• Most versatile axe in the collection!

  

  As reviewed by Kelly Olafson on 4/18/2010

  I?ve been considering a lighter electric for some time since the weight on both my Les Paul and ?74 Strat was killing me at rehearsals and gigs. I?d pretty much narrowed it down to an SG Classic or SG Special Faded. But I?m based in Asia and even if you can find those models (very unlikely) prices will be high. So while in Las Vegas for a family wedding a couple of weeks ago I checked out the Guitar Center in Summerlin. I was really most interested in the SG Classic, but I?d heard they were fairly limited in terms of availability, so I wasn?t sure they?d have one. They didn?t. They had three! My salesman Tony was great and helped me out with all three, with no pressure at all. I was wary of the SG?s fat neck because I?ve got small hands, but I?d read reviews that said there is actually a fair bit of variation because the necks are hand-finished, and sure enough, the third one I tried was perfect. I?ve since had the thing out at rehearsals with a couple of different bands, and the guys in both bands have noticed several things: A) It does ?early Santana? perfectly as you?d expect with the P 90s. B) It?s super versatile, and does a pretty good imitation of lots of models, for lots of different styles? everything from heavy rock to early Allmans to quite jazzy. C) It doesn?t get muddy like my Les Paul when I turn down the volume. Which I do a lot of because I do the ?set and forget? thing with my tube amps ? turn them all the way up, and control everything from the guitar. (I use the old Rory Gallagher trick of using very small amps cranked wide open - so depending on the room, it's either a Fender Blues Junior or the Blackstar HT5 which in spite of being only 5 watts RMS will actually tear your face off. The SG Clasic sounds awesome with both,) D) The overdriven solo sounds are really mouthwatering, either front or back pickup. For my part it?s great for slide which I do a lot of, my back didn?t hurt after three hours of playing and the thing was perfectly finished and set up right out of the box. When I got back to Singapore, I got my tools out to do the intonation, fix the action and the usual stuff I do with any new axe. Five minutes later the tools were back in the pantry ? no work required at all. A really beautiful guitar for a reasonable price. Nothing else to say. Hats off to Gibson and Guitar Center!

  36 of 36 people found this review helpful.

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• Best Gibson for the Value!!!

  

  As reviewed by Keith Simonelli on 7/17/2010

  Well last week I went to guitar center, thinking I was going to buy some more strings. When I saw this baby out of the corner out of my eye. I also so an epiphone les paul standard with the plus-top sunburst. So, like most people would do, I took both guitars off the wall,brought some cables an plugged them in. First I plugged in the epiphone les paul standard. Of course it had humbuckers so I thought it sounded awesome. So after playing a few stp songs I put it down to play the same songs on the sg. First of all the neck felt better, the guitar felt better made and, it just felt right.Not to mention the knobs on the epiphone were almost completely stuck on the epiphone. When I plugged that thing in it absolutely blew my mind.It simply was a burst of exitement. it made the les paul sound like a piece of cardboard,and the sustain and pure amount of bite coming out of it was amazing. Ive never experienced a guitar with p-90's that sounds or plays this good. I have had the opportunity to play an original 1959 les paul sunburst,and I think that if you let this sg sit in a closet for 50 years it would be in the ballbark with the burst in terms of sound. This guitar is just incredible for the money!! I can not put this guitar down ever since I got It and it has become one of the best guitars I have ever owned. Guitar center should consider lowering prices on these gibsons but this one is just fantastic!!

  11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

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• True Gibson Condition, without the huge pricetag

  

  As reviewed by Alex on 9/27/2010

  I picked up this beauty at a guitar showcase in my town and was immediately blown away. The sound was so clean, and it had a true Gibson feel to it. It's by no means a weak guitar. I've gotten some awesome distortion out of this with the right tones and pedal. The Treble setting gives lead parts an awesome, high sound, and the rhythm setting puts out a really full one. I have made some changes to make this guitar my own. I replaced the standard Gibson machine heads, and I played around with the bridge height a bit. No complaints about this guitar. I've played U2, Journey, Beatles, Weezer, and everything in between, and I've always found the right sound.

  10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

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