I paid 950$ for a Gibson SG Faded 2005!!!

[billiesupertramp]

Hello Everyone!

I'm very new to the Gibson brand, but when I saw a Gibson SG Standard I've grown very fond of it, it's like love at first sight but I've never touched an SG before I don't know if I like it or not and it will cost me a lot of money to ship a brand new Gibson SG Standard to my country since it's not available here.

Recently I came across a local shop and saw a Gibson SG Faded 2005 (I googled the serial number). I've played it, it felt so good and the condition was pretty good. It looks legit, with no broken neck, no pickup swapped, or anything. So I've decided to buy the Gibson SG Faded 2005 as my entry-level Gibson guitar. The shop sold it to me for 1150$, but I offered him 900$ he refused due to the import tax and shipping is so expensive. So I offered him 950$ without the hard case because the case was not original, and also I don't need a case.

Just today I found out I can ship a brand new Gibson SG Tribute 2017 from Thailand at the same price I paid for a Gibson SG faded. What an idiot I am!!! I felt so regretful and I've tried to sell it back to the shop and they refused to buy it back.

I'm also hesitant to sell it and also want a brand new guitar. Should I try to sell it to get a brand new guitar or keep it and save up for a brand new Gibson SG Standard which cost me about 1800$ (Tax included)?

Thank you in advance for responding to my thread.

 

[MR D]

Hello Everyone!

I'm very new to the Gibson brand, but when I saw a Gibson SG Standard I've grown very fond of it, it's like love at first sight but I've never touched an SG before I don't know if I like it or not and it will cost me a lot of money to ship a brand new Gibson SG Standard to my country since it's not available here.

Recently I came across a local shop and saw a Gibson SG Faded 2005 (I googled the serial number). I've played it, it felt so good and the condition was pretty good. It looks legit, with no broken neck, no pickup swapped, or anything. So I've decided to buy the Gibson SG Faded 2005 as my entry-level Gibson guitar. The shop sold it to me for 1150$, but I offered him 900$ he refused due to the import tax and shipping is so expensive. So I offered him 950$ without the hard case because the case was not original, and also I don't need a case.

Just today I found out I can ship a brand new Gibson SG Tribute 2017 from Thailand at the same price I paid for a Gibson SG faded. What an idiot I am!!! I felt so regretful and I've tried to sell it back to the shop and they refused to buy it back.

I'm also hesitant to sell it and also want a brand new guitar. Should I try to sell it to get a brand new guitar or keep it and save up for a brand new Gibson SG Standard which cost me about 1800$ (Tax included)?

Thank you in advance for responding to my thread.

Its all really up to you...BUT, if this is the 1st GIBSON SG you've owned, and it is a Special Faded....and you like the way it plays, and it sounds good....and GIBSON guitars are hard to come by where you are located...why wouldn't you keep it ? A bird in the hand is worth two in bush and all like that, yes?

I'd keep it....and save up for when you find that GIBSON SG Standard that you REALLY want, u kno? Those SG Special Faded's are some pretty decent guitars....they sound like GIBSON's and they are inexpensive so when you put some dings and dents in it, it will not be as if you just screwed up a $5,000.00 SG CUSTOM and want to kick yourself in the arse.

KEEP ROCKIN !

 

[3bolt79]

You may have overpaid, but if you are outside the US, American guitars cost more.

If you really like it, and they are hard to come by, keep it and save for a Standard.

I have two Epiphone Inspired by Gibson line SG’s that I bought late last year. When my birthday rolled around, back in April, my wife bought me a Gibson SG Standard for my Birthday/Anniversary gift.

If you can get a standard for around 1800 US, that isn’t bad. I live in USA and they are only a hundred to a hundred fifty bucks less.

 

[An Abiding Dude]

I agree with D. and Bolt here. Get it set up and play the hell out of it, especially since you can't return it. By the time you've saved enough money for an American Standard you should have a good sense as to whether you like the SG or not. Spoiler alert, you'll probably love it.

Also, according to guitar nerd lore, 2017 was part of a spotty, hit and miss time in Gibson manufacturing. 2005 was a solid time period when quality control was on their game. So you may have lucked into a better guitar than you realized despite it being 12 years older. I bought a 2008 SG Classic in 2019 and it is one of my favorite guitars. So, no regrets.

