Current crop of Gibson SGs... Worth it?

[Recycled_Brains]

Curious how you guitar nuts feel about the currently made (new) SGs.

I have an '82 that I will go to my fucking grave with. I love it like a son, and have never really even wanted to play any other instrument, BUT, I'd like to get another SG as a backup at shows, and for having something just slightly different for dbl tracking my gtr. parts in the studio, using wierd tunings, etc.

Vintage guitars are, in general, way out of my budget range.

I've heard negative comments about the new crop of LPs, but how are the new SGs (the standard, not the "special robot faded goth turd sammich" ones)?

[losthighway]

I also have an 80's SG. Last time I went to Banjomart/ Rock Stick Mega House, I found the new SG's to be terribly overpriced toys. I would wait and find an old one. As far as I'm concerned you could get a nicer used Epiphone and put some new parts in it and you'd be looking as good as the new Gibsons for like half the price.

[suppositron]

Idk, man. I have an '05 SG standard and I love it. Never played a vintage one so I don't know what I'd like better in that case but I do know an epiphone would not stand up to it. Do I think they are a little overpriced? Yeah I do. But I've never felt a better neck on any guitar and it's way lighter than my '89 LP Studio.

[Jim Williams]

From those I've seen, they are just plain awful! The finish isn't the old style nitrocelulose laquer finish, the necks are as thick as baseball bats, the pickups are those new Gibson 4xx models, the hardware is poor.
Even the $5000 white custom is a POS.
I can say that as I had the originals back in the 1960's. I had a 1960 Les Paul SG like Clapton played, it had a super fast neck and balanced well.

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

[kuene]

look for a very early 90s standard. i have one of these (original owner 90 or 91), and have compared it quite favorably to a few earlier models and some recent models. I also don't think they have zoomed up in price very much at all.

[LazarusLong]

Find one of the Faded SGs, maybe drop in new PUs if it suits you. They have a thin nitro finish, thin necks, and unremarkable (in either direction) hardware. Totally playable, gig-able and affordable.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SGSCWBCH not in stock, but here's what they look like (nor will be for ??? due to the flood)

[suppositron]

I had a 1960 Les Paul SG like Clapton played, it had a super fast neck and balanced well.

Gee. I've never heard of a Les Paul SG. I thought the Gibson SG wasn't around till 61.

[roscoenyc]

They are cool guitars.
The P-90 ones are my favorite.
But, they are not for everybody.
If you are really used to laying your right arm
on the upper bout of the guitar you may never
be able to keep an SG in tune.

[suppositron]

I guess that '50s neck isn't for everyone either. I read on other forums some people liked the thinner 60s profile and some liked the fatter 50s neck. I like the way the 50s neck feels in my hand. I can't stand thin necks like on the Ibanez RG series.

[Marc Alan Goodman]

I had a 1960 Les Paul SG like Clapton played, it had a super fast neck and balanced well.

Gee. I've never heard of a Les Paul SG. I thought the Gibson SG wasn't around till 61.

It's true that they didn't exist until 61. However the early ones were labeled as Les Paul. I believe he asked to have his name taken off at some point because he wasn't in to them...

[getreel]

I've had a 2005 SG Standard since it was brand new and I love, love, love it! I went out and bought a faded V right after and I love it also. The more modern Gibsons are great guitars and I don't think you should worry about whether they will be good enough at all.

[Producer/Engineer]

Find one of the Faded SGs, maybe drop in new PUs if it suits you. They have a thin nitro finish, thin necks, and unremarkable (in either direction) hardware. Totally playable, gig-able and affordable.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SGSCWBCH not in stock, but here's what they look like (nor will be for ??? due to the flood)

+1

[supafuzz]

If you are really used to laying your right arm
on the upper bout of the guitar you may never
be able to keep an SG in tune.

This is so true but then again you won't need a whammy bar.
I had a double cut junior copy that you could divebomb with if you pushed the neck too much. The epi coronets are kind of the same way.

[KennyLusk]

Have you considered building your own? The last neck I had made at Warmoth was nothing short of amazing. The attention to detail and the fretwork was fantastic. Not to mention you have choice over type of wood, fret size, fretboard, neck profile, etc. They do great work. Choose your own hardware from somebody like tonepros or babicz, some kluson keys, then your favorite pups and have a monster you'll never want to get rid of. Something you'll cherish as much as the '82 you already have.

[Vogon]

I'm big on SG's, the current standards are generally "OK" in my opinion, I like fat-ish necks, and the high frets with rounded ends.

I don't like: The pickups are at an angle to the strings due to the pitch of the neck and the pups being in a flat scratchplate, the bridge slug-coil is maybe 2-3 mil further from the strings. The finish can be a bit slap-dash, in that the sanding on a few examples I've seen, have left slight undulations visible when you hold the axe to a lightsource, and the EM shield paint in the control cavities seems to be slopped on.

The 4xx pickups are "ok", and the bodies tend to be a bit heavier than past versions, resulting IMO in a thicker, maybe more low-mid emphasis than the tight, spanky, rude mids of the past.

One thing to watch for is the sustain above the 12-14th frets, and the frets may need going over as I've experienced a bit of choking at "normal" setup heights in store examples.
One will find cool ones, and a pickup replacement (I like classic 57's) and a setup will result in a decent machine - but a few frogs have to be kissed. Though of course with the right axe those 4xx pickups work well for harder music styles.