Samick 3120 Greg Bennett Torino

The body is made of alder which gives a fair amount of sustain coupled with the set neck construction. The duncan designed humbuckers are a great bonus and four knobs control the volume and tone of each pickup. There's no tremolo bar, which might annoy some people, but I don't use tremolo anyway. When I bought the guitar it came with a gig bag, two picks, and some Elixir strings. Probably the best deal I have ever been, and will ever be given.

I had a choice between two Torino's and found that the first one had a much grainier and grittier sound than the one I eventually chose. The preferred model had a cleaner, smoother sound that i liked, and had less feedback. It works well with any style of music: metal, jazz, funk, even classical sounds okay on it.

Although I may have to adjust the intonation on this guitar, it plays really well. I love low action even though I stick to rhythm mainly, and it stays in tune really well. Very comfortable.

Alder is a fairly dense wood, so I am positive it will last the distance. It is well constructed although I wouldn't smash it on stage (it's too good for that ;p). Even so, the bottom strap buttons (did I mention there are two of them?) seem to come ever so slightly loose after having a strap in them a while.

I've never had to deal with them.

I will use this guitar for my whole life. The only flaws are fixable with a couple of screw drivers. Great bargain.

Bought this fine Samick slightly used off eBay for a cool $140 bucks having never owned a Samick in my life. Had heard a lot of smack about Samick being a marginal brand at best with a rep of manufacturing sub-standard instruments with quality control issues. Well, let me tell you right now mister-man that that's a bunch o' frikkin' hooey. This Torino slipped right into my hands like an old girlfriend eager to please and felt just oh so right in all the right places. Nice and light with attitude built for speed. I was blown away with the light weight of it and how good it hung around my neck. Some folks equate quality and sound with heavy, weighty units - but I ain't never seen no anchors with strings.

Gawd! If ya wanna growl you can peel the paint offa the walls. The Seymore Duncan designed Hummers deliver distortion deluxe or, at the flip of a switch and the turn of a knob, smooth, silky light jazzy sounds that remind me of the back streets of the Big Easy, without the stale beer pissy street smells. I guess you could get hotter pick-ups - but why bother. Try a better amp instead.

Ain't nothin' lacking here. The neck feels sweet and even my tired ol' fat sausages can find the frets without a foul-up. I LOVE the weight of this thing. The action was spot on (low) and the set-up flawless - no doubt from the previous owner - a real joy to play. My Torino is the red translucent model and it sure is pretty. No doubt an SG knockoff but maybe even better than a true SG. The fit and finish are absolutely right on and the craftsmanship outstanding.

This is not the type of axe you can Pete Townsend into the stage every night, but with reasonable care it should easily outlive its owner without ever breaking a sweat.

Why bother? This guitar is near perfect.

I've been playing since 1968 and owned all the big names in different nomenclatures over the years. Heard tell that Samick makes up to 30% of all guitars manufactured today under various labels and licenses. This Samick I own is well crafted, well built and and a quality instrument throughout. How do I know I bought a great guitar? I smile everytime I pick it up.

transparent wine red, very beautiful, sg stlye with a higher waist, tune-o-matic bridge, grover tuners,24.75 scale nice medium sized neck with lower fret wire than a gibson, thank god, rosewook fingerboard, mahogany neck and body, 22 fret, 2 vol 2 tone 3 way switch, passive pickups

i play all types of music, if someone wants to play it i will, unless of corse it is punk rock then i tell them to go away, but this guitar sounds amazing, especially for the price, my setup is kinda a work and progress, it goes Samick Torino TR-1>Morley Little Alligator volume pedal> Dunlop Original Crybaby which i am goin to customize with a Torres 5 way switch frequency knob> a digitech whammy ii which i need a power supply for so i cant really use it at the moment> finally a line 6 flextone II hd head which i know may not sound exactly like the amps it trys to model i like it because i dont want to sound like everyone else. Anyway the sound is full and bright its just all around great. I like to use a slide just under the neck pickup to make some swirling sounds in the middle of one of my songs, thank you pink floyd, but its very versitile, i like everything except its neck heavy which i think greg bennet tried to fix with moving the waist up but other than that no complaints its my main guitar

everyone who plays it loves it, im not sure of the factory set up because i bought it new, the pickups are just like seymour duncans, only not made in the US but oh well, they sound great, everything about is is great, especially the neck, its not too thin or too thick like other guitars

well ive never had to work on it, and the finish was good, until i dropped it, but very dependable, i have giged with it without a backup, the switch broke off when it fell to the ground but i can still use it, and the strap button screw bore a bigger hole but thats my own fault, so i just put a longer screw in, overall i love it

havnt had to deal with them, nor do i plan

ive been playing for 5 years and i own 12 other guitars and 2 basses, mostly high end japanese guitars from the 60s and 70s and plan on buying a carvin bolt which i will customize to suit my own, i only recently have been debating on replacing the neck pickup with a humbucker sized p90 because i was playing my friends faded gibson doubel cut les paul, but thats still in debate

This is an update to a previous review. Now that I've owned the guitar a couple years and have played it quite a bit, I've come to know it a lot more. Basically, the honeymoon is over.

Again, it's basically an SG...nothing more, nothing less. Just that the waist is cut slightly higher than on a Gibson.

Mahogany body and neck, rosewood board. Grover tuners. Duncan Designed humbuckers. Twin tone and volume controls. 3-way switch.

Stop bar tailpiece and tune-amatic bridge. Photo quilt top. Note: Any subsequent reviews stating "quilted maple top" on these Samick guitars are probably the result of misinformation or a salesperson's overzealous sales job. These are just PICTURES of quilt maple. Samick does not make a Torino with a quilt maple top.

Overall, a very visually striking guitar. I get comments on it all the time. Basic SG features...no more, no less. A solid 8.

I play mostly classic rock and blues. Plug into a Peavey Classic 50 with 4-10's...a really great amp, BTW. I built a small pedal board with compressor, overdrive, stereo chorus and delay.

Not noisy. Rich, warm, low mid sounds like a true SG should have.

