sg's angle to body when worn with a strap

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mark123mark123 Frets: 1316
got a great sg classic but it juts out at a angle when playing it standing up,i dont have this problem with les pauls or a  dc junior i own.
Is this just a sg trait that i will have to like or lump?
Also the neck feels longer than my les paul ,as if i have to stretch further for the first fret ?
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Comments

  • AlterlifesonAlterlifeson Frets: 475
    Another quirk of the SG, its the position of the upper strap button. As it is lower on the body then say a strat, the guitar is able to tip forwards more. Same thing with the long neck feeling, the button is right around the 22nd fret, whilst on a strat or LP its more like 12-14th.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    mark123 said:
    Is this just a sg trait that i will have to like or lump?
    Yes.

    The way that SGs and, to some extent, the ES Thinline series rest against the player's ribs tend to make the neck project further forward than, say, a Les Paul. The Gibson "futuristic" pointy shapes hang differently again.
    Be seeing you.
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  • skunkwerxskunkwerx Frets: 6838
    Same with my explorer shape regarding the neck length feeling. You get used to it though, then upper fret noodling becomes very comfy!
    The only easy day, was yesterday...
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  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4718
    edited May 2018
    @mark123 ;;;I have no problem with my  2006 SG Standard whatsoever.  It sits very comfortably and is nicely balanced on the strap (which is a wider, leather strap).  Might it possibly be just the type of strap you're using? 

    I'm fortunate enough to have a few different guitars inc a LP Custom, SG Standard, Telecaster, Strats, PRS Cu24, Yamaha 611VFM, and I can switch between any of them without any problem re neck length etc and they all hang fine with a strap.  The only guitar I have that feels a bit different with my arm over it is my Epiphone Sheraton II but that's just because of its larger 335 body shape.  Of the guitars I've played (but don't own) that I didn't feel comfortable with are a Flying V, Explorer, several Gretsch models, Rickenbackers, & (albeit to a lesser extent) Firebird. But then perhaps it's just what you get used to.  
    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31367
    You'll get used to it but yes, it actually hangs a fair bit to the left on a strap compared to most other guitars, in fact it's not uncommon to find yourself playing a couple of frets higher than you thought you were. 

    I had one for about a year a long time ago and getting used to it then has never really left me, I can still pick one up now and feel at home. 
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26749
    I've never understood the whole "to the left" thing with SGs - you have to wear them more on your hip, so the strap button is roughly level with your belly button. Then everything is in the right place. 






    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • martmart Frets: 5205
    I've never understood the whole "to the left" thing with SGs - you have to wear them more on your hip, so the strap button is roughly level with your belly button. Then everything is in the right place. 
    ...
    And if you get the right sort of belly button piercing then you won’t even need a strap.
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  • mark123mark123 Frets: 1316
    thanks for all the feedback ,a lot to try/think about
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4943
    mark123 said:
    thanks for all the feedback ,a lot to try/think about
    Check out the SG/Tele build by @ThorpyFX. He fitted the front strap button in the middle of the top 'horn'. That is probably where Gibson *should* have fitted the front strap button on SGs. SGs are lovely guitars to play, the neck heaviness (front strap button in the wrong place?) put me off them. Enjoy your guitar and play it lots....
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • martinwmartinw Frets: 2149
    edited May 2018 tFB Trader
    I prefer the way SGs hang, and especially the angle, which makes life easier on the wrist if you play thumb-behind.

    In fact I move strap buttons on all my guitars to the neck heel area.

    Guitars have different characteristics, and you need to spend time with them to get used to them. As with many things, the answer is practise!

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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    Rocker said:
    the neck heaviness (front strap button in the wrong place?)
    The apparent neck heaviness of the SG design stems from the fact that Gibson always intended it to wear a Maestro Sideways Vibrola and associated metal cover on its lower bout. (This is why the controls and output jack socket are all bunched so closely together.)
    Be seeing you.
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9794
    @Funkfingers YLSNED!
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • SkippedSkipped Frets: 2371
    I've never understood the whole "to the left" thing with SGs - you have to wear them more on your hip, so the strap button is roughly level with your belly button. Then everything is in the right place.

