SG quandry: 61 reissue or Standard

bloodandtears

I keep gassing for an alternative to my Special, the neck and aesthetics are niggling me a little..

So my defacto would be to grab a <2014 Standard but I have seen a few mention the 61 reissue having a slimmer neck; the differences I can see seem to be a smaller scratch plate and '57 pick ups...  am I right??

Are there any others I need to be aware of?  Opinions welcome before I put my 2010 Special up for sale..

jd0272

Just make sure it's a small guard. Those batwing guards are bloody awful.

Strat_a_tat_tat

Not sure if it's still the case, but I think 61 RIs used to be one piece bodies - whereas Standards can be 3 or 4 pieces of wood.

Moltisanti

i have a standard that is a 1 piece body, and it's one of the best guitars i've owned.

The neck is the SG profile where it's thicker than a 60s slim but not a chunker - I don;t get on with beefy necks at all, but the SG one is great

skay

The '61 does have quite a slim profile neck, plus it's fairly wide, so it's nice and roomy for intricate stuff but can be a handful for smaller hands when playing barre chords for example.

The '61 has the big headstock and different neck join, plus the carve looked nicer compared to the standard I had. Of course you can change them but the 57 pickups that come on the '61 are much much better IMHO than the 498/490 combination.

Moe_Zambeek

61s have been 2 piece mostly for about 5 years. Standards the same if not more, though the joins are well hidden.

terada

Definitely go small guard, they look so much better. Might want to try and get a 2013 standard, they basically were the same as the 61's but for a chunk less money.

Obligatory pic of my 2013 SG...

bloodandtears

Ok.. so a 61 reissue was more expensive??

Ideally it needs to be as close to an Angus Young image as possible.. due to the tribute band I'm in...

bloodandtears

.. and whats the downer on batwing scratch plates??

BloodEagle

I think they look cool myself. Just get a standard - Ive had a couple of standards and a 61 reissue over the years and theyve all been excellent - couldnt detect any difference between the two models tbh

stickyfiddle

I have a 2000 Standard, and used to have a 2003 Special. The 61 is a lovely guitar, but the big headstock can make it more neck-heavy than Standards. FWIW I like the look of the 61s but I really like the neck on the pre-'13 Standards. T

The 2013 Standard may be the best of both worlds - it was a bit cheaper than the 61 but has small guard and more 61-type contours, but with the smaller headstock.

In terms of batwing or small guard, Angus has played both fairly equally so I wouldn't worry either way. Just make sure it's red

bloodandtears

How do the modern necks of a Standard compare to that of my 2010 Special (which feels like a baseball bat)?

I assume the 61 reissues are more sought after, if they were a higher RRP originally?

bloodandtears

@stickyfiddle

he plays a black sig mostly these days lol  but yeah red is the more iconic.. I have uniforms in both colours.. ;-)

stickyfiddle

My Standard (pre-2013) has a middle-sized neck, not as mahoosive as the Specials, but not the skinny D shape of the 61.

suspiciousminds

Got rid of my 2007 special as i couldnt get on with the neck and the weight, since got a '70's tribute and its much lighter and slimmer too,

bloodandtears

http://www.thomann.de/gb/gibson_sg_standard_2014_eb_b_stock.htm?ref=prod_rel_329164_0 tempting..

p90fool

I like the big guard, I certainly wouldn't let it sway my decision.

Moe_Zambeek

The batwing standards have a chunkier neck than the the 61s, which are modern slim taper. The early 61 reissues (actually called 62 reissues at the time...) were slightly slimmer still. I have one and it's my benchmark neck, just because it's what I learned on.
When the standard became a small guard 61 style (2013?) the necks were in between std and 61 IMO and are actually ok.

Angus has had 3 sig models - the first one was based on his main 71ish batwing guitar with a vibrola. The necks were very similar to the 61 reissue. Next up was the CS version which is effectively unobtainium, and then the revised USA version which is a small guard with lightning bolt inlays, in black or historic cherry. These have a very narrow nut width and feel a bit cramped, and the dark finished are a bit bland in person.

By contrast these days he mostly seems to play a black small guard SG with trap inlays and allegedly modified Duncan Pearly Gates pickups.

For a tribute band id imagine anything SG shaped would do.

terada

bloodandtears said:

How do the modern necks of a Standard compare to that of my 2010 Special (which feels like a baseball bat)?

I assume the 61 reissues are more sought after, if they were a higher RRP originally?

My 2013 has a skinny D profile

slate

I've owned 2 of the '13 model standards and played a brand new 61 SGLP RI yesterday. The necks felt identical to me,although as we all know they vary from guitar to guitar.
Fwiw ,out of those two you mention I'd get the 13 standard...

bloodandtears

What's a fair price for either??