Product: Samick Artist SG 450 Price Paid: US $379
Submitted 12/13/2001
at 12:10pm
by ken
Email: smokindog<at>comporium dot net
Features
:8
I just got a new samick sg 450 about 2 weeks ago 22 frets, i think it is made of solid wood, 2 humbuckers, ,3-way switch, 2-tone, 2-vol, kluson type pearoid tuners,nice looking inlay on the neck, rosewood finger board? Nice looking ax.
Sound
:9
I play blues, rock-n-roll, r&b. I use a fender princton chorus. Its not to noisy,(i play next to a pc monitor and it,s much quieter tha my srat ) Overall good sound, the more i play it the more i like it.The neck pickup is nice and warm and can growl nice-n-mean. The bridge pick up has good hi-end tonr. the pickups are a bit weak though and i will replace them later along with the pods and switch (theise are real cheap). Don,t get me wrong here, fore the price the pickups are nice, but this ax is worth spending some cash on for improvements!
Action, Fit, & Finish
:9
Factory set up was fair, the good folks at woodys music set it up for me with ernie ball .9-.42 super slinkys(use them on all my axes since thay came out)The tech did a NICE JOB!He lowered the action also . The pickups were adjusted just fine. Finish looks flawless, a nice jet black, I havent noticed any flaws, every thig works good,action is great plays very well.
Reliability/Durability
:9
I have only had this ax a few weeks, seems solid, the head stock is probally a bit weak (just like a gibson sg). The tunners will need replaced (very cheap). I would by a good case if you plan to gig a lot, but I think it would hold up.Finish is very good, should hold up.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
n\a
Overall Rating
:10
playing since 1970, I have a samick vally arts custom pro stat(very fond of). overall tone is great, set neck,action is very good, so far stays in tune nicly. BUT---I wish the tuners were better, and the pods and switch are not very good qaulity,But I did not pay $1200.00 for it.Samick put the qaulity were it counted, the guitar is very well made, sound good without the amp!
Product: Samick Artist SG 450 Price Paid: US $275.00
Submitted 02/25/2001
at 12:08am
by Eric Stiegel
Email: stiegele at msu<dot>edu
Features
:7
This guitar looks amazing, it has a deep wine red finish on its Mahogany body and set neck. It has Double cutaway, rosewood fretboard, with 22 frets, H/H, chrome hardware, kluson gears, 2 volume and 2 tone controls, and a stopped tu- o- matic tailpiece. Basically looks like a 61 SG reissue.
Sound
:8
This guitar has a very deep full sound that can really growel when using the bridge humbucker(I almost always use the bridge pickup), but has only average sound when using both or the neck humbucker. I haven't played a guitar though that can sound better through a big Muff. I think this is a grat guitar for thick rythyms, and is at it's best when the gain is up. This guitar also has a very nice warm clean sound.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:8
The guitar was set up great from the factory and came ready to play. The are no flaws with anything from this guitar although I will say a Gibson may have a little nicer finish. I did however tighten the kluson tuning pegs shortly after getting it. This guitar looks feels and plays just like a gibson.
Reliability/Durability
:9
I have yet to take this guitar on stage but have played for hours with no problems. I haven't decided whether it will be my first or second guitar yet, but my other is a gibson explorer. I am leaning towards the samcick becasue it seems to be a very solid guitar, ever bit and more than my explorer
Customer Support
:10
Samick has a life time warrenty on the body and neck of the guitar, but I don't think I will have to worry about that, and the store I bought it from offers free service on the guitar for life. THe people i delt with in purchasing this guitar were wonderful
Overall Rating
:9
I have been playing for about three years and live in East Lansing, Michigan just Minutes from the country's , most famous vintage shop Elderly Instruments. I have played all the Gibson's Les Pauls, SG's, ES hollowbodies, and about a gazzlion other guitars that have lofty price tags over $1500 and my samick sg holds its own with all of them, and even sound better than some of Gibson's SG's. I also own a Gibson Explorer, Fender acoustic, a line 6 flextone, and just have purchased another samick. The artist san 450 which is basically a Gibson es 335 for about a 1/5 the price so I am very satisfied with the SG and Samick in general. I do wish samick offerd mor of a variety in finishes in it's guitars. I always wanted a Gibson SG and right now I pretty much got one.
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