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.

N/A

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).

I have a 1982 Gibson Sonex-180 Deluxe. This little monster is a two-tone sunburst fade with two-tone knobs and two-tone humbuckers. the knobs are my own custom feature with the the cream colored ones coming from a destroyed Thunderbird Bass. I have always been told this is a beginner guitar cuz of the bolt on neck, but it is far superior to other guitars in the price range. cream colored toggle as well.

I have always loved the Gibson sound, and this guit-box is no different. In fact this "beginner guitar" crushes some other Gibsons I have played. I play Two-tone era ska, Rockabilly,and old style U.S. and U.K. Punk.It even works well with Hendrix, Parliament and N.W.O.B.H.M..An all purpose guitar. I play through a 25 watt Marshall practice amp at home, and a Fender Twin for outside activities, although this thing pounds through a Sun bass 16 with Orange head. I have played it through a Vox, and some hippies Mesa Boogie.

The action is a little high, but I am a slob so it keeps me in line. This guitar has been in my cadre of infidels since it's make date, so it has been raised and lowered to the players taste and ability. The Humbuckers have been re-set and wiring re-soldered on my watch. I also had tuning pegs and bridge honed.

This guitar is the guitar for everything. I am clearly no Yngwie, so it may not work for some virtuoso, but for a tool like me it is perfect. Roddy Radiation like licks work well. If I could re-string and tune faster I would not require a back-up.

I have been playing 20 plus years. I own a 1981 Gibson Explorer bass, 2003 Mexican Fender Jazz bass, and a Epiphone Firebird, I think it is a 1999. I would buy another Sonex in a heartbeat. I love the shape, feel, and weight, plus the sound and action were made for me. I do love Firebirds, and wish i had the real deal to back this baby up.

i've had this superb geetar for about a year now n i hav rocked out on it nearly every single day of that time. this beast really rocks. the 2 humbuckers give it a load of beef which i great 4 the kinda stuff i play. my actual sonex is the creamy white colour. i dont know why it was only made 4 2-3 years its a classic! when i bought it i also got a hard case & strap locks too.

this beast is great for anything rocky or generally any type of music. its got good crunch and a creamy neck humbucker sound. this literally kicks the shit out of my dads '73 SG 100! lots of variety. i use a marshall guv'nor distortion, jim dunlop wah and zoom 606 multi effects.

the finish is impecable! it has a nice low action which is perfect for widdlin' (you know you8 want 2 lol) & the both zebra pickups are in mint condish. i haven't needed 2 adjust anything on this beast. its perfect!

i have used it on gigs and never needed a back up & when its put with a gud ol' valve amp i didnt want 2 swap it! its quite heavy but thats rock 'n' roll son!

i haven't needed 2 have it repaired or anything!

ive been playin for about 5 years. i also own...
*a 60's hofner V3
*jackson jrr 94 concept randy rhoads
*an 80's charvel super strat
*a danelectro convertable
*an original 1st series fernandes monterey
*a yamaha pacifica (customised)
*hondo les paul custom with bigsby trem (customised)

it has one zebra pic up and than another all white one on the bridge it has 2 tones 2 volums i keep the rythum turn all the way down i like that the pick up switch is down by the tone because i dont hit it as much mines been beat up alot the necks fat and smooth its also been repainted and the finish is a worne platnum wich i love cuz vintij kicks ass im gonna put some strap locks on it and im going to fix the other volum nob since it never goes down

it makes a huge thik distortion which i love its my favorite sounding guitar of all time it out dose my band mates '96 sg it can get some cool feed back and has great sustain

no problems at all perfect intination tuners are awsome very very solid a duribul

its my only guitar and im in no hurry to get a back up enless its a white sonex

its the best guitar ever if some one stole it i would track them dow and beat them to death with it if you find one buy it!!!!

I don't know much about this guitar, I'm assuming the things I don't know, like the type of wood and what year it was made, are the same for mine as they are for everyone else who posted here. I've replaced a lot on mine. I bought it with a broken pickgaurd, which holds all the controls, including the jack. I fixed it with duct tape at first but than eventually made a new pickgaurd out of maple wood. That raised my action a little bit, but it's still as low as I want it, which is low enought to play a lot of fast heavy metal. I replaced the bridge pickup with a seymour dunken cause the old one broke. I also painted it and sanded the paint off the back of the neck, and put some sort of stain over it, so the neck feels a little different now. It's got all the features of a les paul, which is all you could ask for.

