Gibson SG Standard

Well, after so many people writed reviews for that guitar, i think everyone knows about the feautures, so that i won't mention them farther again.
Very classical.

I personally love this guitar. I play mostly stuff by Gary Moore or AC/DC, but with the right amp settings on my ENGL screamer and the tone-knop turned down to five it can also do some satisfying Satriani or Petrucci sounds.
Nevertheless it sounds a bit too dark for rythm, prefer soloing on it, good sustain, comfortable neck. After so many people complainded about the pick-ups, i must negotiate that; don't sound microphonic at all, very natural, rich sound.
Think i will give it a 9.

Hmmmm...
The first SG standard i got (musicstore) had several, little mistakes like loosen tone-potis, and the toogle switch didn't work properly.
Sent it back and got an new one, everything was fine, except the setting.
In my opinion Gibson works a little careless refering to that, pick ups and bridge weren't adjusted at all, but if you have some experience with set up your guitars that wont be a problem at all.

I think this guitar will last until the day i die, seems to be very solid, if you don't treat it that bad.
The only thing is the nitro finish, which gets scratched and worn off very easily, but that gives your guitar character.
To those people who complain about that: You don't have a clue at all. Nitro is much more resistable than any other finishes, just more flexible and will never break off.

Never dealed with them

I am playing since 6 years now and i am totally satisfied. I think I've fallen in love with this guitar, i couldn't live a day without it.
If stolen or lost, i would kill myself or get a new one

standard sg features, 2 humbuckers, two tone knobs, two volumes. 22 frets i think.

i play rock, and this guitar sounds great for that. stuff like dire straits will not work well on this guitar, but for punch and power this guitar is great. also nice clean sound to bring out the more "jazzy" side of me. the guitar is very responsive and therefore easy to play. i play it threw a vavstate 100 watt marshall head and pedals such as an ibanez reissue tube screamer, boss blues driver, boss flanger, boss delay.

the guitar isnt noisy.

the sound is full with lots of sustain. lots of bass, nice bell like tone in the middle position, not bright - a good frequency balance. the pic's attack is nicely noticeable. its nicely agressive, the sound jumps out. killer rock sound.

the tradeoffs of having an sg are that it doesnt have a whammy bar, and it doesnt have a middle out of phase position like a strat or an ibanez.

i bought it second hand and th setup is fine. no string buzzing, nice action. theres a rattle in the neck pickup since it is suspended on two screws which dont seem to hold the pickup firmly. the guitar had no flaws, finish looks great, no paint spills or anything else weird. the neck isnt a thin one, but thats how these guitar are.

everything looks solid on this guitar, im allways extra cautios with it coz i saw too many gibsons with broken necks.

i have been playing over twenty years, i play well but im not a pro.

i used to be a strat guy for many years and this was a change for me to get a gibson. the guitar is realy great, but i wouldnt be happy with only a gibson, i also have a strat and an ibanez with a floyd and a godin sdxt. for distortion it kicks the rest out of the window. it is so powerfull that it brings to life alot of equipment i thought sucked, for example a boss ds 1 i have which sounded useless with my other guitars suddenly sounds good. the distortion channel on my amp sounded okay, but the sg makes it really excellent. i knew this guitar wouldnt do everything, but when you plug in it just works with you. i had to take a break from the strat bulls****for a while.

2006, Heritage Cherry, all mahogany. SG Rounded neck profile - nice and beefy. Typical SG specs - you know exactly what you're getting!

I use this through the Normal Channel of a '65 Bassman head (Bright switch ON), into a Marshall JCM900 1960A with stock Celestion G12's. Sometimes a modestly-sized pedalboard in the chain, but usually just guitar->amp->speakers. Very full-sounding, not overly noisy.

Compared to an equivalent Les Paul, the SG has a much smoother attack which sits better with a more responsive amp like the Bassman. Though generally considered to be the inferior instrument, I find the inherent warmth of the SG far more suited to my playing style - skanky/bluesy/indie rock.

Set up with 9s at the factory... I play with 12s in Standard. The bottom E string saddle doesn't have quite enough travel to intonate properly with a .056, so I had to flip it around. The pickups needed a bit of tweaking, but a perfect balance can be achieved if you take the time.

Cosmetics let this instrument down somewhat - I have played and owned Chinese guitars that were better appointed. The finish is perfect, except for a few places where it actually goes OVER the fingerboard binding. A minor detail, but if they can get it right in the third world... The fingerboard binding is unshaped, typical for Gibson, but is somewhat rough between the frets. The nubs that extend up over the fret ends, while being an impressive reminder of the handmade nature of the instrument, actually impede playing on occasion. The nut is made of some kind of seam-y, porous plastic that looks artificially bright next to the vintage cream of the binding - again a minor detail, but when you can expect such appointments on a Chinese guitar it really makes the corporations look a bit lax. Same with the white layers in the 5-ply pickguard - cream would have matched the binding and lent a far more elgant touch.

This guitar withstands live playing very well - my band gigs weekly, and my backup hasn't been out of its case in some 12 months. Some of the pickguard and pickup screws already rusting a bit, but I sweat profusely and don't clean it as often as I probably should. It's all mojo anyway. I did swap out the strap buttons for some Dunlops, the originals were a bit too small to feel secure.

I've been playing 18 years, the only superior instrument I have is a classical guitar handmade to my specification. I've bought and sold many electrics, however I anticiapte keeping the SG longer than any others I've had. I'm considering getting a refret to dispense with the binding nubs - sometimes they really are that annoying. That's about my only qualm; even the much-maligned SG neck heaviness is nice - with a leather strap and locks it sits perfectly; you always know exactly where everything is. Some pointers on the knobs wouldn't go astray either - I use my volume and tone knobs a great deal, and often in the heat of the moment it's hard to preset the other pickup to the right volume before you flick the switch.

Bought this is 2004, cherryburst finish, with stock pickups, made in the US. I think everyone knows the rest of the details. The features are more than enough, considering what this guitar should and shouldn't do.

For rock music this thing is unbeatable. Both stock humbuckers sound great, I don't think its necessary to switch them out. However, to each their own. All three position (B, BN, N) all sound good depending on the style. This is not as "meaty" as the LP, but considering the weight difference I think its a wash. Has good sustain and control. Tone and volume control could be a little more responsive, but that also has to do with the amp your plugged into. Can handle rhythm and solo's with ease. This guitar can sound okay for blues, rockabilly, country etc. But this really shines for rock, classic rock, and can venture into metal if your a good clean player.

Factory out of box was very impressive, no flaws and looked as beautiful as ever.

I try not use this except when gigging, and take extremely good care of all my equipment. So far so good, no issues whatsoever.

Quick recap- Out of box this thing is ready to rock and roll, and I mean that literally. We all know the legends who've used this and the list is endless. Great rock guitar, can be used for other styles if necessary.

Mine is a 2001 made in the U.S of A with the usual number of frets (22) and a solid top and all the usual tone, volume etc controls.
It has the standard Gibson pickups that come on the standard (490R bridge and 498T neck)which sound great. I think it's all mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard. It's in heritage cherry (as it should be)
It came with a tanned brown hard-case and with strap locks.

I play with the usual hard rock set up of gibson + marshall to play ac/dc, gnr, metallica but occassionally softer stuff like floyd and fleetwood mac. When i first got it (about 3 months ago) there was a bit of crackling on one of the tone controls, but it soon went after use. It gives an enormous range of sounds. Sparkling, distortion drenched chords with bridge pick-up and on flat out, or haunting echoes with the tone turned right down on the neck pick-up. whatever you want to play, it's capable. Not much to dislike. Have a les paul studio as well, which has a more meaty sound, gives a much more soulful feel, where-as the sg is full out rock.

I bought it from a student who had been playing pop music on it, so it wasn't too well set-up action-wise, but a quick truss rod adjustment did the trick. Apart from that I also put 010s on it, as it helps to give a bigger sound at the top end. There were a couple of dings on the body, but hey, who cares? It's a rock n roll guitar, it's gonna get knocks! I couldn't live with a brand new, pristine guitar. I wouldn't play it.

I bought this guitar with the intention of keeping it forever, it's the only guitar i've ever really wanted (i had a cheap copy before) and i expect it to last forever. Obviously i wouldn't throw it at the floor and assume it won't break, but i can see a great deal of use out of the old thing yet. Everything seems in working order, and doesn't seem to need replacing. As i have mentioned, strap-locks are a good idea. I recently saw maiden, and the amount of guitars they would break if they didn't have strap-locks is astronomical! I would trust this guitar with my life. It was my second love (girlfriend comes a close first).

never needed

Been playing 4 years, just started regular gigging with a marshall JCM 900, which perfectly complements the SG. I'd defintely replace it if it was stolen with another SG, but maybe pay a bit more to get the supreme, which would offer more of a les paul sound with the maple top.

Everyone knows the features of a Gibson SG Standard! Mine is EBONY and a 2006 model which I bought used from a fellow who didn't play the guitar at all. MINT COND. Excellent set-up now with very low action. The Gibson is QC'd perfect[have to watch this with GIBSON] The SG was all stock when I bought with very low miles. No fret wear and a excellent fret-job, I polished the frets. Adjusted the Truss-Rod, Intonated the guitar, and basically did a complete set-up. Now its PEFECT at 6lbs and its not neck heavy? Good job with this one Gibson

SGs NEVER were quite right to me. And its not the guitar, Its the 490-498 pick-up set. Be it a SG or a Les-Paul, they just do not sound RIGHT. But I learned a VERY GOOD trick to fix this.

Fisrt off you need to eliminate the 490. Its a ALNICO II magnet and it just doesn't agree with the 498 which is a ALNICO V. So I de-solderd the 490 and replaced it with a New BB-PRO. WOW what a difference in Tone. The BB-Pro is without a doubt the best neck pick-up Gibson has produced in years. Even better than the 57s which I keep in my ES-series Gibsons. But the real magic is adding the BVB-Pro alonmg with the 498 whch is also a Alnico V. For all of you who THOUGHT you didn't like the 498? Wait till you hear this set! Great Harmoncs, good Clear, clean Tones, nice and edgy and Raw set of Gibson Pick-ups. GIBSON seriously ought to use this set stock, The 490 just is too muddy and the bridge BB-Pro just is to Brittle with not enough power. This set is the BOMB!

I've owned two SG Standards over the years and regret selling the first one. It was so damn good of a playing guitar. Well when I finally stumbled across the BB-Pro-498 set-up on a Les-Paul Studio I own, I KNEW it was time for another SG Standard. I knew I could finally amke it sound RIGHT. Its a give in that they are GREAT feeling playing guitars. Just never sounded right to me.

Man I just LOVE his SG. It immediatly went to my #1 humbucker Axe!

Its a GIBSON! They will last a lifetime if you atke care of it!

PERFECT, Just give them a call or E-Mal them.

The people whom you read below with their 1 and 2 and 3 ratings? And the ones that tell younto buy a no-name brand? You'll like it better? I doubt any of them REALLY OWN a GIBSON. Because they really are the Top Dog in the USA for Production Line guitar. And NO these are not USA Custom Shop guitars. So there will be QC issues. Don't buy ON-LINE and pick out a WINNER? That simple. Then you won;t be here crying about how Gibson sold you a Lemon. When in REALITY, you were to STUPID to realize you can't buy Fenders and Gibsons sight unseen?

A brief intro to my Gibson SG Standard '96 is that no, I didn't buy it new...I got it off Craigslist for $600 used. So I expected it to be beat up to some extent. Boy was I wrong.

The guy told me he got the SG back in '96, so the guitar is literally 12 years old. A lot of things can happen in 12 years, and this guy (from my point of view) looked as if he would take care of his instrument while also taking it out to gigs.

The SG was in GREAT tune. I wouldn't say it was perfectly in tune, but the action was great, the frets were great, everything was in great playable order. Aside from replacing a tuner head, he hadn't had the guitar set up since he got it 12 years prior. It still kept in shape!

You may already know what features this guitar has in terms of pickups (which I still retain the original 490s). You may already know about the neck profile and everything else. But what you need to know is that the craftsmanship of this guitar is unbelievably insane. This is definitely the player's guitar. It's light, great light/hard sound, and looks amazing.

I retain the original factory pups (although tempted to either go burstbuckers or something else). They sound fantastic...with quite a load when played with moderate distortion. Love the AC/DC sound, but that just might be myself imagining it b/c of the guitar.

The only thing, according to the person that I spoke with, that this guitar needed in its 12 year lifespan was one replaced tuner head and an initial set up. The guitar is PROUDLY crafted in the USofA.

12 years of gigging and other related live playing. What can I say? It has lasted this long, why not longer? USA...keep that in mind.

N/A -> I'm sure they'd be happy to help

Perfect guitar for beginners/intermediates/experts/whatever category you figure yourself in. Very easy to play b/c it's super light with such a great sound. This guitar was made to be taken around place to place. It just looks so freaking sweet. Seriously, just look at some pics of either the ebony or red finishes....modern classic.

Gibson SG Standard 2008
Color: Natural Burst
Great guitar... so far so good.
Maybe the case had bad quality materials...

Sound amazing! I play Les Pauls, strats ant Tele??s and this guitar soun like no other. Excelent for Blues and Rock.
The pickups sound great, but, maybe, with a pair of Seymour Duncan...

The action its just perfect. Confortably, smooth.
Maybe one of the most confortably instrument i ever played.
Excelent finish!

I had a problema. The nut just break in the 3rd string. The nut is the worst I ever see. But its the onl problem. I put a brass nut. Ready... go!

Great Guitar. MUCH BETTER AND MUCH CHEAP THAN A LES PAUL

I purchased my 2007 SG Standard brand new. It came with a neck, body, 2 pick-ups and controls for tone and volume. "Standard" all the way through with no unusual "feautures" I can think of! I rated it a 10 because I am not sure what else anyone could expect when they buy a SG Standard.

Standard Gibson HB pickups ensure no annoying buzz. The sound is all Gibson with plenty of bite where it is needed along with nice mellow tones that are not that much different from a much heavier Les Paul.

Gibson have evidently tighened up on their QC over the past few years as mine is flawless. The neck action is the reason I bought the guitar--it is low and without any buzzing. I only have one small complaint and it is the usual one: the tuning goes out occasionally on the G. No idea why it does this as it seemed to plague all my other Gibsons too. They should dump the green tuners and switch over to a quality product made by Grover for example. I rated the SG 9 in the category for this reason. My strat never goes out of tune and neither does my Grover fitted Martin acoustic (if they are Grovers). The Standard 60's style neck is particularly good for me as I am used to playing a Strat and prefer a slightly wider neck without too much rounding such as you find on a Les Paul Studio for example. The SG is a much more comfortable guitar to play than a Les Paul not only because of its light weight but also due to the shaping that does not cut into your ribs as a LP does. I know the image of a SG is more for the metal fans but for me it makes a lot more sense as my back is susceptible to injury from heavy weights and I like to be different anyway! The difference in tone and sustain compared with a heavier LP may be more myth than reality to the average person with average hearing.

I cannot see any reason why this guitar should not stay the course for decades. It is a pro guitar.

I have owned quite a few Gibsons over the years including an ES335, Barney Kessel, a Les Paul Standard, LP Studio and a 12 String Acoustic. The only one to come to grief was the 12 string which had to be fitted with a tail-piece as it was not taking the strain of the 12 strings too well. I think I am going to enjoy my SG the most of any of them.

I really like my SG. I would buy it again if it got lost or stolen. I paid $1300 for it brand new and consider that price to be excellent compared with the competition (PRS or Fender). It is a very different guitar to my Fender standard American Strat and a perfect compliment when I want the unique Strat "twang" or single coil sound. I also have a Martin Acoustic Electric and a Yamaha Classic electric so with all 4 I have it all covered. I miss the image of a Les Paul a little (used to have a Standard and later a Studio which I did not like due to the overly rounded neck and chintzy appearance with the gold PUs)but am settling in well with the SG--although it does cry out for spandex and big hair sometimes.

Date produced 28 Feb 2004 - USA. Bought second hand. Mahogany body and set mahogany neck. Gibson Kluson tuners. 490R and 498T Humbucker pickups. Heritage cherry finish with nice wood grain. Rosewood fretboard with Gibson trap inlays. Two tone and two volume controls. Stop bar bridge. Three way pickup selector. Scale Length: 24 3/4". Number of Frets: 22.

I had a chance encounter with an SG Standard and knew I had to have one on the basis of the first note I played - this has never happened to me before in over 30 years of using electric guitars. When I got the opportunity to get a second hand model later the sound was as good, so not a one off. Great tone even played clean and really clear chord voicings. I do not know why the SG often seems to be sold and seen as a guitar to be only used with huge levels of distortion, although I agree it can do that very effectively. A really big range of sounds are available from vary near acoustic guitar sound up to the howling doom-ridden power chords - Live at Leeds by the Who showed this tonal range, particularly in that performance of Tommy. Great for sustain and for fat blues sounds. Sounds good whatever amp / pedal it goes through.

Absolutely perfect on action, although having got it second hand I cannot say if this was the factory, shop, or previous player. Playing hammer ons and pull offs is so easy, and the guitar sometimes seems to be playing itself. Really low action helps and there is no problem with buzzing etc anywhere on the neck even with the low action. Quality of finish is high and also long lasting - it has the associated dings and scratches with several years of use but otherwise shows no sign of wear. Well balanced for pickups. No signs of inferior workmanship.

Have had no problems with it and I believe it was much used by the previous owner. Gives the feel of a workhorse with lots of stamina. The set neck could be a problem if dropped and I would recommend fitting some firmer support for the strap buttons - I got a supply of hose washers just the right size which hang on to the pegs like limpets and anchor the strap really firmly - this avoids having to screw in new strap locks. I am sure this SG will last a long time and will not lose much value.

Never used them - never needed to.

When a guitar has such an impact that you need to get one after playing only one note it is difficult to rate it at anything less than 10. I am not a Gibson acolyte - and do not accept the argument that the SG Special is as good a sound as the SG Standard but just a cheaper finish, unless your own ears tell you so - my ears told me otherwise - I tried 3 SG specials and was not impressed - I would rate them well below my Vintage V100 which is less than a third of the price. I suppose I could mark the SG Standard down for looking a bit more like a workhorse than the more ???stylish??? guitars, but then I cannot see much of the guitar when I play it. The SG Standard also has the virtue of a light weight and, even better, makes me sound a better player than any other guitar I have ever owned or played.

2007 Heritage Cherry. I rated it a 10 for features as it has 2 pick-ups, a neck, a body and controls for volume and tone. What else is there?

Standard Gibson humbucker sound. The reason I bought the guitar. It will join my Standard American Strat which is better for cleaner twangier sounds and that special 2nd and 4th position twang that Gibsons cannot emulate. Burstbuckers may have been a better option but then it will not be an SG but a LP DC or something else in the Gibson line. But...the most important aspect is the sustain. I always test a guitar unplugged and if it sounds good that way it is likely to sound good plugged. My SG sustains for ages, more than my Fender Strat and almost as much as my late Les Paul Standard.

The fit and finish is excellent. I cannot find any issues and it seems that recent Gibsons have been improved. Possibly as a result of the complaints on forums and send-backs by dealers. Mine was set up perfectly because I bought it from a specialist. The action is SG all the way. Easy access to the high notes, perfectly rounded neck that is similar to my strat--not too deep. I used to own a Les Paul studio but found the neck on that model too rounded and awkward to play. I like the relatively light weight of the SG over the Les Paul due to some back issues. The SG is even lighter than my Strat.

I have owned quite a few Gibsons over the years and have never experienced any durability issues. The SG is made from a solid piece of mahogany with nickel plated hardware. It is difficult to see how anything could go wrong with it other than wiring issues which I assume would be easily corrected if problems occurred. For a sub-$1500 guitar it is excellent value. If I have a complaint it is the usual one in relation to the tuners. Grovers would be best but then that would make it something other than a SG standard.

Never used it.

My first Gibson was a fabulous Barney Kessel. I bought an ES335 in the 1980's and a Les Paul Standard in the late 1990's. More recently I have owned a Les Paul Studio which I did not care for as it didn't seem "authentic" and the neck shape was wrong for me. I just had to own another Gibson and missed my Standard but didn't want the same weight again. The SG Standard seemed to be the best candidate as it is a "classic" and the Heritage Cherry looks authentic Gibson. I think I am going to like my SG more than all of the other Gibsons I have owned as it just "feels right." The Les Paul always felt too heavy and was uncomfortable to play for extended periods. The light weight of the SG combined with fabulous ergonomics and classic looks and sound about sums it all up. I have noticed a few more players using SG's lately and wonder if they are undergoing a resurgence or is it more Baby boomers unable to carry the weight of a Les Paul?

this is a USA 2005 SG Standard, cherry, same specs as everyone elses for the most part(besides what I've altered on it).I'm not crazy about the frets that came on it.

One of the reasons I wanted this guitar is because it seamed like the neck was very playable especially the higher registers, allowing for the shred licks and fast blues licks that I fancy. the benefit of the SG is that while it the neck (i feel) is quite shredorific, the guitar itself is classic rock and roll.

From what I understand this guitar was developed partly as an alternative to the strat. IMHO the single coils on a strat allow for more expressiveness when you play with clean tone as apposed to this beast. With that said, this guitar sounds killer, but i wouldn't suggest it for anyone looking for great sparkling clean tone.
the guitar sounds best distorted, or dirty at least. I play it through my marshall 50w jcm800 halfstack and my nos blues jr. with w and w/ out a TS808, and its unbelievable. rock riffing sounds very rude on the bridge pickup. The neck pickup allows for sweet round single note lines. I feel this guitar sounds best for people trying to emulate Page or Gibbons or Slash or A.Young(dont worry! you wont ever sound EXACTLY like them). Clean tone fun can be had on this guitar but I think you need some reverb or some other effect maybe. I love the sg sound for rock, but when I play blues (leads)on it i feel the sound coming from those humbuckers is a bit too compressed. I've never had complaints though. Now that I think about it, open chords sound amazing especially with clean tone.

I had a les paul studio before this axe, and i ran into a bit of a problem with the bridges on both guitars. I feel that the bridge ends are very sharp and this can contributte to string breakage, it would be nice if it came a bit flatter from the factory.
I will say that one thing that holds this guitar back are the teeny weeny sized frets that come on it standard. its a shame that such a shredtastic neck comes with these puny little things. So... I dropped $300.00 and had dunlop 6000 fretwire installed. now my freinds this thing is ready to rock. If you too are like me, and enjoy your SG's and Les Pauls, do yourself a favor and have some jumbo frets put on it. Its like bending, vibrato and sustain on steroids. the guys at gibsone should catch a clue on this one. the 61 reisue has taller frets but the dunlop 6000's or something like them should come from the factory.

one problem I can think of is that the pickguard was put on a bit hastily. with a couple of the edges poking up awy from the body. I dont mind though.

The 61 reisue SG is overpriced, i dont see what the big deal is. the Standard has a sturdier neck/heel joint, so it is less flimsy. also the standard is ballanced properly due to the thinkness of the body; the 61 reisue is top heavy. I would still be carefull with the neck, but it is way more sturdy than the flimsy 61.

no problems yet so i dont have an opinion.

This is a great alterenative to the les paul. I see many people playing les pauls for heavy rock and a les paul sure is HEAVY. if you are into fretboard accrobatics and you want something light, and classic looking this axe is great. if i had to do it all over again though i would have taken a hard look at the sg classic, its cheaper, maybe not as pretty, but its got p90s so probbably sounds a but more expressive, i'd drop a pair of seymour duncan stack p90's and get the even bigger dunlop frets installed on it.
ps i am really stoked on the jumbo frets, look into it.

made in 2006 Gibson SG Standard, Heritage Cherry, trapazoid inlays. Mahogany body. Hardshell case.

