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tjon901 « Gibson SG or sportscar? »
Published on 06/22/11 at 07:29The Gibson SG GT one crazy SG. 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. The standard SG of today is exactly that, the standard SG. The guitar features the classic dual cutaway SG body with a 22 fret neck. It features dual humbucking pickups selected with a 3 way toggle switch and two tone and two volume knobs. The bridge on this guitar is a really big piece of metal. It is supposed to look like the back end of a sports car. The dual racing stripes down the guitar also help to give this look.
UTILIZATION
The main difference between this SG and most others is the large bridge. 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. With the large bridge on the GT model it tends to balance out the neck dive you would normally get on SG guitars but it also makes the guitar heavier.
SOUNDS
The large bridge gives this guitar more sustain than a normal SG. With their thinner flatter bodies SG's tend to have a tone slightly thinner than that of a Les Paul. Some people say it sounds more like a Gibson Flying V than a Les Paul. The smaller body also helps make the tone different than that of a Les Paul. Gibson pickups are mainly designed for classic rock. These pickups tend to offer a medium output. If you are looking to play heavier music you may want to replace the pickups with aftermarket higher output models. Hotter pickups with the guitars special bridge setup would really make this guitar sing.
OVERALL OPINION
The SG is an iconic design and this limited edition model just makes it cooler. If you like cars and guitars this guitar combines the two loves. Not only does the car motif make it look cool but it also makes the guitar sound better. If you are looking for a rare SG that also sounds better than 99 percent of the SG's out in the world this guitar is your only choice.
UTILIZATION
The main difference between this SG and most others is the large bridge. 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. With the large bridge on the GT model it tends to balance out the neck dive you would normally get on SG guitars but it also makes the guitar heavier.
SOUNDS
The large bridge gives this guitar more sustain than a normal SG. With their thinner flatter bodies SG's tend to have a tone slightly thinner than that of a Les Paul. Some people say it sounds more like a Gibson Flying V than a Les Paul. The smaller body also helps make the tone different than that of a Les Paul. Gibson pickups are mainly designed for classic rock. These pickups tend to offer a medium output. If you are looking to play heavier music you may want to replace the pickups with aftermarket higher output models. Hotter pickups with the guitars special bridge setup would really make this guitar sing.
OVERALL OPINION
The SG is an iconic design and this limited edition model just makes it cooler. If you like cars and guitars this guitar combines the two loves. Not only does the car motif make it look cool but it also makes the guitar sound better. If you are looking for a rare SG that also sounds better than 99 percent of the SG's out in the world this guitar is your only choice.