The Duncan Designed pups are fine...after over 2 years, I still don't have any desire to replace them. However, I may do some adjusting to where the bridge pickup is slightly hotter than the neck. Will probably just drop the height of the neck pickup a tad to accomplish this.

For fat classic rock cruch and for playing slide, this guitar is perfect. It's basically my backup/slide guitar, but I've been playing it a lot recently. I always get two or three people asking questions about it, saying how great it sounds and how beautiful it is. Even other players at jam sessions are really taken with this thing.

At a recent jam, one guy who didn't bring his guitar played this one for two whole sets. When he was done, he asked, "What IS this thing? I really like it!" I informed him. Solid 9 for sound. Delivers fat, warm, low mid tones and crunches perfectly.

Everything on the guitar is fine. However, after playing it a lot recently, when I picked up my Strat again, it was like my hand was HOME. There's something about the Samick neck that causes my hand to fatigue a bit if I play it a long time. I definitely prefer my Fender neck to this one.

The only other thing I've noticed is the volume pots seem to have a slightly odd taper. Sometimes I'm aware that if the volume is on 8, there isn't quite the subtle drop in volume that I prefer...it's more like you roll the volume down to a certain point, where it decreases quickly. Not a real major issue, just different than my Strat.

This is a great guitar for playing slide. Nice, fat mid tones. And I've even used it to play jazzy stuff and it sounds great clean. So depending on your level of ability, it can be quite a versatile guitar.

So because of the playability factor (for me), I'll rate this a solid 8. The overall high rating gets points because of the excellent build quality of the guitar. I'm just not a huge fan of the neck.

I've used it quite a lot in the past year or so. No problems. The photo quilt finish is holding up fine, but I take care of it. I replaced the small strap buttons with strap locks...personal preference.

I would not gig without a backup playing this because I've broken the high E string twice. Actually, someone else broke it once, (he was hammering on it pretty good) and I broke it once. Both times, the bridge saddle fell out and I had to hunt around the stage to find it. Of course, that threw the guitar hopelessly out of tune as the other bridge saddles moved a bit. But once I restrung it and re-intonated it, it's fine. I'm just not sure if string breakage is an issue with this, because I've only broken 3 strings in over 30 years of playing.

So I would not gig without a backup (and now I don't) with this guitar.

Overall, it's been very dependable, but it is my backup guitar. I do take it to jam sessions frequently because local jams here are like the Stratocaster Club for Men. The guitar is solid and has held up well for over 2 years.

The couple times I e-mailed the company, their responses were pretty terse and not overly friendly. However, the store where I bought it is great. Not sure about warranty.

Playing 30+ years. If stolen or lost, I'd buy again. I wanted an SG, and that's what this is. It doesn't say Gibson, but I got it for a third of the price of a Gibson.

I love the fat humbucker tone and the way it looks. I compared this to Gibson Faded SG's, a couple other higher priced models and an Epiphone G-400 (junk). This was the runaway winner in terms of overall quality.

I don't hate anything...but do get some hand fatigue if I play it all night.

Model TR1.Made in Indonesia. Its basically a less expensive SG. Same controls ... 2 volume 2 tone with a 3 way selecter. 2 duncan designed humbckers.. nice fretboard.. tune-o-matic styled bridge. Medium sized neck

I was very happy with this guitar. It goes nicely with the Ac/Dc styled rock n roll. Perfect for what I play. Ill admit i was a little skeptcal with teh humbuckers at first and i almost bought an epiphone g-310 but the guys at Falcetti Music told me the ropes. Good warm sound but u can get the scream by selecting treble and putting the tone up .

everything was perfect when i bought this guitar. I havent noticed an flaws after careful inspection. But the ack of the fretboard is a bit sticky but its very fast. It plays really well.. Greg Bennett helped Samick out a lot.

I havent had this guitar for very long so i dont know how well i tholds up.. althogh it looks tough

havent dealt with them yet but i have a 1 year warranty

I love everything about this guitar besides the fact that its neck heavy. But if you have an itch on yoru back u can let go of the neck then pull it back up and so on lol. "plays like a dream" compared to my old strat.

Model TR3, 2003, Korean made, 22 frets, three peice glued slim alder body, set in Mohogany neck with rosewood fingerboard dot albalone inlays. Binding on neck and top of body. Bridge and neck Duncan design humbuckers, one volume and tone. Book matched Quilt maple laminated top, urethane finish. SG body style, a little fatter at the base of the body than an SG, so finding a case for it is tricky. Tune o matic style bridge (works fine but seems cheap), nice Grover tuners, 24.75 scale slim taper thin neck (very nice feel for thin style neck). Vintage sunburst, sweet looking axe!

Pretty broad range of tones, but to get them you must experiment with what you've got. It produces some very nice sound for a low priced guitar. Perfect for gigs, so you can leave the gems safe at home. No strange noises, does what is supposed to quietly. This guitar has a faster decay rate than most other guitars, but does not pose a problem if you use effects for sustain. Brige pick up is a little bright, but neck and middle position is beautiful sounding.

Korean makers seem to have got the edge on the world for quality low priced guitars. Inspect every guitar you purchase though, as I compared this one side by side with duplicate models and found diferences in construction and craftsmanship. Craftsmanship on this one was near perfect. Only a quick fret dress and some nutt detail would make it almost flawless.

Solid guitar for gigs, but don't be over hard on it. Treat it well and it will do its job.

N/A

Playing for 25 years, it needed a good set up before it really began to sine. I'd by two if I needed them. For 375 dollars it hard to complain about it, its nicer than some sold at 6 to 8. Set it up right and play with the settings and it really performs very well. The neck has a beautiful feel!

This was a brand new Torino. Many of the features have already been stated. I bought this guitar on ebay never have seen this guitar, let alone have played one. A friend of mine bought a Samick Greg Bennett semi-hallow body, and I liked the way it sounded and played (great workmanship!) This guitar was such a great supprise playes like a dream a the stock pickups sound suprisingly great. Before getting the guitar I thinking of dropping in a couple of Gibson pickups, but I don't need to after playing it. The best features of this guitar are the fitted neck, duncan pickups, grover tuners, not to mention its great looks!

