Why no love for the Gibson SG?

[Stringswinger]

The question we really should be asking is why no love for Flying V?

Because people would keep on coming up to the bandstand requesting "Born under a bad sign"?

[neatomic]

good enough for alan holdsworth



& bill frisell



even jeff beck had one



cheers

[neatomic]

Because people would keep on coming up to the bandstand requesting "Born under a bad sign"?

not everyday you see some albert king humor!!..haha

cheers

[abelljo]

My personal opinion is that it is a cool looking guitar, but I hear too much of the pickup if that makes any sense. It's as if because the body being so thin I hear less of the darkness of the mahogany and the pickups stands out more and I get a very aggressive and bright tone perfect for classic rock. It is different with thicker guitars such as the LP Specials etc.

[entresz]

I was very fortunate to sit in with a great Australian jazz guitarist, George Golla. He's in his 80s now, but still plays great. He was using an Epiphone SG... plugged straight into a very crappy house PA and sounded really good. He's one of the best, he did many albums with reeds player Don Burrows ... some great stuff there. Was a real honour to meet him.

[Danny W.]

Throughout the '80's & '90's I led a pop/rock band. I played mostly an ES-355 for the first decade, but switched to a BB King Custom (which became the Lucille model) in the second decade. It was a great guitar, but heavy, so I'd play my white '89 SG/LP Custom on some of the numbers to give my shoulder a break. I liked it a lot--never noticed any of the problems that others complain about and thought it sounded terrific on the rock 'n' rolly-er stuff. It was a lot of fun to play because it was very light and the neck was whippy enough to make a vibrato bar superflous, but it was stable enough to be back in tune when I unbent it.

Haven't felt a need for a guitar like that in years, but if I were playing stuff like that now, I'd probably own one. I had an identical one in red that I never warmed up to for some reason. Looking at this photo, I'm kind of sorry I didn't hang onto the white one. I'd never use it for jazz, though.

From 1991:



Danny W.

[jovialspoon]

I was very fortunate to sit in with a great Australian jazz guitarist, George Golla. He's in his 80s now, but still plays great. He was using an Epiphone SG... plugged straight into a very crappy house PA and sounded really good. He's one of the best, he did many albums with reeds player Don Burrows ... some great stuff there. Was a real honour to meet him.

Hi entresz, another Aussie here. Yes, George is the doyen of Australian jazz guitarists, and if any of our non-Aussie readers haven't checked him out, I strongly urge you to do so. You won't be disappointed. I've met him on a few occasions and have also once seen him play a distinctly non-typical style of guitar (for jazz), a Hamer, which I'd only seen metal players use. And it sounded fantastic. A perfect example that, ultimately, it is the player that counts above all else. I actually asked him about his choice of guitar for that particular gig, and he just shrugged his shoulders and said "what's a jazz guitar anyway?" A player at George's level of perfection can make anything sound good.

[Greentone]

If you can find one (Pete Townshend destroyed most of them), the 60s SG Special is a terrific guitar. Twin P90s and glorious tone.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Loves me an SG. I've owned three, an Epi and two Gibbies. The Epiphone was perhaps the best-set guitar I've ever owned -- the neck didn't wander through the seasons, the action stayed the same no matter the weather -- might have done two set-ups on it all told. It kept true. Both Gibbies have been a little more finicky, but that's cool. The pickups are pretty nuanced and allow me to play with gain-stages through my signal chain, rather than be beholden to a base tone.

I can get 'Paul tone, some Strat tone, and some Tele tone from my SG. Can't say the same about the other three guitars -- Stras won't do a 'Paul, Teles can't do #2 and #4, Les Pauls have so much complexity that a simple plank-spanking isn't going to happen.

A 73 LPD was my Number 1 for 15 years, but after owning a good SG, I'm not going back. Versatile, playable, and under the radar in most markets.

[Thumpalumpacus]

neck heavy when standing, flimsy neck that doesn't work all that great with heavier strings.

I do like the sound. I'd rather play a mahogany PRS standard though. Way better build, not neck heavy and cheaper too. In fact, you can get an SE version for $500 that rivals the quality of the gibson

I play .011s on my Faded SG, standard tuning, no problem with neck warble so long as the weather doesn't turn quick overnight. There's nothing "flimsy" about the neck, on the ones I've owned. Big D shapes, and the 60s neck-joint is, well, a thing of the past. The modern neck-joint is pretty damned sturdy.

