Gibson Sonex 180 Deluxe

it must be an 84. It is non-metallic silver and is unusual in that the third humbucker has been replaced with a demarzio screamer with active electronics. Controls and pick guard are black. 4 knobs and 2 toggles one for the screamer. Rosewood neck- black top.

I bought this guitar from a guy who had an ad in Aquarian Magazine around 1987. We met on a rest stop the NJ Turnpike somewhere around Edison and made the transaction for $150. This machine is so much more reliable than my higher end strat- also from around that era but bought new. It came with a black hard Gibson case blue plush interior - very tight!

Very reliable still looks new - I wish I could get a whammy bar- as I am a "whammy player"

I primarily use it for rhythm but it has a great variety of sounds because of the unique electronics. Generally rich sounds. no noise

pickup setup leaves a lot to be desired. All are close to strings and obviously altered by the modification although all quiet

most reliable guitar in my collection. finish & hardware are like new

Ive been playing since 1966. I could never find this guitar again.
I wish I still had my original lefty vox phantom bass.

All lefty
late 1980'S White body/maple neck strat- needs electronics tuneup- shorts out, noisy -ALWAYS WAS
2003 strat Squire- new- perfect sound
1966 Stradlin Bass- recut body/new tuning machines/simplified electronics
moog rogue
http://rickhoffmanart.com/music.htm

This guitar is a great gibson by far. It is not a les paul or an sg but it is its own kinda guitar. it sticks out in the crowd not just blends in. It has a reasonwood body, a maple neck, a rosewood finger board, 22 frets, gibson speed knobs, three way switch les paul quality pickups, and a stop bar tail piece. This guitar that i bought for 575 is the best purchase that i have ever made. i bought it in 2008 after working for the summer and i was impressed.

This guitar wounds like an 80s les paul, because it has the same pickups as one. the only problem is that on the rythym setting it crackles much like the gibson challenger.

The action an this guitar is amazing. the finish is kinda dull but still pretty cool. every tyhing is fit prefect on mine.

this guitar has the most reliability that i have even seen. i use on stage without a backup and have had no mishaps ever and dont plan on having any.

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this guitar should be remade because it is azaming. gibson should consider a resenue guitar for this. it is a top notch quality guitar. peace. GO MILWAUKEE PANTHERS!

i gigged with this guitar all through the 80s and 90s and its a really great reliable workhorse. the sustain is never ending especially on the front pick up. i still record with it now and although it could do with a bit of love it plays and tunes as well as it ever did. brilliant guitar

1982 gibson sonex 180 deluxe 2 original zebras original wires and neck plays great and is really smooth with a new set of strings. i got it from my brother who got it from my dad who bought it new.

i play metal through a marshall 1971 super lead 1/2 stack and a peavey 450 renown it sounds great really crunchy and its perfect for rythm or lead . the tone knobs add the perfect touch to your sound with a little tweaking.

the action is great even in the high frets with a little reaching u can get to 22 e z. i lowered the pickups for a deeper sound and the action is a little lower so i can shred effectivelt but had to replace the bridge and tailpiece when i got it. 30$ for the two pieces i needed

this guitar has only one thing wrong with it and that is that the neck weas broken from a drunk accident.. it happens... neck was glued 10 years ago and still holds solid stays in tune and cauzes no buzzing on the frets. i would depend on this guitar but would use my washburn as a backup if anyhing went wrong

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this guitar kills it my brother had an epiphone and this think absolutely smoked it he said the action was better and it was a great guitar.

Everything has been covered in all the other reviews. I bought mine new in 1980, yes you read that right. I even have the original case. If you find on and they say they have the original case make sure it is a brown flat rectagle case.

I play for fun and I am teaching my two sons to play so the guitar's sound works for what I need. When I was younger the sound fit the music I played all the time hard rock of the 70's.

As some one that has played this guitar from day one. The guitar was set up OK from the Factory. I played alot of other guitars in the price range of this one and the Sonex was by far the best.

This is a very well made guitar. My great-grand kids will be playing this guitar. I was in the Navy and I took the thing with all over the world. Other that some minor repairs that I have done my self from the normal ware 28 years of a hard life and about 6 of those years under the bed in the case because my wife said I was scaring the Kids. There is nothing wrong with the thing. You might be able to take out a M1 tank with it.

never needed it.

