buying a new Gibson SG

K

krechaSP

New member
Hi folks,
I will be buying a new SG but I'm not sure which one should I choose.
Here in Poland prices are different then in other countries.

I have an oportunity of buiyng a Gibson SG Standard 2014 in ebony finish for 1054 USD.
The other guitar I am thinking of is Gibson SG Standard 2015 Translucent ebony for 1396 USD (there is a chance I would get a few % discount)

'14 comes with a Gibson Historic Brown Hardshell Case, '57 Classic pickups, Min Etune tunning system, Graph Tech nut, "standard" TOM bridge.
'15 comes with a Gibson Gold Molded Hardshel Case, '57 Classic pickups, G Force tunning system, new brass nut, tom with titanium saddles.

Which one should I be interested in ?
342$ usually makes a difference, but if '15 is worth this 342$ more - that's not a problem, cuz I was looking for a SG with that kind of price.
I just want to know if Standard 2015 is 342$ better then 2014 SG. I heard lots of different opinions about those guitars (here in Poland) and I don't have a chance to play this guitar before buying. If there will be problems with the guitar that will be delivered to me - of course they will change it for another one, but still the question is - which one should I choose ?

P.S. I want to keep the guitar without any mods or pickup changes.


Bonus question:
golden case is ugly as hell and I can change it for a standard Gibson SG Case, but of course - the look doesn't matter. Which case is better and more durable ? I used to have Gibson SG White Mirror with a "standard" case and it was the best case I have ever owned personally, but maybe the new one (gold) is better ?


Thanks for help !!
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

I would buy which ever one played better.

If you cant play them first I would buy the 14 just to avoid the wider neck and zero fret on the 15.

btw the tuners on these are the same just renamed. Both leave a lot to be desired.
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

I would go with the 14. Personally I didn't like the wider neck and the nut changes to the 15s. I think the min etune system is pretty cool actually. But that's personal preference

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

The brass nut / zero fret, to me, is questionable. Really, trying to replace a true and tried part with two questionable parts is a step into the future! I'd also be really worried about nut/fret wear over the years. | I'm ocd to some extent! and would look for it even if there wasn't any. | Also. I really didn't like the wider necks. I've played SG's most of my life and 2015 just felt wrong.

Play them both and you decide.

My vote and selection is the 2014.
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

definitely the 14 out of those two, but if it was for me, I probably wait until you can find a slightly older SG standard that has regular style tuners rather than the min-e-tune system.
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

I agree. I personally wouldn't buy either of those. I don't want/need an electronic tuner adding an ugly wad of plastic to the back of the headstock, and I certainly don't want a brass nut or that ugly headstock logo on the '15. I would look for an SG from 2011 or before, and you have to be a little careful of 2011's too because there were quite a few with baked maple fretboards.
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

I'd pick the 2014 and save the money for better pickups if the 57s doesn't jive. the 120 anniversary inlay looks cooler and more unique too :D
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

I would get neither, as I dislike the standard features both years. '14 has the ugly fretboard inlay and '15 has the ugly brass nut. Both have the stupid automatic tuners. This is not to mention that I have not seen an extremely well built standard production Gibson in years. I would look for used SGs from the late '80's through the early '00's.
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

Mr. B said:
I agree. I personally wouldn't buy either of those. I don't want/need an electronic tuner adding an ugly wad of plastic to the back of the headstock, and I certainly don't want a brass nut or that ugly headstock logo on the '15. I would look for an SG from 2011 or before, and you have to be a little careful of 2011's too because there were quite a few with baked maple fretboards.
Click to expand...


As I wrote before: the look doesn't matter - the playability, build quality and sound does.

gottalovethe80s said:
I'd pick the 2014 and save the money for better pickups if the 57s doesn't jive. the 120 anniversary inlay looks cooler and more unique too :D
Click to expand...

