NGD - New Gibson Day!

[DRC68]

Today I finalized the adoption of my brand new baby, an SG Standard in Heritage Cherry that was born on December 21, 2020. I guess that makes it a a late Xmas present to myself.

I had played it at the local GC a week ago along with two of its Ebony siblings. The other two were excellent as well, so I chose this one for the color. I'm no expert luthier, but my close inspection revealed no flaws in the workmanship or the finish. The setup is very good, no buzzing nor uneven fretwork. The notes ring on all strings and on all frets. After hearing stories about dead notes, I think I may have found a good one.

I like the sound of the 490 pair compared to my Epi SG Special P90. The tones are rich and full, with good volume. Overall I think it's a more versatile player than the Epi.

I have short fingers and medium-size hands, and I think the rounded neck profile plays better than the slim taper on my Special. And I was pleased to learn that the store checked it over and conditioned the fretboard before I picked it up. It looks, feels, and plays superb.

Looking forward to playing it in, and owning any wear that will certainly occur over the years. But as far as first impressions, I'm very pleased.

 

[football27]

Congratulations on you Christmas baby. She sure is pretty. Enjoy your guitar!

 

[Erik72]

Congrats on your beautiful new addition!

 

[DRC68]

Thanks. I noodled around for a couple hours until my elbow started aching and my fingers turned black, LOL. This thing is so much fun to play. Oddly enough the feeling reminds me of my very first Squier Tele as a teenager, I couldn't put it down.

I looked closely and the body appears to be one solid piece. If it isn't, then they did a good job matching the grain. It might need some minor tweaking to the setup, but it is very close to being spot on. The fretwork is very good and the binding is very well done.

I'm pleasantly surprised after hearing stories about quality control. This one seems to have been built on a good day.

 

[OldDog]

Very nice. The Heritage Cherry is such an iconic finish for an SG.

 

[DRC68]

If I have one complaint with this guitar it's that the pickups are level to the body rather than angled due to being mounted in the pickguard.

I really had to crank up the bridge pickup, it was set very low from the factory, almost as low to the body as the neck pickup. She sounds amazing now. This guitar is loud accoustically, the body resonates and open strings seem to ring forever.

 

[skelt101]

If I have one complaint with this guitar it's that the pickups are level to the body rather than angled due to being mounted in the pickguard.

My Firebird had the same issue. There are ways around that:
1. Mount pickup ring(s) to the pickguard, a la Angus Young Custom Shop.
2. Bend the pickup feet at an angle to compensate.
3. Wedge some foam under the bridge side of the pickup(s).
I went with option 3. Turned out great! Beautiful Standard btw! Happy NGD!

 

[Neezduts89]

Such a beautiful guitar. I have a later 2020 standard as well and it’s my baby. It quickly became my favorite guitar and I won’t even touch anything else now. Take good care of it and it will do the same for you. The setup techniques are pretty basic and can be learned from various places on the internet. I would suggest learning how to do it yourself, just be patient and use caution your first time around. Make sure you have the correct tools too, like a set of feeler gauges to check the neck tension

 

[PermissionToLand]

If I have one complaint with this guitar it's that the pickups are level to the body rather than angled due to being mounted in the pickguard.

I really had to crank up the bridge pickup, it was set very low from the factory, almost as low to the body as the neck pickup. She sounds amazing now. This guitar is loud accoustically, the body resonates and open strings seem to ring forever.

With batwing SGs, I raise the pole pieces on the bridge pickup to compensate.

 

[Wild Bill212]

CONGRATULATIONS on your new SG, looks BAD-A$$.ROCK IT !!!

Question: is it a 2021 Model? I have been eyeing a SG Standard at the local GC (that stimulus check is burning a hole in my pocket) that has been hanging on the wall for months, a 2020, needs a set-up for sure and I kinda want a new one that hasn't been played by 100 people.....

W/Scamdemic screwing everything up, Gibson seems to be behind in rolling out the '21's..I've yet to see a 2021 but I hear they are out there......what year is yours, If I may ask ?

 

[Wild Bill212]

Today I finalized the adoption of my brand new baby, an SG Standard in Heritage Cherry that was born on December 21, 2020. I guess that makes it a a late Xmas present to myself.

I had played it at the local GC a week ago along with two of its Ebony siblings. The other two were excellent as well, so I chose this one for the color. I'm no expert luthier, but my close inspection revealed no flaws in the workmanship or the finish. The setup is very good, no buzzing nor uneven fretwork. The notes ring on all strings and on all frets. After hearing stories about dead notes, I think I may have found a good one.

