Gibson SG Reissue Heritage Cherry

This instrument is loosely patterned after the 1960's EB-3 most often associated with Jack Bruce and the Zombies - mahogany body/neck, cloverleaf tuners, 20-fret rosewood fingerboard, two chrome large/small humbuckers. 30-1/2" scale - with just enough differences to make it an "almost-but-not-quite" in my book. Controls consist of individual volumes and a master tone - admittedly a classic set-up (derived from the post-1962 J-Bass and since adopted by most manufacturers of passive basses), but with less potential for tonal subtlety than the original two-volume/two-tone combination. It also lacks the four-position Varitone of the EB-3; the "baritone" setting (#4 - neck pickup with some sort of choke/high-pass filter) in particular could be very effective on light, fast jazz lines - with the option of a quick switch to position #2 for solos. One positive change is the adoption of the post-1970 three-point/metal-saddle bridge, first introduced on the third-generation (large-headstock/center-pickup) EB-Series basses when the spring-loaded under-string mute was dropped - definitely goes a long way in promoting both sustain and tuning stability. The neck width is also slightly greater than the originals at ~1-5/8" - thin enough to permit easy handling for smaller players or converted guitarists, but just wide enough to facilitate fingering (many of the '66-69 necks came in on the short side of 1-1/2" - IMO one of the reasons for their relative lack of success vis-a-vis Fender); in some respects the new profile is reminiscent of '63-65 Hofner necks, but with a definite Gibson feel - al in all, not a bad place to be for any short-scale bass. The "faded" cherry finish (actually, a very thin coating of lacquer over the stain) is easy enough to care for, and dings/scratches are invisible - another plus.

This is by nature a highly versatile instrument, one that is quite capable of covering all the basses (pun intended) - since I got mine in January '08 my Bartolini-P/J Pedulla hasn't seen much playing time, and with that big neck humbucker I really don't need the low-B on my Ibanez 5-string. FYI, I play a broad variety of music on several different instruments - acoustic and electric 6- and 12-string guitar, acoustic and electric bass, mandolin, plectrum/tenor/5-string/6-string banjo, Irish and Greek bouzouki - and the overriding feature for me in considering any new instrument is tonal/stylistic flexibility. While the basic tone is admittedly old-school - a set of heavy-gauge LaBella flatwounds and low action (the old standby '60s setup as well as my current configuration) will put you in soul heaven when played through a 1x15" cab - it's also capable of more contemporary sounds with roundwounds and one of the newer generation bass amps (I'm using an old Randall RB-120 1x15" rig and an Ampeg Portabass 250 1x12" combo depending on the job); the current design neck pickup is more T-Bird or P-Bass in tone/articulation, depending on the strings used, than the '60s "Sidewinder" model (which had more low end than a roomful of J-Lo impersonators) - not bad, but personally I'm a fan of the older design. Regardless, forget what you may have heard about short-scale basses - these ugly rumors originated from a total lack of understanding of the inherent characteristics of the instrument; properly set up (meaning leave those.040-.090 taperwound slap-and-pop specials in the drawer - you're looking at an .050 or .055 set and low action if you're going to bring out the full tonal potential) a good short-scale bass like this one gives away little or nothing to a 34-incher. The ultra-thin finish also allows the wood to breathe and resonate - this instrument has one of the best acoustic sounds of any bass I've played - but again, one point off for the lack of tonal flexibility inherent in the older control setup, and the loss of low-end wallop in the newer-design neck pickup.

