Samick Artist Series SG

Samick SG Artist Series. Fabricada en Korea. No se bien el a??o de fabricacion, pero la compre aproximadamente hace 9 a??os. Cuerpo y mastil de caoba. Mastil encolado. Clavijeros tipo Kluson, Puente tipo Tune-O-Matic... etc. Es como el modelo Reissue ??61 de Gibson. El acabado es genial, yo no le encuentro muchas diferencias con el original.

Esta guitarra tiene un sonido genial. Las pastillas recogen muy bien el sonido, pero son un poco oscuras para mi gusto, les falta un poco de definicion. Hace un a??o le cambie la pastilla del puente por una Dimarzio Breed y el resultado es totalmente increible. Estoy pendiente de cambiar la del mastil tambien. Una de las mayores virtudes que tiene esta guitarra es que el mueble es de lo mejor que he visto, su construccion es genial y desenchufada tiene un sonido redondo y con mucho cuerpo. Puedes tocar desde Blues hasta Dream Theater pasando por los Zeppelin o por Vai. No tiene nada de ruido, ni con las pastillas originales. Resumiendo, yo lo encuentro un sonido espeso con cuerpo y sobre todo, muy versatil. El puente fijo le aporta un sustain casi infinito y sorprendentemente no se desafina nunca (aun haciendo bendings brutales a lo Paul Gilbert). Increible (pero cierto!!!) para unos afinadores baratos de guitarra Coreana y una cejuela de plastico... Por mi un 10.

Aqui si que si. Esto es lo mas destacable junto con su sonido. Tiene una accion muy baja, los trastes medium jumbo son comodisimos y el lacado del mastil muy rapido. En cuanto a comodidad increible. El acabado es muy bueno, quitando los picotazos que va ganando con los a??os y el uso, una pasada con el Gibson Polish y queda como nueva.

Nunca he tenido que llevarla al luthier, ni tocar el alma. Solo algun ajuste periodico de altura de puente y entonacion.
El acabado despues de 9 a??os sigue estando genial. Esta mas mate en las zonas de roce de la mano sobre las pastillas.

Nunca lo he necesitado.

Llevo unos 11 a??os tocando y esta fue la primera guitarra electrica "en condiciones" que tuve. La compre mas por motivo estetico que sabiendo lo que compraba. A lo largo de los a??os me ha desmostrado y lo sigue haciendo que fue la mejor compra que he hecho. La toco cada dia y cada dia me gusta mas. Tengo una Strato custom, una Ibanez RG2550LTD y una PGM301. Son guitarras que superan el doble del precio que me costo esta y no son el doble de guitarra ni de lejos. Igual me toco la mejor de la serie, pero cada dia me deja con la boca abierta.

I'm surprised how much this looks like a reissue. The hardware is of acceptable quality and close to the look of a '61 Gibson. Green keystone kluson-style tuners... classic pickguard... neck binding and inlay... body shape and neck taper... it's all pretty good. It's not perfect, of course. On mine, there are speed knobs instead of the metal cap bell knobs, like a Gibson. The headstock is the most obvious difference, but it still has a similar feel.

I've read the other reviews here, and I don't get where people think that Gibson SG horns are symmetrical. This guitar's body is near identical to my actual Gibson... horns and all.

Considering the cost of this guitar, I'd say the features are pretty good. The body looks like solid 3-piece mahogany and the set neck is solid mahogany with a 2-piece headstock. You can debate that this actually makes the headstock stronger, so I'm not going to complain. The paint job isn't as nice and vibrant as a real heritage cherry, but this is going to be a beater guitar... again, no complaints.

The tuners (at the point that I got the axe) were a little loose, but functional. The nut is plastic, but set-up rather well for low action. The bridge was a little loose at the saddles. What do you expect from a Korean, Samick made guitar?!?

Much like others have said, I think the humbuckers sound good. Definitely better than stock Epiphone pickups and other Korean instruments. At the point that I bought the guitar, I planned to stick in some spare Gibson humbuckers that I have kicking in a box, but I don't think the change would warrant tossing in any more ''value'' into it (I could probably sell the Gibson buckers on eBay and then buy me another guitar like this). I think if I find some less expensive humbucker to stick into it, I might still give it a try... maybe some GFS pickups or some good used humbuckers.

