Gibson SG Supreme

Samll ensemble, female vocalist, ballads, showtunes, bloozes, etc. I've been at it about 10 yrs [ms Diva, maybe 10,000 yrs].

Bought on clearance at local GC. It was marked way down, and there was a 20% off any single item sale, but I don't recall just how cheap that figgers up.

I've always liked the sound of short scale basses, and this one sounded better than any other I've ever tried.

Killer tone from this passive mini-ax, and huge output, uses less gain on the amp knob than any other ax, even monster active basses like EBMM and Spector. This matters more to me on a passive ax, cuz they are more vulnerable to AC and RF noise ... so the less you hafta turn up, the less you hear any noise. Hardly hafta turn this one just off the zero

Offers a wide range of sounds, maybe cuz the PUs are so far apart.

It looks cool and is well balanced and easy to play. After you file the saddle notches to match the FB radius, the 3-point bridge allows you to change action height on a whim without losing that radius. E-string post is a decent distance from the nut.

I shouldn't hafta file the FB radius into the bridge saddle notches. It should already be there. I prefer bolt-on necks, but thaz personal preference. Same with my preference for a PU fader instead of two volume knobs. The front strap pin is on the back of the body. Not the most secure way to go, but I just screw the strap on with a big washer and then it's safe. There's really no deal killers here.

Body is divided front and back equally, with a maple front and limba back. Set neck is mahogany. Has two different styles of 'vintage' humbuggers, with the neck PU VERY close to the neck [touching it].

Typical VVT passive controls, 2x2 headstock with big duck foot keys. Output jack is on the front, which I happen to like. YMMV.

Except for having to file the saddles to the FB radius, no complaints about the build, and the finishing is really good.

Overall, this is a really great ax, at a really fair price. Maybe the passive tone chain holds the price line but it's got an amazing degree of tone options. Nowhere above did I think to mention that it only weighs 7.5 lb. Thaz not just the icing on the cake. Thaz a whole extra dessert !

If the Fender Mustang was this good, it would sell like free beer and pizza, cuz it's a Fender, even tho short scales aren't all that mainstream these days. But Gibson just isn't a big name in basses, and it's a short scale, and so it's kinda a secret how good this ax is.

BTW, it's smaller than the Mustang in every direction, as well as lighter. It's more like the Epi RumbleKat, but more versatile and feels more friendly.

I'm gonna ignore having to file the saddles cuz everything else about it is amazing for a such a simple [and mid-priced] bass. So it gets rated the full 5.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this guitar from opus1 music in Evansville Indiana. It is a great store with plenty of guitars in stock. i paid about $1,800 including tax. I went up there with the intention of buying a les paul classic. I played a couple, and then asked about the sg supreme hanging on the wall. as soon as i pluged it into the amp I knew this was the guitar I had been looking for. The les paul's were great, but the sound, and look of this guitar just blew the les paul out of contention.

In one word "EVERYTHING". There is nothing I dont like about this guitar. The finish is flawless and the guitar is built like a rock. On top of that, if you are a fan of AC-DC like I am you will love this as much as me. You can reproduce the tone pearfectly since this guitar comes stock with 57' humbuckers. You can also git it with p-90's but i prefer the humbuckers. The slim taper neck is just perfect it is really fast and is awsome to play.

Threr's nothing not to like.

Like I said these things are built like a rock. The sg supremes come with beautiful AA grade maple body. Mine has the fireburst finish which is great. The fret markers are split dimond as well as the headstock inlay. I have read that the cases that come with some gibsons like the sg and les paul are kinda cheep but, I've found nothing wrong with the one that came with my guitar. Infact the case is really well built compared to the cases that come with a few other brands of guitars.

This is a great guitar and if you are lookig into purchasing a new instrument deffinatly look at an sg. If you play one you will be hooked. Gibson which in my opinion is the best guitar manufacturer, has outdone itself when making this guitar. There are a few things that i sugust you buy with this guitar, a pack of Luthier's Choice guitar polish because this guitars finish is really beautifull but requires alot of up-keep to keep it looking great, the next thing is a microfiber cloth wich is the best thing you can use to get rid of fingerprints because the nitro-cellulose finish showes them clearly, the final thing is a good set of strap locks. This guitar isn't as bad about loosing a strap as a les paul but it still happens, so spend the $30.00 or so to keep your $1,800 guitar in good condition. All the things I have mentioned shouldn't run you but about $50 bucks or so. In all this is a great guitar and it will make you proud for as long as you own it. Which should be forever.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this guitar from opus1 music in Evansville Indiana. It is a great store with plenty of guitars in stock. i paid about $1,800 including tax. I went up there with the intention of buying a les paul classic. I played a couple, and then asked about the sg supreme hanging on the wall. as soon as i pluged it into the amp I knew this was the guitar I had been looking for. The les paul's were great, but the sound, and look of this guitar just blew the les paul out of contention.

