Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar,Worn Cherry Satin

by Gibson USA

Product Features

• 50s Rounded Neck Profile
• 490R and 490T Pickups
• Solid Mahogany Body
• 22-Fret Rosewood Fingerboards
• Acrylic dot inlays

Product Details

• Item Weight: 12.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 16.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0002JNXAS
• Item model number: SG
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,893 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Hands down, the SG Special Faded is the best combination of features and value in Gibson's iconic SG line-up. You still get the dynamic, slim mahogany body and hair-trigger quick neck that have made the SG legendary, but without all the non-essentials. The ultra-affordable price tag on this guitar is owed to fewer coats of finish than can be found on the traditional SG Standard and SG Special. This stripped-down finishing process means that not only will you enjoy more resonance but you'll be the proud owner of an SG that looks straight out of the '60s. The SG Special Faded is uncivilized. It's fierce. And it's got to hang in your guitar rack.

The best combination of features and value in the SG line-up.

Faded Finish Process

A thicker, rounder, time-honored neck profile emulates the neck shapes of the iconic late '50s Gibson models.

Industry-standard Tune-O-Matic bridge and 490 pickups.

The SG Special Faded, available in either Worn Brown or Worn Cherry, undergoes a simplified finishing process for increased resonance and the look of a well-loved road-worn guitar. Applied by hand, the Faded finishes mimic the much-desired aged finish that a Gibson from the '50s or '60s might have today. By using stain instead of paint and fewer coats of sealant, our luthiers have cut down on the extremely time-consuming finishing process to bring you our most affordable SG, without skimping on materials.

'50s Rounded Neck Profile
No guitar neck profiles are more distinguishable than the neck profiles employed on the Gibson models of today. The more traditional '50s neck profile on the SG Special is the thicker, rounder profile, emulating the neck shapes found on the iconic 1958 and 1959 Les Paul Standards. The neck is machined in Gibson's rough mill using wood shapers to make the initial cuts. But once the fingerboard gets glued on, the rest--including the final sanding--is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.

Dot Inlays
Over the years, the classic dot inlay has been one of the more traditional features of many Gibson models, including the SG. A figured, swirl acrylic gives these inlays that classic "pearl" look. They are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn't require the use of fillers.

Gibson's 490 (R) Rhythm and (T) Treble Pickup
The mid to late 1960s saw the emergence of a very different type of music coming from the clubs of England. It was an interpretation of the blues that hadn't been heard before, and it was much harder, more rocking, and definitely louder than anything else before it. As such, this new genre's players were demanding more powerful amplifiers with increased volume outputs to satisfy their sonic explorations. This led to a call for a more versatile pickup that could split coils through a push/pull knob, and prevent microphonic feedback from occurring when the volumes were turned up to maximum levels. Gibson answered this call with the introduction of the revolutionary 490T and 490R pickups ("T" for treble, and "R" for rhythm). The 490R is a humbucker with the tonal characteristics of an original PAF, with a slight increase in upper mid-range response. The 490T bridge pickup is calibrated to match the 490R, with pole pieces aligned a little further apart to accommodate the spacing of the strings at the bridge, which is different than the spacing of the strings at the neck.

Solid Mahogany Body
Probably the most central of all the SG Special's features is its solid mahogany body--lightweight, strong, with a thick, warm tone. The mahogany goes through the same rigorous selection process as all of Gibson's woods, and is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson's team of skilled wood experts before it enters the Gibson factories. Inside the Gibson factories, humidity is maintained at 45 percent, and the temperature at 70 degrees. This ensures all woods are dried to a level of "equilibrium," where the moisture content does not change during the manufacturing process. This guarantees tight-fitting joints and no expansion, in addition to reducing the weight. It also helps with improving the woods' machinability and finishing properties. Consistent moisture content means that a Gibson guitar will respond evenly to temperature and humidity changes long after it leaves the factory.

Set-Neck Construction
Like all classic Gibson guitars, the necks on SG Specials are distinguished by one of the more traditional features that have always set them apart--a glued neck joint. Gluing the neck to the body of the guitar ensures a "wood-to-wood" contact, no air space in the neck cavity, and maximum contact between the neck and body, allowing the neck and body to function as a single unit. The result? Better tone, better sustain, and no loose or misaligned necks.

Tune-O-Matic Bridge
The Tune-o-matic bridge was the brainchild of legendary Gibson president Ted McCarty in 1954. At the time, it was a true revelation in intonation, and set a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. This pioneering piece of hardware provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields a great union between the strings and body, which results in excellent tone and sustain. It is combined with a separate "stopbar" tailpiece, essentially a modified version of the earlier wraparound bridge. To this day, the Tune-o-matic remains the industry standard. It is the epitome of form and function in electric guitar bridge design, and is one of the most revered and copied pieces of guitar hardware ever developed.

