Why no love for the Gibson SG?

[mr quick]

I'd kind of forgotten about my Gibson SG and pulled it out today after not having touched it since may or june I think... It's strung with the optiwebs I put on it back then.
Anyway, how come I don't see more of these in jazz? Really cool-sounding guitars with a punchy midrange that sounds tailor-made for bop! Nothing but mids for days! Super light, super comfortable to play, mine has a huge baseball bat neck and upper fret access is the best of any guitar I've tried. Nothing will ever outdo my ES, but an SG is a cool shade none the less.
I did a quick recording on my phone, which paired with other factors(!) does it no justice, but I think it's a nice sounding guitar. Bone stock 2009 SG special faded/worn something.

Who's got SG's?

[Greentone]

Between the Les Paul and the SG Custom I used to have, I would say that the SG was the better guitar overall and the better jazz guitar.

I just wish it didn't have the middle pickup, which got in my way. Great looking though.

[KFTWRK]

i bring my 1994 SG to my guitar lessons... its got a neck similar to my 2016 es-175 VOS. it works well, but id like to try thicker strings (currently with 10-46).

sounds great

[Doug B]

I'd kind of forgotten about my Gibson SG and pulled it out today after not having touched it since may or june I think... It's strung with the optiwebs I put on it back then.
Anyway, how come I don't see more of these in jazz?

Who's got SG's?

I know John Abercrombie played an SG.

[neatomic]

I know John Abercrombie played an SG.

right! as did holdsworth and john etheridge...and mclaughlin..x2!! hah



cheers

[Bflat233]

I bought a mint NOS 2011 SG last year after spending a week with Corey Christiansen, where he played his SG exclusively. Mine is a Mahogany body in a natural finish. Corey's is too, but his Custom Shop edition is made from Korina.

[sgosnell]

I have an Indonesian-made 7-string SG copy, and it's the best-playing guitar I own, or have played. I bought it to try a 7-string, and don't really see the point, so it lives in a closet. Nothing wrong with an SG style, I just don't like the 7 strings as much as I thought I might. I really should dig it out, but my Wu keeps sending its siren call, so I haven't bothered.

[LtKojak]

After playing guitar since age seven, being a pro since age fifteen, and having owned almost every type of guitar, there are only two instruments I've never been able to bond with: the Telecaster and the SG.

YMMV.

[P.J.]

I had an SG for a little over a year. Just couldn't deal with it. Love lots of people who play them. Ended up trading it for a Parker Nitefly, which I still own and love. My second favorite guitar after my '92 Telecaster. Different strokes...

[TedBPhx]

Zappa!

[John A.]

I'd kind of forgotten about my Gibson SG and pulled it out today after not having touched it since may or june I think... It's strung with the optiwebs I put on it back then.
Anyway, how come I don't see more of these in jazz? Really cool-sounding guitars with a punchy midrange that sounds tailor-made for bop! Nothing but mids for days! Super light, super comfortable to play, mine has a huge baseball bat neck and upper fret access is the best of any guitar I've tried. Nothing will ever outdo my ES, but an SG is a cool shade none the less.
I did a quick recording on my phone, which paired with other factors(!) does it no justice, but I think it's a nice sounding guitar. Bone stock 2009 SG special faded/worn something.

Who's got SG's?

I had an early 70s SG special with mini-humbuckers, for about 15 years. It was all I had for nine of those years, and it was what I used when I started playing jazz. That particular SG had kind of a thin neck pickup tone that worked less and less for me over time, so I stopped using it once I got another electric (a strat) and eventually traded it for an archtop. As to why not many people use them for jazz, partly it's an image thing, and partly it's functional. Some other SGs I've tried come much closer to a 335 or Les Paul sort of tone than what I had, so they can be viable for jazz, but you have to find the right one. Most also have pretty severe neck dive, which I think bothers jazz players (who in general play seated more) more than rock guys.

John

[zcostilla]

After playing guitar since age seven, being a pro since age fifteen, and having owned almost every type of guitar, there are only two instruments I've never been able to bond with: the Telecaster and the SG.

YMMV.

interesting. Those are two very iconic instruments. Is it the feel or the tone?

[rpjazzguitar]

I've heard that the long neck can create problems with tuning stability.

