Vintage VS6 SG Copy

Well you already know what an SG looks like so we'll skip the features. Here's my story - I came across this Cherry finish VintageVS6G hanging on the wall of my local 'cash converters', side by side with a Gould SG copy in Sea Foam green (review already submitted for that one). Both were in a terrible state, grimy all over, tarnished frets, crappy old strings etc, but I knew with a bit of TLC there was a couple of gems here, waiting to be restored. The VS6 was priced at ??79 and the Gould at ??49 . I persuaded the guy in charge to let me have the two for ??100, so call it ??35 for the Gould and ??65 for the VS6 - and that's where I'm starting from. one weekend spent pulling them apart, cleaning everything in sight, polishing the frets (which actually show no wear at all) lemon-oiling the fretboards, etc and I now have two new toys for the summer!

As a full time guitar teacher I play all styles to some extent - jack of all trades ... ! By preference and when gigging it's mostly jazzy stuff (60s hammond grooves, Blue Note/hip -hop jazz etc), with the occasion forays into R&B, blues, pop covers when required. Played clean, the pickups do their job well enough, but are maybe a little lacking in character. The Gould pickups, whilst looking identical, have a really nice open airy quality to them. Having said that the Vintage pups sound much better when cranked - so that's probably the way you would want it. It's worth mentioning that this is an older model, definitely pre Wilkinson - so I guess the pickups are bog standard Korean units - they read about 7.5K (neck) and 8.5K (bridge) so ideal for 'vintage' (ha ha) PAF style tones, rather than full on shred.

Being an older model this has the deep burgundy finish which I really like - the current models are too bright red in my opinion. It has gold hardware, which has worn somewhat but looks quite cool. As others have mentioned it is quite neck heavy - or was till I replaced the full on gold tuners with a new set of Wilkinson deluxes with the plastic keystone buttons - about half the weight of the originals and they look much better. Only real gripe was the top nut - the standard black plastic affair, with string spacing that was too narrow. I've replaced that with a GraphTec 'Tusq' (man made ivory) nut which has better spacing, looks great, and works much better. Aside from that the finish is excellent, the body is two piece, centre joined, close/straight grained mahogany, (unlike the current models which have big swirly grain lines more like alder or ash, though they say it's mahogany). Likewise the neck which is mahogany, and has a nice dark rosewood fretboard which didn't leak black stain when it was cleaned! I would assume it's a poly finish, but it's not over thick like some, and is actually beginning to sink into the grain which looks nice. Looks like it will age gracefully and become a 'vintage' Vintage!

Definitely a giggable guitar, looks feels and sounds the part, good for any blues/rock/punk styles. There's just something about the very design of the SG, the slim body and the very exposed neck joint, that makes me nervous, but what the hell - if you can pick one up as cheaply as I did what's there to worry about? Go give it some stick!

N/A

Somehow I can't help thinking that the usual pattern applies here - the old ones turn out to be the better ones. I haven't compared this side by side with the new 'Wilkinson' models, but I've heard they are smaller? and lighter, maybe to appeal to the young beginner's market. It's not a Gibson, but let's face it we don't all have the money to splash on the real deal. For me it's a lot of fun, and one I'll probably be using for teaching as a nice change from my usual strats and teles.

Basic SG copy, gloss black. No case or gig bag. Bought mine in January '09.
Wilkinson hardware (PUs, tuners, bridge, tailpiece).

http://www.guitarbitz.com/uploads/images_versions_large/419.jpg
http://www.guitarbitz.com/221.htm

http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageelectric.html

Body: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany ??? Set Neck
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Scale: 24.75"/628mm
Frets: 22
Neck Inlays: Pearloid Crown
Tuners: Wilkinson?? Deluxe WJ44
Bridge: Tune-O-Matic with Stop Bar Tailpiece
Pickups: Wilkinson?? Double Coil x 2 (N)MWVC (B)MWVC
Hardware: Chrome (VS6/ VS6B/ LVS6) Gold (VS6CG)
Controls: 2 x Volume/ 2 x Tone/ 3-Way Toggle

Just plug it in. No fx. Mesa, Peavey, Laney valve amps (15-50 watts).
The sound is as I expect from a H/H miced guitar with thin body. Very much AC/DC and that's the way I want my rock and roll.