The body and neck are nicely resonant. I've considered taking off some of the thick finish to see if it adds any more life to the sound. Being a beater, though, it's kind of nice to have a thick finish to take some abuse.

The pots needed some cleaning, but after that the electronics worked smoothly and is now sounds and works great. Not noisy at all.

Here's where I have my biggest complaint.

The med. jumbo frets looked good at first, but I have some issues in more than one spot on the fretboard. Fret ends are lifting and, because of the low action, I get some nasty buzz on the high E string in three spots. I can fix this with a little work, but I wouldn't say that the quality from the factory was tight. Again, what do you expect from a Korean Samick?

Otherwise, things are fine. If I can get those frets fixed, I think the action is going to be awesome. I has a Gibson feel to it.

The most important part is the overall structure of the guitar. I have to give this one credit for being solidly built. I feel confident that it could take a beating and keep rocking. I mentioned the cheap/loose hardware, but I have to take into account that I bought it used at a pawn shop. So, overall things are good.

I have already replaced the tuners with Wilkinson keystone machines, which I found on eBay for $22. They're the way to go if you want to keep the cost down and bring the quality up. Now the tuners are secure. I've also replaced the bridge with one that I had in the spare parts bin (Japanese. I think). Now I don't have any loose saddles.

When I get to those frets, I think I'll cut a bone nut for it as well.

Who knows... this was a pawn shop special.

I've owned A LOT of guitars. I buy many from pawn shops, looking for things to fix up, modify, and mess with. For the most part, I know what I'm looking at and I don't waste my money on something that won't play. This one is a keeper, if you can look it over and make sure there are no major issues. Would I have bought it new? No... but I might recommend it over some kid buying a new Epiphone SG.

Korean quality can be all over the place. I had a Cort Hiram Bullock model that was AMAZING... it shocked me when I found it. I wanted to hate the Cort name, but couldn't find a reason not to love the guitar. Even those Mighty Mite pickups were pretty good. Point is... there are some real gems to find if you don't let the name or country it was made in scare you off. Hey, I even have a Chinese made OLP baritone that rocks. You never know until you try it.

Considering what I paid for it, this guitar is great. With a little work and a few improvments, you won't get me to regret not buying another Gibson.

I bought this guitar in a flea market the other day, and already love it. Made in Korea, it looks just like Gibson's '61 SG reissue.It's got two chrome humbuckers, with a 3-way switch. One volume and tone control per humbucker. 22 frets, a stopbar tailpiece, and a small pickgaurd. The body is mahogany, and it has a red finish. This guitar is so close to the original, I considered scratching off the paint on the headstock to look for the Gibson logo.

I've never played a real SG to compare it, but the sound works great for rock, on up to heavy, and even death metal. You can easily control the equilization with the tone knobs. I use a Boss Metal Zone with it, and it has already replaced my other six-string as my favorite.

This guitar was in great condition when I got it. All I had to do was tune it. It's put together very well, and I haven't found a flaw in mine yet.

I used this as my backup guitar and had only one problem. As I was trying to switch pickups, the switch broke off. Otherwise, it was great.

I bought this by trading a $50 bass for it, and I'm glad I did. I'll never look back.
My seven string Schecter C-7 is my main guitar, and I've made this my backup. If I ever lst it, I wouldn't hesitate to track down another one. I love the SG look at the affordable price.

Not sure of the year, serial# is S970908275 (1997?) Made in Korea.
22 frets, 2 humbuckers, 3-way selector, 2 volume/2 tone knobs. Looks to be solid mahogany (body and neck) with rosewood fretboat. Has a beautiful translucent dark burgundy finish. Came with a gig bag. As for features? Keep it simple, and this is simple; basically an exact copy of a Gibson SG.

Has a wonderful classic crunch sound through my Randall RG100SC. Don't use any effects, just the gain on te amp. I play rock/punk/metal, and this sounds great.

I just bought this used, and the action is a tad high. Going to tackle that tomorrow myself. Other than that, the intonation is fine, pickups are set to the right height, etc.

