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Winter NAMM 2012 News & Videos

Winter NAMM 2012 News

Gibson SG Standard

SG-Shaped Guitars by Gibson

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Gibson SG Standard user reviews ( 9/10) - 43 user reviews

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11/24/11

ericthegreat's review "good ol guitar"

Characteristics
I have been eyeing a Gibson SG Standard for quite a while now. I picked this one off the wall at GC in Texas and I fell in love. The coil-tap is sweet but it isn't perfect and to be honest if you are truly looking for that single-coil tone then just buy a Stratocaster. What it does provide is the ability to gig with one guitar and get darn close to that true single-coil sound when you need it.
Utilization
The finish is beautiful, I have the Vintage Sunburst and I love it. The sounds are bold, cutting and pristine. They shine on solos they just have that ability to cut through the band. Many of my band members thought I spent much more than the retail price. The neck is amazing smooth and comfortable. The binding is beautiful and adds to the authentic look and feel of the Les Paul. Just in genereal the feel of this guitar is great and it has a really nice color to it as well. I think this version comes in a few different colors.
Sounds
The guitar is heavy don't discount that if you play long sets. I am used to a relatively heavy guitar. This LP isn't chambered. which is something that I enjoy. I feel that chambering, although reduces weight, calms down sustain. This baby will hold a note while you grab a sandwich and when you get back it will still be humming.
Overall Opinion
The overall sound of the guitar is everything you would expect from a Les Paul. Every note shines through out of this instrument. I play it through a Mesa/Boogie Mark V and it basically sounds as perfect as I had imagined it would in my head. You can never go wrong with a Gibson, I definitely recommend getting this one. The SG Gibson Standard is at the top of its class.

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09/14/11

iamqman's review "Just plain awesome!"

Characteristics
The Gibson SG standard is the entry level guitar if you're wanting to get into Gibson SG market. This is a beautiful guitar with its red paint job and black pick guard. It's a fine instrument if you really like the sound of the mahogany wood body and mahogany neck. It's going to be a warm and musical tone any more focused tone in my opinion comparatively to a Gibson Les Paul guitar.
Utilization
This guitar features two humbucker pick ups with two volume control knobs and two tone control knobs. It has a nice pearl block inlay which really sets the look of this guitar off. it's a nice well-balanced guitar and the body is a little thinner than a Gibson Les Paul but still retains much of the influence that it takes from the Gibson Les Paul guitar. The neck is going to be a much more versatile neck because you're able to reach the higher friends easier than you would a Gibson Les Paul guitar.
Sounds
This guitar works in just about any amplifier that you have. I primarily like these guitars any medium to high gain amplifier setting. So if you have a good Marshall amplifier or some other amplifier or a good power to distortion then this guitar will sound very excellent in that setting. This guitar has a good focused tone that is very intense and brilliant. I preferred this tone over a Gibson Les Paul tone and little bit more but just slightly only because of the versatility and thinner lighter tone that is has.

This guitar sounds great when you couple it with effects pedals or distortion pedals as well. So if you have a clean amp such as a fender twin reverb or some other clean amp then you'll need a distortion pedal so this guitar will work good with that equipment as well.
Overall Opinion
I highly recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a good professional high gain or recording guitar. It has a great look very good balance and seal throughout the body and next of the guitar. It's a beautiful color of red anxious to warm tone as well.

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05/14/11

tjon901's review "The other classic Gibson"

Characteristics
In the early 60s Gibson was looking to lower production costs of the Les Paul. To do this they redesigned it to have a flat top and double cutaways. What we know now as the SG was introduced as the new Les Paul in 1961. Later on the real Les Paul was re-introduced and the new guitar was renamed the SG. The standard SG of today is exactly that, the standard SG. The guitar features the classic dual cutaway SG body with a 22 fret neck. It features dual humbucking pickups selected with a 3 way toggle switch and two tone and two volume knobs.
Utilization
The SG was designed in such a way to give better fret access than the earlier Les Paul. The neck is not mounted as deep into the body as is with the Les Paul. This design gives it a few problems. The neck joint on SG models is very weak compared to Les Pauls or even bolt on guitars. This weak neck joint makes some SG's prone to going out of tune. With the neck mounted so far out on the body and the body being so thin and light, SG's are prone to neck dive. When playing an SG standing up you may find yourself holding up the neck due to this awkward balance between the neck and the body.
Sounds
With their thinner flatter bodies SG's tend to have a tone slightly thinner than that of a Les Paul. Some people say it sounds more like a Gibson Flying V than a Les Paul. The smaller body also helps make the tone different than that of a Les Paul. Gibson pickups are mainly designed for classic rock. These pickups tend to offer a medium output. If you are looking to play heavier music you may want to replace the pickups with aftermarket higher output models.
Overall Opinion
The people who play SG's swear by them. Famous artists that play SG's usually only play SG's. Some of these artists include Derek Trucks, Tony Iommi and Frank Zappa. If you are looking to buy an SG I recommend trying one out first. Check the fretwork and the tuning stability if you can. Other than that an SG is as solid as any other Gibson guitar.

