Gordon Smith SG2

Satin finish. Sg body slim. Tune-O-Matic, non locking factory tuners. Rosewood fretboard w/ dot inlays. No case. Made in Great Brittain 1999. 2 pieces mahogany body. glued in neck. 2 volume 2 tone w/ pull out single coil option. replaced factory pickups w/ active emg kerry king set. Installed 20 db gain boost. Mahogany w/ Maple neck. Beautiful.

This guitar has a great sound. It is warm and full, with tone for miles. I use a sovtek mig 100h with this and need no pedals. But I did switch out the stock pickups with the kerry king emg set which includes a 20db gain boost. Now it plays heavy distorted parts so good.

Guitar came set up well. Nice action. The fretwire seems to stick out some in the winter, but not enough to affect play.

This guitar seems to scar easily, but nothing that hinder the sound. I've dropped it on stage a few times and the finish has chipped where it fell. So if you mind this thing, you may choose a more durable finish. The hardware seems solid.

Never used customer support or contacted the company.

I've been playing for fifteen years and I also own a telecaster. I would replace this guitar if it were stolen or lost, but I would upgrade the pickups to p-90s. I love the tone of this guitar and that not everyone has one. The wood really looks amazing too. Get one and love it.

My gordon smith was made in 2006 so brand new in manchester it has 22 frets with a solid top with a matt finish. it has 2 tone and 2 volume controls and a 3 way switch The picups are gordon smiths own coil tapped humbuckers big sound. it has a tunomatic bridge with a medium sized neck. my guitar came with a gig bag.

The SG2 suits my music style perfectly because i like playing rock, blues, classic rock and jazz and the SG2 does all of those thing perfectly. I have a carlsbro amp GLX100 lots of power so it can be very clean or very distorted. i love the clean sound it makes it is so rich and melow.

The guitars action was very low when i got it but because i have a tunomatic bridge it is very easy to adjust. the pickups were perfectly lined up with the strings. There was no flaws it is a honest guitar.

i think this guitar will easily with stand live playing because it is built very strongly so i think it will last many years. i would use it in a gig without a backup because there is so little to go wrong it is a strong honest guitar.

Gordon smith was very slow to get the guitar built and the service was not all that amazing but all the people there seem friendly.

I have been playing for 5 years and this is my first real guitar i own a squire strat a aria and a grassroots so this is a big step up on what all my other guitars are like. If it was stolen i would definatly buy another one they are so good. i compared it a gibson sg and the difference was massive if you wanted a gibson with the same quality as a gordon smith you would have to pay over #1000 so there was no comnparison.

Made in the UK 2005, 22 frets, the whole guitar looks as if it's been carved from one block of wood due to the glued in neck. Twin split-coil Humbuckers, each with an individual volume and tone, with the split switch activated by pulling out the volume pots. I think the humbuckers are Gordon Smiths own design. The guitar is made from Brazilian Cedar, which is apparently what good acoustic guitars are made from, and is finished in clear satin, so you can really see the grain of the wood. The Body style is like the gibson (SG I think? The guy out of ACDC). Not sure how to describe the bridge, It's raised from the body and strung over and under. The tuners aren't locking, but the heads slightly offset, so they stay in tune really well. Necks medium / thin, brazilian cedar with a rosewood fretboard - see the grain and shading of the wood beautifully. Oh, and it's got a brass nut at the top of the neck. I can't remember seeing any other guitars having this.

I've been playing on and off for 14 years, in a number of styles from blues / funk to rock and thrash. The tone you get out of the guitar is fantastic, I don't know if it's a combination of the wood and the nut or what, but even unplugged it's got a really rich sound. Youget a really good variety of sound with the humbuckers being split, I think you can get about 8 different combinations, and there is a really distinct difference between the split and unsplpit humbuckers, from a really deep chunky kind of sound to a jangly strat kind of sound from the neck pickup. The tone pots seem to have a setting after 10 as well - if you push them a bit more, you can feel a click and you get a bit more edge on the sound, even undistorted. When I was looking for a new guitar, I had a fairly big budget, so I tried a couple of gibsons and a US strat amongst others, but this stood out for the depth and variety of tone.

I bought the guitar from a shop, who told me they hadn't touched it since it came from the manufacturers. The action was a little high, so I lowered the bridge slightly, and its nice and low now, very fast and no buzz right the way down the fretboard. The tuners aren't locking, but they keep in tune incredibly well. I mess around with some odd tunings, and tuning back to standard eadgbe is no trouble, which I have found on some guitars I've had previously. The rest of the finish is fantastic, it looks gorgeous, and the whole guitar is really tight, but You can tell it will collect a few marks and scratches, just because of the type of wood and finish.

