SeriesGibson Artist

What a nice SG!! I have 15 SGs including a 1971 Standard which would be the one Angus has from his beginnings and the one they used to copy this model. This new one is better... the neck is more comfortable as the 71 is very very narrow. -The AY pickup sounds really good, replicates the t-top nicely -The frets are nice as well.. we've seen some very bad options in terms of frets from Gibson when replicating 70s guitars... like those "school bus" frets. These ones feel fret. -the 70s knobs are a nice touch being which hats https://stringedguitars.com/2026/08/20/angus-young-signature/

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The Pete Townsend SG is an interesting SG model. It is not really based off of one single guitar that Pete played because he played many SG's back in the day. This guitar is supposed to be like the many SG specials he played. It comes with a fancy reliced THE WHO hardshell case. Another interesting fact is that this currently sells for about 1000 dollars cheaper than the normal non signature SG Special. I think someone at Gibson messed up there. The only thing differentiating this guitar from a normal SG Special is the 50th Anniversary logo on the headstock. It has a mahogany body and mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard and 22 frets. The rosewood on this example was really good and could pass for ebony at a distance. The neck is the slim 60s shape which is nice to play. Up top it has mini Grover tuners with a 14:1 ratio. The bridge is a wrap around tailpiece kind of like what you got in the 60s but it has compensated saddles for better intonation. However these are not adjustable. The guitar has two Gibson P-90 pickups and the small early 60s pickguard. It has the typical controls with a volume and tone control for each pickup. UTILIZATION When this guitar came out it was supposed to be the budget version of the SG. It had all the playability and came the cheaper and less desireable P-90 pickups. The double cutaways really give easy upper fret access. The 60s profile neck also helps playability. The 50s Gibson neck profile is very big and some people find it hard to play. People call those 50s necks baseball bat necks or boat necks. With the wrap around bridge you are pretty much stuck when it comes to intonation. Back in the day these bridges were even worse when it came to intonation, today even with the compensated saddles the intonation will never be perfect. Gibson will tell you this is part of the SG sound, Ill tell you this is them trying to save money. You can get a fully adjustable wrapround bridge for about 40 bucks. SOUNDS People dont realize how great P-90s sound in an SG. It is the perfect blend of aggressive bite. SG's naturally have more bite than Les Pauls and the single coil grind of the P-90 just adds to it. The easiest way to play heavy music with vintage gear is with a set of P-90s. Tony Iommi for years used P-90 style pickups in his guitar and he put out some of the heaviest tones of the era. I think if you are looking to play heavy music on a vintage style guitars the P-90s would be a better choice over vintage humbuckers. The single coil grind gives you decent clarity and they dont get muddy as fast as a set of old humbuckers will. The high end bite and sizzle is almost like what you would get with a set of EMG or other active pickups, and this is 1940s technology. OVERALL OPINION If you are looking for an SG Special, you can be really clever and get this instead of the current SG Special reissue. The SG Special reissue sells for about 1000 dollars more than this and it is pretty much the same guitar. There are no real guady signature guitar markings on this guitar so it looks good. The white finish is something you do not see on SG guitars a lot either. If you are looking for something different and dont mind saving money the Pete Townshend SG Special is a great bargain.

