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tjon901 « Entry level Gibson SG »
Published on 07/07/11 at 10:52Not many people know the story of the Gibson SG. In the early 60s Gibson was looking to change up the Les Paul and lower their production costs. In 1961 Gibson came out with a new version of the Les Paul and it is what we call the SG today but back then for a few years this was the Gibson 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 is the entry level SG for Gibson. It is part of their faded line. Gibson noticed that people were starting to like worn in looking guitars. They decided to start a line of Faded guitars that do not have the final clear coat on them to give guitar players a line of new guitars that look old. The guitar is made from solid mahogany with a mahogany set neck. The neck is 22 frets with a rosewood fretboard. The neck is not bound. It has two volume knobs and tow tone knobs and a 3 way pickup selector. It has 496R and 500T ceramic magnet pickups in the neck and bridge respectively. These pickups are Gibsons own design. It has a traditional Les Paul style tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece.
UTILIZATION
When Gibson came out with the SG they were trying to compete with the strat in terms of comfort and playability. 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 60s profile neck also helps playability. The 50s Gibson neck profile is very big and some people find it hard to play. This design gives it a few problems. The early SG's like this one have weak neck joints. 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. This can be solved by moving the strap peg to the upper horn like on Tony Iommi's SG guitar. The faded finish is smooth to the touch unlike a glossy finish so the neck is super fast under your hand.
SOUNDS
The pickups in this guitar are pretty much generic Gibson pickups. They are good at everything but not great at anything. The mahogany wood give the guitar a really deep sound even though the body is not that big. If you want to play heavier music you may want to change out the pickups. The Gibson pickups are medium output and are voiced more for classic rock. If you wanted a better classic rock tone a set of Seymour Duncans would do well. If you are looking for a more metal tone a set of EMG's would be perfect.
OVERALL OPINION
With these Faded series guitars the prices on them are less than some Epiphones. These are good solid work horse guitars. You can gig them no problem and not have to worry about dings or scratches. These guitars can be had for around 500 dollars used to they are a great deal for a real Gibson.
UTILIZATION
When Gibson came out with the SG they were trying to compete with the strat in terms of comfort and playability. 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 60s profile neck also helps playability. The 50s Gibson neck profile is very big and some people find it hard to play. This design gives it a few problems. The early SG's like this one have weak neck joints. 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. This can be solved by moving the strap peg to the upper horn like on Tony Iommi's SG guitar. The faded finish is smooth to the touch unlike a glossy finish so the neck is super fast under your hand.
SOUNDS
The pickups in this guitar are pretty much generic Gibson pickups. They are good at everything but not great at anything. The mahogany wood give the guitar a really deep sound even though the body is not that big. If you want to play heavier music you may want to change out the pickups. The Gibson pickups are medium output and are voiced more for classic rock. If you wanted a better classic rock tone a set of Seymour Duncans would do well. If you are looking for a more metal tone a set of EMG's would be perfect.
OVERALL OPINION
With these Faded series guitars the prices on them are less than some Epiphones. These are good solid work horse guitars. You can gig them no problem and not have to worry about dings or scratches. These guitars can be had for around 500 dollars used to they are a great deal for a real Gibson.