-
I bought a proper Gibson SG last week. I'd tried it in different stores and all the different versions of this model truly sounded great to me with the mini humbuckers. The instrument resonates well and the pickups are dynamic and responsive to touch. I've always thought that it'd make a great jazz ax. I'm excited for the guitar, despite the quality control issues I ran into and the amazing amount of work I needed to do to get it set up properly.
I managed to get a great deal on the instrument - $550 from Musician's Friend on Stupid Deal of the Day. They were originally sold for $1,200.
I wanted to share my thoughts on the guitar but if all you care about is the sound demo, skip to the 21-minute mark:
-
03-19-2019 11:23 PM
-
Congrats on a great deal.
SGs have played jazzy lines in the past.
-
Corey plays an SG sometimes:
-
Corey Christiansen loves his SG and has recorded a number of recent albums with it. He inspired me to get one after hearing him play it and actually playing his guitar. The neck is amazing and the guitar is crazy-light.
I was invited to sit in with my teacher at one his gigs and I brought it. He gave me some grief saying, "You brought a rock guitar ..." So every time I go to a lesson and see him on his Strat I have to return the serve.
Here's a clip of Corey using the SG at a gig with his Lone Prairie Band. And here's a link to a recent profile on him and his thoughts on the SG as a jazz rig. I recall that a profile of Corey in Premier Guitar last year captured the same sentiments.
Jazz Guitar Today
-
After watching Corey I want one!
I see that he still has his Buscarino too.
-
I had never heard of Corey before--but I'm definitely gonna take a listen now. That clip was great! Thanks, amigos!
Last edited by Flat; 03-20-2019 at 03:44 PM.
-
I'm assuming from the pup covers that these are probably the no pole-piece Firebird blade style hot ceramic magnet mini-humbuckers rather than the alnico lower output pups. This guitar can take p90 soapbar pups in the body with no mods.
-
I fell in love with the SG when I first saw it in the '60s, but stopped playing rock'n'roll (in fact, anything) before getting 'round to buying one. An American-made guitar would cost several months' salary in Finland at that time, and I was a student with no income, just expenditure.
That the SG finds little grace among jazz players is a bit surprising and largely a matter of convention. It can't be that different from the other solidbodies many jazz guitarists were using (no doubt sponsored by the manufacturers) before returning to archtops. With humbuckers, SG comes closer to a LP than a Strat. Light weight is a blessing. I can't comment on tone, sustain etc., not owning one. The more processed the sound, the less the source matters. What separates true jazz boxes from the rest is actually their lack of sustain. In this respect, I'd expect the SG to do better than the LP (apart from the lightweight, all-mahogany Studios etc.) The Firebird of Flying V could be equal as jazz axes, but here the optics override any other consideration.
-
Enjoying "She's Gone." Had not heard of this guy.
I tried with SGs. Had a 60s SG Junior, a 2005 SG standard, two Guilld S-90s (more or less their version). Just never felt right to me. One of those guitars I love to hear others playing ...
-
Corey's been on the scene for a long time, and has played with everyone; his father, Mike, has many "classic" guitar instruction books (from Mel Bay) that are used everywhere. Both very cool cats!
Originally Posted by Flat
-
Yeah, he's a Buscarino endorser, so that thing's not going anywhere! Originally Posted by Jazzstdnt
-
Oh, the tone starting from 21 min reminds me Holdsworth in Lifetime era a little. Thin and snappier. I really like that. And I'm surprised to see such a good Gibson case comes with the guitar for $550. Congrats!
-
I had a 73 SG Special that had mini-humbuckers with black plastic covers. One coil had pole pole pieces, and the other had a bar. The neck pup was defective and I wound up replacing it with a metal-covered mini humbucker that had been pulled from a LP Deluxe. It sounded pretty good, but more twangy/ less fat sounding than a full-sized humbucker.
It was my only electric for around 9 years, and it's the guitar I started playing jazz on. After a while I decided I needed a proper jazz guitar, though, so I got a strat ;-). Eventually traded the SG for an archtop.
I could see getting another SG, but would go for a Standard. With a Fool paint job. And a Marshall. Would need to figure out how to conjure a Jewfro on my bald pate before pulling the trigger, though.
John
-
Amazing! I had never heard of Corey before. I’ll have to explore his playing a bit. Yes, I believe these are the same size as the firebird pickups. Although I really enjoy the bridge pup, the neck is lacking a bit and I really like P90s so I might drop one in there if I end up having to redo the electronics myself instead of having Gibson warranty it.
I also had no idea that Bill Frissel played an SG. I’ve always listened to him but never really did my fair share of research. Thanks for the tips guys.
I’m excited to own this guitar but it’s been a headache so far correcting all the issue it came with. Hopefully it becomes one of the guitars I use frequently if I can get it to be consistent.
-
And yes the soft case it came with is actually very nicely made. It only has one strap though for some reason :/
-
Always like the SG, except for two things:
1. Feels unbalanced neck-heavy.
2. That damn 4-knob system when using both pickups. (Same with a LP, etc.)
-
Not really jazz, but this guy used to tear it up on his:
And if you just want to monkey around with one,
-
I have an Indonesian-made DeArmond SG copy, 7-string, that I bought on a deal from MF for under $200 years ago. It played like a dream out of the box, maybe the best-playing guitar I've ever played. The tailpiece is a little off-center, but that doesn't affect playing. I don't play it much, because I just don't like the extra string that much, and I like the sound of my archtops better. But it was a great deal on a great guitar. Inexpensive does not always mean low quality. Just as Gibson does not always mean high quality.
-
-
I’m sure there are guitars Frisell hasn’t played.
-
I played jazz on one for about 6 years, but it said Les Paul on the truss rod cover. I even played it in the Portland State Jazz Band for a few semesters. Then it got stolen. I have fond memories of that guitar.
This kind of thread always reminds me of what a guy named Rebel who I played pool with at Julian's said when I asked him why he used a house cue, and not an expensive custom one:
"The cue doesn't matter. Willie Mosconi could kick my ass with a broom if it had a decent tip on it, and then sweep up when it was over."
-
My very first "good" electric guitar was a vintage Guild S100 with DeArmond pups. It was as nice as a Gibson.
-
I spent a lot of time in Julian's. Might even have had my SG with me a few times. Never really developed any kind of pool skills, but managed not to lose too much money. Originally Posted by ccroft
John
-
I used to have one exactly like Mike Nesmith's SG Custom. It was a beautiful, super guitar. I played jazz on it. No problems there.
I truly wish I still had the guitar.
-
Hi John. I was kinda hoping somebody would pick that up. Nice to meet you. If you were there a lot in the 80's then we were in that room together more than once. Big room though! Originally Posted by John A.
I didn't lose a dime playing pool. I did buy a lot of table time for Rebel, Skeeter and The Prince though. I think you know how that works. I always thought of it as tuition. I liked 14:1 but they wouldn't play that cause 'it takes too long'. They taught 9-ball exclusively. I also spent some time with that guy (Judge?) who didn't play anything but one pocket. Weird game...
Playing an SG and playing pool have a lot in common, so this is not at all off topic :) They both require a fine blend of physical, mental and emotional talent, and it's amazing what some can do. Didn't take me too long to realize there's not enough hours in the day to get good at both.
Charles
Reply With Quote
Mr Magic, guitar solo
Today, 05:45 AM in From The Bandstand