I haven't gigged with this yet, but I have gigged with a Gordon Smith Graf. That one was built like a tank, and I think this one's even sturdier. The hardware is all solid, as I said before, the finish on this model doesn't seem particularly durable, but to be honest I like a guitar to look lived in - like you know a books good if it's really dog eared - so I'm not that bothered. Strap buttons wouldn't come off if you took a hammer to them, and I'd say you could definetely depend on it. I've had it 6 months so far, dropped it once and it's fine. I've never gigged without a backup, and I don't think I ever will, not because I don't trust the guitar, more of a superstition kind of thing. If I was ever forced to, I'd do it with this.

I dealt with the suppliers when I was making enquiries into a custom model and they were really helpful, but I haven't had to contact them regarding a problem with the guitar, and to be honest I don't think I'll have to. I got a 12 month warranty from the shop.

Playing about 14 years, I've got a fender acoustic. If this guitar was lost or stolen, I would definitely get another. I've had another gordon smith in the past, and I got rid of a strat before buying this, but this just beats them both.
I love the way it looks like it's been carved from one piece of wood, I LOVE the sound you can get out of it, and the neck is a joy.
I shopped around quite extensively before I bought this, I've got too many kids now to be able to justify swapping and changing guitars every couple of years, so I wanted one that I was going to love for the forseeable future - like a marriage. The only other guitar I wish I had is a telecoustic. I've played teles before, and I do love the necks

black matt finish
21 frets
2 hand made humbuckers
you know the drill same as others

this guitar is very good at jimmy page, angus young, tony iommi and other similar guitarists sounds....i play through a peavey 112 bandit and to play ac/dc it works a treat. If you want to get a metal chug out of this guitar tho you are probably better to run it through an fx pedal, if i run it straight into the amp its hard to get a metallica style heavy sound out of it but to be honest i have a gibson flying v that i use for that style music anyway so its not a problem.....fantastic overall sound for vintage rock and some metal also nice blues tone

setup was perfect and action was just right well done gordon smith......the finish was also perfect no blemishes or marks on the mat black finish at all, this is considerably better than the gibson gothic mat black finishs

i don't know yet because iv only had it a few weeks but it looks strong.....i wouldn't gig without a backup what so ever the guitar but if i had to i wouldnt be worried

never had to deal with them but the shop i brought it off said they are very good

if this guitar was stolen i would consider buying this guitar again but because iv already got a gibson flying v this guitar is more of a novelty and a luxery to have......overall its a very good guitar that looks like it will last me a long time (touch wood)

I'm a real big fan of Gordon Smith guitars and fell in love with the SG style before I could even play. Being based on the Gibson SG, the body is a slightly off set double cut. There is no scatch plate (Which I prefer in terms of style). Standard 2 tone & 2 volume pots which double as switches for the pair of coil tapped humbuckers, opperated by a 3 way switch. The brass nut and wrap around bridge are 2 of my favourite features. These give a good solid sound and about as much sustain as you can get from the thin light weight body. This is an honest to goodness guitar. The coil tapping is fantastic allowing easy access to a range of tones. I also love the toggle swith placement. It's very easy to get to and can be used mid-song quite simply. For such a small body, this guitar has real balls and could easily stand up to a Gibson model.

I'm a rock player. I like a vintage british sound reminicent of Tony Iommi or Jimmy Page. This guitar is very good for this type of sound. The humbuckers supply a really ballsy tone and are great for the drive sounds. At the same time, the SG2 can do a great impression of a more modern rock guitar(Obviously this depends on your amp model and settings)and carries solo's comfortably. The single coil sounds (Reached through coil tapping the humbuckers) are very convincing and work well with the tone and build of the body. I wouldn't advise driving the single coil sounds though, it tends to sound come across as very toppy and thin. The best thing about the sounds available in this guitar is the personal touch you can add to your tone through experimenting with the coil tap. I found the nicest clean tone I've ever heard by doing this. Set the neck pick-up to single coil and stick the toggle switch in the mid position and you'll get a really warm metalic tone brillient for funky or mellow music.

The action is fantastic. The guitar is very easy to play and the fret board has a very warm gliding feel. This smooth action is a bonus and even more stunning when you think that the guitar is hand built. The wrap around bridge is very secure and has never given me any trouble. I was also happy to find that the guitar is well balanced unlike the obscenely neck heavy Gibson alternative. The finish is very nice but unfortunately peels easily. I bought mine second hand and it was covered in scuffs and scratches right through to the wood. This obviously isn't the makers fault but I've seen Fenders and Gibsons from the 60's that are in a better state of beauty, despite there many years of sonic abuse.
In it's defence, I do think that the scars add character.

