Anyone here own an SG? Thinking of getting one.

[Johnny Morales]

Thinking of ordering one but a bit put off by all the stories of neck dive and headstocks snapping off etc... not to mention tuning issues. However, I played one the other day and it played great. I'm mostly a strat/tele guy but want to get something with humbuckers. I'm considering either buying a Gibson SG standard or just getting a cheap epiphone copy and putting the rest of the cash toward a future strat or tele purchase.

Are SGs really as fragile as people say? Or are they good guitars. I always put the guitar back in the case after playing / between sets but I definitely don't baby my guitars.

Any input?

[StratDal]

I don't own one but I like SG's. My friends love theirs! Heck Derek Trucks and Toni Iommi play SG's so you can't go wrong. I say Go For It! If it's not you cup of tea, you can always sell it/trade it.

[Telarkaster]

Originally Posted by Johnny Morales

Or are they good guitars.

They are great guitars. Just not for me. I thought I wanted one because all my guitar heroes played them, but it didn't work out in my hands when I went to the store, it felt too funny to me. I paid more and got a Les Paul instead.

If you played one and loved it and can afford it, then go for it!

They are more fragile than a Tele (what isn't?) but not as fragile as a hollow body. If you take care of your stuff and get a proper hard case for it then you should be fine.

[stxrus]

i've had SGs for years. one word, well two, strap locks. SG stands for Superior Guitar or Superior Gibson

steve

[studio1087]

Gibson has sold more SG's than Les Pauls. I love my SG. It is a great biting organic humbucker guitar. I one has a headstock snap on a Lester; never had trouble with the SG. Great guitar.

[Steinar G]

Originally Posted by stxrus

SG stands for Superior Guitar or Superior Gibson

Actually, it's a bit simpler than that; "Solid Guitar"

I always wanted an SG - after all, with my initials it could have been my signature guitar - but I never managed to bond with one. Still attracted to them though...

[Mike Eskimo]

Never gave a rat's arse about those planks...


...until I played Nick Schillace's '66 SG w/ the dopey wang bar.

Holy cats !

One of the best guitars (acoustic or electric) I've ever played.

Soooo cool.

[Jim Flannery]

My son had an SG for a while. It was tough as nails. Nothing fragile about it. Stayed in tune as well as any guitar I've ever seen.

Neither he, nor I, could ever bond with it........it had some very hot humbuckers in it that would not produce anything resembling a 'country' tone.

So he sold it and bought a MIM Tele thinline reissue.
The Tele suited his playing style much better.

Still, there was nothing 'wrong' with the SG.

[Esquire1]

My go to guitar from '77 to about '93 was a '67 SG. I don't own one now but for sonic reasons. I just prefer the sound of my various fender style guitars now. But not then.

They ARE that fragile. I could bend the neck a semitone unintentionally! You know the head fracture issue. Does it make them less great? No. But it is something you have to consider unless you're making a totally emotional decision. Which is cool too. That's how I got mine But it stayed as #1 for 16 or so years... That must say something about them.

I would definitely look at the PRS Mira if I were you. It's not an SG-alike, but if I was getting a stop-tail hummer it would be between the SG and the Mira. and I hate to say it but I just think your odds of getting a well made, great playing guitar are higher with the PRS

[avagadro]

I bought a used set neck Epi copy for a C note. it plays and sounds great and everyone of my friends that gave it a try wanted to buy it from me.

[TG]

They vary from model to model and some can also be a bit neck heavy. Many of them I've tried I put back on the wall fairly quickly and others I've really liked (although I've never actually went as far as buying one) so it could be a good idea to go find one you like rather than ordering one.

[Worn]

Yes, and its a keeper.

[studio1087]

I honestly think that the neck snap reputation is a bit of an urban legend. We've all heard about the dreaded weak set neck. Have any of us really known a guy who's neck set busted on an SG? Don't tell a story about the cousin of a friend of a friend who knew a guy who had trouble. Does anyone really know someone who went through the problem??

I sold Gibson guitars for three years when I was in college (early 80's) and I never saw an SG with a neck issue.

It's just like guys who rail and rail on Hot Rod Deluxe Amplifiers as being terrible yet the Hot Rod Deluxe has more units sold than any other Fender amp. I never had trouble with my Hot Rod. I don't know anyone personally who's had trouble.

I'm 45 and I've played since I was 9 years old. I had one headstock snap on one guitar and it was a late 70's Les Paul "The Paul - Firebrand" model. No other worries.



Rock Solid...