I just got through a 4 hour rehearsal, first time playing this guitar, and it performed like a champ. I'd imagine gigging with it would be problem-free. I did have to tune it a lot, but I assumed that was the new strings I put on it today. Hardware is in perfect condition, and it looks like the guitar has been used a lot already, (if it's a '97, it's 8 years old) so.. I'm gonna say it's probably a very reliable and robust instrument.

Never contacted Samick.

I've been playing 20 or so years. I have a couple other guitars, a Squier bass, Randall amp, Peavey PV10 mixer, some Shure mics, and various multitrack recording gear. If this guitar were stolen or lost, I'd be pretty sad, I think. I love that I basically bought an SG (I can't tell the difference, other than the logo on the headstock) for 180 bucks, Canadian. I was torn between this (in a pawn shop) a used Gibson Les Paul Studio ($895CAD) and a used Gretsch Junior Jet ($289), I guess price dictated my decision. I think I made the right choice, The Gretsch was nice for a simple, stripped-down budget guitar, but I like the look, feel, and tone of this one better. Plus, you know, 100 bucks cheaper.

I'm actually pretty impressed. Hell, I'm *really* impressed so far.

black Samick SG, set neck, atleast 8 years old, 'made in korea' is imprinted on the back of the neck near the headstock, so i can only assume it's the samick factory where the epiphone SG's used to be made (maybe some are still made there i'm not sure, i don't know if Samick are still ghostbuilding epiphones anymore or not) extremely low action (no fret buzz) no dead spots on the neck whatsoever, extremely fast neck, beautiful tone (even through my big muff into my hunk of shit solid state 30 watt amp) this guitar owns, if it got stolen i'd buy another one

this (these) guitar(s) don't have many features, there fore a low rating, but what they do have they have got it good, (i hope that made sense)

awesome tone, classic SG mojo vibe going on here , when the pickup selector switch is in the middle position there is alot more midrange and volume (the the pickups are out of phase with each other i am guessing) and when you roll back both tone knobs to zero you get extremely ballzy bassy tone, and it breaks up in your face when you strum hard!

just wait till i put seymour duncans in this baby......muahhahaa

black finish is quite nice, trapeziod inlays are cool, extremely low action, no fret buzz though amazingly easy to play, most of the gibson SG's i've played havent even' come close to being this good.....neither does the Gibson's prices!

you can see the proper bookmatching on the back of the guitar if you look at it closely in the light, it's been done very well, well built guitar, set neck gives it alot more sustain than my other bolt on neck samick sg which has virtually the same specs as this one

i would definitley gig without a backup guitar (if i did it would be so i'd be able to keep playing if i broke a string) these things are virtually indestrucable, unless you smash the thing, which would be insane because this guitar rox, best guitar i've ever played without a doubt.

speaking of smashing....i hate to say it but this guitars original headstock was snapped off by the previous owner, he threw it on the floor of the stage during a gig, he gave the guitar to my guitar teacher who paid him $20 for it, my guitar teacher was gonna throw it away when he had a bright idea and got a wood worker freind to make a new headstock, the new headstock was glued on, original tuners (green key ones yuck!, i'll replace them with sperzel locking ones ASAP!) put back on and i was given the guitar for some work i did.

the replacement headstock worx great, ^ that was a rue story

haven't dealt with them, speaks for itself, good guitars

great guitar, i would definitley buy another one, which is why i'm on the look out for more of these babys! ppl thik i'm crazy when i say i play a samick SG, then they play it for themselves and they realise why i own the axe.

note: the odds are that you'll most likely find epiphone pickups in your samick sg, because epiphones used to be made in the samick factory with epi's pickups, so obviously samick have used the epiphone pickups aswell, to check to see what brand they are, unscrew them from the pickup mounting bracket and look at hte bottom of the pickuip (this is for a humbucker remember) and it should have the epiphone logo.