The duncan pickups sound suprisingly great, most likely will NOT replace them with others.

The neck is a complete dream, action is perfect. The guitar is perfect! I can't believe I bought it new w/hardshellcase for $339!

Great workmanship!

N/A

I been playing for 9 years, my style is constantly changing. I have owned many guitars (les paul, telecasters, iceman) Fender amps a mainstay... I would buy this guitar if stolen

I'm talking about the torino 2 with a red quilt top. It looks real nice, and sounds good to. It came with Duncan Designed pickups. I was very worried about it when i seen the price, but was low on cash and wanted an SG. I was shocked when i pluged it into an amp. It has two volume and two tone just like the gibson or epiphone, and has nice grover tuners. I got mine for $250.

It sounded real nice. I played it threw a small combo amp, and it sounded great. I play mostly rock, and it sounds wonderfull

The guitar was set up wonderfully, with a bound neck. The i really liked the finish on it. It has two strap knobs, which at first i thought was stupid, but thats the only problem I had

It is really realiable. I would definitly take it to gigs and whatever. It is really sweet.

I never needed customer support. It is a pretty solid guitar, and came with a 5 year warranty.

I think this is a wonderful guitar with a wallet-friendly price. I would recomend it to anyone looking for i nice SG copy.

It's a '03 axe, made in Indonesia. Mine's got the photo-quilt with a sort of goldish-brown look going to the darker wood stain on the edges with creme-colored pickup rings/pickguard and goldish bell knobs, has 22 frets with trapezoid inlays, standard 3-way toggle, 2 passive hum's, mahogany body and neck w/ rosewood fretboard, is authentic SG STYLE(!), tune-O-matic bridge and GROVER tuners! No case. Although it doesn't say Gibson on the stock, the stock looks pretty cool with its unique shape. I'll give it an 8 for standard features -- no built in gimmicks which I don't like anyway.

Ahhh... a good playing SG with good accoustic tone. Admittedly, I feel the pickups are pretty cheezy and yet different than most stocks I've had; The bridge has more output than I anticipated and was a lot less noisy than my friend's stock dimarzios in his vintage Dean V I used to have and just played through my amp the other day. But for my purposes, the bridge pup is still a little weak and tinny sounding when playing with heavy distortion. The neck might be the exact same pickup and, with heavy distortion, sounds like a bad early 80's video game or something-- very muddy and no definition at all, but that's with my rig -- wah, TS10 tubescreamer (unmodded -- great for blues or driving my amps dirt to hardcore reality!), OLD Ibanez chorus peddle into a modded (Torres, maybe?) Carvin X100 head (loud as a war and getting it's own review at some point!) hooked to a Carvin 4x12 loaded with 70-watt Celestians. I've played enough SG's to know this one's gonna' rock with good pickups without a doubt! Gotta' give this thing a 3 since I can't use either pup, but will split with a 10 for great unplugged tone and potential!

I was originally going to shell out $950 for a floor model black SG standard at a Guitar Center, but after driving hours to get there only to find out it had a bad belt buckle rash (and they WOULD NOT lower the price~?!?)and their SG Faded Special looked and played identical to a lower model Epiphone but w/ just a Gibson logo, I bailed and decided to try some epiphones -- a goth and a G-400 vintage, but to me they just didn't feel quite right. I saw this, but it didn't seem to play good at first, so I ignored it but then got desparate to get an SG and so decided to ask if I could try detuning the strings to lower the bridge. By the time I got the strings back in tune I was hooked! This thing was really well put together, but I couldn't believe it when I discovered that a pickup screw was missing~! I hadn't taken the thing apart yet (waiting on getting worthy pups), but everything else looks immaculately done! The inlays are cool and done well, the neck plays awesomely and is a LOT more thin and fast-feeling after lowering the strings, the fretwire looks great, and I don't see a single problem with the binding on the neck or with the wide fret wire. The nut is also well done with the strings at an optimum height starting at the first fret. The Grover tuners are a welcome addition to such a relatively cheap axe! The pickups seemed to be set properly with the neck low and the bridge somewhat close to the strings. I'll go with a 9 since the screw was missing but all else appears beyond expectations.

It's basically a standard SG -- with the slim tapered neck prone to problems if slamming/battering the headstock or around the neck joint of the body, but I'd never had any problems with any SG before -- not even a plywood POS I got back from a repair shop strung up wrong with a bigsby-ish trem (strings OVER the mid part!) with ZERO sustain and no time to change them right before a guitar contest years ago, leaving me hacked and purposefully roughing up that thing while pounding out Symptom of the Universe and arpeggios, but that's another story. This axe does have the 2 strap buttons on the body-end which seemed strange at first but cool now, and they seem fine along with the neck one. I'd have no problem relying on this wood, but, when you have more than one axe, might as well bring a backup.

I'd never dealt with 'em, but I've been modding my guitars via trial and error since I started playing, so I'm not worried at all about it. I will get a good look inside the cavity soon when I change the pups, but from what I can tell, I'll have no need to call anybody but a sound insulation company soon!

