Customer Reviews

Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar,Worn Brown Satin

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Features:
Tuners are the green keys and I love them. Both LPs and my ES have them. The only disadvantage to the faded finish is that you can plainly see the one piece that runs from the neck down to the strap button instead of being blended into the two side pieces. Frets are large, well finished, but very large.

Quality:
Depends on how picky you are. The action was very high out of the box. The bridge pickup was set just as high. After lowering both the guitar was set. No need for anyone to setup the instrument. Intonation was perfect as was fretting. Finish? It is smoothed and pore filled mahogany. I worry less about this guitar than any of my others. It is robustly made - made for playing. This will last as long if not longer than any of my others including the oldest being the 1969 ES 345.

Value:
I paid $579 shipping included. Value? A Gibson for under $600 and it's not a crappy import? I am loathe to give anything a "10" but this guitar is very close.

Desirability:
Ever since Woodstock when I saw the Dead, the Who and Santana all sporting SGs, I knew I had to have one.

Sound:
How do two humbuckers sound? Like a Gibson. This guitar sounds as good as any other Gibson I have played or heard. I do notice the pickups being any "hotter" because of the lack of covers. I play Fusion - loud jazz. This guitar is more versatile than my ES 345 TD, varitone and all. I play though a Fender amp and a Marshall. They both compliment the humbuckers beautifully.

Ease of Use:
The neck is amazingly fast - I don't think I want another nitrocellulose neck again. And I find myself constantly going past the last fret - access is that easy. Rolloff on the tone controls is fairly linear. Weight distribution is fine - the neck is not too heavy for the body. Learning curve? Sure - playing the guitar is nothing BUT a huge learning curve ;) Very easy to get started on this guitar.

Support:
No opinion yet.

Overall:
I have nothing but high praise for this guitar. I thought I would be disappointed with the "finish." I am not. I heard "stories" about frets not being dressed properly or strap buttons being less than average, or tuners not holding pitch. None of that was true.

I bught this guitar and I just enjoy it. The sound is very impressive just like it's more expensive brothers. The look is great and the total feel of the guitar is what you expect from Gibson. Don't be fooled into believing that this is just a step up from the Epiphone SG. This is the real deal and for the price you can't beat it. Only A Gibson IS Good Enough ! Play and enjoy !

This is a great electric guitar.
Pros:
You can hear it pretty well even when the guitar isn't plugged into an amp.
Barre chords and other chords are easy to play on this guitar.
Easy to get to the high frets due to the famous shape of the sg.
Looks great.
AC/DC's lead guitarist Angus Young plays the same style and brand.

Cons:
When standing with the guitar, the guitar's neck tends to want to lean downward.

I suggest buying this guitar to anyone, even a beginning guitarist.

There's nothing too much wrong with SG's. They're thick and meaty. They look delicious. However, the newer, more mass produced guitars are having a lot of issues with necks that don't necessarily warp when considering them from a body to tuning pegs perspective. Where you really have to be careful is the neck running parallel to the frets. The never wood's shape is rarely perfectly uniform. Gibson suffers from this affliction as well. Also, after my purchase of this SG, I replaced the humbuckers with Lindy Fralin high output humbuckers. It went from a basic model Honda, to a top of the line Lexus. While you can't argue with any SG's base sound, the Fralins are the deal. I've already had people comment on how good the guitar sounds in comparison to my other SG.

Gibson SG's have a fat crunchy sound all of their own, and this vintage styled guitar is no exception. You cannot beat it for the price. Gibson sound, Gibson feel, Gibson quality for less than a grand! One of the best gig axes ever.

Gibson aren't kidding here in their product spec- this is indeed a truly affordable and superlative Gibson USA pro-level instrument for less than....... $700!! Well done Gibson-often taken to task for very expensive guitars-for now making the brand so accessible. The Faded SG Special is a classic-looking, light, very playable and great-sounding and workman-like guitar that has that worn look on which dings don't matter so much- a kind of 'dig-in' aesthetic. Even if the finish is less elaborate- and expensive -than that on Standards and '61 reissues, it looks rich and distinctive in its own subtle way. Gibson clearly cut no corners on quality, as the overall package looks and performs great. This SG's meaty neck is a dream, its finish texture so comfortable.These SGs are excellent guitars, and for a combination of low price, great build and component quality, features, playability and tonal palette, HAVE to be Gibson's most impressive best-cost product yet - they have it all, they really are that good. While largely perceived as a rock axe, it's surprisingly versatile over a number of genres. Don't forget that a good amp is half the sonic equation here.....Glassy chords, jazz, country, screaming lead- the Special Faded can do! A great Gibson, and a clever move for the company,too, as it's likely, at the price, to be an entry-level instrument that may in time give way to a more expensive (Gibson) purchase.

I bought mine several years ago, after playing her I actually dreamed about her and had to buy it. Haven't regretted it since. I already owned a standard SG and had owned SGs previously. This guitar however is a mainstay in my arsenal. Gig after gig, practice after practice she's been reliable, great sound and quite durable except for the headstock. My dog knocked her off the stand once and she hit concrete snapping the headstock. I was able to make my own repairs and she was as good as new.

The action is so low and fast however that you have to do a special set up if your going to drop past D. I generally use my Gothic SG for drop tunings and keep my Faded in 440 as my Gothic can go back and forth between 440 and drop tunings without any special setup.

I bought this guitar because I liked the look of it, and the hardware is essentially identical to that of the SG standard. The difference here is the finish, and lack of binding on the neck, as well as dotted inlays and lack of other aesthetic features. As far as actual guitar makeup goes, the guitar holds its own against an SG Standard. I prefer the feel of this guitar, it feels faster due to the lack of finish on it.

The finish on this guitar is gorgeous, I can't wait to see how it changes over time. I also threw a Bigsby B5 on mine, which makes it look awesome, and effects the playability in no way.

I should also say I prefer SGs over Les Pauls, because a Les Paul feels like you have a dump truck full of bowling balls over your neck. This SG is thin and light, and plays really crunchy.

A great value for $700. I sometimes just get this guitar out to look at it and check it out. Immaculate and put together as good as any guitar I have seen.

This is just a stick of wood with strings on it. No action at all.
Sounds nice on an amp, even though the strings buzz and you can adjust it out.
Mine went back 3 days after it arrived.