Gibson SG Standard

Made in 2000 in the USA. Purchased with all stock standard features.

In addition to the sg, I also have a Gibson 67' reissue flying V, Fender Road house strat, and a Fender american standard telecaster. I use a fulltone 69, seymour duncan tweak fuzz, boss sd-1, rat deuce tone, boss tr-2 tremolo, boss ce-2 chorus, boss dd-3 digital delay and an EH holygrail reverb. All this goes into a Sovtek mig 50 with a marshall 2x12 cab. The entire reason I purchased the guitar was the very resonant, airy sound that it had when I played it clean. This sold me right away. Distorted, the guitar has great dynamics, a fat, full sound, and is very flexible in terms of the variety of sounds that it can produce. Awesome sounding guitar.

Here is where the guitar ended up being one of those famous "lack of quality control " issues. I spent a good deal of time playing the guitar in the shop. The sound was excellent. The set-up was not to my taste but I've always had to set guitars up whether new or not to my individual preferences. I won't fault Gibson for that as everybody has different requirments. Well, after having the guitar at home and adjusted, I have had to replace the nut because the low e was cut too deeply and buzzed when the other strings did not. After a small truss rod adjustment to accomodate a heavier set of strings, the truss rod started to rattle on cetain chords, the neck pick-up crapped out, and the pick-up selector wouldn't switch pick ups. There was stain bleed on the binding, and the frets were somewhat rough in comparison to a brand new Fender I had purchased. I could really care less about the cosmetic issues but when the hardware starts failing and the truss rod, nut and pick ups have problems, that is a different story. For a 1500 dollar guitar this should never happen. Especially with a Gibson. Unfortunately it happens far to much with Gibsons. My flying v is a monster though. One of the most robust, tough guitars I've ever owned.It just stays in tune no matter what I do to it. I was extremely disappointed with the eventual failings of the guitar. They all happened within 6 months of purchase. I had them corrected by a local tech and now all is basically well.

Finish seems to be very durable, however, that is about all I trust. I would not gig without a back up. Not with this guitar at least.

Never tried to use them because of my location.

I have been playing 21 years. I have owned too many guitars and amps to remember everything but, some I miss, some I don't. I love the sound of the SG. End of story. That is why I din't get rid of it. I would recommend going over a potential Gibson purchase very, very carefully. They are just not about quality like PRS for example. Gibson makes the best and the worst guitars at the same time. Too bad.
They could be a truely great company.

2005 Ebony SG Standard. 2 humbucking pickups(passive 490R and 498T), 3 way switch, 2 volumes, 2 tones. Very basic guitar that does absolutely everything I've tried to do with it well. 22 frets. Nitrocellulose lacquer finish is just awesome! Tone(Imean tune) O' Matic bridge, Gibson Deluxe tuners. Awesome bound rosewood fingerboard. It came with a Gibon(TKL) case that's nice but the covering damages easy. I may get a flight case for this one day. The inside of the Gibson case is nice and has the drape over thing. My case is gray plush with a black cover.

This is the best sounding and most versatile guitar I have owned in my 21 years of playing guitar. I use it with a '71 Fender Twin, and numerous cool pedals like a custom cream Fulltone Full Drive II, and a Moxon OD-9, Uni-Vibe, 535Q Dunlop Crybaby, Nuance Razor Back, and a few more. It has a brighter sound than a lot of older humbucker equipped Gibsons, but it still has tons of meat and power. It can also be more subtle for blues or clean country pickin'. Yes, it really does everything well! I guess it's probably best at rock, but can be used for anything with great results.

Mine SG was perfect right out of the box. I tried and could not find a single flaw in the finish when I first bought it. The nitrocellulose lacquer finish wears a bit more easily than some other finishs but it feels nicer and supposedly let the guitar resonate more. I have not had too many bumps or bruises though. Just a little buckle rash now that I've owned it for 8 months. The factory setup was the best of any guitar I've ever bought new. I've not had to make any adjustments whatsoever. It plays great all the time.

