New SG makes me nervous

W

WhoFan

Tommyologist
i never had a new Gibson before and decided to finally stop stalling and bought a 2013 SG Standard.. I love SG's feel and tone... but after spending a few weeks with this guitar it makes me a little nervous as it's basic design means there is not a lot of wood around the neck/body joint... the neck humbucker is closer to the neck then my 2000 era Townshend SG with P90's... then the plastic parts have screws in the area of the neck joint, as does the strap pin.... plus they thin out the wood on the body on the back of the neck joint to make it feel even thinner...

it's exactly the guitar i always wanted but i'm so afraid i'll break it as it seems so fragile... i'm used to using old beat up strats i could man handle lol....

what do SG owners use for strap locks? the way the pin is in the back of the guitar like that it seems some designs may not work well
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

Iommi stuck one on the upper horn. Made the guitar sit proper too.

I just got an Epi SG and I have to say it seems pretty solid to me. I may add a little weight into the electronics area to get the headstock to come up instead of dive ever-so-slightly, but I'd say that the glued set neck should be every bit as strong as a nice, tight bolt-on.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

When I had mine, I can't recall thinking it felt in any way fragile, I just couldn't get along with the way it sat, so eventually, it went in favour of my second Tokai LS116f.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

Any glued tenon neck joint should hold up, provided that there is good contact between the wood surfaces and the correct adhesives are used.

Raise the scratchplate. Take a look for yourself in the neck PU cavity.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

I hate to scare you. But they are notorious for breaking. Check the forum everythingsg.com. There's a whole thread on broken necks and what people have done to fix them. On the flip side though, you do now have your favorite guitar. And that's what matters. I treat mine as best I can. But I will undoubtedly break it someday.

As for the strap; I installed the strap lock backwards on the neck side and sits better. Still not ideal, but it's better. I think a leather strap that has the one really thin end might work easier. But I haven't tried one yet.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

I know what you mean, there is something fragile about an SG. I feel like I could hit it with any other guitar I own and I know which one would break. The headstock feels like an accident waiting to happen.

But oooh, that sound! So rock the **** out of it before it passes from this life into the next.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

Whoa! I got a story for you!
I keep all my main guitars on stands so I can see them but I never lock or strap in the the neck support as I keep them out of harms ways. Until. I moved my '61 SG RI for a day as I needed some Condo ceiling repair. I forgot to move it back. This hurts just thinking about it.
Anyway, I went to open the window which is on purpose ALWAYS guitar free. Except that night. 2a.m. Dark. Hit something. Immediately realized it was my beautiful SG. Not oly did it fall completely face first, it was on the stand so not only did it fall farther (i have raised stands so I can see them better over my coffee table) it hit hard peg head first. And I mean the D & G tuners first. It made a sound I can't put in words. After it came to rest fully flat on its front on a thin carpet, it took some courage to turn the light on to see what I was afraid to see.
So I gently picked it up like a newborn, and not only was it NOT broken, I cold feel the connection of neck joint to body was hard and fast. AND it was perfectly in tune. None of the pegs got bent. Like it never happened. Of course-your mileage may vary, but my SG is set just like any other model-same glue(TiteBond ll I think)same thin specs, at it seemed to be stronger for the fall. Really, one tough SOB. I mean, that was a hard fall. So take heart, I once owned a 60's 335 that just fell gentle from my hand in a sitting postion, not very far at all, and the whole neck joint came clean out of the socket!
This has been a true story.
By Steve Buffington. P.s. to all SG owners. I screwed a light weight narrow but long aluminum bar on the back of the upper horn, drilled a hole so the strap lock would be across from the 17 th fret to move the center of gravity to where most guitars have their strap pegs right across the high A fret. Did not use weights on butt end, as I bought this to get a lighter cool guitar(spinal disease), and I can walk around hands free up and down my hall way w/NO...NO neck drop. Like Iommi, only a little further.....This has also been a true story. I sprayed the aluminum satin black and the Schaller strap lock fits and looks and works beauifully.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

You should see my poor old SG (sorry, can't do pics). It's a 63 Junior that I've had since about 1984. I've busted the headstock four times now - the last time it fell off a stand it split the headstock right down the middle. I've always got it put back together and it plays and sounds as good as ever. I never bother with cosmetic repair so it's got some serious scars. It doesn't always break - I once watched it roll head over heels in a flimsy soft case down about 30 concrete steps and it didn't have a scratch on it. Well, not a new one.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

it's a great sounding and playing SG.... i've tried another 2013 and a few 2014's and this one i bought seems to be better... one of the 2014's is so light you'd hardly know you had a guitar around your neck!!! it still blows my mind the way Gibson scoops more wood away from the back of neck joint on these newer Standards right were the Strap Pin is.... the new SG Specials don't have that, more wood there... hate the New SG Special's Look! Gibson is doing some weird cosmetics on the Special line of SG's and LP's... like i said before my Townsend has more wood at the neck joint...