The guitar sounds very good for crunch. The clean sounds are very strong as well I can see why it is a standard for rock musicians. I use the guitar primarily for coming up with ideas for songs. it honestly has more balls than either of my 2 explorers. the guitar is a work horse.

The action is great, the laquer on the neck is really thick and gets dirty quickly, however, I bought the guitar as an impulse buy. I walked into Musicstop to purchase some picks (3.00 worth) and left with an 1800.00 guitar. The neck on this guitar is the best neck I've ever felt on any guitar... it's wonderous. the action isn't fast... if your looking for a crisp rock/metal machine this might not be your choice. the neck and headstock look absolutely awesome... the wood grain makes this guitar an absolute looker.

I'm not a gigging musician, I've got a 32 track and I record music. I'm not going to be able to give you the standard "I would never gig without a back up" or "I gig without a back up all the time"... sorry. honestly if I gigged I wouldn't gig without a back up... I like guitars too much so I'd probably gig with 4 or 5 back ups.

I've been playing for 13 years. this was the first Gibson I owned... right after I bought the SG I purchased an Ebony V and Ebony Explorer (and put EMGs in them, then I bought an Ebony Firebird Studio (gold hardware) and a White Les Paul Studio (Gold Hardware), Then I bought a White Explorer, then I bought a northern Jumbo and a White Flying V. all within a 5 month period... I love all my gibsons.

Mine is a 2007 model and the 3rd SG standard ive owned in 22 years. same features the SG has had for a long time. 2 humbuckers, a tune-o-matic and some strings. I dont rate features on a guitar...its either got what you need or it doesn't. I don't get people who buy something totally inappropriate for what they play and then give it a bad rating. (" just got a 52 tele reissue and it sucks..has no features and sounds like shit...I play death metal") Why buy it?

I play an assortment of music and have been since the mid eighties. currently use a Mesa F-30 combo and a EQ. Sometimes use an old modded crybaby (not much for effects..not my thing). Here is where it gets weird for me. the pickups on this particular guitar sound like crap.Especially the bridge. they are microphonic as hell the have horrible harmonic overtones and pick up every damn noise around..yes I wax potted them helped very little. I was surprised. put in some S.D. pearly gates and it sounds like it should. got the nice thick tone an SG should have. (for $200 more). Store was no help, guitar center sucks..they'll take it back in 30 days no problem but after that good luck! 2 with stock pickups 8 with S.D.s

First off the action was decent played smooth and the frets were finished nice.The neck is the nicest I've had. now for more bad news..I do my own set-ups so when i got home first thing was to change strings etc. Put on DR pure nickel .10s (excellent strings..give em a try!) tried to set the intonation..bridge was not installed at the proper angle so the high e string saddle is maxed out and the intonation is not quite there. hmm.. Also the finish wasn't allowed to cure before they stuck it in the case so the tacky lacquer had fuzzies on it. buffed em out. the binding looks like a monkey installed it. Chinese epiphones have nicer neck binding. The out put jack was loose as well. Why the hell do people like the damn Kluson green key tuners?? is it because everyone gets all misty eyed over vintage stuff? Isnt the point of a tuner to TUNE your guitar and keep it there? these things have always sucked..Buy Grover rotomatics (my choice) or Schallers. I am very disappointed in Gibson's quality control they are too big to care ..people will buy their stuff because the name Gibson is on it anyway. This is my last new Gibson.

Pickup problems aside this will probably be as durable as any SG...just dont drop it!! headstocks break easier than any other guitar.

HAH HAH HAH...big companies aside from Mesa Boogie are a joke. They dont give a fuck if YOU dont buy from them again, someone else will. (Ask General Motors how that philosophy works!) I was told the pickups sounded "...acceptable.." UH..yeah ok whatever you guys say.

Been playin long enough to know when something is wrong! I have played or owned a bunch of guitars and currently have this SG and a beat up Telecaster. I like the neck and frets on this guitar and the upper register access is awesome on SGs but I think my Gibson days are over.

early 2006 model, purchased unused in late 2006, heritage cherry, good features really, very comfortable neck angle, tuners work and last if you keep the strings fresh, you can bring the action down and you wont get buzzing (if its set up appropriately), some people are alergic to satin finishes so the nitro cellulose finish is good, in the first months the neck maybe a bit sticky so you'll have to keep it clean but after a while it just stops. i guess its caus the finish has time to settle in. the pickups are fantastic, very warm yet very sweet sounding guitar, and never short of balls. good sustain, the weight is fantastic, alot of cheap guitars which are light feel like shit, but this guitar just feels perfect and at the same time good on the ol' back. great fret access, i've never felt limited despite the longer neck joint than the '61 reissue (which is over priced), i much prefer the larger batwing style pickguard, just seems more hardcore than the flimsy looking '61 reissue (dont get me wrong, lovely guitar). some people who i've let play my guitar have said the neck's too thick for their liking, which is sad because you wont ever feel better than when you're playing this guitar

never noisy like a strat, and doesn't get that scratchy sound when you rub your fingers along the strings. downside is that you cant really get controlled feedback as easily as you could with a fender at moderate gain levels (ACDC crunch) because the humbuckers are just too anti-noise. at the moment i use an AVT150 and often practise with many low end marshalls such as MGs and ValveStates. have yet to plug into a proper valve amp from marshall with this guitar. like i said, its got real balls that you just cant get with a fender type guitar (unless you have shit loads of drive pedals)

now, here is, and i will point out my only, problem with this guitar. the body is supposed to be a one piece, but it seems to be a fair few pieces blocked together. everything else is top build on this guitar, but my heart always sinks when i think about the multt piece body. having said that, good tone woods are becoming hard to get, so it was predictable that they'd start making the guitars with multi piece bodies just so they could get some proper wood in there, i'd rather have a multipieced body of decent wood than a single piece of shit wood. also its not as if its gonna fall apart any time soon, its not pritt stick they use. infact i should think the glue they use is stronger than the wood. the neck however is a one piece i'm glad to say, and its a beauty, proper bit of rosewood for the fretboard and the inlaiys are finished perfectly. i got mine from a local guitar shop so it was set up nicely, action could be lower, but i dont like the action to be too low. i'd give it 10, but that multi piece body gets on my nerves so i'll give it 7

never gone out of tune at a gig, except one time when i replaced the strings on the same day (big mistake). if you're going into regular giging always replace the strings the day before the gig and stretch the shit out of them in a side to side manner (if that makes sence). good strong hardware, i sweat alot and i've shown it a fair thrashing and only the screws have rusted which i shall replace. again i'd give it 10, but it's an SG and if you dont watch it like you would your own offspring it will likely have an accident (mahogany neck glued in!!!!)

my local shop will do one free set up (nothing special) but i'd rather have a professional set up for such a special guitar.

awesome awesome awesome, apart from the multipiece body, but that really doesn't effect it in the slightest in terms of strength or sound, and when i'm playing live i never notice it. remember, only a gibson is good enough!!

this is a Gibson SG standard. just flick on MTV, and youll see one for yourself. beautiful finish that seems to age well. i replaced the stock tuners for Sperzels after knocking one against something and bending the crap out of it. it was my fault, drunk and not paying attention. cant really fault the guitar for that. mine is the dark walnut model, 2002 i believe. has striking cosmetic looks. one of my friend has named it 'the devil shaped hershey bar.' how can something so sweet look so devilishly good?

the sound knocks my socks off. the humbuckers sound great, the wood only exagerates its already wonderful tone. you can achieve limitless sounds for limitless styles of play. the tone controls are great for darkening or brightening, and the volume is very interactive in a different way than say, my fender tele. they seem to only lower the actual volume at the bottom of the dial while everything in between acts as a 'cleaner-upper' great with distortion and leads. i usually use my tele for clean because it is a much brighter guitar. thats just my taste, though. this guitar is still super versatile. awesome.

well, here is where it gets ugly: im convinced that the Gibson people just slap some strings on these instruments and send them off. i expect to make some adjustments to any new guitar i purchase, but this thing was horrible. bad intonation, fret buzzing. the bridge pickup almost touched the strings! however, a professional set-up is a cheap affair (maybe 30 bucks or so), and even less costly if you can do it yourself. the guitar was truly unplayable when i first brought it home. if i had never played one before, i would have left it hanging on the wall at the music store. but since i had already experienced a friends properly adjusted SG, i knew that some patience and tinkering would pay off. the hardware is solid, and easy to set. dont be put off by this: once its set, its golden!

hmm. . . so far so good. ive had this guitar for about 4 years, and i dont really baby my guitars. sure, i take care of them. . . but if this guitar were a goldfish, it would be belly-up by now! these have a reputation for being fragile (i guess the headstock is easily broken) but as long as you dont leave it in the sun or drop it, it ought to be fine. one of the volume controls developed a dust spot, but this may be due to my own lack of maintenence. and, even though it sucks, it too is an easy fix.

i paid just under 900 for my guitar and it came with the case. i dont mind setting up guitars; it helps me to bond with the instrument. but if youre impatient and want something to play NOW, you might want to pass.

im giving this a 10, perhaps out of sentiment. for me, this is the best guitar ive ever played. i own a bunch of differenr guitars and this one will never be let go of, no matter what. if you want it, youll have to pry it from my cold dead hands.

but, as with anything, try before you buy. listen for tone. im sure the set-up will suck.

Gibson.com for the features as I won't bore you with that, I am sure you know what the features are.

I play the rock music and this thing is the "standard". I have wanted this guitar since I started playing 13 years ago, 2 years ago my dream was realized when I had enough money and I committed to buy my first Gibson. Excellent sound from full to bright, full chords to harmonics it can handle it all!

I originally wanted the Wine Red which Gibson made for at least the 90s when I first fell in love with the SG Standard. Mine is a 2005 Heritage Cherry model - beautiful. I think I actually like this better than the Wine Red now, go figure. Factory set up was ok, what do you expect? A guitar should not ship from Gibson to a retailer to you and be in tune and completely set up to your liking. I will admit I did buy a Flying V and it was set up perfectly for me (needed tuning obviously) but for the most part they will need to be adjusted.

I record, gig and practice with this guitar and it holds up very well. It is started to age primarly due to my heavy playing with the guitar but its ok. I love that I actually play enough to age a guitar, doesn't affect the sound but the look. Extremely reliabile and durable.

Gibson is fantastic!

I got mine a few years ago before Gibson's price increase although I would still spend the extra few hundred for another SG Standard, its a great guitar. I would have loved to have bought one of the Classic White ones offered a while ago but other models won the affection of cash.

The Gibson SG:
Mahogany body and set mahogany neck.
Gibson Kluson tuners.
490r and 498t pickups.
Heritage cherry finish.
Rosewood fretboard with Gibson trap inlays.
Two tone and two volume controls.
Stop bar bridge.
Three way pickup selector.

This is my second Gibson SG. My first was stolen while I was at college 20 years ago. It was my fault for bringing it. Well, this guitar is totally awesome and absolutely perfect for that vintage classic rock or blues sound. It's sound is very similar to the Gibson Les Paul Standard but the SG is much lighter in weight. Good slide guitar as well. It is a good all around guitar and made by he best!

I thought my SG was setup well but after I was convinced to let my local music store do a few minor corrections to it I was completely amazed. It now sounds and plays better than ever. The pickups needed a little adjustment but after the height was set it was better. This guitar, In my opinion does not need any modifications at all as far as upgrading th pickups, replacing the tuners, etc. It only needed a few minor adjustments that took about 20 minutes to do. All stock!

I use this guitar as my main guitar. I do have a Fender Strat as well for a backup even though it doesn't sound anything like my SG but a backup is not needed. This is a very well put together guitar. It will last a lifetime if you take care of it and keep it from getting stolen. Remember to wipe it down after playing to remove all of the fingerprints and acid/sweat. I would imaginge that the ebonty finish would be harder to keep the finger prints off.

Never had to deal with customer support. Hopefully, I never will.

I play this SG thru an older Peavey Mace 2X12 160 watt all tube amp and I am instantly transported back into the 70's. i also play it thru a Marshall JCM 900 head and it sounds just as good. Awesome sustain. The neck pickup is perfect for that fat sound for blues leads and what have ya. I highly reccommend the Gibson SG standard (not the faded pick of crap). It is a great substitute for the Les Paul.

Standard SG model, in heritage cherry (nitro) finish.
Body and neck are made of mahogany. If you look closely, the body seems to be made out of 3 pieces (!!). Still, it is so well done that you wouldn't notice this.
Tune-O-Matic bridge, stopbar, 490R and 498T humbucker pickups, white plastic three-way switch, two volume and two tone knobs, Gibson "deluxe" green key tuners, 0.10 brite wires installed.
Includes a beatiful canadian-made, black hard case.
Made in USA, June 2007 I guess (from the serial number).

I always wanted to have the Angus guitar, so basically I went for it as soon as I had the money. I have a Peavey amp and a Digitech multi-efects but now prefer to use TonePort and my computer for practical reasons.
This Gibson SG sounds more modern than classic. As they say regarding their gear, the 498T has more output for modern music, so if you are looking for a "vintage" sound like 70's ACDC you might try a '61 reissue or a Special with P90 pickups.
Still, this Standard SG sounds great and I did not notice anything strange. Both pickups seem to do their work fine, of course they sound much better than Epiphones' but haven't compared with other custom pickups. Probably the best thing is the high output but anyway I am a quiet guy ;), so I don't need more.
It has the simple tonal variety of two humbucking pickups, three-way switching positions, so that is what I expected. Treble is clear and cutting, Rythm is sweet and both together are a little muddy.
My advice: shredders, get away from this one!

Factory set-up seemed to be ok, anyway I got it adjusted at the shop. No complaints about the action and pickup height is correct. The fretboard is incredible and very easy to play, the creamy binding looks very nice and only adds more comfort. The neck is soft and fast, too.
NOW... I didn't know that the finish would be soooo delicate. The body is covered by a thin (very thin) nitrocellulose layer and will easily chip. The dealer told me that my guitar was just out of the box (and indeed it was still sticky and had a strong lacquer smell). But I noticed some marks on the body edges most likely caused by the hard case itself: you have to push and press the guitar to make it fit inside! I have a cheaper SG hard case and it fits much better there...
Don't get me wrong, the guitar looks beatiful and you can clearly see the wood grain and the soft red paint under the lacquer. But it is a annoying to inspect the guitar any time you grab it, to make sure you didn't scratch it. I bought Gibson polishing and am currently cleaning and cleaning it, let's see.
Another thing: it had a little scratch close to the jack input. Probably the typical idiot that tries but not buys guitars had the time to play it just before me that day.
In general, all pieces look perfectly assembled and haven't noticed any flaw, besides the finish weaknesses.
Anyway I will not return or have it replaced; they told me that it would take other 2 months to receive a new one, it seems that Gibson distribution in Spain is slow and many people is waiting to buy one.

It is a Gibson, so it MUST withstand live playing (otherwise I will give bad publicity). In general this guitar looks like it will last with proper care and the hardware seems to be very strong.
Again, the only thing is the finish, that unfortunately will wear and fade in a few years. My guitar value will increase for sure, but the money I paid still hurts too much to have it scratched or damaged, so I will keep it at home for a while before playing live.
It is absolutely dependable for live playing and girl attracting ;)
The three-way-switch should not be abused, of course. And unless you change strings too fast, you should always have a backup guitar.
Concerning strap buttons, the are solid but smaller than Fenders. I would not remove them to install strap locks, but would definitely use a very good leather strap with tight button holes.

It's new and works fine, so no need to contact them yet. Being out of the U.S., local support is given by the retailer.
It states a 2-year warranty period.

Well, now I have my "dream" guitar and am very satisfied with it. Not only visually, but it sounds and performs very well. I can play from ACDC to Led Zep or Santana and get the right tone.
I am not a "material guy" and never give things more value than they actually have. In that sense, I don't care about exotic woods, custom pickups, luxury details, etc. I like simplicity and functional design, that's why my other guitar is a Fender Stratocaster. I like this guitar over the Les Paul because it is red, it looks like a little devil, it looks classic but modern, you can easily access all frets, it sounds like Hells Bells, it is thin, and comfortable, it is light so it won't hurt your back... and is not as expensive as other custom models!
However, I read that the Gibson Standards are "mid-priced" guitars. Hmmm, to me, 1350 euro is not that mid-priced. It is a month salary! The guy at the shop told me that only the Gibson hard-case is 200 euro. Well, I'd rather have the guitar itself and paying 1150 instead, as my old, cheap case fits better.
My overall rating is an 8. It is a very good purchase, if you like classic rock you will love this one and keep it for a long time, if not forever. Just polish and take or care it as much as you can and if someone asks to borrow it from you, say NO!!

It has all the features standard. 3-way selector switch, H/H with 2 tone and 2 Vol controls Prics around $1500

The pickups sound great. I play all types of music from Jazz to country to AC/DC

Here is were it all falls apart. When I got the guitar the finish wasn't curred yet!! It was still tacky on the neck and the padding on my guitar rest stuck to it! Ripped right off the stand and stuck to the guitar!! After lots of buffing and rubbing you can still see where it was. Also teh low E string won't intonate. the bridge seems to be drilled too close to the nut. Lastly I already had to resolder the wires to the switch because of poor workmanship. I really did expect more from Gibson. Just a note the finish is now just fine, they just let it go out the door too soon the QC at Gibson should hang his/her head in shame.

All in all I think it will last. I would only buy one from your local dealer so any isues like the intonation will be found before you even get it home.

didn't use

overall I think there is a lot better deals for the buck out there. If this one was ever lose or stolen I don't think I would replace it.

Gibson SG Standard 2003 Ebony

All the usual stuff from Gibson, which isn't much. Any guitar player knows that "Gibsons Standards" are really "Below Standards".

Now, this is the least bad part. It sounds like a Gibson, but not an old Gibson. If you're wanting to buy this guitar because of the people who've played it and the sounds they were able to get from it, you'll without a doubt be dissapointed, it's not anywhere near that. When I got this I was stupid enough to care about the brand on the headstock and that's what you're paying for. Go for a much cheaper, no name guitar, and you'll be way more satisfied with it than I am with this state-of-the-art bullshit.
The sound from the pickups was too muddy and noisy compared to the price I payed for it and that only lasted untill one of the pickups and the selector switch stopped working. Very embarrasing Gibson.

This is the best part. First of all, the laquer finish on the guitar is horrible. It can be scrapped off with your nails if you wanted to and it started FALLING OFF around the places where the bridge was mounted with screws. Then three of the tuners slowly started loosening. You see, the Gibson tuners (which aren't very good to begin with anyway) consist of two parts that are glued together and that makes them very sensitive. The one part of the tuner that is holding the plastic things will simply fall off with time. Way to go Gibson.
As mentioned above the electronics stopped working and to fix this I unscrewed the backplate for the first time, only to discover what a great job Gibson had done on the interior of the guitar. Wood was actually falling of and they hadn't even bothered soldering the electronics in a way so that it would last. Enough said.

I think this was described in detail above. I have a lesser risk of breaking a string than the guitar and the tuners are being held together with duct tape and super glue.

Called Gibson about the tuners and finish, told me that the warranty was worthless because I had soldered the components myself when the pickup stopped working.

I made the mistake of falling for the Gibson brand. I wrote this review to warn people about it and not doing the same. As you can see in my and other peoples reviews, Gibson Guitars aren't what they used to be and this is too embarrasing for Gibson to even describe in words. Just do me a favor and ban them for the rest of your life.

I'm giving an 8 because it doesn't have a tremolo. I know, it's not supossed to, but hard rock / metal guitars should have tremolos, and this guitar is for hard rock & metal.

This guitar sounds fricking amazing. The pickups are tight, raw, loud and prominent in a band setting. Solos sound amazing. Neck is resonenet and the nitro finish/mahogony body combo adds alot of raw tone. Definitely the best sounding stock guitar I've ever played.

Not the best. The finish, being nitro and Gibson, is a bit sloppy. You might have a space where the wood is showing. The binding might be a bit sloppy. This guitar will scratch very easily because of the nitro finish, but who wants a new looking guitar forever anyway? Gibson is also a bit sloppy with fret inlays - play and look before you buy.

The headstock breaking is a big problem. It happens alot, don't think it can't happen to you. My wife was cleaning and the guitar fell over on it's face and the headstock broke - $150 repair. It's not a huge deal, but compared to a Strat that wouldn't break if Al Gore sat on it like a swing, you have to be careful with this thing.

Ha!

This guitar is cool and a serious classic. Nitro finish, great pickups, (relatively) slim feeling neck, enough frets... And if you play rock or metal, this guitar sounds RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME. You just can't treat it like a strat, and when you feel like grabbing that whammy bar it just isn't there.

It's a Gibson SG, Angus Young, George Harrison, Eric Clapton. You know and love it. All mahogany, save for the rosewood fingerboard. I got mine used but the guy I got it from never really played it much, so it was pretty much mint and I got one of those fancy "Gibson USA" hardshell cases with it. The guitar is a 2005 model so it's a fairly recently made guitar

I got this guitar by an even trade with a Gretsch Sparkle Jet with which I never could bond, it just wasn't my guitar. The guy with which I made the trade said that his band plays surf style music like the Ventures and the Shadows and said that you just can't play that on a Gibson SG. You CAN however play that kind of music on a Gretsch Sparkle Jet so we both got the better deal of it. My band plays heavy metal in the style of Iron Maiden and iced earth and this little Gibson shines in that kind of music. Both in clean passages and full on balls to the wall distortion, it takes it all with a vengeance. At the first rehearsel that I took it with me others already gave it the affectionate nickname "Odie" because another guitarplayer they have worked with had an SG with a Sticker of the Garfield character Odie.

I got this guitar used so I can't really tell anything on how it was set up from the factory. But it plays really nice, I love the fat wide neck which enables me to do some complex fingering which would feel cramped on any other guitar. The only thing I had to do adjustment wise was oiling the fingerboard which was bone dry.

I never play live without Backup guitars, it's not uncommon to see me on stage with three guitars leaning against my amps, a backup for the backup, better safe than sorry. My Backups are my Epiphone Les Paul Custom (Modified with Seymour Duncan 59 humbuckers) and my Squier Telecaster (also modified with seymour Duncan 59 humbuckers) but I hope that I never have to use either of them because this SG blows both of them out of the water in both sound and feel. I know that SG's have a name for being fragile, so in an effort to steer disaster away I replaced the stock strapbuttons with Schaller locking straplocks and I wear the guitar using a sturdy Stevie Ray Vaughan approved Black Leather with white music notes strap, so it's a very unlikely thing that the guitar would ever break while I'm playing it.

I don't deal with Gibson. I'll just play their guitars.

This is one of those "Magical" ones. One of those guitars that you pick up and go "Yeah." I haven't found any flaw yet, well maybe apart from the fact that you just can't play texas blues like the fabulous Thunderbirds on it. But maybe if I changed the setting on my amp a bit...
The only other guitar I ever found that had that "Magical" thing was my 1989 Squier Stratocaster which I bought new on my fifteenth Birthday in 1991, I walked into the store, saw that red and white one grabbed it and instantly felt at home. "Screw all the other guitars, this one is meant to be mine."

If it were stolen I'd be pretty bummed, I could go out and buy myself another but I doubt if they would be as nice as this is.

