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MGR/Ash « Gibson SG »
Published on 04/10/09 at 15:00I"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
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