Vintage VS6 SG Copy

It's an SG, it doesn't have features. A new kitchen has features, but this doesn't ;)

It's just a really well made, quite basic guitar. Two pickups, volume and tone for each, 3-way selector and other important things like machine heads and a bridge.

Now we're talking !! I was drafted into a funk band last year, and it didn't sound out of place. I've played and recorded a lot of different styles since then, and it's cut the mustard each time. I've recently put a set of 12's on it and detuned it to C for my own stuff (stoner rock type-stuff), and yet again, it's come up trumps. The only thing it wont do, is give you that Hendrix front pickup sound, but I fiddled about with my effects and got pretty near.

My setup goes like this:

A/B switch > Zoom 505 & Digitech RP7 > Marshall 100 watt Super Lead head > angle top 4x12 fitted with Celestion Sidewinders.

I've also played it through Fender twins, Messy Bogies and DI'd it straight into a desk. I've also got a lot of old effects I like to use from time to time, and an E-bow. No problems.

The factory set-up was a bit spongey for my tastes, but it didn't take me long to set it up how i wanted it. The neck radius is really shallow, which gives you the opportunity to have a really low action without it choking anywhere. I had to give the saddles a bit of attention with very fine wet and dry paper, 'cos the strings it came with were snapping very quickly indeed. I put a new set of Dean Markleys on after this, and I haven't had any breakages since. I can't remember having to adjust the pickups, and there's been no unwanted noises either.

Neck and body are both great. 'Solid' is a word that springs to mind. Paint job is mirror-like, a bit of wax polish every time you change strings and it keeps it's looks. Let's face it, I'm talking about a black SG, they look cool !! The only real change I made was to move the strap button from the back of the neck to the top horn. I use one of those screwed in straps with the release catches like you find on a rucksack, so it's never come undone.

This guitar definately withstands playing live. It's a very solid guitar. It's had a couple of knocks, but there's no chips and very few scratches. I've gigged it a few times and NEVER felt that I've needed a backup. As with all SG's, it's neck heavy.

Dunno.

I've gone on a bit about this guitar, but I truly think it deserves it. I've been playing for 15 years, and I own quite a few guitars including strats, headless and 24 fret metal monsters. I tried the Epiphone SG when I went to buy this, it was more than double the price, but half the guitar. I would recommend the Vintage to anyone willing to try something without the 'badge'. The only thing I wish it had, is tappable humbuckers, 'cos I do miss the single coil sound from time to time, but it wouldn't be too much hassle to fit some myself. It's great value, well made and it looks cool. What more do you want ??

Its an SG copy, so no 'features' as such, just a set neck, 2 humbuckers, 2v2t and a toggle.
The body is mahogany, the neck is constructed from 5 beautifully made sections and the fretboard is similar to rosewood. The pups are no-name far eastern. The bridge and stop bar are from a company called SamShin, whose products seem to dominate far eastern guitars.
22 medium frets, stock Gibson scale. Good sealed tuners that are smooth in use and do hold it in tune. Only accessiries were a laughable song sheet and an allen key for the neck.

Bit silly ratng it for features.

Sounds utterly wonderful!. No kidding either. Some microphony from the pups. Rich, full, detailed all the way through bright to wiry and harsh depending on which pup is selected and the position of the tone control. I play punk/garage mostly with some dibblings with classic rock. It suits like no other in this price range and to my cloth ears fits right in. Fails to get a 10 because no guitar gets a 10.

Set up good. I have raised the action a tad. Intonation fine. Pups adjusted perfectly. No issues with the fret edges. No string choking, so you can play the whole neck and the sound remains consistent. Nut not perfect, but close enough for me not to bother doing anything to it. Some spotting in the lacquer, but you have to look -really- hard to see it. For its price, it gets a 10. In the real world, price not included, it gets a solid 9

Will it stand live playing?. Yes.
Doe sthe hardware seem like it will last?. NO. the frets are already showing signs of wear. I play very, very hard. I attack the instrument and fret hard. there are some signs of wear on most of the lower 12 frets now including some dishing of the lower three. Still, who gives a damn if it only lasts 3 years. It is a dirt cheap, nice sounding, lovely to play guitar!
The finish will last. It is a good lacquer that is impervious to buckle rash and pick scratches.
I use a locking strap, and the positioning of the neck end strap button is a pain. Like all SGs, it is ferociously neck heavy. I loves SGs, so I put up with it. Fit a Fender Precision Bass string tree on the top of the upper horn and forget about it.
I do depend on this guitar, and I'd never gig without another as a backup. Strings break, especially if you play like I do.

