The Gibson SG Tribute is a rip off - here's why

[Dauminator]

I'm a fan of the les Paul Tribute. It is great, a no-frills Les Paul (that actually looks like a Les Paul) that's $900-$1,700 less than the Classic or Standard. It has no binding, but with reflector knobs, the selector plate (that it comes with), and great feeling satin neck it's hard to beat.

I'm not a fan of the SG tribute. It is only $500-$700 less than the Standards, has the ugly dot inlays, uncovered pickups and it's not available in ebony. The Les Paul is an expensive guitar to make, and that's why the Les Paul Standard is $1,000 more than the SG Standard. So why is the SG tribute with it's cheaper parts on top of it being a cheaper guitar to make, still the same price as the Les Paul Tribute?? Gibson would make so much more money if they put more love into the SG line instead of making a gazillion different Les Pauls that cost more than a couple months mortgage.

I write this as my first real guitar was an Epiphone SG and my favorite band is ACDC.

If Gibson made the SG Tribute as it sits right now but with trapezoid inlays and priced at $999.99, I would buy one right now.

 

[blakejcan]

learn how to do trapezoid inlays

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I didn't think it's worse than the Les Paul Tribute, but realisically speaking, Gibson probably sells more Les Pauls than SG's, so it would make sense they're a bit more cost-effective to produce considering they probably make a whole lot more to satisfy demmand.

I have a Les Paul Tribute, and I love it, but I think you speak very highly of it when many of them come with flaws from them being produced with a bit less care than the higher-end models. Mine has nothing major, but some ugly finish flaws that thankfully the pickguard covers over, but I've heard tons of horror stories from sharp fret ends, bad finish flaws, etc.

They also have a thinner body than the Standards and Classics, just like the Studios, just not as thin as SG's or Specials/Juniors. And Maple necks which I bet are cheaper than Mahogany. And less traditional LP too.

I don't think dot inlays on the SG's are ugly, personally. And I replaced my LP Tribute's covered pickups with open coil black ones. Other than the pickup covers (the pickups are the same, and honestly, not the most expensive of Gibson's offerings), their hardware is not worse. It's the same Gibson-branded Grover Deluxe tuners, the same nice API lightweight bridge and tailpiece, and the cool Gibson strap buttons.

I think you may be misjudging them because you have a more demmanding eye of what an SG should look like. But if you look at the LPT's side by side with the Standards, they look nothing like them, LOL. I have an Epiphone 1959 right at the side of my Gibson Tribute, and even though I prefer the Gibson for its tone and playability, the Epiphone looks much prettier, TBH.

 

[beaubrummels]

It's only a rip-off to you because you want one but don't like the price. Gibson could be seeing as, to address all the pricing complaints of Les Pauls, they've offered one that is priced like an SG. Different perspective.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Why do you say a Les Paul is expensive to make (I've made several LPs from scratch)? It's actually easier and cheaper to make than an SG.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Based on my experience with my LP Tribute, I do want and plan on getting an SG Tribute, TBH. Just want to find the right one, because buying sight unseen is kind of a crapshot with all Gibson, Les Pauls or SG's.

 

[hamerfan]

First of all the most expensive thing is to run a factory - in short the overhead costs. So every sold guitar helps you to cover those costs. The best strategy is to sell as much guitars the market can take. If there is a market for cheaper guitars, go for it until your volume capacity is reached.
The features of a standard, classic and even a custom is only a few dollars more, maybe the binding and the finish are more labour intensive than other features.
An insider who is often on LPF said one the most expensive machine is used for the SG, it's a 3D CNC router.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Any procedure done by machines gets less expensive as time goes on and the amortized cost is paid. Once the machine's cost is totally paid off its use is free. Procedures done by humans is never paid off and, in fact gets more expensive with time as their wages increase.
Binding and finishing is done by live humans. All of the more expensive LPs have bindings and better finish, are more labor intensive, and therefore are more costly
But as far as the basic construction of the guitar...LPs are very easy and cheap to make. They are just more elegant Teles.

 

[Mincer]

Why do you say a Les Paul is expensive to make (I've made several LPs from scratch)? It's actually easier and cheaper to make than an SG.

Honestly I am curious about this. A carved maple cap is cheaper to produce than a slab of mahogany? It sounds counterintuitive, but I don't build guitars...I am just curious.

 

[Dauminator]

as far as the basic construction of the guitar...LPs are very easy and cheap to make. They are just more elegant Teles.

If a chambered, two piece body with a carved, maple cap is cheap easy to make, a "slab of mahogany" with some contours should be even easier and cheaper. On the Gibson website, it looks like both Tribute models use the same neck, except one has dots and one has trapezoids. Sounds like it would be cheaper to have the same neck through the entire process, using trapezoids instead of having the same necks get different inlays at different stations. Also, the LP Tribute in 2019 has dots and look how quickly they changed that.

