Lindsay’s Frenzal Rhomb 70’s SG

A battle scarred beauty owned by one of the nicest dudes in rock.

My band has been playing gigs in Sydney since forever, and during that time we have had the extreme pleasure of crashing on (Dr.) Lindsay McDougall’s couch & floor. I’ve lost count of times that we’ve slept/drank at his place/spewed in his toilet… we’ve even played a Sixfthick show in his lounge room once after a gig (I was woken up and forced to play in my pajamas) His generosity is amazing and much appreciated.

So, apart from being an awesome dude and great guitar player, he’s also is a bit of an Angus Young fan which influenced his choice in axes for his band. Over the years he’s played a few different SG’s in Frenzal, a beautiful 60’s SG which has been through a lot (and had most of it’s original parts replaced) and this 70’s beast.


image from moshpitman

I’ve asked Lindsay to send the history & background on this axe, with which he’s going to get to me soon. In the interim, I thought I’d just show the pics and my observations. As you can see, this SG has been through the wars. Apart from home use now, she’s been retired from active service as  she’s pretty much been played to death. There’s evidence of numerous repairs over the years which means she’s still in one piece, but as a touring guitar in a punk band… her days are done.

The neck is one of those fantastic 70’s SG necks which I love. It’s narrow with a V profile… not wide and skinny like the later 1980’s ’62 reissue I have. Plus with the ebony fretboard, this guitar plays (played) like a dream.The headstock sports the same ‘custom’ trussrod cover I’ve seen on a few 70’s Gibson’s, like Peter Mengede’s 70’s Les Paul. I’m not sure what exactly these truss rod covers mean, as this SG appears to be standard.

As I’ve mentioned, this guitar is heavily worn. The thin nitro finish has disappeared in chunks, so there’s open mahogany everywhere (which isn’t good for a guitar played in a sweaty punk band.) This also adds to the tuning instability this guitar now has.

The SG still sports all the various stickers and warpaint from the Frenzal Rhomb days… my favourite being the ute badge on the pickguard. Can’t get more Aussie than a Triton V10 (I know they’re made in Japan… you know what I mean.)

The finish of the original stop tail piece is gone and turned a nice lead grey. The tune-o-matic is still shiny, and most definitely an aftermarket bridge. I think these 70’s SG’s had the square shaped bridges…

The back is surprisingly free of buckle rash… probably due to the stickers and the fact Lindsay doesn’t tuck in his shirt onstage like a certain cane-punk band from Brisbane does.

There’s a major bit of damage around the input jack, where it looks like the guitar lead has been ripped out, taking a fair chunk of the SG’s ass with it. Right angled jack’s are a must have for front loaded guitars like this. I would’ve loved to have a play, but she was missing a string, plus the strings looked like they were the same ones from the last Frenzal gig she’s played. A pity… that neck is just awesome.

Nowadays, Lindsay is playing a fairly new Gibson SG Faded. I think with a few dozen gigs under it’s belt, she’ll probably end up looking like her (much) older sister pretty soon.


Image by Stephen Booth

As soon as Lindsay sends over the background info of this SG, I’ll post it up here. Check out the guitarnerd facebook page for updates.

Here’s Lindsay’s SG in action… which will help explain why she’s in the condition she’s in.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIprQXm7Nvw&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL8687A92D0EDD2A4B