Gibson SGs

Nitefly

Nitefly said:

I have a '94 Special with covered humbuckers AND ebony board.

And here it is, catching some sunshine...

matt_sefton

Here's mine - a 2020 Originals series Junior. I took the pic when I was thinking about selling it but thankfully I changed my mind. Sounds amazing, weighs nothing and is perfectly balanced.

roberty

Like many here I have a complicated relationship with SGs. They are not the best design but they look cool, they're much cheaper than Les Pauls and they are very easy to play. Some of them even sound good ;p

Joking aside they can sound remarkably different from each other so it does pay to play them before commiting. Most I have tried have wolf notes around the 12th but no normal person should care about that really

I agree that a used standard is the way to go if you like batwing guards and humbuckers. It will hold its value

I have two SGs at the moment. The one on the left is a 2016 Faded, I installed alnico 4 PAFs and drilled the bigsby in. It is not very resonant but it does have a lot of snap, almost fenderish, lots of character. It ended up being my most gigged guitar before the plague times

The one on the right is a 2005 Standard. It is really deep and mellow acoustically, and the neck is really comfortable. I installed the railhammers in yesterday for the downtuned heavies. If anything they are a good vessel for pickups  

roberty

Oh erm a lot of old SGs will have 300k volume pots, in my experience changing them to 500k is a worthwhile exercise

JonHosker

I love my Strat, Jazzmaster and Casino…but my 98’ SG std. has something else -  it’s lively!! 

Philly_Q

I've owned quite a few SGs over the years, mostly Gibsons plus a few Tokais and a Greco.  I really like the shape, I find it very comfortable to play and the neck-dive thing has never particularly bothered me.

But I've never had a really good one.  I'd like to find a great one at some point, ideally not in boring old cherry. 

On the other hand, every time I pick up my PRS Miras I think they cover pretty much everything an SG does, they're better made and they play as well if not better.  Do I really need an SG?

Bigsby

roberty said:

Like many here I have a complicated relationship with SGs. They are not the best design but they look cool, they're much cheaper than Les Pauls and they are very easy to play. Some of them even sound good ;p

That pretty much sums up my relationship with SGs: I've loved the design since I bought my first guitar (SG shaped of course) in the mid 70s. But, price-wise, they're only cheaper when it comes to model designations, e.g. 'standard'. If you just want something Les Paul shaped, Gibson will usually have something at roughly the same price point as their cheapest SG. 

I like the way you've fitted that B5 a good distance from the bridge. I've also considered putting Railhammers in an SG, but so far it hasn't happened. If it ever does, it'll be my 2014 white Standard that gets them.

These are my current three, two Standards and a Custom:


Unfortunately I'm at the 'one out' point and this time it'll be an SG.

roberty

Bigsby said:

roberty said:

Like many here I have a complicated relationship with SGs. They are not the best design but they look cool, they're much cheaper than Les Pauls and they are very easy to play. Some of them even sound good ;p

I like the way you've fitted that B5 a good distance from the bridge. I've also considered putting Railhammers in an SG, but so far it hasn't happened. If it ever does, it'll be my 2014 white Standard that gets them.

These are my current three, two Standards and a Custom:

Unfortunately I'm at the 'one out' point and this time it'll be an SG.

I was only following the instructions that came with the bigsby :-) I had no idea what I was doing. It was one of the most stressful days of my life. Literally sweating. It said to move the bigsby back until the string had a clear path to the saddle without hitting the back of the bridge

Your custom is to die for. Absolute god tier

How do you find the B3/towner combo? I am perhaps thinking of non-invasive ways to add some wobble to my standard. I tried a b7 + vibramate once but I didn't like what it did to the sustain

jonnyburgo

And if you've never played one it feels at first like a bass with likkle strings. 

TTBZ

@roberty how are you finding the Railhammers so far and which model did you go for? They look really cool with the black covers.