I've been playing since like '87 and also have a really nice Squier Pro-Tone guitar with a see-thru sweet blue finish and gold hardware along with a Duncan Hot Rail, Rio Grande Tall neck, and Quarter Pounder (Duncan?) middle, and have an old Gibson S-1 a friend gave me that was trashed out; I got rid of the paul look and gave it 2 horns and a white pearl paint job with cool ghost flames and a plastic-mirror pickguard with 1 Jackson J90C hum which I use for barritone stuff. Just got rid of a crappy (but cool-looking!) BC Rich NJ Virgin (I hate Floyds and fakish dead-sounding wood~ what WAS I on that day I bought it?!) and a nice Ibanez Artist (only because of some tendonitus and needed a thinnner neck -- not wanting to shave that one). I really like the SG and feel it'll be a great fit with my Squier strat and rig! The only thing more I could ask for out of this wood would be good pickups, but that'll occur soon! Heh~ If I had enough buckages (U can tell I'm not loaded, eh?), I'd buy another one and fill it full o' active EMG's and refinish it in gloss black with red around the horns, but I'll keep this one more versatile -- also because I hate trying to figure active pup batteries are low or just the way I'm hearing things that day~ I doubt anyone would steal this axe (no "Gibson" on headstock) unless they hear it after I install good pups, but I'd probably only get the unlucky sod in a neck-wringing chokehold long enough to see if I could find enough cash on 'em to go towards yet another SG or some pickups (or at least some Aquafina~); it's just a material object than can be replaced -- and I definitely would replace it. I easily recommend this axe for many styles, and I dig stuff from Hendrix, to Sabbath, to Christian rock/metal, to Hum, to 80's hardcore, to Slayer and Zakk-ish and shredder stuff and will use this axe to play it all -- with the variety of pickups available anymore (and coil-splitting ability), this thing is solid and should have no problem keeping up with changing musical tastes!

TR 1 model. Made in Indonesia
22 frets
2 volume , 2 tone
H/H
Duncan Designed pickups
Made of Nato (sounds like mahogany but is softer in hardness)
Wine Red in color
Black pickguard
Stop tailpiece.
non locking tuners

I give this a 9 because it's easy to use and I like the set up .

The sound of this guitar is great clean very warm .
I do not like the pickups with distortion...Actually I hate these pickups for lead. They sound terrible with distortion. They Hum like crazy. I do like the neck pickup with the volume and tone rolled back for some nice blues tones. I play alot of buckethead songs and zebrahead and other stuff. The bridge pickup sucks plain and simple. I'm thinking of throwing in a dimarzio super distortion.

Gets a 7 for the neck pickup

When I bought this thing the action was way high and it was out of tune. I dont think they set it up at the store.

The neck has a nice feel up till around the 14 fret then from there it seems to be getting smaller. The neck on my Ibanez rg550 feels good all the way up to the 24 so I'm probably just used to that. I did find that frets 2 and 3 had some poor work done on the high E side , they have a bump feel to them from some kind of filler or something

I give an 8.5 really

I think it would do good live , only if it had a good set of pickups and had the electronics ripped out and replaced with american made stuff.
The finish is really nice. thats what caught my eye first. the strap buttons are very solid. I would use without a back up if the pickups were replaced. It holds its tune very nicely .

havent had to deal with samick

I've been playing for 3 years and this is my 5th guitar, but my first buying from a music store all others have been older/used from ebay.

If it were lost of stolen I would cry for a lil bit then probably save up and buy an epiphone les paul or a fernandes ravelle or monterey.

The biggest reason why i got this guitar was because of its incredible look.I didn't knew this guitar even exist but when i first saw it at the music store i knew that it was the guitar i was looking for.A 22 Fret neck guitar with real smooth Grover tuners,a beautiful mahogany body,2 Duncan Designed pick ups(which produce a great sound),2 volume and tone controls,a Tune-O-Matic bridge and a great designed head (common in all the greg bennet designed guitars) that i specialy appreciate.I think i've got a new model because i bought it in 2003 and the guitar is black and not red as you can see at samick's oficial site.

I'm a Punk/Hardcore/Metal Player which means i work a lot with high distortions and a lot of gains, so i need a guitar that provides me a clean sound on a high volume level and avoids those extreme noisy feedbacks.I really wasn't expecting this guitar to give me all of that but it happened to give.I was impressed with the great sound its got.

When i bought this guitar i also thought that sooner or later i'd find several flaws on the factory set-up.Pickups adjustment,tuners,treble/rythm switch...In all the this electric area i found nothing.But taking a closer look to the guitar body i found a few almost unseeable small kind of dots which i thing are flaws but i'm not quite shore on that.

I haven't giged with this guitar till now,but i'm pretty shore it'll handle long nights on stage because i really trust on its hardware as i trust the on strap buttons (real solid),on the smooth tuners etc..I can obviously depend on it,and i would certanly use this guitar to gig without a backup.

I've never contacted the company and i can't say much about it,the only thing i know is that i have a 1 year waranty.

I'm not an experiant player i've been playing guitar for about 5 years and i own another Yamaha EG 112 guitar,a small Marshall Amp a Laney Tube fusion 200.If my guitar was stolen(which can easily happen on where i live)i think i would buy it again because it is definitely a great guitar.I personaly love the guitar body,the design for the fact it is not a typical SG,its bottom looks very much like a classic guitar.The guitar's head is just awasome,i love the designed and the fact that it is slightly tilted back.I also thing that the pick-ups match perfectly with the rest of the guitar.I'm quite shore i made a good choice on buying this guitar i strongly recommend to everyone that is thinking on buying a Gibson or Epiphone SG to take a look this beauty first!Believe me,this guitar deserves a shot!

When I first picked this guitar up at the music store I thought it was just a standered SG with a gorgeous finish. But as with anything you have to look a little closer. 24.75" scale length, blah blah. The thing with this guitar is the fact its solid. Amazingly solid. Its bulit like a rock. Start at the top. Grover tuners. There isnt much more to say about that. Grover is top of the line. Work your way down along the neck. It has the feel of a les paul neck, but not as thick. I live and die by the less paul, but they arent cheap. The neck on this guitar has taken me into a whole new world. It makes me ask "les who?" Its also a one peice guitar so the tone and sustain is great. I cant tell you about the orginal pickups because I found this guitar used (i had no idea it was used until the guy at the store told me, made well and taken care of) Whoever owned it before dropped some EMG pickups on there. EMG is so amazing. The tone of the guitar combined with the custom EMGs makes it the guitar for rock. The only thing I havent gotten use to is the pick-up toggle being at the bottom of the guitar. It makes it tough for quick bridge to neck changes. Other then that the price and the features makes it the best guitar I have ever owned.

What more can I say about the tone and sustain. Its amazing. Once again with the custom pickups i have in it I cant tell you about the stock. But it plays like, if not better, then any les paul or gibson SG i have ever owned.

