Re: Gibson SG Zoot Suit
The Cincinnati GC has one of these in black/natural. I picked it up, gave it a thorough inspection, but did not plug it in (getting close to close and I was there for monitors). Anyway... I stand by my opinion. This was by far the most unique guitar on the wall. It has visual interest... it's a new idea... it's not another boring-ass traditional color scheme or cliche graphic. Simply put, it's
different. Cool different. The guitar would benefit from a plain-Jane set of pickups that would not detract from the body, IMO.
There was far more contouring than I expected. I knew it would be contoured just by knowing how they acheived the affect, but this did not feel like the flat-top beveled edge SGs we are accustomed to. It had a much different feel. The finish felt raw but smooth. It was closer to an unfinished feel than the cheapy feel of the faded series guitars.
Unplugged it felt fine to play. It wasn't particularly resonant, (heh, big surprise

) but for a guitar hanging on the wall of a GC it was reasonably well set up. I regret not plugging in, but like I said I had other departments to visit and I didn't feel like competing with the random guy butchering the mainstream hard rock riff of the week.
All that said, I still couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the feeling that somewhere some Gibson executive is relishing the fact that they have successfully marketed and sold a $1200 plywood guitar. Say what you must about Gibson, but that's marketing genius. We should all be so lucky to be as good at our jobs as the people in the Gibson marketing department.