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05/03/11

Hatsubai's review "The standard SG"

Characteristics
The Gibson SG Standard is just that -- it's the standard SG that everybody thinks of when they think of SGs. It features a uniquely shaped mahogany body, mahogany set neck, a bound rosewood fretboard with 22 frets, special inlays, hard tail bridge, two humbuckers, a pickguard, two volume knobs, two tone knobs and a three way switch.
Utilization
The SGs are really cool guitars that tend to stand out from the crowd. Whenever I think of SGs, I tend to think of either Frank Zappa or Angus Young, personally. However, the guitar has a few issues. For one, it's extremely neck heavy. This causes it to neck dive any time you play the guitar as the body is very lightweight. You'll be supporting the neck and playing it at the same time, so it can be a bit difficult to work. The upper fret access is also a bit dependent on how you play as the joint can get in the way.
Sounds
Gibson SGs are tonally somewhere between a Flying V and an Explorer. They have the thickness that you'd expect from something like the Explorer, but they also have that aggression and punchy sound that the Flying V delivers. This is mainly due to its smaller, light body. I'm not a huge fan of the stock humbuckers in this, so I tend to replace them with something else. Once replaced, however, this thing totally comes to life, and it's extremely versatile thanks to the control layout.
Overall Opinion
If you're looking for an SG, I highly recommend picking this one up over the other models. It looks great, sounds great and feels pretty nice too. Pay particular attention to the fretwork as Gibsons can be very hit or miss when it comes to fretwork. Also make sure it stays in tune as Gibsons tend to have issues with improperly cut nuts.

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01/21/09

swmcv2007's review

Characteristics
This guitar was made in the U.S.A. by one of the best in the business, Gibson USA. It has 22 frets, with the beautiful but not too flashy trapezoid fret inlays. It comes equipped with the stock 490R and 498T pickups for the neck and bridge respectively. The stock bridge and tailpiece are the standard Stopbar and Tunomatic bridge in chrome. It also comes with 4 black "witch hat" knobs, 1 volume and 1 tone for each pickup. Right next to those is the 3 way selector switch that comes with a cream tip. They come with a set neck which means that the neck was glued to the body which is harder to repair but reaps greater benefits for tone and sustain. Overall beautiful guitar that comes with everything you need to rock (Except for the talent and an amp.)
Utilization
The neck is the reason I bought this guitar. It is so smooth and easy to play on, a baby could out-shred Eddie Van Halen on it. The neck is supposed to be a "thick 50's style" but I find the neck on mine to be more middle of the road. It is nice and wide like Gibson's necks in the 50's models. The frets are very well fitted. On some necks (especially the Gibson Faded Special line) you will find that the frets stick out and scratch your hand. On this guitar there are no such problems, you can slide your hand up and down the neck all day without even noticing. The access to the higher frets is another great feature to this guitar. Even the highest note rings loud and clear on this baby. The frets are also spaced well enough that you can hit that high note without any trouble either. Overall the finest neck I've ever played.

The size and shape of the SG Standard are extremely user friendly. When I wear on it onstage, it feels like an extension of my body. I'd say mine weighs only a few pounds which is nice because you get all that tone without it breaking your back like a Les Paul. The "devil horned" shape is a rock classic that most guitarists would be proud to own. Like I said earlier, the access to the higher frets is a big bonus on this guitar and it is due to the double cutaway.

In terms of acquiring a good sound, the SG excels. Every tone you get out of one of these is a rock classic. Just plug it right into the amp and you can dial in any riff or solo.
Sounds
The SG's pickups are very meaty and powerful. You will have no problem rocking hard with one. Through a clean channel you can get awesome jazz tones. They are very smooth and buttery. You just have to roll the volume and tone knobs back a little while using the neck pickup. You can also overdrive a clean channel with awesome results. With distortion this guitar really shines. You can do AC/DC riffs just like Angus Young on the bridge, or you can crank it up and roll the tone back a little bit for a buttery Eric Clapton tone.

I run it through a Fender Blues Deluxe for practicing at home and the humbuckers overdrive the amp perfectly. The distortion on the amp is nice but it shines when overdriving the clean channel. You can a great Rolling Stones type of overdrive. For band practice I run it through an old Marshall JCM head I have and it really rocks. Playing it clean is a little muddy but Marshall's specialize in distortion. A Gibson through a marshall is match made in rock heaven so I suggest you try it out.

For pedals I use a Earthbound Supercollider fuzz which allows me to get real heavy sludge rock types of sounds. I mainly use it for leads and when paired with regular distortion I get a cool Brian May flavored tone. I also use a Dunlop Cry Baby and while it doesn't cover Hendrix stuff the best, it can nail the solo in Thin Lizzy's "The Warrior" perfectly.

My favorite sounds are the Eric Clapton "woman tone" which can be attained by putting the pickup selector in the middle position and rolling both tone knobs back almost all the way. It's very thick and juicy. It is also very authentic. The other main sound I use is the George Harrison Revolver tone. To get this just put your pickup selector in the bridge position and roll the volume knob back a little bit and add some distortion. You will have the perfect "Rain" and "She Said She Said" guitar tone.
Overall Opinion
I've been playing this guitar for a year now exclusively and I love it more everyday. The neck is amazing, the tone is unmatched, and the craftsmanship is awe-inspiring. From the minute I picked up this guitar I knew I had a winner. I love everything about it except that the G tuning peg became slightly loose but I got it replaced at the store I bought it for free. I was going to buy a Les Paul Standard before I bought this. I had the money all ready and I was just waiting for the line in the store to die down. In the meantime I picked up the SG Standard I own now and immediately fell in love. It sounded just as good as the Les Paul except the neck was faster and the guitar didn't weigh anything. The Les Paul was 1400 used and the SG was 900 used but it amazing condition. I bought it without even playing the Les Paul again. I wish I could find another SG for 900, that was an amazing deal. I think they run at 1600 new now which isn't the worst.

If I were to lose this guitar, I would immediately buy another one. I've played other SG Standards and they all felt great. Another thing I love about them is that there aren't any cut corners. If you were to buy one of the nicer Gibson Models the only extra features would be that it looks vintage. Not only that, but there are a billion different replacement parts you can install to make this guitar everything you ever wanted. Enjoy!

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