My new pickup sounds great for heavy metal. The one that came with it sounded good for the punk rock I was playing at the time, but it'd be hard to really describe the sound from memory. The sustain is great, there's no fret noise, the guitar sounds great with the new pickups in it. The neck pickup is the original, and it kinda sucks. It's got a kind of bite to it like an old stereo or something. It is not a very full sound, but I don't use that pickup anyways. If I ever get into a style where I would use the neck pickup, I would definately replace it. The original bridge pickup was decent, it had a crunchy, dirty sound with distortion (I use a boss metal zone mt - 2 through a highly underated 100 watt Carvin amp and 4 12" celestion speakers in a Hughes and Kettner box). I really can't remember the sound it had clean. The guitar sounds freaking awesome now, but my rating is based on the original pickups.

If you put the work into it that I did, it'll look and play great, the action can be lowered to a good distance and, well, I repainted mine.

Definately a sturdy guitar. The thing is freaking heavy, though. Mine is pretty fragile, though with the pickgaurd I put on it. It tends to warp, which strips all the screws, which is a pain in the ass. For this reason, I would want a different guitar to tour with. Based on the way it was before my modifications, it's pretty sturdy with one serious problem. The input jack is attached, along with the other controls, to the pickgaurd, which is a thin peice of plastic. This is where mine was broken when I got it, and I'm sure it's happened to plenty of other people with this guitar.

For the price you can get these things for now, I'd say definately buy it if it's in good condition. Even if you do like I did and slap some seymour duncans in it, you'll still have a guitar that's much better than an Epiphone for about what you'd pay for one. It's not a 10 because of the pick gaurd and the original pickups and the weight, and it's not a 1 because it's durable, never goes out of tune, has great sustain, plays fast, is capable of setting the action low without getting fret noise, and is reasonably priced. If you're looking into buying one of these, I say do so because you can always buy new pickups and strap locks and all that other stuff, but all the stuff you can't upgrade like the neck and the body don't need replaced.

This guitar has fabulous features. The dials are esily accessable and the fact that there's four of them gives a massive range of tones. Perfect for volume swells. Really low action, which is definitely key for fast players. The tuning pegs/machine heads are the best i've ever seen on a Gibson. This thing stays in tune like a mofo, it is great. And the pickups just WAIL!!! these things are loud, my friends, and are perfect for crunchy garage funk, for blues, and especially heavy metal. The only complaint i have is that it needs strap locks... desperately.

Sounds like god on the overdrive. Depending on the settings, it can be wierd and shaky on the clean, though. I use a Traynor Custom YCV80 and it sounds pretty good cranked on that for chording and stuff, but I usually keep it on the overdrive.

Very good setup, although it has intonation problems sometimes. I picked it up a year or so ago, and it had 21 years on it before that. This things has taken a beating alright, but it's hard as a rock. Very good quality. Action is beautiful. So nice. Nice. It makes it easy to cut shredding solos and face melters, and fast jazz chromatic things too.

You could drop your amp on this thing (like i did once...) and it wouldn't budge, whereas i dropped my amp on my leg once and didn't walk for a week. You can depend on this thing alright. Dance in circles with it, jump on, light it on fire, it'll still sing.

No problems with the guitar yet. Good sign....

If you see one, buy one. I have only been playing for two years, and this thing has given me so much room for improvemnt that i can hardly keep up with myself. BUY ONE NOW.

'81 or ' i think, made in the USA. typical LP body shape, supposedly budget minded beginner's guitar. made from some sort of extra-hard wood-plastic composite. after palying this guitar for one day, dedided it needed straplocks for playing shows{don't they all?} stripped two screw heads driving them in about halfway, then decided to consult a professional. the same thing happened to him, but he finally got them in, and only charged half-price because he had to file the heads of the screws to the point at which they were flush with the body, and then try again with fresh screws. theses pick-ups absolutely scream! very loud! clean channels don't really sound that great to me, but overdriven this thing won't quit. neck is really beefy, which took some getting used to, after playing my SG for years.

the sonex is a pretty good fit to my band's sound, which is proto-punk garage stuff. i use a crate vintage cab 50 watt tube amp with a boss super distortion/feedbacker, and it sounds great, very crunchy, full sound. tends to feed back sometimes too much, so i back off the the tone and volume pots ever so slightly, and problem solved.

the action was set too high for me, and it was alittle too much work to play, but this isn't hard to adjust. the neck isn't as fast as i would like it, but for the sound this guitar gets, i can live with it. thhis guitar appears to have been refinshed in a gun metal grey, which i like a lot, but chips off really easily. the original finish appears to be a sort of cream color, according to what my belt buckle has discovered.