An early 2000's Gary Moore Les Paul Guitar, made in the USA. I bought it new on clearance from an online dealer. The Gary Moore sig. was designed with Gary Moore the guitar great, with the thought of making a great sounding, inexpensive L.P. It has a mahogany back and neck, carved AA maple top with a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl trapezoid inlays. Gary’s signature is on the truss rod cover. The neck is a very thick 50’s? style and has a 24 ¾” Scale. It has a standard Tune-o-matic Bridge and a Stopbar Tailpiece. The hardware is nickel with “perloid” tuning pegs. The Gary Moore was Gibson’s first attempt to utilize the Burstbucker pickups in the U.S., and has a reversed Zebra Burst-Bucker on the Rhythm and an Open-coil Burst-Bucker for the treble. They are basically overwound to make them sound hotter – a tribute to an old L.P. that Moore got from Blues legend Peter Green. It has the usual tone and volume control for each pickup and a three way selector switch. It has a Lemonburst finish – distinctive for this model guitar. It came with a custom hardshell case with a dark blue interior instead of the bordello pink that usually comes in Gibson cases. It also has a satin dust cover with Moore’s signature. A signed pickguard comes with the guitar – not installed. All in all, pretty standard Les Paul characteristics. UTILIZATION The guitar has typical Les Paul access to the upper frets, which can be hard to reach - especially if you have large hands. With the three way toggle and two humbucker pickups you can get a wide variety of sounds. I never weighed it but it was very much on the heavy side. Your shoulder will feel it after 10-15 minutes. The neck on this guitar was HUGE. I kept it in storage for the first few years I had it and after a few years of my lead playing developing I brought it out to record with and found it very hard to get around on due to the size. I was used to the 60's carve neck on my '67 Gibby Flying V reissue (which is about perfect!). This was actually the second one I owned after I returned the first one that was shipped to me due to a faulty truss rod the wouldn't tighten and some other cosmetic issues. The next one had a pretty nasty mineral stain going through the body but I decided to keep it anyway. SOUNDS I used this guitar with an Egnater IE4 preamp, a Peavey 5150II, Marshall TSL and a Boogie DC-5. The amps were paired with a VHT Fatbottom 4x12 that had Eminence P50E's and a Marshall 1960 B cab with stock speakers. I usually go for a nice thick Jerry Cantrell AIC tone, to use with my modern rock/metal band. The guitar had a very pronounced midrange and high end with not much bass. It was tight with a mid and treble crunch under high gain playing. I would attribute this to the Burstbucker pickups it had. I did not like the sound at all. The cleans were just ok, I didn't think the Burstbucker pups cleaned up very well. My favorite sounds with this guitar were the high gain lead tones with the neck pickup. I found all other applications average at best. Overall it was a very limited sound for my needs. OVERALL OPINION Let me state that I was young when I bought this guitar and didn't know much about different pickups, neck carves, etc. I just saw Les Paul, a famous guys name, clearance price and thought it would be killer for an LP. After much more experience and having owned many guitars during the years where I would buy, try and flip, this guitar was a terrible match for my style and what I wanted it to do for me :) I pretty much disliked everything about this guitar, except some lead sounds, the price and the very cool blue lined case. I think it ws a good value for someone more vintage minded that loves huge necked LP's and the Burstbucker pups. Knowing what I know now, I still would have bought this guitar because I held onto it in storage (maybe played it 4 hours total over 6-7 years) and ended up selling it for almost double to someone who was a GM fan.

Excellent quality guitar made in the US. The finish is remarkable, although Gibson could still do better, like brands with guitars at the same price point already do (Gretsch 6120...). The Herb Ellis is a guitar made for jazz, but not only. It has no pickup selector because it only has one pickup. But that's more than enough, it gives more amplitude to the soundboard and makes the design more refined. USE Very pleasant neck and, like most guitars with a cutaway, access to the upper frets is easy. The sound is remarkable, the thickness of the body gives it a remarkable sound amplitude, which is typical of quality guitars. The balance between bass and treble is perfect. It's silky and smooth. You can do whatever you want with it. The classic 57 is, as usual, good at what it does. SOUND This guitar, like a good wine, was not made to play anything. Avoid effect pedals, distortions and the like. You need to let it express it's natural sound, which is exquisite. Plug the Herb Ellis into a tube amp, a Mesa for instance. A basic Fender will also do the trick. OVERALL OPINION I haven't used this beauty too long, mine is from 2003. I believe the wood ply structure was changed after 2006: Instead of a spruce ply it now has a birch one (between two plies of maple for the soundboard). That may affect the quality and sustain in the long run...Spruce remains the best wood for sound transmission. I have a guitar collection and this one is among my favorites. Finesse, shape, lacquer, sound, it doesn't lack anything. It definitely has the jazz club spirit, but it has the Gibson price tag. I think these guitars ought to be considered a different instrument. It's the kind of guitar you dream about and only after saving money for some time you can buy one. This type of guitar shouldn't belong to the consumption system we all know and hate. When buying it secondhand, get one in excellent condition! It's often expensive, like all collection items. The price depends on the shape it's in. Don't trust sellers who say their guitars are worth more due to the scratches they have accumulated throughout the years. 30-year old Gibsons can be in a great condition. The decision to buy such an instrument shouldn't be taken lightly.