What drew me to this guitar was the finish. Its amazing. The picture that I found online doesnt give it justice. The thing screams attention. People notice. Being that I got it used I cant say what kind of work was done on it before. On mine the action is suberb. It plays better then any guitar I have owned. The intonation is great. I havent found any flaws what so ever. Not in the finish, not in the electroinics, not in the craftsman ship.

I have only had this guitar for about three days, but once again it was used, and there isnt an imperfection on it. I think that its proven itself for someone. And its a brand new guitar to me. The way its made, the way it looks, and the way it plays makes me think this will be a guitar that is gonna last for years and years and years.

Havent had to go this route yet.

I struck gold in this guitar. Even though its customized a bit (EMG pickups) I feel like I have found the holy grail. It plays like a 1000 dollar guitar, looks like a million dollars, and overall, I just cant say enough.

2002 Korean-made double cutaway SG style guitar. 22 Frets. Like a true SG, this isa solid, thin mahogany body. Typical SG setup: 2 passive humbucking pickups, 2 volume and 2 tone controls, 3-way selector switch. Everyone else has already covered it, so, basically it's an SG, though the waist on the body is a couple inches higher than Gibson or Epiphone SG's, giving it a slightly different body profile. Frets are not real tall, perhaps medium. Very nice.

The neck I'm sure is also mahogany, with a nice rosewood board. The neck features very well done cream binding all the way around, and very, very nicely installed crown inlays, though I'm not sure of the inlay material. There isn't the slightest bit of filler or unevenness anywhere. Try to find this quality of workmanship on a Gibson Faded SG...you won't. I know, I tried.

The "high tech" quilt sunburst finish on this guitar is beautiful. It's not maple, just a picture that looks like quilt maple. Very, very nice. One reviewer thought it was a real maple top, but I wanted an SG with a mahogany body. This top is just icing on the cake.

Typical stop tailpiece with tune-amatic bridge, all finished in nice, shiny silver nickel. This guitar, like all in Samick's "Greg Bennett Design" series, are fitted with GROVER tuners...very smooth, solid and just perfect.

Being a Strat and Tele player for 20+ years, I've really come to appreciate the 24.75" scale length on this guitar. A slightly slinkier feel to the strings make it a delight to play. The neck is slightly wider than my Strat, but not too thick. I absolutely love the amazing access to the upper registers. I can play leads in the high B register on this thing! Really, really fun!

Overall, feature-wise, this is an SG, no more, no less. But visually, it's a very impressive guitar, and I've received numerous compliments on the classy look of this guitar. It's a very beautiful guitar to look at, and looks great under stage lights. It has everything I wanted for an SG, and looks far better than any Gibson or Epiphone I tried. Very, very good workmanship. I'm very impressed. For the normal SG features, a solid 8. Add the top notch electronics, switch and Grover tuners, we have a 9. And the stunning visual appeal of this guitar certainly makes it approach the 10 category, even for an SG. 9.5!!

I play a variety of styles. Contemporary praise/worship encompassing blues, classic rock, power pop, folk rock, country rock, etc. I don't play punk, jazz or a lot of country, but do play some country style stuff.

Obviously, an SG isn't the guitar to use for a wide variety of styles. There are a lot of things I play where the Strat is a much better fit tonally, and overall, I find the Strat to be more versatile for a wide variety of styles. But versatility isn't why I went after an SG. An SG delivers fat, low mid crunch as well or better than just about anything around. That's what I got it for, and that is most definitely what it delivers. I also got it for playing slide, and the great upper fret access is a big bonus for slide playing. For fat classic rock tones and for most blues stuff, and for slide guitar, this Samick SG is ideal.

I play thru a Peavey Classic 50/410, sometimes thru a Peavey Transtube Studio Pro 112. I use the Classic amp's tubes for fat overdrive tones, and with the solid state amp, use a Boss Turbo Overdrive. I also employ a Boss stereo chorus and Boss compressor. Pretty simple setup.

The guitar is not noisy at all. Twin humbuckers make it very, very quiet, though I don't play at insane volumes. But I crank it up pretty good thru the Classic amp.

The Korean built Duncan-Design pickups are good. Surprisingly good. I'm still trying to develop my "humbucker ear" as I've played single coils for so long, though I had a Gibson ES-335 years ago. This is where most $350 Korean-built guitars begin to lose their appeal...in the sound category. Not this one.

First of all, keep in mind it's a mahogany body SG. If you want sparkle and chime, you're asking too much. Strap on a Strat for that.

These pickups do have a surprising amount of high end, but not in a bad way. Conversely, the top end is quite musical and provides an appropriate amount of bite if I want or need it. Even when using the neck pickup, I find myself rolling the tone control for that p'up back to about 7 or 8 for a bit of a smoother sound. But that's not to say that there's anything harsh about this p'ups. Far from it.

The classic "in-between" tone using both pickups is right on. The pleasing midrange honk that Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers used a lot is there in spades. Subtle tonal variations are easily had by rolling either of the volume pots back - so you can "dial in" what you want. This is why I wanted a guitar with twin tone and volume pots.

Clean sounds are solid and meaty, but there's plenty of cut when using the bridge pickup. Using the neck pickup yields some excellent clean blues tones...think Blue Jean Blues. I've used the guitar for Sunday worship (clean sounds) and Saturday worship (rocking overdrive sounds) and just about every comment I've received about this guitar includes words "fat", "warm" or "big." It certainly delivers a very rich, warm sound.

