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tjon901 « The other classic Gibson »
Published on 05/14/11 at 18:01In 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.
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.
SOUNDS
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.
OVERALL OPINION
The people who play SG's swear by them. Famous artists that play SG's usually only play SG's. Some of these artists include Derek Trucks, Tony Iommi and Frank Zappa. If you are looking to buy an SG I recommend trying one out first. Check the fretwork and the tuning stability if you can. Other than that an SG is as solid as any other Gibson guitar.
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.
SOUNDS
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.
OVERALL OPINION
The people who play SG's swear by them. Famous artists that play SG's usually only play SG's. Some of these artists include Derek Trucks, Tony Iommi and Frank Zappa. If you are looking to buy an SG I recommend trying one out first. Check the fretwork and the tuning stability if you can. Other than that an SG is as solid as any other Gibson guitar.