Epiphone Pierced SG

This is an SG ''faded yellow'' all-mahogany 4-string, short scale.

I was considering replacing my SG-Supreme with this regular SG, as I really dig mahogany basses ..... but I did not buy it. I found it at Parkway Music in Clifton Pk NY for $600.

<a href="http://www.parkwaymusic.com">http://www.parkwaymusic.com</a>

It's just like my SG-Supreme [see other review] except that it's ALL mahogany, where the SG-Supreme is half maple. The faded yellow finsh looks great, and it has that cool mahogany sound.

Nothing to dislike. I just didn't find reason enuf to trade. The Supreme is a bit brighter than my ''ideal'' and this particular yellow SG was close to exactly my tone, but the Supreme's extra brightness is not unmanageable, there was no other special quality of the regular SG that proved to be a ''must have'' .... so I took a pass on it. If I actually needed a pair, I definitely would have bought it. It's a handy shade of difference, in my prefered direction [toward mellower].

It's just like the SG Supreme [see other review] except that it's ALL mahogany.

These SG basses are all about the bridge PU. If they didn't have that hot bridge tone, then Gibson's own Epiphone RumbleKat would fill the bill for a short scale mahogany set-neck bass, and at only half the price [see other-other review].

If you really want a short scale mahogany bass, it would be ideal to have all three in one shop, the regular and Supreme SG's and also the RumbleKat. Why would you want ANY of these Gibson mahogany shorties ? Maybe cuz you want some variety, but you're mainly a ''California Classic'' player and you don't wanna own TOO many basses. For sure, these are all pretty much the opposite of the ''Leo-type'' California-built ash/alder/maple long scale basses from Fender, GandL, or EBMM ..... so you'd get a really noticeable difference.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I"m 40 years old and have decided to take the plunge and learn the guitar,been playing about a month.
Ive always liked the look of an SG but i didnt want to fork out a great deal of money just in case it wasn"t for me.
Influences are Sabbath AC/DC,etc.
So i went out and bought the Gibson/Baldwin sg in cherry red.

I bought this from a local clearence store for �80gbp and blagged free delivery as well.
Bought it because i wanted an SG style guitar but without the pricetag.

It looks the part and sounds decent for a beginners guitar (and thats all it is) dont expect it to sound like a Gibson SG because it doesn"t and never will.
Vol and tone knobs are smooth to turn, the 3 way switch does what its supposed to do and works just fine.
Chrome hardware looks nice and shiny but dont know how long it would last.
last but not least you get a free dvd and manual plus an allan key for the truss rod (and you will use it)and a guitar lead.
Also comes with a 5 year warranty

Because this guitar is so cheap your gonna have problems.The action is ridiculously high but is easily sorted (did mine in 5 mins)the finish on the body and headstock is a bit thin in places but thats no big deal.
Now to the serious bits, The frets are razor sharp and i would recommend you get them seen to ASAP or else you will rip your fingers to shreds when you slide up the neck,if you dont feel confident to do them yourself take them to a luthier.

Quality control must be very lax in the factory where these are made,the frets are the most serious issue but the rest is very easily rectified.
The bolt on neck seems to fit ok in the body, the 3 way switch seems a little flimsy but does its job.
Dont know what wood this is made from but its advertised as having a solid body and is not heavy at all so quite comfortable on the strap
Neck inlays i suspect are plastic but thats no big deal to me,they look fine.
The finish could be better and i dont think the tuners will last a very long time but the tuners are usually the first thing people change anyway

If you just starting your musical journey by learning the guitar then there are better guitars out there without any of the issues i"ve mentioned above.
If you want an SG style guitar and you have the money then buy an Epiphone SG or better still a Vintage SG which as wilkinson hardware and set necks
Having said that once the fret issues are sorted then you would have a very nice guitar for learning on.
Please bear in mind that the fret issue needs addressing ASAP which would make the warranty void if you did it yourself or took it to an unauthorised non gibson luthier but is it really worth forking out for shipping to and from the dealer just to get this sorted,to be honest i dont think it is and thats why i"m doing the frets myself plus its a good way to learn the ins and outs of a guitar,its a cheap guitar so no worries if you mess up.

Even with all the issues i"ve mentioned i still love the guitar to bits and it looks like an SG should look and once you get better on it,buy a better quality one and stick this on a stand in the corner of the room to look at as its cool looking.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I've been playing for 20 years.
I own a USA 70's strat and mostly play fenders. Orville is a brand of (Gibson Japan).

I bought it at a music shop for $400 US.

It's an Orville (Gibson Japan) 1961/62 SG reissue model.
It's got Japanese pickups that sound pretty good.
The top of the line "Orville by Gibson" models use Gibson USA pickups but mine is just an Orville with Japanese pickups.
It's got a long tenon neck (like on the Gibson historic series) which gives it fantastic sustain.
The sound is very sweet with a lot of sustain.
I'ts a K serial Orville which is often mistaken for being Korean but it really is made in Japan for the Japanese market only.

Not much.

Excellent.
I'm not sure if the finish is really thin poly or nitro.
The finish looks like nitro to me but the plain Orvilles are supposed to be poly with the high end "Orville by Gibson" models being nitro.
The workmanship is top class and is probably better than on a USA Gibson SG.

It's a great guitar with a great tone.
I was going to buy a regular USA Gibson SG until I came across the Orville SG.

Orville (Gibson Japan) started around 1988 and finished around 1998.
They made Les Pauls, SG's, ES 335's Firebirds etc to Gibsons strict specifications for the Japanese market only.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com