Tell me about the SG

RandallFlagg

I sold mine, won't own another. Tried to love it but the pickups are too close together, the gap between the neck pickup and end of fretboard looks awful, the neck pickup doesn't sound "right" and like many Gibsons intonation above 12th fret can be poor no matter how much you adjust the saddles. Mine was too light as well.

mark123

Looks cool as f 

I've had 2 x standards and 2 fadeds over the years.

For me every one juts out at a weird angle and the first fret seems miles away ,and i feel like its going to neckdive when playing.

Probably me being 6ft'4 and a crap player because everyone else manages to play with ease.

put's tin hat on .

ICBM

mark123 said:

For me every one juts out at a weird angle and the first fret seems miles away ,and i feel like its going to neckdive when playing.

Probably me being 6ft'4 and a crap player because everyone else manages to play with ease.

I’m 5’6” and I can’t get on with them either - and I play bass too, which I don’t have a problem with... but a guitar just doesn’t work with the whole thing out to the left like that - nor does holding it awkwardly over to the right or pointing it upwards. The front strap button is also in the wrong place. I end up playing almost over the bridge while not being able to reach the far end comfortably.

On top of that the control layout is ridiculously cramped and the jack is in a stupid place even if you use a right-angle plug. Basically it’s just a complete ergonomic nightmare - which is a shame, as a good one really does sound good. It’s the only one of the classic solidbodies which doesn’t seem to have a ‘too light’ cutoff either, they just seem to get better the lighter they are.

I almost convinced myself I liked a Custom a friend of mine owned, which he was selling - the bridge/middle sound on it was especially fantastic - but as soon as I went back to playing a guitar with normal geometry I realised I would never be happy with one.

stickyfiddle

ICBM said:

mark123 said:

For me every one juts out at a weird angle and the first fret seems miles away ,and i feel like its going to neckdive when playing.

Probably me being 6ft'4 and a crap player because everyone else manages to play with ease.

I’m 5’6” and I can’t get on with them either - and I play bass too, which I don’t have a problem with... but a guitar just doesn’t work with the whole thing out to the left like that - nor does holding it awkwardly over to the right or pointing it upwards. The front strap button is also in the wrong place. I end up playing almost over the bridge while not being able to reach the far end comfortably.

On top of that the control layout is ridiculously cramped and the jack is in a stupid place even if you use a right-angle plug. Basically it’s just a complete ergonomic nightmare - which is a shame, as a good one really does sound good. It’s the only one of the classic solidbodies which doesn’t seem to have a ‘too light’ cutoff either, they just seem to get better the lighter they are.

I almost convinced myself I liked a Custom a friend of mine owned, which he was selling - the bridge/middle sound on it was especially fantastic - but as soon as I went back to playing a guitar with normal geometry I realised I would never be happy with one.

It's funny, because SGs are probably the single most comfortable guitar, for me. Admittedly I've been playing SGs about 17 years at this point, but they just work perfectly. 

Sync

Challenge with an SG is they either suit you or don't. They really are one of those ergonomic absolutes.

I love the idea of one too but no matter how many I have tried over the years, I just can't get on with them. 

alanohagan

woah - lots of comments here thanks all really appreciate the input.
so what I'm hearing is:
 
- try before you buy - you'll either love it or loath it
- get a red one with humbuckers
- don't expect it to stay in tune for more than a couple of songs
- get a strap that helps combat neck dive and sight it on my right hip

I'm in - I guess the thing is Les Pauls just confuse me these days with so many variants and the whole good wood thing V's these years are good years and these other years are bad years - I just want a flat out rock machine for power chords and the occasional foray up to the dusty end 

failed_astronaut

I had that itch at the beginning of the year and finally satisfied it in October with a 70s Tribute model.

My two requirements were that I needed humbuckers (as an alternative to my main sounds of a strat and a tele) and the neck had to be more comfortable than the Les Paul Studio I used to own.

The SG ticks both of those boxes however, the Dirty Fingers pickups are far too raucous for my needs and will be getting swapped out next year. They sound great with distortion or fuzz but not with mid focussed overdrives, so if you are looking for a budget friendly, rock machine, you could do worse.

Happy hunting!

fnpt

Get a used 2008-2012 61 RI with 57 classic HB. Sounds glorious, has the right contours and the small pickguard.

In heritage cherry of course.

Hoof

The tuning stability issues can be mostly cured.
Get the nut done properly (DIY level job with a little care). This is the source of most gibson tuning issues and is easily cured.
Secondly don't take all the strings off at once, I usually leave the D and G until the others are on and stretched.
Make sure everything is lubed.
Put the strings on properly! Use one of the locking techniques and don't have more than 2 wraps on the bass strings or more than 4 on the trebles. 

I use standard 10s, heavy picks and play pretty hard and mine stays in tune for a whole 2 hour rehearsal. Before I sorted the nut I was fiddling with it after every song.

ICBM

Hoof said:

The tuning stability issues can be mostly cured.
Get the nut done properly (DIY level job with a little care). This is the source of most gibson tuning issues and is easily cured.
...
Make sure everything is lubed.
Put the strings on properly! Use one of the locking techniques and don't have more than 2 wraps on the bass strings or more than 4 on the trebles.

This. Although the SG neck is very long and flexible which allows the pitch to 'float' a bit, if the strings don't slip or snag at either end then it will stay in tune.