Product Description

The Gibson Faded SG Special is an electric guitar that maintains the tradition of looks, functionality, and value for which the SG guitar is known. Under its attractive faded finish, the Faded Special SG is still the traditional SG, with mahogany body and neck, Tune-O-Matic/stopbar bridge, and alnico 490 pickups. The guitar's faded finish gives it the look of an electric that started its rockin' days in the '60s. A Little SG History In 1961, the Les Paul was redesigned with a thinner body and 2 sharp cutaway horns that made the upper frets more accessible while lowering production costs. The new guitar was popular, but Les Paul the guitarist behind the original Les Paul did not like it and asked to have his name removed. Gibson renamed the model the "SG" which was short for "solid guitar". Though Les Paul's name was officially removed from the model in 1961, the plastic Les Paul nameplates (positioned between the rhythm pickup and fingerboard) were in abundance in the Gibson factory and SG models having these nameplates were built and sold by Gibson up to the end of 1963. SGs have been the choice of world-class artists such as Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, Tony Iommi, and Angus Young.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Guitar But............., May 1, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar,Worn Cherry Satin (Electronics)

i bought this guitar back in january this year and i still play it every day the neck plays fast with medium action and it has great soundind pickups the guitar looks great but it gets small dents and scratches super easily beacause of the really soft mohogany body. but thats great if you want your guitar to eventually look like a truly loved and played instument not just a looker P.S.. if your cry over scratches this is not your guitar

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars downs : ups :: yin : yang, October 23, 2007

By 

KimJongSick (Albania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar,Worn Cherry Satin (Electronics)

Exactly one month TO THE DAY after I bought this SG, the headstock fractured like it'd been hit with a sledgehammer. I cried like the day I was born. Upon emailing Gibson's customer support department, I found out that if you have purchased your Gibson product from the U.S. via an authorized dealer, there is a lifetime repair/replacement warranty on all Gibson items.

I also did some research and discovered that Gibson headstocks break with little to no encouragement. They're just poorly designed, because they're set at a 17-degree downward angle, which isn't helpful to the woodgrain, thus greatly weakening the headstock. They're usually a very easy fix, and they break very cleanly. After first repairs, people usually never have another problem.

Despite the inherent flaw in the headstock, it's a brilliant guitar, even if you have to baby it more than you'd ever have to baby a Fender or Squier instrument. You can use the tapping method a lot easier than any Fender (shorter scale length of 24.75") and the two volume+two tone controls plus 3-way toggle switch make for incredible versatility. Jangle pop, rock, metal, country rhythm, blues, jazz, and swing are all possible with this guitar.

A major playability merit that sticks out to me is the fact that no matter whether you're playing rhythm or lead, this guitar WILL accomodate you. The neck and the razor-thin action are perfect for chording, soloing, tapping... whatever you can think up, this guitar will let you put it through the numbers (assuming you're half as good as this guitar is, heh).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Guitar. Just watch the furniture. :), December 29, 2009

By 

JT "I wear my pants backwards and on fire, ju... (Odessa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar,Worn Cherry Satin (Electronics)

I bought this gem of mine in a guitar store, it was floor model and smelled (it still does)a bit like cheap varnish. But it plays great.

The 490 neck and bridge pickups are incredibly powerful and pick up every nuance of your performance. If you're into Van Halen style tapping or just like to hammer-on one handed like Angus Young, this is the guitar for you. This guitar's incredible action will give you incredible speed to which to do it. A big plus is that the pickups will overdrive even a small battery powered amp without deafening the neighbors, which is good if you have to keep it down.

The body is super thin and it's a bit neck heavy, but it's lighter compared to the Epiphone SG with just as much punch. With the Volume/Tone controls of the guitar set to full-blast, it has a heavy metal crunch like no other. It sounds darker than the Epiphone Vintage G-400, and the neck joint isn't as prominent as on the Epiphone which makes hitting the high end that much easier.

With Medium strings and a Extra Heavy celluloid pick (or plectrum if you're techincal about it), it makes a great rock and roll guitar.

Paired with a Solid State amp, it's a great heavy metal guitar as the pickups are quite powerful. I like to plug my guitar directly into the amp with it's distortion up and the pickups do crunch so well I don't need a distortion pedal. Though I do like to throw one in on occasion just for fun.

With a Valve (tube) amp, it packs just as much punch even plugged straight into the amp.

As far as effects go, a Wah-Wah pedal is good if you want to play "Star-Spangled Banner" like Jimi Hendrix, it will blow your mind. On a clean setting you can get a jazzy, blues type motif going as the pickups clean up quite well on a cleaner setting. You still get the razor sharp action like you would with distortion, but with the advantage of clear vibrant notes.

The only downside is that it bangs up quite easily, hence if you plan on jumping around the room, be sure it's not too cluttered. Also, the finish is quite fragile as I discovered when I moved the case off my bed. I forgot to zip down the lid and the poor guitar jumped out and hit my dresser. It landed on the bottom strap button and left a small but clean crack in the varnish on the back, since my floor is tile and concrete. It could have been worse, but it still plays like the day I walked out the store with it, so it's not too much if you have to baby more than others.

In all it's a great guitar and with a little TLC, it can last you a lifetime. :)