Mine is a korean job of unknown year,bought at a pawnshop for 150 without case.I actually talked the guy at the pawnshop down from 189.green plastic tuning keys,trapezoid inlays,i was wondering if samick had recieved a cease and desist order because this axe looks almost dead on a gibson sg. i had a 63 sg with a bigsby for a brief time and i think the samick kicks its ass

i love this guitar, i have 8 others and this is the one i pick up the most.

needs better tuners but other than that,i would not change a thing

have not gigged with it yet but will play it on stage the first chance i get

It's your simple everyday SG (which is a very good thing). 24 frets, 2 open coil humbuckers, 3 way selection (lead, rhythm, both), the standard 4 control knobs (volume, tone, and some others I don't know). Mahogany body, don't know the finish. I love the set neck, gives it extra sustain, plus the neck in itself has great playability. I've played some standard Strats, and they have the blocky feeling that makes my fingers cry for help, but this is an awesome, "rounded" neck that is comfortable and both fast. The only neck that I've played that betters this one is the Wizard neck by Ibanez, and I don't have $700 to get myself an S-series, so this is more than good enough. Simple guitar, has everything you need, if it only had Active EQ.

Sound great, sometime I find myself playing without the amp, the guitar sound that good. I run it through a Digitech RP-100 pedal, and a Crate GX65 amp, and it sounds great. I keep the guitar at lead position, with all the knobs maxed at 10, and I let my pedal and amp do the rest. It's an awesome guitar that can compete with any Epiphone or Gibson, withing busting your wallet.

I absolutely love the action on the neck, I can play for hours without my fingers hurting, and you can tear up some serious solos on it. Everything was aligned fine, no messups in the finish (except for some dents I've put in it from falling off my amp, but that's in no way Samick's fault). The horns aren't aligned straight like on your standard SG, but that's probably to avoid a lawsuit, and it's only noticeable when you look at it really close. Even then, it looks cool.

This guitar is very reliable, I've owned it for about a year, and it's been used to an equilavent of 3 years, and still going strong. Even after throwing it a few times (rock n' roll baby!!!), and falling off of every amp known to man, it still plays awesome, and is always in tune. Considering what it's gone through, the finish is extremely strong, any other guitar would have twice the number of dents I've given it. Looks to me like I'll be using this guitar for a good while.

Haven't dealth with the company, which shows how good the guitars are.

This guitar rocks! I've played other guitars, and the only guitar I would ever take over it is the Ibanez S-Series, and that only because of the Wizard neck. But at a price that's half of the S-Series, this Samick is a great buy. All it lacks is the bragging rights, ("Hey guys, check out my sweet Gibson" just doesn't work with Samick put in there), but pound for pound it'll match any Gibson out there when put to the test. A great buy, I recommend it for all, from beginners to experienced shredders.

im assuming this is about 95 to 98, not sure really, it was second hand. its korean (arent all guitars!) 22 frets, flat top (well it is an SG!) typical electronics, 2 'buckers, 2 vol, 2 tone etc...
im not sure what the wood is, but theres a place on the lower horn where the finish has worn away, and it looks dark, maybe mahogany. im probably wrong...
its in plain black (a bit goth!) with white binding on the fretboard, looks pretty.
has pretty bad tuners. this is my biggest problem. the G wont stay, no matter what i do. same with the B now.
i'd give this a ten, but theres nothing particularly revolutionary on the guitar, its quite standard.

i play experimental freeform noize. and stuff like pumpkins, foos, etc etc. this guitar can do anything really, except country (why would i want to?!)
i use it throuh i bit of a lo-fi set-up. it goes into a Melos mini fazer, a Maplin Ultra Metal distortion pedal ( im not into metal, and its not that metal sounding anyway) into an old DOD chorus pedal into a tatty old (yet strangely sweet sounding) Trucker amp. sounds bad, i know, but its all thats available (im a student).it actually sounds really nice, with a lot of bottom and plenty of top too. does everything from to warm to bright.
the only two gripes are these:
a)the volumes of each pickup are quite difficult to balance against each other;
b)it doesnt do squeely Sonic Youth feedback white noise as well as i would like, but it'll do. this is where a '98 Fender DuoSonic helps...

the guitar was set up brilliantly when i got it. it was strung with 9's, and i use 11's, so this soon changed. it needed setting up, but its fine now.
ive played with pickup height to try to solve the relative volume problem. and ive almost got it sorted.

the strap buttons are nice'n'solid, wont move, but im gonna change them soon.
i would not use this guitar without a backup, purely because that would be tempting fate too much. it could manage, but you know, just in case.
i played a gig with my band last week, and it took a bit of a fall. the guitar was thrown about 15feet accross the stage, at the bassist (he deserved it) and resulted in a 4inch split in the treble side of the neck. the fretboard has lifted about 1-2mm, and the top two strings dont play now, so i need to get that fixed. its survived worse, but i guess i hit a sorespot.
the bassist is ok

never tried.

ive been playin 4 years, 3 when i got this. i dont have any regrets at all, (well, ok, i shouldve thrown it at the drummer).
this is the only one of these ive seen, so i doubt very much id get another, i think id try an explorer.