This guitar stays in tune very well with the factory Gibson Deluxe tuners. I've never had a problem with any of the electronics or tuners. It plays and sounds so good that I've had to play it at every gig since I bought it(at least 20 gigs and counting) and have never had the slightest of problems. It stays in tune so well that I rarely have to tune between songs when using the SG. It even holds it tune when I play agressively. I would use this guitar without a backup any time. I've never broken a string on it either but I do change them after every gig and every 3 rehearsals or so. I'd read about the strap buttons not holding that well but that has not been my experience. I just use a good strap that has ends in good shape and it seems fine.

This guitar came with Gibson's lifetime warranty to the origial owner(which I am). It was very easy to register and the warranty looks pretty good. I emailed Gibson once(for a reason I do not remember right now) and they responded the next day. I'd say they are great! They are making very nice guitars these days so I don't know that I'll ever need help but it's nice to know your dealing with an American company that makes nice guiars in America and answers their email!

I have been playing for 21 years and this is the nicest guitar I have ever owned. If it were lost or stolen, I would cry and go buy another immediately. I love everything about the guitar. The case could be covered in something more durable but it's not made directly by Gibson so I won't blame them for that one. It still is a nice case and isn't too bad about tearing. I just gig alot and it gets bumped up against things more than I would like. My favorite thing about it if I had to choose, is everything! It plays and sounds awesome and stays in tune as well. It feels like a quality guitar whose maker cared when they made it! I love it! Love it! Love it!

The tone controls actually do something? That's the first thing I thought when I first started trying out SG's at Gelb music store in Redwood City. My first electric was an American Strat, which I swear the Tone nobs are merely ornimental on. Because of that and, the three way selector switch and the volume lnobs, this thing can produce a huge variety of tones. I use it for hardcore/metal and it is absolutely perfect. The position of the strap buttons took some getting used to, but not I love it. Put some strap locks on them, and you can rock really fucking hard with this guitar.

Also, I like where all the knobs, selector switch and input jack are placed. The input jack is good because I like to pull my cable through my strap. The selector switch is good because it is easily accessible, but I won't hit it on accident. My bandmate has a Les Paul and he hated how he would always accidentally hit the selector switch. He just put a bunch of stickers over it.

Sounds amazing for metal/hardcore. Would sound amazing with anything else too. Brutal, sloppy, yet clear distortion through a Mesa Nomad 100. The neck pickup is incredible for solos.

Everything was perfect about this guitar when I got it.

I rock really hard with this guitar when I play it and it's held up well so far. I'd recommend putting strap locks on it.

Never had to deal with them, but I hear they're good. The customer suppor at Gelb music store in Redwood City, where I got it, is the best in the business though, so I'll give it a 10.

Best guitar ever. Seriously.

mine is a '98 (I have had it since 2003), black-on-black, rosewood fretboard, NO MAPLE CAP, etc. etc. Very light.

Sgs have a kind of unusual strap lock position (in the neck-body joint, not on the upper horm) and I believe this is done to offset the typically neck heavy design (the bodies of SGs are extremely thin, which plays largely into their sound and feel). I find the SG to be the most comfortable guitar around, this is partially due to the neck shape/angle and partially due to the straplock posiiton I guess, but its one of those things where you have to go into a store and make the decision yourself.

One other thing I should mention is that I have made a few upgrades to mine, namely replacing the pickups (Seymour Duncan JB in bridge and DiMarzio Virtual PAF in Neck), rewiring the guitar for Jimmy Page style controls (allowing for coil tapping, combining pickups in series/parallel and in phase/out of phase and so much more, check it out here: http://www.deaf-eddie.net/pushpull/jp_setup.html) and also replacing the bridge with TonePros AVR-II and a locking tailpiece. I will try to keep these upgrades in mind when reviewing this guitar but they have been on it for more than a year so it will be hard.

