SG types that do not neck dive?

fretmeister

I like the idea of an SG. The compactness, the lightness, the scale length etc etc.
I hate neck dive, and wobbly necks.

So with that in mind I assume that nothing Gibson or Epi will meet those requirements.

What else is out there that is worth looking at?

Philly_Q

I think you might need a headless SG....

stickyfiddle

My SG doesn't dive. You just need to find a good one and use a non-slippy strap. And make sure it doesn't have heavy tuners. 

The old Standard model is a good bet (I think the new ones are back to this spec too) - smaller headstock, vintage tuners, lovely medium neck profile. Specials tend to have fat necks which hurts, and CS reissue stuff usually has the "worse" neck joint (more flappy neck and more prone to dive) plus bigger headstocks. 

sweepy

My SG Junior doesn't neck dive at all, its as light as a feather too

Philly_Q

There are a few to consider.... Guild S-100, ESP Viper, PRS Mira.  Knaggs Honga if you're feeling spendy.  And maybe Reverend still make an SG type, I'm not sure.

The only one of those I'm familiar with is the Mira, of which I've owned many...  They're still slightly neck-heavy, but much less so than an SG.

I believe the Guild and ESP are both a bit thicker in the body, which helps counteract neck-heaviness, and the slightly different body shapes may balance differently in any case.

TimmyO

I think if you stray away from the Gibson SG formula too far (and just focus on the looks) then the compactness and lightness will be compromised rapidly.

Might be a case of trying a load in person, somehow. 

Funkfingers

Yer typical Gibson SG would balance perfectly on a strap if it sported a lump of steel between the Tune-o-Matic bridge and the lower bout strap button. Namely: a Maestro sideways action Vibrola.

This is not to say that anyone should use the confounded contraption. Just that, by an amazing coincidence, it is exactly the right weight to solve neck dive.

Philly_Q

I've got an SG Classic which doesn't dive at all, but it's quite heavy for an SG - about 7lb 10oz, if I remember right - and it also has the little white plastic button tuners, so overall the weight's concentrated in the body.

bbill335

my greco sg is super light and doesn't dive. it has a few small counterweights in the control cavity and i use a slippy nylon strap. wear it higher than you think looks cool. that helps reduce the neck-heavy balance.

Supportact

Get one with a bigsby! It will balance it out, and you will be cool. 

fretmeister

Supportact said:

Get one with a bigsby! It will balance it out, and you will be cool. 

Cool, as in 'deserve to be cold and dead in the ground because they are an abomination against man and god' type cool?

Offset

Gordon Smith?

noisepolluter

stickyfiddle said:

My SG doesn't dive. You just need to find a good one and use a non-slippy strap. And make sure it doesn't have heavy tuners. 

The old Standard model is a good bet (I think the new ones are back to this spec too) - smaller headstock, vintage tuners, lovely medium neck profile. Specials tend to have fat necks which hurts, and CS reissue stuff usually has the "worse" neck joint (more flappy neck and more prone to dive) plus bigger headstocks. 

This.

The standard 61’s are regularly discounted to the same price as the ‘modern’ standards. 

fretmeister

Well - that Guitar competition page that a few people have won from has just listed an SG as a prize for a ticket of only 50pence.

So, that might be the best £1 I've spent for a long time!  

Philly_Q

fretmeister said:

Supportact said:

Get one with a bigsby! It will balance it out, and you will be cool. 

Cool, as in 'deserve to be cold and dead in the ground because they are an abomination against man and god' type cool?

Yep, that type of cool.

merlin

I had a 2009 SG classic (P90s) that didn't neck dive, had a gorgeous neck and was everything any sane person could possibly want in a guitar. I sold it. 

victorludorum

Les Paul Special

Foster

My Gibson SG special doesn't suffer from neck dive, probably due to the bigsby b7 I managed to bodge on it with the help of a vibramate...

Philly_Q

merlin said:

I had a 2009 SG classic (P90s) that didn't neck dive, had a gorgeous neck and was everything any sane person could possibly want in a guitar. I sold it. 

I wonder if it's the one I've got?  (Probably not, I don't think it's an '09 and it's not that great.)

Supportact

fretmeister said:

Supportact said:

Get one with a bigsby! It will balance it out, and you will be cool. 

Cool, as in 'deserve to be cold and dead in the ground because they are an abomination against man and god' type cool?

I'll put you down as a maybe for the bigsby. 

Jeremiah

fretmeister said:

Supportact said:

Get one with a bigsby! It will balance it out, and you will be cool. 

Cool, as in 'deserve to be cold and dead in the ground because they are an abomination against man and god' type cool?

Yeah, vampires have always been cool.