In one word "EVERYTHING". There is nothing I dont like about this guitar. The finish is flawless and the guitar is built like a rock. On top of that, if you are a fan of AC-DC like I am you will love this as much as me. You can reproduce the tone pearfectly since this guitar comes stock with 57' humbuckers. You can also git it with p-90's but i prefer the humbuckers. The slim taper neck is just perfect it is really fast and is awsome to play.

Threr's nothing not to like.

Like I said these things are built like a rock. The sg supremes come with beautiful AA grade maple body. Mine has the fireburst finish which is great. The fret markers are split dimond as well as the headstock inlay. I have read that the cases that come with some gibsons like the sg and les paul are kinda cheep but, I've found nothing wrong with the one that came with my guitar. Infact the case is really well built compared to the cases that come with a few other brands of guitars.

This is a great guitar and if you are lookig into purchasing a new instrument deffinatly look at an sg. If you play one you will be hooked. Gibson which in my opinion is the best guitar manufacturer, has outdone itself when making this guitar. There are a few things that i sugust you buy with this guitar, a pack of Luthier's Choice guitar polish because this guitars finish is really beautifull but requires alot of up-keep to keep it looking great, the next thing is a microfiber cloth wich is the best thing you can use to get rid of fingerprints because the nitro-cellulose finish showes them clearly, the final thing is a good set of strap locks. This guitar isn't as bad about loosing a strap as a les paul but it still happens, so spend the $30.00 or so to keep your $1,800 guitar in good condition. All the things I have mentioned shouldn't run you but about $50 bucks or so. In all this is a great guitar and it will make you proud for as long as you own it. Which should be forever.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The SG Supreme is a discontinued model. For a while it was the highest end SG you could get. It was a step above the SG Custom. SG's because of their design rarely get pretty tops but thats what you got on the SG Supreme. This was the coolest finish I think they did. You dont see black flamed maple much but it looks really cool when done right. The top is a AA piece of flamed maple on a mahogany body. The neck is mahogany with a set in neck construction. The fretboard is ebony and features 24 frets with the rare Gibson split diamond inlays. The headstock is the Les Paul Custom headstock with the big diamond inlay. The tuners are standard Grover tuners and the bridge is the standard Gibson Tune-o-matic setup. The pickups are a set of Gibsons Classic 57s. The controls are standard Gibson fare with a set of volume and tone controls per pickup with a 3 way toggle switch.

UTILIZATION

The SG was designed to play better than the Les Paul and it does. This guitar has 24 frets which is pretty unusual for an SG. It has split arrow inlays like you use to see on some Flying V's. The fretwork on these from the factory is perfect because Gibson uses a Plek machine to level the frets better than any human could. The ebony fretboard feels great under your fingers and is super smooth. Because of the scale the upper frets can get kind of crowded but the perfect fret level helps this a bit. The tuners are non locking as well as the bridge. Even Epiphones now come with locking bridges so I dont know why Gibson doesnt. Being a Supreme and not a Custom you do not get the useless middle pickup to get in your way when you are playing. This is nice because its rare that Gibson puts out an SG Custom nowadays that only has 2 pickups instead of 3.

SOUNDS

Im glad Gibson put some 57 Classics in this guitar instead of their normal pickups. These pickups really fit the guitar. Gibsons other pickups to me dont really give the Gibson sound you hear in your head. Classic 57 pickups are Gibsons modern version of the classic PAF pickup. These pickups are in the guitars people think of when they think classic Gibson tone. The neck position has that sweet sound that a PAF produces. It is nice and smooth but a good amount of sag. You can really get a bluesly or jazzy tone out of the neck position on this guitar. The bridge position is slightly hotter but not by much. You can rock out some nice lose classic rock riffs on this and throw some gain on it and it will handle it. This with an old Marshall or Fender Deluxe is heaven. If you want to play heavier music you can change the pickups and the swap is like any other SG. Unlike the Les Paul Supreme this guitar has a control cavity plate so you can easily get at all the electronics for a swap if you do not like the Classic 57s. If you are playing metal a set of Duncans or EMG's would fit perfectly.

OVERALL OPINION

Gibsons SG selection is pretty thin nowadays. Its all signature models based on old standard models or useless stuff like the SG goddess and whatnot. They have some SG's with nice tops as well but they are not as good overall guitars as the SG Supreme. You cant even get a SG Custom without the useless Maestro tremolo now. If you are looking for a great SG and see one of these you should pick it up because overall it is a better SG than anything Gibson has been selling recently.