I give the guitar an 8 based mostly on the look and feel. In my opinion SGs are the coolest looking guitar on the market (which is what drove me to buy mine in the first place) and I really cant play any other guitar any more without wishing it felt like my SG. Probably its strongest point.

I play mostly hard blues-rock (Zeppelin, Sabbath, Cream, Aerosmith, GnR etc.) although I do occasionally dabble into modern metal (megadeth, Metallica, Pantera etc.). First of all, MY SG sounds great, but the mods factor into that largely, so I will try to generalize. Compared to a les Paul, the SG has less bass and a more focused midrange, due to its smaller body design.

Also, due to the absence of a Maple Cap, the tone is a lot darker, but this does not mean that there is no treble to this guitar. Actually it has the opposite effect. A maple cap normally adds brightness which exist mostly in the extreme trebles (the frequencies normally governed byt a presence control) which gives the guitar a more expansive sound. Because the SG does not have a maple cap, the highs are compressed so what you end up with is a much more cutting tone (think Tony Iommi or Angus Young, the two biggest SG endorsees).

I wouldnt recommend using this guitar exclusively for cleans, all of the things mentioned above lend themselves to a great overdriven tone, but will leave a clean tone sounding rather flat. I pretty much never play clean, only different flavours of overdrive using my tone controls (I only use one channel on my amp, with a Boss Flanger in effects loop and a wah and noise gate in front).

Overall, if the SG is what you're looking for, you'll love it, if not then you might be more interested in something else. It is a well made guitar and designed to fit a certain sonic niche. My best advice is to try one out: if its not you, then dont buy it.

As for me, its perfect. I also own a les Paul studio, les paul pro w/ P-90's, PRS knockoff, a dirt cheap tokai strat copy and a hot rodded-with-humbuckers tele and the SG is by far my most used and favourite. I'm not saying that it is better than those other guitars, because it isnt, but it is my favourite.

I bought mine used so it would'nt really be fair to judge it on this point. One thing I should mention which may not be obvious is that the truss rod on gibson guitars using an almost proprietary tool - they are extremely hard to find (they come with gibson guitars when bought new), and since all my of my gibsons are second hand I always have to borrow the tool from my dad to adjust my truss rod, which is a real annoyance.

I can depend on this guitar, I have had it for 2 1/2 years and I have never had a problem. It is almost ten years old and it is in perfect working order (granted I do take very good care of all my guitars). As for the finish, you will notice very quickly that the upper bevel where your right elbow/forearm is meant to rest will take a lot of ware, so it is important to wipe that area down and use a gibson pump polish or something like that to keep it in good shape.

never had to deal with them, I have heard they are pretty good though if you go through a dealer.

I have been playing about 3 1/2 years. I mentioned above the other guitars I own and why I prefer the SG. Its a great guitar and if it were ever stolen or lost I would definately buy another SG... maybe not the standard, I would look at the custom shop ones with the bigsby, but I would probably go with the standard again, I have heard that the Bigsby makes the guitar sound really metallic and clanky. I think I would also get the sunburst finish. Its a little more, but it is kinda rare and it looks absolutely stunning.

1995 SG Standard. It's an SG...pretty simple stuff right? But I found the volume and tone knobs to be extremely responsive and very usable. They really do affect the tone wonderfully, making this a quite versatile guitar.

Well I love it. I play experimental/indie (brainiac, melt banana) and I've learned to really appreciate its versatility. It's kind of weird, because other SG's i've played gave me that "what in the AC/DC is this fucking shit" kind of vibe, but this one is pretty eccentric I guess. I use some weird pedals, (effector 13 TBD, Zvex Fuzz factory, etc) and this thing is brilliant with them. Not even a hint of metal or blues cheese (how hard is that to come by, eh? And I iddn't even have to get a shitty 60's jap guitar that goes out of tune every 5 minutes). People are bashing the rhythm pickup for rhythm..I guess it's not that great for their ZZtop leads or something, but if you want some strange tones, this thing will crank them out. The bridge humbucker kind of blows at max volume (what in the AC/DC is this fucking shit) but roll off the volume a bit and it gets cool again, glassy, sharp, and not so blues-ish

my 498T shit out and they replaced it for free

if it was stolen or lost I would not get another one, but I hope to god that never happens. I can't bring myself to sell it, but I can't say I would go out of my way to get another. I have a 60's Teisco K-2L that I play alot. 1200 bucks for a new one? Get real. I can't say the value is very good, but it destroys an epiphone or something.