John

[zimbo]

I've got an old SG and it's hard to get used to after playing strats and teles. The neck is very flat and narrow and the 24 frets are a little hard to get used to. Nice guitar though, wouldn't part with it.

[1977CJ5]

Love mine!! Like my Tele better, but still love the SG.

[ole AZ]

I don't own one, but I always loved them, especially in the hands of Marc Ford or Leroy Powell.

[xStonr]

I've had one for a couple of years now and they are great guitars to have. I've had no problem with the neck. You should get one.

[Jakester93]

I had a worn brown epiphone SG. I liked it alot, it was a decent guitar. However, one day while i was taking it off over my head, the headstock caught the fan that was running right above me and threw the guitar into the ground. Snapped the neck off.

If it was my tele, i'm 99% sure it would have survived. =P

[alias23k]

Never owned one but was one of the first guitars that i had to have, and still never got one. I just think they're cool looking. Pick one up, give it a spin. I love to hear your thoughts on it...coming from a tele guy.

[Octave Doctor]

I bought a '64 SG Standard in the early '70's, the neck had already been broken and repaired at the heel, but it played and sounded good so I bought it. Put up with the neck dive for a couple years, because it DID sound good. After I bought my first Strat, the difference was night and day, so I put the SG on consignment, it sold in a week. A couple weeks later I called the store about something, and the sales guy says, "Hey, you know that SG of yours? The guy who bought it had it out on a job, it fell over and the headstock broke off."

So, yes it does happen, and I've fixed more than a few of them myself. That said, if you find one you like, just be careful with it and you'll probably be OK.

[iansmitchell]

I got 2 SGs.
Both have required neck repairs, one headstock, one heel.
I'm uncertain of the conditions for each, but I've my doubts they wouldn't knock a tele.
THey're great sounding, great playing guitars, and they're just beautiful to look at.

[Tim Armstrong]

My brother Mike's number one electric is a 2004ish SG Standard, and it is about as fine a guitar as you could ever want. Sounds amazing, plays great, no neck dive, no tuning issues, had a nice thick neck.

And it brings the rock!

Tim

[Westerly Sunn]

I have 2 also... No probs, but I don't gig... they're home boys... LOL! I love an SG... One is a 61 RI, The other; a 30th Anniversary Les Paul Custom SG in TV Yellow... 3 PU, Gold HW, Ebony board...

[Greentele]

Oh, yeah......I have a SG Standard....LOVE the guitar for so many reasons. BUT.......
one day I had it leaning against an amp and it tipped over...(on carpet!). Two tuners on the right side popped in two. No damage to the neck (Phewwww!) but it took me forever to located new tuners with the green tulip tips. When I found them....I bought 6!
Yeah....fragile guitar compared to our beloved bolt-ons.
Just be careful.

[Big Mike Simpson]

Well... I got an Ampeg Super Stud...

[SMPTE]

I'm on #3 now, the first two were fantastic guitars, in fact I'm starting to really jones for the '61RI. That guitar was really warm and responsive, great pickups. The robot is great, my only real complaint is that the '490s are super sterile.

[TG]

The 'problem' with breaking necks/headstocks on SGs is the angle of the neck and headstock. When a strat or tele falls it's usually the body that hits anything first since the whole instrument is 'flat', and even if the neck bangs something it's rock solid maple and can take a lot of punishment. With a Gibson it's usually the tip of the headstock that takes the blow and the thinnish bit of mahogany neck around the nut often gives way.

I don't know why SGs have a worse reputation than Les Pauls and 335s though. Maybe the smaller and lighter body makes them less stable on a stand?

If I had an SG I'd make a point of putting it back in the case instead of leaving it on a stand.

[Filthy McNasty]

The local guitar Center had an SG w/P-90's the last couple of times I was in there and it is VERY nice. I don't know if I would have been strong enough not to buy it if had a vibrato unit.

[bandeapart]

Originally Posted by studio1087

I honestly think that the neck snap reputation is a bit of an urban legend. We've all heard about the dreaded weak set neck. Have any of us really known a guy who's neck set busted on an SG? Don't tell a story about the cousin of a friend of a friend who knew a guy who had trouble. Does anyone really know someone who went through the problem??

I sold Gibson guitars for three years when I was in college (early 80's) and I never saw an SG with a neck issue.

It's just like guys who rail and rail on Hot Rod Deluxe Amplifiers as being terrible yet the Hot Rod Deluxe has more units sold than any other Fender amp. I never had trouble with my Hot Rod. I don't know anyone personally who's had trouble.

