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tjon901 « Swamp Ash SG »
Published on 06/08/11 at 08:44A lot of people confuse these guitars with the Gibson Gothic series. It took me a while to figure out why these guitars look the way they do. I guess Gibson is trying to associate the swamp in swamp ash with Louisiana voodoo stuff. This guitar is just an SG made with a swamp ash body and a mahogany neck. It has an ebony fingerboard with red pearl Voodoo skull at the 5th fret, black chrome hardware and Black Magic pickups like all the other voodoo guitars. Swamp ash is lighter than mahogany and if it is good it will have a really clear sound. The quality of swamp ash depends on where it is taken from on the tree. Two Ash bodies are more likely to sound more different from one another, whereas Basswood and Alder are more consistent. A heavier piece, or a piece from higher up on the tree will be more dead and lifeless. More dull sounding, because the wood is harder and more uniformly dense. So the sweetness of the soft open pores is gone, and left is the compressed sound of a rigid, non-responsive wood, without all the brightness and sustain of a harder wood or the openness of a softer wood. The finish on these guitars are pretty cool. It has a thin black finish with red rubbed into the ridges of the wood.
UTILIZATION
The SG was designed to get better playability than the classic Les Paul. It was designed to be the new Les Paul in 1961 and for a couple years the Les Paul that Gibson sold was what we call an SG. The neck is not mounted as deep into the body as is with the Les Paul. The neck is not mounted as deep into the body as is with the Les Paul. 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
As I said earlier the tone of a swamp ash guitar can vary greatly. A good one like this will have a slightly brighter sound than mahogany. It will have more clarity on the top end. The bright nature of the wood makes the guitar good for down tuning. you can retain your clarity with low tunings with the brightness of the wood. If the quality of wood is not good your guitar will not sound good. The qualify of swamp ash can vary greatly. It will not be as bright and will sound like a dull piece of wood. A good peice of swamp ash will be lighter and sound brighter than a bad piece which will feel heavier and sound duller.
OVERALL OPINION
Its nice to see Gibson trying out different woods but the color scheme on this guitar is pretty rediculous. I dont think people looking for a nice swamp ash Gibson are going to want a pink skull inlay on the 5th fret. I can live with the red in the wood and the pickups can be changed, but the inlay is pretty much a deal breaker. Which is a shame because this guitar sounds really good.
UTILIZATION
The SG was designed to get better playability than the classic Les Paul. It was designed to be the new Les Paul in 1961 and for a couple years the Les Paul that Gibson sold was what we call an SG. The neck is not mounted as deep into the body as is with the Les Paul. The neck is not mounted as deep into the body as is with the Les Paul. 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
As I said earlier the tone of a swamp ash guitar can vary greatly. A good one like this will have a slightly brighter sound than mahogany. It will have more clarity on the top end. The bright nature of the wood makes the guitar good for down tuning. you can retain your clarity with low tunings with the brightness of the wood. If the quality of wood is not good your guitar will not sound good. The qualify of swamp ash can vary greatly. It will not be as bright and will sound like a dull piece of wood. A good peice of swamp ash will be lighter and sound brighter than a bad piece which will feel heavier and sound duller.
OVERALL OPINION
Its nice to see Gibson trying out different woods but the color scheme on this guitar is pretty rediculous. I dont think people looking for a nice swamp ash Gibson are going to want a pink skull inlay on the 5th fret. I can live with the red in the wood and the pickups can be changed, but the inlay is pretty much a deal breaker. Which is a shame because this guitar sounds really good.