The original Gibson SG shattered all perceptions of what a guitar should be when it was first introduced in 1961. Today, the SG stands as one of Gibson’s most popular and best-selling guitars. Its distinct twin cutaways, pointed horns, and beveled edges have made it one of the most inspired and iconic designs in the history of guitar making.
Nitrocellulose Finish
Applying a nitrocellulose finish to any Gibson guitar is one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process. A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. But this fact has never swayed Gibson into changing this time-tested method, employed ever since the first Gibson guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, which means there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can’t do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not “seal” wood in an airtight shell–as a poly finish does–and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.
The Gibson Logo
The most innovative and revolutionary stringed instruments of all time have carried the name Gibson–the Les Paul, the ES-335, the Explorer, the Flying V, the SG. The list goes on and on. There is no mistaking the classic, hand-crafted mother of pearl logo, inlayed into a pressed fiber-head veneer that is then glued to the face of the mahogany headstock. A thin coat of lacquer finishes the process. It is the most recognizable logo in all of music, representing more than a century of originality and excellence. There is simply no equal.
Angled Headstock
The angled headstock is another example of Gibson’s industry-changing way of thinking. Every Gibson headstock is carved out of the same piece of mahogany as the neck then fitted with Gibson’s traditional wing blocks. It is not a “glued-on” headstock, and the process takes craftsmanship, time, and effort. But the rewards are worth the effort. The headstock is carefully angled at 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.
Adjustable Truss Rod
The adjustable truss rod is a Gibson innovation that revolutionized the guitar. Before this ground-breaking discovery in the early 1920s, the truss rod was used only to strengthen and stabilize the neck. By making it adjustable, the truss rod now allows a guitar to be set up using a variety of string gauges, as well as string heights. This easily accommodates any style of playing, and allows a limitless range of set-up options. And by placing it at the base of the headstock, the adjustable nut is easily accessible, even while the strings are still on the guitar.
’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.
22-Fret Rosewood Fingerboard
Rosewood has always graced the fingerboards of the world’s finest stringed instruments, including many of today’s Gibsons. The fingerboard on the Gibson SG Special is constructed from the highest grade rosewood on the planet. The rosewood is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled wood experts before it enters the Gibson factories to be fitted onto the necks of the SGs. The resilience of this dense and durable wood makes these fingerboards extremely balanced and stable, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite. The 12-inch radius of the fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.
Nickel and Silver Alloy Fret Wire
The fret wire on the Gibson models is a combination nickel and silver alloy (approximately 80 percent nickel and 20 percent silver) specifically designed for long life and superior wear. Gibson’s traditional “medium/jumbo” fret wire is first shaped by hand, then cut to an exact 12-inch radius. After hand pressing it into the fingerboard, a machine press finishes the job to eliminate the gap between the bottom of the fret wire and the fingerboard.
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.
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.
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.
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), which has the traditional characteristics of the original “Patent Applied For” pickups, but with two key modifications. First, a four-conductor wiring scheme allows the 490s to be connected to any push/pull knob, which lets players split the coils and increase versatility. Gibson also introduced wax potting, which does away with any air space, minimalizing microphonic feedback. 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. And,
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.
Body: Mahogany
Neck/Profile: Mahogany
Fingerboard/Inlay: Rosewood/Dot
Scale/Nut Width: 24-3/4 in./1-11/16 in.
Bridge/Tailpiece: Tune-o-matic/Stop bar
Hardware: Chrome (Gold on Cream finish)
Pickups: 490R Alnico magnet humbucker, 490T Alnico magnet humbucker
Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way switch
Strings: Brite Wires .009-.042
Beautiful
I bought this guitar 2 days ago and I haven't been able to put it down. its just beautiful. Its not all looks, it has a great sound to it. The only slight problem is I have trouble keeping it in tune which is probably a personal error. its amazing. If you have about a grand you should buy this one. With out a doubt the coolest looking guitar ever. I got the wine red color. Its got a great look to it and the pictures on this site dont do it justice. Go now. buy.
SgMachine from Kansas city MO (Dec 30, 2007)
It has the classic SG tone, great bottom end excellent for rhythm. Solos sound equally good. I play lots of Smashing Pumpkins, as well as Metallica, RATM, AC/DC, Hendrix, and Stevie Ray. It's obviously not the best pick for the latter two but no one guitar covers all the bases perfectly. The tone always has plenty of depth yet retains a lot of clarity. Here's my setup: SG -> Boss Compression/Sustainer CS-3 -> DOD Overdrive Preamp/250 -> DOD Sustain -> DOD Delay -> DOD Chorus -> headphones. I've played it through various amps and I found that it can sound rather "bassy." It was most present when I played through a Soldano Lucky 13 (when I say bassy I mean the tone you get when you bring the guitar's tone to "0" and put it on the neck pickup and play notes higher up on the treble strings-sorta like the intro to Cream's Sunshine of Your Love, only more annoying). I'm assuming that the stock pickups aren't particularly good. But overall I'm quite impressed.
Standard SG features like dual humbuckers (on this guitar they're dual 490s), 3 way switch, volume/tone pot for each, stopboar tailpiece/tune-o-matic bridge, mahogany body and neck, 24 3/4" scale. It's basically an SG Special with black chrome, satin black finish, black pickguard, ebony fretboard with one inlay at the 12th (awesome moon and star), and black chrome Grover tuners. The neck isn't superstrat thin but it's very comfortable (I believe it's slightly chunkier than an SG Standard). The frets are jumbo (22 frets), or at least jumbo enough. Gibson includes a nice, well-paded gig bag that I will probably use instead of getting a case. I'll give it a 10 because it looks very sinister (everything on it is black) and the Grover tuners are (in my opinion) a step up from the ones on the Special and Standard's.
I received it somewhat out of tune and poorly set-up. The action was reasonably low but there was quite a bit of buzzing on the low E string. The pickups seem to be adjusted well. The paint finish is excellent (except for a few very small bubles at the neck joint) but it seems prone to scratches and does not seem as though it will last particularly long. The frets have some paint or finish on the sides but does not affect performance. As I expected, it has that SG trait of being neck heavy. The thin, comfortably shaped body is very light but it's coupled to a chunky, rather heavy neck which gives makes the guitar a bit unabalanced. If you let it hang, the headstock end has a tendancy to fall towards the ground. Like all other SGs, the neck extends further than most guitars. I'm kind of short (5'4") and I sometimes have a hard time playing certain things when standing. The Grover tuners are a bit tight and will probably loosen up later on. They don't feel particularly solid, they feel like cheaper tuners in that they have a "void" zone or certain vaugeness where when you wind the key the tuner doesn't move accordingly for a second. However, the guitar stays in tune well so I'm not complaining.
I've emailed Gibson once because it came without ANY documentation whatsoever (not even a warranty card). They said it's nothing to worry about and the warranty is valid as long as I can prove I'm the original owner. I received a prompt and friendly email that sounded like they really do care. Another plus is that if there's a problem (God forbid) it'll be covered by the lifetime warranty (provided I don't change any parts-real bummer) and I can just bring it to a local shop 15 minutes away and they'll take care of it.
alan (03/17/2001)
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