Add a generous dose of overdrive or distortion and these pickups deliver the goods. I'm sure there are better sounding humbucker pickups out there, but these Korean Duncan-Designed units are very good, and are staying until I'm absolutely convinced that shelling out more money will vastly improve the tone. No mush or flab anywhere, even with the neck pickup. But keep in mind I'm running thru 4-10's. But it also sounded fine thru the single 12. Not quite the cripsness I'd like for some crunch stuff, but that probably has more to do with the EL-84 tubes than anything else. To check, I experimented a bit with the Boss Turbo Overdrive pedal. Not only was the crisp attack there, but this pedal took on a whole new personality being hit with humbucker power. Add some compressor with the overdrive and single notes sustain until my finger gets tired. Crunchy chords retain fairly good string definition...but remember, I'm a long time single coil guy who hasn't used humbuckers in over 2

Here's the major selling point of this particular guitar. I'm not sure if it's the Samick factory set-up (which their catalog claims they do with every guitar at the Samick plant in LA), or whether the store I bought it is responsible (Light's Music Center - Eugene, OR). But everything is RIGHT ON. As soon as I picked this thing up, I knew. I also played a Samick Les Paul model at the same store for a real, real long time...same story. Perfect. Every string is perfectly intonated...try to find that on a Guitar Center guitar. Pickups are perfectly adjusted...bridge slightly hotter than the neck.

The only flaw I could find on this guitar is on the "thumb" side of the neck at about the 20th fret. There is the slightest bit of excess glue which minimally discolors the binding. I had to look real, real hard to find it. Doesn't affect playability or overall visual appeal at all.

This guitar comes with GROVER tuners. Top of the line. Smooth, solid and beautiful. Perfect.

Guys routinely buy a $350 or $400 Korean guitar knowing that the pots, switch, jack, tuners and pickups will be replaced - and in most cases, rightfully so. But with this Greg Bennett Design Samick SG, I don't have to change anything. Premium components are used on this series of guitar and absolutely leave Epiphone quality stuff for dead.

I honestly was looking at a Gibson Faded SG. After I played a couple, I was having a real hard time thinking I was going to offer almost $600 for a guitar of marginal quality. To me, the finish just looks bad, although I couldn't find a brown one. One I played was nearly unplayable. The other one played okay, but the quality just isn't there. You hear me, Gibson? I really don't like the looks of the exposed coil pickups, with the ribbon sticking out like somebody's underwear. I much prefer the clean, crisp look of the Samick Torino's nickel pickup covers. I then played a $799 Gibson "American Classic" SG. Much nicer than the Faded. But still pales in comparison to the Samick visually, and especially tonally. The Gibsons sounded too harsh and hard to me.

As I mentioned, I bought this guitar for classic rock style stuff and for slide playing. The action is perfect for both. I'm still getting used to the string spacing, but have come to appreciate the extra room I have when bending strings. I like to "get under" the string a bit, and it's easier to bend than the Strat. And the action is quite conducive to slide playing already...I wouldn't change a thing. I play with a fairly light touch, so no adjustments are necessary.

This guitar is one classy instrument for a workingman's SG. Far superior to the Gibsons I played. I won't even comment on the poor quality of the Epiphone stuff I saw...and for the same money I paid for this Samick...pitiful. This particular Samick deserves a solid 10 in this category.

This guitar has withstood a fair amount of playing already. The hardware on this thing is top notch all the way...switch, pots, wiring, and GROVER tuners.

The amazing "high tech" photo quilt finish is gorgeous and seems very durable. Time will tell, as I've not had a guitar with this type of finish before.

The strap buttons are very solid. Because the guitar is a bit neck heavy (as all SG's are), Samick included two strap buttons on the bottom of the guitar...I use the one closest to the floor, which nicely counterbalances the neck heaviness. A nice touch.

I really will depend on this guitar. It's really my backup/slide guitar, as I'll still use my Strat for the majority of my playing. But everything on this guitar is top notch, and the overall impression is one of elegance and quality. Anyone looking for an SG style guitar would be well advised to seek out a Samick "Torino." Stupid name for such a great guitar.

I'm not sure what happened to the guy named Greg, who posted a review that was not favorable at all. He must have got the prototype or something, because the guitar I bought simply blows competing Epiphones out of the water, and is better built, better looking and better sounding than any of the 3 Gibsons I played. It's easily one of the best guitar values on the PLANET right now. When I get ready to buy a semi-hollowbody guitar, it will be a Samick Royale.

Yeah, I'd depend on it, as I've depended on my MIM Strat for 3? years. I'm very amazed at the build quality/cost ratio. Hear me, Gibson? This baby deserves a 10.

I've e-mailed the company a few times, and they responded promptly. The staff at the store I bought it at is top notch. It's a small store, but very nice folks.

The Samick has a limited lifetime warranty, and I got a 2-year maintenance warranty from the store. Good deal.

I've been playing 30+ years. I also play a MIM Strat with Fralin Vintage Hot pickups, Peavey Classic amp, 3 Boss pedals.

If stolen or lost (how do you lose a guitar?) I'd certainly buy another one.

I love the VALUE. It's gorgeous to look at, a joy to play and sounds great. My favorite feature is the FAT, RICH humbucking tone. And the great fingerboard access.

I hate nothing about it, but it takes some getting used to how it feels hanging on the strap due to placement of the strap button in the neck joint on the back of the guitar.

I compared it to Epiphone SG's. Not even on the same planet as far as quality and sound go. I played 3 Gibson SG's (2 $579 Faded SG's, one $799 American Classic). The Samick came out on top in all areas. And I saved money!! I chose this because it looks better, plays better and sounds better. The fact that it cost less is icing on the cake...a whole lot of icing on a really big cake!

Check out the Samick "Greg Bennett Design" series. I also played a Samick mahogany body Les Paul that I simply could not put down. But ended up with the SG because it crunched better (though the LP had better clean sounds) and cost less. Note how Epiphone has launched their "Elite" line of guitars and basses. Why did they do that? Because their stuff is built at the Samick factory. They realized they really could build a quality instrument if they wanted to. Except the Elite will cost a lot more than the Samicks...for now. Better grab a couple Samicks fast before the prices go up.

Easily the best quality/cost value going.

I own The tr2 vs version . The guitar is noise free and sound very good . Fretbuzz after only 2month and half

I play black sabbath , acdc , metallica and it's sound like heaven . I use a peavey bandit 2

When i knew that my quilted top was a fotofilm top i was very disapointed because he is just wondeful . The paint seems cheap
the laquer is starting to remove near the down cutaway and on the down of the guitar

Works fine but for how many time

I would assume it to be a 2002.It's brand new to me and new to the shop I bought it from.The features seem to be well covered in previous posts.Standard SG features.Dual-Hums,set neck,tune-o-matic bridge,blah,blah.In my opinion very well built for a korean guitar.I give it a seven only because basically it doesn't have "tons of features"but the features it does have are great to me.Grovers and gold top-hat knobs are nice touches as well as the set neck.

