Gibson sg special vs sg standard

[uOpt]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

I'll go out on a limb and say the Classic and the Special both have a universal route that will allow you to switch between the two given the appropriate pickguards.

I gotta pull apart my SG Special soon - I'll see if a P-90 can be fit in there.... it was made before the P-90 craze came back, though, so things migt have changed since '92.

Also, the current Special has been the Special for a lot longer than the old Special was the Special.

The humbucker routes in my batwing std do not fit P90ties. With soapbars you only have to chip off a tiny bitt off the posts where humbucker ring screws would do, or clip something off the soapbar baseplate.

And a dogear would require real routing.

I haven't seen a classic from the inside.

 

[richard parker]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

My local shop has an early 70's standard that is like no other SG I've ever seen. The p/u's are described as mini humbuckers and have only one set of screws showing through the covers. It is truly revolting, looks like it was made of firewood and they want over £2000 for it.

 

[Grandturk]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

The humbucker routes in my batwing std do not fit P90ties. With soapbars you only have to chip off a tiny bitt off the posts where humbucker ring screws would do, or clip something off the soapbar baseplate.

Not following there. Does your SG have pickup rings (61 RI?) or the full face pickguard (Std)? I'll crack open my special tonight and have a look-see.

It is truly revolting, looks like it was made of firewood and they want over £2000 for it.

Everything passes through that period where its too new to classic, then it becomes vintage for no other reason than its old. You couldn't give 70's Gibsons away 10-15 years ago - but as everything older than them vanishes, they become the oldest available guitars, and the price goes up.

The really cool 70's SG's were the Deluxes with the Les Paul pickguard and the control plate.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

My local shop has an early 70's standard that is like no other SG I've ever seen. The p/u's are described as mini humbuckers and have only one set of screws showing through the covers. It is truly revolting, looks like it was made of firewood and they want over £2000 for it. Mind you this is a shop supposedly run by vintage 'experts' and they are some of the worst morons I've ever come across.

+1. Hurts my eyes to look at early '70's SG. They were awkward, ugly beasts. Neck was on the same plane as the body, the neck was sunk deeper into the body, the cutaways weren't beveled, the plastic control panel cover was in front, and some had Fender-type single coils. Ghastly. They looked like SG knock-offs made by cannibals in New Guinea.

These naturally flopped with the public immediately; Gibson made modifications for years, but didn't get it right until they gave up entirely and went back to the beautiful 1960's designs. I think these 1970's designers were the same guys that came up with "New Coke."

 

[uOpt]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

Not following there. Does your SG have pickup rings (61 RI?) or the full face pickguard (Std)? I'll crack open my special tonight and have a look-see.

A SG Std has a batwing pickguard and the routes under the pickguard are 2 humbucker routes with the corners you would need for humbucker screw rings standing into the open space (yes, in the guitar with no humbucker rings).

These corners are slightly clashing with the corners of a soapbar baseplate.

 

[Grandturk]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

and the routes under the pickguard are 2 humbucker routes with the corners you would need for humbucker screw rings standing into the open space (yes, in the guitar with no humbucker rings).

OK - I got you. I'm going to look at mine tonight - I seem to remember a more "universal" looking shape for the pickup routes on mine. I could be wrong, of course...

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

...thats an SG?!

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

^^ I think that entiire set of photos is stretched vertically, not one of the pics looks proportionally correct....

 

[Grandturk]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

a. That's an SG
b. The photos are distorted.
c. Its still ugly.

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

a. That's an sg
b. The photos are distorted.
C. Its still ugly.

+1:14:

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

i'm going into the minority group and will suggest the faded SG. the pickups can be mag-swapped to get decent paf tones outta them, and can easily be flipped for something new. like phat cats:naughty: that, and the thing about the sides of the neck is you need to shave it so the fret ends and wood of the neck aren't sticking out.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

i'm going into the minority group and will suggest the faded SG. the pickups can be mag-swapped to get decent paf tones outta them, and can easily be flipped for something new. like phat cats:naughty: that, and the thing about the sides of the neck is you need to shave it so the fret ends and wood of the neck aren't sticking out.

Not that the $1300 SG std has better pickups than the SG faded

You generally want to try to get the 490R/490T pair. The 498T isn't the winning cookie in a SG.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

Not that the $1300 SG std has been pickups than the SG faded

I have no idea what this means.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

a. That's an SG
b. The photos are distorted.
c. Its still ugly.

Make that another +1. I looked at those pics and haven't been able to get my eyes back in focus since then.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

Make that another +1. I looked at those pics and haven't been able to get my eyes back in focus since then.

i actually didnt realize it was stretched.

i guess a part of me wanted it to look ugly. :laugh2:

the 490s are good pickups?

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

I have no idea what this means.

not that the SG standard has better pickups than the faded.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

1974 sg.

doesnt seem that bad (in photos) to me.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

after playing my friends epiphone les paul custom (which is thicker than a studio)
and his sg faded, im more inclined to buy an sg. its just so lightweight and comfortable..

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

I still say just go for the Standard. No matter how much you upgrade the Special it'll never be as comfortable as the Standard is because of the neck binding. If you're already thinking of swapping pickups just spend that extra money you have now on upgrading from the Special to the Standard and then live with the stock pickups until you can afford new ones. Otherwise you'll have a Special, you'll upgrade the pickups and in a few months you'll wish you had just gotten the Standard.

 

[Grandturk]

Re: Gibson sg special vs sg standard

1974 sg.

doesnt seem that bad (in photos) to me.

No that one's not that bad, but the contours are wrong on the horns and body. Check it against:

You can see the 70's one has less wood carved away, so its more slab-sided. Not necessarily bad, but its not right. Its kinda hard to see on my black one, of course. And its got the massive 70's headstock.