It just seems like the way the current SG Tribute looks, it should be in line with the LP Tribute Specials that are just slabs with a simple satin finish dot inlays. They should make the current SG Tribute into a Tribute Special, lower the price to $999.99, then make a new SG Tribute with the changes I made above, then they could charge that at $1,199 because it really would be cheaper to make than the LP Tribute.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Pretty sure the neck angle and the place where it joins the body not the same on a Les Paul and an SG, so it's definitely not the same neck for both.

 

[Dauminator]

Pretty sure the neck angle and the place where it joins the body not the same on a Les Paul and an SG, so it's definitely not the same neck for both.

It appears from the pictures directly from the website that the difference is where the neck fattens out as it joins the body starts sooner on the Les Paul. My mistake, they are different necks.

It's also a different neck than the LP Tribute Special, which is a thicker "slab of mahogany" so there's no cost saving with it being a dot neck. The more I look at the guitar the more I realize it's over priced by at least $300 and is an equal to the LPTS with the only difference being the tailpiece.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Honestly I am curious about this. A carved maple cap is cheaper to produce than a slab of mahogany? It sounds counterintuitive, but I don't build guitars...I am just curious.

In the factory both LP and SG bodies are cut out by machine, even the carved top. There's not much cost difference there. The only thing that makes the LP more costly is the labor involved with binding and finishing. But since that isn't on the Tribute model that the OP is referencing, the factory cost to make either is about the same.

However, in my shop when I have built LPs, cutting out the body and drilling for the bridge, tailpiece, pups, and controls is very easy. Same with the SG. The carved top is a bit tricky but there is room for some error. Cutting the side bevels on an SG is actually more difficult since any error is very noticeable so it has to be done with more care. So, for me, building a LP (without binding and mirror finish) is easier than an SG. For the factory, they are about the same.

 

[Mincer]

In the factory both LP and SG bodies are cut out by machine, even the carved top. There's not much cost difference there. The only thing that makes the LP more costly is the labor involved with binding and finishing. But since that isn't on the Tribute model that the OP is referencing, the factory cost to make either is about the same.

However, in my shop when I have built LPs, cutting out the body and drilling for the bridge, tailpiece, pups, and controls is very easy. Same with the SG. The carved top is a bit tricky but there is room for some error. Cutting the side bevels on an SG is actually more difficult since any error is very noticeable so it has to be done with more care. So, for me, building a LP (without binding and mirror finish) is easier than an SG. For the factory, they are about the same.

I can see that...thanks for the explanation!

When I went to the Gibson Memphis factory (where they made ES and jazz guitars), I was amazed at how many machines did so much of the work.

 

[GuitarDoc]

In the past I have considered getting some cnc machines to do much of the tedious work, but then I couldn't say that my guitars are completely "hand made" customs. I guess I consider that an important aspect of a custom guitar (not like brand name mass-producers' "custom" guitars which are made in the same way/procedure as their cheaper machine-made guitars).

 

[alex1fly]

The SG Tribute made me a believer in Gibsons after 20 years of being a Fender tribalist. I played a 2013 model and it was a revelation - incredible playability, iconic tones, and so so loud acoustically so I played it ALL THE TIME. Completely changed how I viewed solid body electric guitars. Didn't hurt that I got it used for $600!

 

[Rex_Rocker]

The SG Tribute made me a believer in Gibsons after 20 years of being a Fender tribalist. I played a 2013 model and it was a revelation - incredible playability, iconic tones, and so so loud acoustically so I played it ALL THE TIME. Completely changed how I viewed solid body electric guitars. Didn't hurt that I got it used for $600!

The Tribute stuff is great in that sense. I also love my Les Paul. It's very loud acoustically as well, so I feel it squeezes out the most from not uber gainy pickups.

I think those cheapie finishes really let the guitars breathe. But you sometimes can tell they apply them a bit carelessly to just pump them out cheaply/quickly. Mine has some finish flaws, and I've seen worse.

Much like with any level of Gibson, you have to try a bunch out to find the right one.

Honestly, a lot of the stuff they put in them is pretty good too. The pickups are meh, but the bridge is great lightweight aluminum, and the frets are plek'd. The tuners I'm pretty sure are also Grovers. Even the Kluson-looking ones. They're just Gibson branded, but I bought a set of Grover Deluxe Kluson-lookalikes, and they're pretty much 100% the same as the ones that came stock with my Tribute minus the Gibson branding on the back. The nut is Graphtech. The body I believe is not asian Mahogany like many import brands use. Mine even has a pretty figured quartersawn maple neck.

Even if I don't like the pickups, they're not objectically bad. They don't use subpar materials or production methods. I just don't like them much like I don't like the Duncan Custom 5, but that doesn't make the Duncan Custom 5 bad.

 

[Mincer]

I wish they would make a Tribute ES-175 with dots and a satin finish. And that doesn't cost $5k.

 

[Securb]

I paid $650 new for my SG Special in 2002, I can't believe how they have gone up in price.

 

[Mincer]

Seems like a lot of Gibsons have jumped in price lately. I don't know if they are actually selling at these prices.