I play rock, hard rock and blues. Some songs require single coil sound, obviously that's not available, that's what I need my Fender for.
Go for VS6 if you're in search for Angus Young sound but don't have much money.

C'mon. Take a look at the price tag, Vintage VS6 is a cheap guitar and if you start looking for flaws with a magnifying glass... Sure, some very minor finish flaws but what'd you expect for ???150?

I dunno what James @ Guitarbitz did to my VS6 before shipping (they have a 12 point check prog), I haven't had to adjust much. Changed strings to heavier gauge E.Ball set (original strings sucked though with that set it was stringbenders ball!), did some fine adjusting to action, haven't touched truss rod, set low-E intonation. The usual. No different than my Tokai or Fender guitars.
Just the proper amount fret buzz!

I think it will withstand live playing as well as any of my guitars, just as long as I don't smash the head to the floor - it's a bit neck heavy and I have yet to buy a good strap.
Strap buttons seemed ok, bought me some Dunlop Loks to secure strap. I think I can depend on this guitar when doing shows.

The pots might be the first piece of hardware to replace. But since I don't touch them too much, it'll probably take years of playing before replacement. Tuners seem ok after one month of use.

Never play without backup.

Don't know about John Hornby Skewes' customer support but James @ Guitarbitz ( http://www.guitarbitz.com ) is a kind person who does not get annoyed when I ask him silly questions. Cheers, James!

I don't think Vintage guitars have any more faults requiring warranty repair than any other brand. Considering the price the quality is astonishing. Just the Wilkinson pups and tuners bought separately cost as much as the guitar itself!

I've been playing for over 30 years. Geez, I must be old! ;-)
Things have changed during that time - now you CAN get a decent guitar for a very small amount of money. Not the case when I started.

My Vintage VS6 is a good guitar. There are guitar brands with SG copys three times more expensive but still aren't as good. I bought a Vintage guitar just to check if it's any good (all reviews were so positive) and it was! I'm thinking of getting me a V100 LP copy too...

The perfect guitar is still somewhere out there or it might be that there isn't such a thing as a perfect guitar...

Its an SG clone, so short on features in some eyes. It has all I need.

Suits perfectly. Classic rock, bit of metal, bit of bluesy stuff and punk. Used with many amps over the years and it sounds wonderful through valves. Not too bad through tranny amps either. Amazing range of tones can be pulled from it.
Bit microphonic at times. Mine is old now, pre Wilkinson. I understand the Wilkinson pups are even better.
Makes a lovely sound.

Spot on. Well set up. I raised the action slightly but that is it. Better than my Gibson in terms of set up in fact. The finish is not as good as the Gibbo, but is batter than my Epi. I have a few SG type guitars :-)

Had it 6 years now. It has stood up every kind of abuse and shrugged it off. It is a tough little cookie. I bought the Gibbo after the Vintage and the Epi after that as I'm a sod for snapping strings and always need a backup. It stays in tune, the buttons have stayed on, the switch still works despite years of being thumped and stuttered. The pots could really do with being replaced, but thats it.

Eh?, they have a warranty?. What for?

Been playing for longer than I care to admit. If it were stolen or got broken, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. I love its looks, its solidity, its neck and the sheer damn fun of playing it. Solid 10.

the features are pretty basic

wikinson H/H
wikinson delux tuners
2 volume & tone controls
3 way selecter swich
4 piece scrach plate
22 frets.........

Well.....its a gibson copy what do you exspect.

I will say it is well finished and put together.

i play classic rock and blues this guitar is perfect for.For the price i payed this is a true bargin and could easily compete with the Epiphone version.
The Wikinson humbuckers do the job for me , they are not the best in the world but can do a nice warm fat tone for blues and a raunchy crisp sound for rock.
I use my stagg 20 watt amp as never let me down.
Of course if you are not satisfied with the pickups you can replace them with a couple of seymour duncans, but i am in no rush to do so

The guitar is set up well i got it almost in tune . The guitar is in no way a light weight as it is fairly heavy and also the strap buttons could be stronger ( but who cares about that )
the fretboard is well made , smooth with Albone inlays and no dents or scraches that i can see. The headstock is neatly finished with the vintage logo.