I like the sound of the 490 pair compared to my Epi SG Special P90. The tones are rich and full, with good volume. Overall I think it's a more versatile player than the Epi.

I have short fingers and medium-size hands, and I think the rounded neck profile plays better than the slim taper on my Special. And I was pleased to learn that the store checked it over and conditioned the fretboard before I picked it up. It looks, feels, and plays superb.

Looking forward to playing it in, and owning any wear that will certainly occur over the years. But as far as first impressions, I'm very pleased.

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BTW, you did get a Hard Shell Case immediately, yes?
GIBSON putting Standards out w/out hard shell cases, that is a bit on the cheap-skate side, just a a a bit.... The ghost of Henry J appears again.

 

[DRC68]

CONGRATULATIONS on your new SG, looks BAD-A$$.ROCK IT !!!

Question: is it a 2021 Model? I have been eyeing a SG Standard at the local GC (that stimulus check is burning a hole in my pocket) that has been hanging on the wall for months, a 2020, needs a set-up for sure and I kinda want a new one that hasn't been played by 100 people.....

W/Scamdemic screwing everything up, Gibson seems to be behind in rolling out the '21's..I've yet to see a 2021 but I hear they are out there......what year is yours, If I may ask ?

Mine was built in December 2020, so almost a 2021 but not quite. It definitely was not at the store very long. I have yet to see a 2021-built SG in person.

BTW, you did get a Hard Shell Case immediately, yes?
GIBSON putting Standards out w/out hard shell cases, that is a bit on the cheap-skate side, just a a a bit.... The ghost of Henry J appears again.

I'm holding out for the Gibson brown hardshell case, but they always seem to be sold out.

 

[DRC68]

Such a beautiful guitar. I have a later 2020 standard as well and it’s my baby. It quickly became my favorite guitar and I won’t even touch anything else now. Take good care of it and it will do the same for you. The setup techniques are pretty basic and can be learned from various places on the internet. I would suggest learning how to do it yourself, just be patient and use caution your first time around. Make sure you have the correct tools too, like a set of feeler gauges to check the neck tension

This thing lives on the stand during every waking hour, so I'm sure to pick it up every day. Wrapped the stand forks with strips from an old white t-shirt to protect the finish.

If I don't completely mute all strings after tuning one, it fools the tuner; this guitar resonates so well you can still feel the vibrations long after the sound fades away. It will resonate if I just sing notes at it, like my favorite old fiddle used to. We used to do that with acoustics in school, but I never noticed an electric guitar do that before, maybe that's a product of solid construction and light weight.

It can be difficult to get motivated after a long work day, but once I pick it up, a couple hours can go by before I even realize it. I just need to get into a practice routine and make the hours count. But this is the first guitar I've picked up in years that feels like a natural extension of my hands. I can't fathom how I never discovered SG's until now.

 

[Marky Forrest]

Gotta love the heritage cherry, congratulations.

 

[Col Mustard]

I'm holding out for the Gibson brown hardshell case, but they always seem to be sold out.

Col says: I recommend the SKB-61 case highly. The Gibson case is more elegant looking, but is too
easily damaged itself when being shoved in and out of rusty band vans when it's 15 degrees and
snowing. The SKB is impervious to anything but hammer blows or maybe 9mm rounds.
Also, it doesn't damage other guitar cases when stacked in the back together, or piled up
in an untidy jumble when you slam on the brakes at 0230 on a Sunday morning.

Plus, sometimes M/F will put those on sale... best to get yours when marked down. So I'd keep
your new Gibbie in its factory case until you see an advantageous price on the SKB.
Then pounce.

Congratulations and welcome!


SKB second from left with a Gibson G painted on it.

 

[DRC68]

Col says: I recommend the SKB-61 case highly. The Gibson case is more elegant looking, but is too
easily damaged itself when being shoved in and out of rusty band vans when it's 15 degrees and
snowing. The SKB is impervious to anything but hammer blows or maybe 9mm rounds.
Also, it doesn't damage other guitar cases when stacked in the back together, or piled up
in an untidy jumble when you slam on the brakes at 0230 on a Sunday morning.

Plus, sometimes M/F will put those on sale... best to get yours when marked down. So I'd keep
your new Gibbie in its factory case until you see an advantageous price on the SKB.
Then pounce.

Congratulations and welcome!
View attachment 44397 View attachment 44398
View attachment 44399
SKB second from left with a Gibson G painted on it.

Case looks nice. How is the neck support on these?

 

[MikeT57]

Very nice. The Heritage Cherry is such an iconic finish for an SG.

The black and other colors are nice, but the Cherry is the one to have... hands down

 

[papagayo]

Nice SG, congrats !