 

[3bolt79]

@billiesupertramp what country are you living in? I am always curious as to what guitars cost and where. It is kind of funny in a way. I live in USA, but only a few of my guitars are US made.

Most of mine are Japanese or Indonesian made. A couple are from China, and one MIM Fender.

I gotta say that they are making such good guitars everywhere, all over the world. Let us know how it goes.

As far as years being gold vs bad, you really can’t go wrong with post bankruptcy to present time period, so maybe you can find a mint example used for less money.

 

[billiesupertramp]

@billiesupertramp what country are you living in? I am always curious as to what guitars cost and where. It is kind of funny in a way. I live in USA, but only a few of my guitars are US made.

Most of mine are Japanese or Indonesian made. A couple are from China, and one MIM Fender.

I gotta say that they are making such good guitars everywhere, all over the world. Let us know how it goes.

As far as years being gold vs bad, you really can’t go wrong with post bankruptcy to present time period, so maybe you can find a mint example used for less money.

@3bolt79 I live in Cambodia, my SG has a mark "Made in USA" on the back of the headstock. The shop said it shipped from the US. But I'm curious too, is it really made in the USA as it said.

 

[3bolt79]

@3bolt79 I live in Cambodia, my SG has a mark "Made in USA" on the back of the headstock. The shop said it shipped from the US. But I'm curious too, is it really made in the USA as it said.

Well, your pic has the wings on the sides. Got anymore pics? got A pic of the front of the headstock? Looks real to me so far.

 

[JimH]

Congratulations, you got a great guitar. 2005 is a very good year for SGs, and a standard isn't better, it is just more decorated. Enjoy the guitar

 

[Decadent Dan]

Congrats. Here are pics of a 05 Standard. As you can see, you already have one, under the hood.

 

[Bad Penguin]

Yep, you got a real one, and more importantly, a GOOD one!

 

[MR D]

@3bolt79 I live in Cambodia, my SG has a mark "Made in USA" on the back of the headstock. The shop said it shipped from the US. But I'm curious too, is it really made in the USA as it said.

HOLY **** ! YOU LIVE IN CAMBODIA ? YOU BETTER NEVER SELL THAT GUITAR...as you may never see another one like it over there, OMG ! I had no idea you were/are in S E Asia.....

Be careful with that axe, people will want to steal it everywhere you go ! I travelled around S E Asia for a good 5-7 years with a GIBSON NIGHTHAWK and everywhere I went people tried, unsuccessfully, to steal 'The 'HAWK'.....

I would get a good hard shell case, a 7-shot .357 Magnum Revolver, a German Shepherd Dog and never let that guitar out of my sight !!! That is what I walked around with on a daily basis when I lived there...NO ONE EVER BOTHERED ME EITHER ! Thanks to my S E Asian Wife taking care of all the business I had to do over there...I couldn't even rent a house because as soon as they saw 'Joe Romano' from the USA the price of everything tripled...I ended up hating everyone in every country i lived in over there because of that.

BRO, seriously, I had no idea you were/are in S E Asia...OMG, GIBSON's are like needles in haystacks over there....DO NOT SELL THAT GUITAR !

 

[Col Mustard]

WELCOME TO ETSG!

He's right! The Gibson SG faded special is one of the best. Keep that one
and rock that sucker. And don't let anyone steal it. Yours looks genuine from all
I can see.

Never mind fussing about getting a new guitar. A used SG special is a rockin' machine.
The SG Standard has a shiny finish and a little hotter pickup at the bridge, and some
inlay decorations but that's all the difference there is.

The SG faded special is the workingman's SG. It's got all the tones, and once you learn how to dial it in, it will do just about anything you want.

When you can afford it, get a good case for it. The Gibson SG has a weak point at the headstock joint due to the grain of the mahogany and the angle of the headstock. This is not a flaw, it's a weak point. The headstock angle helps give us the awesome tone we get from our Gibsons.