The Gibson Jeff Tweedy Sg is a collaboration between Gibson and the frontman for cult band Wilco. The guitar is modeled after a '61 SG with some unique refinements bespoke to this guitar. The Tweedy SG features a mahogany body and neck with rosewood fingerboard. The electronics consist of a pair of burst bucker pickups wired into separate tone and volume controls with a 3 way toggle. A Lyre Vibrola adds an amazing sense of class along with the blue mist finish. I greatly enjoy the pairing of the finish with the cream hardware. UTILIZATION The guitar is advertised to have a satin finish neck, but the model i received came with a glossed neck, albeit unpainted. The neck's shape is comfortable and not as thick as the current SG standards. Tuning stability is decent but the equipped vibrola must be used sparingly to maintain your sanity in live environment. SOUNDS I played the Tweedy SG through a variety of amps, all through a mesa boogie 4x12. No pedals. The guitar plays like any old '61 SG would. It has bark and bite, great rock n' roll tone. The slightly under wound pickups deliver a sweet overdrive tone while also maintaining wonderful note separation. The guitar can be used for just about any style of music from country to aggressive metal. I liked the sound and action of the vibrola, however, anything more than subtle applications can lead to horrible tuning situations. OVERALL OPINION The Tweedy SG is a beautiful guitar with more class than anything else Gibson is offering in the price range. To get a '61 SG body with a bespoke finish, vibrola, and details like an unpainted neck-- should put you in the Gibson Custom Shop territory well above $2500. However, the Tweedy SG offers all of this in a sub $2000 price point coming in at $1699 on the new market. The guitar has some shortcomings, but all in all is an excellent value for money considering the whole of Gibson's current catalogue. The guitar has recently been discontinued and only a small selection are still available for purchase. This should strengthen the guitar's influence on the used market significantly.

I have always been a fan of Aerosmith and a fan of Joe Perry because they just have a swagger and style that appeals to my ears. I really like Joe's playing and even though his style isn't unique since it is mostly blues plays it has a great feel and tone. I am glad that Gibson made a tribute signature guitar for him because this guitar is absolutely beautiful. The flamed top of this guitar has to be one of the best I have seen. It is rated as a AAA top which is a nice looks and for the money is is actually cheaper than a VOS '59 which can be a little hit or miss at times. UTILIZATION Features Body Top wood: AAA figured maple Back wood: Solid mahogany Binding: Single-ply cream on top Finish Color: Aged Tiger Green Neck Construction: 1-piece mahogany with long neck tenon "Boneyard" decal on peghead face Fingerboard wood: 22 fret rosewood Inlays: Aged acrylic trapezoid (similar to Les Paul Classic) Binding: Single-ply cream Profile: Rounded (similar to 1958 Les Paul) Scale length/Nut width: 24-3/4"; 1-11/16" Strings: Brite Wires .010-.046 Electronics & Hardware Pickups: Burstbucker 2 (rhythm), Burstbucker 3 (treble) Neck pickup has reversed polarity Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way switch Hardware color: Aged Nickel Bridge/Tailpiece: ABR-1/Stopbar "Joe Perry" engraved truss rod cover Tuner style: Vintage tulip SOUNDS The tone of a Gibson Le Paul doesn't really change that much and if you heard 5 Gibson LP guitar on an album you could not point out which one was which. This guitar is for a fan of Aerosmith and more importantly Joe Perry. So if you are a fan of his and even if you are not the top on this guitar is quite exquisite. If you want a great sounding guitar that that can rip it up tonally but also look great doing it than this is the go to guitar. The features in this guitar really aren't anything different than you would see from other LP guitars. The tone of this guitar is nice and beefy but still a Les Paul tone none the less. OVERALL OPINION At new you can pick these up for right at around $4700, which is not a lot for a custom Gibson LP. It is a lot of money for anything music gear related but compared to the custom Gibson LP's that are either '59 or '58 than this price comes under that by quite a lot. This is a cool guitar and if you can live with it being a signature guitar than it is a great sounding and looking guitar. If not then I suggest getting a used custom LP that has some life left on it because then you can get a lower price.

