"Captain" Kirk Douglas has a reputation that precedes him. As a guitarist with the world-famous band The Roots, the greatness of the musical chops Douglas brings to the stage with his collection of illustrious Gibson guitars cannot be overstated. Performing with The Roots on their own stages and as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the musicianship cannot be denied.
A notable fan of Gibson guitars, Douglas's skills with a Gibson in hand are well known. After close collaboration, Douglas's personal three-pickup Gibson SG Custom has been immortalized in the Gibson Kirk Douglas Signature SG, an instrument that has as much kick and charisma as the guitarist himself.
The Kirk Douglas Signature SG is constructed with a mahogany neck and body with a rosewood fretboard for that classic SG feel - comfortable in your arms and slick on the frets. Reflecting Douglas's versatility as a player, this SG comes equipped with three Gibson BurstBucker humbucking pickups for exceptional tonal power and nuance. The amount of unique tonal character and depth that these pickups offer is dizzying as each one features individual volume control and coil splitting capability. Accessible via push/pull pots, the coil splitting capabilities of this SG allow players to experiment with an unprecedented tonal palette. A pickup selector switch allows players to swap between the bridge pickup, neck pickup, or both. The middle pickup is controlled by an additional volume knob that can be used to blend its signal with whichever pickup configuration is engaged: neck, bridge, or both. Mixing between single-coil and humbucking tones and striking that perfect balance is already a sonic venture in it of itself before playing, but when engaged and ready to go, the Kirk Douglas Signature SG effortlessly rockets through a wide spectrum of voices and musical styles. A knob with master volume control over all the pickups is installed on the pickguard to retain tight control over the whole guitar. Tonally deep and expressive, the pickups of this SG are a work of art all their own.
Along with an incredible tonal palette, the Kirk Douglas Signature SG is intricately equipped and dressed to the nines. Acrylic block fret inlays, white fretboard binding, and a knockout ebony body finish all add up to a guitar that is ready for a long night under spotlights. While onstage, an aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge, a Graph Tech nut, and non-locking Keystone tuners keep intonation rock solid for dynamic performances time after time. Douglas leaves a calling card on the SG with a signature Kirk Douglas “Captain” Lyre Tail Vibrola tailpiece to top the instrument off completely.
Every aspect of the Gibson Kirk Douglas Signature SG is cutting edge, top of the line, and endlessly imaginative. One would be hard pressed to find an instrument of similar style and playability or one that encapsulates a player so perfectly. Take this guitar for a spin and see why they call the man Captain.