this guitar has taken a beating in the 20 odd years before i acquired it, and will most assuredly play for 20 more, with a little luck. i can and do depend on it, and this may shock some of you, but i never use a back-up, and i'm a lefty! only rock stars and losers carry multiple guitars to a show.

i have been playing for about ten years, and i alternate using this one my SG, which is all i really need. if ti were stolen or lost, i would be heartbroken because it is such a rare guitar and has such a unique sound. i purchased mine for less than $200.00, and it was the only lefty the guy had in his shop, so i couldn't pass it up. it looked like a piece of crap, but when i got it home and put new stings on it and plugged it in, i loved it. i wish mine had the coil-tap option like some other models,c'est la vie. if you can find one, buy it! they sell on e-bay from time to time for about 2-300.00 dollars.

AMAZING Features!!! pick ups sound awsome! they have great distortion and acoustic-like sound clean. It has the good ol' Gibson tone ive come to expect. It is U.S.A made so its definitly well made. The Mahogany gives it a really awsome lows and the gibson humbuckers SCREAM. The single cutaway gives easy access to the higher frets. The Tune-O-Matic works just fine, but i really want to see a Gibson with a Floyd Rose. Its neck is kind of weird, not in a bad way but it feels a lot bigger than my ibanez. The shop where I bought it threw in a free TKL hardshell case

Awsome tonality. It suits all of my musical needs. It has thundering lows for heavy metal, also SCREAMING highs for the metal monster in me. It also has great clean acoustic sound on clean. right now im using a marshall 10 watt and it sounds great but i played it on a Line 6 Flextone amp and it blew me away. Well its not noisy exactly but on the flextone it made that sound u get when you slide your fingers on the strings. it has a very full deep sound and im totally lovin it. It really can sound like anything you want it to, Except maybe a fender but the only decent feners are the american made ones and they cost $900 so this a much better deal. No dislikes at all for the tone.

All I have to say is American Made. Oh ya i bought it used and it had some dings in it but nothing major

I would play this guitar in the frigin rain if the cables wouldnt short out! this thing is 20 years old and it still plays like brand new!

Great company very helpful indeed.

GO FUCKING BUY ONE RIGHT NOW!!!!

This guitar is perfect for the music I play. Im into the chevell, tool type rock and this guitar is just perfect for my style. I play through a marshall JCM 800 and a 1960 cabinent. I also have a fender stage 160 with boss metalzone distortion. This guitar is average on producing loud sound. This gibson has one of the best sounds I have ever heard. It hgas nice clean high tones and a nice creamy low tone. You can make just about any sound through this guitar. The humbuckers will pick up anything. The thing I like about this guitar is thhumbuckers and the finish. It is unique in its own way. Gibson should still be makin this kind of guitar. Its one of their best.

The guitar is set up perfect. The action was alright, I tweekedwith it a little to make it sound better, but overerall it was good. The pickups were adjusted fine. The7y made the sound i wanted to hear from it. Overall the finish of the guitar is great. I've had it for over 20 years now and it still looks brand new.

This guitar will withstand live playing. The hardware has lasted 20 years and still it is in alright shape.The finish wears off pretty easy witgh lots of playing that is the only disapointment about this guitar.

.............no

THIS GUITAR IS THE BEST. IF YOU FIND ONEBUY IT. YOU WNOT REGRET IT!!!!!!!!

excellent sounding and playing guitar... and iagree with others that if this guitar was lost or stolen that i would buy another, if i could find one in good condition and for the right price....as you know how cheap we really are , welove to buy things for little or nothing because its in our natue to be cheap... but in actual reality, the sonex is worth a good $1000 us, in great condtion.. if you can find one.. and i think that it would be a great collectors item just from all the testimonials about the unit...as time goes on they become fewer... so whos to say that their opinion is mor truer than mine regarding it being a collectors item? this guitar is still in great demand for those who know about and know a fine playing instrumentlike the 180....

30yrs

All the other reviews have pretty much covered it. Standard poor man's Les Paul set up. Mine is a 1982 Candy Apple Red. It was beat to hell, and the finish is chipping. But the neck and electronics are perfect. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard, and its wide and FAST! As good of a neck on any Gibson I have ever owned or played. I love it.

This thing HONKS!!!! I play 70s style rock and some blues and jazz, and it handles them all quite well. But this isn't your father's Gibson, boys. This thing is mean and growly, sort of a cross between my old 72 SG Standard and a Les Paul Standard. I play it through a Peavey tube amp, and my bandmates Ampeg and Fenders, and it has a unique style all its own no matter which amp you use. The bridge pickup gives decent highs and the neck pickup is not as muddy as some Gibsons. All in all a very nice sounding humbucker!