Traditional Weight Relief Mahogany Body with Maple Top Mahogany Neck with Rounded, Traditional Profile 22 Fret, Rosewood Fingerboard with Acrylic Trapezoids Inlays Grover 14:1 Kidney Button Tuners Burstbucker 2 and Burstbucker 3 Alnico Humbuckers Includes Gibson Hardshell Case I was not going to pay the full price for one of these, but on sale around $1400ish I wanted to see how good these actually were. This appears to be a very high end goldtop les paul studio with a pickup switch. The Grover tuners are a welcome upgrade. Trapezoid inlays don't hurt. Some colors in the studio look bad without the binding. I think this one is actually okay without it. It's a cool looking guitar. UTILIZATION Of course it's heavy, but since these are weight relieved now and the studio weighs a pound or two less than the standard/custom models, it is about as light as you can find a les paul. It does seem like there is an attention to detail here that isn't apparent in most studio models or even the standard ones. I've owned a few studios over the years and the craftsmanship on this guitar is a step up I think. The playability is good. Setup out of the box was junk like most Gibson factory setups. The bridge needed major adjustment and I even had to mess with the truss a bit. No harm no foul. Plays well enough now. Fretwork is good. Electronics all seem stable. Grover tuners keep tune better than my other studio even without a nut filing. I'm impressed here. The neck feels identical to my les paul traditional. SOUNDS The burstbuckers are great and I'm really glad they chose to put them in this guitar. These are one of the few Gibson pickup sets that I don't feel like I have to scrap when I buy a new les paul. They have a perfect balance between classic 50's PAF tones and the hotrodded overwound ones of the 70's. Probably the best pickup Gibson has made besides the 57 classics. I usually play this guitar through a Matchless Spitfire combo or a Suhr Badger 18. Seems to really like those amps. I imagine it would sound supreme through any cranked marshall style amp. Haven't gotten a chance to play it through my splawn stack yet. OVERALL OPINION I didn't really expect much from this guitar as I thought it was going to be an overpriced les paul studio for all purposes, but the extra attention to the little details on this artist model impressed me. The price is very fair considering this is basically an LP studio with all the issues (pickups/tuners/finish) worked out. I'm not a big goldtop guy but I like it on this guitar because it isn't so overstated with appointments. I say pick one of these up before they run out. I believe it's a limited run.

Made in Nashville, TN, USA Maple top, back, sides, neck, and center block Ebony Fretboard, with 22 frets Chet Atkins Half Circle offset inlays Tuneamatic bridge Bigsby tailpiece 2 Gibson humbuckers 1 master volume, 2 individual pickup volumes, 1 tone 1 3-way switch Gold Hardware Gibson easy-winding tuners! UTILIZATION The Country Gentleman may be the classiest guitar on this Earth. It screams "genteel", in such a way that one would want to have a mint julep on the side table while strumming this on a rocking chair on the front porch. The guitar was dreamed up for/by Chet Atkins, after he left the Gretsch corporation. This instrument plays, looks, and sounds utterly fantastic, and the Bigsby vibrato bar helps it achieve some nice subtle bends. But, I will say without question that this is the heaviest guitar I have ever played, bar none. This weighs more than really old Les Pauls, and that's saying something! I measured mine at over 13 pounds, and with my pain problems, I had to sell it unfortunately. SOUNDS For the styles of music that will undoubtedly be conjured up on this fine guitar, it sounds perfect. Rockabilly, fingerstyle country, blues, jazz - this excels at all of those styles. I'm a fan of the master volume, at this can allow the two pickups to be blended to taste while still allowing overall control to be had with just one knob. The pickups are fantastically detailed, yet still warm enough to build a fire with. OVERALL OPINION Best feature, other than the neck and the sounds - the tuners! These tuners have a flip-out "wing" that acts as a winder crank upon string changes. This makes said changes incredibly quick and painless. I don't know why Gibson doesn't offer these tuning machines for sale today, but if they did, I'd buy more sets in a heartbeat to retrofit my current Gibson axes. The worst part of this guitar, at least for me, is the excessive weight. I know people that it doesn't bother, but for me it was way too much. Overall a great instrument if you can stand the mass.

