Gibson SG - I forgot how much fun they are . .

maw4neu

I've recently bought an SG Classic off one of our very own forum members . . .  It hadn't been used in some time and had no pickups fitted . . . It was offered with a brand new and bargain priced, never fitted, Oil City Firewatch Bridge P90 and I've since bought a Tonerider Vintage P90 . . They are both fitted now and I had a mini setup done by one of the local Guitar Tech's . . .  I haven't put it down in days . . The pickup combination needed a little height adjustment to get the balance spot on and I wasnt 100% sure at first but, a few days further on and a few tweaks and WOW . . . Love it . . . I'd genuinely forgot how much fun SG's are . . . The neck is a bit chunkier than I remember my last on being but its so easy to play . . . I still have my SG "FEAR" which is that one day I'll drop it and snap the neck . . . but when I've got past that thought I just cant put the thing down . . It rings, it growls and its got instant Jazz tone too  . . .Great guitars, really chuffed with it . . (  Many thanks Steve & Good Luck with your NR Firebird Project )

fastonebaz

I love my SG, it just fits me and the neck position is just where I want my hands to be when soloing. 

stickyfiddle

Best solidbody Gibson ever made...

Jota

Been a tele guy for years. The SG Special changed that and haven't played much anything else since I got it.

Voxman

I came to SGs late, but I really love my 2006 SG Standard in the classic heritage cherry, with the stock humbuckers. Very light, very comfortable, with easy access to the top frets, and great tone.



But I never got on with the stock tuners, so changed them in January.

The Gibson Deluxe tuners are 14:1 gearing and I'd describe them as 'adequate' at best. They made accurate tuning awkward because they were overly sensitive and were too sensitive to movement and temperature changes.  The stock tuners put me off playing the guitar.

The Rotomatics are 18:1 gear ratio and the difference in tuning accuracy and stability is huge.  Weight wise these are only marginally heavier than the stock tuners, there is absolutely no neck dive, and the guitar actually feels better balanced. Very importantly these are a straight drop in replacement with just one screw hole exposed. 

TTBZ

I go hot and cold on mine. Currently in a "hate it" phase where it all just feels wrong and sounds average. Still way comfier than a strat though which fits me all wrong. 

andyp

I absolutely love my 2016 Faded.

I’ve been toying with the idea of swapping the pickups for HB sized P90s and can’t decide if I should do it or not...

It’s awesome as it is.

Eviltwin14

This is a bad thread for me atm. I'm currently in heavy research mode around an alternative to my current squeezes. I have a strat, tele and epi Les Paul. The Les Paul was my first guitar and I whilst I go through phases of playing them all  it probably my favourite sound with a seymour duncan neck pick up. However it weighs a ton. I love the 12" radius fretboard and bound neck and I've been eyeing up a SG Special with p90s. Then you have the badge dilemma. Like most of us I've always wanted a Gibson but never been able to justifiy it. I always compromise and buy mid range things. However that itch is still there. 
Love the look of the Special P90 in Pelham Blue but the Epiphone version is almost £900 less!!!

fastonebaz

@Eviltwin14 ;; check out the Ltd viper 1000 in tiger eye or see thru  purple. Mmm. 

Barquentine

Take care of it. I had to retire my heavily modded '63 Junior after one too many headstock accidents. I'd love to get a Standard with a chunky neck one day.

UnclePsychosis

I can't even remember if I've ever played an SG. If I have, it was at least 15 years ago. I've always liked the look of the P90 models, myself but not enough to actually want to buy one. 

Voxman

A good friend of mine has an SG with 2 P90s which he loves.  Having played it, the tone was OK but I found the P90 hum annoying, and I still prefer my Standard. 

stickyfiddle

Voxman said:

A good friend of mine has an SG with 2 P90s which he loves.  Having played it, the tone was OK but I found the P90 hum annoying, and I still prefer my Standard. 

Yeah, people rave about the P90 ones but I've never found one I liked. PAFs all the way imo

andyp

Voxman said:

A good friend of mine has an SG with 2 P90s which he loves.  Having played it, the tone was OK but I found the P90 hum annoying, and I still prefer my Standard. 

Interesting!

I had forgotten about the hum aspect of things.

guitargeek62

I love the sound, look and feel of them, but not the control layout! If it weren’t for that I’d probably still have one.

maw4neu

Voxman said:

A good friend of mine has an SG with 2 P90s which he loves.  Having played it, the tone was OK but I found the P90 hum annoying, and I still prefer my Standard. 

I dont really have an issue with the "hum" . . . . I don't gig now, and haven't done for many years. . . . .  I'm quite lucky in that I own in a detached house so, when my neighbours are out I can wind my amp up . . I've tried the guitar through my amp ( Artisan 15 Head ) at more or less full volume whilst I was balancing the output from each pickup.but I didn't really notice the "hum" then or since . . .  Most of the time I play at "house" or just over "house" volume . . . . The Artisan 15 has a beautiful growl but I swapped out the 12AX7 in V1 for a 12AT7 so I get more clean headroom . .  . . Since the change , my Artisan 15 Head is much more Fendery now . . its not as brash & harsh as it used to be with the higher gain 12AX7 . . . 

Mind you, Im a bit deaf too so I guess that helps :-)

 

Iamnobody

No problem Mark - enjoy it. I’m still not sure I should have sold it - but at least I still have one big neck SG and the NR Firebird project to keep me busy.

This guitar wasn’t actually for sale but a throwaway comment in the recent SG thread, a few pm exchanges, and in line with a general shift away from me owning too many guitars it’s now got a new owner!

A nice straight forward deal as well.  

Don’t worry about a future headstock break either - the best SG I’ve owned had a bad one and aesthetics aside it made no difference. Once it’s done and repaired you won’t have to think about it. 

StuartMac290

I love SGs, really fluid wee guitars to play.

And if you get bored with them you just stick a set of 11s on it, jack the action up a touch, and you have a perfect guitar for slide.

wrinkleygit

In 1974 I bought a two year old Std , there’s a very good reason why I still have it today. It also had a neck repair long before I bought it from good old Bill Greenhalgh’s .

PonchoGreg

I recently started the thread of "The madness of loving SGs".... They're awesome, quirks and all.

I love my 2013 standard,but the one I really kick myself for letting go is an early 2000s SG Classic (nitro, binding, P90s on a batwing guard). That was one hell of a guitar, great chunky neck (for an SG) and the sweetest tone when you get up to the 12-17 frets with the neck P90.

TTBZ

I think I need to try a bridge P90 in mine, the neck BKP Mississippi Queen I have in it sounds awesome. The Oil City Critical Mass 90s sound like they'd do what I want and possibly make the bridge position tone a bit "wider" and less mid focused.

That said if anyone wanted to offer a nice LP studio in trade for mine I'd happily take it