I bought this off e-bay and had it set up by Stew and Stew' Guitars, so I don't know what the factory settings were like. But with a good guitar tech, this thing plays like a dream. It's a 1982 and the neck is straight and the frets still good.

Like I said, its a 1982 and I have no idea where its been. The paint is chipped and the finish is cracking, but the thing seems to be solid as a rock.

Don't need it when you buy used and have a good guitar tech!

I am 48 and have been playing guitar for 38 years in rock bands and for my own enjoyment. If this were stolen, I would find another one and buy it if the price was right. Not a collecto's item, but a solid and good sounding Gibson.

It had all of the basics when I bought it, two humbuckers, basic Les Paul wiring set up. Tune-O-Matic bridge. This thing has the resonwood body, which I'm sure was part of Gibson's effort to bring a guitar to the entry level market. The original owner, a high school kid in the early 80s, put tape all over it and then spray painted it ala Van Halen. But they also put some nice Schaller tuners on it, and a brass nut. I've since refinished it a couple of times, with the latest redo resulting in a red finish for the body and headstock, with natural wood finish on the back of the headstock and neck. A custom pick guard, relocating the pick up switch up above the rhythm pickup where it belongs. I tapped the rhythm pick up and added a Kahler as well. Still has the zebra pickups, which I'm very happy with.

I've loved the sound for the 20+ years I've owned it. I find it to provide a good mix of a Les Paul and a Strat. I have a strat and a good friend has an LP standard. The coil tap is a must. (The 180 Custom is the same guitar with a coil tap from the factory.) It can be fat, or provide great tone on leads, and if you hit the coil tap, you get that great ZZ Top Gibson blues tone. I like to play Rock and Blues mostly, such as Rush, Foo Fighters, Zep, AC/DC (Great after a hard day!) and SRV, Muddy, BB, Buddy Guy etc. However, I don't like that when I turn the volume down on the rhythm pickup, the tone seems to turn down as well. I would like to turn the volume down and still get all of the brightness with simply less gain.

Don't know about the factory. I bought it from a non-playing friend who bought from the aforementioned EVH wannabe. It had no action, because I bought it in pieces. Never did get that little wire that holds the bridge pieces in. I've found this guitar to set up easily, and stay that way. I simply don't need to change a thing, unless I change string guage, in which case the bridge needs adjustment for proper tuning. This is the case on any guitar though. The frets are starting to wear, so they are getting low. The nut isn't glued in, so it falls out when you change strings. I don't address this because I don't want to take the chance of altering the tone. The original pick guard screws were a bit shaky. The neck is slightly twisted, but in a way that eases playability, kind of like the Twister guitar. I can get the action as low as I want. I play a lot of blues though, so I don't set it shredder low. When reading these comments, remember that this was an entry level guitar, with economy of manufacture in mind - bolt on neck, pick guard mounted electronics, resonwood. My rating is absolute though, regardless of price. I have never played any guitar anywhere that stays in tune as well as this one. It can sit for weeks, and you pick it up, and once the strings are warm, its in tune.

This guitar can take a beating. The hardware on mine is very good, but it isn't original. My finish is Krylon, and seems to be doing well, but its nothing like a real finish. Right now, some of my rewiring needs to be rewired. After that I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it.

N/A

This was my first real guitar, which I bought at 18. I'm now going on 38. Everyone should keep their first real guitar. When you're older, you will be glad you did. If this were stolen or lost, I would buy another on e-bay, and make the same modifications to it. I may still do that, in a similar design, but different color scheme. I love the playability. I've played Les Pauls, and ES-335s and I don't like them as much. I have a Fat Strat, which gets equal playing time now with Blues, leaving the Sonex for more straight ahead rock. My long time amp has been a Silvertone 1483 overdriven with an old Standel mixer amp, with two Radio Shack L-Pads in series for a power smoke. Now its a Tubeworks 7050, and for headphone jamming, a Genesis 1. My best friend has had a Sonex 180 Custom for about the same time. He bought his new, and its been just as reliable. He hasn't done one thing to it, and it keeps on playing. Mine stays in tune better though, which I attribute to the brass nut and Schallers.

I purchased my BLACK Sonex180 Delux in late '82. It was made in '81 and sat in Palings Music, Wollongong (Australia) for about a year before I lay-by'd it.
Made in the USA, it had a paint blemish, so I haggled it from $599AUS to $510AUD.
Standard set-up, for an electric of that price range, i.e. 22frets, twin Humbuckers.
It came with a large solid brown hard case with Gibson Guitar Co. logo, i.e. large version of trademark on headstock.