This version of the Gibson BFG Les Paul is made as a signature model for noted rock/blues guitar virtuoso Gary Moore (R.I.P!) who played in noted bands like Thin Lizzy as well as on his own solo material. However, aside from it being called a Gary Moore signature, it doesn't really have anything about it that makes it that much different from a regular BFG. It features all the same specs as a regular BFG (mahogany construction, rosewood fretboard with 22 frets, P90/Burstbucker pickups and an electronics layout with two volumes, a master tone, regular pickup selector switch and a killswitch. UTILIZATION The guitar is not really any more or less ergonomic than most other Les Pauls I've tried. It is chambered like 90 percent of LPs nowadays, so the weight isn't as bad as some of the heavier LPs like the Traditional or the Custom Shop reisues. However the issues of the neck heel and clunky design aren't any different, so if you aren't a fan of that general design this guitar won't be an improvement. The upper fret access is decent, but not as good as a nice superstrat type ax. Getting a decent sound out of this guitar isn't difficult. The P90/humbucker combination provides a decent range of tones that differ from a standard Les Paul and the killswitch is great for modern effects too. SOUNDS At its core, the guitar sounds like a Les Paul should. It has the typical low end girth that is the mark of a Les Paul, and the thick nature is there whether you are using the P90 or the humubucker. The P90 covers some great jazzier/bluesier sounds and has a grittier and slimier sound than the humbucker, which is tighter and more articulate. The two of them make for a pretty cool combination overall and it allows a best of both worlds sort of scenario for players who love P90s and humbuckers both in their Les Pauls. This is true for both clean tones as well as tones ranging from mild overdrive to heavier distortion settings. OVERALL OPINION All in all the Gibson BFG Gary Moore is a nice guitar for someone who wants a slightly more classy looking BFG guitar. It's not really different tonally wise compared to the regular BFG, so you're basically getting this one for cosmetic reasons or because you're a GM fan. Either way you can't go wrong, as the BFG is a great stripped down Les Paul anyway.

Jeff Beck before he was known for his strats played one of these Les Pauls. It has a custom color which stems from the custom refinish the guitar was getting back then. This is Gibsons Custom shop's modern replica of that guitar. The guitar has a mahogany body with a maple top. The set in neck is mahogany with a custom profile matching the original. The profile is based off of a 50s profile but slightly thinner. The fretboard is rosewood with 22 frets. The guitar has a thin nitro finish to let the wood breathe. Up top you get some Schaller tuners and the bridge is an old style wrap around bridge. The pickups are a set of modern Gibson pickups with a Burstbucker 2 in the neck and a Burstbucker 3 in the bridge. The controls are typical Gibson with a pair of volume and tone knobs with a 3 way toggle. UTILIZATION This guitar plays like an old school Gibson. The 50s style neck is a real boat. People call it the baseball bat neck for a reason. You are really holding on to something when you play a 50s style Gibson. The wrap around bridge is very vintage too but not in as good a way. This style of bridge limits intonation so you wont be able to get a perfect level of intonation on the guitar. You can replace this bridge with an aftermarket unit but thats not really in the style of this guitar. Ive personally seen a couple examples of this model guitar with messed up fretboards from the Gibson factory. I saw one which had its fretboard and the fretboard looked like half of it was finished and the other half wasnt. It seriously looked like 2 different pieces of wood on the fretboard. I would not recommend buying any guitar this expensive without playing it first. SOUNDS I am not a big fan of the Burstbuckers in this guitar. With a guitar this old I would expect some Classic 57's but since this is replicating a modded guitar the pickups that were in it might have been hotter than an old school PAF. With the Burstbuckers you get more of a hot rodded sound. These pickups have a little more edge to them then a set of more traditional Gibson pickups. You can really rock out but you can still get the traditional blues sound that you expect from a Les Paul. The neck pickup can get a little muddy but that is a trait just about every Les Paul has. OVERALL OPINION These guitars are not very good once you consider the price. These guitars are more for collectors than real players. For the price of this guitar you could get a fully custom guitar some where else. If you are a Jeff Beck fan of a Gibson collector and absolutely have to have every Gibson you will probably buy this guitar. Otherwise you can find guitars that play better and sound better and are much much cheaper all over the place.