My old 76 Les Paul Deluxe back in the late 1980's i once threw it across a cement floor when i was 19 and really drunk... it needed a new bridge and it has lived quite a few battle wounds since then...

makes me wonder if the newer 2013/2014 Standards have larger frets then the Standards of the past... the frets feel twice as large as the frets on my Townshend SG... but since i but the Townshend used i have no idea how many times it had been fret dressed... love the Large frets...
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

an odd thing about my new standard is it's one of the few Gibson SG's i've seen with a 2 inch Wood Knot in the body wood... most sg's have plain clear Mahogany... this one just feels better and sounds great so i could care less about the knot...
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

I play my SG hard it is my metal/hard rock axe. I have never had a problem with the SG being fragile in anyway.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

just love SG's.... oddly in the future i may to try to get another SG.... maybe a gently used one... but for now i'm set
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

congrats!! Ive always thought they look fragile too at the neck joint. And yes, there are stories of breaks, but that can happen to any guitar. I had one and put straplocks on right where the standard buttons are. no probs.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

WhoFan said:
i never had a new Gibson before and decided to finally stop stalling and bought a 2013 SG Standard.. I love SG's feel and tone... but after spending a few weeks with this guitar it makes me a little nervous as it's basic design means there is not a lot of wood around the neck/body joint... the neck humbucker is closer to the neck then my 2000 era Townshend SG with P90's... then the plastic parts have screws in the area of the neck joint, as does the strap pin.... plus they thin out the wood on the body on the back of the neck joint to make it feel even thinner...

it's exactly the guitar i always wanted but i'm so afraid i'll break it as it seems so fragile... i'm used to using old beat up strats i could man handle lol....

what do SG owners use for strap locks? the way the pin is in the back of the guitar like that it seems some designs may not work well
Click to expand...

I have a 68 SG that I bought from my first guitar teacher in 69. Its all original except for saddles & tuning machines but I still have the original tuners. Sometime around 74 I changed them to Grovers. I really don't think you should be afraid of the guitar breaking. Like anything you just have to be careful. When you are not playing the guitar keep it in the case. Its the safest place for it. I would also recommend strap locks. I put schallers on mine a few years ago and the strap locks along with a good leather strap will make it hang better. Its a great guitar enjoy the crap out of it.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

WhoFan said:
i never had a new Gibson before and decided to finally stop stalling and bought a 2013 SG Standard.. I love SG's feel and tone... but after spending a few weeks with this guitar it makes me a little nervous as it's basic design means there is not a lot of wood around the neck/body joint... the neck humbucker is closer to the neck then my 2000 era Townshend SG with P90's... then the plastic parts have screws in the area of the neck joint, as does the strap pin.... plus they thin out the wood on the body on the back of the neck joint to make it feel even thinner...

it's exactly the guitar i always wanted but i'm so afraid i'll break it as it seems so fragile... i'm used to using old beat up strats i could man handle lol....

what do SG owners use for strap locks? the way the pin is in the back of the guitar like that it seems some designs may not work well
Click to expand...

The headplate is more likely to break off when it falls off a stand or was leaned against a table (don't do that).

If you want to feel better about the fragile neck joint play with a vintage style (not modern SG std) for a while. Now that is fragile.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

Well, you'll have to be wary of the usual Gibson break scenario (landing on the back of the headstock). But its fair to say these happen when they fall, not whilst playing.

The only other issue possibly is the break at the body end. Much more rare, but it would be from a top-down fall, as in falling strings side onto the ground.

The common denominator here is accident/lack of proper care.
 
Re: New SG makes me nervous

It's the most heavily produced Gibson guitar in history. If it had serious problems, so many of them would not have been sold with no major design changes since being introduced. Quit being afraid and play the damned thing. If it breaks, that's how it goes. You then either get it fixed, or replace it. You can't get worried that a tool will show the signs of use if you use it. What's the point of even having it if that's the way you feel? Quit tweaking out on thoughts of "what if," and just go have some goddamned fun and make some horrendous noise with the thing!
 
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