I am looking for two more of the guitars. One for each of my kids. If you find one of these guitars you need to buy it. I know for a fact it will out last any thing that is made today. I have had alot of other guitars before and after I bought my Sonex 180, It is the only elect. I still own. I got rid of some good Les Paul's and two fender strats. The Sonex out played them All I wish Gibson would start making the guitar again that way I could buy two more new.

I paid $300.00 for my 1981 Sonex Deluxe two months ago. It was in original condition when I bought. Had to replace the pickguard, nut, 3 position toggle switch and and the strap pegs. Kept the original parts. The guitar was originally white but turned that vintage yellow over the years. This guitar is heavy and built to last. Still has the original zebra pickups as well and the electronics appear to be original as well. Nice meaty fat neck with a low action that plays beautifully.

From what I've been told by other musicans who have heard my guitar is that it has a heavy growl with a bite! The Sonex Deluxe has a sound of it's own and is suitable for most genres. The gentleman who owned it prior to me played it in a country band. I am playing this guitar through a Fender Ultimate Chorus 2X12 amp. The only effects I use are the gain and reverb. Straight Rock-N-Roll for this baby! No noise to be heard from this guitar at all.

I bpurchased this guitar used so I can't really say what it was like from the factory. All I can say is that this guitar was definitely played and taken care of. Normal wear on the finish Etc., etc.

This guitar will withstand anything you throw at it....literally! I can definitely depend on this guitar even at 26 years old. I did change the strap pegs to Straploks as the original pegs were very small. With a guitar that heavy, I didn't want it accidentally breaking loose and hitting the floor. I think I would trust it without a back up, but I alwaus hve a back up. You just never know. Play it loud, but play it safe as well LOL.

Sold without a warranty, any repairs were done myself and have never dealt with Gibson before.

I've been playing for about 24 years. I have a few other guitars as well. My Gibson Sonex, a Brian Moore i2, Epiphone LP Standard, Fender MIM Strat, B.C. Rich NJ Series Warlock, Jackson JS30, Dean Artist acoustic/electric, and a Carlo Robelli acoustic/electric.

With the acception of the acoustics, the are all played through a Fender Ultimate Chorus amp, or a Behringer V-AMP2.

I can't really compare any of the guitars as they are all different, sound different and play different. Each one (to me anyway) is unique in it's own way. I love them all. If they were stolen, I would certainly replace them.

When I bought this guitar about 6 months ago, it was painted a lavender-ish pink with a silver neck and white polka-dots on the back of the body. It has a rosewood fretboard, and it came with factory gibson tuners (which were corroded), and a corroded factory bridge. i had all of that changed of course. I bought this guitar for $175 and i have put almost 3 or 4 times as much into this guitar. But, it looks, feels, and sounds amazing! I had it painted alpine white and had all of the hardware either powder coated black, or replaced with new black hardware. I had the Pickguard cleaned and polished to make it look new again. it looks like brand new, it doesnt even look like a Sonex anymore!

When I got this guitar, it came with the original zebra humbucker in the bridge, but some idiot took out the neck p/u and replaced it with a P.O.S single coil.... probably from a Yamaha or something... and it looked and sounded horrible. But after a $40 investment in a GFS Dream 90 P-90 and a visit to one of my good buddies who happens to be a guitar and bass repair professional, i had a brand new p-90 in the neck and Holy shit it sounds GREAT. It has that great clean twang of a vintage p-90, but it also has the bite of a humbucker, if you tweak the amp right. the zebra humbucker is hot as hell.. that thing screams rock and roll! i would never replace that pickup unless it was with another one if the original ever broke. I use this guitar for progressive rock and metal. I also do fingerpicking stuff with this axe and it sounds good for whatever i do. i Play this guitar through a 1984 Legend Model 60a Head and a 1978 Legend 1x12 Celestion speaker cab. I use custon built effects pedals, and Hughes and Kettener Pedals as well. With all of this stuff, i can pretty much make this guitar do whatever i want it to do.