I recently did some work on a '69 SG Custom with a Maestro Vibrola (and domed tune-o-matic wheels, luckily), and despite the somewhat justified reputation those have for poor return to pitch - and the wide headstock and tuner post spacing they have, which doesn't help - once I'd cut, polished and lubed the nut grooves and bridge saddle grooves, and strung it with the 'half back turn and lock' method and only about one full turn on each post, it stayed in tune just fine even with as much vibrato use as it would take.

DrJazzTap

See conversely I find playing a Les Paul a hunched over affair, I've got used to the neck on the SG being out to the side. Same as @stickyfiddle I guess because I've had mine for decades now?

wellsyboy

TTBZ said:

Once you figure out how to position them properly on a strap (hang it more to the right on your hip, neck pointing up) they're very comfortable. I struggle with most other guitars now because an SG just disappears thanks to the thin body, contours and upper fret access. Makes a strat feel bulky and awkward to me.

The downside is I think they're mostly pretty ugly and I hate the "Angus" connotations they bring up. Cherry red SG is up there in the boring stereotypical guitar looks with sunburst/red strat and butterscotch Tele for me. Also I find mine to sound a bit mid-focused and one dimensional/flat compared to something like a LP so it's not as inspiring to play. This is improved with P90s to some degree. I think these days I'd rather have a PRS Mira which is the same sort of thing but not as typical. 

I think more of Derek Trucks than Angus Young but not sure what Angus YOung connotations are - does it make you want to wear shorts?

TTBZ

I love the "Rounded" neck profile on my 2008 Standard, it's the best thing about the guitar. Don't know why they only put it on some SGs and the cheaper Tribute series, as it's the perfect compromise between a huge 50s baseball bat and the flatter slim taper.

Annoyingly I do think it's one of the comfiest guitars for me but I just don't find the sound and sustain as inspiring to play as other guitars! Make sure you take a strap to try it out properly at the height you like - I think a lot of the complaints about it being too "left" are probably from people who have them quite high. I would probably find it to sit weird like that as well.

@wellsyboy I just don't like the thought of people assuming I'm a big ACDC fan because I have an SG  they just look a bit like a toy and the ACDC thing doesn't help.

Kittyfrisk

Don't forget that Gibson aren't the only company to produce an SG type guitar.
Vintage and Harley Benton are making seriously good guitars for a lot less money & that's speaking as a 2005 Gibson Standard SG owner too 

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/160495/vintage-vs6-am-i-missing-something
https://vintageguitarsus.com/electric-reissued-details/#vs6
https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_dc_custom_cherry.htm?sid=3f3900215d95f4944a8bee074e46e16f

LastMantra

The best sg is my, mahogany, The Paul 

All tho there is actually an sg version which I'd love but probably not as good 

SteveRobinson

LastMantra said:

The best sg is my, mahogany, The Paul 

All tho there is actually an sg version which I'd love but probably not as good 

A "The SG" is probably the best SG I've ever played. It sounded incredible.

Voxman

I think SGs and Telecasters are similar from the perspective of both being excellent gigging workhorses, and both being ergonomically challenged.

Teles are effectively a slab of wood with no body contouring. It was precisely because players complained that it was uncomfortable and dug into them that the curvy Stratocaster evolved.

Also, the switch position relative to the volume control is too close, and the original 3 piece saddle set up ( pre compensated modern variants) meant that it was practically impossible to get accurate intonation.  The contrast of the powerful bright bridge pickup v the darker, weaker neck pickup is another idiosyncracy not everyone gets on with, as is having to take the scratch plate off to access neck pickup height adjustment on older/some cs variants. The recessed  cup input that won't easily take a regular angled jack is a nuisance. And for older Tele's having to take the neck off, or angle it out of the neck pocket to access the flat head screw adjustment is a right pain!  

But none of this really matters...if you like Teles and SGs you simply adapt and accept their idiosyncrasies as part of the guitars unique charms and character.  But they both arguably fall into the marmite category. Players generally either love them, often having more than one of each, or hate them and so don't form part of their guitar stable.

YellowLedBetterMan

Alright Uncle Al!

I say it because Gibson's are far too expensive for me, but have a look at the epiphones. There's a green one with P90s I tried in PMT a few weeks ago that looked fantastic and sounded good too. Set up wasn't particularly special, but that's easily addressed and I suspect like all cheap guitars, there's a lot of variance in set up between examples of the same model.

Just stay away from the bolt on neck ones, they're not very good at all.

crunchman

Great guitars if you can get on with the geometry.  As others have said, the first fret is way out to the left, so it puts you in position that isn't good - especially with the back angle on a Gibson neck compared with a Fender.

I ended up selling mine because the geometry was causing me problems.  I used it for a long practice (around 5 hours) and ended up with my left wrist feeling really sore.  I used my Strat the next week and had no problems at all.  It's a pity because it was a superb guitar.

Some people have no problems with the geometry, but the only way to find out is to buy one and play it.  Half an hour in a shop won't really tell you if it's a problem for you.

TTBZ

Just to show how they're all different, this is how mine sits with no hands on the guitar, stays where I put it. And this is with a couch vinyl Racer X strap which aren't particularly grippy. A strat or Tele sit way more horizontal and "left" on me which isn't comfy at all!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1sw3l6dkz4z300p/PXL_20201217_133823540~3_copy_800x800.jpg?dl=0