USA made Gison. All the specs are on they're site.

Sounded like an SG. Nice blues tone. Could handle metal very well. If you wanted to,you could play some jazz as well. Made to rock though.

I was extremely disappointed with the finish quality on this guitar. It had a very noticeable pin hole in the finish, on the lower horn, all the way down to the wood and in the same area the paint was so thin that you could see a darker layer underneath. For Gibson to try and sell this guitar, with these blatant flaws, is pretty unbelievable. I would consider this guitar a factory 2nd. I bought a black SG last winter and had to return that one because of scratches all over the back of the neck. The box it was shipped in was unopenned straight from Gibson. Gibson quality control sucks big time. My son has a $99 squier mini strat that has a better finish than this american made $1200 guitar. SHAMEFUL!

They told me, in a form letter e-mail, contact the retailer about the problem. Nice huh?

I have been playing for about 20yrs. I have been thru many guitars. I own a Gibson X-plorer Pro which is awesome. For some reason Gibson has dropped the ball on finish quality over the past few years for some reason. I guess they fgure that people will accept these flaws because it's a GIBSON. Not me. They had a customer for life after the X-plorer but not now. I recently played an ESP viper, that is less than half the price of an SG and I was extremely impressed. BUYER BEWARE!

You've read it hundred times before. I have the Cherry one but is a lot darker the new ones. Don't know why? Only think I don't like it the neck needs wiped off if you're playing the guitar for any legth of time and the head dives.

I bought testing a tons of guitars and found that I personally liked the sound better than any other guitar out there. I use it through a 1990s Fender Champ Hybrid. My chain is SD-1, Dist.+, Big Muff PI NYC, and a DL-4. Great through it all. Lately I've been thinking of getting rid of it but when I play it I don't want to and I will never probably will. I use both the bridge and the neck pups but tend to stay on the neck when clean. I play a (i don't know) jazz/punk fusion to a indy rock. (and I'm not talking fake indy) putting it in genric terms and this is exactly what I want.

This guitar was bought in 1996 new and is dated in 95. I guess now that Gibson really lack in the QA department but everything was set up nice on this. I had to make a slight adjustment to the bridge. I play 9 guage strings and this is what the guitar came with. I've never had to do anything to this gutiar since I bought it except change strings. I did take the ugly crome pup covers off but that's really only costmentic.

It seems a little fragile but Ireally careful with my gear.I'v play live and never had any problem with it. It's accually a really nice guitar live because of it's weight. Just have to look out for those head dives. It will get belt buckle scratches if you're not careful with it and I'd suggest locking strap buttons for it. I gig without a back up with no fear and no money.

Great Guitar. I wouldn't trust the new ones for the QA issues but I love this one. I scammed a hard case from the dealer I bought it from but for a guitar that cost this much, it should come with more than a sh!tty bag. If you're concidering this guitar, I would suggest going with an older, well taken care of, SG or maybe even a good knock off.

2005 Made in USA. Heritage Cherry finish. You know the other stuff. Has all it needs.

Sound, what can I say great. Sounds like an SG should. I play old school Rock and Roll, and this is an old school R&R guitar. Actually, this guitar would sound good in any school.