Que?

Been playing for a fair few years. Own a Vintage LP, but prefer this.
If, when the frets are utterly beyond redemption, I have a few shillings, I would like to get it refretted with harder wire, I -may- put some EMG or SD pups in. It sounds like Angus, I play like East Bay, it works for me. Now take price in to consideration. I have owned this guitar for 9 months and play it every day. Some days I practice most of the waking day. This cheap SG clone inspires me to play it far more than any other guitar I've owned over the past couple of decades. Bought for its looks, its sound, and the way it plays. The rock bottom price and the fact that it isn't firewood are a real bonus. I wish it had stainless steel frets and a graphtec nut.
Overall, it has to get a 10

Twin humbucker '62 Gibson copy. Separate tone and volume on each pickup, like the Les Paul series.
Quite a tall guitar, the fretboard is very accessible.
Solid bridge, stays in tune well. Solid wood body in cherry red with a bonded neck. The body is quite thin, good comfort.

The fretboard is quite wide - very easy to play, and great for outrageous string bending! It really is a solid guitar that does the basic 'guitar thing' with great competency, except the neck-strap balance is neck-heavy.

The sound is very flexible. My real Gibson (which I took back) would only make a clangy sound no matter what I did to it.
This one can do anything - an amazing range. From chunky damped heavy metal bass to searing high notes, even without changing the controls it can do all styles.
The sound is generally very smooth but with a significant bite if you ask for it.

Setup was excellent, smooth fretboard, lovely varnish - a revelation.

I use this guitar for any serious stuff - it is very dependable.

This guitar is essential, I would get another one straight away if it was lost. It knocks the spots of the Gibson I had in build quality and sound, and of course was much much cheaper!!

This is an update to my review below. Pickguard is 4 ply, not three. Quite how I missed that...

OK, my MG100DFX died, and I'm back on a borrowed Marshall valve stack of unknown origin, borrowed from a -very- trusting friend :)

Just how much difference does using a valve amp compared to a tranny make with this guitar?. It is an order of magnitude my dears. This thing sings through a valve amp. The pups push the preamp into lovely creamy overdrive. It sings. Clean and fuzzy at the same time. Balanced and powerful. I borrowed said mates Epiphone SG for backup purposes and needed it when I snapped the E. At full throttle, this guitar has -more- projection than the Epi. Sorry to all you folk who bought an Epi, this is better sounding at earbleed live levels. Walking backwards toward the amp, the Vintage pulls lovely feedback from the amp, the Epi sounds harsh even though the output from the pups seems the same.
Without taking price into account, or finish or fit or anything, just balls out sound when playing like a nutter, this thing warrants a 10. Listen to the Live At Leeds album. Now you know how this things sounds when cranked to the edge and abused. Just ordered another :)

See previous review. My string snapped on the final chord of a song. It didn't snap at the nut or bridge, but snapped right where I strummed, so I cannot blame the guitar.
The flimsy feeling selector stood up to being used to 'stutter' the guitar as well as being plain old fashioned thumped into position.

I went to take the rear plate off to look at shielding it. One screw had been overtightened at the factory and pulled the hole too big. From the outside, it looks superb. Some corners have been cut inside though.

Nothing 10 mins with some shielding spray, a bit of tin foil and a soldering iron doesn't cure though.

Does it stand being hammered by a thug live?, yeah, and it grins at you and asks for more.
The hardware will last as its chrome not the gold finish. It has not oxidised. The strap buttons haven't pulled out, but I do use a locking strap now.
Can I depend on it?, whaddya think!. Never gig without a backup though. String snappage happens to us all sometimes.

Not applicable

Love it to bits and am buying another. Does that tell you enough?
They do need shielding though. At full tilt, they hum slightly as they pick up whatever stray EMF is kicking about. The pots really could do with replacing with ones that act over more of their range, and fit speed knobs in place of the ones fitted as stock s the stock ones do not make violining easy.
I play this beast for at least two hours a day, and it rewards me every time.
Better than an Epi?, well, for my money yes. You can resell an epi though and I would bet that Vintage guitars have no resale value. Still, at these prices, WGASA?