I don't know the year of its manufacture, but I bought it about 1998 for about $290 at Guitar Focus in Glenn Heights, Texas (a great little music store -- Hi Tim!) It is a pretty good copy of an early 60's Gibson SG. (I have owned several Gibson SG through the years) The only real difference in appearance is that the Samick is slightly out of symetric at the "horns" -- guess that is to keep Gibson off their back. It is a nice copy. The color is a very dark cherry (Black Cherry?) much darker than Heritage Cherry. I like the looks.

I bought this guitar for a son of mine. He plays this guitar most of the time (he also has a Les Paul, Telecaster, Stratocaster, CF Martin D35, and several basses -- he likes this Samick better than the "brand name" instruments. Through his Marshall Half Stack, Crate 130 Half Stack, or Fender Princeton Chorus -- it sounds good. Really growls on some rock songs. He uses Danelectro Fab-Tone, Daddy-O and Echo-Delay along with some built in amp effects (chorus, reverb) It isn't noisy - the pickups really are worth the price of the guitar.

The guitar came with 10's and was set up for them. My son went to 9's and we had to re-set the guitar. Now he's back to 10's and so we have re-set the intonation three times--but it was not the guitar's fault. It sounds better to use one pickup at a time than to mix them. Over all the guitar was and is well worth the price and I think it is a great value for a pretty good guitar. The finish on this one is good and has no blemishes. I did see some drips on a black one at the same shop. The tuners have started to lose tune after a hard bashing -- but my Gibson SG's and Les Paul's tuners have done the same. Live with it and learn to listen and tune.

The SG design has a flaw. The necks are weak. It doesn't matter if it is this Samick or a Classic Gibson. Be careful with the neck. This one is tight -- but you really want to be careful with an SG shape (Even the old EBO bass has this problem) My son preforms live weekly with this guitar-- it is a real trooper. He always carries an extra guitar (LP) but that is as much for the tonal range of two guitars as any fear of failure on this guitar's end. I am not real sure about the selector switch - it seems just a little flimsy and I would change the strap button on ANY stock guitar before I'd carry it (remember the weak SG style necks! I didn't back in 1962 !)

I have never delt with Sammick, but Tim at Guitar Focus has called them for me while I was in the shop and he gets right through and has the information in just a minute. I like that. (Ever called Gibson or Fender? Try Rickenbacker if you've got a LOT of patience)

I have been playing since 1957. Professionally from 1968 -- 1970 and then travelled with my University show band from 1972-73. Semi pro playing since 1996 till now (Sept 2000) My sons all play (I have 5 sons) and the one who claims this Samick SG has played since 1994 and semi pro since 1998. I would buy this guitar again and again -- in fact, I'm about to buy another son one of his own. What have we owned? Rickenbacker 320, Rickenbacker360/12, Gretch Country Gentleman, several Gibson Les Pauls, several Gibson SG, Gibson EBO, Fenders (Teles and Strats), Fender P-Bass & Jazz Bass/Fretless, Gibson ES335, Rickenbacker 4001 bass, Epiphone Casino, Gibson Humminbird, CF Martin D35, D28, D41, and various "other" instruments

SG style, Mahogany body w/Mahogany set neck, 22 frets, rosewood fingerboard, two humbucking pickups, 3way pickup selector, 2 volume & 2 tone controls, enclosed tuners, stop tail piece, tunomatic bridge, chrome hardware, transparent wine finish, made in Korea. It's your basic SG.

I play a variety of styles but really like this guitar for your basic rock stuff.This guitar sounds warm, wet, and fat through my Fender Twin. The stock pickups have really surprised me. I thought I would have to replace them but see no need ... they sound very good. For the money I'm very impressed!