Well this is a 1999 SG Standard in Ebony thios review is about. I have been waiting on a decent SG for some time. I've had a Gothic and a Epi G-400 before but didn't care for either and let them go. The Wood and Electronics have been well described so I won't bore anyone with that. I will say that around 99-2000 Gibson was using different parts on different guitars. For EXAMPLE. My SG Standard SHOULD have a T.O.M. Bridge. It doesn't have the Nashville style Tune-O-Matic, I have a ABR-1 on my SG. I have to tell you...I LOVE this Bridge on this guitar and REALLY believe it helps the tone ALOT. I own several Gibsons 3 Les-Pauls and a ES-135 and a ES-335. From experience with Both bridge's I know the ABR sounds slightly Cleaner. This SG sounds absolutly GREAT with the 490/498 pick-ups. I never really cared for them and have BB-Pro's on my Pauls, But in this SG the 490-498 set sound great. very Clean no muddiness at all. The do get a nice fat chunky grind in thre Neck position if desired and the bridge 498 is a great Rock and Roll lead pick-up. MUCH nicer than Duncans famous JB! The Neck on my SG is much Fatter than the 60 profile I thought the Standards came with. I really like the neck. Its ACTION is unbelievable and as good as any electric i EVER PLAYED. I bought the SG used from the original owner and he hardly played it ever, since he prefered his LP. So my fretwork is like new and a super job also. I polished the frets and cleaned the fretboard. All it needed. The weight on my SG is 6.3 pounds and one of the lightest eletrics I ever owned. It was just slightly neck heavy so I took ofg the Gibson knobs and added Fender Chrome Telecaster knobs. Now the SG's balence is PERFECT. Love the guitar!

This SG is an AWESOME sounding Gibson. I have played many SG's over the years and have never played one as versitile as this one. Or that had a set of 490/498 pups that sound this good. And I owned a Gothic SG with a Ebony fretboard and it was muddy compared to this Standard. It almost go'sinto a Fat Strat tone. And of course is right at home Rocking hard on the neck of bridge, And the middle position with Dual Tone controls? You couldn't ask for a more versitile set-up.

Action on this SG is unbelievable. I have the strings very low and there is not a buzz anywhere. Everthing about this Standard was done dead-right by Gibon. I know they can screw up a guitar from time to time. Not the case here. Someone must have really gotten into building this one. Cause its SWEET!

Always have to watch out for the headstock/neck area with Gibson. But aside from that is a known fact Gibsons will last a lifetime!

I own 5 other Gibsons and Gibson Customer Support has always been GREAT with me. My LP-DC Special had a Crack in the PG. Gibson sentme a new guard on just call. No complaints from me!

I really dig this SG and without a doubt its a keeper. I know the ABR bridge on mine is definatly a helpfull addition and quite possibly the missing link to make these a little better sounding. Because this one sounds BIG clean and OD'd. Vry happy with my Baby!

ebony gibson sg standard. rounded neck. 2003.

this amp's sound is UGLY. i've had this guitar for 4 years and ive never been satisfied with it. I've played it through a variety od different amps such as peavey bandit 112, marshall jcm 900, marshall jcm 2000, fender twin reverb, etc. it has NEVER sounded good. the pickups on the standard are way too dark, way too muddy and lack that searing SG tone. the clean is brittle is always either brittle as hell or muddy as hell. if you're gonna go SG do it right and go for the SG 61' Reissue. I am currently selling my standard and buying one.

when i first bought this guitar it looked fine but i eventually discovered that the paint came off around one of the bolts. the action is OK. REMEMBER that if you wanna really wail, this guitar can be extremely annoying due to the fat neck. Also the bridge saddles were extremely sharp and kept breaking my strings and i had to get them filed down.

it's been reliable, except for the bridge problem.

noooooooooo idea.

I have been playing guitar for 6 years. I definately should have payed the extra few hundred for the SG 61' reissue the first time.

Body: Mahogany

NECK
Species: Mahogany
Profile: Rounded, very similar to the Gibson 50's LP neck
Neck Joint Location: 19
Head Inlay: Crest

FINGERBOARD
Species: Rosewood
Scale Length: 24 3/4"
Number of Frets: 22
Nut Width: 1.695"
Inlays: Trapezoid
Fingerboard Binding: single-ply

HARDWARE
Plating Finish: Chrome
Tailpiece: Stopbar
Bridge: Tune-o-matic
Knobs: Black Top Hat with silver insert
Tuners: Green Key

ELECTRONICS
Neck Pickups: 490R Alnico magnet humbucker
Bridge Pickups: 498T Alnico magnet humbucker
Controls: Two volume, two tone, three-way switch

I play Rock, Hard Rock, Alternative, and Metal. This guitar suits me well. I mostly play through modeling amps, i.e. Tech 21 Trademark and Digitech GNX3.

I also play an EBMM Petrucci. The SG Standard is defiantly a darker sounding guitar than my Ernie Ball Musicman Petrucci guitar. I would say if I had to rate the SG Standard sound as far as:

highs / midrange / lows
5 7 8

With the right amp settings you can dial out some of the midrange. I can even get a decent Van Halen tone out of it.

I would say this guitar excels at Classic Rock but can easily cover a lot of other kinds of music.

The neck pickup is very warm and is good for this type of guitar. I feel that the Bridge pickup could be hotter and should have less mids and tighter bass.

Gibson also uses 300k pots so that contributes to a slighly darker sound.

Action from the factory was insanely high. This was easily fixed by lowering the bridge. The nut is cut somewhat high but I like a medium action so its not a problem for me but if you prefer a real low action then you will definately need a setup.

Bridge saddles are cut a little shallow especially the high E string saddle. Most Gibsons I have seen suffer from paint chipping under the back tail piece but its not noticable unless you look really hard.

I had to return 2 other SGs due to Gibson QC issues. One had a major electronics issue and serious finish flaws i.e. hazing. The one I have now close to perfect, finish and sound wise.

The finish on Gibsons' is very thin and scratches very easily.

The guitar came set up for .010s.

As stated earlier SGs have a longer feel in the neck due to the way its joined at the body (19th fret). I'm mostly a strat player but have owned SGs in the past. It doesn't take that long to get used to.

Also the neck is slightly wider than a standard 1 11/16 (1.6875") neck. Its rated at 1.695" @ the nut. Its not overly wide though. I also used to own a PRS Custom 22 w. the Wide Fat neck and I agree that the Gibson neck is wider. Compared to a Ernie Ball Axis or Peavey Wolfgang this neck will definately feel wide.

The scale length is the Gibson standard 24.75" which is very comfortable. It makes power and barre chords much easier to hold.

The fretboard radius is very flat. It feels almost like a 15" fretboard radius. The neck thickness is similar to the Les Paul 50's carve. Its thicker than the Gibson 59' carve though. If you have ever played a Les Paul Studio and found that neck to be too thick then this guitar is not for you. Get the 61' Reissue instead.

The thickest Gibson neck I have played is the 57' Reissue Les Paul and that was like a beer bottle cut in half!

The case is very good. It has a faux black aligator skin, combo lock, and is very tight fitting. They also got rid of that annoying silk cover that goes over the guitar in the case.

I haven't owned mine that long to give an accurate durability report however I can make a few comments.

The hardware seems very durable. My PRS hardware tarnished very quickly with moderate playing. So far my SG's hardware still looks new after some playing. This is due to Chrome vs. Nickel.

Tuners work well. Input jack is still tight and the 3 way switch seems durable although it doesn't provide much resistance when switching it.

Haven't had to use it, knock on wood. I believe the warranty is limited lifetime.

Playing for 19 years. Own a Martin D-15 Custom Spruce and Rosewood, Ibanez RG 470, and Ernie Ball Petrucci.

Overall I really like the SG Standard. Its light, comfortable to play, and sounds great. It covers a lot of territory and I think it would make an excellent blues guitar.

Only things I don't like is the neck is a little long. I would prefer a narrower neck with a slighly slimmer neck carve. My ideal neck is the Ernie Ball Axis and Peavey Wolfgang.

Bridge pickup could use less mids, a little more highs, and tighter bass. If you play classic rock then the bridge pickup is ideal.

An 9 - but carries all it needs...

Heritage Cherry Finish.

Mine is USA made in 1999/2000. Owned from new. Paid ??750 then via mail order. They are a bit dearer now. Gibson deluxe tuners. 22 frets. All mahogany, solid body guitar.

Two Alnico Humbuckers. Tone and volume on each. Rythm/treble/both pickup selector options. Standard Gibson stuff...

This is where the SG really excels and outclasses the others. I have owned all sorts over the years and surprisingly even my fender USA strat comes nowhere near!

There is such a punch to the sound. Very "ballsy" but clear and defined at the same time. Good for most playing syles really. Played it through a Marshall Valvestate (the older ones) for years playing modern and classic rock stuff. It sounded fine. Recently replaced the Marshall amp for an all valve amp (Fender Hot rod Deville 212) and WOW, it really accentuates the warmth and ballsy bite of the SG.
Now playing Rockabilly/rock n roll and it nails that genre too, but to be fair the valve amp helps.

Before saving up for the Gibson SG standard I bought a G400 Ephiphone one (copy of the Gibson SG). My advice is dont. It sounded pants. Very "Wooly" sound. No definition. I was so dissapointed. Sorry if thats not what you want to hear/(read!) but there is such a difference - one that the price differential does easily justify. And the reason is largely the quality of sound output.

Sorry if it's overkill on sound but it's so good it seemed prudent to bang on. Havn't bettered it in 10 years of playing.

Action is fine. Factory setup was OK. I set mine up myself.

The only thing to bear in mind with the SG is that the neck is very long! Stand it up (arse end on the floor) next to a strat or a les paul and the first fret on the SG is almost like an extra one! (If that makes sense?!) This is because the neck is set out further away from the body and pickups. This does provide excellent coverage to all frets high up the neck, but it can take some getting used to, as it means you've got further to go with your fretting hand to play open chords. One aclimatised it's fine, and great for solos for obvois reasons.

No flaws on the finish or fittings. Well made. All you'd expect from a Gibson guitar. It does seem to get through strings faster than any other guitar I've had, Why? I don't know! But they loose their "ring" earlier, so seem to need replacing quite regularly. (This might just be mine though?)

Gigged with from day one (So nearly 7 years now). Well looked after mind, but absolutely no problems at all. Always take a backup now, but only for a string breakage. Wouldnt expect to call in it for any other reason.

Hard wearing frets. Never touched a strap button etc...

People do seem to replace tuners with SGs? Bear that in mind. But mine have been no problem. Very sound at staying in tune by the way.

N/A

Have no doubt about the quality of this instrument. Can't give it a ten as i've put some 9s in. Sound is the MAJOR MAJOR stand out feature of brilliance. Been unable to match it in 10 years of playing.

Seriously - don't get a cheaper copy, they really don't cut the mustard.

If it got nicked I'd get another one tomorrow. Even If I had to sell both my fender strats (and possibly an aunty).

You may email if I've missed something etc..

Hope this is helpful to someone.

Finish: Trans Red
Body Style: Double cutaway solidbody
Bridge: Tune-O-Matic
Tuners: Gibson deluxe
Neck/Scale: 22 jumbo fret/Fat mahogany neck
Made: 2006 in Nashville TN
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
Pickups: 490/498T humbuckers
Body and neck wood: mahogany/mahogany

I play blues/country/jazz/rock/rockabilly, pretty much everything except punk or emo. I am currently in a band that is considered adult contemporary (think counting crows/cracker) and I needed a guitar that could cut through the mix. I was using a PRS CE-22 and while the PRS had a wonderful playability, my solos never cut through and the rhythms came out muddy and weak. I decided enough is enough and it was time for a change. I am a huge fan of having a double cut design due to as much fretting I do above the 14th fret. I currently own a variety of guitars from strats to teles to p-90 equipped guitars but I needed something with some balls to stand out and this thing definitely does it. I run it through a Boss CS-3, Rocktron Nitro for boost and TS-9 into a Fender Blues JR.

First let me say that it took a little while to get used to the neck. If you are used to playing a fender or similar this guitar will take you a while to get used to. The neck is much wider that even the PRS "wide fat" neck but still slim enough to wrap your thumb around. It gets very comfortable with time. The pickups are a lot smoother of a tone than the classic 57's in the 61' reissue and have plenty of punch (thanks in part to the amount of wood on this guitar). It packs plenty of sustain, even without the compressor on. Rolling back the volume still gives a lot of tone and doesn't kill the high end as much as I'm used to with my other guitars. I don't think I'll even have to modify the taper of the pots. Overall, very pleased after I did my own setup and some fret clean up (further listed below).

When I first played the SG, it had old crappy Gibson strings, high action and the pickups were way too high. I replaced the strings with DR 10's, oiled and steel wooled the frets/fretboard and set the action nice and low and set the intonation. After lowering the pickups, I got a lot more of an open natural tone without loosing much punch. The one thing I've had a problem with this one was the frets (as is with most Gibsons). After a little leveling and a nice round dressing it was a lot better, not perfect, but better. I know that Gibson puts binding around their frets, but it's still very poorly cut and dressed and polished. After some good ol' TLC, it plays very nicely now but you still have to work for that good dug in blues tone but once you get it, you get it.

This guitar will definitely withstand live playing. I look forward to puting it to the test. It is very solid, although I can see how some people would want to change the strap buttons since the front button is located right at the heel of the neck and can slip off if you are not careful or have a worn out strap. It is very dependable, with the usual Gibson problems of course, and i mena the g strign slipping out of tune on occasion. I don't think I have ever played a Gibson or even Heritage that didn't do it, no matter what the nut material was made of (graphite, bone, tusq, plastic). You may want to have a backup just in case, in my ten years of experience, better safe than sorry.

I am a guitar/bass/amp tech at a local shop so I highly doubt that I will ever worry about warranty or anything like that. Other than that, it has the usual manufacturer defect warranty. I have never dealt with Gibson since most people don't bother with them either, they just take their guitars to me.

Overall, I would have to say that this is an good guitar, excelent with a good setup and some work. Since I have owned it, I have played roots blues, jazz, country, rock and slide on it and every time passed with tonal flying colors. If it were stolen, I would probably replace it. Compared to a Les Paul, it is less chunky, lighter, and slightly brighter tone out of the neck positionl. Compared to a PRS, it has a higher mid range and thicker tone, although in my opinion the PRS still has the better playability. The only thing I wish it had was a little more wood towards the rear or a slightly slimmer neck to balance it out so that the neck doesn't want to dip down on you as much.

Made in 2006, brand spanking new, Gibson SG Standard. Cherry red nitro finish (Adds resonance, but can wear a little thin a little too quickly) Mine seems to be a bit of a lighter red than most of the other ones i've seen. Tune-O-matic bridge, Gibson tuners, fairly fat neck made of mahogany, rosewood fretboard. Made in Nashville, U.S.A. 22 frets, 2 volume, 2 tone knobs, 3-way selector switch, 490R and 498T humbuckers, passive electrnics, Mahogany body. Usual Gibson materials.

I play damn near anything, though mostly classic and hard rock (ie. Metallica, AC/DC, Black Sabbath) pretty much right up this guitar's alley. I use a crappy ass Traynor Reverb Mate 30, and it still sounds good. Nice, rich tone, not as thick as a Les Paul, and not as thin sounding as a strat. It's a very nice compromise. This thing handles distortion like a champ. Clean it up, and it's not as amazing, but still fairly nice.

I got the guitar fresh in it's case, fresh in it's box, ordered it in at Long&McQuade (Canada's big music chain). The action was perfect, which is pretty rare, but maybe I got lucky. Pickups are set well. From the other reviews I've read on here, i seem to have gotten really lucky with mine. I can't find any flaws, not a one, other than the slightly lighter finish, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the finish. Who knows, maybe Gibson's finally adressing their quality-control issues.

This guitar feels light, much lighter than my Les Paul, but it feels solid as a rock. The nitro finish will of course wear out, but the guitar feels built to last. Straplocks are a must, since the front button is on the back of the guitar. I just bought some cheap ass clip on locks, lets me keep my original buttons. I can definitely depend on this beast, although i'd be reluctant to gig with any guiar without a backup.

Dunno what Gibson has, but Long&McQuade gave me a year warranty, threw in the straplocks and a tuner, and were extremely friendly and knew their stuff.

This guitar is great. I've been playing for almost 4 years now, and I always used Epiphones. I finally decided to try a Gibson, and i'm glad I did. If it were stolen, I'd get anoher one for free, thanks to my warranty.

I had to replace all the hardware myself, all I bought was the body and neck !!!
I put geniune Gibson parts back into it, except the pick ups. i used Seymour Duncans and I really like the sound of them. They sound like vintage Gibson to my ears anyway. took it into a local music shop I trust for wiring and set up, and now a fantastic solid body for the fraction of what a new one costs.
I can understand why people pay so much for these though, they are fantastic as far as I'm concerned !!! I love mine.

I play blues, rockabilly, and jazz. It is actually quite versatile as far as blues and rockabilly go, but jazz is definetly out of the question. That isn't why I wanted it. I picked it up for blues mostly.
It fills that niche beautifully.
I use an Fender Stage Deluxe 212, it sounds like heaven on slow blues.
Very rich, full tone and really sings/cries. Beautiful Gibson sound.
I play it mostly on the rhythm setting, or with both pick ups on.

I got this guitar used and it had a neck repair done on it right up by the nut. I guess this is common, I've seen a few that the necks have broken on them. It was repaired well, but not finished very well.
Again, this isn't from the factory.
also the binding on the side of the neck is not white , but black.
Very strange. The only other SG's I've seen like that are Specials and the Epiphones line.
All the factory parts I installed in it all work great so I have no complaints, and I set the action up myself so I'm to blame if it isn't to my liking !!! hehehe

This guitar is a work horse ! I can see why they are so popular and remain so.
I use it as a back up on stage, but depending on the set it could be the number 1 choice no problem.
I use more than one guitar on stage always just for tonal variety.
It doesn't sound like a hollowbody archtop after all !!!

They just helped me date it with the serial # when I bought it.
No warranty.
This guitar was repaired, but not by the factory I'm sure.

I've been playing over 20 years, I have an couple of archtops, and a semi hollowbody. I like Gibsons and Epiphones really, no use for Fenders.
If it were lost or stolen , I 'd like to have another one.
A good friend of mine has a 1979 Les Paul Custom that I measure all other solid body guitars against, and this one measures up very well, and actually sounds better to me. I'm very happy with it.

Finish: Natural Burst;
Body Stlye: SG - Solid Guitar;
Bridge Style: Tune-O-Matic;
Tuners: Schaller Green Key;
Neck/Scale: 22 Jumbo frets (fat and low), Rosewood fretboard, 24-3/4" Scale;
Inlcuded Accessories: Gibson Hardshell Case with Combination-Lock;
Year Made and Where: December 2003, Memphis, TN, USA;
Solid Top; Mahogany Body and Neck;
Controls: 2-Volume pots, 2-Tone pots, 1 3-way pickup selector switch;
Pickup Configuration: H/H;
Make and Model of Pickups: 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 4x4 CTD... Oh, you mean the guitar's pickups, 490R & 498T Gibson humbuckers;
Passive Electronics

I've yet to find a musical style that this guitar cannot do. It can be dark and dirty or crisp and clean, depending on how you set the tone and the strings used, and of course playing style. Playing this guitar through a Peavey Triple XXX 212 Combo, the tonal possibilities are practically limitless. As for noise, the humbuckers are as quiet as a church mouse.

The action was set up with the innotation spot-on from the factory. The pickups were a bit loose in their mounting, as it came from the Gibson factory, and the pickup selector switch has a bit of noise when swithing settings, hence the rating of 7. Everything else was perfect, the Natural Burst finish was flawless, as was the rest of the fit and finish.

I've been playing this guitar for over a year and a half without any problems, I don't forsee any issues with it in the near future. Gibson guitars will last a player's lifetime or longer, if properly cared for. The finish hasn't seen any visible wear, and the strap buttons seem to hold Levy's leather straps on very solidly.

I would never play any gig without a backup guitar no matter how good of quality it is. That would be like driving across the country without a spare tire, it just isn't too smart.

Had to deal with Gibson one time trying to get a new bridge for a Gibson Vintage J-45 Deluxe. The people there were very helpful and friendly and helped my resolve my situation without any problems.

I've been playing the guitar for about 25 years now and am very satisfied with the guitar. It is everything I need it to be, and more. I didn't compare the guitar with any others as I knew what I wanted and I bought it. I would eventually like to add a diamond-plate polished-aluminum pick-guard to the guitar, but that's about it. If I ever have any problems with the stock humbuckers I will upgrade them to '57 humbuckers. If it were lost or stolen I would probably buy a Les Paul Standard instead, just for a change, nothing against the SG though.

Standard, Trapazoid Inlays, bound fingerboard, Ebony, 2006 model. Neck is fat and meaty, I love it.

The ultimat Rock and Roll guitar. Amazing sustain and drive out of the stock pick ups. Can't believe my ears. Blows my USA Stratocaster away playing heavey rock and roll (KISS, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, etc.) I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or a DigiTeck RP200 with headphones. Sounds better than a Les Pual and weighs & costs a fraction.

Serial number stamped so that I can't read last 3 digits. Low e string set on saddle improperly reulting in a second croove in the seat. No big deal. Action and intonation set up perfect out of the box. I tested it with a meter after an hour to break in the strings. Not a single imperfection in the finish (Ebony). Kinda cheapo case with a fancy lock. The tuners are as smooth as I've ever seen.

Judging e-bay, they seem to last forever. Hope mine does. It's a Gibson right?

Hopefully I'll never find out.

I've been playing 21 years. I own a '58 Gretsch Anniversary, '60 Gretsch Double Anniversary, '99 American Standard Stratocaster, '80 MIJ Electa Les Paul copy. Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amp and Tube Driver. I'm a closet hobbiest and play 5 or 6 hours a week. I think for Rock n Roll and a lot of blues styles, this is the ultimate guitar. It sounded good even playing some old country tunes (Luther Perkins). This is it, look no further.

Everybody knows what an SG looks like. It's just a straight up no frills electric guitar.

Rock and roll baby.
I use a peavey Triple XXX Tube screamer MXR phase 90 and wah.
This Guitar with the Triple XXX will do anything fron Waylon Country to Ass kicking heavy metal. I pity the fool who says it gets mushy with metal. What kind of amp are you using, a Crate?

I have bought guitars with Duncans in em and let me tell you this. There is no comparison. Now if you want a ZZ-Top sound yea, go ahead and use Pearly Gates but if you want to kick some booty stick with the stock pickups and USE A REAL AMP!!!

Now what is it with the tone Pot? If I roll off the tone knob on my LP with Burstbucker Pros, I can't get the old Clapton sound but Damn, this SG nails it down! Very versatile when it comes to tone!

I couldn't find a flaw on it.

I hate Les Pauls because you gotta use strap locks with em. Not so with SGs. Nitro Finish is thin but expensive. I guess it effects the tone quality somehow. Not as tough as a Les Paul but folks you need to treat your guitar with a little respect ok?

I hope I never have to use em.

I have been playing for 30 years and I have never and I mean never played a better combination than the SG Standard and The Peavey Triple XXX. You have got to trust me on this one. The Les Paul doesn't clean up as well, but This SG kicks just as hard as the LP. The LP might have just the slightest edge on harmonics though.

Finish is heritage cherry, but the color is rather dark, compared to the picture on Gibson?s website.
Serial number is: 90409449 so it?s made in 1999. And of course, in USA.
Made of mahogany as usual. 22 frets.
original pickups 490R & 498T, new Tony Iommi signatures.

And I got a beautiful, brown Gibson hard shell case with this baby. Purple/pink interior... Man, that?s hot!
(yet, ain?t it bit ironic -> TKL makes Gibson?s cases, so I have a Gibson USA guitar, in a case which has a big Gibson USA logo on top, and inside on the small hardware hatch, there is a small piece of leather (where you grap when you open the hatch) and it has TKL -logo on it and it says: "Made in Canada"...)

The sound of the original pickups (490R & 498T) was great and suited nicely for the type of music I play (somewhere between Black Sabbath and AC/DC with some added acoustic parts). But yet I decided to replace my them. I replaced them with Gibson Tony Iommi -signature pickups, and the main reason for doing this was that I?m such a huge Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi fan, and hey, the pickups were also f*ckin great!