"They don't make 'em like they used to" - and having played probably a hundred EB-Series basses over the last 46 years (and owned a to-die-for mint cherry-red '67 Epiphone Rivoli as my first "good" bass in the late '70s) I'd unfortunately have to agree. Back in the day, what distinguished the plainer "first-line manufacture" (Gibson, Epiphone, Martin, Guild, Gretsch) from their similarly-priced/visually-fancier mass-market counterparts (Harmony, Kay, Valco, Harptone, et al.) was the quality of fit/finish/materials and attention to detail - a quick search of the vintage market will turn up more playable '50s-60s Gibson L-48's than Harmony Montclairs. From the start, my instrument was fraught with problems that would have earned it a "second" or "imperfect" designation forty years ago: poorly cured fingerboard wood resulting in shrinkage and subsequent sharp fret ends over the length of the neck (not exclusively a Gibson problem these days, BTW), bridge studs that pulled out of the body when the instrument was restrung and tension applied, uneven fret height, and imbalanced pickup output. Fortunately I'm enough of a shadetree guitar tech that I was able to fix these problems; thing is, it took me the better part of a year and countless hours to get this otherwise-excellent instrument to where it should have been right from the factory - at current repair shop rates in most metropolitan areas we're talking $300-400 out-of-pocket if I didn't do the work myself. I was considering a matching faded cherry SG - same problems (which didn't exist on the comparable Epiphone model - made in China, less than one-half the price); wake up, Henry J. - there's a serious question of brand-name credibility here.

Now that the aforementioned repairs/tweaks have been done, it's about as solid as they come - holds its tune for a week or more and keeps pumping out the sound with no further adjustments necessary. Don't need a backup - just keep it in its case between sets (prevents the infamous "headstock crack"), plug it in, and pump out the bottom end.

Had a bad tuner on an ES-135 I owned about 15 years ago - called the company, replaced at no charge under warranty. Haven't had to deal with them lately - given the problems above, however, I suspect they won't be quite as accommodating this time around.

In 46 years of playing I own/have owned instruments from just about every major American/Pacific Rim manufacturer, and this one exhibits some of the greatest potential of any of them; given the market's resurgence of interest in short-scale basses in recent years, Gibson is poised to be at the forefront with some major attention to quality control issues. As stated above, however, this doesn't appear likely in the foreseeable future; I had the opportunity to examine a new edition of this instrument in the "worn ebony" finish (the original worn cherry/worn walnut finishes were discontinued a while ago) - if you've ever been curious about what happens to the final few sprays in Krylon paint cans once the graffiti vandals get through with them, wonder no longer. Since replacing it is out of the question, I guess I'll just take extra-good care of mine and enjoy some of the best bass tone I've heard in years.

Gisbson SG Bass Reissue Heritage faded Cherry, Made in USA Paid ??599 GB new. Short scale 20 frets. Solid top of Mahogany and set neck with rosewood fretboard. Two Pickups, Neck is Vintage T Bird Humbucker and bridge is mini Humbucker. 2 Vol and 1 Tone control. Complete with hard case. This model is cheaper than the standerd reissue bass ( ??950)because of the cheaper wood used and body finish

Short scale gives a right thump.. A rock/blues bass with lots of vari on the tone. Lots of power from the Bridge p/u. Once the strings have worn in abit and ive gigged with her some, i will change the strings for flat wounds. My fav bassist is Andy fraser from Free who used an vintage Gibson eb3. I use the bass though a Warwick 300watt head and 2x 10" and 1 x 15" cabinets. Ive got used to the Short scale now, and the fender jazz hasnt had a look in since i brought her. No dislike

Action good. slight fret buzz. Butim a heavy player and im used to hearing buzz. setup is perfect for me. Only thing i may have done is have the frets taken back slightly on the underside. Hand catchs them on a fast slide up the neck. All SG's are neck heavy. Use a good wide strap and Locking strap locks are a must. But you may have them dig in your belly

Its a gibson what more can i say.. built to last and along with my Fender Jazz usa. Had her about 2 weeks. I allways have a back up on a gig, But would be have to do a gig without

2 weeks old

Playing bass for about 10 years. Own Fender jazz and aria semi + Yamaha fretless. If you want to get the vinatge tones best though a valve amp. Being an Andy fraser fan i have always wanted the bass. so for me its a icon of basses. Would buy again if lost or stolen