tjon901 « SG Gothic with active pickups »
Published on 06/06/11 at 12:08Gibson created their Gothic line of guitars a few years ago to help create a more metal image for the brand. Over time they changed the models slightly. Some had ugly skull inlays and some didnt. Some had passive Gibson pickups and some had EMG. New models have Gibsons new active pickups called Gibson GEM pickups. This SG is one of the models made in the middle of the lifespan that game with EMG pickups. The new models with Gibsons own active pickups are not really an improvement on the EMG models. I think Gibson started making their own active pickups just to save money. 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. This is Gibsons metal variant of the SG. It has an all black body with and clean ebony fretboard with no inlays. Black hardware and the it has the standard 4 knobs and 3 way switch Gibson setup.
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. The ebony fretboard on this model is very smooth and fun to play on. No fret markers give a clean look but it may be harder for some people to get around on the neck without them. There are still fretmarkers on the side of the neck.
SOUNDS
This guitar has the classic EMG setup with an 81 in the bridge and an 85 in the neck. This setup makes the guitar a metal machine. The 81 in the bridge gives great high end bite and will retain clarity even with the lowest tunings. The SG naturally has more high end bite than a Les Paul and the 81 gives it even more bite and output for metal. THe 85 in the neck is great for leads and it is also good in the bridge too. With EMG's you get their quick connect wire setup which allows you to easily switch between other EMG pickups with out and soldering. So you can switch the pickups around in this guitar and see what you like best. The 85 in the bridge gives a huge thick tone. Also with EMG's you can do the 18v mod to them to get a more natural or organic sound out of them. This greatly improves the clean sound also because stock EMG's give a generally cold or sterile sounding clean tone.
OVERALL OPINION
Gibson had a good thing going when they started putting EMG's in their metal guitars. They still put EMG's in some models but not on the Gothic guitars for some reason. I guess they want to showcase their own Gibson branded active pickups. Most guitarists are afraid of change and I bet they would sell more if they still had the EMG's everyone knows and loves still in them. If you are looking for an SG to play heavy music with there is not an SG heavier than the SG Gothic 2 with EMG's.
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. The ebony fretboard on this model is very smooth and fun to play on. No fret markers give a clean look but it may be harder for some people to get around on the neck without them. There are still fretmarkers on the side of the neck.
SOUNDS
This guitar has the classic EMG setup with an 81 in the bridge and an 85 in the neck. This setup makes the guitar a metal machine. The 81 in the bridge gives great high end bite and will retain clarity even with the lowest tunings. The SG naturally has more high end bite than a Les Paul and the 81 gives it even more bite and output for metal. THe 85 in the neck is great for leads and it is also good in the bridge too. With EMG's you get their quick connect wire setup which allows you to easily switch between other EMG pickups with out and soldering. So you can switch the pickups around in this guitar and see what you like best. The 85 in the bridge gives a huge thick tone. Also with EMG's you can do the 18v mod to them to get a more natural or organic sound out of them. This greatly improves the clean sound also because stock EMG's give a generally cold or sterile sounding clean tone.
OVERALL OPINION
Gibson had a good thing going when they started putting EMG's in their metal guitars. They still put EMG's in some models but not on the Gothic guitars for some reason. I guess they want to showcase their own Gibson branded active pickups. Most guitarists are afraid of change and I bet they would sell more if they still had the EMG's everyone knows and loves still in them. If you are looking for an SG to play heavy music with there is not an SG heavier than the SG Gothic 2 with EMG's.