With the new pickups, I have absolutely no (undesired) feedback problems. Well, to be fair, I didn?t have that too much with the original pickups either. I think the main difference between my old and new pickups is the power of the lower sounds, which is much richer, yet crystal with my new pickups.

I bought this guitar used, and it wasn?t in 10+ condition, but still very good. Some scratches, but that?s just normal in used guitars. The action was ok, could?ve been lower, but even now, it?s easy to play. I had some buzzing problems with the lower strings, but I lifted the brigde a bit to make it better, and it did.
One problem I had when I started playing this guitar, I found bending to be rather hard. First I wasn?t sure why it felt that way, but I think the main reason was that I got this guitar installed with 0.10 strings, but I?ve before used only 0.08 or 0.09 strings. But it just took a little time to get used to, and now it?s ok, and I didn?t even have to change my strings.

All the parts are (IMO) excellent quality. Controllers work the way they should without any extra noises. I think there is one cosmetic problem overall in this guitar. It is only my opinion, but I would like the headstock to have bingings, such as in some les pauls, or the new SG Supreme. But hey, that?s just a small thing.

This guitar is so excellent quality, that I would use this on a gig anytime without a backup guitar. I bought this used, and it was already played a lot, but still it was in good condition (made in 99, I got it in 06), so I think that with proper handling and caring, this guitar will last forever, or at least it will outlive me. I would say that you don?t have to take it to a guitar shop to be adjusted more than once a decade, if you handle it the way you should handle a Gibson, rock it hard, but with love.

The only actual flaw is the strap buttons. You HAVE TO buy straplocks, or you will accidentally drop the guitar and break the neck. And that don?t take much, ?cos the neck is made of one peace of mahogany. So buy straplocks, they are very cheap insurance.

Never dealt with them, but I sadly think, that because they are such a big corporation (I think) they may not have the time or interest to answer all our questions. Unless you?re a big rockstar of course.

And as I live in Finland, we don?t really have any store here, that would be authorised Gibson dealer, so...

I have been playing guitar for about 6 years now, and this is absolutely the best guitar I?ve ever played, and I?ve played somewhat many. Everything from Ibanez to Tokai, Epiphone to Fender, ESP to PRS and none of them compare with this baby. I even had a Gibson sg special faded, which was ok for it?s price, but nowhere near this baby.
And a great thing about this guitar is that (compared e.g. to Epiphone) it ain?t neck heavy, so even with a lighter strap, it won?t do the unpleasant neck diving.

I love everything about this guitar. The shape of this guitar is just so beautiful, yet so rock. And it weights just ok, some les pauls are way too heavy for me.

If this guitar would be stolen, I would be heart broken, and I would absolutely buy another one, no question about it. (or I would find the one that stole it, and hang him from his nuts).

2000, natural finish (refinish), 22 frets, mahogany body and neck, 4 pots, 3-way switch, Grover tuners, tune-o-matic bridge, all gold hardware, the usual. Plus a hardshell case. The kind with the awesome pink lining.

Well, the stock pickups sound beautiful. In my younger playing years, I decided to refinish the body and didn't think "hey, I can just de-solder the pickups at the pots!" because I was a moron. So I pulled the pickups apart and de-soldered at the poles. Biggest mistake of my life. I replaced them with Seymour Duncans and that turned out to be the second biggest mistake of my life. I got the 498T back in, but am looking to do a 500T and 490R combination once I get the money for it.
The body's tone is still astounding. Warm, rich, clean, beautiful. It has a very creamy but woody feel to it and can handle most every style (well, except for jazz now that I put back in the original bridge pickup). The mids and lows sustain like nothing else, and the highs have a great bell-like quality (as opposed to the harsher twang that you hear from some Gibsons). After getting this set up to where I want it, I have switched from playing at least 4 guitars regularly, to just playing this one. Hope to get another one soon for a backup.

This is the only thing I regularly have problems with. The action is alright if I take awhile to set it up. But after a string change, forget it. I have to set the whole guitar up basically every time the bridge is set free. I'm not sure why this is, but it's annoying. But oh well, it's still a great guitar that's close to my heart (awww!) and it's worth the extra maintenance.
The finish was fine when I got it (gloss black) and is even better now (oiled natural). Gibson did a great job with this guitar (except for the tenon, which has a very poorly done insert. No problems yet with that, so no worries).

I have gigged with this guitar for the past 6 years and I plan on doing it for the next however many more. It is a workhorse and has gone through so much abuse. It has been dropped on its headstock and suffered only a broken tuning gear (impressively, the string was still in tune). Has been punched in the output jack (with a cable plugged in) and only received a minor split in the grain in that section. I would trust this guitar with my life (although I don't see how that'd be possible).

Never had to deal with them, never will (since my warranty is over).

A+ Gibson! I got a good one!

2006, Ebony, Nitro Finish, 480 & 498 humbuckers, Tune-o-matic bridge, hardshell case. I really wish this thing had a tremolo but, like all Gibsons, you get the huge, old-man, shiney accoustic bridge thing...

Has the best tone of any guitar I've ever played for rock. The pickups are thick and meaty, MUCH better than whatever they put on the Special. This guitar has crazy sustain, and powerful, forceful tone. One of the best sounding guitars I've ever played.

Not finished well. Yes, Nitro is thin and scratches easily, blah blah. They actually missed some spots where I can see wood. I scratched it by wiping off some dirt with a cotton polishing rag. Who cares - the more scratches the better, but still...

Finish is finiky, but I like it. A guitar should wear well and Fenders with Nitro Finishes are rare and cost too much. Not sure about the switches and pots on Gibsons, but if they're anything like Epiphones then expect them to crack apart and disintegrate within 6 months. I'll asume they use better ones. Other than that, I plan to have this guitar forever - there's always a place for the SG in your lineup and the Standard is, in my opinion, the best.

N/A

I don't like Les Pauls. It's like trying to play a 40 pound log with gold plating and a baseball bat for a neck that doesn't even fit on your knee when you're sitting. Retarded. In fact, Gibson in general is kind of old school for my taste. Everything they make looks like a big, fancy, silly accoustic guitar with shiney stuff all over it, a thick neck and no tremolo...
I'm a Fender Strat guy, but strats simply don't compare when it comes to heavier sound that this SG can crank out. This SG is thin, light, looks cool as hell and sounds awesome. It's the only Gibson I will consider until I become too old to play fast scales, or arpeggios or bend notes down...

Pretty simple. A standard, classic instrument.

Great for rock and blues. I've heard the complaint that the sg doesn't have a good clean sound but I think it's fine. Of course, the humbuckers are great for all types of leads.

OK, here's the problem--the binding is tricky. I get an occasional clicking sound when the high e string rolls off of the fret (any fret) and onto the, slightly lower, binding. There wil be more on this in my review of customer service. Otherwise, everything's fine.

There are so many stories about gibsons cracking at the bottom of the headstock. I know that it's something that Gibson lovers have learned to live with and I thought I would too but it has been a bit of a drag always having to lug it around in it's hard case. I have an epiphone/gibson acoustic that sustained the crack in question so feel justified in making this complaint.

The folks at Gibson were plenty friendly and surprisingly prompt with their responses. However, they refused to offer any advice other than to go to a GIbson- approved service center (of which there are only 2 in all of new york city). I went to both to ask about my binding concerns and heard a suspiciously similar thing from eacch--:umm, I don't know but would you like to sepnd $150 for a setup?"

I think a new instrument at this price should be perfect and I bought it new becasue I wanted the peace of mind that the warranty would bring. The warranty has been useless so far and the opportunities to take advantage of it are limited at best. If you're on the fence about whether to buy a vintage or new sg, don't do whatI did- don't let the warranty give you a false sense of safety.

just got a 2006 heritage cherry SG, mahogany body, 498t and 490r pick-ups.. made in usa, 22 frets. come with a case..

I play hardcore to softer rock.. but even throw in some metal... so pretty much ne kind of rock, its perfrect.. the bridge pick-up is way bassier then my fenders and thats a great thing. the pickups are very quiet.. the pickup soak up every note.. and it holds them forever.

action is pretty good, i wish it had a tapered neck like my USA strat.. but still good, the pickups are set great.. with the bridge extremely close to the strings. I love it. the neck is beutiful with the inlays. the hardware is great and shiny.. and compliments the guitars look perfectly. everything seems to work great and quality seems awsome.

seems built great... the finish is so good, i dont even want to touch it in fear i might leave prints.. so beutiful. the strap buttons are good. but i was to scared about it coming off the back one.. so i put straplocks on it. This guitar is solid as a rock, wut can say..

havnt dealt with them

ive always been a fender guy.. i have an american fender fat strat.. american tele, and a mexican fender fat strat.. ive been playin for almost 4 years... i play through a mesa boogie dual rectifier head.. and a mesa boogie standard 4x12 cab with vintage 30s. i also have a fender hot rod deluxe i love to jam through. i would deffinetly replace this guitar if it were stolen. ITS MY FAVORITE GUITAR.. even better than my fenders.. ITS GREAT!!

2001 Cherry Red SG Standard. Features are the same as listed below. This guitar has everything you need - nothing more and nothing less. One nice feature that most people don't mention is the case. I do a lot of travelling and this case is well constructed and very stylish.

This guitar sounds amazing! I play classic rock and blues and this guitar was born to play both. I play through either a Fender Blues Junior or a Marshall DSL 401 combo. I only use a TS9 and Wah for effects, although sometimes I throw in an old Phase 90 and a Boss DD-3 when I?m in the mode. The SG sounds great through the Fender, especially with the TS9, but really takes-off when I plug it into the Marshall. It has a nice rich/full sound, especially when distorted. I was surprised at the range of sounds I can get out of this guitar. You can get a nice smooth tone when you use the neck pick-up with the tone rolled off and a balls-out rock lead tone with the bridge pick-up cranked.

I tried several different guitars before I bought this SG, including a Les Paul Classic and Standard, SG ?61 Re-issue, SG Special, PRS Standard 22 and PRS McCarty. The only guitar I liked more was the McCarty, but it was way too expensive. I found the SG actually sounded better than the other Gibson?s I tried and it was the least expensive of the bunch. The Les Paul?s just sounded a bit too muddy for my taste.

I?ll give it a 9 because nothing?s perfect, but if you like classic rock and blues, especially Cream, AC/DC, Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin, you can?t go wrong with an SG!

This guitar was in great shape when I bought it, but I think that?s a credit to the quality of the store not necessarily the Gibson factory. Everything was adjusted properly and there were no noticeable flaws. My only complaint is the loose toggle switch, but that seemed to be the case for most of the Gibson?s I tried out, so maybe that?s just the way it is.

I?ll give my SG a 9 in this category, however I must say that I tried several Gibson products from several different stores and the quality in workmanship definitely was not consistent. Some models, like a few Les Paul Classic?s that I tried, had obvious flaws in the finish and in one case the binding was starting to separate from the fingerboard! This is totally unaccepted for a $2000 guitar. I strongly recommend that you buy a guitar in person rather than buying it on-line. I played about 10 different Gibson?s before I bought this SG and at least 3 of them had obvious flaws. Those are not good odds when you?re paying thousands of dollars.

Also, I tried the SG Special and was disappoint in the fact that it was only $200 cheaper and you don?t any of the features of the standard (covered pick-ups, neck binding, trapezoid inlays, better finish) or the hard shell case. Either the Special is over priced or the Standard is a deal. Either way, if you?re thinking about the SG Special, I recommend saving up a few more bucks and getting the Standard. It?s definitely worth it!

If you treat this guitar well, or any quality guitar for that matter, it will last a lifetime. That being said, strap locks are a good investment. I don?t play live as much as I use to, but I think I could definitely depend of this guitar.

No need yet.

I?ve been playing for about 15 years. I also own a Fender Standard Strat (USA) and a Fender Standard Tele (USA). As mentioned earlier, I play through a Blues Junior and Marshall DSL 401. For effects I have a TS9, Dunlop Wah, Phase 90 and a Boss DD-3. I also have a Dyna Comp and a Boss CH-1, but I rarely use them. This guitar is a great match for my playing style. I routinely choose it over my Strat and Tele. I prefer the full/rich sound of humbuckers, although the Strat and Tele definitely have their place. If I had to choose one of the three I would definitely choose the SG. I love the way this guitar sounds! Just plug it in and play a few AC/DC or Zeppelin riffs and you?ll be in heaven. Plus you won?t break your back (or your wallet) like you will with a Les Paul. In the future I may replace the bridge pick-up with a Classic ?57, but only out of curiosity. The stock pick-ups are great! If I had to change something about the SG it would be to move the input jack to the bottom, like a Tele, and tighten up the toggle switch. Other than that I have no complaints about the SG. This guitar looks and sounds great. Think of all the great players that have played an SG at one point in their careers and you know you?ll be in good company with the SG Standard.

Gibson SG Standard 2006. Two alnico humbuckers, 22 frets. 2 volumes and two tones. Neck is not a slim taper but I guess it is not rounded either. It is kind of between two of them. A black one, and comes with a Tune-O-Matic bridge.

The sound is very good for my tastes. I have been playing mostly rock music. With a tiny practice amp or with a tube one, the sound is very good and bright but not bright you can get from Fenders. I simply can say, rich and bright sound it has. Clean tones are good. With overdrive and distortion the sound is amazing. It has little noise but I guess it is not a problem. I think, you can play all sorts of music with Gibson SG.

I think I was lucky, I did not adjust anything. With a factory settings, I started to play right away. I might little lower the action,though. The height of the pickups is alright. There is no flaw at all. Only one thing needs attention, it might have slight tuning problems. Again to me it is not a problem, cause I prefer Grovers, if I have to change them.

I don't have any idea I have not tested it yet.

No idea.

I have been playing more than 15 years. I have couple of ibanez guitars, a kramer, used to have Gibson LPs, a Carvin etc. I think SG suits me fine, it has everything what I was looking for. If LPs were not that heavy I probably would not have SG. If it was stolen or lost, I would definetly get me a new one. I personally think that SG can not be compared to other guitars because it has its unique features. I guess you will see what I mean when you have one. If you want high end guitar then you can buy Gibson LP or maybe a PRS. But I can assure you, SG has its own class and variety.

Same set up as a LP except the switch is at the bottom which I love, no more switching into the neck pick up on accident.

This guitar sounds amazing, I have been playing on fender tele customs with the humbuckers. They are great guitars but this guitar kills them. So crunchy. My amp is a Crate V30(EL84 Head) through a Madison Custom 4x12. Keep it simple. I play high energy rock stuff ala Bad Wizard, Electric Frankenstien, Motorhead, AC/DC kind of stuff. It works so well for this kind of music, great gain, the blues influced rock solos sound amazing through this amp and cut through so well.

The action on this guitar on like the few Les Pauls i have had kicked ass right out of the box. Was it everything I wanted? No, of course I had to lower it some, but man can you get them strings right on the board right now fret buzz. The finish is flawless, the neck binding is unreal.

I have no idea as of yet, I have only used it in the studio and the record won't be done until the fall. Limited gigs this month and on the road in the fall, guess I will really be able to awnser this once we get back.

I have actually dealt with gibson themselves a couple times and they rocked. I had a simple question about one of my older les pauls and they got back to me asap! No other company has ever been like they are.

This guitar rocks, I couldn't ask for more, light, crunchy and full sounding. Perfect.

2005 model I believe; left-handed version. Standard SG in Heritage Cherry finish with chrome hardware and a choice mahogany body/neck. Came with a hardshell case made by TKL with a combination lock (which you don't want to forget or you're gonna have to F up your case to retrieve your prize!)

Being used to playing Fenders, I was not sure how the Gibson would sound to my ears. As soon as I plugged it in, it sang. This guitar is amongst the best quality instruments built. The neck has awesome sustain, playability is great, the tone is exceptional. You can get everything from AC/DC rock to ES335-type jazz tones. It is a very quiet guitar; I play it through a Fender Deluxe Reverb. The tone itself is on the dark side, which is what makes some people hate the Gibson sound, but I think that the quality of wood used and the proper craftsmanship that went into creating the guitar contributes greatly to its "smooth" tone. It is a nice change from the bright Fender sound. I am in the process of deciding on new overdrive pedals to use with the SG. I know there's a magic pedal out there for my style and I am still trying to find it.

I'm a left-handed player and therefore I am really not able to demo a few different guitars before deciding on one. At the same time I would much rather mail order or special order a guitar because it means it will come to me clean and ding-free. I hate going into the store and seeing the 13 year-old shredder wannabes grabbing the $1200 Gibson and beating it around. The last time I bought anything off the floor was my amp and it has a bad tube ring which I never got fixed after 4 years, and didn't come with the cover (not that that's important but you know that it will probably cost me upwards of 40 bucks to get one now). So anyway, I ordered the guitar through Musicians Friend, and it came to me in perfect condition with the sweet mahogany smell eminating off of it. I was very happy with the factory setup too, though I'm sure that if I bring it to a tech he can set it up a little better. The only thing that sucks is that the pickguard and the headstock scratch easily, so it will wear out quickly. Luckily if need be, you can always replace that for cheap. On the other hand, the headstock may require a little more care and I recommend being extremely careful when changing strings so they don't "slap" the headstock as you're winding.

I don't play live with an electric right now, so I'm sure this will hold up just fine. I think I will make a habit of keeping it in its case so it doesn't get worn or warp. The finish is thin, and I can imagine after years of playing it may rub off a little where your arm rests but right now I'm not concerned. I stay in the habit also of cleaning the finish after I play it, just so that layer of film doesn't build up and become difficult later. I am also told to get locking strap buttons, but this seems like a logical addition being that it's not a cheap instument and the last thing you want is for it to slip out and hit the ground. I feel it's a dependable instrument, solid and well built for many future years of gigging or just home use. As a general rule you should never have a gig wihtout a backup, thus being the same case here, but I'd only have a backup just incase I break a string.

I have not needed Gibson for technical support, but so far after e-mailing them a few times to ask questions I have gotten personal responses from them within 24 hours. Believe me, that says a lot about a company.

I've been playing for 12 years now, and I have acquired lots of different equipment over those years. My guitars now including the SG are a Fender '68 reissue Stratocaster, 70's reissue Telecaster blonde, Ibanez AEL10 acoustic, and GSR200L bass. I play through a Fender Deluxe Reverb and my pedals are as follows: EH Small Stone, EH Small Clone, Ibanez TS9, Chandler Tube Driver, ProCo Rat, Danelectro Reel-Echo, MXR 1500 Delay. This guitar makes a very nice addition to my collection and to my everyday playing. I'm not a supurb guitar player by any means. I just love to have a nice instrument that gives off a beautiful tone and works well with my style of music. And so far, the SG is cutting it.

It's a standard sg (2005) cherry red finish...what more can I say.

I play 70-80's style metal and hard rock mostly (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Saxon,...) and this guitar has the perfect sound for that kind of music.It gives me the classic metal-sound I wanted and not that modern sound most bands use these days.I don't use it for playing clean as that is the guitars weakest point, but that's not why I bought it anyway.It has a great range for solo's and it's made to rock!!!

I had the set-up done at the local guitarshop where I bought it, so it was the way I like it and I don't know what the factory set-up was like.
Bridge pickup wasn't adjusted properly though, so I'm gonna have that fixed later on, but as it doesn't affect the sound I'm not that bothered about it.
The thing that bothers me most is that this isn't a single piece guitar. The body is made out of 2 pieces and I didn't notice it until I owned it for about 2 weeks. I didn't notice this at the shop (wasn't looking for it either) but for a guitar this expensive it should have been made out of a single piece. Afterwards I heard most standards are made out of 2 pieces,but most of the time they try to match the pieces so you don't really notice.

G-string (I know...)is difficult to get in tune but once it's in tune, it stays. I play this guitar about 2 hours a day and it has stayed in tune for the past month so I can't complain about that.
Finish is great, replace the strap buttons or it will fall!!!Otherwise this is a reliable guitar

never dealt with them(hopefully never will)

I've been playing for quite a few years know, but this is only my second guitar, the other one being a mex strat. I tried several guitars before buying and I'm really satisfied with it. It sounds great and seems reliable except for some minor flaws. If it were stolen I would buy it again.

Solid mahogany body, 2 alnico pups, 490r at neck position and 498t at the bridge. mahogany neck, rosewod fingerboard with binding. stop tailpiece, 2 volume and 2 tones etc....... not the most technicaly advanced guitar in teh world but bear in mind it was designed in 1960 and it has everything you could possibly need to rock out!!!
Mine is a 2000 nashville model in heritage cherry. the gibson tan and pink case is awesome quality.

my music style is based around blues rock and hard rock, think Led Zep, Deep Purple, ACDC, The Darkness (dont laugh!!) etc and this axe fits hte bill perfectly. it has the greatest tone i have ever heard and i have played some top quality guitars, including a PRS singlecut i borrowed for a few weeks, Tom Anderson Droptop, and Les paul 1959 reissure and i prefer this guitar to all of them. hte overall tonality is lighter than the les paul and nowhere near as thick as the singlecu which i prefer for rock as it cuts through a mix better and gets a nice trebly old-school crunch. i have read reviews on this guitar saying it can sound hollow and "spoony", but i can only assume this is due to tone deaf reviewers and poor quality amplification. to all those who slate this axes ability to rock - it is not gonna sound good through some pisspot 15 watt tranny combo and played by some 2-minute wonder hammering out Blink 182 tunes, this is a grownup and sophisticated guitar. If its good enough for Duane Allman, Eric clapton and Angus young it should be goodenough for almost anyone else!
On the Bridge pickup through my Marshall JCM 800 and 1960 cabs this guitar can totally destroy al in its path! going up in gain from the beatles jangle to oasis, Jimmy page and Blackmore all the way up to metallica. the neck and middle positions on the switch give you texas blues, bb king style cool tone and also a fairly good jazz tone. i must stress however that if you're looking for a guitar to play metal on then look elsewhere, the SG will dissappoint, bearing in mind that its pickups are not designed for this and with HUGE amounts of gain you may find that it mushes up. this axe can do almost anything else thrown at it!!!

this is my problem with this guitar. the action was not too great on mine (this is a review of MY guitar - dont think theyre all like this) and even now after 2 visits toa tech it is still not what i'd call a 'low action' the lowest i can get it is 2.4mm from 12th fret on low e. this suits me wel however as i dont like shredder style actions as i feel this affects tone and sustain.
Everything else on the guitar is perfect, excellent quality and no problems. Mine has some buckle marks - wood dents and not lacquer scratches - but apart from that its fine and its had a hard life!

this guitar will withstand gigs and it has. the hardware is typical gibson - solid and simple and basically theres nothing top go wrong. the finish is good but it is nitrocellulose and so will chip easily. just be careful. youve got a gibson - look after it lol.
BIG TIP - LISTEN IN!!! GET STRAPLOCKS!!! the stock strap buttons are very small and as the guitar is neck heavy and has a strap button on the neck heel it is very prone to falling off. this coupled with the fact that SGs are notorious for headstock breakage ives a very dangerous situation.
i would never gig without backup on principle but this guitar is wel up to gigging as there is noting to go wrong.

I'v been playing for 5 years now and i also own a fender standard mex strat, a 72 thinline tele, a genuine '58 tele, a JCM800 50 watt head and 2 1960 cabs. if this axe got stolen i would hunt down who did it and get it back, and then kill them. This axe has HUUUUGE sentimental value as it was purchased as a gift. this guitar is ncomparible for oozing pure rock attitude and heritage and is totally awesome - a lifelong partner for me!

2006 GIBSON SG STANDARD, HERITAGE CHERRY, MAHOGONY BODY, TYPICAL P/UPS & SET-UP...SEE GIBSON SITE FOR SPECS.

I fell in love with this SG at first sight...stunning lil' devil!!!

I play classic-rock & blues...this guitar is THE tone-machine for the music I love, so although I've played Strat for a dozen years (and still love that one, too!), I'm finding this a real gas to wail on!