I havent had it long so we will see if it lasts. The only thing i would change is the weight and strap buttons.

I should think you would be able to play a gig with it.

Never needed it , they were friendly and helpful which is all ways nice.

i have been playing for 3 yrs but have studied guitars for 5 yrs. I have various other guitars but it would take to long to talk about them and i dont want to bore you.
This guitar is by far the best SG copy i have ever played and if you find a better one i will eat my shoes!!!.

I hope you have found this review helpful and if you have any questions either go to my you tube page guitarReviews4you or EMAIL ME at jasonwatson44@yahoo.co.uk

It's an SG Copy.
This review is to mainly update the Reliability/Durability. These things are tough. i have owned this since 2006.

Mine has had several replacement pickups and is still on the original switch, Pots are the weak spot when doing mods on these, everything else is fine.

It's my number 2 guitar behind My Gibson, lester.

It currently has a Dimarzio Paf Pro in the neck and a Gibson 498t in the bridge, these pickups were cheaply obtained [forums and swapped out from other guitars]. It sounds great for most forms of music, not the best for Funk/Ultra clean stuff- probably use a Telecaster for that. Gibson Sgs do sound better,in general,but this gets a solid 9. They don't sound bad as standard.

Many modifications and setups, by myself, plays fine.
A lot of work has been done,but the action fit and finish were always good. Frets are holding up admirably well. The main faults were whacking great 'oles below the bridge and stop bar, [ie the holes were too deep] which have been filled with wood and rock hard epoxy. The guitar has been modded to heck. http://uk.youtube.com/user/lemniscate100

I have owned this since 2006. Everything is fine.

Man this thing is tough, I have had 3 "major accidents" with this.

You must bear in mind that the pickup ring holes are pretty shagged before i write the next bit.

This stands propped up on a wall in my back room, contributes to accidents, of that i have no doubt.

Accident 1.

The strap of the VS6 caught on the trem arm of my Pacifica when I pulled the pacifica away from the wall -the VS6 span round in the air and whacked down on it's front. I was sure it was b+ggered.

Damage= the pickup rings screws pulled out [worn holes,remember] from the neck and bridge pickups, and the tuner ferrules[the bushings that go in the front of the headstock] on 2 tuners popped out,under the strings. It was also out of tune [of course] I was amazed - this was the sum total of the damage, i found the screws and put them back in using wood shavings.

Accident 2. Strap came off front button [yes, it now has a strap retainer.]Vs6 faceplanted right onto the bloody headstock, on shortpile carpet though. I bet that made some people wince! I was sure the thing was toast,NO! Damage= shook up the tuner ferrules, and was out of tune.Fcuk-ing amazing!

Accident 3. Slid down wall and flipped on it's front
Damage =,was out of tune.

I am amazed and still shiver a little when i think of the punishment the first 2 accidenst inflicted.

There is no tougher guitar, I have owned.

I would not even expect most Fender type guitars to survive what this has,do they make them out of Vietnamese cockroaches?. I think the Polyurethane finish does help with the toughness of this guitar.

No Idea,do i need any?

When the frets are shot and I'm old and feeble in 20 years i will use the damn thing as walking stick!

I am 42, have been playing for 30 years on and off,I own a few guitars now and have owned lots in the past. These days I mostly Play for fun and mess about on Youtube.

It's a very good SG copy in every respect and tough as a rock!

see here for more. http://uk.youtube.com/user/lemniscate100

features are as follows -

Mahogany Body
Mahogany Set Neck
Mahogany Body
22 Fret Mahogany Set Neck
Rosewood Fingerboard
Pearloid Crown Neck Inlays
Wilkinson humbuckers

i bought mine from a local store so i had to buy everything else seperate.

year made ?

the neck is smoother than a gibsons
the wilkinson humbuckers are not the best in the world but they are pretty good for the price.

i play mainly classic rock and blues , this guitar is NOT a SG wanabe but a guitar that out classes gibsons , dont get me wrong everyone wants a gibson including me! but this guitar in my opinion ands lots of other peoples as well sounds better than the gibson sg epiphone and it is far cheaper. this guitar plays what ever you want , but i wouldnt use it for heavy metal ( a real gibson sg shouldnt be used for this ethier)

i have not occured any buzzing or unwanted noise.
i use my stagg 20 watt amp.

