Strange note on that Alpine White 'Gold Series' SG Standard... it doesn't get neither the 'T' nor the 'HP' designation! and looking into the specifics & specs it really is neither & it's rather it's own sort of strange bird. Most interesting to me is it fortunately looses that G-Force tuner yet the rolled binding appears to have neither any 'Nibs' on the binding nor any 'fret over binding' fretwork! It looks like they took a Nibbed model fret & all & removed the plastic Nib altogether then rounded off the remaining short fret!!! This leaves very little wiggle room at the end of those frets before your E strings will roll right off those fret ends! Maybe my eyes are old & I just can't make out any Nibs because of the white on white & the pics exposure settings!?? What do you young whipper snappers see for fret ends & fret type ends?? Here's a view I processed a little trying to get some clarity on the ends of those frets. What y'all see? I still see neither 'Nib' nor 'Fret Over Binding'. Anywho, Here's the official MF page propaganda & available specs. OVERVIEW The flagship SG, with classic looks and sound, in an exclusive finish The flagship of the SG range, this SG Standard 2017 comes in an exclusive Gold finish and represents a superb blend of historic looks, tone, contemporary versatility and playability. Its iconic asymmetrical double-horned body styling and smaller "teardrop" pickguard harken back to the originals of the early ’60s, and the Classic ’57 humbuckers likewise take you straight back to those hallowed PAF tones. When uncompromising performance matters, locking Grover kidney-button tuners, a slim-taper neck and rosewood fingerboard with rolled binding, Gibson's finest modern aluminum Tune-o-matic bridge and stop bar tailpiece with elegant chrome plating provide a stylish and modern SG playing experience. The SG Standard 2017 is delivered in a classic Gibson hardshell case with a Gibson multi-tool, a premium leather strap and a polishing cloth. ---------------------------------------------------------------- FEATURES Body Body shape: SG Body type: Solid Body Body material: Mahogany Top wood: Mahogany Body wood: Mahogany Body finish: Select finish Orientation: Right Handed Neck Neck shape: Slim Taper Neck wood: Mahogany Joint: Set Neck Scale length: 24.75 Truss rod: Single Action Neck finish: Select finish Fretboard Material: Rosewood Radius: 12" Fret size: Medium Number of frets: 22 Inlays: Trapezoid Nut width: 1.695" Pickups Configuration: Dual Humbuckers Neck: 57 Classic Middle: N/A Bridge: 57 Classic Brand: Gibson Active or passive: Passive Series or parallel: Piezo: No Active EQ: No Special electronics: None Controls Control layout: 2 volume, 2 tone knobs Pickup switch: 3-way switch Coil tap or split: No Kill switch: No Hardware Bridge type: Tune-o-matic Bridge design: Tailpiece: Stop Bar Tuning machines: Grover Locking Tuning Machines Color: Chrome Other Number of strings: 6 Special features: Exclusive finish color Case: Hardshell Case Accessories: Owners Manual, Truss Rod Wrench Country of origin: United States If you like gold, you'll love this SG. Order today.
$1500 for a new Gibbo that looks like that? Yeah.....I'd be more than a tiny bit PO'd. I wouldn't expect that from Epiphone, much less the marquee brand.
So that essentially makes the Gold Series an Alpine White Version of an SG Standard 'T' that will cost you $100 more for the privilege of owning it! Unless I'm missing something?? We should be postulating before Henry J in thanks & worship for this one. Here's the side by side specs telling the tale! That reminds me of a joke involving a prostitute & a cab driver... 'Upon arrival at his Fare's destination, the cabbie totals out the meter and tells the "working girl" riding in the back that it would be $50 for the cab ride. Realizing she doesn't have the money the prostitute hikes up her skirt and giving the cabbie a rear view mirror view of her pantie-less money maker & asks,.. "Can you take it out of here?" To which the cabbie wryly asks,.. "Got anything smaller?"
There is no pleasing everyone. I almost bought a Les Paul Studio (same price range). but the SG blew it away with features. I bet this proves to be a very good year for the SG T.