Neck-heavy happens on some but not all SGs, and is easily addressed by a suede strap.

Hoping to pick up a PRS SE Tremonti in the next few months. They are, indeed, great guitars too, and certainly have better fretwork. But they don't do SG skank like, well, an SG.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Because people would keep on coming up to the bandstand requesting "Born under a bad sign"?

Sheesh, I live near Austin, and even down here most listeners have no idea that Albert wrote and sang that song at all, much less played a V. Hell, most of these hipsters have no clue about that song at all.

[mad dog]

My first electric was a mid-60s SG Junior. Hated that guitar. Bendy neck, insubtantial sound. Later a good buddy loaned me his mid-60s SG Special for years. Much better, but somehow didn't really work for me.

A couple years ago, I got a 2005 SG Standard used, for open tuning and slide playing. Upgraded the stock p/us, and that guitar has a sound. I love how it works for that purpose, had less luck playing it with the action adjusted for regular playing (w/o slide). Just doesn't have the right feel. Not sure why, but where teles just seem to jump into my hands, SGs are reluctant partners. Both in feel and in sound.
MD

[neatomic]

of course clapton played born under a bad sign with cream!

the fool painted sg!



cheers

[Thumpalumpacus]

Praise Iommi

Would love to own an SG at some point [no pun intended].

They're a lot more versatile than most people realize.

[vinlander]

I have an SG Standard and it is very versatile indeed. I love the fact it is lighter than my 10 pounds Lester and with its upgraded machined steel TOM, has even a bit more sustain and bite than before. I use it however more for distorted tones than clean ones even if with its lowered neck 490R I can get a very decent jazz tone.
The one thing I miss on my SG and Lester for that matter, is the 25.5 scale which I learned to like better regarding chord notes definition.

[50Hz]

They're a lot more versatile than most people realize.

I'm with you, I'm trying to sell an old Epi Les Paul currently and will more than likely replace it with an SG down the line. I love to riff as much as the next guy but they clean up great, my brother has a Faded Special w an ebony board and it plays and sounds great.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I'm on my second Faded Special. I'm a fan of the 490s, which garner criticism in the rock community for being not so hot -- but I love 'em. Even in my metal days I was never a big fan of high-output pickups, probably a result of loving Rush, with their altered and extended chords. Low output pickups set up right will ring those through an amp even when said amp is running hot. Also, I think the thin slab of a body helps with note definition.

Between the Faded's pickups, wiring harness, and location and type of picking I'm doing, about the only tones it cannot at least close in on are the 2 &4 positions on a Strat ... and a good hollow archie. I gigged my first one doing blues, hard rock, and the occasional open-mic fingerstyle jazz.

[sgosnell]

I have a DeArmond 7-string SG clone that I bought just to try a 7-string. With .013 flats it's ok for jazz, decent tone, and the upper fret access is excellent. I played it for a few years, but there's just something about the sound of a humbucker set into a responsive top that I can't give up. The pickup vibrating underneath the strings gives a tone that a solidbody just can't reproduce. It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but I can't seem to change it. Not even a floating pickup comes close enough for me.

[Alastair]

Why no love? Two words: neck droop.
I owned two. Sold them along with my other Gibsons. Only play Epiphone Sheraton II Pros now.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Why no love? Two words: neck droop.
I owned two. Sold them along with my other Gibsons. Only play Epiphone Sheraton II Pros now.

Two words? Suede strap.

[mad dog]

A couple more SG notes:

Some have neck droop. Others don't. My 2005 SG Standard is perfectly balanced on the strap. Which is one reason I grabbed it. Neck heft varies widely on SG models too. The '61 RI models I've tried tend to have medium sized necks, wide but not all that deep. The later Standards tend to be heftier. My 2005 has a rather large neck, not baseball bat but not slim at all.

Ergonomically, SGs remind me a lot of playing the old Firebirds. Seems like the fretboard sticks way out there. Maybe it's the body size relative to the fretboard - and where the fretboard inserts - that does it. Helps to have long arms with this guitar.