I play all sorts of styles but mainly into classic rock and good heavy metal stuff (70,s and early 80's metal).I'm currently running this beauty through a JCM2000 DSL 100 watt Marshall with the 1960 4x12 cabinet and it really kicks.I'm not big on effects.Maybe a chorus or phase shifter here and there but as far as gain and clean sounds the JCM2000 covers it. (for me anyway)One of my main concerns before puchasing this guitar was the Pick-ups.I've had seymour duncans in my other guitars and always thought of them as great pick-ups but never tried the lower cost Duncan design pick-ups that this one has.These pick-ups, for those who don't know, have the same specs as the real duncans they are just made with cheaper parts over seas.With my rig, they are really quiet at high gain ,high volume settings so I can't complain.I think they sound really good.I would like a little more kick but for the price the fit the bill just fine.Both pick-ups sound good in clean and high gain settings.

Well in my experiences I haven't found a guitar that was set up good from the factory ever.Especially an over seas model.I spent a little time with it setting intonation,action,pick-up height and neck adjustment but I expect that from the get go.I also replaced the strings right away to my liking.The controls, bridge, pick-ups and strap buttons seemed really tight.The finish is what Samick refers to as a "High-Tech" type of curly maple.It's not real but it look good anyway.This specific model is to me a blood red color.Looks really good with the creme pick-up rings and scratch plate.No flaws in finish and polished up really nice.I would have given it a 6 for the fact I had to set it up properly but now it plays like a dream so I'll give it a 9

I will probably switch back and forth between this and my Les Paul Gold top Deluxe when I play out live and I think it will hold up just fine.However I just got it so I won't rate this catagory at this time

As with all the Samick Greg Bennets it supposedly came with a "Limited Lifetime Warranty" whatever that means.I've e-mailed the company a few times and they seem pretty cool so we'll see in the future how good the support is going to be.

I've been playing for over 20 years and I've had my share of guitars.I would like to say that this one really is a great deal in the ever popular high priced guitar market.I've played alot of high end guitars such as fender,gibson,prs and the usual and this one really keeps up with them at a fraction of the cost.I currently own a strat,explorer,87 Kramer whatever that has been totally redone as well as my Gold-top and I'm happy to add this to my collection.It's a great guitar at a great price.If it was stolen sure I'd buy another one why not.

A Correction to someone who commented below, saying that all the Samick guitars are photo quilt, which is simply not true. If you go to the page the reviewer listed, you will see that only the guitars which Samick specifies as "high-tech" quilt tops are actually photo quilt, and there is an explanation there as to why. Some of the Samick product is still real quilted maple top, and I know this to be true, not only from the information on the linked page (kwim-v's website), but because I am a Samick dealer myself, and have been for nearly ten years now.

Mine is transparent red w/ fotoquilt top. Nice thin neck, 22 frets, Dual Duncan Designed humbuckers, Not sure of woods used in construction, SG style, Tune-O-Matic style bridge, Grover tuners.

I love the sound...The Duncan Designed pickups really hit the spot. The neck pickup is suprisingly bright and clean sounding. This guitar has a lot of tonal personality. I play thru an older Marshall Lead 12 micro stack and also occasionaly thru a Peavey Classic VTX. I also use an original tube screamer. This thing really rocks! Not noisy, very rich and full sounding (for an SG copy) Nothing to dislike so far. I play older heavy metal and some bluesy stuff and this guitar is very capable.

Action perfect as delivered, set-up with 9's (will be changing to 10's soon) Pickups adjusted fine. Nut was cut correctly. No visible flaws. I ordered this from KWIM-V.com AFTER I read greg's review and I honestly expected to find something wrong with it. Man, I can't even get nit-picky with this guitar. It is very nice! (ok, the strings were too light for my liking - but no big deal) Inlays - well done (don't know what they are made of, though), Fit - excellent, Finish - pretty darn good (fotoquilt is growing on me). I don't see what greg saw (earlier review). I don't doubt him, but mine is as nice or better than the $1300 SG's I was looking to buy. Even the switch and pots are high quality pieces.

YES it will withstand live playing and it will hold up. The hardware looks to be high quality. Chrome may be thin like a lot of Korean stuff, but I guess time will tell. Dual strap buttons on tail are cool too! I feel that I can depend on this instrument, it has not let me down yet. You don't gig w/o a backup!

Don't know.......Lifetime warranty....

I've been playing for 18 years. Other equipment: Washburn A-10, Fender Fat Strat, Kramer Farrington, Peavey T-60, Westone Electra, vintage Silvertone. I would kick somebody's ass if they stole this guitar!!!!! Yes, I would absolutely replace it. Favorite feature - THE SOUND. I love the neck (nice and thin) and the weight (or lack of) and the sustain this guitar has. I have no dislikes (other than the quilt top on an SG - I am getting used to it though). I did compare to quite a few real SG's, some Epiphones and Washburns....I liked this one better. I chose it because it has an excellent sound and was considerably less expensive than the others.

UPDATE TO MY EARLIER REVIEW:THIS SECOND REVIEWER IS TOTALLY WRONG, SEE THE NEW SAMICK CATALOG WHICH JUST CAME OUT, EVEN THEY STATE NOW THAT THIS IS A FOTOFILM TOP, THEY CALL THE FOTOFILM "HIGHTECH" NO REAL QUILT MAPLE IS USED AS PER SAMICKS OWN ADDMISSION!! DON'T BE FOOLED BY THIS REVIEWER WHO HAS INCORRECT INFORMATION!!!!!!
HERE'S THE ADDRESS:
http://www.kwim-v.com/content/companies/samick/elecfeatures.html

This is a Samick 3120 Greg Bennett series Torino model guitar, with AAAAA Grade REAL quilted maple top, Grover Machines, Seymour Duncan design pickups, set neck, tobacco sunburst finish, rosewood fingerboard, overall a very sharp looking SG copy. This guitar was made in Korea, and included a cable and neck adjustment wrench along with a little guide on how to adjust a truss rod. Purchased from Cowabunga Music in Anna, IL. LOTS of features for the money, and I'm sorry folks, Epiphone makes NO SG that looks or is made even close to this nice. This is one classy instrument.