I had to set this guitar up myself...it wasn't done at the factory...only took me 10 minutes...no big deal! I see from other reviews that folks have has issues with Gibson's quality control...in this case, they did a good job...no visible flaws or technical problems so far. I have noticed the fact that Gibson instruments have a wide variation in quality, and one should definately try out a bunch of 'em before pulling the trigger!

I had strap locks installed by Washington Music Center, where I purchased it...always a good idea, IMO. The guitar is solid, great-playing, and very versatile...I'd use it without a backup, in fact I just did last night!

Gibson blows as a customer-service company...they don't offer any warranty, leaving it up to the retailer to stand behind their products. If I had a music store, I'd sell Fenders...they have a great warranty!
I'm hoping I never have to get involved with Gibson...that being said, I still love Gibson guitars, just hate the creeps that make 'em...

I've been playing for 35 years...classic-rock, blues & country, used mostly Fender Strats, although I had an ES-335 for a long spell, and loved it. I play through a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 Reissue, a great amp that works well with just about any guitar. This SG sounds like a sonic lollypop...sweet, with a chewy middle, and plenty of crunch if you need it! I may put a Bigsby on it at some point...I miss my wigglestick! I can't believe I never had one of these till now...I love every aspect of its' sound & feel...I'd absolutely replace it if stolen or damaged.

2005 SG Standard in natural finish. Made in USA. All mahagony body and neck with killer looking nitro finish. 490/498T pickup configuration, 3 way switch, tune-o-matic bridge, yada yada yada.

Like most SG owners will agree, this guitar can play anything. From Jazz and Blues to Rock and Metal. It covers a lot of territory and it does it well. I play it through a 100 watt Crate Blue Voodoo with Electro Harmonix tubes, Crate 4x12 cab with vintage 30 speakers and a Zoom GFX-1 multi-effects processor and various other Boss pedals. The SG is made to be overdriven, however, the pickups can handle only so much gain or else you'll experience annoying feedback. To be fair, the Blue Voodoo is packing some serious gain to begin with and should be played with a guitar that has active EMG pickups when playing with the gain way up. Simply do what I do and add a noisegate....problem solved. Of course, feedback is only a problem when I'm playing death metal, which I rarely do anyway. Every other effect I've used sounds amazing. The pickups are really focused and tight, nice fat, juicy tones. I would never swap them out for after-market pups. My favorite is the neck pickup (490). It's so warm and creamy and bending notes into the stratosphere is awesome....sustain for days. I love that all mahagony tone.

The action was setup up pretty good, but I'm one of those players that needs it to be setup a certain way....I'm picky like that. I setup my own guitars and in no way fault Gibson for not setting it up how I like it. I'm sure most people will be satisfied with the way it was setup. I love the neck, nice and fat, yet easy to play up and down the entire fretboard.

All the hardware is shiny and new. No complaints there. Selector switch is fine, no popping or cracking. A lot of people complain about the Deluxe Tuners found on most Gibson's, but mine are rock solid and tight. No reason to change them.

There are a few complaints however.

For one, the body consists of three pieces glued together. For the price I paid, it should have been one solid piece. It's not all that big of a deal, but guitars with a transparent finish should be one solid piece. Save the multi-piece bodies for the solid color finishes. Again, to be fair, I didn't notice it was three separate pieces until months later when I was meticulously admiring and cleaning it. Gibson did an excellent job of fitting three separate pieces together to look like one, so I guess what bothers me is I feel like I was deceived :-)

Second, the nut was cut horribly. Before I bought my SG, I read reviews that Gibson was having problems with poorly cut nuts. Low and behold I got one with a nut that would snag the G string and it kept going out of tune. I tried nut lube and the pencil trick, even tried to file it myself, but it was no use, it was just plain bad. So I took it down to my luthier buddy and he swapped it out for a custom made bone nut and did a killer job....thanks Jeff! Now she stays in tune forever. Seriously, I play at least two hours everyday and maybe tune it twice a week.

Overall, I'm happy with what I got. After fixing the nut, this guitar is probably one of the best sounding and playable guitars I've ever owned.

The SG will definitely withstand playing on the road and any punishment you can dish out. Even though it's light in weight, the guitar as a whole is built solid and tough as nails. However, the nitro finish is more fragile than a poly finish and is prone to dings and scratches. The plus side is the nitro allows the wood to be more resonant, thus, better tone and that's what it's really all about, right? The finish will last you a lifetime if you're willing to take care of it, but for those of us who have toured, that's near to impossible. Still, the SG can handle the road and still play like the first day you got it.

The first thing I did when I bought my SG was replace the strap buttons. I've dropped one too many guitars because of those stupid non-locking buttons. All my guitars have Schaller locking buttons and I recommend you do the same.

This is a very dependable guitar. I would definitely used it for a gig without a back-up.

Gibson offers a limited Lifetime warranty, but not sure of the details. I've never had a reason to contact Gibson's CS.

I've been playing for 22 years. I also own a Gibson Les Paul Standard in Honeyburst finish, a Gibson Flying V in Ebony finish, a Fender American Deluxe Fat Strat in Amberburst finish and a reissue '72 Fender Telecaster Deluxe in Black finish.

If the SG were ever stolen I would most definitely buy a new one. The SG has become my main axe and I cannot live without her. In my opinion, the only guitar that compares to the SG is a Les Paul, but if you've ever played a Les Paul then you know it's a lot heavier and bulkier, and playing the upper register is nowhere as accessible as with the SG. The Les Paul may have a slightly bigger tone, but not enough to make it better. I love everything about the SG, the looks, the tone, the playability, the versatility, everything.

Manufactured in: Nashville, TN
BODY
Body Species: Mahogany
NECK
Species: Mahogany
Profile: Rounded
Peghead Pitch: 17
Thickness at 1st Fret: 0.818
Thickness at 12th Fret: 0.963
Heel Length: 0.625
Neck Joint Location: 19
Head Inlay: Crest
FINGERBOARD
Species: Rosewood
Scale Length: 243/4"
Total Length: 18.157
Number of Frets: 22
Nut Width: 111/16"
Width at 12th Fret: 2.062
Inlays: Pearloid Trapezoid
Fingerboard Bind: single-ply
HARDWARE
Plating Finish: Chrome
Tailpiece: Stopbar
Bridge: Tune-o-matic
Knobs: Black Top Hat with silver insert
Tuners: Schaller Green Key
ELECTRONICS
Neck Pickups: 490R Alnico magnet humbucker
Bridge Pickups: 498T Alnico magnet humbucker
Controls: Two volume, two tone, three-way switch

i play anything from blues to metal, it does it all, i hear people say strats are the most versitile guitars, i donnt agree this sg handles it it all perfectly giving me a full tone when clean for sum blues soloing and improv to hardcore balls for when it cums to teh metal on the bridge when the amps cranked! the real let down is my $%^& amp n efects unit which really do let it down and i may upgrade to a fender hot rod deluxe or marhsall dsl( which i tried it out on in the shop when purchasing)

i like everything except teh neck pickup gets a bit to muddywhen its distorted thats all

in the shop the action was a bit to high for my liking so i got it lowered at the shop but they put it as low as it went which causd fret buzz (annoying) so i fixed it myself when i got home n it didnt have to be raised much to stop it. and it was still easy to play.

bridge pickup was way to high but again not a problem
finnish is perfect! no flaws what so ever and as i can see the grain i can see no imperfections in the wood. its beautiful

however i have noticed that the binding on the neck in one place has not been exactly finnished correct in one place BUT it is noticable unless you are looking closely and does not affect the playing

everything else is fine

yeah this would stand live playing no problem its what its made for!
the hardware though could seem a bit dodgy, the other day i was jus playin in my room when the bridge pup seemed not to make a noise i had to flick the selector switch a couple of times before it did. no idea went wrong hasnt happened again but very concerning as i havent mishanddled teh guitar and havent had it very long. strap buttons are solid. and i would have to use this without a back up as i got rid of my old one. it was shit. apart from th pickups this things built to rock !

have used um

ive been playin just over 2 years ( i know it doesnt seem long but ive wanted this for ages and teh chance came where i could get it and well what do u expect) i swear this guitar has already helped my playing not only because of its nice tone and action but by teh fact that it single handedly makes me want to play more.

if it were stolen or lost i would cry for along time as i couldnt afford a new one. if i could i dunno i might try an lp standard just for kicks but id miss the easy acces to uper frets.

USA Made, of course. Great binding and nice inlays. Not so great tuners, but everything else isn't worth changing. No tremelo, however a bigsby works fine if you want it.

Great sound! It sounds full and rich, but brighter than the Les Paul. Probably the best overdriven sound of any guitar I've played. I use a small fender Blues Jr. tube amp and a Boss GT-8 and Big Muff pedal and I can still get HUGE sound coming out of the little amp. The humbuckers give little to no feedback and it plays clean better than most guitars.

The action was just the way I liked it, however I had to change the pickups a little bit, which I did at the store. There were no flaws otherwise.

Though the guitar is light (a big plus) it can withstand just about anything. The strap buttons are reliable. The hardware is all tight and I would use it at a gig without any other guitar with me.

I've been playing for about 5 years, and I've been playing the SG for about 2. My favorite features are its action and power when distorted or overdriven. Its sound is brighter than the Les Paul but richer than a Strat. If it was stolen I'd buy the same guitar. I used to play an Epiphone Les Paul but this blows it out of the water.

2005, Made in USA.

Solid Mahogany body (double cutaway) & neck. High gloss Heritage Cherry finish (looks more wine, than cherry). Trapezoid pearl inlays, Gibson Logo, & Crown. "SG" stamped in white on truss rod cover (wrench included in case).

22-Frets, 2-Volume & 2-Tone knobs (chrome tops), 3-way pickup selector switch, Tune-O-Matic Bridge, Gibson Tuners & Hardshell Case (plush interior).

The only reason I didn't give it a 10-rating is the oversight of no binding around the headstock. This would have really set this beauty off.

Behringer V-Tone GM-110 amp gives me a nice variety of sounds. Brights, midrange, and bass are all there; No complaints.

Since my primary experience is with an acoustic I'll give this category a 9 instead of 10. So far it's exceeded my expectations. However, you might want to read reviews of the more experienced electric players for a more acurate evaluation.

Came perfectly setup from the factory, which is where I tracked it from during the shipping process. I changed to a lighter gauge string & lowered the action even more myself (probably too much though). I did this primarily because I've been "out of the loop" for about ten years, and just getting toughened up again. Experienced players would have probably left it as is.

Thin fast neck that I could play all day if I had the time, and my fingers are still tender. I'm used to an acoustic so this thing is really easy to play for me.

I'm definately not a pro musician, but I can tell the difference (by trial & error with other cheaper equipment) between quality & junk. This thing cries quality from top to bottom. No flaws whatsoever, and I'm considered a pefectionist by those closest to me.

Hopefully, I won't need any. I'll have to rate lower here since I haven't used support. Because of the absolute pefection in the quality of this instrument I have to give them 9.

It must be an old wive's tale concerning Gibson's Quality Control. I traded an SG-Special (Satin) for this one, and found nothing wrong with it either. I simply wanted the gloss finish and thinner neck of the Standard.

I would definately replace if lost or stolen.

Like I said, I'm no pro; but if I can find as much time to spend playing the "SG" as I did my acoustic, (you never know) I might become one.

Lightweight, more balanced, and faster neck (to me) compared to the American made Fenders (that I've tried). I like the design of the Strat body a little better though, but not that much.

I always had a bad impression of Gibson guitars in general, because of what other musicians (hobbyists like me though) would say about over-pricing and lack of quality. I was lucky enough to have a friend who is experienced and very knowledgeable when it comes to guitars. He swore by the Gibsons, and really talked up the "SG" model. He was right and we "were" wrong. Now I swear by them.

If you're thinking of a gift for your teenager, you might also consider this. My nephew took a peek inside the black hardshell case and then replied, "Wow! I thought you just owned a Gibson. That's an "SG".

This is a 2005 model purchased brand new from Guitar Center. Heritage Cherry finish. Came with the black hardshell case made by TKL. 22 frets, solid top, all stock. Tuners are Gibson Deluxe.

I play primarily funk, fusion and blues and this is a great guitar for me. I know lots of people choose this guitar for its great tone when overdriven/distorted, but I play this almost exclusively clean, maybe with a little bit of overdrive from the amp for some mustard. The tone is warm, full and rich, but not sterile or dull - the pickups have a singing quality to them. The tone also seems to be focused, almost tight (in comparison to my other electric, an Epiphone Dot semi-hollowbody, which sounds huge).

I play this through a guyatone wah rocker, a budda bud-wah and an electro-harmonix small stone into a fender hot rod deluxe.

Despite the action being a tad high, the guitar was set up extremely well. There's just a slight bow in the neck - perfect. Now a couple complaints. The price tag on the guitar was knocked down to $999 from $1269 because apparently when the guitar arrived from the Gibson factory, the neck pickup was not set right in its cavity. Nice. Next, the nut slot for the low E string is too high, and as a result, the string doesn't quite wobble correctly - the vibration doesn't look right. A minor quip that doesn't affect playability, and that could easily be fixed by a tech. Third and most importantly, the inlay at the 15th fret is not flush with the neck. As a result, the note directly above it is a dead spot. Not life threatening, but not very cool either. I've owned two separate Fender American Standard Strats, what I would consider Fender's counterpart for this American made guitar, and both of them were absolutely flawless in every way. In the end, this particular guitar spoke to me so I chose it, and I'm willing to overlook this issue. Also, I assume this is again something a tech could fix. But it shouldn't be an issue from a $1K+, American made guitar.

All that said, the guitar is beautiful and I love looking at it. I don't know whether to hang it on the wall and stare or play the hell out of it. The cherry finish is beautiful and flawless. Gibsons are the best looking guitars around in my opinion, with the bound necks, the inlays and the headstock. I am very happy and thankful that one of them is sitting in my apartment.

In addition, it is so darn playable, as it's lightweight and the body is small and slightly contoured. The shape will work for some and won't for others - it is a bit neck-heavy. The neck itself is somewhat beefy but I've gotten used to the feel and like it.

I have my first gig with this thing next week and I can't wait to open her up past bedroom volumes. Hardware and finish seem durable. I will continue to baby it because you need to be careful with set necks, and because this is a thin body. But it's an electric guitar, so it's made to withstand some wear and tear.

N/A

I have been playing for 16 years. I also play bass, using a Fender MIM p-bass, and also have an Epiphone Dot that I will now use as a back-up. I am thankful to have such an exquisite looking and sounding guitar, and one that has so much history to it. It's a Gibson. Cool. I love how playable it is, the neck, the fretboard. It's a joy to play and the tone is great. Wish I had known about that inlay and the resulting dead spot, but I think I might have just bought the guitar anyways.

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.

2004 ebony finished model with 490R neck and 498T bridge humbuckers, everything standard that's listed on their site. I replaced the bridge with a Tone Pro's, and I'm considering replacing the tuners for aesthetic purposes. The sucky stock bridge knocks a point off for features, but otherwise I love it for its simplicity.

I play all genres of metal and hard rock, everything from Cradle of Filth to Alice in Chains. Clean, the neck humbucker has a full, thick sound, while the bridge humbucker has a more biting, treble-based sound. With full distortion, the neck humbucker is useless for rhythm, with a disappointingly hollow sound, but has a very cool lead tone that I've heard in grunge before. The bridge humbucker with full distortion is absolutely incredible. For rhythm, it's extremely thick and full, but not at all muddy. You get a really bass-heavy chunk out of it palm muted, which is ideal for my playing style. Even with maxed out distortion you can hear every note with arpeggiated chords. In terms of lead, the tone stays thick and rich even up high. The overall tonality of the guitar is very balanced, clear, and articulate with a really warm tone. I'm certain that it's versatile enough to cover other genres as well.

I had no problems at all with the finish or factory set up, but I've heard a lot of complaints about people thinking the action was too high initially. I did lower it a bit when I installed the new bridge, though. The pickup selector and knobs are totally silent, plus the selector hasn't broken on me yet. The finish is as stunning as my B.C. Rich's, which says a lot. That sucky stock bridge knocks another point off, though.

So far, it's totally reliable and durable, as I've had no major issues with it. I've had no problems with any of the electronics either, which is a huge plus Gibson has over Epiphone. My only concern is the neck joint, because I've heard that over a matter of about 20 years, the necks start to basically loosen/fall off.

I've never had any problems with it, so I haven't needed to contact them.

I bought this guitar on a whim without even playing it, and luckily it turned out to be an incredible instrument. I've never played anything higher quality, and I honestly couldn't imagine wanting anything else in a guitar. It's a perfect balance of simplicity, functionality, playability, and overall awesome tone.

the normal 2 volumes and 2 tones.awesome handling.way better and lighter than a les paul.the switch for les paul is located on top of the strings and when ur on stage jumping around or strumming real hard it gets hit and goes to the rythm switch,while the sg's is located below so its practical for rockstars.easy reaching for solos and high stuff.gets out of tune if strummed too hard.

the sound is unbeatable for such an affordable guitar.its pratical.the highs are reali high and the lows reali low.any players choice.super with an ibanez ts-9 and other overdrive and distortion consoles.the clean for the highs are twangy which is the trademark clean sound of an sg.super super sound.

finish is so so so so good.nicely made.everything is perfect for this guit.action is nice but a little to low and when tuned down to D the string might rattle a little more but still it doesn hit the bridge pickup.AWESOMEEEEEEE!!!!!

sg..solid guitar.obviously rock solid.look at yellowcard's ryan key.when he smashed his sg he took 2 hard hits on the floor and it was stil intact and it only broke at the neck whenn he smashed it against the drums.so that explains it.

nothin

its an awesome guitar.every guitarer should get it.its practical.sounds SUPER and ITS SO LIGHT.les pauls have a nice clean sound but its too heavy.sg covers it for u.no other guitar can mimic the sound of a sg.SO GET ITTTT!!

2002 Gibson SG 2HB 2volume 2tone. This is a good set-up but feature wise it does not compare to my godin XT-sa wich have synth voice and piezo so i give a 7

That guitar suited my style a lot. I played Jazz fusion with it and it did a great job at it. The sound is typical gibson. It add a good clean sound but i always tough that it lacked brightness a bit. Before i bought the gibson i had a Ibanez studio model that i though was a bit too powerful sounding so i bought the sg to have a more controlable sound. it was better in that way but after 3 years i am convinced i just would have put lower output pickups in the ibanez and it would have do the trick.

The set-up was very good but not great. It had a scratchy pickup selector(easily cleaned) The problem with the fit is that i live in canada so the wood move a bit when it adjust to the wheater here.

Very very durable

I have been playing since 1988 I owned a lot of different guitars (around 20) I think that the SG is one of the best guitar you can buy. The problem is the price it is not just worth it! I have A godin SD 400$ wich as a rock tone as good as the gibson but lacks panache. And i got a godin Xtsa (1000$) that has more feature and sound more open. I owned an ibanez studio (350$) and a godin (LG p90) that posses more sustain and more power than the SG.

Overall the SG is a great guitar buy it if you can not live without a piece of rock n roll history (me i sold it and but a godin Xtsa with a roland GR09) NOW I FEEL FREE. I have my own sound!!! at last

where do I start?? Mahogany construction, rosewood fretboard w/ cream binding, Pearl 'Gibson' logo, pearloid deluxe tuners, individual volume/tone controls-- popular Les Paul Std combo of a 490 in the neck, 498T in the bridge, 3-way toggle switch, furnished in Ebony--just a sweet guitar that oozes craftsmanship and elegance!!! It came w/ the 'Dracula's coffin'-style case, covered in 'Reptillian black complete w/ inner 'shroud to cover the instrument. got a truss rod wrench in the case compartment, too!!!! Made in the Nashville plant this year, 2005

clean sounds are just gorgeous: nice w/ clarity and definition--w/ the individual volume/tone knobs, one can conjure up quite a bit of usable tones from this guitar!! Overdriven tones are clear w/ a nice balance of bottom and bite!! Thank goodness it doesn't compress like the 496/500T combo thrown in the Les Paul classic. Overall, it sounds pretty cool to me, considering my current main guitar, a LTD EC1000 loaded w/ EMG actives, sorta pales in comparison--it's a 'metal' machine, and I think my SG can do a lot more w/ its' passives!!! I use a Line6 Flextone III XL 2x12 amp, and it absolutely sings thru it!!!

now I bought this as an 'open-box' special from Music123 (basically a demo model)--the only things I really see are scuff marks nearby the 12th fret, both on each side of the neck, no biggie, also, one of the stamp numbers on back ofthe headstock shows a bit of wood. other than that, the craftsmanship was pretty good!! Right out of the box, the guitar (once tuned) played great. Overall, nice set-up from the factory!!!

looks like it should be able to take anything . Every thing seems to be solidly built! Whenever I gig, I make it a point to carry two guitats (you just never, ever know!!)

haven't had to deal w/ anyone yet!! Nor do I anticipate anything happening.

I've been playing for well over 28 years. I've had shred machines like Jackson/Charvel, Ibanez, Yamaha, Kramer, Hamer, a Fender and 4 other Gibsons (Les Paul Sunburst, SG Special, Spirit, BB King Lucille)--this guitar fits my current state-of-mind, Adult/alt. pop. I can get more usable tones out of this guitar as opposed to my EMG-loaded LTD EC1000--I'm trying to get away from the 'hi-gain metal' sounds of my past, and will be thinking more organic the more and more I play my SG!!! And that's a good thing, thank you!!!! Considering I was gonna bite the bullet for a Fernandes Ravelle Ltd, I'd figured for $55.00 more, i can spring for a USA-made Gibson--forget LTD Vipers and the rest, this authentic Gibson SG is the goods for me!!!

Mine is black, and has all the standard features people have described all ready in detail. I must say, I love the case it comes in, makes a very nice presentation.

I've never liked SG guitars. I've always liked Angus, but I've never liked the appearance of the SG. I already have a Les Paul, so I thought owning an SG would be sort of redundant. WOW, was I wrong. The SG has that thick fat sound, but isn't quite as muddy as my Les Paul. When I first plugged it in I couldn't believe my ears. I felt like selling all of my Floyd equiped 80s guitars, since this axe blows them all away when it comes to tone. On 5150 combo this thing literally screams. Total Perfection for people who like rock,hard rock, and metal.

Seems to be setup fine. I have no finishing complaints like some have had. I like the overall finish, and thought the binding, tone controls and everything else look great.

Not sure since I haven't played it for years yet. It stays in tune better than my Les Paul, so I wouldn't have to change guitars as often if I was on stage.

I haven't had a problem with Gibson in the past, and have had no problems with my Les Paul. It is also a great product, and I've owned it for 10 years.

Great Guitar!!!!!! I've been playing for many years and own a dozen, mostly high end guitars. I have USA Jacksons, very nice ESPs, a Fender American Standard strat, etc... This guitar may possibly have the best rock tone of any guitar I currently own. My Les Paul is also in my top 3 w/ my Jackson Y2KV. I play through a 5150 combo, and a Blue Voodoo half stack. I've also played this guitar through a Marshall. All amps sounded awesome when it comes to rock. The cleans could be a little cleaner, but this is a humbucking Gibson guitar. For clean I'll use my Fender.

2004 SG Standard, Heritage Cherry, Black Gibson USA Case w/ shroud.
A Rock and roll standard!

Amazingly reasonant.
Feels alive. Sounds like a solid mahogany guitar.
Playing through a Marshall DSL tube combo and Peavey Classic 50

Perfect set up and intonation (dealer did for me).
Excellent finish, everything is solid. Gibson takes a lot of hits on quality, but this thing is spot on!

Built to withstand WW3.
So kiddies:
Just keep it in the case when not using, wipe it down after playing and it will last a long time

No need to as this is spot on.

