Gibson SG Special

[nuntius]

i went to a guitar show today, and ended up playing an SG (special i think - deffinately wasnt the standard - it had humbuckers though)

it was priced at £500 new.. and fit my hands perfectly and more to the point sounded really good

what i wanna know is, do you think its worth gettin this one or saving up for a standard?

bear in mind that resale value really isnt an issue at all

and i might put some duncans in it but im not sure what combos suit an SG for hard rock

stock pups werent too bad from what i heard - but i was playin through a boogie combo (tweedy coloured thing - no idea what it was called but it wasnt a gain monster like the recto)

 

[RhoadsDude1022]

Re: Gibson SG Special

i say if you like it, and think its worth it, buy it! I own the special faded and it has an amzing tone (same pickups as the one you looked at) the special you looked at had a nicer cosmetic finish, and thats the only real difference. If your a costmetic freak then go for the standard. if you like a simple guitar with great tone, build quality, and most of all personality ( i think sg's can have great personality's) then id go for it!

 

[strat_master]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I dunno im not a big fan of the gibson sg's at all. They feel to neck heavy and feel odd playing. Bodies are too thin for my liking. I standard i dont mind playing but whne i played the faded sg special i foudn the freats were not done very well and needed some serious fret work.

 

[chcjunior]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I own an SG Special and love it. Note that it isn't a "faded" model.....it has the wine red look to it. IMO the extra money to go from that to a SG Standard wasn't worth it....it was mostly a cosmetic upgrade for the inlays.
Overall it's got a versatile sound that can do nice cleans to mean bites (once I dropped the Duncans in).

 

[dystrust]

Re: Gibson SG Special

The regular SGs Specials are pretty nice, I'd avoid the faded SGs. The only major difference between the Special and Standard are the pickup covers, binding, and inlays. Other than that, they're basically the same guitar. A friend of mine had an SG Special with C5/59 in it and the thing sounded awesome. Too bad the fool sold it to buy an LTD... :smack:

 

[Thames]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I dunno im not a big fan of the gibson sg's at all. They feel to neck heavy and feel odd playing. Bodies are too thin for my liking. I standard i dont mind playing but whne i played the faded sg special i foudn the freats were not done very well and needed some serious fret work.

I'd say mine is perfectly balanced. However the previous Epi SG G-400 was unbalanced, the body itself was too light.

Concerning the "Faded Specials", they ALL have that frets problem, due to the different fingerboard wood used, in this case Ebony which is more sensible/reactive to temperature/humidity (opposed to Rosewood on Specials which is more stable).

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I heard/read that the Gibson SG specials are made out of multipiece mahogany.
Quite some differences from the standard: Wood, pickup covers, binding, inlays and probably some small things everybody overlooks.
But I'm absolutely shure the SG special smokes with some Duncans in it! Maybe a '59/Custom would do hardrock good? At least that's what I've read on this forum a couple of times.

 

[Thames]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I heard/read that the Gibson SG specials are made out of multipiece mahogany.
Quite some differences from the standard: Wood, pickup covers, binding, inlays and probably some small things everybody overlooks.
But I'm absolutely shure the SG special smokes with some Duncans in it! Maybe a '59/Custom would do hardrock good? At least that's what I've read on this forum a couple of times.

Mine is made of 2 pieces. Many Standards are also made of 2 pieces...

 

[chcjunior]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I heard/read that the Gibson SG specials are made out of multipiece mahogany.
Quite some differences from the standard: Wood, pickup covers, binding, inlays and probably some small things everybody overlooks.
But I'm absolutely shure the SG special smokes with some Duncans in it! Maybe a '59/Custom would do hardrock good? At least that's what I've read on this forum a couple of times.

What's the wood difference? Difference in wood types or just quality?

The '59 and JB combo is real good in the SG Special....they cover alot of ground.

 

[59paul]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I had a 2002 Cherry Red Sg Special ( bought it used ), in the Gloss Finish. It was OK. Played well, Sounded good. I sold it for $475. I mainly bought it just to tinker with. It was a Fun Guitar.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I have an SG Standard from 1968. I bought it new. The new one are not as good ad the old ones that is for sure. Sg's are neck heavy. The can be a bit of a pain, constantly slipping down etc. The sound is real nice, but I prefer either a LP or my 335. I use the SG for som slide and a few other things. If you like the way it sounds and the way it plays I would say buy it. It is a good guitar!

 

[DotNetTim]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I would highly recommend it.. Those Gibson's are some of the best standard "NON FANCY" guitars on the market for the money.. Made in the USA too so they will hold their value pretty good!
Tim

 

[DotNetTim]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I've never heard that Ebony is more sensative to temp, etc, than rosewood? Gibson even uses Ebony in their top of the line LP Customs for instance! Those rock! Ask Zakk! hehe..
Interesting though!
Tim

I'd say mine is perfectly balanced. However the previous Epi SG G-400 was unbalanced, the body itself was too light.

Concerning the "Faded Specials", they ALL have that frets problem, due to the different fingerboard wood used, in this case Ebony which is more sensible/reactive to temperature/humidity (opposed to Rosewood on Specials which is more stable).

 

[Thames]

Re: Gibson SG Special

I've never heard that Ebony is more sensative to temp, etc, than rosewood? Gibson even uses Ebony in their top of the line LP Customs for instance! Those rock! Ask Zakk! hehe..
Interesting though!
Tim

Yes. But dont forget, its not a "bad" wood at all! But those Customs and other high-ends have the small nibs at each fret ends... so it doesnt make any difference if the wood shrunk for 0.5 mm