This guitar sounds really great, the Duncan pickups sound way better than the ones in the Epiphone. I play styles ranging all over the place, through a Mesa studio preamp, power amp, and a pair of CGM 1X12 cabs, and I also use a Rocktron Replitone 212. Some sounds the guitar is better on than others but it doesn't sound bad on any. It really nails the SG sound if you like to play stuff like AC/DC. This guitar is really quiet, too. I haven't had any problems with the input jack, although it appears from some of the reviews that a few folks have had problems with them. Time will tell.

This guitar was set up really well at the factory, action could have been a little lower, but overall a pretty nice setup right out of the box. Pretty impressive. The AAAAA Quilted maple top is stunning....I get all kinds of comments on it, and I don't know where the reviewer above came up with the idea that it's fake, but I can tell you that this one is REAL, and it's BEAUTIFUL. The Grover tuners work really well, as Grovers always do. The nut is cut well, the inlays are nice and neat, no filler in sight. The cavity plates all fit nicely too, and NO loose screws. Again, I don't know what the deal was with the other reviewer's guitar, but this one is virtually flawless. I would buy this guitar over a Gibson any day, and laugh all the way to the bank. I think it's a better guitar for WAY less than half the price. Sure, a real nitro lacquer finish (like a gibson) is preferable to poly if you are a COLLECTOR, but it's also very delicate, and you don't generally baby a guitar you play out with, so I'd rather have the tougher poly finish. Samick is the world's biggest guitar manufacturer, and their experience shines on this guitar. If you want information on their guitars, my dealer tells me that there are new catalogs soon to be available, and they have alot of the new models on their website now at www.samickguitar.com.

This guitar seems built to last. I've only had it a short time but I have had no problems with it at all. Grover machines and Duncan Design pickups are known for quality. I doubt I'll be taking it in for repair any time soon. Dual strap buttons are a nice touch, you can hang it at either angle you like. They seem rock solid, too. I would use it without a backup with no hesitation. I can't give it a ten in this department, though, as I've only had it a short time, but again, I don't think I will be taking it for repair ANY time soon.

Never needed it. Our local dealer is fabulous, though, so I don't think it will be a problem, should I need support. He speaks very highly of Samick's customer service. This guitar has a lifetime warranty.

I have played for over 20 years, have owned numerous Fender (a couple different USA strats)and Gibson products (Les Paul Deluxe, Les Paul Signature, EC10-e, 1959 J-50) all of which were fine instruments, and I have owned numerous other Samick guitars as well as several other import guitars, and I currently use a Larrivee' OM-02E acoustic. I have a Boogie studio preamp, alesis midiverb, a power amp (cheapie but it works) and a pair of 1X12 CGM speaker cabinets (a VERY underrated speaker company) in my main rig. I also use a Rocktron Replitone occasionally, and I have a pignose practice amp too. I would replace this guitar without hesitation if it were stolen, although I might have to severely hurt whoever took it from me first. I love the finish on this instrument and the fact that it costs a lot less than a Gibson guitar but I get WAAAAAY more compliments on the looks of this guitar than I EVER got with any of the Gibson guitars I owned. And, more importantly, this guitar just flat-out sounds great. It isn't versatile enough to replace a whole arsenal of guitars, so don't get me wrong, but it does what it does very well, and I can't seem to coax a bad sound out of it. Only thing I could think of that might make it better would be coil splitting, but then it really wouldn't be a true SG copy, would it? Samick is going to rule the guitar business if they keep making stuff like this!

2000-2001? Says Korea on it but I suspect it was made in Samick's low end guitar shop in Indonesia. A top of their line SG style, with 2 "Duncan Designed" humbuckers, 3 piece (or more) mahogany body & set neck with scarf joint with rosewood fingerboard, very cheap, bland poor fitting block inlays, real Grover tuners mounted on a nice, newly designed Greg Bennett headstock, "quilt" top. Vintage sunburst, chrome hardware. Bought from Kwim-v, they threw in a gig bag for free.

Sound is ok at best with the Duncan Designed pickups, the typical noisy, cheap Korean mini pots & switch really kill it however.

Set up???? None, typical Korean guitar, needs total setup, cleaning and buffing out, tightening of all hardware. Quite oddly, given the overall poor condition of the guitar the nut was actually fairly well cut, it looked to be micarta and not a molded one and the Grover tuners are a godsend, very smooth but that's where the good news ends. This guitar is a total joke overall, the type of quality reminiscent of 1970's imports. Fingerboard inlay is very loose fitting and they didn't even attempt to cover it up with filler!!

Samick lists it as a maple quilt top, well folks its NOT, it's fotoquilt. The fretwork was among the worst I've ever seen, file marks, gouges in the frets and fingerboard & the 22 fret was completely unlevel. I decided to dig deeper. I went to pull the pickups off and the screws nearly fell out. Most every screw hole was drilled 2 sizes too big and then stuffed with a wood sliver to fix it, what is that????!!! I removed the pickguard and the same deal, as a matter of fact there were 2 sets of sloppy oversize holes, it was obviously put on crooked and then redrilled & repositioned!!!!! Upon pulling the pickups there was some large strips of duct tape pieces half burried in the finish around part of the pickup cavities, what is that? There are some stress cracks in the finish at the bridge posts. The finish is the usual too thick high gloss Korean. The control knobs are annoyingly cheap with sharp edges on them. The small strip of trim plastic mounted above the neckpickup(like some older SG's had)was falling off, again due to oversize screw holes. I pulled it off and revealed a very lumpy, unfinished neck/body joint. the pots and switch are noisy. This POS is going back!

Delivered in a nearly unplayable condition.