There is only one problem in this section. My guitar fell of the stand (The bastard thing collapsed) and hit the ground with a thud. The neck is now snapped nearly fully from the body. When the neck nearly came off the body was split from between the horns, to either side of the neck pick-up. You could drop a Les Paul out of a plane and it would probably survive. If you fart near this guitar, you couold damage it. In truth, I've done worse things to Squire Strats and Aria Pro's with out causing any damage. Very dissapointing.

I only called the company once, but they were very helpful and told me all I wanted to know and more.

I still love em' but the accident dampened my view somewhat. I'm currently looking for a GS Graduate 60. These chunky buggers should be built more sternly. Other than that, I'd recomend them to any one. I think that Gordon Smith are this country's premier guitar builder.

22 Frets, Mahogany, Wrap Over bridge. you know the drill... i wont repeat what the other reviewers said. Got a hard case chucked in free with mine at the store (Music Ground, Leeds). Compares favourably to a Gibson at much cheaper price. Mine also is in the nice matt cherry finish, and generally looks nice, with the black buckers and lack of scratchplate complimenting it all well. In reply to the last review, i don't care about the scratchplate particularly.

8 because i think the bridge would have been better as a tune-o-matic than this wrap over one and some nicer inlays would have been cool.

Solid rock guitar imho. Played thru a marshall valve combo and sounds great. Neck pickup has a nice crunch but can made to be sound nice and warm too. Bridge also has a nice bite distorted, but is also useful clean too. I find i can get a fair variety of sound out of it. The pickups arent particularly aggressive tho, so if you are looking for metal chug then i dont think you are in the right place. Brass nut means a ridiculous amount of sustain. Sounds better that the epiphone SG of the same price, thats for sure.

Only one minor nick on the back of the headstock. Action perfect for me, pickups at the right height. No rattles or buzzes anywhere. When its hand made i think you have more of a guarantee that this sort of stuff is right. With a factory made guitar, they might look at the finish and check the electronics work before it leaves the factory. This will have been played, set up and made sure everything was good before it went anywhere

I think this is the sort of guitar that would last a lifetime. I cant really see me wanting to replace it (compliment it with a strat maybe, but not demote it from first guitar). The Electronics seem alright, the tuners, the bridge, the neck, the nut, the switchgear and even the strap buttons seem built to last. I really cant see it falling apart on me. I can really depend on it tho im not sure id ever want to gig w/o a backup

Not dealt with them, but all ive heard is good. Anyway, its only an hours drive away :)

Been playing a year or so and this is my first serious guitar, and bar any bad accidents i can see it staying with me for a long time. As ive said i own a marshall combo (JTM310) and i think they fit together quite well. Glad they moved the input jack. Compared to a PRS Santana SE. The SE was #100 more expensive, didnt sound as good and was production line made in Korea. Small grip about the strap button getting in the way now and then, but its not like i spend too much time around the 22nd fret!

I am an advancing amateur guitarist and I have been playing on and off for 14 years, but I started seriously again 10 months ago. I currently own a Fender Strat (mex) with SD Hotrails bridge pick up. I went to Sounds Great in Cheadle, Cheshire today and auditioned the SG2.
Gordon Smith Guitars are hand made in Manchester, the SG 2 (as apposed to the single pick-up SG) features dual humbuckers in the standard Gibson configuration (4 X pots and a 3 way switch). The body and set neck are made of solid mahogany and, in the case of the model I tried finished, in a lovely matt cherry finish which really shows of the grain of the wood. The fingerboard is 6mm rosewood, feature 22 well set frets and the nut is an adjustable brass unit that is unique to Gordon Smith. The tuners are Van Gent (who supplied Burns in the 60?s) and they work well. The 2 humbuckers are both able to split into a genuine single coil mode via push-pull volume pots. The tone pots aren?t standard fare either they use two different capacitors for the two different pick up modes and the tone control works slightly differently as well fully clock wise (set to 10) the tone control is bypassed for a purer signal and maximum treble if you back the tone off from here the pots resistance kicks in giving you a nice sweep from bright to dark. The puck ups are Gordon Smiths own, made using a ferrite magnet, the coils are hand wound on a wooden bobbin and this is all enclosed in a high quality black plastic casing. Finally the bridge is a simple wrap-over model made in house which does the job simply and effectively.

Initially I had one gripe with Gordon Smith; the guitar does not come with a scratch plate as standard it is an optional extra at #15. This did tempt me into giving it a 9, but then I got to thinking maybe some people don?t want a scratch plate, this is an option that Gibson don?t offer and even with the extra #15 this guitar is considerably cheaper than a Gibbo equivalent.
Hence I give it a 10 not only for the features themselves but also for their quality and their effectiveness.

