Bigelf are a darkish, poppy progressive rock amalgamation with some serious power and a real experimental edge. Ace Mark, guitar player, talked with Gearwire about one of his guitars, a ’61 Les Paul SG (yes you heard right—a Les Paul SG). Mark actually has two of the instruments.

“The '61 Les Paul SG I'm playing most of the time is indeed a very special guitar. Mine actually says Les Paul on the headstock, but from late 1962 on they were called SGs, i.e., Solid Guitars. By the early 60's Les Pauls were already a success, but I guess the Gibson company wanted to make a guitar that would be cheaper to build and make more profit or something,” says Mark. “Of course, with a thinner body, different shape and neck style, the ‘new Les Pauls’ came out different from the guitar Les Paul had originally designed. After seeing the new Les Paul, he decided he didn't like the new design and didn't want his name on it, so these particular guitars were made for a very short period of time.”

Mark bought his guitar because Tommy Iommi played one; not to mention the fact that many of his other favorite guitarists also played or once played the SG including Angus Young, Frank Marino and Eric Clapton when he was in Cream.

“The guitar sounds great, plays well and looks cool, so what more can you ask? I got it in 1991 for $1,000. Of course, prices have gone up just a little bit since then.” he says.<.p>

Naturally, being a little old, there have been some fixes to the guitar.

“It has a repaired heel (where the neck meets the body), like most old SGs that you run to these days. Gibson made the heels and the headstocks really thin in the 60s, so it's really hard to find an old one which hasn't been broken. Mine has no headstock repair, though, which the SG is infamously known for. Matty Baratto, a guitar guru in L.A., has fixed several SGs in the Bigelf arsenal other years,” says Mark. “My '61 Les Paul SG (or "Number One" as we call it) still has the original PAFs in it, so I don't even want to think about how much money that guitar is worth. In addition, the original sideways vibrato has been removed and replaced with a Tune-O-Matic bridge. I generally prefer without a tremolo bar, because of the tone and sustain. Plus I've been playing Gibsons for years and years now, so I'm kind of used to not having one anyway. However, the vibrato bar can be a very expressive tool, and when I get my hands on a vintage 60's Strat -- that's a different deal!”

But like every guitar ever made, this one has a downside or two.

“Because of the light body and the heavy neck SGs always tends to tilt downwards. This is why I often catch myself doing the Bill Wyman thing, holding the neck upwards,” he says. “But in general, I'm really happy and comfortable with the '61 SG. It's a player's guitar with amazing sound and sustain. Although just like Nigel Tufnel's Les Paul in Spinal Tap, occasionally the PAFs tend to pick up radio signals!”

He uses the guitar live and his choice of amps to best suit the SG varies by venue.

“Live, I have two '61 Les Paul SGs, as we call them . . . #1 and #2. My main and favorite amp is a late 60s Orange OR-120. I'm using one or two vintage Orange 4x12 cabinets with it, depending on the venue. The Orange 120s don't have a master volume control, so you really have to crank them up to get the tone,” he says. “Obviously, old gear tends to be temperamental, so they're not the most reliable things to have on the road. This is why I have another spare OR-120 head for the road. I also use Laney Klipps and Supergroups for live performances. They're monstrous for recording as they have a more distorted, fuzzy tone. Can you say ‘Into The Void?'”

Bigelf is based in Los Angeles but has toured extensively in Europe. Keep an eye on Bigelf's website for upcoming tour dates.