This instrument was perfect for the driving Punk/New Wave music it eventually created, in a band called the Mutated Noddys. Initially it was used through a Fender Super Twin, which was balls-out, powerful with minimal effects - a real hit-you-in-the-guts affair. Later, it was put through a 280W "Wasp" stack, which is a bit like an Aussie/Kiwi HiWatt, and master-volumed to produce a slicing, trebly scream on barre-chords, and clanging, crashing open chords. Having said that, clear, undistorted sounds were a Vol knob away. A DOD Compressor was used at this stage.

The action and feel were supoerlative enough that this was the guitar I was going to save for, even if it meant doing without other things. Couldn't stay away from the shop, until I got to finally buy it a yaer later. Love it.
The finish was very low-budget, cheaply painted, crap screws, etc.
The pickup selector lasted about 2-3 years, easily replaced.
No real gripes, as it was obviously a more affordable model.

Yes,Yes,Yes. 200+ gigs and 21 years later, it's stilll going strong.
Ironically, this is a much-loved instrument that has really earned it's stripes. Thrown around on stage, bled on, sweated on severely, taken to Papua New Guinea for 2 years, and it's still going strong!
Have fitted strap-locks, used at many,many gigs without back-up.
Excessive barre-chords have worn a track through the paint down the back of the neck, which makes it even sweeter to play....

Never had to chase anything up, so no data.

As mentioned above, this instrument has given service well above and beyond the call of duty, and continues to do so, some two decades later. Despite the bolt-on neck, the "Resonwood" body sustains well.
I've made records with the guitar, and it shone through beautifully in the mix, each time. Even delicate sounds are possible, which is all part of the Sonex180's versatility.

1980, USA, composite body, Black Guitar with Black and White (Zebra) double Humbuckers,

For pop punk this has an amazing tone, can get a nice feedback when used with Marshall JCM800, Full, bright sound, i prefer the bridge pickup setting

Just got it set up, so Perfect action and intonation. No Flaws. Especially for a 23 year old guitar

Bashed it about a bit, but its sturdy and reliable. Looks good, put strap locks on, so no problems there,
Would use it without a backup if i didn't snap strings all the time.

never dealt with them.

This is my favourite guitar and i have a Les Paul and various others. It has a lovely sound, plays fantastically and i would caertainly get another if somone nicked it.
You should find one of these and buy it. Looks ace, sounds wicked and it just generally a mint guitar.

Mine is an 83, 2 vol 2 tone 3way togal. Looks like a Les Paul with a pickguard. American made which is awesome. As far as the finish goes I'm not sure what it looked like brand new, but I have worn the neck so much that I can feel the wood grain and I love the neck it' nice an fat and smooth. I don't know about the pickup either I got it used and they had been changed. Over all pretty much jst like a Les Paul and it's nice and heavy.

The pickups I have in it now aren't that good they soon will be replaced with EMG's I love the bridge pick up it's the only one I use. It has great sustain. This guita is my back up, but I do pull it out for one off song and also for a change once in a while.

Since I sent it to the shop It plaay very good, I love the action. The finish is worn but I love it. Like I said before I got it used so I don't know what it was like brand new. I give it an 8 cause it has some pretty banged up spots.

It has never failed me so far, but if I play out side I do not use it because you can feel the neck wood were I've played it so much. Like I said before it is my main back up guitar mostly because of the weight.

I don't know I got it used

I love this guitar, it's my main backup. It's American made so that is always a plus. If this guitar was stolen I would hunt some one down, I would try to find one just like it to replace it. This guiat has got me thru show when my other guiatrs just went out of tune on me and get my main back and it goes out of tune and I go back to this guitar. If you don't have one try to find one and get it, I'm looking for a second one myself.

This guitar was made in 1982, it is one of the best guitars i have ever played besides my les paul black buety. It is mahogamy fat neck which i like about. 2 volume and tone adjustments, which comes in handy. stays in tune good. Over all is a kick ass guitar

This guitar makes some fat sound. It tends to mute, but its nothin that fat neck cant handle. it has a very creamy sound which i like abou it. I like to play most of the heavy stuff, but it pulls through

finish isn't the greatist, but it looks cool, it dooesn't take away any of its coolness

this guitar will make it through anything. its been around for 20 years and im still beatin on it and its still kicken

bought it used

find one now and buy IT!