Been playing many years. Own Gibson Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Historic, Gibson ES 335, Fender American Tele, Martin D28, Fender American Pbass. Never much cared for SGs. Played this one new in the store, went back to buy it and it was gone. A week later the seller wanted to return it, so the dealer referred him to me and I saved a few hundred on what is essentially a new guitar.
Very comfortable to play, and light (I am a geezer and these things do matter). A very impressive guitar from the folks everyone loves to hate.

Made in 2003, says so on the serial number, Nashville Tennessee USA

22 fret guitar, do you really get an SG with a different no. of frets?

2 volume, 2 tone as usually

2 humbuckers and they are the stock, 498T at bridge and 490R at neck i think.

Mahogany body, heritage cherry finish, the translucency in it is cool, lovely finish, get a heritage cherry finish or the natural finish, i think they are the best, the double cutaway looks wicked, why go with a fucking ESP viper when you have the real deal here, dont go for the copies, this guitar is THE BEST ROCK & ROLL guitar ever. You wanna play metal, get a metal zone or turbo distortion pedal and it's good enough. Neck is has a bit too much wood i think, would be nicer if it was a bit thinner so it would be easier to play on it

Gibson Hardshell case came with it, the padding, velvety fluffy thing is nice! :)

Metal/Rock/ flick the pickup selector to neck and you can flip your way through different styles.

I play it through a Marshall AVT 100, sounds fab.

Harmonics are 'bell like'. very nice

Setup a bit high, i lowered it myself, found the 6th string buzzing quite a bit and had to change the way the action was from 6th string to 1st string going high to low !?!, cant really notice when playing or looking at it, but i rather have not done that.

Guitar will withstand anything anywhere, dont believe me? watch angus young play. Pete Townshend used an SG, even though he smashed nearly every one of them, the moron.

doesnt have active pickups so u dont have to worry about it dying on u in a gig, tunning holds well, and even if it does go out of tune, its not completely out.

ive been playing 3 yrs, i have a Turbo DS2 by Boss, a fender squier, a yamaha eg112 and this gibson SG, but plz try it out before buying one, no matter what the review, the neck puts a lot of people off, if ur used to ibanez necks then u would be very disadvantaged using this, but going from this to a thin neck, so much easier to play, but this sort of neck is good for strumming chords, less mistakes made, no wrong fretting either.

Standard features, believe it was made this year based on serial number info in Nashville Tn. Gibson SG's are well known so for brevity sake suggest you read the vendor's description for product specifications.

Sound is excellent for rock and roll. Tested it with a Fender Blues Junior tube practice amp.

I guess the factory set-up was ok as it arrived almost in tune. However, fit and finish were dissappointing. Arrived like a scratch and dent model and is in the process of being returned to the place of purchase. Volume and tone knobs are poor quality plastic. Toggle switch was loose. Neck purffling looks really tacky. Tuning peg knobs are also really cheap looking plastic. Has the quality of a <$500 guitar with the additional $600 for the Gibson name. Will not buy this guitar again.

Probably would stand live playing but would definitely have a backup. Certainly has the look and sound but since I'm returning it, I will never see it or use it in that capacity.

Got an RA from the seller the day it arrived. Simply not up to my standards given the price point. Giving this a 9 because so far the return process has been painless.

Will not buy this again. Play Fender telecaster, Rickenbacker bass, and Martin acoustic - none well. Perhaps the earlier Gibson SGs were better made, this one certainly was not. Dissapointed to say the least.

1968, made in USA, standard 22 frets, solid body, 4 knobs (2 vol + 2 tone", 3 way switch, 2 patent number Gibson Humb.
Mahogany body, neck in Mahogany and Rosewood fingerboard (made in Brasil I think).
Cherry red finish, Maestro Vibrola tailpiece.
Tuners "Gibson deluxe" made by Kluson.
Mid size frets, original Gibson black/purple hard case.

I play alternative rock, indie rock and post rock. My sound it's like mid'60/early '70 rock. I use a SUNN model T head reissue and a 2x12" Orange cabinet. My pedalboard include EHX vintage Big Muff, vintage Small stone phaser, reissue Pulsar tremolo and a beatiful deluxe memory man delay.
This Sg it's amazing! it's "fat" and "sing like a bird" at the same time! I prefer the neck position pickup for solos and the mid position for rithmic parts. The bridge position it's cool too but have a little bit of "acid-treble" sound.
This 37 years old lady have tons of personality!
I like the neck, the fretboard and the pickups. I like not mutch the finish (but it's very old...) and the Maestro Vibrola system.

mmm...37 years old but!

great, I'm very happy of this guitar!

I believe my SG is a 1972, USA (says USA on back of neck by tuners). I bought it in 1978 in super cvondition.

I never counted frets, I suppose after 27 years I might have...but no, never mattered.

Solid body guitar, humbuckers what kind?...dunno, they are stock(beautiful chrome covers). Dark wood neck with big ol' inlays.

I believe it is mohagany wood, with stock tuners. Has original Gibson hardshell case with plush reddish/hot pink lining, says "Gibson" on the case.

This guitar does almost anything you want, but it does not like to play too clean, naturally. It will play clean as hell through my transistor Fender amp on a clean channel, but Fender is the reason...Fender cannot help that. This is the vintage Rock & Roll sound that you know and love, PERIOD. It is not a Les Paul, no way a Strat, this is an SG. I have used it with a 60 watt Fender Hot Rod Deville, and this guitar will literally cook a grilled cheese sandwhich on it's vintage brown finish. I bought this a long time before I payed any attention to Pete Townshend (The Who), but Pete sure used these babies a lot (before he destroyed them onstage). Keep in mind, an SG is what it is...I love Strats, Teles, Rickenbackers, etc., but this is in another world from that bunch. Go buy them too, but the SG is is in it's own right.

I bought it used, have loved it for 27 years. Nuff said? This thing is classic. I treat it better than my cat, almost my dog, etc. (but really, I love the dog I had a whole lot).

The only thing I can say about durability is this: I once or twice dropped it while it was strapped, and it suffered zero damage because luckily, I caught it! The strap set up is suspect...I hear strap locks work well, but I have not used 'em yet. It needs them if you use the strap FOR CERTAIN!!! I do not gig. I am a wanna be. But sure, always have a back-up...but this is only back-able by a very similar guitar, folks. There is only one Gibson SG. I have tried out newer models (2004) and I must admit...no way, cannot touch mine. It was lighter, felt weaker, sounded ok, but...I am spoiled. The old baby is worth her weight in gold. Rate a nine only because of the strap thing.

Never dealt with any Gibson anybody, anything.

I have wanted to play guitar since before I bought this SG in the early seventies. I have had a Rickenbacker, an acoustic steel string, used a Hohner (!) classic for many years (still do), and many generic guitars with no real name brand. I have used a Gibson tweed vintage tube reverb amp (unknown), Fender Princton, Fender Twin Reverb, Fender H.O.T. (transistor), Fender Hot Rod Deville, etc., etc. My freinds adore this this guitar. Standing still, it BLEEDS Rock for what Rock is!

Manufactured in USA 2004
Gibson SG Standard in Ebony
Nothing changed from new.
One of the great features of a Gibson guitar is the blend between pickups when the in between Rhythm and Treble selection is used.

My SG Standard has a great tonal range. I read a review in a UK guitar magazine stating that it was not that versitile. I suppose it depends on how much time you actually spend with the guitar before you write a review. Mine certainly can go from bright and clean on Treble through a great range of sounds to the most muted Jazz sound on the neck pickup.
You would only need this and a USA Strat to cover pretty much any sound.

I purchased the guitar from Coda Music in the UK and they may well have done some tweeking or left the guitar as it was.
Either way I have not had to adjust anything.
The pickup volumes are perfectly matched.
There is one slight "wood grain" mark on the top middle of the neck but we're talking less than a milimetre and it doesn't touch the playability. Even so it's a 9.

The guitar appears very solidly built and I treat it with care.
I was advised not to let the guitar rest on rubber guitar stands as this may smudge the cellulose finish over time.
I have changed the strap buttons to Schaller locking ones just to be safe.
1 year old and the chrome is still shining !

N/A
Warranty invalid in UK.

Been playing since 1990 so 15 years.
I wish someone had told me to save up and go for this level of quality earlier in my playing career. But then I wouldn't know the difference would I.
My advice is go Fender USA and/or Gibson USA. These are the best guitars for a reason. Quality of build and Quality and depth of sound.
My other advice is don't be peer pressured into a Gibson Les Paul when the SG gives an equal level of high performance for less money and with much less back ache ! (Anyone who has played a Les Paul all night knows about back ache)

purchased brand new,2004 model.gibson must have gotten the message from their customers----this guitar is perfect---no flaws whatsoever.5 months of ownership---hasen't been to a shop for a setup---haven't even broken a string.this is by far,the best guitar that i have ever owned.i've owned gibson les pauls--prs--usa hamers and the list goes on.the sound of this sg is nothing short of massive,when i put it down--i can't wait to pick it up again.the p/ups are also great---i normally change them out,,,not on this one.setup was perfect--sound is perfect--''looks''[ebony in color]no flaws.

sounds like a frieght train when needed--and then nice and mellow when you want it to......using a crate bv 120h---digitech rp7---peavey modded 4x12 with sheffield 1290 speakers.i have no dislikes about this guitar.it's never noisy---the p/ups kick major butt.this guitar is suited for any music style that you care to play.this is the best pound for pound guitar on the market today....and it's been around for many years.........

i haven't had to adjust anything on this sg---finish was perfect.

sg's have been around for a good many years----i would and did put on straplocks...this should be the very first thing you do.don't even put a strap on it-install the straplocks first---if you don't,you will be very sorry you didn't[[[[ broken headstock's]]]] spend the $14.00/////////// save yourself a headache...........and wasted money.....with the headstock [unbroken]this is a very durable guitar.it will turn into a road warrior as time goes by........

i don't know about this ////////

i have been playing for about 11 yrs.--- this guitar will never be stolen-----the sg standards should come with straplocks installed,but i guess that could be said for all guitars.i like this guitar very much--i have no dislikes....just the strap buttons.it's a bit pricey---but,,you get what you pay for.

2004 USA Gibson SG Standard with Heritage Cherry finish. Mahogany solid-body, double-cut, electric guitar with 22 frets on Rosewood fretboard, Pearloid trapezoid inlays and Gibson logo, black pickguard, Schaller green key tuners, tune-o-matic bridge, 490R(neck) 498T(bridge) pick-ups, 3-way pick-up selector, 2 volume and 2 tone knobs, and all chrome hardware. Hardshell Gibson case included.

Simply put, the SG Standard is an all around awesome Rock guitar.
I've learned to play just about every genere of music to become a better guitarist, but I mainly play lead in a Rock band. It is a very versatile guitar, and can achieve a variety of sounds depending on the style of music you play, and the amp and effects you use with it. I run it through a Boss TU-2 tuner- Crybaby535Q Wah- Dunlop Rotovibe -Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer-Boss DD-3 Digital Delay into a Marshall ATV50. The neck pick-up is hot, which is awesome for lead work and soloing. The bridge pick-up has a great clean sound for jazz or rythm work. When played through an over-driven amp, the SG's bottom-end heavy sound is comparable to that of a Les Paul. It lacks a little in the high-range, but makes up for it in the mid-range. If your looking for that "scooped" sound you'll probably need to adjust your amp, or buy an EQ. Great sustain. The guitar itself is quite at loud volumes when not in use, has a rich/full sound when in use, and can get plenty of feedback. Playing experience, amps, effects and other factors can greatly effect the sound of any instrument. Sound is all a matter of preference: what sounds good to me, may sound bad to you. To give an accurate, un-opinionated rating I'd have to give this guitar 10 as far a sound is concerned.

Action is perfect; not to high, not to low. Makes playing a dream. The body is lighter than that of a Les Paul which makes playing at longer periods of time easier on your shoulder. The guitar was set-up great from the factory, except for it being in tune. But I'm not picky.

I hope this guitar lasts forever. I certainly paid enough for it to. Even after the first time I played it, I could tell it was very well constructed. I hope the input jack does not fall off like the cheap ones on Epiphone guitars do, which will probably worry me the most about this guitar.

I've been playing for 3 and a half years and picked up guitar very quickly, especially for someone with no musical background. I practice 3-4 hours every day and have come long way in such a short time. If this guitar were lost or stolen I'd be very upset. After playing a great variety of guitars, this just feels right. Its very well suited to my playing style. Its sounds better than anything I've played(Strats, Teles, Jazz guitars, etc.) all except Les Pauls. They're very similar to each other in alot of ways except for looks. Its a Gibson. What more can I say.

This review is for my 2004 American-made Gibson SG Standard. The features are the same as the reviews before me have said. I bought it in ebony, which is basically black. It shines real well after a good cleaning. Features are basically everything I could ask for in a guitar. Would've been nice if it came with Grovers or a TonePros bridge though.

I'm strictly a metal player. My influences are varied (Alice In Chains, AC/DC, In Flames, RATM, Opeth, The Haunted, Slayer, Avenged Sevenfold, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Pantera), but it always comes back to metal, especially as far as my band is concerned. This guitar along with my Marshall DSL100 head and 1960 cabinet produces the ideal metal tone. I also use a Boss ME-50, but more for the noise gate, tone modifier, and ring modulator to give me the extra bite I want. The Gibson 498 pickups are rich and mid-rangey and very capable of giving me the thick, girthy rhythm chunk and smooth, articulate lead tones that I was looking for. The SG also gives me a bright chimey tone with sustain that I couldn't get in my other guitars. To me, the sound is the middle ground between Les Paul low-end thickness and Strat top-end chirp. Absolutely perfect in my opinion.

Action was set-up well from the factory. I had the fortune of buying one that had never been opened until I bought. Everything about the guitar was pristine. It was even in tune right out the box! Whatever problems I had heard about Gibson's quality control problems from other guitarists weren't (and still aren't) present on this guitar. I had to make some adjustments in the string set-up and intonation, but I was planning to anyway. Absolutely awesome and still the best I've played yet.

My band just played our first show and I relied on my SG Standard more than anything else I have. I baby it, clean it, and set it up regularly. The finish seems solid as is everything else about the guitar. I can depend on this guitar, but I wouldn't gig without a back-up. You never know what may happen.

I've been playing for about 5 years and own the amp/effects set-up I mentioned earlier plus a 2001 MIM Fender Deluxe Double Fat Strat, a 1997 MIA Parker Nitefly and a crummy Yamaha acoustic. Before I bought the SG, I was considering buying an ESP Viper or Parker Fly Classic. Out of all my gear, I like my SG the most. It's everything I've ever wanted in a guitar. It's got everything I could ask for: great tone, great thick neck, awesome look, lightweight. I make sure that nothing could ever happen to it because if something did, I don't know what I'd do. This is the measuring stick for a good guitar for me.

Features? Hmmm.... I think we all know what features an SG has by now :)

Nice sound for blues and rock, and at the price there is nothing better.

My guitar was physically in fine shape, with no flaws at all in the finish. However..... the guy who set this up at the factory must have been a retard as he obviously had not bothered to set the intonation up. Out of the case it sounded DREADFUL. Ten minutes with an accurate tuning meter and a screwdriver and it was 90% OK (My limit, I'm not a luthier). Later, I took it to my luthier and he adjusted neck relief, set the intonation and dressed/polished the frets. After that, I was 100% happy with the instrument which now plays great. The need to have these set up is a common thread amongst the reviews posted here - if you are thinking about one of these guitars, price in a pro setup to your budget, you're gonna need it!

Hey. look at all the SG's out there... Enough said.

Been playing 21 years, gigging musician. Have 2001 LP Standard, and had lots of Gibson acoustics, L-00, LG-0, J-185 - all sold now and play a Martin OM-42 exclusively for acoustic gigs. Also had a '65 Strat which was nice for it's brag value but overrated - the reissues are better :) I will be keeping the SG, always wanted one.

This has been posted many times, but here goes anyway:
This is a 2004 SG Standard (Made in USA of course).
It has 22 fret, 3-way selector alcino magnet pickups (forget the numbers, you probably know them). All mahogany neck and body. Heritage cherry finish (jaw-droping beautiful), a tune-O-matic bridge, gibson tuners. Came with the kick-ass case. That's it, no bells, no whistles. But that's alright.

I play all kinds of rock, from soft to metal. The sound is fantastic. In my opinion, what's great about the SG is the versatile sound. You can get anything from a soft jazzy tone to that big fat Metallica sound (However, if your musical preferences are ONLY metal,i'd suggest another guitar. Although this would be OK). I am using it with a Marshall MG30DFX. I plug straight through the amp. Alot of people complain about the clean sound, but I love it.
Of course, this is the Angus Young guitar, so if you're an AC/DC fan, you'll be in heaven. I also like that famous gibson CRUNCH sound it delivers (by lowering the Gain, and adjusting the volume).
When I first got it, it sounded a lot like my strat copy, only louder. Obviously, with time, I realized I was wrong (I've gotten many FX). Now, I first thought about getting a Flying V but its just impossible to play it while seated.

Action okay for my liking.
One of the pickups moves a bit sometimes but nothing serious.
Everything came perfectly.
The neck is amazing. It's a bit wider than strat necks but I love it. It's very comfortable. The cover on the pickup selector fell one time. I just put it back in. No problems ever since.
Now, the finish is GORGEOUS really if you want my advice, get the red color should you buy an SG. It's really beautiful.

Though I havent gigged with it yet, I'm pretty sure it will do just fine. The guitar is pretty solid, but really I wouldnt recommend throwing it around. This thing cost me alot of money and Im not gonna risk breaking it just to look cool. No problems with the finish.
I wouldnt use a backup because I have faith in this guitar, It wont dissapoint.
Be careful though, as the strings need to be changed pretty quickly.
CAUTION: DO NOT USE THIS GUITAR STANDING WITH THE STRAP BUTTONS. THEY ARE REALLY SMALL. I DID ONCE AND THE GUITAR JUST FELL OFF MY HAND! IF I HAD NOT CAUGHT IT IN TIME, WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED! THAT IS WAY, YOU SHOULD GET LOCKING STRAPS.

I have not dealt with them (I hope I wont)

I have been playing for about two years. Own a Samick malibu strat copy, a small samick amp, an MG30DFX, a whole lotta FX and now this SG. I'm extremely happy and am honored to own such a popular and timeless guitar. If it were stolen. I'd probably kill the guy using my Samick (it's cheap anyway) but if I lost it, i'd probably go crazy. I love the neck, the cherry finish and the clean sound. Originally, I was thinking about buying an SG voodoo or a flying V. But I'm happy with this. Anyone who buys this guitar: BE PREPARED TO ROCK!

This review is for a 1970 SG Standard made before "Made in USA" stamp Mid April '70.Mahogany body and neck.Lyre tremolo tailpiece jacks the rating up.Gibson Deluxe tuners.Thin neck with narrow fingerboard.Volute at bottom of headstock.One Gibson T-top pickup in the bridge position and a Dimarzio in the neck.

Sounds great for the style of music I play(Metal).I play it clean or through a TS-9 tubescreamer into a Fender Tweed Champ clone.If you like classic AC/DC tone it's got it!Sounds really nice even when unplugged.It has a very full sound that leans toward the bright side.not as bassy as a LP.

Have no Idea how well it was setup at the factory since I've had it since '92.Action now is very low and anyone could play it well.Finish is hangin' on but it still looks good! Nearly like a new faded brown model.Lyre Tremolo good for use as a vibrato only.No dive bombs or tuning will change!Stays in tune well if used responsibly.

Guitar has been through hell and high water.Has buckle scratches, nicks, a few touch ups,mods, and it's still going strong.Finish is almost gone but makes for a fast neck.Bring some tuner cleaner for the pots and go to a gig!I would recommend a backup though,just in case.OHSC definitely not to be trusted when transport due to age.

Warranty long gone but Gibson is sorta helpful with info such as there were 4646 SG Standards made in '70.

This was my first guitar.I bought it in '92.I have been playing since then.If it were stolen or lost it would be tough to replace cause it's got soul and a really nice feel but I would definitely buy another.Collectors can have the '68.Players should not be afraid of the volute.You'll save some cash and you won't even notice it when playing except that when you look at the headstock you won't see cracks!If you like AC/DC you'll like this guitar!

Made in the USA
22 frets, solid top, 2 tone / 2 volume, two humbuckers, ... you can get the specs from wherever.

No rating here because it's a damn guitar and not a car.

I play mostly rock (in a oover band) and use a Marshall DSL100.
I've got to tell you, this guitar sounds like most guitars. Most guitars will sound basically the same through the same amp. Buy your guitars based on look and feel because with the same amp they will sound the same.

Everything was perfect for me.

Very well built. Better quality than epiphone. I will depend on this thing.

n/a

I've been playing for almost 10 years. I also own an Ibanez rg320 and a strat. I love the look and feel of this thing. The heritage cherry finish is beautiful. This was the guitar for me, so I bought it. Go buy one that is right for you.

Mine is a brand new ebony 2003 Gibson SG standard with all the standard features. Read the other reviews since this has been regurgitated nearly a million times. But if you're lazy, here's my shot. It has 22 frets with extremely easy access to the higher frets, 2 humbuckers ( stock 490R for the neck and 498T for the bridge), all mahogany body & neck & fretboard, 1 rotary selector switch, tune-o-matic bridge. standard gibson bridge, a volume and tone knob for each pickup, jack input , stock tuners, nut etc etc. Too bad it doesnt have that humbucker split capabilities. Overall, the construction of the guitar is excellent. And its gorgeous. Did I mention it looks gorgeous too?

What hasnt been said about a Gibson SG? I'm currently using it through a Laney 50W all tube amp. For overdrive, distortion I'm using a Marshall Guvnor 2 and a Ibanez TS7 modified to TS808 specs. Occasionally, I like to throw in a Boss CE2 chorus and Ibanez DE7 delay to add thickness to my tone. The sound is excellent. This may sound cliche'd and predictable but it does everything extremely well and pretty good at worst. Like most players here, I do classic rock , blues, hard rock, modern rock, some old school metal (not nu metal), 90s alternative, a little jazz and other soft music.

Indeed the pickups arent greatest I believe. The 498T , despite being very high output to the point of not being able to dial in a decent clean, is quite versatile and useful. It is bright, and strong in the upper mids and treble section. Probably due to the Alnico V magnet and extra wire coils? I tend to not let the tone level exceed 7 as it gets too sharp and harsh for my ears.

The 490R , on the other hand uses Alnico 2 magnets and is medium in terms of output. Personally I dont like it with tone level above 2. At this level with a lower volume , its easy to get a very close jazz tone you hear on the records. Amazing stuff but do boost the bass though..

For these reasons people often change pickups for maybe gibson 57s, burstbuckers , SDs or whatever. But tone is largely personal preference. Although I said it can play everything well, I didnt say its gonna its gonna be 100% Angus Young or whoever. With this pickup combination, you can do possibly a lot more than with other pickups if you tweak properly.

This is something every guitarist should learn to do: TWEAK and EXPERIMENT.

For clean tones, I like to plug it into my old Charvel SS practice amp.WOW, instant reggae tone!

The guitar came intonated well. The bridge pickup was a little high but somehow I have gotten used to it so it bothers me no more. The only minor flaws I have come across this guitar are:

1)Tuners
I;m not dissing the tuners 'cause they actually work fine. But for the price I paid, I expect better personally. Doesnt keep things in tune that well once a new set of strings is put in. It does, however. maybe after a day.

2)Rotary switch
Shame on you Gibson. Mine came a little loose ( I checked with an acquaintance's Les Paul to see if I was right) and scratchy when switching pickup combinations. What;s even worse is the guitar came with a personal checklist signed by a Gibson employee approving the condition. Gibson guitars are inconsistent I guess. Play as many as possible and make sure such minor flaws dont exist!