im scoring it 9 nothing is perfect.

i have nothing much to say ..... except more care could or been takin on the fret board .. nothing bad but not the best craftmanship in the world..

this guitar could be played on stage i havent yet but i think it would turn some heads.

the hardware is all decent , the weight could hold you back slightly it isnt heavy as such but is heavier than the gibson version.

thr finish is just beautiful , amazing , to be honest i would rather just stare at it than play it..... i got mine in wine red ... the wood shows up so nicely and the scrach plate has 3 layers to it black,white then black . 10 for looks!!!

the strap buttons could be a little tighter and firmer to hold the guitars weight but the get by.

a tip for you if you do wish to play a gig with all ways bring a back-up i remember i once played a gig at my high school and the strap buttons on my strat broke crashing my guitar to the ground .....it broke if i didnt have a back-up the gig would of been canceled.

never had to call them but they were nice guys they helped me with picking the colour.

i have been playing for 4 years now so i kinda know what im talking about, i own a behringer HELL BABE wah wah pedal which works well with this guitar, a yamaha "something" classical guitar ( sorry i cant remenber the name ) a fender stratocaster ( black and gold custom design) a lindo electro - acoustic not much to say about it as it is rubbish. a stagg and epiphone 20 and 50 watt amps. and a yamaha magic step.

if someone stole it i would break my heart OR COURSE I WOULD BUY ANOTHER ONE

the shere power of it is my favourite thing my least favourite thing would probaly be the weight of it wich isnt really an issue.

i wish it had different tuners the ones on it are just awful looking but that is easy delt with

i would just like to say thank you harmony central for putting together a great website.

The sound that comers out of this is not bad i play a lot of metal,bluses and jazz and it can do all of this

You get nice tone and you can get a nice solid sound

really not bad for the price

Amzing i love the finish it is really nice. The action is good but i think that has somthing to do with the shop i got it from.
but you can get some fret buzz.

Not that good really because the g string all ways goes out of tune which is so bad. the jack input is not that good so if you are playing a gig and you jump all over the place it is not that good for it.

plus a really bad thing i had it for 6 mouths and loads of frets went all of the high e string and some on the b string and that is really bad for me.

not that great but me on hold all of the time that was for the dead frets

Put it this way if you pratice a lot say 5 hours like me do not get it because it will not last that long
but i must say i love the tone that i can get out of this so for sound great.

5

5

5

5

5

You people must remember nothing sounds like a real Gibson, and even more important nothing sounds like a real vintage gibson, They don't use the same mahogany, rosewood, electronics, wire, pots, tuners everything overseas. But the tonal quality of asian mahogany or asian rosewood if thats even what its called has a totally different sound, im not saying its a bad one. Things i never realized in the past were that Gibson actually uses one piece mahogany necks, and 1 piece mahogany bodies on their high end stuff, so even if you get the same electronics its still not the same tone, im writing this in light of all gibson copy guitars not just this one, the look feel and soung of a gibson is unparrelleled so spend the money and buy a real one, people don't complain about spending thousands on a car thats assembly line built by robots and thousands on many things with hbuge mark up and huge profit margins like computers that cost about 50bucks to make and sell for 1000, but people gripe about a guitar thats hand built in the U.S.A by your neighbors in Nashville and Montana that only make about 1/3 profit margin and they don't sell a huge number of guitars a year, 1300$ guitar like a LP classic sells for 2000$ the thing is a hand built work of art, the chinese make every brand in there factories with slave labor from squier to epiphone to ibanez, turser everthing, built by children putting together toys, and the profit margin is way higher on all that stuff, just like it is at wallmart, BUY AMERICAN AND SUPPORT AMERICAN MANUFACURING the Industry that made this COUNTRY what it is, BUY USA GEAR AND THE PRICE WILL DROP<<<<< written MG from the inside (i don't work for gibson or fender im just a tone freak)

I hope I do not have to go into what the guitar has and doesn't. Many have done that all ready so no nead for me to do so.

