2013 Gibson SG 50s tribute
I've had this guitar since I got it in the Christmas madness sales for WELL below the rrp.
I think 6 months is probably sufficient time to form an opinion, so here goes...
I've long fancied an SG (& have owned numerous clones). I raised some funds last year & decided to pull the trigger on a "real" sg during the sales.
I compared EVERY SG GuitarGuitar had in stock, from Epi G400- Gibson Standard, keeping the one I liked best each time.
This is where I ended up. Not the most expensive by any means, but it's the one that spoke to me.
As you can see, it's an SG with p90s. To my mind this is a match made in heaven: LPs should have humbuckers, telecasters should have that biting bridge tone & SGs should have P90s- they just seem to compliment the resonance of that light mahogany body.
The finish is SUPER thin & will mark up easily, every time you see one of this model on eBay it seems to have lots of wear on the body.
I generally like Relics, but decided to add a pickguard to protect the body from my flailing. (It looks MUCH better too!) It's an aftermarket job as there isn't a Gibson one available.
That thin finish does have benefits- the guitar is REALLY resonant and lively. It feels great in your hand too- like an actual piece of wood, you can feel the grain, especially along...
The neck- being a "tribute" to a 50s SG (I know it's a daft idea) this has a big ole chunky neck. I find it really comfortable, several of my friends don't- they think it's too big.
The other divisive aspect of the neck is there fact that it has 24 frets. I don't use them... I never get that far up, but their presence doesn't bother me at all. Access is no problem, is an sg after all.
The frets are well dressed & after a wee tweak of the truss, the action is great.
The other benefit of the extra frets and chunky neck is that the neck joint is rich solid, I've played several SGs where any pressure on the back of the neck would induce a change in pitch. Not here.
The hardware all works fine, so no complaints there.
The pickups are obviously p90s & are a bit hotter than the one on my old LP Jr. They still clean up quite nicely & bring single coils aren't prove to the muddy tone HBs can produce.
It's a very versatile guitar & can easily cover everything from chiming cleans to crunchy rock (think early Sabbath). It doesn't like TONS of gain- it starts to feed back a bit.
I use a wide strap, so there's no neck five to speak of. It came in a Gibson gig bag which is a bit rubbish, but OK for getting the guitar to jam sessions in the car. I'd want a hard case if i were going further afield with it.
Overall I'm very happy. It's a well put together & very versatile instrument. I still wish it was shipped with a pickguard, but that's a personal preference I guess.
Comments
I also approve of the choice of scratch plate size
Where did you get the scratchplate from as I've been thinking about getting one for mine - did you have to send a custom template for it?
I am thinking about swapping the pickups out for a lower output P90 as they are a touch too hot for my tastes as my other main guitars are a Tele and a Jazzmaster so there is a significant output increase when swapping to this guitar. Might try living with the pickups lower for a while...
If I keep my 50's tribute SG, I've got a Bigsby B3 to pop on it, and a Towner tension bar.
These are are great guitars.
Seeing yours with the guard on is raising my GAS levels again though.
Good call on the pick guard, looks great against the p90s.
I adjusted the action and truss rod on it when it arrived & replaced the strings, but other than that it's been plain sailing- this may be due to the fact that I got it from GuitarGuitar so actually tried the guitar I was taking home before handing over my cash.
That said, I DID try virtually every other SG they had in the store that day and only one (the standard IIRC) had any issues, but even then I think it was a crackly pot rather than anything structural.
Regarding the neck- It is pretty chunky, but I find it very comfortable. I'd recommend getting your hands on one & trying it.
I have just dropped on one of these, i love it! i'm after a pickguard for it but can't see your pic anymore because of the photobucket thing... dont suppose you could send me the pic pls? cheers, Simon