged vs 1963 SG Special Reissue

Bridge Pickup
Custom Soapbar P90
Same Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Custom Soapbar P90
Same Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Mahogany
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Nylon
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Pickups
P90P90
Vintage tone with decent versatility
Number of Frets
22
Same maximum octave
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Set
Neck is glued to the body
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Weight Relief
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue Prices

SET PRICE ALERT

These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.

Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that both instruments scored 72 out of 100, which makes them similar in terms of quality.

The Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue wins when it comes to. On the other hand, the Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged has the upper hand when it comes to.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged Overview

  • From Gibson Custom's 2022 Murphy Lab series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Mahogany body
  • Mahogany neck
  • Indian Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Custom Soapbar P90 (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Lightning Bar Wraparound Tailpiece bridge
  • Traditional 1960s SlimTaper C Profile Set neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo frets
  • Kluson Single Line w/ White Buttons tuners
  • Weight between 6.7lbs (3kgs) and 7.35lbs (3.3kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue Overview

  • From Gibson Custom's 2022 Historic Collection series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Mahogany body
  • Mahogany neck
  • Indian Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Custom Soapbar P90 (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Lightning Bar Wraparound Tailpiece bridge
  • Traditional 1960s SlimTaper C Profile Set neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo frets
  • Kluson Single Line w/ White Buttons tuners
  • Weight between 6.65lbs (3kgs) and 7.05lbs (3.2kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

Both pickup configurations are P90P90. P90P90 gives you two P90s for a crunchy vintage tone. The tone sits somewhere in the middle between typical single-coils and humbuckers. They also produce less hum than single-coils, but they don't cancel it completely like humbuckers.

Pickups Quality

Both come with some of the top pickups on the market. You can't go wrong with either of them. You'll probably never need a pickup upgrade.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Tie.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.

They both share the following switching options:

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged and Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged and Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged
Pickups 100
Sustain 65
Versatility 49
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 71
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue
Pickups 100
Sustain 65
Versatility 49
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 71

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged compares to the Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

In this case, both have Nylon nuts. It used to be one of the highest quality materials for nuts (and still is), but it's rare to find nowadays because it's hard to work with. It's a very resistant material with very low friction, so it will keep the guitar in tune and will last for a long time

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

Both come with a similar bridge: Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. Both come with Kluson Single Line w/ White Buttons.

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Nylon Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Nylon Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged
Quality of materials 66
Features 50
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 72
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue
Quality of materials 66
Features 50
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 72

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688'').

This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Scale Length

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged and Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue's Scale Length
Both have the same scale length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

In this case, both have a scale length of 24.75".

This is the scale length that Gibson uses for most of its Les Paul guitars. It's a smaller scale than the typical Stratocaster's 25.5''. Short scale lengths like this make it easier to bend the strings, which is pretty important if you have a fixed bridge. They also have a shorter fret separation, which makes it easier to change position fast at the fretboard.

On the other hand, a shorter scale like this one will make fret buzz more likely, which can affect you if you want to use thicker string gauges.

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged Neck Profile
Both guitars have the same neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged and the Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged and the Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged and Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium Jumbo fret size

Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.

Final Playability Scores

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 70
Playability 73
Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 70
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged vs 1963 SG Special Reissue
General Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Ultra Light Aged 1963 SG Special Reissue
Brand: Gibson Custom Gibson Custom
Year: 2022 2022
Configuration: P90P90 P90P90
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: Murphy Lab Historic Collection
Colors: White Red, Yellow
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Solid Mahogany Solid Mahogany
Bridge: Lightning Bar Wraparound Tailpiece Lightning Bar Wraparound Tailpiece
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Kluson Single Line w/ White Buttons Kluson Single Line w/ White Buttons
Fretboard: Indian Rosewood Indian Rosewood
Neck Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Decoration: Pearloid Dot Pearloid Dot
Scale Size: 24.75" 24.75"
Shape: Traditional 1960s SlimTaper C Profile Traditional 1960s SlimTaper C Profile
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 12"
Nut: Nylon Nylon
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'') 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Custom Soapbar P90 (Single Coil / Passive) Custom Soapbar P90 (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Custom Soapbar P90 (Single Coil / Passive) Custom Soapbar P90 (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Bell
Pickup Mods: None None
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 1