So it's up to you to protect your Gibson well. Get a good stand to set it on, and don't lean it against amps or tavern walls. When you set it on a stand, set it out of the way of clumsy feet. Lead singers and crazy band mates sometimes jump and twirl, so don't leave your guitar where anyone can knock it over. Your SG must not fall. The headstock can break if it falls. This is true of nearly all Gibson guitars with mahogany necks, including Les Pauls and ES series instruments. So don't try any stunts like whirling your SG over your head and back. Do that with a Telecaster which can't break.

Don't let anyone play your SG while drunk. *grins
Also, the finish on the faded special is softer and thinner than it is on more expensive guitars. This also adds to the awesome tone IMHO. But it needs to be protected. It dents easily, but on a faded SG these dents don't look out of place.

 

[billiesupertramp]

Well, your pic has the wings on the sides. Got anymore pics? got A pic of the front of the headstock? Looks real to me so far.

@3bolt79 Here is the picture of the front of the headstock.

 

[3bolt79]

Yeah man, I think you did alright. I checked the prices on reverb, and those are selling, here in USA for almost what y\ou paid. Looks legit to me. Enjoy that. Happy New Guitar Day!

 

[billiesupertramp]

WELCOME TO ETSG!

He's right! The Gibson SG faded special is one of the best. Keep that one
and rock that sucker. And don't let anyone steal it. Yours looks genuine from all
I can see.

Never mind fussing about getting a new guitar. A used SG special is a rockin' machine.
The SG Standard has a shiny finish and a little hotter pickup at the bridge, and some
inlay decorations but that's all the difference there is.

The SG faded special is the workingman's SG. It's got all the tones, and once you learn how to dial it in, it will do just about anything you want.

When you can afford it, get a good case for it. The Gibson SG has a weak point at the headstock joint due to the grain of the mahogany and the angle of the headstock. This is not a flaw, it's a weak point. The headstock angle helps give us the awesome tone we get from our Gibsons.

So it's up to you to protect your Gibson well. Get a good stand to set it on, and don't lean it against amps or tavern walls. When you set it on a stand, set it out of the way of clumsy feet. Lead singers and crazy band mates sometimes jump and twirl, so don't leave your guitar where anyone can knock it over. Your SG must not fall. The headstock can break if it falls. This is true of nearly all Gibson guitars with mahogany necks, including Les Pauls and ES series instruments. So don't try any stunts like whirling your SG over your head and back. Do that with a Telecaster which can't break.

Don't let anyone play your SG while drunk. *grins
Also, the finish on the faded special is softer and thinner than it is on more expensive guitars. This also adds to the awesome tone IMHO. But it needs to be protected. It dents easily, but on a faded SG these dents don't look out of place.
View attachment 48261

Thank you for your advice, sir! I have a guitar stand like this (in attachments). I guess it will do the job.

Right now, I don't plan to play anywhere outside. I will get a hard case for sure if I have a gig somewhere.

 

[billiesupertramp]

HOLY **** ! YOU LIVE IN CAMBODIA ? YOU BETTER NEVER SELL THAT GUITAR...as you may never see another one like it over there, OMG ! I had no idea you were/are in S E Asia.....

Be careful with that axe, people will want to steal it everywhere you go ! I travelled around S E Asia for a good 5-7 years with a GIBSON NIGHTHAWK and everywhere I went people tried, unsuccessfully, to steal 'The 'HAWK'.....

I would get a good hard shell case, a 7-shot .357 Magnum Revolver, a German Shepherd Dog and never let that guitar out of my sight !!! That is what I walked around with on a daily basis when I lived there...NO ONE EVER BOTHERED ME EITHER ! Thanks to my S E Asian Wife taking care of all the business I had to do over there...I couldn't even rent a house because as soon as they saw 'Joe Romano' from the USA the price of everything tripled...I ended up hating everyone in every country i lived in over there because of that.

BRO, seriously, I had no idea you were/are in S E Asia...OMG, GIBSON's are like needles in haystacks over there....DO NOT SELL THAT GUITAR !

@MR D Gibson is hard to come by here in Cambodia, perhaps it's considering as a superior guitar brand, I don know. But you can make a pre-order which sometimes made you pay almost double price of an actual MSRP. There's a lot of Epiphone and Mexican Fender here, they are cheap here. Sometimes cheaper than the MSRP I don't know why, and those are authentic guitars.