Details as outlined by others below. Made in the far east somewhere.
This may be bullshit, it may be true, I'll relay it anyways.
Waiting to be served by the pleasant but harrassed assistant in a guitar shop in deepest West Yorkshire ( ee baa gum and all that ), the current customer was adamant he wanted a Squier Affinity Tele because its a Fender apparently. The assistant stood his ground and said 'No, you want either a Squier or a Vintage. They are made on the same far eastern production line as Squier and some Epiphone, its the same price as the affinity and it is much better'. The customer was not convinced, so the shop assistant demonstrated both guitars. The customer bought the Affinity. I bought the Vintage, then two years later, I bought this one. My tele now lives with another, and it has been gigged with recently. He loves it and it sounded great live.

The quality of that one, and the generably favourable reviews on here are prompted me.

As for the features score, well, it has everything you'd expect. Mahogony body and set neck, 6 no name tuners which do hold it in tune, plastic nut, 22 fat frets on what looks to be a rose wood-a-like fret board, two no name humbuckers, three way switch, 2v+2t pots and an excellent jack. The neck is thin but fairly wide, the action a tad high. The bridge is a tune-O-matic type. Mine is cherry red. The knobs on the pots will have to be replaced as they look like cheap shyte when you're playing it. Oddly, they don't look too bad from a distance. Pay no heed to the rating.

I bought it to play heavy rock ( UFO, Black Sabbath ) and punk ( Clash, Sex Pistols ) mainly, but also to dibble about with Kyuss/QOTSA type stuff. It suits perfectly.
I'm using a Marshall MG15DFX combo with a Danelectro CoolCat chorus and a home built wah. The guitar is silent. No extraneous buzzez or crackles and the pickups don't seem to be at all microphonic, which is amazing at the price. The tonal variations available from this guitar are vast. It goes from bright, cutting treble on the bridge pickup with the bass wound fully off ( it really can cut glass ) to shit faced on smack on the neck pickup with the bass fully up and all tones in between. I can be Schenker, Page or Young ( in my dreams maybe ) or at least a reasonable approximation :). Only minor gripe, and a tweak of the contour filter lessened it, is a bit of a honk ( yup, think goose ) in the mid range when on both pups. Think the chord sequence to Death Or Glory. The two chords just before the chorus. I play them as full, not power chords. My guitar made like a goose. Most off putting. 'Honk Honk - Death or glory'.
Still, makes a better mash of it than my Dano does.

From the factory, the set up was quite good. The fret edges are flush and smooth, the pickups line up under the strings, which is nice to see. The pups must have been adjusted well as there is no real change in volume when going from neck to bridge. The neck is set perfectly.
I don't think the switch will last though. It feels a bit flimsy and loose.
The volume control knobs only seem to have a limited range. It goes from silent to full over about 'three'. After that, no change. Similar with the tone controls. They only seem to operate over a range of 'six' on the knobes. After that, no change.
The varnish is thick, and seems to quite resistant to scratching. There are a few minor dimples in the coating, but you can't see them from more than three feet away.

The 3 ply scratch guard is scratched to buggery already, but from a distance still looks like new. Odd. No oxidation of the chrome, and it has not pock marked where I palm mute. The strings fitted at the factory are shyte. Set of slinkys is only a few quid. Go on, you owe it to the guitar.

It looks beautiful. Truly.

Will it stand live playing?, yup, it sure does. Stays in tune too. Looks like it will last the course, and at this price, who cares?. The strap buttons are solidly fitted, but they are still strap buttons. Bread closures over the strap end stops those 'bugger, my guitar is on my foot ' moments. Gig without a backup?, never do as I'm a ham fisted sod who breaks strings. Other than that, sure, I'd trust it.

Not dealt with them. In the UK, the distributor is JHS, who looked after my Dano well enough.

Been playing for a few years. Own a Dano 59 DC and a Yamaha acoustic thingy. It plays chunk much better than the Dano. If it were damaged, lost or stolen, I'd buy another without hesitation. I love its look, fit, finish, sound, weight and feel, but most of all, and this may sound weird, I love the grain of the wood.
Chosen for price, reviews and looks plus the ace fun I had with the Vintage tele. I'm actually tempted to buy the black and gold one as well.

No idea where or when it was made.
22 Frets
3 way control , 2 tone 2 volume controls
2 passive Humbuckers (no name)
Mahogany body , maple neck , rosewood fingerboard.
Aged cherry finish.
A very good copy of the SG..only differnce is the frets goinf into the guitar.
Standard tuners...no name...but damm they are good.
Very easy neck. I've played on some pretty expensive guitars .... but this just is the EASIEST guitar i've ever played on. Nice and big frets.

