I've made some posts about this along the way but wanted to summarize my recent experience with four new Gibson SGs. YMMV (and I hope it does)...
I got my first Gibson (an early '60s SG Junior) in 1975 when I was 14. Although I'm not really a Les Paul fan (a bit bulky for me) I have owned a few other Gibsons including my beloved Firebird I that was my main instrument for many years. I've played mostly Strats in recent years and while I am pretty familiar with Fender quality I admit that I have not payed much attention to the quality of NEW Gibson guitars for decades. Recently I've been wanting to expand my "collection" and in particular try to recreate some of my favorites from the past (like my Firebird and SG). Every Gibson I have bought previously was used, and I was able to locate a used 2008 Firebird V that is excellent. I'd been watching for used SGs for a while but never found one I like so I decided to give the "Gibson Limited Run SG Special '60s Tribute" a try (from Musician's Friend). I have bought several mailorder guitars in the past (Fender, Ibanez and Epiphone) and have never had significant problems. I assumed a Gibson would be a safe bet...
SG #1 - The fit and finish on the first "60s Tribute SG" was surprisingly bad. When you buy mailorder you have to assume some setup will be needed so I'm willing to let the lack of truss rod adjustment slide. BUT, there's a paint drip on the neck heel, a small chip of wood missing on the edge of the headstock (under the veneer face), a poorly cut nut and poorly dressed frets.
SG #2 - I decided to order what I really wanted: a '61 Reissue SG (thinking that I would get better quality with a more deluxe model). The guitar arrived with a substantial "lip" where the fingerboard and binding meet the neck. In other words, the fingerboard is smaller than the neck so the binding and neck are not flush, there is a sharp edge the full length of the neck from the neck sticking out below the binding.
Musician's Friend has been very helpful, both guitars went back and they sent new ones.
SG #3 - The next '61 Reissue SG had the same "lip" problem where the fingerboard binding meets the neck. The binding and neck are not flush so there is an annoying sharp edge the length of the neck. I put it back in the case and packed it up. It just makes me sad that this is what $2000 Gibson guitars are today.
SG #4 - The second '60s tribute model is pretty rough but not such obvious flaws as the first one. I like a thin nitro finish but I would prefer if someone does a little sanding before hand.
The ends of the wood are very rough (at the cutaways for example) and there are still some bad spots in the finish. The body is a butcher block of glue joints (4 pieces). The strings catch in the nut so it's a pain to tune. That said, the neck feels good and the guitar has a nice resonance, it really sings plugged and unplugged. With a fret job and setup it could be nice player - I might just keep it.
For comparison I also picked up an ESP LTD EC-1000 goldtop (on sale for $599). The finish and setup are pretty much flawless. Quality parts include Duncan pickups, Tonepros bridge and nice locking tuners. It feels, sounds and looks fantastic. Les Pauls have always felt a bit bulky to me; I like the thinner body and tummy cut on this one. Absolutely a keeper, if any of the 4 Gibson SGs were even close to the fit and finish of this guitar I would have been happy.
I wish I had better story to tell - I really wanted to have a nice SG. The fact that both '61 reissues were so bad blows me away. I believe there are still some good Gibsons made (as I said, my 2008 Firebird is excellent) but I got a real education in how far you might have to search to find a "good one".
Here's a picture of the 2 guitars left (out of 5), still haven't decided if the SG is worth keeping.
I got my first Gibson (an early '60s SG Junior) in 1975 when I was 14. Although I'm not really a Les Paul fan (a bit bulky for me) I have owned a few other Gibsons including my beloved Firebird I that was my main instrument for many years. I've played mostly Strats in recent years and while I am pretty familiar with Fender quality I admit that I have not payed much attention to the quality of NEW Gibson guitars for decades. Recently I've been wanting to expand my "collection" and in particular try to recreate some of my favorites from the past (like my Firebird and SG). Every Gibson I have bought previously was used, and I was able to locate a used 2008 Firebird V that is excellent. I'd been watching for used SGs for a while but never found one I like so I decided to give the "Gibson Limited Run SG Special '60s Tribute" a try (from Musician's Friend). I have bought several mailorder guitars in the past (Fender, Ibanez and Epiphone) and have never had significant problems. I assumed a Gibson would be a safe bet...
SG #1 - The fit and finish on the first "60s Tribute SG" was surprisingly bad. When you buy mailorder you have to assume some setup will be needed so I'm willing to let the lack of truss rod adjustment slide. BUT, there's a paint drip on the neck heel, a small chip of wood missing on the edge of the headstock (under the veneer face), a poorly cut nut and poorly dressed frets.
SG #2 - I decided to order what I really wanted: a '61 Reissue SG (thinking that I would get better quality with a more deluxe model). The guitar arrived with a substantial "lip" where the fingerboard and binding meet the neck. In other words, the fingerboard is smaller than the neck so the binding and neck are not flush, there is a sharp edge the full length of the neck from the neck sticking out below the binding.
Musician's Friend has been very helpful, both guitars went back and they sent new ones.
SG #3 - The next '61 Reissue SG had the same "lip" problem where the fingerboard binding meets the neck. The binding and neck are not flush so there is an annoying sharp edge the length of the neck. I put it back in the case and packed it up. It just makes me sad that this is what $2000 Gibson guitars are today.
SG #4 - The second '60s tribute model is pretty rough but not such obvious flaws as the first one. I like a thin nitro finish but I would prefer if someone does a little sanding before hand.
The ends of the wood are very rough (at the cutaways for example) and there are still some bad spots in the finish. The body is a butcher block of glue joints (4 pieces). The strings catch in the nut so it's a pain to tune. That said, the neck feels good and the guitar has a nice resonance, it really sings plugged and unplugged. With a fret job and setup it could be nice player - I might just keep it. For comparison I also picked up an ESP LTD EC-1000 goldtop (on sale for $599). The finish and setup are pretty much flawless. Quality parts include Duncan pickups, Tonepros bridge and nice locking tuners. It feels, sounds and looks fantastic. Les Pauls have always felt a bit bulky to me; I like the thinner body and tummy cut on this one. Absolutely a keeper, if any of the 4 Gibson SGs were even close to the fit and finish of this guitar I would have been happy.
I wish I had better story to tell - I really wanted to have a nice SG. The fact that both '61 reissues were so bad blows me away. I believe there are still some good Gibsons made (as I said, my 2008 Firebird is excellent) but I got a real education in how far you might have to search to find a "good one".
Here's a picture of the 2 guitars left (out of 5), still haven't decided if the SG is worth keeping.
and the nut was chipped THEN smoothed over in several spots. there were scuffs out of the box and the frets were green on arrival.
