Hi all
Thinking of moving on my Yamaha semi as it's getting little use, along with some other bits, and getting something in the SG family. Only ever owned one Gibson (a faded 2014 Les Paul) so i've not much idea about specs etc - I've been through a few of the stock pickups in various guitars but that's about it and have no particularly strong feelings - they all paled when compared to a set of now long gone Bare Knuckles, though that's not to say they were 'bad'.
So, up to the value of say £700, what's my best bet? A used Gibson Standard or some sort of tribute/faded/jr, Epiphone, Guild, Vintage etc?
In an ideal world id have a Jeff Tweedy sig but I'm pretty flexible with spec as choice seems so much more limited when compared to fenders so it doesn't seem to matter all that much!
Comments
Specials can be spectacular when you get a good one but the necks are often massive, which makes them more likely to neck dive.
Of course you may prefer a half guard, binding & pickup covers, in which case a Standard is the way forward.
I'm sure there are great copies by Epiphone, Vintage, Harley Benton etc, but if you can get a Gibson I can't see why you wouldn't. Especially if you want anything other than a thin neck/plasticy finish etc- the Vintage VS6 I played was like a tooth pick.
If you like p90s, the 2013 50s tribute was lovely. Big neck & p90s, it looks strange with out the guard though.
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/171497/fs-gibson-sgx-esp-ltd-ec401-vf-vintage-icon-v52#latest
Also if you look around you can often get last years models at great prices. I paid £800 brand new from Thomann a couple of years ago.
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/170729/fs-yamaha-sg700s-case-immaculate-reduced-now-600-now-with-weight
Useful to know that pre 2008 is a good period, should be cheaper (I don't mind some wear) and tallies with my favourite SG player using a '99 or '00 Standard as her main axe.
While the blue one in the classifieds looks lovely it's a bit rich for me and some of the other suggestions just aren't classic-style SGs, sorry! Should have been clearer.
Will report back when I've done some playing and trawling if eBay, which is as variable as ever. Some people are practically delusion...
I'm not a fan of the fadeds or the satin finished variants, but those early 2000s gloss finish specials are *very* good and incredibly cheap.