Doesn't sound as a lot...but all these stuff realy bind dogether very well.... extremely well that\s why i'll give her a high rating

Well.... to my humble oppinion here lays the biggest prob of the guitar.
The humbuckers are good.... but there is too much "humming"
I've ordered a good set to replace the old ones.
I have a Marshall AVT 50 and a Zoom GFX8 as my normal setup.
As far as the stock pickups..... for 170 quid..... very good.... the rythm pickup is reeeeaaallly fat and bassy..... you sometimes think you have a 7 string..and the other one.... well... you can throw a solo woth it... but nothing ripping in there.... but it's not like you have 2 pickups that they have no differences between them....i would expect that for that price.
The sustain..... not bad ...not good..... average to good
It is not a very verastile guitar. Use it with a good amp.... and things get better. I have no complaints...even by using just my avt i can get a good variety of sounds. I makes a good blues and rock guitar....and you can get some warm sounds out of it.

The whole set up is quite good.... no need for any adjustments.
The pickups were placed fine.
When you see it in a shop window.... with the headstock covered .... better than the epiphone.... almost the same as a good gibson finish.
Kinda heavy though.... and the straplocks are not in the best place for comfort playing.

This is a heavy duty guitar. Used it for 2 years so far.... been hit scrached and has drunk a lot of beer through the volume and tone knobs.... still works fine...still looks the same..appart from tiny scratches at the back.
You can depend on this guitar anytime.... hell you can try to brake it and you will be embarassed on stage.
Yes i would use it in a gig with no backup.

I only know the website...http://www.jhs.co.uk/...never needed them

For that price..... i would buy 3.
Don't know what else to say really...great value.... good quality ... nice looks.

I don't care when or where it was made. It has 22 frets and cool inlays, 4 knobs to play with and a three way selector switch. I think the pickups are gibson copies. Rosewood fingerboard etc..

I play mostly metal and rock, or whatever I feel like playin at the time. This guitar is not made for fast metal! although it sounds good. Its sometimes noisey on my peavey studio pro 112 it depends on how its feelin. Good sound on distortion on the bridge p/u and kick ass for clean on neck p/u.

Well I have I got a story to tell you! I first tried it out and loved it so much I put a deposit on it, the next week I come to get it and realise there are some scratches on. So I ask for a boxed one and took it home. When I took it out the neck was snapped and I was not a happy bunny. So I took it back and with the help of a 6 foot 5 dad I got it replaced and it set up great by the shop guys.
Also I wanted to look at the humbuckers so I took them out and had a look,cool! Well, I tries to put them back but the screws had gone bold and the springs were missin. So i stuffed it full of tissue and glued it back on. Nearly a year ago this was and it still sounds great!

I have practiced with it and it it fine, but I am currently looking for a metal guitar for my fast riffing songs because the neck is to heavy and it wears away the skin on your hand if your not all oiled up!!
Its cool though!!

After a confrentation with the shop manager I got it replaced. Hehe ;-)
I havnt bothered with the company...........yet!

I have been playin for almost 2 years now, dont wanna blow my own trumpet but I'm pretty good. I use a peavey studio pro 112 and a boss ds-1 pedal. If someone stole it or broke it or whatever I would hunt them down and remove their manhood (or womanhood) with a rusty knife!! I love the clean sound. I just wish it was balanced out better and the neck didnt fall.
C ya

It's an SG - a remodelled Les Paul. Tune-o-matic bridge, two no-name humbuckers with separate tone and volume controls and a three-way toggle switch. Neck is lovely to play, no-name tuners are smooth and stable. It's got everything an SG should have ... in this respect, it's full featured.

Compared to my old squier strat, the humbuckers are pretty wild. I never understood why electrics had volume controls, cos the squier's always on 10, but with this you seem to get full volume at 5-ish - any more and the thing goes "fuller", not louder. It's easy to end up with too much boom, and I wonder if pricier pickups would be better controlled?
It also kicks out far too much bass for my liking. It's got good sustain though.

All the components seem to be put together really well - nothing's loose or tight. The neck seems much wider than a strat, and because there's no overlap between the neck and body it also seems longer. For me, that's a good thing cos I'm a big lad. The strat seems a bit cramped next to this.

The finish is nice and smooth with no rough edges anywhere, except for some corrosion on two of the upper frets. It looks as good as a Gibbo to me.

I know this particular guitar had been hanging up in the shop for a few months before I bought it, and it's none the worse for it.

No-one else has mentioned the dreadful balance of this thing. I understand that the SG body is quite a bit lighter than an LP, which means it's way neck heavy. Sling it from a strap, and the neck dives for the floor.