The Gibson Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul was made for Green Day's frontman as a mass produced reissue of his famed '56 LP Junior, nicknamed Floyd. That guitar has a killer raunchy tone as per '50s Juniors, and he wanted to release a version for all the kids that were clamouring for one like his. It's basicallt a '50s reissue Junior without any tricks but also without the price tag of the Custom Shop '57 reissue. It features a mahogany body and neck, slab style. It has a rosewood fretboard with 22 frets, vintage style tuners, wraparound bridge/tailpiece and a single rippin' P90 pickup. Actually... it's a hum cancelling P100, but it's stuck underneath the classic dog ear pickup cover so it looks just like the real deal. Made in the USA of course, this guitar is the closest thing to a '50s Junior you'll find for the price, well... anywhere. UTILIZATION This guitar takes all the frills and fancy from a Les Paul and throws it out the window. Fortunately for many of us it takes a lot of the weight away too... it's a great guitar to jump around with for sure. It's no more ergonomic than a typical Les Paul save for the weight and lack of a carved top which might make things easier on the arms, but it's still a hog at it core. The upper fret access is decent enough on these guitar as with any Les Paul, but it's not nearly as great as many other guitars... c'est la vie. Getting a good sound... well, lets see. You plug in, turn the volume up and you're off to the races. There's one pickup and bare bones controls. With a guitar like this you have to learn to use these controls and pick attack/dynamics to your advantage if you want any versatility SOUNDS I've tried this guitar through a few different amps and I've concluded that it, like most Juniors, responds way better into a rawer overdriven amp than anything. The clean tones are decent enough for sure, but they might be too bright for some people. That and the P100 has a lot of raunch and extra output that kinda drives clean tones into a mild overdrive anyway. It's a rude sounding guitar and if you play rude ol' rock n' roll, it's exactly what the doc ordered. The drive tones can be summed up in one word assuming you are buying it to use as a rippin' and crazy rock guitar.... "perfection." Hitting an open chord results in the best old school rock tone I've ever heard... full of saturation and overtones that just send chills up my spine, but still with a refined Gibson quality that allows the tone of that awesome mahogany to come through... so cool. OVERALL OPINION All in all I think the Gibson BJA Les Paul Junior is a killer example of a Les Paul Junior for the $1,200 new price point it hits. It does that great punk/hard rock vibe with ease and the modern tweaks such as the noiseless P100 really help to make it a great gigging guitar as well. Plus it comes with a really freakin' cool case that has lepoardskin print inside it... thank you Billie Joe!

Aside from Les Paul himself, I'd venture to say that Jimmy Page was one of the most famous people to ever use a Gibson, so it was only natural he'd have his own guitar. The guitar features a mahogany body with a maple top, a mahogany set neck with a rosewood fretboard, standard trapezoid inlays, 22 frets, a tune-o-matic bridge, pickguard, two humbuckers, two volumes, two tones, push/pull setup and a three way switch. UTILIZATION The guitar was put together decently. The frets were leveled and properly crowned. The binding was done correctly, and there were some nice nubs going on. It was smooth when moving up and down the neck. However, the nut needed to be fixed up a bit. Whenever you tuned up, you could hear a big of a "ping" noise. That's because the nut was binding up in the slot. This can cause tuning instability and other issues once you start playing and bending. Some filing and graphite fixed it up, but just keep that in mind if you try one of these out. SOUNDS This is one of the most versatile Les Pauls out there. First of all, the stock pickups aren't too bad. They have that classic Les Paul sound going on. The bridge is bitey but still very thick sounding. It works awesome for those huge rhythm tones when paired with a Marshall. The neck pickup has a bit of a bite to it, but it's still fairly warm. Turn the tone pot, and you got enough warmth for those smooth lead lines and fat clean tones. The guitar also has some coil splitting/parallel thing going on that adds tons of versatility to this for extra tones. Try pulling the knobs and see how you like it. OVERALL OPINION This is easily one of the most versatile Les Pauls to ever hit the market. If you can find one of these at a decent price (fat chance), I recommend trying to get it. They're not worth the money, but I can see why they go for as high as they do.