This guitar was set up perfect right out of the box. I bought it on-line. The place I got it from said that they set up every guitar before mailing it out. They did a good job. Everything was adjusted well. The guitar its self isn't perfect, but as good as any $1000 Gibson SG I've seen lately.

I've only had this guitar a couple of months so time will tell how it will hold up. I have been playing guitar for 26 years. I don't really gig any more (just at church) but this guitar seems like it's going to hold up. Frankly, for the small amount of money that this guitar cost, I don't care if I have to replace something.

This guitar has a limited lifetime warranty. I've owned many guitars but this was the first guitar I have ever purchased on-line. Before I purchased the guitar I e-mailed the company, that I purchased it from, many times. They always responded very quickly. I was a little nervous. But these guys were great ... very helpful. fast and free shipping - I liked that.

For the money this guitar can not be beat. I'm going to buy one for my father at Christmas - that's how much I like it. I've owned dozens of guitars over the years and Samick is a great value. I'm thinking about my next one all ready.

1996 Model Samick SG copy
Cherry Red Translucent finish
I've been playing for 4 years and this has been my only guitar.
I'll give samick one thing, this definitely looks like a SG but other than that I was actually dissapointed

Now that I know what I'm looking at this guitar isn't nearly as cool as it used to be. The bridge sadles don't stay in tune, or the tuners. And the bridge sadles were so bad before i replaced them i broke my 5th string almost everyday, and the others about 2 times a week. The pick-ups are decent i was thinking they were the problem, but they seem to be the best part on there, save the body. The intonation falls apart amost within a week of repair and now the strings buzz on the first fret constatly. It's so bad i have to mute that string when playing chords

Just from the factory and dealer this guitar was beautiful. See Durability for more info.

Ok here's my list of flaws
Inlays were not tightly cut
Pick-up selector broke off
bridge sadles developed burrs very quickly
finish scratches VERY easily
and the strap holders were crap

Never Delt with samick

Made in Korea
21 Frets
2 Volume, 2 Tone
2 Passive Humbuckers
Alder body and neck (I think)
See through Wine Red
Gibson SG Double Cutaway
SET NECK
Tune-O-Matic Bridge
Kulson Tuners
24.75" Scale

I'll give it a 9 because its a very good copy of a Gibson SG but it isnt one. Simple is better

Vintage Pickups
Good for Blues, rock and PUNK!!
Sounds great with a valve amp

Not Noisy (but squeel at very high volumes)
Some noise with a commpressor
Bright Bridge Pickup
Rich Mellow Neck Pickup
Not much variety
But its sound is good
Sounds similar to Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates (but not as bright)

Set Up Perfectly
Pickup Hight Fine
Felt Great (better than a bandmates Gibson LP light, well he thought differently)

You can see the wood on some areas on the sides of the head
If that wasnt their it would be 10

Very Strong, Fine to use live
Good Hardware
Strong Neck Joint
Good Paint
Strong Strap Buttons
Fine to use with no backup,(but always keep spare strings)

One Year Warranty

Been playing for 5 years
I would get another if it was stolen
Looks great
I was looking at an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, that was very nice but it was twice the price and VERY HEAVY
(Epiphone SG has a bolt on neck)
SG is light but has a good sound
I have a Laney Valve amp and a Boss Commpressor which soungs great with the SG

If you are looking at an Epiphone SG get this instead!!
If you are looking at a Gibson SG TRY THIS

Also, Samick do make Les Pauls
They also make a cheaper SG with a Bolt on Neck

SOMETHING WEIRD!!!
The guy in the shop reckon that Samick make 90% of the worlds guitars
He said even some american Fenders and Gibsons are made by Samick in Korea and the stamp whatever brand on it

I dont quite believe this, But
You Never Know??????

This is a look a like for the 61'Gibson SG. I think it wa made in Korea. It has 22 frets, with a se neck un-like some bolt on necks. It has 2-tone nobes and 2-volume nobes with a 3 way selector. I'm not to sure about the picks,what kind they are but for a factory they sound great. i'm not to sure what the body is made out of but the neck is maple. It a wine red color that has a great wood finish on it. like most SGs it does have a stop tailpiece on it. The tuners are just plastic tuners but they work great. i bought it used so it didn't come with anything speical.