When I purchased the guitar the action was good, it was low in some places and buzzed way up on the high frets, but i mostly play rhythm and i am not up on the 22nd fret alot so i really dont care. since i got the guitar out of the shop the p/u's are perfect. When I bought the guitar, i found it at a guitar shop under and behind some other guitars and some no-name guitars... then there was this Gibson i had never seen before, so i bought it as is, and it was a little rough, but my friend who repairs guitars tok care of that for me.

this is a 1981 sonex 180 deluxe, so its been around for 26 years... and it will be around for another 1,000,000 years as far as im concerned.. this guitar is made like a freakin' tank and i know, i treat my stuff rough. If a guitar cant handle a fall or a drop or a bump or WHATEVER... it shouldnt be a guitar. it should be a porcelain doll or something... the paint i had put on is pretty durable and should last a very long time, it also has alot of clearcoat on it.. also, the hardware was powder coated, so that black finish aint goin' nowhere... if i were to gig with this guitar, of course i'd use a backup, you'd have to be an idiot NOT to have a backup, what if something breaks by mistake or you pop a string or 2... you HAVE to have a backup...

never dealt with gibson before.. all the gibsons i have are at least 25 years old and were either given to me by my grandpa, or i bought them at a used guitar store.

i have been playing for around 10 years, i own the 1981 Sonex, a 1964 SG, a 1984 Legend Head and a 1978 Legend Cab, i have 2 early 2000's Takamine acoustics, a 2004 PRS, A couple of Epi's and a Fernandez.. and besides the SG, the Sonex is the best guitar i own, the SG is better only because its older and was given to me by my grandfather. The Sonex is a great deal for any player, wheather he/she be an expert, or a beginner, this is a very versatile and dependable guitar and with some TLC can be an amazing guitar that could probably out-do some LP's.

Two tone, two volume, two pu's and three way switch.

Perfect for rock and blues sounds. I play through a Marshall 1/2 stack and a board full of Boss pedals.

I do my own set-up's. I have it set pretty low with no buzzing. The neck need no adjustment. The intonation is dead on.

I bought this from the original owner about two weeks ago. Seems to be a very solid guitar. Time will tell. If it lasted this long it must be pretty good.

Been playing for over 30 years. I've owned several stratocasters, cheap japan guitars, Flying V (still have) and just purchased this because it is in excellent condition. This is a 1980 and I bought it from the original owner

Solid.

It's ballsy.

Action is a tad high but it keeps me honest. The body has been shaped so that it hugs you a bit. The beveled area, like they do with strats, where the forearm rests makes it extremely comfortable.

It can take a beating. Solid guitar.

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I have been playing for 27 years. I owned a Sonex 22 years ago and sold it for a Flying V. I found this one on eBay and am so glad I have another one. If I had the means, I would own a fleet of them.

I'm not sure of the year I think it was made in 82'. I got it in 86' used, but well taken care of. It was all origional when I got it. Rosewood fretboard / mahogany body painted silver & black. A few years ago I've made a number of mods to it. I swapped the origional humbuckers for a S.D.-JB and a S.D.-57. Added a coil tap switch too. Had a new Pearlized pick guard made and nut cover to name a few. The original pick-up's had good sound but I wanted something a little warmer.

I have had many guitars, but this one is the one I used the most, and the only one I refuse to let go of. I find it to be one of the most diverse sounding, with the best playability. All that, and durable too. The original Zebra Humbuckers sounded great, but the new Seymore-Duncan's definately added some new life to it (HOT!). It still has LOADS of tone and can get pretty hot. I really can not think of anything I dislike about it. I can play nearly style I want with it and it'll sound great.

The action was awesome from the get-go, and still is. I couldnt find a scratch on it anywhere when I got it. After playing and packing it around to gigs over the years it actually held up well, but I decided to re-finish it, re wire it, and get a new pair of pickups. I had it painted dusty rose pearl at an autobody shop. New pearlized pick guard, and Grover tuning keys. Now, she's as beautiful as she sounds.

This guitar has with stood years of live playing and hasn't let me down. My Sonex and my Taylor have been the most reliable guitars I've ever owned, and are the only one's I still have. I use them now to jam occasionally with friends, and to write. I haven't played with a band in about 2 yrs. Soon though, I will again...

I haven't had any problems with it.

I know your looking for a critical view of it, but It is my favorite for good reasons. I feel it's worth every penny paid. It remains ROCK solid to this day. I had plenty of different makes and models of guitars, but this one has remained my favorite. I love the feel of the neck; It has great sustain, and a really great sound. I suppose part of the reason I like the feel of it so much is because I got it a year after I started playing, and I'm so used to it. If it were stolen, I'd be looking to hurt somone, in a real BAD way. I would get another though, and do the same mods to it. A few other Instruments I have and play are: A Taylor 314-KE (Koa); An Ibanez 5-string Phat Sound Bass; A PEARL export drum kit, Sabian cymbals, and 2 Pearl Master Series maple snares (1 symphonic & 1 Soprano).