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Gibson SG Special Guitar

 

Gibson SG Special Guitar reviewed by The Man in the Jar 

Features of the Gibson SG Special Guitar

Tuners - Gibson Deluxe vintage style tuners that are covered but not sealed. Vintage green knobs.

Headstock - Classic SG paddle with gold Gibson logo. 

Nut - White plastic, perfectly neat and accurate

Neck - The mahogany neck has the rounded chunky SG profile which takes a few minutes to get used to - but believe me the effort is worth it. The black lacquer finish makes the neck smooth and slinky against the skin.

Fretboard - The fretboard has a nice flat profile and sports traditional dot markers. 

Frets - Medium small and well polished.

Action - This was comfortably low with the promise of further downward adjustment if required.

Body - This is a heavy plank of dense mahogany which counters the neck-heaviness inherent in some cheaper copies of this guitar type. This is an original guitar classic from the company that designed it - it's perfect! 

Bridge - Tune-o-matic and stop-tail in chrome finish deliver all the adjustment parameters you could ever imagine.  

Pickups - Two open-coil humbuckers, both based on alnico magnets. The neck pickup is a different model number from the bridge although in appearance they are identical. The guitar had been set up in the factory with the bridge pickup menacingly close the strings. 

Controls - Two volume, two tone and one three-way selector switch. The control knobs have a vintage vibe with "Volume" and "Tone" printed across the chrome finish of their tops. 

Pickguard - 4-ply plastic white/black/white/black that extends under the strings and around the pickups and bridge.

Strap-buttons - These are quite small buttons but are secure enough on a good quality strap. One sits at the bottom of the body, one on the back just below the heel. The button at the heel tilts the guitar into a really comfortable playing position while standing. This instrument is very well-balanced on the strap. 

Output Jack - Set into the face of the body.

Finish - The ebony finish on this model was excellent throughout. All the hardware has the solid, high quality feel you'd expect from an American made guitar. The SG Special is also available in Wine Red or Worn Cherry (remember me, Sally?).

 

Sound of the Gibson SG Special Guitar

The second I plugged this guitar in I knew I was dealing with something special. The authoritative sweetness and power of the pickups backed by the dense tone-woods of the instruments construction delivered the tone and sustain that dominates so much of the heavy rock back catalogue. The SG answered every Line 6 amp model with a useable sound. The three-way selector delivered the goods in all positions and, unusually, I didn't immediately plump for a favourite pickup configuration. The neck pickup has such a great voice on its own for general rhythm and power-chord work which fattens up beautifully in the middle position. Engaging the bridge pickup alone pulls out the aggressive, gritty, treble blast that most of us associate with this guitar. The unlimited access to the 22 frets makes those deliciously biting high runs a cinch to nail.
And, yes, I did play Whole Lotta' Rosie, and, yes, it sounded f*ckin' wonderful.      

 

Overall Impressions of the Gibson SG Special Guitar

I'm a recent convert to this body shape because of the relative lightness of the type and the comfortable playing position the body offers. There is debate as to why anyone would pay for a US build when so much good stuff can be had from elsewhere. I can't answer that definitively with words, but a US built guitar will answer it as soon as you get it into your hands. The sonic quality of these guitars is without peer. The SG is the archetypal heavy rock and heavy metal guitar. If that's the type of stuff you play, then this is the guitar you dream about. It's worth every penny of the £500 price tag.   

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