I'm 45 and I've played since I was 9 years old. I had one headstock snap on one guitar and it was a late 70's Les Paul "The Paul - Firebrand" model. No other worries.



Rock Solid...



John

Actually, one of my former employees had an SG and it had the headstock snap off... he didn't drop it either, he just started getting a crack, and finally it broke on him while playing at practice.

[Guinness]

I had one for a short time. Really liked it, but found a 335 I liked better, so the SG found a new home. The 335 was sold about a year later for a Les Paul 58 RI which I still have to this day (11 years later). Just a matter of finding the right guitar for you.

As far as dependability goes, they are as solid as any other Gibson. I got my Les Paul at a bargain price since it was cracked behind the nut where the headstock angles back (UPS handling problem). The shop I purchased it from repaired the crack and she has been rock solid- no tuning issues, etc. 11 years on.

If I had the chance to purchase another SG, I'd jump at it. They are very nice guitars.

Good luck!

~Randy

[Mike Armstrong]

My 2004 SG Standard is the best-sounding & playing guitar I've ever owned, over a thirty-year playing career...I've had assorted Strats, Teles, ES-335's, Guilds, and a Lester (that was a real nice one!), but they all lacked that certain tone I always heard in my head. When Tim & I went up to Washington Music Center, and I plugged the SG in for the first time, the creamy richness oozed out of every pore, and the chunky neck was lightning-fast. I fell in love at first power chord...

I've found subsequently that my SG has many voices...it cleans up nicely to do ballads and even some chicken-pickin', and of course it's peerless as a rock machine or for slide guitar. It weighs less than my Strat, is perfectly balanced, and is tough as nails...we play a lot of outdoor gigs, with temperature & humidity issues that render my Strat unplayable on occasion...the SG is a rock in situations like that.

I'd get another one in a heartbeat if something were to happen with mine..

Mike

[Telenator]

They can be terrific guitars. That thin mahogany body has a very distinct roar to it when you crank it up!

Do yourself a HUGE favor and bring a strap when you go to play the guitar. The reputation of SG's being "neck-heavy" is true. Some people don't mind it while others find them unplayable.

SG's aren't bad guitars for this reason, they're just not for everybody.

An SG is a guitar I would never even remotely consider buying without playing it first.

[cobra94]

Yeah I've got one, it's a '71 standard and as you can see it has the headstock 'issue'. It was in it's case and fell over on the front side and bang, truth is I didn't even notice it for months because my go to guitar was something else at the time.

They are great guitars though and I use it to get the classic humbucker sound. The thing is that there are quite a few neck widths, binding/no binding, rosewood/ebony boards that make them all feel different. More so than what you would feel with different strat or tele necks IMHO. You definitely should try before you buy.

[Jason S]

My first real guitar was a 69 SG Special w/P90's, large pickguard and small heel. My Mom bought it for me on time for $ 200.00 new!! It was a wonderful guitar. I loved it. But, I loaned it to a friend who was having a big jam session. And somebody broke into his apartment and ripped off all of the equipment. He did have insurance. So, my guitar was replaced. so, I got a 70 SG standard. I always wanted the Standard because it had more chrome. By 1970 the neck heel had gotten much larger. And the neck just didn't feel as nice as the Special. I kept that guitar for many years. Broke the headstock twice. Both times it was my fault. I sold it to buy a 335. That I still have.

A few years later, I found the stolen SG at a guitar repair shop in SF. I got the guitar back. But had to give it to my friend who replaced it. I should have given him the Standard. But, I thought it was better at the time.

[BillyC]

I think they're great sounding but fragile guitars.Pete Townshend said they were like balsa wood.

I had a friend that had his in a case laying flat in the back of his van,hit a pothole and snapped the headstock off...He travels with the case on its side now and has foam rubber under the headstock.

[Singin' Dave]

I own two, neither of which is a straight standard. One is an '04 SG Classic and I lucked out and got a very good one - great pickups and amazing grain and quality throughout. Big fat neck on this one but NO neck dive to speak of! GREAT guitar.

My other "SG" is actually a '73 Guild S-100c. I personally think these KILL Gibson SGs. Very light, well balanced, stronger neck and incredible tone from the HB1 pups. If you are already looking for an SG, see if you can find a S-100 to play -- you may love it!

[tiktok]

Originally Posted by TG

I don't know why SGs have a worse reputation than Les Pauls and 335s though. Maybe the smaller and lighter body makes them less stable on a stand?

The less-expensive the guitar, the less likely that the owner will take care of it.