The humbeckers fit my stlye of music really good, i like to play really havey kinds of music, just all different kinds. Right now i'm running this though a valvestate 4x12 with a VS 8100 hybrid head, and a zoom 505. all together it sounds great. I don't have any noisy sounds at all. this guitar a really nice rich, and full sound to it. I really don't have a problem with the guitar at all, i just wish it was a gibson. haha. It look jsut like one, i held the 2 together and the only difference was the head stock. But the head stock has a really cool disign on and looks cool.

I don't know how the action was when it came out of the factory becuase i bought it used but when i got it the action was not that great, but i just changed and now its great. the pickups were put in there great, they had not been touched. the guitar had no flaws that i could find, and every thing was put in very good(electonics).

This guitar would not die on me at a gig, has never and never will. The hard wear is great i have never had a prob with it. the finish is great and ever lasting. i took the strap buttons off, they were not that great and i put ducan strap-locks on them. i can always depend on and i will never need a back-up guitar, even tough i do play with a strat also.

never delt with them

I have had this guitar for about a year 1/2 now, i have been play for about 3 or 4. If this guitar was stolen with out a doubt i would go out a buy another one, but first of all it would not get stolen because i would beat the hell out of the guy that did it. I love this giutar because it looks, sounds and feels great in about every way. i did compare it to the gibson sg, the only difference was the pickups and they still sound good. for the money, its the shit.

My Artist Series SG was bought new in 1997, foreign made but not sure where (I want to say Korea). Copy of a 1961 SG, with 22 frets, dual chrome humbuckers with black plastic rings, humped block inlays with a bound rosewood fingerboard, plastic tuning keys, stop tailpiece, 2 tone and 2 volume with 3-way selector switch, plastic tuning pegs, and a small laminated pickguard. The body is laminated mahogany with a mahogany set neck in a cherry red finish. Standard Gibson scale (24 3/4"). The guitar is an exact copy but for the headstock, which is actually a very pretty painted-on design.

I can't tell the difference between this one and the actual SG reissue I played. The tone spectrum runs the full gamut, and the controls have decent fine tuning ability to contour the sound. This guitar actually sounded better when playing on one pickup, rather than trying to blend the volumes and tones of the two pickups. This guitar sounded good for everything but country, which is fine cause I hate country and everything that goes with it.

I didn't have to do any action adjustment on this guitar when I bought it. Either the store set it up or the factory did, but they did a great job. The strings were very close to the neck, and this causes problems in some playing styles by making the strings buzz. I did have to do some intonation adjustment, probably because I restrung it. There were a few finish flaws, what looked like drips on both of the curves of the cutaways, but I was surprised to find out that they came off when I put my thumbnail to them without leaving a blemish. The finish on the guitar is a very nice, deep cherry red, well polished. The fretboard inlays are mother-of-toilet-seat, and could have been routed out better (there is some filler visible, but only on close inspection). I did end up replacing the plastic nut and metal bridge saddles with Graph-Tech replacements (I highly recommend them) and this cut down on the problems I had with staying in tune, which were significant.

This guitar holds up live to a beating; consequently there is some scratching on the back from my buckle, but none are down to the wood. I haven't had any complaints on the live performance, except when I try to get fancy and use both pickups (my fault, I think; the same thing happens with my ES-175). The neck joint is solid and doesn't knock the guitar out of tune.

Haven't had to deal with Samick.

I bought this guitar because I wanted to be Angus. I had heard that if you buy the same guitar as your hero, you only have his guitar, you don't sound or play like him. In my opinion, if you want to sound or play like your hero, you have to feel a little like him. Being six-foot-one and from Texas, I am the farthest thing from Angus. But when I put on this little guitar, I feel like Angus, and that's really all that matters to me. When I found out that this guitar had a laminated body, I was put off. When I looked at it, I had to look _very_ closely to see the joints. The grain is clearly visible and the finish is great, and the joints do not show unless you really look. I would absolutely replace this guitar if it were stolen, but that might be difficult: I've only ever found two of them. If you want the SG look, and the SG tone, without paying the SG price, buy this guitar. If you don't like it, I'll buy it off you.