View other reviews for this product:
tjon901 « Vintage feel and sound »
Published on 07/17/11 at 20:37This SG is a special edition to commemorate the Doors guitar player Rob Krieger who has played SG guitars pretty much his entire career. This SG is designed to be like a typical SG from the 60s when the SG replaced the Les Paul and it was the new Les Paul. Gibson was looking to lower the production costs of making their guitars so they simplified the design a little bit. To do this they redesigned it to have a flat top and double cutaways. They got rid of the maple top so the body is just mahogany. This guitar has a 60s profile neck so it is nice and thin and fast. To compete with the Stratocaster many 60s SG's came with a Vibrola tremolo system. These tremolos were not very good and most people do not use them. It has dual Gibson 57 classic pickups. Each pickup has its own volume and tone control and are switched with a 3 way switch. The knobs are late 60s knobs that Gibson doesnt use much anymore. It has 22 frets on a rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays. The headstock has 6 Gibson Kluson tuners. This guitar is a blend of features from Robs favorite personal guitars. It has a light relic finish that looks like one of Robbys guitars. The relic job on this guitar is not over the top and some people may not even notice it. It is a proper finish.
UTILIZATION
The neck profile on this SG is unique. Gibson says its a combination of a late 60s and an early 60s profile. The early 60s SG necks were super thin and gradually they got thicker as time went on and Gibson started bringing back the Les Pauls. Because of the classic SG shape overall playability is great. 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. 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. On this model this is helped a bit by the weight of the Vibrola tremolo system. The Vibrola is a pretty bad design and is just there for looks pretty much. It is pretty flimsy and if you try and use it like a floyd it will go out of tune at the very least or even break.
SOUNDS
This guitar has the classic SG tone. The tone of an SG is a bit brighter than that of a Les Paul due to the thinner body. The Classic 57 pickups are modern day imitation of the classic PAF pickup that Gibson made famous. With the Classic 57 PAF style pickups this guitar is a blues and rock machine. The 57's have just the right amount of sag in the tone so you can really work the dynamics like you would with a set of real vintage pickups. The neck pickup is super smooth and when you throw in some tone knob you can get that sour tone like you have a parked wah on. The bridge pickup has a little more bite and spank to it. With some gain you can get good classic rock tones from the bridge pickup. These pickups can handle more gain than a set of PAF's could. Because of their modern design they retain their composure longer than a set of old pickups could.
OVERALL OPINION
This guitar is more of a collectors item because of its price. But if you are going to play it it is a great guitar. It is a super accurate replica of a late 60s SG guitar. Its light relic finish is not over the top like some finishes and really looks like a guitar from the era that someone cared for. Since this is Gibsons Custom shop the quality is seccond to none. If you are looking for a great limited edition SG for your collector or are a brave person who will play anything or even just a Doors fan this SG is a great replica of a guitar from a very specific era.
UTILIZATION
The neck profile on this SG is unique. Gibson says its a combination of a late 60s and an early 60s profile. The early 60s SG necks were super thin and gradually they got thicker as time went on and Gibson started bringing back the Les Pauls. Because of the classic SG shape overall playability is great. 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. 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. On this model this is helped a bit by the weight of the Vibrola tremolo system. The Vibrola is a pretty bad design and is just there for looks pretty much. It is pretty flimsy and if you try and use it like a floyd it will go out of tune at the very least or even break.
SOUNDS
This guitar has the classic SG tone. The tone of an SG is a bit brighter than that of a Les Paul due to the thinner body. The Classic 57 pickups are modern day imitation of the classic PAF pickup that Gibson made famous. With the Classic 57 PAF style pickups this guitar is a blues and rock machine. The 57's have just the right amount of sag in the tone so you can really work the dynamics like you would with a set of real vintage pickups. The neck pickup is super smooth and when you throw in some tone knob you can get that sour tone like you have a parked wah on. The bridge pickup has a little more bite and spank to it. With some gain you can get good classic rock tones from the bridge pickup. These pickups can handle more gain than a set of PAF's could. Because of their modern design they retain their composure longer than a set of old pickups could.
OVERALL OPINION
This guitar is more of a collectors item because of its price. But if you are going to play it it is a great guitar. It is a super accurate replica of a late 60s SG guitar. Its light relic finish is not over the top like some finishes and really looks like a guitar from the era that someone cared for. Since this is Gibsons Custom shop the quality is seccond to none. If you are looking for a great limited edition SG for your collector or are a brave person who will play anything or even just a Doors fan this SG is a great replica of a guitar from a very specific era.