By the way, I'm really glad that I found this forum. I thought I made a bad decision buying this guitar, but turned out to be the other way around. I will never sell this guitar, it's my first Gibson guitar. I'll take care of it. Just like my other guitars. Thank you for being so supportive.

 

[3bolt79]

Well, if you do need a hard case, the Epiphone sg cases are inexpensive. How is the humidity where you live? Does it fluctuate to extremes?

 

[billiesupertramp]

Well, if you do need a hard cawe, the e-iPhone sg cases are inexpensive. How is the humidity where you live? Does it fluctuate to extremes?

@3bolt79 It's raining pretty much everyday now. I definitely don't want to take my guitar outside the house with a gig bag. Is the hard case is waterproof? I've never owned one, I really don't know about it.

 

[3bolt79]

If you need a waterproof case don’t buy the Epi case. Try and get a Hiscox molded case or even an SKB moulded case with TSA locks. They have a metal rim that mates the the lid and the back of the case. To keep the water out. Also maybe get a case cover.

 

[MR D]

Hello Everyone!

I'm very new to the Gibson brand, but when I saw a Gibson SG Standard I've grown very fond of it, it's like love at first sight but I've never touched an SG before I don't know if I like it or not and it will cost me a lot of money to ship a brand new Gibson SG Standard to my country since it's not available here.

Recently I came across a local shop and saw a Gibson SG Faded 2005 (I googled the serial number). I've played it, it felt so good and the condition was pretty good. It looks legit, with no broken neck, no pickup swapped, or anything. So I've decided to buy the Gibson SG Faded 2005 as my entry-level Gibson guitar. The shop sold it to me for 1150$, but I offered him 900$ he refused due to the import tax and shipping is so expensive. So I offered him 950$ without the hard case because the case was not original, and also I don't need a case.

Just today I found out I can ship a brand new Gibson SG Tribute 2017 from Thailand at the same price I paid for a Gibson SG faded. What an idiot I am!!! I felt so regretful and I've tried to sell it back to the shop and they refused to buy it back.

I'm also hesitant to sell it and also want a brand new guitar. Should I try to sell it to get a brand new guitar or keep it and save up for a brand new Gibson SG Standard which cost me about 1800$ (Tax included)?

Thank you in advance for responding to my thread.

OK BRO, You have the guitar you always wanted, right ? Next, you have got to get a Hard Shell Case to protect it...DONT TAKE IT ANYWHERE until you get one, right ?

Next, set that BAD-A$$ UP ! Neck Relief is all important (not more than .005" @ 9th Fret) and string height at the 1st and 12th frets too,,,,,,,,

Do you have a CAPO ? Get one and put the capo over the dot at the 3rd fret (in between the 2nd and 3rd frets)....observe: Do the strings clear the 1st fret (closest to the NUT) ? With the capo in place as instructed, The strings should clear the 1st fret by a whisker...this is known as the 'TAP TEST' in luthier circles as when you press up and down on the strings w/capo in place....you will hear a little 'TAP' as the strings bounce off of the 1st fret...if the strings are NOT clearing the 1st fret w/Capo in place...you need to get a new NUT....but not to worry if you do not do it right away.

string clearence @ 1st fret is crucial: I use the following string heights at 1st fret: Low 'E': .022", 'A' .024", 'D' .026", 'G' .018", 'B' .015", High 'e' .012".(all string heights can be within .002" +/-)..these heights at 1st fret will produce DEAD-ON INTONATION @ 12TH FRET, AND IF YOU GET THE 1st fret HEIGHT RIGHT (WITHIN .002" ON EACH STRING) THESE 1st fret string heights will even produce DEAD-ON RINGING OPEN 'A' 'D' and 'E' chords in the 2nd Octave, as long as the bridge is set to GIBSON Specs (5/64"THS Low E @ 12th Fret, 3/64"THS High 'e' @ 12th Fret) and the saddles are correctly placed.

I wish I was back over there, I miss the beaches/babes.....give me 30 minutes with that guitar and it will play like the CHAMPION GIBSON that IT surely IS !