Well this guitar fits in where I need it to be. I play all kinds of styles and it holds its own very nicely. I play through a Marshall Super 100 JH. I have only 2 pedals, a holy grail and a H2O and the guitar works well with what I have. Its not noisey at all and has great tone. I live in an apartment at the moment and can not open it up the way I would like to but in time I will. We played it loud at the music store and I liked what I heard.Very nice articulate sound. The selector switch for the p/u's works well and you can dial in what you want. It has great unlying tone that I find a real SG does not have. It does not copy the sound of a real SG but comes close enough but has a sound of its own. Great guitar

Well I bought this guitar from my small music store in town. When it arrived he did nothing to it and it only needs a minor intonation set up. Not bad for a guitar that came half way around the world. The fit and finish is perfect. Every thing works properly and needs no adjusting.For the money its a real deal of a puchase. I spent many years being a snob at what my guitar had to be made by... what a hudge big mistage that was.

I have only had the guitar a month and its seems like its the real dael. Its my second Vintage, I also own the Les Paul Junior model with a P-90 in the bridge and that is a great guitar also. Over time I bet this guitar will preform just as good as any big brand name guitar would. I have ordered the Gold Top with P-90's in it and can hardly wait till that gets here.

I have never had to even call these guys as I am a new customer and have had no problems at all.

I have been playing on and off most of my life and I am 55. I have owned many a great instrument. You can tell that by the amp I play through. No these guitars are not Gibson or Fender or what have you. These are the Vinatge brand. For what you pay for this brand name guitar its well worth taking a good look. My SG I just bought playes better than the real Gibson SG. The neck is faster and more comfortable to play on. The sound is top notch and if you want a change take the pups and and go the way you want to. This guitar costs a fraction of what the real one goes for but since it so much cheaper you can rebuild the whole guitar and still come way under what a real one will cost if thats what you think you need to do. I think the Vintage brand is one of the little secrets in the industry. I have a Fender Custom Shop 1966 Strat NOS and would put my Vinatge SG right beside it for what it does and quality of sound and build.

Standard SG/Les Paul fare... you've read it before.
Set neck, which is great at this price level.
Mine is one of the pre-Wilkinson SGs, and the neck is a bit slimmer with thinner frets than in the newer models. I prefer bigger frets, but these are perfectly adecuate.

As usual for an SG, due to teh slightly thinner lighter body, the guitar is a bit unbalanced and the neck tends to pull towards the ground. This feature of SG guitars used to annoy me until I realised that a leather strap offers just enough friction to offset the imbalance.

I play mostly rock/heavy stuff, but also funk or with a funk flavour. This guitar is great for all these styles. The pickups are not fantastic, but they're decent and I am not in a hurry to replace them.

I bought mine used. The set up was fine, with low action. This guitar was pretty well made and the finish has lasted quite a few years already without any major problems. Considering the cost of this guitar, this is really very good. the neck feels smooth and the fret ends are very well finished. Lovely to play.

When I bought it this guitar had a couple of pots loose and the output socket too... it took me all of 5 minutes to fix this plus spray contact cleaner into the pots... and the guitar works flawlessly now. Whilst it may not be made from top quality components, I can't see much to complain about here.
I'd say the weakest part are the tuners. This guitar must be 6 years old or so, and I can feel the tuners aren't veyr good, but they still work and the guitar stays in tune just fine.
The pickup switch tends to fail on these guitars, but mine is still going strong.

I have been playing guitar for over 15 years, and bass for about 1. I have owned/played many guitars and after my initial "I must have a big name on the headstock" I'm cured, and I just want instruments that work well.
If you want an SG style guitar, Vintage makes great ones for not much money at all. Mine is one of the ones before Trevor Wilkinson started working with JHS. The newer pickups are better, more "organic", but these are fine... I haven't tried them yet in a rehearsal situation (I play bass with a couple of bands, not guitar) so I am no sure how they will respond at high volumes... I suspect they'll probably be prone to squealing.. but it's just a suspicion (but it happens with most budget pickups), so I might end up replacing them if I gigged with this, but it would be fine for most people.
This SG represents great value for money, it's so smooth and sounds great. I'd buy another in a heartbeat if this one got stolen. I mean... you can get them second hand for ??60-80... how can you go wrong?