Seeking help with which model of SG to get

[1Way]

I'm possibly a couple short months away from getting one, but it doesn't hurt to shop while waiting, and if my Gibson Explorer sells in the mean time, I might get one sooner!

-Q1-
Do the Customs have an Ebony fretboard?
ANSWER, yes, Customes have Ebony fretboards.

I want Rosewood and not Ebony. I would prefer an SG with relatively more low end than high end.

I want as good or better pickups as what comes in the Standard, even if I need to upgrade them, that's ok too, so I usually plan on an additional $115 if the bridge pup needs replacing.

I want to buy into a used guitar so as to save some bucks.

So far I lean towards the Standard, but the Special might work if I upgraded the bridge pickup, but I still don't know about other upgrade issues like the tuners and the nut etc. -Q2- Do you know about the quality or upgradability of the SG Special, including things like the nut, the tuners, the truss rod, bridge, electronics, etc.?
ANSWER, they should both be made of the same (quality_ hardware except for the bridge pickup which is different.

The Custom would be awesome, unless they only come in Ebony. Is it feasible to swap out a Rosewood fingerboard for Ebony? The Supreme would be great, I like the 57's, but it comes in Ebony, I think it must be the heaviest SG in the lineup, and is very pricey. So I'm not keen on the Supreme.

I need the guitar to be as light as possible, back problems.

-Q3-
I wonder how much more expensive the Custom runs verses the Standard?
ANSWER, Customes are most expensive, out of my league.

Bigsby or Gibson deluxe whammy bar
I've heard good things about whammy bars on these guitars. -Q4- What is your experience with them? I don't care about a slight degrade in sustain, I prefer resonance and tone.

Cosmetics
I greatly prefer natural or cherry finish and I do not prefer solids. I dislike pink and purple case interiors, frankly it hurts my eyes, I like gray the best, would put up with (darker) red if need be. -Q5- Can you feasibly modify the color of an ugly case interior?

Likely candiates seem to be:

1. Standard
2. Deluxe
3. Special[/list:o] Thanks in advance for your time!

 

[ess]

customs have ebony frets.

personally. i dont think its a case of the special having inferior pups, or the STD vice versa. they are just different. they produce different results. one person might like/require the 490s from the special cuz of its slightly lower output.

i got some 490s in a LP copy, and ive fallen for them, spot on.



theres loads of sites on the net. bum-bay included where you can get aftermarket goodies. pickguards tuners etc etc. also a plethora of pickup makers.


the weight difference is neglidegable, 2 extra frets??? cmon!


go for the standard. :idea:

 

[ess]

jeez man, cant spell neglidegable.. DOH!

 

[1Way]

Chuckles, "2 more frets", (more chuckles) the Supreme is heavier because half it's body is hard maple laminated to the Mahogany back! It is noticeable, especially if you have back troubles.

Ya, the SG Specials that I tried sounded a bit too thin or trebly for my taste, I like pups with more low end and don't get muddy with multiple strings or chords, but I bet the 490 would sound better in a bassier sounding guitar like a Les Paul. Frankly, I would be thrilled if my Explorer had that pickup in it, so far no one knows yet. It's an open pickup with a Pat NO on the back, guitar was made in 85 and cost $900 at the stores.

 

[1Way]

You may not have exactly understood my question #2. I was not asking if you could upgrade them. I was asking about their factory quality, are the hardware and stuff as good as say a Standard for example. I'm not sure I would do much with a Standard, except maybe change the bridge pickup and maybe change the nut or bridge saddles to reduce string breakage. But I wonder if they build the Special with slightly lesser quality stuff? That is the angle I am asking about upgrades for the Special, not if you can find upgrades for it or not.

 

[crippe]

You may not have exactly understood my question #2. I was not asking if you could upgrade them. I was asking about their factory quality, are the hardware and stuff as good as say a Standard for example.

Standards and Specials have the same hardware (except for the 498 bridge pickup). I'd say the hardware has the same quality. This is not where they differ. Have a salesman at your local guitar shop pick out a Standard and a Special. Close your eyes, play them both and pick the one you like. I have a Special and I'm now looking for a Junior. I don't need all the decorations to enjoy playing - I play with my ears not my eyes.

 

[Keithsauls]

as ess stated all customs have ebony so that is out
the supreme will probably be too heavy for your back and i think they come with ebony as well if i am not mistaken.
that leaves the standard and the special. both have the same hardware(tuners bridge etc) and it is good quality stuff.the difference in pups doesn't really matter cause you are willing to swap them out to fit your needs. so what it really boils down to are the cosmetic differences.the standard has trap inlay the special has dots. the standard has binding the special does not.the standard has that little "badge" on the headstock and the special does not.other than that i cant think of any other differences.i believe the price difference between a standard and a custom will be substantial.