Tried hard to get along with the stock p/us on my Standard, the 490s. No amount of adjustment did it for me. A pair of Ian Anderson humbuckers surely did do it. A huge upgrade. Lower wind, A2 magnets, unpotted. Hardly a unique formula. There are probably many such p/us that would sound great in the SG. The Classic 57s (heard these in several 61 RIs) also didn't sound right for my needs. A little too hot. It's all a question of taste and purpose. For louder rock and roll, the stock p/us or 57 Classics would probably be perfect.

MD

[cmajor9]

I guess Corey Christiansen thinks you can play jazz with an SG:

Cowboy Jazz: Corey Christiansen | Premier Guitar

[davidBb]

You really cannot beat a mahogany made guitar for tone. I had a LP studio all black goth/metal one in for a set up last year that was really lively. Even though its a LP shape I understand where you're coming from re; simple made and equipped guitars, I bonded with that LP and reluctantly gave it back to its owner.

Have you heard of Gordon Smith guitars from Manchester?

Attachment 34342
Great workmanship and reasonable costs for a handmade guitar. He's been around for 30+ years and this style has not altered. I guess this is the type of every day workmanlike guitar you are referring to.

You don't see many of these on the used market.

I love my mid-80s Gordon Smith GS2. Quirky as heck but something a bit different. Thing is they are marmite guitars and it seems in the last few years, up until the brand and tooling was sold to Auden guitars, there was a lot of grumbling about seriously shoddy quality control. ie. Get a 70s-90s one and you're probably ok. Try first if post-2000s. As I understand it, under Auden the QC is top notch so brand new is probably safe too.

My GS2 has some things I usually dislike - very, very flat fingerboard (who knows what the radius is?), frets that are low and wide (not because they're worn, that's just how they are) and the 80s-chic brass nut BUT on the GS they don't seem to bother me at all. It's quite wide at the nut too. All in all the neck seems to be pretty jazz-friendly, especially for single note runs, which are effortless. You might think a GS1 or 2 is a 'Les Paul Jr' clone from pictures but in the hand they are very different.

The things I really like are.

1) The weight - skinny slab body an double cutaway make it feel like holding some little Flying V. Slightly neck divey but only with shiny nylon straps with no grip. I use a nice rough simple suede one. As it has coil taps and weighs so little I've often used it as my 'jack of all trades' gig machine. It's one of those guitars you end up using more and more over time even if you weren't blown away at first.

2) The GS pickups. People often replace these for their favourite high end pups but I like the 80s GS originals - do the job nicely for clean stuff but have a real raucous sound if you play rock that doesn't really remind me of anything else. Clean and dirty it's an involving 'different' sound.

3) The meat and potatoes vibe. I love ornate guitars too but there's a certain rustic charm to guitars that are just planks of wood.

4) They are a bit 'cult'. Often someone will appear just to say, 'I like your Gordon Smith' as if there's a sort of club.

[joaopaz]

I bought a Gibson SG a couple of weeks ago. It's the 2016 Standard, in cherry.
Actually, I had bought the 2015 first, which came full of bells and whistles, from the nice hardshell case to the g-force autotuning system, plus coil taps, wider neck, etc... and even an hologram stamped in the back with Les Paul's face(!! horrible)... I don't know what gave to me; the whole thing freaked me out even before arriving home... so I turned her in the very next day, and this time brought the 2016 with me which is the opposite: a plain, classic SG.

This is not the most comfortable guitar I have, for sure, but at the same time she's a sweet to play - and I can't put her down. It has now a set of TI flatwound 12s , a nice setup and the neck seems really effortless! The guitar is light; the color, woodgrain and the whole thing is beautiful!
The 2015 had the 57s. This one has the 490R/498T but I honestly couldn't spot the difference. These sound super - and can actually produce some very jazzy sounds

Anyway, I'm really happy with this guitar! So, any similar experiences with SGs from the forum members here? And any notable references/use of SGs in the jazz world that you can remember?

(the photo isn't the best one, but at 5am in an hotel room that's what I could produce : )

[Flat]

Early Bill on an SG. Gotta love it...so inventive...