This guitar is amazingly solid for such a feather weight guitar. Components used are generally high quality. Since I'm a hobbyist with no intention of ever taking her out of the house for now, I doubt I'll change the strap buttons. My straps are solid now and occasionally I use Planet Waves strap lock straps. I dont gig but its probably through a backup would be worthwhile whether your gutiar is a Gibby or not.

I;m not based in the US and I dont aimply trust any guitar tech. So I cant comment.

Despite the aforementioned flaws, those are minor and are easily repaired. I'm really happy with the Gibson SG cause its a Gibson and high quality. The sound is great really. Its gorgeous and light. It is , however, severely overpriced for what it is though. Oh well, its true that we're really paying for the name on the headstock.

2004, made in the USA
Came with hardcase, and a little kit (containing picks, cleaning cloth and spray)

I love the sound of this guitar. I play a mostly rock n roll and country music. I was told that this wasnt the best guitar to get if i wanted to play country, but i love it. It gives the sound a new dimension which i really prefare, i like my sound to be smooth not twangy, this fits that perfectly. For rock n roll....words escape me. Its just awesome. I can get anything from Angus's sound to Slashs from it, honest!
I run my SG through a fender front man 15G practice amp, i dont have any experiance with gig amps but it can make my practice amp come alive and do things i never imagined it could.
I havent had any problems with buzzing and it always stays in tune even if i accidently bang the head.

The guitar was set up perfectly. I went in to the shop to see if they had one in and they had just got one out of the delievery van as i got there. All it needed was a quick tune up and i was away.
They only thing wrong with it is there is a little scuff on the 1st fret, but it isnt noticable inless your really close to it and looking for it.

I havent done a gig with this guitar, but i wouldnt worry if i had to. You could drive a car at it and it'd come back for more and i wouldnt bother taking a spare if i did a gig, just extra strings. The strap buttons are ok if you dont plan to take it anywhere, but i do so im going to fit strap looks to it, i've had bad experiances with strap buttons and straps so i dont want to take any chances with this.

N/A

I've been playing for 5 years. I've only owned a fender squire.
This guitar has everything i need. Im kinda small so its hard to get a guitar that is comfortable and suits me. When i went to buy it i tryed a les paul, i nearly feel over it was so heavy i couldnt believe it. The SG is perfect in weight. Its light but has just enough weight so you know its there (hope you know what i mean).
If it was lost, stolen etc i'd get a new one as soon as i could! I absoulty love this guitar and when i come to get another one i shall be buying another SG. I may alter the pick ups in it if i get a 2nd one, but it doesnt need it, it'd just be for my curiosity.

No need to describe the features of this classic, right?

Excellent! I own my SG since more that 10 years and I have been passing through hard rock (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin), rock blues (Santana), Jazz, and Bossa Nova and I've never felt that another guitar would have fit better my needs.
I play my SG with a Fender The Twin (red knob edition) and the versatility of this duece is just perfect.

The factory set up is perfect, never any changing (not even turning a single screw)in 10 years.
The only remark is that sometimes the thin metallic wire in the bridge trembles, it resonates if you play a specific notes. If you play with the amp off (never!) you could hear it. The faboulous L5 has the same "problem"...
The finish is gorgeous (thin and beautifully transparent) but it's easy to scratch!

I have been playing in appartments, garages, bars, outdoor and the tune is always perfect. Sometimes it's annoying, you have to wait the others to retune their instruments.
I never bring any backup.

Never experienced any problem

I picked up this guitar many years ago after playing for ten minutes the same model owned by a friend, I'll never put it down.
I recently puchased a Crafter electric with slim hollow body and nylon strings, you see, completely different. I've never considered buying another solid body after my SG, even after trying a large number of models (PRS Custom, Strats, Teles, Parker Fly, Valley Arts, Godin, Les Paul Custom).

Well, we all know what we're getting here, don't we? But seeing as how new reviews appear at the top, and to save people who don't know what a Gibson SG is like (yes,I'm talking to you, Martians!) scrolling down, here goes .....

solid mahogony neck and body. Three-a-side headstock with black face and mother of pearl inlays, 22 fret neck with rosewood fingerboard and block abalone inlays, slim double cutaway body with bevelled edges and sharp horns, twin humbucking pickups, two volume, two tone controls and a three-position toggle switch and jack socket all mounted to the face of the body in a close group on the lower bout, large black scratchplate onto which the pickups are mounted, stop tailpiece and tune-o-matic bridge .... that about sums it up.

Nothing unusual aobut the features: no gimmicks or gadgets, no whistles, no bells. Just a straight up traditional guitar.

Did I say "just" a straight up traditional guitar? This is THE straight up traditional guitar! This is the sound of rock - think Black Sabbath, think AC/DC - this is THAT sound.

I plug it into a Marshall DSL50 head and 4x12 cab, via a few analogue stomp boxes.

The sound is more toneful that my Strat or my Tele, but not the (to my mind) over warm sound of a Les Paul. There is a fantastic range of tones available, with a real difference between pickups and at different tone settings.

All I can guess is that Gibson have some real problems with consistency, or some guitars which should be trashed are sneaking out through the back door. All these horror stories I see here about guitars which are impossible to set up, bad finishes (Finish runs? Surely not!) etc. just do not match up with my experience. I have two of these babies (and they ARE my babies) and they are both gorgeous. One is in Heritage Cherry (the classic SG finish) and the other is in a sort of brown sunburst called "Naturalburst" (and very nice it is, too) and the finishes are pristine. OK, yes, they will scratch easier than a cheaper, more hardwearing finish, but the softer nitro-cellulose finish results in far superior tone (yes, it really DOES make a difference, people) so the propensity to sustain marks is a small price you pay.

The mother of pearl and abalone inlays are all perfectly executed, so no worries there, and there are no flaws that I can detect.

They both needed a a little tweaking in their set-up, but any guitar shipped that distance will need a bit of stroking, and the Cherry one, which came all boxed up as it left the Gibson factory, if anything was set-up better, so maybe I just didn't like the shop's set-up.

Once set-up they both play like a dream and look like sex on a stick.

I think these things would stand up to being used in hand-to-hand combat. I have two, so I do gig with a back-up, but really only because I love the SG so much I bought two of them!

The finish will sustain damage easily, but I'm willing to accept that.

I relaced the strap buttons, which were a bit tiny to be honest, with Schaller straploks, but then I always do on any electric guitar.

Haven't had to use them.

I have been playing for 25 years and also own:

Fender US Standard Fat Strat
Fender Lite Ash Tele
Fender Telecoustic
Yamaha Pacifica 112
Yamaha APX5A Electro-acoustic
Yamaha RBX170 Bass
Line 6 Variax 700 Acoustic
Marshall DSL50 Head & 1960A 4x12 Cab
Line 6 Flextone II XL
Line 6 Spider 112

Do I wish I'd asked anything before I bought it? Yes. I wish 25 years ago I'd asked "can I try that Gibson SG, please?".

If either one was lost or stolen I'd buy another and then set about a campaign to track down the perpetrator and make their life (and the lives of their close family) a living Hell.

I just love the sound and feel of this guitar. It is comfortable to play, either sitting or standing with it on a strap, small, light, the neck feels like a dream and it sounds brilliant. No matter how many guitars I take to a gig/rehearsal once I pick up an SG I can't put it down.

If my two SGs were women, I'd commit bygamy.

Over the years I have owned well over 40 guitars of all types, including Les Pauls, Strats, Teles, superstrats ..... I've been a dyed-in-the wool Fender player for the last 15 years, but I was on the road to Damascus recently and there was a sudden flash of light (nearly barbecued my damned donkey, I might add) and a voice told me to get a Gibson SG. I haven't looked back.

All I will say is, if you're thinking of buying one of these guitars - stop messing about and buy one (or even two).

My SG is the Shiznit! Everything about it screams ROCK N ROLL! Twin humbuckers, set neck, separate volume controls for both pickups, nice fat jumbo frets - what more could you want? I'll admit, it doesnt have a lot of controls, but that is the beauty of it! It just sounds amazing!

Fat as! My mate has some Ibanez thing he paid $2500 (au) and he cant get any where near has high harmonics as the SG. It intonates perfectly! With a little bit of chorus and dstortion, it will sustain forever!

Factory setup was perfect, wouldnt change a thing. I have the cherry red finish, clasic. I tell you what - this is a sexy guitar!

Everything on this guitar will outlast the lifetime warranty! I heard from my local dealer that he heard of an SG in the gibson hard case falling 35 feet out of a hotel room. When the owner got down to pick it up, it was still in perfect tune! AMAZING!

Lifetime warranty - not that you'll ever need it.

I've been playing guitar for about 5 years, and had a total of about 9 guitars, this is most defianatly THE BEST ELECTRIC GUITAR I'VE EVER SEEN!

I`m using it with my boss-ds2. Its a perfect rythm guitar. I`ve played on many SG`S, but this is my favorite!!!!!!!!!!!
You get a warm and thick sound at all!!!!
Somebody said that a PRS is a much better guitar than this, i really think they are confused at all.

If i could give this 11 i, it would getted that instead of 10

Perfect, with two agressive humbuckers!!!
A heritage finish who is really lovely!!!

Gibson has maked great guitars for over 100 years, and they are not dissapointing me....Like Ourville gibson said: "We will alway offer our customer the finest guitars, ever built by a man" or something..

I purchased this from a friend:)

This is the best guitar i ever have played on.....
One years ago i had a fender guitar who was really good, but it couldt beat up with this machine!!!!!!

I have a 2003 sg with all the features youve already read about in red.I much prefer the red color because it allows the grain of the wood to show through. I have owned many guitars over the last 36 years but this ax, by far is one of the nicest sounding, playable instrements I have ever owned. I am also a Fender guy, but gibson gives me that other set of tones needed for the classic rock music I grew up with and constantly play.

This guitar takes care of a whole area of classic rock I play. I run it through a fender all tube amp at home for practice & also through a traynor all tube vintage head through a half stack of celestion 12's
that sound excellent at roaring loud volumes. The sg is very light weight without sacrificing any of it's sustain or sound & is virtually noiseless "sitting in neutral" between tunes. Can't think of any dislikes I have at the present.

The finish on the guitar is flawless, & the factory set up is great. I like the action on my strings a little high, to get up & under for the deep bending blues, but that's a simple tweek.

Only had the guitar a couple weeks so I'll get back on that, but it seems to be built very solid. I would never play without a backup if only for strings snapping.

Not needed

I have been playing for 36 plus years, with diffrent guitars & amps going & coming all the time, but this one is a keeper.I have a nice deluxe strat and a 72 reissue tele.

2003 model, Cherry finish, Volume and Tone knobs for each of the two humbucker pickups, Pickup selector.
Got the very cool looking gibson hard case with strap, lead and cleaning tools inside.
The strap had a habit of coming loose while jamming so i bought strap locks, never happened again, please buy strap locks for your guitar its worth it.

I play in a rock band. This guitar is the bees nees.
I play this guitar through my JCM2000 TSL and 1960A Cab, this is what its all about, no matter what anyone says Marshall was made for Gibson. Aswell as being a great rock guitar with great distortion there is also a softer side to the SG. I sometimes use a bit of chorus/reverb through the clean channel of the marshall and get a really great clean sound but to be fair this guitar was made for rock and distortion.

Not touched the setup since it left the shop, not felt the need to do so plus i would'nt know how to.
Action is great, very easy to play.
Enough frets to keep you going for ages.

Played live loads, no real problems, snaped a few strings but thats what i get for using 9's.

Never dealt with them.

If you like/want to play rock music get one of these. I've seen them compared to les pauls, never played one so i dont have a comparison but i do know this guitar can do and i love it.
Its the only guitar i have, i've played a few fender strats but they just dont do it gor me sorry.
Would recommend buying a marshall amp to play this through.
Really love this guitar.
Go get one and Rock On!!

This is an all original 68/69 Gibson SG Standard.. as good as they get! Volume control for each pickup plus tone controls for each pickup, pickup/pickups selector. This also has gibson T-Top humbuckers (very much like PAFs) and this guitar would of been one of the first 100 or 2 SG's loaded with T-Tops. Slash,Thin Lizzy and Jimmy Page are players you would know that also use Gibson T-Tops.
The finish is quite worn and its obvious this guitar has been gigged with to the extream since the last 60's early 70's. I think the guitar used to be the cherry red colour but now is faded to a nice glossy brown. This is a very thin guitar but everything a solid body rock guitar should be (hence Gibson 'Solid Guitar'). The neck is very thin which is good for me cos i have small hands and fingers. Great for playing lead!

This guitar is as ROCK as ROCK can come. I know Jimmy and Slash and Ace ect all use Les Pauls, but with the T-Top pickups i am tellin' ya it makes my SG sound better than any les paul you will ever hear.
Take it in mind that the T-Tops have mainly only been put into Les Pauls. Lots of output!. This guitar however is not noisy at all which is a surprise to me. The guitar is very bright and the cleans are amazing. Almost as good as my Gretsch tennessean!! This is one of a handful of guitars that i have played where the the front pickups makes me go 'ooohhh' just after hearing a bridge pickup.
This guitar is a total rock guitar.. but would also do it for clean Jazz and blues too!

Considering it is a 68/69 it is in fantastic condition. It deffinatly has lots of wear on the body but when it comes down to condition of the guitar itself, its superb. For example there aint too many heavily used guitars this old that dont have one sigle itsy bitty bow in the neck. this guitar is flawless.
Just gave it a 9 cos of the wear on the back of the guitar from belts! However why would you consider owning a GIBSON SG that isnt trashed???

Deffinatly withstand playing live... The hardware is all original and as ive mentioned alot already, its been used to the max and still in great condition so I know i will be gigging with this for most of my life. I just had to add strap locks. I can depend on this guitar. I take 3 guitars to shows.. this SG,a '61 Gretsch and a Fender Tele standard. Gave it a nine cos I know its not as solid as say.. a fender tele!

Well there is not warrentee for a guitar as old as this. However I know if i make a trip to the nearest gibson dealer (15 min drive) I can get parts for anything I need.. Just may be a wait thats all..

I really mean it... it's worth a 10. There are SG's and there are my SG's. Ive played many SG's and this one is ahead of the rest. When I was shopping for an SG i knew i wanted one from 69-72 cos I know they are the best. they are! Sometimes you play a guitar that has just been made amazingly and just cant be beat. this is one of those guitar. Im not in love with all my gear or have an ego with it. my fender tele is a hunck of complete crap!! see!

The bottom line.. this is a real Angus Young guitar.. same neck same style. Best rock guitar around! Fills out just as much as a les paul. I think alot of the praise in its sound is cos of the T-Tops and my Marshall Super Lead/Orange quad.

If you have msn and wanna talk about gear (cos its a passion for me) then go for it.. chrischeney@hotmail.com

ITS A 1967 ORIGINAL MODELL TRANSPARENT CHERRY,BILL LAURENCE P/UPS.VERY BEATIFULL PIECE OF ART.REAL MOTHER PEARL INLAYS AND NOT THE PLASTIC CRAP THAT GIBSON IS USING THESE DAYS.

THE P/UPS HAVE LOST SOME OF THE ORIGINAL OUTPUT BUT HAVE WON IN CLARITY AND SENSITIVITY AT ANY DYNAMICS.THE INSTRUMENT DOES HAVE THESE MID'S THAT ALL THE VINTAGE INSTRUMENTS ARE HAVING.AC/DC ZZ TOP , CARLOS THEY ARE ALL HERE.IT WORKS BETTER WITH OPEN BACK(CABINETS)FOR THIS VINTAGE SOUND AND NOT SO WELL WITH MODERN HIGH GAIN AMPS OR CABINETS SUCH AS SOLDANO'S ,VHT'S,ETC.

DO I NEED TO SAY MORE IT WAS BORN AT 1967 AND IS STILL ROCKIN.THE HARDWARE IS STILL IN MINT CONDITION THE FRETBOARD IS STILL IN EXCELLENT CONDITION A VERY DARK BEATIFULL ROSEWOOD IN GENERAL EVERYTHING IS AS I SAYED EARLIER IN MINT CONDITION.

I HAVE NEVER SPOKEN WITH THEM

THIS IS NOT MY EVERYDAY AXE IS TOOOOOOO PRECIOUS AND IREPLACEABLE.SORRY GUYS BUY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT GIBSON IS SELLING AT PRESENT (POOR WORKMANSHIP,NO INTONATION NO SET UP AN ABSOLUTE ZERO).I HAVE PLAYED ALLMOST EVERYTHING FROM TODAYS GIBSON"S MODELLS AND BECIDE FROM FEW PIECES FROM THE CUSTOM SHOP THE REST WERE EQUELL TO ANY KOREAN MODELL .TODAY I WOULD BUY A HERITAGE OR A BAKER IF I WOULD LIKE SOMETHING THAT IS CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL.MY OTHER AXES ARE A HERITAGE LESPAUL, A PRS CUSTOM 22,A FENDER SHOWMASTER FMT FROM THE CUSTOM SHOP.IF YOU FIND ONE DONT LOOSE THE CHANCE TO BUY IT.

2002 Gibson SG Standard, Cherry finish. All stock except a bone nut, graphite saddles and strap locks. You probably shouldn't play this guitar standing up without strap locks. Using Ernie Ball 10's. Came with the gibson rock and roll case, brown with bright pink fuzz and little satin sheet. It's got as many features as most other guitars.

This guitar sounds amazing. Pure rock and roll sound. Faith No More, Tool, The Darkness, Coheed and Cambria, Queens of the Stone Age, anything. It sounds like a slab of mahogany with humbuckers. Not quite as thick as say, a les paul custom, or as much bite as a PRS, but it suits me perfectly. More low end than you'd know what to do with. This thing sounds amazing.

From the factory it was good. Bought it, left it with the store for a setup with 10's, drove the 4 hours home with it after only a strum in the store. Terrible. I'm not sure what they did, but this guitar would NOT tune. It came close, but didn't do it. Called another store of the same company, when I said I bought a guitar at the other store, they said right away, "And they messed it up right?". So their tech had a good look at it, dressed the frets, cut a new nut and put the graphite on. Set up with 11's. Played like a dream. Best guitar I'd ever played, hands down. About a year later, after things sorta worked themselves in, intonation was slightly out and the weather was getting to it, so I took it back for a setup. No clue what they did to it, but it buzzed everywhere, and the intonation was farther off than before. So after a week or so of that, I took it to yet another tech, who measured things up, and found everything was probably adjusted in the wrong direction from where it needed. So, once again, he set it up. And, once again, plays like a dream. I've had my fair share of trouble with this guitar in the past 2 years, but I still have to say it's my favorite guitar of all the guitars I've played. The sound I get out of it is worth any minor inconvenience of having it set up once in awhile.

As for flaws, the only flaw was because of the guitar store putting it in a cheap guitar stand, and eating through a small spot on the finish on the back bottom corner of the headstock. Otherwise, finish is flawless, besides the little bumps I've put on it.

The wood is beautiful, one of the best pieces I've seen in an SG. Rosewood fretboard is spotless, inlays are perfect.

I've seen and played some bad guitars from gibson as of late, but this guitar, as well as my buddies new LP Custom, are good examples that while all of the guitars they produce aren't gems, Gibson is still making some of the best guitars you can buy.

I give it a 5 only because of the problems I've had with various technicians who shouldn't have been allowed to touch my baby.

This thing has already seen a bit of rough playing, and it's holding up beautifully. The finish is a little soft, but that's just the nature of the beast. It's made that way so that when the wood expands, you're finish doesn't crack all over.

I put straplocks in first thing, cause SG's are known to lose necks. As long as I don't drop it, there shouldn't be a problem. I know of 3 les pauls that have had heads come off, so this can't be any worse than those.

I'd gig without a backup. 2 years, not one broken string. Graphite saddles are the only way to go for live playing.

Never dealt with them.

I love my guitar, I'll keep it forever I imagine. If it were lost or stolen, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

This thing sounds, looks, and plays like I think guitars should.

Im pretty Sure its a 2003 since i got it for Christmas last year. It was made is the good Ole USA in Nashville. 2 tone,2volume knobs. It has two humbuckers that really work well together. The pickups are Gibson 498 and 490 very versatile pickups to me despite some people for some reason hating on them. The body is mahogany. Its got that awesome sg look that Les Paul himself didnt like at first. Whatever scares old people im all for it. It came with a hard case and that little tool thing. Its pretty basic but it makes up for it in many areas.

Duuuuuude!!!! This guitar rocks like all other gibsons do for my music style. I play Ska,punk,reggae,blues, and of course Ac/dc style ROCK! I use a fender Deluxe 90 dsp and it sounds great on any setting. From those awesome toney eric clapton to the raunchy overdrive of ANGUS himself. Is it noisy??? OF COURSE IT IS ITS A SG

It came suprisingly set up pretty well from factory. Way better than my Gibson LEs PAul Special. ITs just damn good they did there job let this one go like it is. Action still a little high.

This guitar would be perfect for playing live. This hardware seems as solid as they come it will last a while. The finish looks pretty awesome after alot of playing even with layers of the sweaty stuff from your arm. I would depend on this

Gibson has always helped out in the past. With my other gibson products.

YEar warranty

Ive been playing about 3 years . I would beat down whoever stole this wonder of the Gibosn factory and history. I love the versatlity. ITS GOT THE LES PAUL TONE WITHOUT THE BACK BREAKINg LABOR

2004 Mint, literally, out of the box and into my hands. Made in Nashville, TN. A beautiful natural burst finish on a sculpted mahogany body with lovely wood grain on front, back and neck. 22 medium jumbo frets, 4 knobs (2 volume; 2 tone), 3-way pickup selector, input jack is mounted on the guitar's top much like a 335, which in all honesty is taking a while to get used to. Two humbuckers with a 490R in the neck and a 498T in the bridge. Black pickgaurd w/white ply binding covers most of the guitar's top in standard SG fashion. Vintage style kluson tuners, stop tail and tune o matic bridge. MOP trapezoid inlays on nice looking rosewood fingerboard. Smaller Gibson headstock and bone nut. The neck is closer to the fat 50s neck than it is to the slim tapered 60s neck, even those this design came about in the 60s. The '61 reissue has the slim neck, along with the original smaller profile neck joint. This guitar's neck is more rounded and even though the neck joint extends farther than it's predecessor, it doesn't interfere with accessing the upper registers.

I don't know quite how to rate features because it depends on what you are looking for. To me, this guitar is perfect and I don't need or want any other features. If finish, aesthetics and playability count, then this is a 10.

Sounds great! I am quite pleased with the sound this guitar produces. I see many reviews slamming Gibson's 490/498 pickup combo as being too muddy, too sterile, too hot, too whatever. And, maybe in another guitar that might be the case. However, in the SG, these pickups sound right at home. Maybe it's the thinner body that prevents them from becoming too muddy, or maybe it's the placement of the neck pickup. I am just not finding the bad sounds some people have complained about with these pickups. Believe me, if I thought I could improve the sound (and I'm sure I could if I really tried), I would do it, but I just don't see the justification with doing so. The bridge pickup sounds good on a clean amp and does a nice job gritting up with pedals or through the drive channel of an amp. The neck pickup is smooth and very useable for rhythm and leads. It's not as thick as the Les Paul neck, making it useable for more than just ultra-fat, muddy leads. The middle position with both pickups on is probably my favorite. It gets a nice pinching sound that is as sweet as any middle position I've heard on any guitar. I use that for Allman Bros., BB King or any other blues based rock and it does a great job. It's neat Gibson uses an Alnico 2 magnet in the neck and an Alnico 5 in the bridge. That's a nice combination of punch and smooth clarity. The '61 reissue with classic '57s sounds righteous too, but for these being stock pickups, I am happy with how they sound.

