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tjon901 « Crazy Maple SG »
Published on 06/22/11 at 07:41The Raw Power series is another limited run of guitars they put out a few years ago. Gibson goes crazy with their limited run ideas. The Raw Power series of guitars are all maple guitars. The neck fretboard and body are made of maple. With the maple bodies you get totally different tones than you would get on a normal Gibson. 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. But unlike most SG's this guitar is made from all maple.
UTILIZATION
This guitar plays like any other SG. The wood choice does not effect the playability. One difference it does have to most SG's is that it has the large 50s profile Gibson neck. This may be a problem for some people who are use to playing SG's with the thinner 60s profile neck. 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.
SOUNDS
With the maple body and neck and fretboard this guitar does not sound like many other Gibsons. SG's due to their thinner body naturally sound brighter than Les Pauls. This guitar has over the top brightness. It sounds like an all maple shredder guitar from the 80s almost. This much brightness can be good in many situations. If you are playing with low tunings or super high gain a bright guitar can help you cut through. This guitar does not give you the classic Gibson sound at all.
OVERALL OPINION
Gibson has made all sorts of crazy stuff in their limited runs. Some of it was been good and some has faded away unnoticed. I dont think many people noticed this guitar. For SG purists this guitar is a black sheep. People who buy Gibsons want them to sound and look like Gibsons. This guitar sounds like a superstrat and looks like a maple fretboard strat. This guitar still has its place though. If you are looking for a Gibson that can cut through any mix with ultimate clarity this guitar is a good option.
UTILIZATION
This guitar plays like any other SG. The wood choice does not effect the playability. One difference it does have to most SG's is that it has the large 50s profile Gibson neck. This may be a problem for some people who are use to playing SG's with the thinner 60s profile neck. 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.
SOUNDS
With the maple body and neck and fretboard this guitar does not sound like many other Gibsons. SG's due to their thinner body naturally sound brighter than Les Pauls. This guitar has over the top brightness. It sounds like an all maple shredder guitar from the 80s almost. This much brightness can be good in many situations. If you are playing with low tunings or super high gain a bright guitar can help you cut through. This guitar does not give you the classic Gibson sound at all.
OVERALL OPINION
Gibson has made all sorts of crazy stuff in their limited runs. Some of it was been good and some has faded away unnoticed. I dont think many people noticed this guitar. For SG purists this guitar is a black sheep. People who buy Gibsons want them to sound and look like Gibsons. This guitar sounds like a superstrat and looks like a maple fretboard strat. This guitar still has its place though. If you are looking for a Gibson that can cut through any mix with ultimate clarity this guitar is a good option.