I loved Bare Knuckle humbucker size P90s in mine, the Mississippi Queen is still the best neck pickup I've tried I think. Would have kept it if it matched better with the 498T. If I get another humbucker guitar I'd definitely go for some P90s again in the SG, they just work.

boogieman

TTBZ said:

 If I get another humbucker guitar I'd definitely go for some P90s again in the SG, they just work.

Yup P90s and SG’s just work brilliantly together. This is mine, a Gothic from 2000 fitted with Mojo humbucker sized P90s, refinished in Pelham Blue. Ebony board too. I love it. 

 

roberty

boogieman said:

TTBZ said:

 If I get another humbucker guitar I'd definitely go for some P90s again in the SG, they just work.

Yup P90s and SG’s just work brilliantly together. 

Definitely agree. I am thinking of getting a vintage SG Special this year

TTBZ said:

@roberty how are you finding the Railhammers so far and which model did you go for? They look really cool with the black covers.

It's a Hyper Vintage neck pickup and an Anvil bridge.  I found an old pair on eBay from when they used to make them uncovered. They are probably around the same age as the guitar so it's a good visual match. I plan to take the guitar to rehearsal this week so I will report back. They are fairly bright and scooped, in theory this should complement the sound of the guitar

I have the Reeves Gabrels signature set in a Spacehawk and they are phenomenal for thick, high gain fuzz

rze99

1965 SG Special (with replacement bridge)
Gibson SG Original, Heritage Cherry (2013)

rze99

Oh oh, the pics screwed up… oh well

Bigsby

roberty said:

Bigsby said:

roberty said:

Like many here I have a complicated relationship with SGs. They are not the best design but they look cool, they're much cheaper than Les Pauls and they are very easy to play. Some of them even sound good ;p

I like the way you've fitted that B5 a good distance from the bridge. I've also considered putting Railhammers in an SG, but so far it hasn't happened. If it ever does, it'll be my 2014 white Standard that gets them.

These are my current three, two Standards and a Custom:

Unfortunately I'm at the 'one out' point and this time it'll be an SG.

I was only following the instructions that came with the bigsby :-) I had no idea what I was doing. It was one of the most stressful days of my life. Literally sweating. It said to move the bigsby back until the string had a clear path to the saddle without hitting the back of the bridge

Your custom is to die for. Absolute god tier

How do you find the B3/towner combo? I am perhaps thinking of non-invasive ways to add some wobble to my standard. I tried a b7 + vibramate once but I didn't like what it did to the sustain

I love the B3+Towner - you have complete control over the break angle. But I also had a stressful time fitting it - it was my first Gibson and brand new. I couldn't find a suitable used white SG and it was the last year Gibson were selling them, so I guess I was lucky with the timing. But I'd always wanted a white SG with a Bigsby, and it only took me 40 years to get there...  

Sounds like we have similar tastes in guitars - I also have a Spacehawk, but mine came with the earlier combination of Hyper-Vintage neck pickup and Alnico Grande bridge pickup. I've since gone with a Hyper-Vintage in my old Guild S-60. IIRC, the earliest version of the Spacehawk had the B50 closer to the bridge (or it may have been the prototype), and RG specifically asked for it to be moved back. Factory fitted B5s on SG are also usually located further back, like yours, but the Vibramate has to position it forwards to make use of the stopbar mounting points. I guess it's the price of having a reversible mod.

I know people have directly fitted a B7 to the SG, but you need to flip the hinge to get it to fit. I prefer the way the strings have a straighter path over the Towner bar, compared to the B7 roller, but I've no idea if it really improves the tuning stability at all. 

stickyfiddle

I would really like an SG with a maestro. I need to get my hands on some CSes some day. 

Jonathangus

This thread is not helping my 'really must try an SG' GAS...

roberty

@Bigsby it does sound like we have very similar taste in guitars

Exorcist

This is my 92' SG Custom (67RI) - I have been tempted to sell (if anyone takes an interest.) I also have a 62 Special, I absolutely love SG's - I never get on with full fat LP's, but the midrange bark of a good SG just works for me.

Exorcist

The 61/62 - I just love this thing.