I primarily play through a Fender Twin, and the SG is right on straight up clean or with any overdrive pedals I have. For clean jazz leads, my Les Paul has it beat, but step on a Fat Boost and you're in the ballpark. The Les Paul does sustain more and fills out an overdriven sound more (if that makes any sense) The Les Paul is naturally warmer and pushes gain through your amp much faster and easier. But, and this is a big BUTT, you don't always want that every time, and I find it easier to step on my Fat Boost pedal if I need it, which I find myself more and more not even using. And if I want a jazzy sound, I've got a Guild Starfire4 (335 style guitar) that gives me all the warm jazz I want without too much punch the Paul voluntarily gives up every time it's plugged into the amp.

The SG is also cleaner than the Les Paul allowing you to cut through without sounding too muddy or overbearing. If I wanted a brighter sound on my Paul, I'd have to either hit the bright switch on my Twin (which I don't care for) or I'd have to roll off the bass and up the treble. Then when I switched guitars, my eq would be all out of whack. With the SG, I can leave my amp settings just where they are. The verdict here is the thinner body, and as I said, this seems to compliment the warmer, hotter stock Gibson pickups with this guitar over a guitar with more body mass.

The bottom line is this: Is this a Les Paul? No, but if you're asking if the SG is a versatile and great sounding humbucker equipped guitar, the answer is a resounding yes!

I've already mentioned this guitar is the most mint-conditioned guitar I've ever owned. Everything else had either been hanging in a store for a while, or has been used. I do have a new G&L Legacy that was nearly stock new, but it had hung in the store for 3 days..lol.....

Gibson has been enduring a horrible rap for quality control. Horror stories abound about everything from poor set-up jobs to finish flaws, faulty pots and switches, shorted out pickup wiring and everything else short of causing cancer. A lot of us like to repeat what we have been told. I've read bad things regarding Gibson's q/c from here on Harmony Central, Ed Roman picking Gibson apart and even from stores that used to sell them or sell them and have told me how they have had to send some back. Well, I would expect with a very large company, like Gibson, you are going to get some finish flaws from time to time. I'm not justifying paying good money for a sloppy set-up job, but I've never heard of Gibson not taking something back and sending a replacement or fixing the problem. Whatever it may be, my SG was absolutely perfect. A beautiful finish, tight hardware and even a decent set-up from the factory. I will have it professionally set up soon as the tuning is a little loose, but as far as workmanship and quality, I feel like I got a nice guitar that arrived in the condition is was supposed to arrive in. So, it's really hard to complain about that. I've seen hand-made guitars that have finish flaws, so everyone is bound to make a mistake from time to time.

Well, I've also heard naysayers complain about the fragile nature of the SG necks. However, if you read closely, some of these folks talk about snapping the headstock off if you stand on it! If you turn it upside down and stand it on it's head! If you shake an SG back and forth really hard the neck will snap off! Let's put it this way. If I were to stand on one of those dorks and jump on his neck, it would probably snap too. If I picked him up and shook him, his neck would snap. If I stood him on his head, his neck would break.....You know, I didn't pay over a grand for a guitar to stand on it or throw it. Please folks, if you need to abuse your guitar, either get a really cheap one, or go see a therapist. Actually you should do both. This guitar is no more fragile than an acoustic or any other guitar. I can see how the original neck joints were a bit flimsier, but still, just take care of the guitar and it will take care of you. Using a good hardshell case (like the one provided) should help prevent excessive wear and tear, and if you're that worried about it, get a cheaper beater guitar that you won't worry about if you're doing exessive travelling that involves banging your guitar around.

The bottom line is this is a well-built guitar and should stand the test of live playing for years to come.

PS: I would recommend changing out the strap buttons to dunlop strap locks as other reviewers have recommended. I do believe letting this guitar fall off your strap and having it land on its head could cause some problems.

I've dealt with them some with issues on a Goldtone amp and a Trace Elliot amp, and each time I've gotten a timely response as to what I should do about the questions I had. I haven't had to use Gibson regarding this SG, but you never know. As far as today is concerned, I know their email address if I need them and am confident they will respond if I need them to.

You know, I used to not care for the SG body style. It reminded me too much of hippie rock. Then I grew up and started to appreciate the unique beauty of the SG. Some call is Les Paul's little brother since Les Paul himself did not care to endorse this guitar, and the Les Paul SG ended up being re-replaced by the original Les Paul. It wasn't quite as bad as Coca Cola's idea to completely irradicate the original cola in favor of a new and shitty version (for you young folks, this was a mistake made by coke in the early 80s), but I can see how some were a little disgruntled when you took away a popular design and gave the guitar public something completely different in looks, tone and playability. The SG often gets passed over for those wanting a Les Paul. I was among that crowd. That is until I finally got my Les Paul. An absolutely beautiful guitar with a good tone. However, that guitar made me constantly feel like I needed to go see the doctor about a lung disorder, when what was happening was the guitar's body poked me in the ribs every time I played it. A sore lower back, constant tuning problems and continuously having to adjust the knobs on my amp when I switched to this guitar made me believe perhaps there was something else out there in terms of a rock guitar with humbuckers. Well, jamming with a friend of mine who plays an SG exlcusively nearly sold me on the spot. I kept marvelling at his great tone regardless of the pickup being used (neck, bride, both). He was getting a really sweet, clear tone that was plenty warm and punchy, but wasn't overbearing in the bass. I thought about it, but decided "naw, I've got my Les Paul". Then while I was purchasing my Guild Starfire, I happend to see an SG hanging on the wall. I picked it up and couldn't believe how easy it was to hold the guitar in playing position while standing without the aid of a strap. That's when I decided to plug it in and to be honest, I haven't really looked back since. As much as I try to justify keeping my Les Paul, I don't see it getting lots of playing time. If I were rich, I'd keep it and buy 5 more pauls, but I am not rich, so I can only keep a select few guitars that cover certain aspects of tone I try to achieve. As I said above, the Starfire gives me a nice, fat jazz sound, with the ability to do rock, blues and country. The Legacy does the strat thing exceedingly well and the ASAT Classic gives me all the James Burton and Albert Collins I care to have. The SG bridges that gap of blues and classic rock to a harder/edgier sound all without the excessive weight and excessive thump the Les Paul was doing. I am by no means slamming the Les Paul. I love mine and it does carry a different sound many people prefer over the SG. But for me, I like being able to get a punchy rock sound without having to lug around all that weight on stage. I've even grown to appreciate the looks of the SG. I still think the Les Paul is prettier with the rounded edges and flamed maple tops, but seeing that I buy and play guitars for their tone and playability, the looks are far less important to me today. If I had to recommend either an SG or Les Paul for you and you had the cash to spend, I'd say get both because they are different and both sound great. If you don't have the cash and need gobs of sustain and thick, punchy distortion and you have a healthy back, you should consider a Les Paul. If you want a humbucker sound with punch but a bit more brightness with not as much raw output wanting to jump out through the pickups, the SG is hard to beat. The light weight, total fret access and great tone are tough areas to improve upon. I will say I prefer the original SG's smaller pickguard, pickup rings and more body wood visibility over the newer standards, but all in all I am not complaining. The SG Standard is, in my opinion, one of the better values from Gibson in terms of their premium line of electrics. New Les Pauls, 335s and

This is a 1984 Standard Re-issue II. Made in Nashville TN. You don't need me to give ya the specs since there are about a billion other reviews already. Small pick guard, the side mounted input jack and 3 way selector above the volume and tone knobs are the basic differences between this and the current SG Standard. The position of the toggle is a little inconvenient, but you learn to adjust.

This has been my "go-to" axe for 14 years. It has never let me down. The frets are showing some wear these days but it doesn't fret out yet. The only thing I dislike about it is the holes on the stop tail piece are slightly smaller than normal and the string balls tend to get stuck. Not horrible when just changing strings, but if you don't have your needle nose pliers handy at the gig, you better have a back-up axe!

Can't tell ya about factory setup, I bought it used. It had a slightly damaged tuner on the G string which I dismantled and repaired. The finish is beat up, scratched, gouged, nicked and dinged but since I did 90% of that I ain't complainin'!

Obviously this guitar will withstand just about anything. Shortly after I bought it, while hanging on the wall, the mount it was hanging on came loose and it dropped about 4 feet. There's a small gouge in the butt from that. It's been played hard and put away wet. I'm not a fussy anal-retentive type who wipes down his axes after playing them. The last time I polished this one was probably in the mid 1990's. All in all I can't complain.

Never dealt with Gibson tech support. I own 4 Gibsons and do all my own repairs and adjustments.

I've been playing guitar, bass and drums for more than 30 years. Other equipment I have lying around the house are: '82 Carvin DC160, '83 Carvin DN612 doubleneck, '65 Fender Kingman acoustic, '90 Gibson '76 re-issue Explorer, '98 SRV Signature Strat, '00 American Standard Strat, '01 American Deluxe Nashville Hot-Rodded B-Bender Tele, '01 Les Paul Studio, '01 Mexican 5 string J-Bass, '02 Gibson Firebird V, '02 homebuilt (Warmoth/Fender/Gibson parts) P-Bass/Strat doubleneck, 2 Marshall Valvestate VS65R amps, Peavey TKO Bass combo, Leslie Model 412, Vox Wah-wah, various PA and lighting equipment. If this were stolen I'd be majorly pissed. I've looked around the net and in lots of music stores and haven't seen many of these. It was only in production for 5 years, 1983-1987. The Standard re-issue I, which had the same configuration, was available from 1972 to 1981, but no one seems to be selling any of them either.

1995 model in cherry finish.it's all stock. The mahogany is nice,although it is joined off center.Finish is real thin, moreso than any Gibson I've seen. It's not real durable but this axe is really resonant due to the thin finish. This axe works well bone stock,and I've been pleased with it.

The sound is classic SG-nice and raunchy midrange with a clear topend. I use this with a marshall and it matches well-I use lite top heavy bottom strings on this and my 61 SG reissue and that helps the bass response. The singer in my band lost his Rick 330 in a house fire, so he uses this SG through a vox AC30 with great results. I guess I'll sell it to him one of these days, as I don't think he is keen on returning it. He and I bothe agree that this axe is very easy to perform with and offers a great variety of sounds.

I got this axe cheap because it was pretty road worn and had some marks where somone had put some decals on it. The action was high and intonation was off, but a quick setup fixed it nicely. The neck on this guitar is a nice medium size, not like the thin LesPaul classic or 61 SG necks. This guitar was played a LOT before I got it and there was a lot of wear all over, but no breaks or cracks. I've played a lot of these and this one is better than most-just a good one,for sure. I gotta say, i like the way the small pickguard on my 61 reissue looks better than this one's large guard. also the large guard makes working on this one harder> that being said< the neck joint is much more stable on the cheaper standard than the reissue

i figure reliability is great because this guitar was pretty played in when i got it and it"s been used constantly for the last five years. straplocs are the only thing on it that aren"t stock .although I guess i"d gig alone with it no backup sounds like and invitation for trouble to me

used guitar never had a warranty on it

I've been playing for almost twenty years and have owned a lot of Gibsons> this one has held up and performs with the best of them: i would probably buy another if i didnt already have the SG reissue

Made in USA 2003. I got it in Ebony because I think it looks pretty sweet. Pickups are awesome. I prefer the bridge myself. The two tone and two volume knobs rock so you can control each pickup individually. It has a hardtail bridge because I didn't think I'd need the vibrato that much. I like it just as much without one. It came with a grey locking case with a key which was awesome. It keeps my idiot friends who don't know how to play from playing it when I'm not around.

The sound is awesome. I play it through a Marshall Valvestate 2000 AVT275 and I use it mainly on the overdrive setting the whole time. I play a lot of rock and punk rock like Incubus, Blink-182, and Audioslave. Don't think this guitar is only for rock because it can play ANYTHING. I have played blues and cleaner sounding rock on this guitar. Perfect all around guitar.

THe only thing that bothers me is after I'm playing for awhile the back of the neck will get sticky and slow my hand down while playing. It's fine after you wipe it down but that is the only thing that I could complain about on this section. My neck pickup also appeared loose when i got it...I don't know if its suppost to be that way so I just left it. It still plays great.

I have not played live with this guitar yet but I plan on it. ALways bring a back up but if you forget to I would feel confident with just this. The only major thing you MUST get with an SG if you play it live is strap locks. This baby likes to slide off its straps ocassionally so make sure you buy some strap locks for it when you bu it. It is durable but I think I'd have a heart attack if I dropped it on a hard floor.

I haven't dealt with Gibson yet but I got a great warranty through Guitar Center and through Gibson. I hope I'll never have to call either of them for any problems.

I've been playing for about 5 years and this is definitely the best guitar I've ever owned. I went to Guitar Center to actually get a Strat HSS but when I played it this SG caught my eye on the wall and after playing it my mind turned a 180. It had a much more crisp sound that I was looking for and it is definitely the perfect all around guitar for me. I don't think I'll ever sell it. I even got the price marked down for buying a new Marshall amp with it too. Sweet deal.

Made in USA 2003. Solid Mahogany, heritage cherry, black hardshell case with dark grey lining (much nicer than the brown cases with the pink lining). Also came with the accessory pack (strap, plecs, polish and lead).
Standard spec - two volume, two tone, 490R neck pickup 498T bridge.

Sounds like an SG - good rock tone, slightly lighter than a Les Paul and without the sustain. Surprisingly varied tones available from this guitar, tone controls actually make a difference and you can get from quite bright to dark and moody. Comes alive when overdriven through a valve (tube) amp though - something magical happens. Came strung with 10s which I soon changed as I prefer 9s. Did not sound the same, so I put a fresh set of 10s back on and put up with the additional finger strain.

Haven't changed a thing. As I said earlier, I prefer 9s to 10s, but the tone wasn't the same so I went back to the 10s. There wasn't a blemish on this guitar when I bought it and there isn't one now. I polish it every time I play it which prevents grime build up on the back of the neck and makes it easier to play.

Of course this thing will stand up to live playing - watch the video of woodstock and see what Pete Townsend does to one! If you drop it, it will break but then what guitar won't? One concern is the strap buttons which I will someday get around to changing.

Have not needed it with this guitar, but my previous dealings with them have had great results

Been playing for 20 years. Own an Ibanez EDR470 (hate it), Highway Strat, a stunning Rickenbacker 330 and a Les Paul Custom. I play through an Engl Screamer 50 Watt Valve (tube) Amp and tend not to use any effects. I finally bouht this guitar after failingto find one with P90s on it. The 61 reissue is no longer made and the Pete Townsend model has also been discontinued so I was going to get a special and replace th pickups, but they don't look the same with dot inlays! So I got the standard and will probably change to P90s one day (just to get that Woodstock tone), but the thing sounds and looks great anyway. I prefer the LP Custom, but this thing looks and sound good enough to warrant a place in my collection (unlike that awful Ibanez thing!)

brand new 2004 made in the good ol' U.S.A. 22 frets, more than enough, 100% solid mahogany, completly stock. i wouldnt mod a gibson because you buy a gibson because it sounds like a gibson. the SG live up to its name "Solid Guitar". the faded and the specials sound good too but the standard is the way to go. 2 vol. 2 tone, it comes in handy when you need a kill switch

the SG suits all styles from blues, to rock, to metal, to punk-rawk, etc... the thing i like most about it is that it is light weight, comfortable, and drop dead sexy.

no flaws in my finish, thats what i expect from a hand made instrument. the action was perfect, really low with no fret buzz. its like i said, its a "Solid Guitar"

no problems here, i would definatly gig this guitar with no back up if strings were reliable.

never delt with gibson's customer support. but im sure they are nice

ive been playing for 6 years now and the only other electric i own is a mexi-strat which is modded completly with lace sensors (red in bridge, golds in middle and neck) and the LR baggs piezo bridge. i like my strat because of its huge contrast to the SG. They are 2 completly different guitars with two completly different sounds. The SG didnt require any mods of any kind, thats why you pay 1200 dollars for a guitar.

2004 USA Gibson SG Standard. 24 3/4 scale, 22 frets on rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays. I didn't buy an SG Special because it has DOT inlays... on an SG???
Mahogany body with Cherry red finish.
H/H pickups (490r / 408t), very good pickups. A volume and a tone for each pickup, that's good!
Schaller Green Key tuners - this is the reason because i didn't give 10 to this axe... these things work, but they are horrible!!! GREEN tuners on a red axe? I will put Grover BLACK tuners on it.
Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece.
It comes with a kickass hardshell case (with a silkscreen "Gibson USA" logo)

Ok, when I play this guitar at home I directly put it into an Yamaha 10W "trash-me-please" amp. But when I play it on gigs I have a gear like this:

SG - Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer - MT-1 Metal Zone - PW-10 V-Wah - BF-3 Flanger - CH-1 Chorus - RV-5 Reverb - DD-3 Digital Delay - Peavey 5150 header. so I have a GREAT sound.

I play rock'n roll, and THIS IS A SMOKIN GUITAR for rock 'n roll. AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, also Jimi, Clapton, Van Halen.

The Humbucking pickups give this guitar a full and rich sound, with shooting basses and screaming trebles.

Well, the action was good but I want it very low so I pulled the bridge down. I never heard a buzz coming from this guitar!

The pickup setting was perfect. The electronics were ok.

There was a scratch under the left horn, but who cares?

I mounted Schaller security buttons on this axe, because I don't want it to fall.

I try to keep this guitar perfect, and in 4 months it has only that scratch under the horn. I think this guitar is solid, and both hardware and finish are good.

3y warranty, Gibson Med (Italian Gibson/Epiphone seller) replied to all my emails.

BUY THIS GUITAR!!! It's perfect. I played 17 years and this is the best axe I ever played. And it has a fantastic neck!

1980 Gibson SG Standard
22-fret bound fretboard with 70s era block inlays
Cherry red finish with small pickguard
Gibson metal keystone tuners
2 humbucker pickups
In the early to mid '80s, Gibson tried something new and moved the input jack on SGs to the side, a la Fender Telecaster. Don't know why, but it's cool, and you don't have to worry about stepping on the cable and breaking off the input jack!

Awesome!! I have another SG (2000 SG Classic) with P-90s, and a '62 RI Strat, so with the addition of this guitar, I have all the pickup combos I'll ever need!

The bridge p/u was replaced at some point before I got it with what appears to be a Dunlop, which I will prob replace with a Gibson 57 Classic or a more orig mid-80s gibson humbucker. However, the Dunlop sounds good to me!

Action was really high when I bought it (should have suspected something aka fret buzzing) but I had my guitar tech set it up, and the guitar doesn't buzz when plugged in.
At some point before I owned it, someone had the first several frets filed down, which I kinda regret b/c that's where I like to play, and it buzzes a lot when unplugged, even with a new set of strings...

Eventually, I'll probably get it re-fretted (when I get the money!) as it has the original frets on it and it's getting close to 25 years old (I'm also hoping a refret will clear up the buzzing issue)

The body is pretty beat, lots of dings and scratches, worming on the back, and a small heel crack (due to a weak joint, common among SGs)

I would definitely play this guitar live. It has a repaired headstock break (altho the crack doesn't go thru the black laquer finish on the front of the headstock) It seems to stay in tune well, although at some point I might upgrade to Grover tuners on it, if the current orig ones give me trouble.

Replaced strap buttons with Straplocks, best thing in my opinion.
Not sure I'd use it on a gig without a backup, tho, but that's prob cos I've only had it a short time (2 weeks) and haven't really gotten to get to know it well yet...

If you email Gibson, you'll usually hear back in a timely manner...
If you have your local guitar shop contact Gibson about ordering a part, you're liable to never hear back.
Crap customer support, in my opinion.
You're likely to have to deal with a few months' wait if you order a part that's hard to get (ie vintage '60s white button tuners for SG Classic-first they sent the wrong kind...idiots)

Been playin guitar for around 4 yrs, I play thru either a 1968 Deluxe Reverb or a Line6 Spider 112. When playin thru the Fender, I typically use a Pro Co Rat distortion pedal-1968 Maestro Fuzztone fuzz box-Boss PH-2 Phaser-Boss RV-3 Reverb/Delay-Boss DD-3 Delay set-up.

As I mentioned before, I also own a 2000 SG Classic and a 1996 '62 RI Strat.
I'd been looking for a 1980s era Gibson SG ever since I played one and fell in love with it. A few months later, this turned up on Ebay, so I knew what I was looking for, and since I am well aware of Gibson SGs of this vintage going for $1000+ (on gbase.com) I thought at the price the guy was asking, this was a steal! And it's sooo much lighter than my other SG, and even my Strat (which is also lighter than my other SG...) so I am very pleased with it, and look forward to many years of enjoyment out of it.

If it was stolen, I'd definitely try to find another one, but this one has soul, and has earned a special place in my heart. (Yes, I get attacted to my guitars)

basic sg. 22 fret rose wood, 2 volum, 2 tone nice worn cherry finish

real nice sound but it diddent have the right type of sound i was looking for so i added some di-mazio eveloution p-up for the brige and some di-mazio breed p-ups for the neck i had some help from my friend 'FARITZ'. with the di-mazios it sound frikking cool man!
the rattings with the di-mazzios ok. I added them cuz i love steve vai's music man.

nice its all i can say

nice solid finnish. i would prefer the hardwere in gold but nickel is cool for me basicly its all good enough.

nice with the add ons that i did. not everybody would like this guitar but screw them it cool.

2004 Made in USA. Heritage cherry finish.
22 frets, all mahogany body & neck, rosewood fingerboard. Inlaid crest in the headstock & trapezoids in the fingerboard. Schaller Green Key tuners, Tune-o-matic bridge, 2 volume and 2 tone knobs and 3-way pickup switch. 490R/498T covered Alnico pickups. Very nice hardshell padded case included.
The guitar body is thin and light and the neck is relatively fat, but not in an uncomfortable way.

I play a mix of classic & contemporary rock so I couldn't ask for a better fit, style-wise. This guitar works for every style of music as I'm sure you realize, considering it's been used by just about everyone under the sun. The guitar resonates nicely unplugged and sounds divine when amped up. It plays clean just as well as dirty, but really sings when played loud. Currently using it with a Fender Ultimate Chorus amp which is fairly noisy itself, so any noise the guitar would cause would be lost in the mix anyway.

I've read numerous complaints about the lack of Gibson quality control lately and either I got damn lucky or those reports are senseless b*tching, because this guitar was not only absolutely mint but also came with a checklist & signature from whoever did the final inspection at Gibson. Not a single thing wrong with this baby. Not a scratch, no signs of poor fretwork, no crackling, buzzing, etc...came out of the box ready to go. Action, fit & finish were mint.
Have no doubts...this guitar plays like a dream!

This guitar is quite light & thin, but as I noted before, it's been around so long I'm assuming we'd know of any inherent weaknesses by now. It's solid wood & everything seems firmly put together. I've been banging on it for a month now with no problems yet to record, although I am obviously quite careful with it. I'm sure this guitar could easily withstand anything I could put it through, but I think you're silly not to bring a backup to a live gig if you have one.

Haven't had any contact with Gibson, but like I said, the guitar came shipped with the final inspection/setup list & signature which was a nice (human) touch.

I've been wanting this guitar since day one so I may be a bit biased with my satisfaction, but I keep a critical eye with regards to my review. If there were anything negative to report I would do so as I rely on these reviews to help me with my purchases. This guitar is excatly as advertised...the easiest guitar to play. It actually disappears in your hand, it becomes an extension of your own body leaving you to concentrate on your playing.
I also have an Ibanez Artcore AS73 semihollowbody, a Yamaha strat copy and a Fender acoustic. If it were lost or stolen there is no telling how f'n p*ssed I would be and I would not hesitate to hunt down the thieving bastard to seek my revenge. This is the kind of instrument you keep forever and hand down to future generations. You will not regret this purchase (aside from the price, anyway).