Never dealt with them.

OK, I'm a strat freak. I've had copies, Squiers and now a pukka Fender. I bought this to get a handle on the differences in the two major electric guitar designs - set neck v bolt-on, single coil v humbuckers, fixed bridge v trem. I also experiment with alternative tunings, which is easier with a fixed bridge.

If someone nicked it, I'd probably get another Vintage, but this time an LP - the heavier body would balance better.

Overall, I'm happy with it, and if you're into the Gibson thing you'll love it. It's excellent value compared to the Epiphones I also looked at, and as for Gibsons proper <faint>

I believe that the guitar is actualy made in korea. it has 22 frets which dont go into the body as they do on the gibson, which in my opinion makes the neck better. double humbuckers (no namers). the body and neck are both mahogany and the finger board is rosewood, giving it a\warm sound. its got a nice dark deep red cherry colour too it but the finishing varnish is a bit crappy. looks like an sg. tune o matic bridge which is sooo easy to set up to your personal preferances that its insane. the neck is flat with medium hight frets and big beautiful fret markers. the action is prety fast. good amount of tonal control for a combination of 3 different pick up choices on the selector switch

it suits my rock/bluesy style well. im using a korg ax1g effects pedal which is really good aswell and they work well together. its no noise pickups are good. it can easily switch between a bright tinny sound too a solid riff sound with a flick of a switch (and a few twirls of the knobs)

the set up was good when i got it, a little high and slow but easy to sort out. ONE PROBLEM I HAVE NOTICED THAT NEARLY RUINS THE GUITAR IS THAT ITS TOP HEAVY, THIS CAN BE SORTED THO WITH a differently positioned belt buckle

live playing its good, the finish (although a little rucish on the varnish) is good. the strap buttons are shit and come off straight away (terrible) the switch is good but the knobs are awful and also come loose and fall off

top notch, 1 year waranty.

great, ive been playing for a year and a bit. i wish nothing, if it were stolen then i would hunt down the person who did it and cut his face off slowly with a rusty hack say and eat his brains and get my guitar aswell.

Dont have a clue where its made, but its made by John hornby skewes www.jhs.co.uk who are also the makers of Ovation, Encore, Manuel Rodrigez. and some of these guitars are bloody expensive.
22 frets, 2 humbuckers, tunomatic bridge, mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard,snore snore snore, 3 way selector switch for either pick or both at the same time, pickups have own volume and tone knobs. The neck is nice wider than the stratt i usually play, but alot thiner than a stratts neck which is quite nice. The sound setup is clean and simple, just the way i like it.

i mainly play rock, blues, old bluesy white stripes, robert johnson, a bit of ACDC, an attempt at some hendrix and its seems this guitar suits them all, from hard rock to down trodden blues with no buzzing strings that seem to mar low budget guitars. I love the way this thing can crunch into The datsuns 'in love' and the way it can lay down sublte blues rifts without sounding crap.

action was a tad high from what i was used to, but i learned to play on stratts. the action and finish remind me more of a lower fast action acoustic guitar more than anything else ive played. like a spanish when you put electric strings on it then realise you can never get away with playing it cos the actions so fast your fingers get cut to pieces.pickups fine and dandy, pickguard could be better.

This guitar can def take a good thrashing, and whereas with single coil pickups the sound never seems to seem that bit grinding enough, humbuckers give that extra wallop of tone with and without fuzz.
I have a few niggles with it though, when i first got the guitar all the screws and bolts (on the bridge) seemed a tad to loose for my liking, and when i first got it out the box a screw fell out of the back casing which holds all the internal wiring and jack plug for the guitar, nothing that couldnt be fixed mind, oh well, for 140 pound coins the rest of the guitar is remarkably finished and looks a beauty.

not had any major problems, a year warranty from makers, from shop i got it delivered from in islington www.backstreet, very helpful and if i have any problems i can take it right back and they'll sort it out.

been playing 7 years, own orange amp, danelectro T-bone steak fuzz pedal which is amazing. if this guitar were stolen first of all i'd buy another.then i would hunt the person down who stole it an smash buy brothers appaling fender affinity strat over his thieving head.
I wish this thing had a strap button that wasnt on the back then it wouldnt be top heavey and swing the neck down to the floor everytime you stop playing when jumping around, but its a 140 bloody quid, so who cares, you could play 379 for an epiphone copy and its nowhere near as good sounding as this thing