What's the most reasonable way for me to go about getting a purple SG?

I wasn't quite sure where to put this thread since I'm open to any brand.

I realized just before my birthday that I've never owned a decent guitar that I really wanted so I started doing a bunch of research. Days before (and after) my birthday were spent going around everywhere trying out different guitars and seeing what fit.

The last place I went was a Guitar Center (I had exhausted all the mom and pop options) and I discovered that the guitars I liked the most were their cheap Epiphone SG and Special II's. I liked the shape a lot, they were comfortable, they just sounded good unplugged and felt good in a way that the guitars that cost hundreds of dollars more just didn't.

But god damn is it hard to find an SG in purple, and I really want purple. While there's currently the Epiphone SG Muse Purple Passion Metallic it's really more on the pink side than the kind of deep purple tones I was hoping for. The 2007 Gibson sg Goddess Violet Purple Burst looks great but is outside of my price range and the purple Gibson sg Futura 2014 just doesn't seem to be all that common.

So, this is all a very longwinded way of asking, is there an affordable way to go about getting a purple sg? Should I look to get something custom made? If so, any recommendations? Unfortunately, my price range maxes out at around $650 but it's somewhat flexible.

If you read all this rambling, thanks!

 

I know where you're coming from... I'd love to have a purple SG, but with Gibson these days you have to be thankful if there's ANY alternative to Cherry on your SG of choice. A purple option is pure fantasy.

Finding an SG you really love and then saving up for a refinish may be the best option - that way you get to be really sure it's the guitar for you before spending money on the refinish - and you might even end up loving the colour it is.

Not sure exactly which shade of purple you're after, as it can range from blueish to redish (e.g. magenta), but the Gibson 'robot' series came in a purple/magenta colour option (my favourite part of that spectrum), and you might be able to pick one up cheap with broken electronics, and convert it to a fairly regular SG. However, like the Goddess and Futura they're not easy to find:

But if you find one, the bound headstock is a nice bonus. :)

I would think the custom build route would be too expensive. Here in the UK it's possible to get quite an economical build-to-order through Gordon Smith, and the quality is high (since being taken over by Auden guitars). You're pretty much limited to their designs (it does include an SG, though I'm not mad about the particular way they carve them), but you can specify any colour. I ordered one in 2018, and chose magenta as a custom colour, and it's a fantastic guitar, but the cost was about £1,000 - and I'd call that a low price for a made-to-order from anyone:


This is their page on the SG-style model, the basic prices start at £899 for a single P90 model, a custom colour would add to that:

https://www.gordonsmithguitars.com/shop/guitars/gsg/

If you're interested in something that's just 'SG-ish', Reverend do some nice colour options on their Sensei models:




Now, if only Gibson would...

 

There's the 2020 Epiphone SG Muse. Kind of rosy to me, but they call it Purple Passion Metallic.

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Find a second hand SG with an unbound neck and have it refinished.

 

Just painting my latest project - but blue, not purple. But this is kind of how you do it.

 

Do you have any posts or information about your process?

 

Sorry no. This one is just a quick and dirty build. But sanding up to 800 grit, then wetting and sanding again once dry. Grain filling came next and more sanding. It's currently in primer. Colour will be done tomorrow and clear lacquer some time next week.
I may delay all this and save it for total lickdown which starts Thursday.

 

I'm no expert, but I thought total lickdown was normally done before primer?

 

Darned phone! I thought I'd found all the fickups.

 

There are plenty of refinishing threads here were you can see the whole process. One thing I can say though is it takes quite some time and patience so if you venture into it you have to also like the process, not just the result.

 

Indeed. This quick and dirty finish will take about two weeks.

 

Imagine what a quick and clean one would take.

 

I never painted a guitar before...but I tackled this job:




If I can paint a Rocky guitar that involves various shapes and forms in a staggering 17 different colors, then anybody can paint an SG one solid color.

Give it a go. Buy a cheaper Epiphone SG and spray it the purple you like. Come here for how-to tips and advice.

 

What's the most reasonable way for me to go about getting a purple SG?

Grab a red one by the neck and squeeze as tight as you can.

 

To my way of thinking...the only guitar that looks good in purple (real purple) is a Tele and only with the maple board. I came up with that about ten years ago...but never got one. Hold off a while, rethink it and see if it is worth all the fuss.

 

Something my cousin told me going in..."have plenty of patience and lots of sandpaper..."
I started my SG kit in cherry, but after it needing a neck reset I'm rethinking a purple (magenta-ish) fog on the edges like a sunburst effect...dunno, yet...

 

Yes, anyone can do this, except those that would consider it a lot of "fuss", provided they have - The time, a working space, the money, a well ventilated area, the know how and the patience. The latter is why I said you have to like the process as well. I'm not trying to deter anyone, quite the opposite, but those things have to be considered before you start because once you do, there's no way back. You know, like once you start rockin'...

Here's one of my purple masterpieces for your encouragement.

Before:



After:

 

Just to point out Halfords rattle cans are (or used to be back when an XR3i was desirable) cellulosic paint, pretty much the same stuff as the legendary "nitrocellulose" used by Gibson etc. way back when. In fact it was the same paint used by the car manufacturers back then.

For the Americans Halfords = AutoZone plus bicycles.

 

Halfords rattle cans - exactly what you can see in my pic back up the thread. I had to buy a second can of the colour - one doesn't quite get the density I want.