I plugged in and started with the bridge pick up and initally was a little disappointed in the sound a little too harsh, but hanon a minute what about those pots after backing the tone off to 9 I was geting a very SG like tone. This is true of the other positions with the tone set to ten you do get a maximum treble effect which is a sonic option that the gibbo doesnt offer. No complainst so far, but I will score this at a later stage.

I am not exaggerating to say that this is the best made guitar I have ever played (and only last week I tested 2 vintage gibbos). in other reviews there has been some mention of slight inconsistencies in the finish this was definitely not the case on the model I tested (I also tested a GS2 which I couldn't fault either).
The action was spot on for my tastes, but with an adjustable nut & bridge there is a large scope for adjustment

So far I have been I contact with GS once and they were much more helpful than other companies I've delt with, and they seem please to speak to someone who had an interest in there products.

I do not own one of these instruments, however I have one on order. I will update this review when I take delivery of mine and get used to it. Considering that the Gibson SG was #850 the same shop and was nowhere near as good a guitar I think I got a bargin. After all it is handbuilt in the UK. The model I have ordered is in the same cherry finish with the addition of a scratch plate and chrome pick up covers. So you could get a natural finish, non-scratchplate model with black pick up covers for #439! Other options are a maple vaneer, various colours, gloss finish, various differnt bridges or the P-90 or humbucker pick ups of your choice (so you could have a set of SD Seth Lovers factory fitted).
So far so good no bad points I can think of (except I wish i tried one before I bought my Strat) so logically at this stage this guitar scores a 10

2000/2001 Gordon-Smith SG2, that's SG2 not GS2...confused ?..Good.
This is one of the less original designs in the current Gordon-Smith line up. The body shape is very similar to a "real" Gibson SG, I couldn't spot the difference (although I'm sure there are some). Both horns are surprisingly sharp, although not symetrical (just like a Gibson). Thick mahogony body (mine is only two piece !), glued on (set) mahogony neck, rosewood fingerboard. Van Gent tunners (as used by Burns guitars in the 60's). Brass adjustable nut (this is a feature of all Gordon-Smith's). Big chunky frets. Two Gordon-Smith hand made humbuckers with custom chrome covers (normally nasty black plastic). Two tone, two volume pots with Treble/Rythmn switch, all typical Gibson. Red finish, Gloss front, satin back...oh, and my one is lefthanded (no extra charge). Although it doesn't have too many features (no scratch plate, dot inlays) I'm giving it a 8 because what it does have is very high quality...really nice to use !

Very powerful, dynamic sound...room filling sound. Just watch the treble...It's a lot like a fender Strat but with the power and sustain of a Gibson...it has coil splits (pull out the volume pot), which seem to reduce the output of the humbuckers and gives less sustain, more like single coils (that's the idea, isn't it?). On certain setting you can even get a acoustic sound from it. Very versitile, and if your wondering it can still do the humbucker sound...Angus Young solo...just a push and a turn away (almost).
What a modern Gibson would sound like if Gibson weren't so stuck in the past. (or if Leo Fender was CEO !)

Well, this is a hand made guitar. So it's not machined to one 0.0000001 of a mm. This is the only factor that i think Gordon Smith could improve inside the contol cavity, the neatness and quality of every component is immpresive, the layout is good too, but what did they use to carve out cavity...a butter knife ? On the headstock somof the back from the facing had smeared onto the back and there are around 6 minor blemishes elsewhere. I'm exaggerating a little, it's just srange to find a guitar which has taken so long to built and also it's clear a lot of time and though has went in to it, thats slopily finished. However the quality of the wood and components is above Gibson (and I do actually really like Gibson) for the price of an Epiphone. The red finish is very classy too, and the wood shows through well. If it wasn't for the minor blemishes this guitar would be a 10.

reliability ? This is a solid mahogony guitar made by people who love guitars out of a big block of tree. Built to last...strap buttons, as high quality as the rest of the guitar. I could depend on this guitar and will... as with any guitar even a '59 Les Paul, always bring a back up, 'cause if it can go wrong...it will..one day.

A small company run by John Smith (he puts the Smith in Gordon-Smith).
Lovely, lovely people, understanding.

This is my first proper guitar...I'm a lowly student...this guitar is going to be the one that gets me famous..I love it. I compared it to Epiphone, ESP and the #900 Gibson SG standard. It's better than a Gibson, and soo much cheaper. If it were stolen i would order a new one. I'm thinking of ordering another one made out of solid spruce in white.