    Very interesting sticky.
    I think I was doing that without even realising. I cannot check right now  because the SGs were sold 2 minutes after I woke up one day and suddenly realised how great Les Pauls are.

    I think the Sg is a wonderful stage guitar, very easy to wear, but I do think that the balance on a strap is really important. If anyone is buying an Sg, please play as many as you can.  They are very much a mixture of "neck heavy" and just  perfect. My '69 Special had a huge neck and balanced perfectly. 

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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26749
    Skipped said:
    I've never understood the whole "to the left" thing with SGs - you have to wear them more on your hip, so the strap button is roughly level with your belly button. Then everything is in the right place.

    Very interesting sticky.
    I think I was doing that without even realising. I cannot check right now  because the SGs were sold 2 minutes after I woke up one day and suddenly realised how great Les Pauls are.

    I think the Sg is a wonderful stage guitar, very easy to wear, but I do think that the balance on a strap is really important. If anyone is buying an Sg, please play as many as you can.  They are very much a mixture of "neck heavy" and just  perfect. My '69 Special had a huge neck and balanced perfectly. 
    Yeah, I think there are those of us who just naturally hold it like that and those who never will - I certainly didn't do it on purpose when I first got an SG, but my first "proper" guitars were an SG and an Explorer, both of which have potentially-fucky geometry so maybe I just figured that was normal. 

    I agree re neck heaviness too. Though there are plenty that are neck heavy (and certainly they all are compared with your average LP which has a much thicker heavier body before you even start thinking about neck joints and strap button placement) but all the good ones I've played seem to be very well balanced. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    YLSNED!
    Not always a good thing.

    Like Homer Simpson, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain.


    Be seeing you.
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  • TTBZTTBZ Frets: 2873
    edited May 2018
    I've never understood the whole "to the left" thing with SGs - you have to wear them more on your hip, so the strap button is roughly level with your belly button. Then everything is in the right place. 
    Yeah, once I got used to this I learned to love my SG. I was so used to how a LP hangs on a strap that it felt so weird. Feels normal now and fits me like a glove.
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  • olafgartenolafgarten Frets: 1648
    A problem with SG's are that they are difficult to position correctly if you are sitting down.
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  • PeterSPeterS Frets: 2
    OK , I know this is an old thread, but I found it just hours ago when I searched for help. I own an Epiphone SG400 and struggled with neck dive and the long neck. I was about to swap this beauty for a Les Paul type guitar after having played a Gibson Les Paul (which I couldn‘t afford). It felt so much more balanced and accessible. Then I read this thread, especially @stickyfiddle s description  of the SG playing position. Went  home, adjusted my playing position accordingly and instantly enjoyed playing my guitar much more than before. Actually this helped me overcome the serious GAS which I had after comparing the LP to my SG.

    Sorry for the long text when I just wanted to say THANK YOU .
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  • fastonebazfastonebaz Frets: 4065
    I love my 2018 sg standard  it's balanced,  games right, plays amazing and people compliment me on it's tone at gigs.  Recommended. 
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26749
    PeterS said:
    OK , I know this is an old thread, but I found it just hours ago when I searched for help. I own an Epiphone SG400 and struggled with neck dive and the long neck. I was about to swap this beauty for a Les Paul type guitar after having played a Gibson Les Paul (which I couldn‘t afford). It felt so much more balanced and accessible. Then I read this thread, especially @stickyfiddle s description  of the SG playing position. Went  home, adjusted my playing position accordingly and instantly enjoyed playing my guitar much more than before. Actually this helped me overcome the serious GAS which I had after comparing the LP to my SG.

    Sorry for the long text when I just wanted to say THANK YOU .
    Woo! 

    SGs are awesome when you get the hang of them. My first 4 Gibsons were all strap-button-on-heel (Explorer, SG, CS-336 and another SG), so I just got used to it from the start, but it's brilliant when it "clicks". I honestly think the SG is my favourite solidbody.
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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