Was it setup for me when I purchased it? No. How could Gibson know what I like. So I set it up myself. The finish isn't perfect, but nitro never is. If you want perfect, get a poly (plastic) coated one. If you want sound, nitro all the way, baby. The neck feels great.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? Yes. Does the hardware seem like it will last? Yes. Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? Yes, it will last and will wear, very nice, with time. Nitro you know. Are the strap buttons solid? Straplocks, nuff said. Can you depend on it? Yes. Would you use it on a gig without a backup? Yes, but a backup is a must no matter what you play. Since it is a Gibson, be careful with it. If you want a weapon, get a Tele.

Talked to then one time 3 years ago. Very nice people.

Overall I would rate this guitar excellent. For me, only a Gibson will do.

it was made in 2005,and made in the USA.there are 22 frets and it is a solid top with cherry finish on it.there's 2 volume's , 2 tone's and a 3 way switch.it has 2 chrome plated pickups.it has a mahogany body and neck and a rosewood fingerboard. it has to sharp cutaway's like devil horns.it has a tune-o-matic bridge. shaller tuner's.a beautiful case comes with it,it has the gibson logo on it.

it suits my music style very well. i like AC/DC,JIMMIE,ZEP,BEETLES and more.i use a marshall amp with it. if you like bluesy,classic rock,and heavy rock this guitar and amp are the perfect combination. it can do many settings. it has a rich full sound.i like it very very very much!!!.it is a great guitar.

the guitar set up is great. there easy to reach and there all beside each other.the action is perfect.the pickups are perfect. no flaws,wood, hardware,and every thing else is wonderful.

the guitar is very relia/durabual. it will withstand live playing and the hardware will last.

i did not deal with the company. but the people at the store i bought it from were very helpful.

this is my frist electric guitar, and i bought it because i liked every thing about it.my dad has a gibson guitar so we knew they were of good quality.

2004 sg standard (nashville): 22 frets and fast as hell. mine has an ebony fretboard, which i don't normally like, but after playing it for a couple of hours in the store i changed my mind. my only real feature-related complaints are with the cheap-o plastic tuning heads (come on, i paid upwards of $1300 for this guitar!) and the low body-placement of the toggle switch which doesn't really make for very good on-the-fly pickup selection.

490R in the neck position and a 498T at the bridge. for what i play (indie rock in the vein of superchunk, husker du, GBV etc.), the 498T is just about unbeatable. if you eliminate the midrange honk by rolling off the volume just a tad, and dial in the right amount of gain on your amp, you'll get an awesome smoothness and touch-response. the 490R sounds like junk with the tone rolled up but, if you dial the tone to about 3, you'll get a blues-tinged tone that's great for that screaming trees solo-sustain. another added bonus is the fact that, when using the pickups in tandem with the bridge pickup set at full volume and the neck pickup set around 3, you'll get a smooth-yet-glassy clean tone that can be revved up to a growl (without the audible click of a footswitch) just by flicking the toggle switch to "treble"... if you've heard the who's "live at leeds" you know what i'm talking about.

the set-up is my only serious beef with this guitar. when i got it, the action was set WAY too low and the pickups were way too close to the strings. don't get me wrong: i like my action set low. however, i do not like hearing the sound of my pick hitting the pickup-plating clicking through my amp. still, the neck joint and truss-rod were well-set (the low-action problem was only bridge-related and was easily corrected when i adjusted the bridge and pickup height) and the finish was without blemish.

this thing is an absolute TANK! i've been gigging with it about twice a week for a year, using an epiphone les paul as a back up, and i've only reached for the epi when i've broken strings. the pickups are not tarnished and the scratches on the pick-guard wipe right off. i've installed schaller strap-locks due to the fact that this is my primary live-guitar, but i still have the original strap buttons, as they were rock-solid. as for belt rash... wear a longer shirt or just deal with it.

i've never dealt with gibson.

i've been playing for 10 years. i've owned strats, teles, epi les pauls, etc... this is the best-sounding and most reliable of the bunch. overall, i'd say it's pretty nice. if you're looking for a compact, weight-balnced guitar, don't buy this one. you have to reach for the lower end of the neck. if you're looking for a great rock guitar with classic tone, this is the one.