But, I heard some guys play them and sound terrific.

For some reason, it isn't that popular in jazz circles.

[John A.]

I've heard that the long neck can create problems with tuning stability.

But, I heard some guys play them and sound terrific.

For some reason, it isn't that popular in jazz circles.

It's not the long neck. It's the combination of the way neck/body joint is done (for some versions/time periods) exacerbated by a skinny neck (also version/era dependent). For some people it's a feature (a Bigsby without the hardware); for some it's a bug. For the most recent SG variants that are not intended to be historically accurate reissues, Gibson figured out to make sturdier neck/body joints and they wiggle a lot less. The OP has a modern one, and it's probably pretty stable.

John

[P.J.]

Wow, that's gorgeous!

{gearhead} . . . and that's just the bridge pickup! {/gearhead}

Bill mainly played on the bridge pickups with humbucker guitars but mainly uses the neck pickup when playing a Tele.

[TedBPhx]

It's not the long neck. It's the combination of the way neck/body joint is done (for some versions/time periods) exacerbated by a skinny neck (also version/era dependent). For some people it's a feature (a Bigsby without the hardware); for some it's a bug. For the most recent SG variants that are not intended to be historically accurate reissues, Gibson figured out to make sturdier neck/body joints and they wiggle a lot less. The OP has a modern one, and it's probably pretty stable.

John

That explains my confusion! All these SG lovers and mine was so hard to keep tuned it was almost unplayable. Bought it used in ‘77. Didn’t know much about guitars then. I’d assume late ‘60s early ‘70s.

[Bbmaj7#5#9]

Here’s another video with Bill Frisell and his Gibson SG.

[mr quick]

Frisell sounds wonderful! Bring back cascading delays and scary jazz with close intervals and ambiguous harmonies!

[JazzNote]

Gotta love SG playin', Rat stompin' Bill!!

Yep, long ago i've seen Frisell live with an SG, with Marc Johnsons Bass Desires alongside Scofield and Erskine. Must have been the same tour as this:

[P.J.]

Frisell sounds wonderful! Bring back cascading delays and scary jazz with close intervals and ambiguous harmonies!

I miss that Bill as well...volume pedal Bill.

[icr]

SG in popular 'jazz.' I'm surprised no one has posted this yet....

...ok I know its fake...

[skykomishone]

I owned an SG standard in the late '60's. It was nice. Those humbucker pickups were fantastic and I liked the guitar a lot. It's a guitar that I wish I still owned. It was a good match for my twin reverb.

[buduranus2]

I have had just about every SG model except those with trems and I just could not bond with them.

I never really nailed down the reason, but of all the Gibson models I have played the SG is the one I will never buy again. Heck if I see one in a LGS I won't even pick one up to play.

The reason is the neck pickup placement. The pole pieces don't align with the "24th fret" like, for example, a Les Paul. So they sound a little "cold" by comparison.

That said, I bought an Epiphone SG Standard a few months ago for two hundred bucks and it absolutely kills for pretty much everything - except jazz. Plus it tickles me no end to play a $200 cheapie in a world of $8,500 Murphy-aged Pauls.

[DawgBone]

I owned an SG standard in the late '60's. It was nice. Those humbucker pickups were fantastic and I liked the guitar a lot. It's a guitar that I wish I still owned. It was a good match for my twin reverb.

I picked up an LTD Viper earlier this year which is like an offset SG. I love the playability and the upper fret access, so fluid for tricky licks but plugged into my Twin it left a lot to be desired vs my ES or LP's. No comparison. Was disappointed. I did a pickup swap with it today hoping for some improvement but still think I need a more appropriate neck humbucker but dang I had a 490r in there and it just didn't do it for me. Weird tubbiness in the lows I couldn't dial out and rather flat and sterile compared to the same pickup in an LP or ES. Not sure it'll work out for actual gigging the way I had hoped but I love playing the guitar itself. If I can't get ballpark I'll probably let it go.

[Greywolf]

I've had an SG for 42 years, and got a second fancy one a couple of years ago .
My old one has been upgraded with Lollar P90's , the new Modern has ben fitted with Harmonic Designs Z90's in pearl to match a custom I built for local artist Carly Gibson . She loved the tribute and signed it.