Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar

GIBSON SG SPECIAL GUITAR


Gibson has a guitar that will satisfy the sonic demands of almost any player. Whether you are into jazz, blues, country, hard rock, classic rock, metal, reggae, ska, or just about any other music known to man, Gibson makes a guitar to suit your needs. With all of the changes in music style that have come and gone over the years, the body style of the SG guitar, which was introduced back in late 1961on the Les Paul SG Custom and Les Paul SG Standard, has remained in constant production, and it has remained a very popular guitar. The guitar that I am going to review today is the Gibson SG Special, and it is a great sounding guitar.


However, I will break with tradition, by starting my review with one complaint. With all of the creative genius and brain power that the Gibson Company has at its disposal, why must they resort to recycling older or previously used guitar names for completely different guitars? I am not talking about reissues here either. When I first started playing the guitar, the SG Special was a less expensive version of an SG Standard. At that time, the guitar that Gibson called the SG Special had P-90 pickups, and the SG Standard had Humbucking pickups. Now the current version of the SG with P-90 pickups is no longer called the SG Special, it is instead called the "SG Classic." To complicate matters and add further confusion to the situation, the name SG Special is now attached to a less expensive SG with different Humbucking pickups than an SG Standard, as well as a few less frills around the edges. On another note, if the SG Standard is a notch or two above the current SG Special, and the SG Standard is a more expensive instrument, then why is the less expensive model called "Special." Forgive my rant. I am beginning to sound like Andy Rooney. I shall now return to my former self, and I shall start my review of the current version of the Gibson SG Special, which I actually like very much. After all, a rose by any other name will smell just as sweet.


The current version of the Gibson SG Special is a guitar that offers some of the best features of the top of the line SG models, with a few minor corners being cut, which serves to lower the price a bit, and makes the SG Special an excellent value for the money. The current SG Special is manufactured at the Gibson factory in Nashville, Tennessee. The body and neck of the guitar are made of Mahogany, and the fretboard is made of Rosewood. The weight of the guitar seems a bit lighter than an SG Standard, but every guitar varies a bit in weight due to the variability of the piece of wood being used, and thus I can not say with certainty that every SG Special is lighter in weight than every SG Standard. Like all SG's, the body is very ergonomically contoured, and it feels very comfortable to play, whether you are playing this guitar in a seated position, or are standing up and playing with a strap holding up the guitar.


There is no binding anywhere on the guitar, and the appearance of this guitar is very simple and straightforward, with no unnecessary or added frills. Adorning the neck are simple fret markers on the side of the neck, and small pearloid dot inlays on the fingerboard of the neck. While we are on the subject of the neck, it has 22 frets, and is lightning fast. The neck on this guitar is based on the 1962 incarnation of the SG, and the neck joint is strong and sturdy, with no discernable unwanted bending or whipping. The neck joins the body at the 19th fret, where it is reinforced. The neck also has a rounded profile, which feels good in the palm of your hand, and thus makes bending strings wonderfully easy. The SG Special is currently available in only two colors, Wine Red and Ebony. The SG Special used to also be available in Ferrari Red, Antique White, Blue Teal and Platinum (the Platinum model had an Ebony neck), but these colors were unpopular, and Gibson discontinued making them a few years ago. Sir Paul take note, a left-handed model is available.


Anchoring the strings to the guitar are Green Key tuning pegs at the head, and a Stopbar Tailpiece at the other end. I found no problems with this guitar holding its tune, and was very impressed with its stability and overall construction. The bridge is a Tune-o-matic, which makes fine adjustments to string height and intonation very easy to accomplish. The hardware on the guitar has a nice chrome plating finish, which is resistant to rust and fingerprints.


The electronics of this guitar are simple and straightforward. There are two Volume controls, and two Tone Controls, one for each pickup, and a three-way toggle pickup selector. The pickups are a 490R Alnico Humbucker in the neck position, and a 490T in the bridge position (an SG Standard has a 498T or "Hot Alnico" in the bridge position). The 490R and 490T are sometimes referred to by Gibson as being "Modern Classics," because they feature some of the tonal characteristics of the 1957 Classic Humbucker, but in addition, the 490 series yields a sound that slightly accentuates the upper midrange frequencies, thus allowing you to have a bit more of a bite, and potentially a bit more sustain than a 1957 Classic Humbucker. Another feature of the pickups on the SG Special is that they do not have any covers, and are referred to as "open coils." Open coil pickups further accentuate the high end frequencies, and thus have a more biting tone, and a more vicious growl than typical 490's with their covers on. A slight drawback, is that there is greater potential for 60 cycle hum with these pickups, as there is less shielding available without their covers. However I must say that I did not find this to be the case on the guitar that I was playing, and I found the 490R and 490T to be very quiet even with their coils exposed. Another potential drawback is that open coiled pickups have a slightly greater likelihood to squeal at high volumes if you are playing too close to your amp. On the other hand, because of this, there is also a greater potential to employ controlled feedback, which produces a really stunning effect, and can give the impression of a powerful guitar with infinite sustain, if used judiciously.


The bottom line to me is that this is a good mid-priced guitar. This guitar was adequately constructed, and appeared to be well made, but not as solidly as some of the higher end SG's I have played. It also is rather plain looking, and does not make as much of a visual impression as does an SG Standard, and it does not have the frills of an SG Supreme. However, it is still a Gibson SG, and that says a lot. It plays beautifully, has great tone, and has the Gibson sound we have all come to know. The Gibson SG Special is not the best Gibson has to offer, but it is still a very good guitar. It can certainly hold its own against comparably priced guitars, and perhaps even more importantly, it will hold it's value over time in the aftermarket should you ever decide to upgrade to a higher end SG or to a Les Paul.


I would like to thank you very much for taking your valuable time to read my review of this great guitar. With that said, I need to get back to my practicing. Lately, I really seem to need it.