Gordon Smith SG Custom

this is a newly built guitar from englands finest guitar builders.i'm not sure if these are available in the states, but if you find one buy it, i've played a few and they're all great. this one is an sg jnr with an emg81 humbucker at the bridge. same dimensions as a gibson,with a solid mahogany body/neck, and the neck is glued. fretboard is very dark rosewood, slightly wider than a gibson. i'd looked at a few gibson sg's, and this one was better finished than any. it's absolutely flawless, with the fretboard being particularly nice (low-ish but wide frets, low action with no buzz) tuners/bridge are all gordon-smiths own, and are well made and very smooth. a thing of beauty!

i play heavy rock, so an sg seemed like a good choice. my set-up is simple: sg-ds1/tubescreamer/bigmuff(depending on mood)-valve head. gordon-smith guitars have a very distinct sound, kind of like a les paul with slightly more mid. this one sounds amazing, very full and heavy with serious sustain.it's brighter than a gibson sg, but not lacking any of the heaviness. i can coax a good blues tone out of it no problem, but it's really in the rock arena that this baby shines. my band is a three-piece, and this guitar is more than capable of filling the space. played clean it's soulful and sings, again the sustain is truly awesome.i've actually had people comment on my tone, which isnt down to my playing (i'm pretty sloppy), but down to the guitar.

gordon-smith guitars are hand made in one factory and it really shows. the action is low but very true, with no fretbuzz even though i use 11's and drop the low e to d. the workmanship is faultless, which is a real rarity these days. i compared this guitar with several gibson sg's, and really there was no comparison. this is the real deal!

i've only had this guitar a few months and no problems yet. i've played other gordon-smiths and found them to be real workhorses - well built and capable of withstanding the odd bang. i'd definately gig it without back-up, in fact i cant see myself ever wanting to play anything else! it's that good.

cant comment as i've never contacted them, though a friend who plays gordon-smiths found them to be very helpful with changing a bridge.

i've spent years looking for the perfect guitar, and i've finally found it. i love everything about this guitar - the looks, the quality build, and most importantly the playing and sound. around half the price of a gibson, and definately as good an axe. for rock/blues it's a winner. if this one was robbed i'd be on the phone to the factory the next day. i cant see myself ever wanting anything else!