my Derek Trucks SG: pics and review!

[Ellisvertellis]

So I made some pictures today and this guitar sure loves the camera! All sorts of colour hues and wood grains I hadn't seen before! I did forget however to get rid of some dust though, sorry about that.
Later I will try to write a descent review. That's kinda hard to do now: I only got it 5 days ago…

Enjoy!

 

[rotorhead]

Wow what a beauty.

I don't normally get pushy but...gimme that. :)

 

[Ellisvertellis]

Wow what a beauty.

I don't normally get pushy but...gimme that. :)

Haha, thnx!

 

[bwotw]

I'm not a fan of the looks of the Dereck Trucks SGs but, damn! What a beautiful piece of mahogany!

 

[Biddlin]

Gorgeous!

 

[pancake81]

That’s stunning. I imagine you are plenty happy with that purchase

 

[Ellisvertellis]

That’s stunning. I imagine you are plenty happy with that purchase

Indeed i am!! I'm a Derek Trucks fan, but that's not the reason i bought this particular guitar. The whole SG concept just speaks to me. I feel like it's a do-it-all guitar, especially with those clear 57 pickups. So many sounds you can get! It's funky, soulfull and sweet sounding and it can really rock too! Perfect combo with the AC30!

 

[Logan]

Holy cow! That's a gorgeous peice of wood.

 

[SG standard]

That is a beautiful piece of mahogany, and great photos too. :)

 

[Ellisvertellis]

That is a beautiful piece of mahogany, and great photos too. :)

Thank you!

 

[Gahr]

Indeed i am!! I'm a Derek Trucks fan, but that's not the reason i bought this particular guitar. The whole SG concept just speaks to me. I feel like it's a do-it-all guitar, especially with those clear 57 pickups. So many sounds you can get! It's funky, soulfull and sweet sounding and it can really rock too! Perfect combo with the AC30!

Man, your words are like an echo of my thoughts. I wanted to buy a nice SG, and ended up with the Derek Trucks simply because I bonded with that particular guitar in the store. It just spoke to me. And a little later I bought a Vox AC30. A damn nice combo!

Congrats again on a great guitar (and amp!).

 

[Ellisvertellis]

Man, your words are like an echo of my thoughts. I wanted to buy a nice SG, and ended up with the Derek Trucks simply because I bonded with that particular guitar in the store. It just spoke to me. And a little later I bought a Vox AC30. A damn nice combo!

Congrats again on a great guitar (and amp!).

Thnx!! How long have you been playing the DT SG for? Anything you can comment on that could be helpful? Setups, pots, pickup height, pickup pole piece height (now they're all the same), etc… I really want to get the most out of it! The setup was great when I got it, I just lowered the high strings a bit, but I like to tweak, so...

 

[Col Mustard]

excellent shots! A stunningly lovely example of Gibson design and
Derek Truck personal choices.

And you are right: The SG is one of the most versatile instruments there is.
So is a Telecaster of course, but everyone knows that. SGs can play just
about any style of music that their owner is capable of.

That's my feeling anyway, and that's the tone I get from my '57s.
Congratulations on finding a perfect SG.

 

[filtersweep]

What function does the metal plate behind the stop bar serve? Just curious.

 

[Ellisvertellis]

What function does the metal plate behind the stop bar serve? Just curious.

I believe it's a leftover from a trembar that has been removed and it stayed on because it looked good. Without pick guard and this Lyre tailpiece, this guitar would look too "naked". Apparently the extra weight also balances out the guitar and prevents neck dive. I don't know if it's the tailpiece, but this SG is better balanced than my previous one, a 70's tribute.

 

[cerebral gasket]

What function does the metal plate behind the stop bar serve? Just curious.

http://www.everythingsg.com/threads...ability-problems-solutions.33559/#post-491555

 

[filtersweep]

http://www.everythingsg.com/threads...ability-problems-solutions.33559/#post-491555

I love it: the only guitar where folks actually discuss making them heavier!

 

[ratsalad]

Not a fan of the lack of pickguard on an SG, but damn that's some choice wood on this one! The slight natural flaming going on there is just awesome!

 

[bobbiehart2013]

totally gorgeous

 

[Col Mustard]

What function does the metal plate behind the stop bar serve? Just curious.

No function... just a decoration.
Some of us, (me included as well as Derek Trucks) feel that the original SG design with
the big honking metal plate on the rear deck looks pretty cool, in a very sixties way.
Kind of like leaving the ash trays on yer Telecaster. Way back when the SG
(and Fender's Tele, Strat, P bass and J bass) were designed
the fashion was to cover all fasteners with decorative metal plating.

Maybe it was so a fine lady would never see a screw... (unless she looked close)
But it was fashion, so it doesn't have
to make sense. All fasteners were covered and the big honking mechanism that Gibson
had designed (trying to compete with Leo Fender's genius, the Strat trem) looked gnarly
without the cover.

Cars had huge (ridiculous) tail fins too, so if you think about it, the SG with it's metal tail cover looks
very very sixties. Which it is. Watch GM or Chrysler bring back the tail fins on a car. *laughs
sell a million of 'em... What function do tail fins on a Cadillac perform?
Help you drive straight when yer drunk? And what function does the "spoiler"
perform that's on the back deck of my '04 Honda Civic? I think of that as a
"high performance" accessory for a race car, and it seems ridiculous on the back
of a modest family sedan that's 13 years old and still on the road. *shrugs


Anyway, fast fwd to the current era, when the SG (which has been in continuous
production since Elvis drove a Cadillac like the one above) has earned its place
in many different genres of music. So it's not just a sixties rocker. The SG appeals
to guitarists of many stripes. We play 'em with large PG or small PG, or no PG,
we play 'em with Humbuckers or P-90s or Mini hums. Ultra light strings, or
heavies down tuned and dark... the SG can do it all.

So the metal cover has no purpose any more, it's just there for you to use if
you like the look. It's just s decoration... it says Gibson with a harp and an
olive branch.
Derek Trucks grew up practically onstage with the Alman Bros.
and Duane used to play a sixties SG, so you can guess the attraction for the
young Derek.

Anyway, that's my answer to your question. I don't have any use for a whammy bar
so I've never wanted to hang one of those on any of my instruments. But I do like
the look of that long retro piece on the otherwise bare fantail of the SG.

I've thought of making my own, not out of metal but out of ebony. But I've never been
able to bring myself to drill holes in my SG, except for once. And I'll never do
that again. So I play my SGs bare-ass, and imagine the original design faintly
but not urgently enough to pop for a DT SG.