Gibson SG Special 2018

the_mechanic

Hi people!
Firstly, excuse me for my english, I'm italian and I'm still learning

Secondly, I'm looking for some opinions about this guitar:

What do you think about it? How does it sound? Are those minihumbuckers good? How's the general quality? It's better the 2017 version which equip classic humbuckers?

Right now I can't try it, so I'm just collecting opinions.

ennspek

Welcome to the forum,
You need to try them really but what are you looking for?
Are you a beginner or looking to add a guitar to a collection? Do you play in a band and need a certain sound?
With a broad brush the one I tried was fine.

Legionreturns

If it helps I've got a 3 month old one that I'm selling on. It's not got a mark on it and I'm including a hard case.  

the_mechanic

Thanks! I made a presentation post some days ago but I haven't posted since then :P

No, I am not a beginner and yeah, I play in a rock band. We play covers, from Foo Fighters to Black Keys, to Arctic Monkeys and Strokes... but I play solo too, recording in the loneliness of my bedroom.
I need just an humbucker guitar and I really like the SG shape! I have an american Stratocaster and a Ibanez prestige with Emgs in drop C.
I just don't know how those minihb sound, because from YouTube samples they sound IDENTICAL to the normal humbuckers

EDIT: No, I don't know why my presentation post isn't in the section :O I'm redoing it now
REEDIT: Ok, nevermind. It's there. I'm drunk.

prowla

I've got a 2006 SG Special and I really like it.

One thing about Gibsons is the angle of the headstock - you can't lie them flat (so don't try!).

Usual caveats & warnings about buying a used guitar unseen, but they are a quality instrument!

(Mine's not for sale.)

the_mechanic

prowla said:

One thing about Gibsons is the angle of the headstock - you can't lie them flat (so don't try!).

Excuse me, what do you mean with "Lie them flat"?

Legionreturns said:

If it helps I've got a 3 month old one that I'm selling on. It's not got a mark on it and I'm including a hard case.  

Thanks for the offer but right now I'm broke :P

stimpsonslostson

the_mechanic said:

Legionreturns said:

If it helps I've got a 3 month old one that I'm selling on. It's not got a mark on it and I'm including a hard case.  

Thanks for the offer but right now I'm broke :P

Looking at £850 guitars while broke... You're going to fit right in. 
Welcome to the forum. 

prowla

the_mechanic said:

prowla said:

One thing about Gibsons is the angle of the headstock - you can't lie them flat (so don't try!).

Excuse me, what do you mean with "Lie them flat"?

With your Strat, you can just put it on the floor.

With an SG if you do that, only the end of the body and the tip of the headstock will be touching; next thing is a bit of weight on it and it's snapped off. (Or if you've got it standing up against a cab and it falls over.)

There's a saying that a Gibson should either be in its case of being played.

It's not a reason not to buy - just a comment about the vulnerability of the design.

usedtobe

Get an older faded one for about 350.

Legionreturns

the_mechanic said

Legionreturns said:

If it helps I've got a 3 month old one that I'm selling on. It's not got a mark on it and I'm including a hard case.  

Thanks for the offer but right now I'm broke :P

Hah! Ok... You only need to find £450 though just in case  

MagicPigDetective

The OP asks a question that I too have been pondering. The SG Special alternates between mini-humbuckers and 'normal' humbuckers every year. 2016 was mini, last year hb, 2018 back to mini? What's the difference?

I think I've read somewhere that mini humbuckers can be changed for P-90's, given the routing etc?

absolutpepper

I once had a Gibson firebird with mini hbs in it. In all honesty I wasn’t a massive fan, they do sound different from a regular full sized hb - I found them to be somewhat more nasal and bright. I would say it may not be better or worse than a hb, that opinion would be down to personal preference...mine, I didn’t like it but it did sit well in a mix and record well.

the_mechanic

stimpsonslostson said:

the_mechanic said:

Legionreturns said:

If it helps I've got a 3 month old one that I'm selling on. It's not got a mark on it and I'm including a hard case.  

Thanks for the offer but right now I'm broke :P

Looking at £850 guitars while broke... You're going to fit right in. 
Welcome to the forum. 

Ahahahaha, thanks!

usedtobe said:

Get an older faded one for about 350.

I don't like the pickguard, I prefer the smaller one

prowla said:

the_mechanic said:

prowla said:

One thing about Gibsons is the angle of the headstock - you can't lie them flat (so don't try!).

Excuse me, what do you mean with "Lie them flat"?

With your Strat, you can just put it on the floor.

With an SG if you do that, only the end of the body and the tip of the headstock will be touching; next thing is a bit of weight on it and it's snapped off. (Or if you've got it standing up against a cab and it falls over.)

There's a saying that a Gibson should either be in its case of being played.

It's not a reason not to buy - just a comment about the vulnerability of the design.

Oh ok, yeah I knew the headstock angle is very accentuated. I thought you meant something different (you know, I have the phrasal verbs terror :P ) Thank you, by the way!

absolutpepper said:

I once had a Gibson firebird with mini hbs in it. In all honesty I wasn’t a massive fan, they do sound different from a regular full sized hb - I found them to be somewhat more nasal and bright. I would say it may not be better or worse than a hb, that opinion would be down to personal preference...mine, I didn’t like it but it did sit well in a mix and record well.

At the and of the day it's obviously a matter of preferences.
Once I tried a '70s Les Paul Deluxe, its minihumbuckers were very noisy with crunched amplifiers. I mean, those picks could have had specific problems (wax, for example)...
How did they sound with distortions and fuzzes?
Thank so much!


-By the way, correct me if I write in a shitty way! Thanks

Whitecat

absolutpepper said:

I once had a Gibson firebird with mini hbs in it. In all honesty I wasn’t a massive fan, they do sound different from a regular full sized hb - I found them to be somewhat more nasal and bright. I would say it may not be better or worse than a hb, that opinion would be down to personal preference...mine, I didn’t like it but it did sit well in a mix and record well.

"Firebird" mini humbuckers are different to "traditional" mini humbuckers though... different construction/sound. FB pickups tend to be brighter.

Exorcist

Whitecat said:

absolutpepper said:

I once had a Gibson firebird with mini hbs in it. In all honesty I wasn’t a massive fan, they do sound different from a regular full sized hb - I found them to be somewhat more nasal and bright. I would say it may not be better or worse than a hb, that opinion would be down to personal preference...mine, I didn’t like it but it did sit well in a mix and record well.

"Firebird" mini humbuckers are different to "traditional" mini humbuckers though... different construction/sound. FB pickups tend to be brighter.

Sadly Gibson don't put proper firebird pickups on firebirds these days - I swapped mine out with Kleins and the difference was night and day.

Whitecat

Exorcist said:

Whitecat said:

absolutpepper said:

I once had a Gibson firebird with mini hbs in it. In all honesty I wasn’t a massive fan, they do sound different from a regular full sized hb - I found them to be somewhat more nasal and bright. I would say it may not be better or worse than a hb, that opinion would be down to personal preference...mine, I didn’t like it but it did sit well in a mix and record well.

"Firebird" mini humbuckers are different to "traditional" mini humbuckers though... different construction/sound. FB pickups tend to be brighter.

Sadly Gibson don't put proper firebird pickups on firebirds these days - I swapped mine out with Kleins and the difference was night and day.

Ah, fair enough, that's irritating. I always have half an eye out for a non-reverse FB with a trem of some description... I guess new is off the table without some extra money put into pickups.