Nobody plays the guitar like Derek Trucks! His smooth touch coaxes amazing tone out of the instrument, and as he improvises, he produces intricate—yet intensely musical—phrasing right off the cuff. While he is mainly known for the slide, he can do just about anything, so it's understandable that Trucks needs a tool that can handle the job.
For most of his career, Derek Trucks has been known to play a red Gibson SG. His main guitar for many years was a 2000 '61 SG Reissue. It came originally with the optional Maestro Vibrola, but Derek removed it and had a stopbar tailpiece installed, keeping the vibrola's frame and cover. The cover looks cool, sure, but it also helps to balance the guitar on a strap so it's not overly neck heavy (a common complaint about lightweight SGs).
In 2012, Gibson launched the Derek Trucks Signature SG to recreate his treasured axe. It features a quarter-sawn Mahogany body finished in iconic Gibson Heritage Cherry. For pickups, it sports two '57 Classic humbuckers, which use Alnico II magnets to produce powerful tone that compresses and fattens at high volumes. The neck profile is a '60s Slim Taper D, which is an easy carve to move laterally up the neck. It's a great choice for slide, but more than anything it's a familiar feel that gets you up and down the neck. Just like Derek's SG, the signature model has a stop bar tailpiece and a classic Maestro Vibrola cover to add some bling and also improve the balance.
This 2013 Gibson Derek Trucks Signature SG shows some signs of play and use, especially round the picking area (see photos). But it has been nicely preserved and has no history of repair, damages, or issues. It plays smooth and easy with a nice low setup. True to the SG template, this guitar is nicely lightweight at (6 lb 10.7 oz), and the controls give you a wide range of sounds. It can bite and be rude, but it can also be smooth and easy. It includes its original hardshell case.