 

[1Way]

Keith, Crippe,
That sounds great. I don't mind getting a lower line guitar as long as it plays and sounds just as nice as the Standard. But one part of the aesthetics that I do not wish to overlook is the looks of the wood, especially the wood grain, in both the body and the fretboard. I really like a sweet looking wood grain that you can see from further than standing right next to it. I like the cherry finish. So what do you think? Can I get a Special in Cherry that would look just as nice as a Standard in Cherry? Or is the color not as see thru, or not as nice in the wood quality as the higher priced guitars?

 

[Paul D]

Don't overlook the Classic!! Killer cherry red translucent finish, nice grain in the wood, light, resonant, killer neck, and 2 P90s that sound great clean or scream....$850, about $200 less than the Standard, but w/ gigbag not HS case like the Standard so the difference is really only about $100...

 

[alazary]

specials are great guitars, i'd get one but the deluxe is nice n rare. look for pics of specials in wine red, they got good grains that you can see in that finish (IMO).

 

[1Way]

Sounds good, but I prefer humbuckers, not the P90's. What pickup comes on the deluxe, and is it an affordable guitar?

 

[alazary]

well the deluxe im after was only made in 98 and 99, it's the blue one SGM has in his avatar. And the newer specials got humbuckers so your set for those. i think the deluxe is more expensive than the special, and you can't see the woodgrain...so specials fits all your needs.

 

[vic108]

the mini HB pups on the SG Deluxe cut thru very nice...
and the 6-way switch gives you plenty of sonic options.

most, if not all 1998-99 SG Deluxes came with a Bixby too...

only came in two colors red or blue but if you get one
cheap enuff, finish it in natural!!!!

I got mine for $600 about 6 months ago or so.

8)

 

[alazary]

you can get a black deluxe from 99 and with an ebony fretboard, and block inlays, locking tuners to..

 

[1Way]

I would like to see a good pic of the Deluxe, don't know what their pickup config is. What year options are there? So do these Deluxes have a maple top? Or was that an older Deluxe that had a maple top? Could be totally mistaken on that.

Trem
I'm ok with a Bigsby trem, I might like that better than a stop piece, not sure though. One guy on Harmony Central said that the Bigsby trem added something to the tone of his SG, he liked it better even if it may have lessoned the sustain somewhat. What do you guys say about the trem verses the stop piece?

Deal
Vic108, $600! on a Deluxe with a trem! Wow, sounds like a great deal. Do they come with a case or gig bag? Where did you find that buy?

Mini humbuckers. I've heard good things about the SD mini humbuckers, any other jammingly good mini's out there?

If I go with the SG Special, I've still got choices about the color, like whether to go with a worn cherry or not. I'll have to make another visit to the guitar shops and try out some Specials soon. That ear to the back of the guitar test has be intrigued with the Standard because it definitely had the most inherent bass, and the Special Faded had the most treble, but I forget about the rest.

 

[alazary]

i think vic got a really good deal on that deluxe and you won't find too many oppurtunities like that. I'm going to try to go to my local music place that has a deluxe from 98 and i'll cehck the price on that. and the deluxe is all mahogany. I like stop bar's but i like trem systems too, they look pretty awesome btw. so the special faded has worn cherry and worn brown, but the special (normal, not faded) has wine red* ebony*, blue teal flip flop and platinum. you want wood grains, go for the special faded or special in wine red, and if you want a trem, deluxe is out there, but its pretty hard to find deluxes.

 

[1Way]

Check this guy out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...;item=3771549134&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

He's selling an SG Special Faded which has an Ebony Fingerboard, and he is acting like it's the SG Special with rosewood. The Special Faded is cheaper (300-450 cheaper! list price at MF) so he's making his cheaper guitar sound like it's the more expensive one.

Some salespeople, I tell ya.

And check this guy out, same thing, selling a special faded as a special.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=47073&item=3772533850&rd=1

I checked out Gibson site to re-verify, and the faded-worn brown and cherry guitars come with an Ebony fingerboard.

 

[1Way]

Man, I am beginning to wonder if the lower line of SG's get inferior wood selection and thus same may go with the hardware too. Check of the wood cuts in the backside of this ebay guitar. Here's the link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=47073&item=3772671988&rd=1

It's a worn brown SG (apparently it's an SG Faded with an ebony fingerboard).

 

[alazary]

yeah i wonder if the specials are better..

 

[1Way]

The wood looks great, except for the narrow patch, seems out of the ordinary. I guess you have to take each guitar on it's own too.