As I wrote before: I don't want to change pickups and it's not about money - this time I don't have to save anything, and again the look doesn't matter - I don't mind if it has cooler inlay or it hasn't got any inlay at all (that option would be kind of cool in my opinion).
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

If it's about build quality, then you most definitely want to find an older one. They are cranking them out like **** these days.
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

ItsaBass said:
If it's about build quality, then you most definitely want to find an older one. They are cranking them out like **** these days.
Click to expand...

This. While there are some newer ones that are as good or in rare cases better than older ones (and SG'S don't have this problem as much as Les Pauls), the older ones are much more consistent. In my personal experience, roughly 92-around 02ish is where gibson was at their peak. Excluding 50's and 60's vintage.
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

DOESN'T GIBSON JUST MAKE LIKE A 1961 OR 1962 REISSUE BUY THAT ONE

I'D STAY AWAY FROM ANYTHING WITH ROBO TUNERS
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

Don't buy the '15. The market will be flooded with those things for years to come. If you want one you can probably get one at half that price in the next year or two. If you don't mind the different neck width- easy if you're new to sgs and/or lps anyway. Tuners, crayon sig, hologram, zero fret- can all be swapped out/ sanded off, erased from existence.
 
Re: buying a new Gibson SG

Be careful with 2015 SGs, or any '15 Gibsons. I was thinking about buying one too recently, but the 2015 models apparently have some radical changes that most people think are crap. So much so that Gibson announced the '16 models will abandon the changes, including the robo tuners, and be cheaper again.

Adjustable nut seemed like a good idea to me, but people complained the brass nut makes the sound too sharp/metallic.
Wider fretboard sounded interesting too, but people complained that it was far too wide now. Don't know if that's just conservatism, and how it compares to non-Gibson guitars.
The SG Standard having a compound radius fingerboard sounded good too, I like that in my Jackson and Charvel. Although I don't think it makes that much of a difference.
Lower frets seemed like a very stupid idea to me. They weren't exactly big in the first place. If anything, I'd want bigger frets.
I was sceptical about the robo-tuning first, but the idea grew on me. For example, on a gig, if it goes out of tune, just push a button, strum the strings, and it quickly does the rest. Downsides: A) it's expensive, B) the SG is already a notorious neck-heavy guitar and I'm not sure adding weight to the headstock helps a lot, and C) the one guitar I tried at Musikmesse '15 didn't go exactly in tune. I don't know if they're all affected, but if it doesn't get really in tune, it's worthless.

Again, Gibson said '16 models are going to be roughly 25% cheaper (mostly thanks to removal of robo-tuner), so it might be cheaper to wait for one of those than buying even a special price '15 now. Not to mention that '15 models prices are going to drop into the cellar and they're going to be very cheap used. It gets so much flak that I imagine for decades people will say "get any used SG, but avoid the '15s like hell", because it's the dark year in Gibson history. Universally, catastrophic mismanagement is blamed for this, and the decision to dump it all considered the best decision in many years. Instead of replacing the previous models, they should have made another product line with the changes, and no one would have complained.

It's probably the worst year for the 100th birthday of Les Paul edition, and also the Les Paul signature looks ****ing ugly. It's a shame really, because I think the SG looks really sexy in that translucent ebony. Well, if I can get one of 'em dirt cheap, and chances are I will, I won't complain too much. I've yet to try one, I'm going to soon. Maybe I'm lucky and find it not that bad. Bargain then.
 
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Re: buying a new Gibson SG

allbutromeo said:
Same pickups in an LP sound different in an sg
Click to expand...

Totally. It's a completely different guitar in every respect, and it's often difficult to believe that a LP and an SG have the same pickups. Very different sound, showing how big the difference is between a very fat guitar and a very slim one.

I tried a Les Paul Less btw, the LP with a SG-like thin body, I liked the idea (I love Les Pauls but find them the most uncomfortable guitars of all time), and well, it sounded... thin. Gibson obviously claims it has true LP sound, no compromise yadda yadda, but it doesn't. Not even remotely. And thus the whole guitar is pointless imo.
 
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