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A Standard By Any Definition
Date of Review: Dec 24, 2000
In 1961, the Gibson Guitar Company began manufacturing the SG line of guitars. There have been many different types of SGs produced over the years, including an SG '61 Reissue. The Gibson SG Standard guitar is the shining star of this line of guitars, for a whole variety of reasons. Before I get into the specifics, I want to share a little personal story with you--it might explain why I value this guitar so highly.
My first instrument was an original 1961 SG. I saved up my lawn mowing and bottle collecting money for a long time, and purchased one of these guitars for $125.00, more years ago than I care to admit. My beautiful (and priceless, today!) SG was destroyed when I flipped my 1957 Chevrolet on the way to a gig when I was in high school. Since that time, I have owned literally hundreds of guitars, but I have always had an SG or two somewhere in my collection. In fact, out of a sense of nostalgia, I bought an SG '61 Reissue several years ago--it sort of took me back to my younger days. I play it occasionally, but mainly I keep it for sentimental reasons.
Anyway, to the subject at hand--the Gibson SG Standard guitar. The Gibson SG Standard guitar is a solid-body electric guitar with double symmetrical cutaways. The rounded profile neck and the body of the instrument are made of mahogany, and the fretboard is made of rosewood, with mother-of-pearl trapezoid inlays. It has a vintage four-point beveled pickguard, a tune-o-matic bridge, and a stop-bar tailpiece. The guitar is equipped with two pickups--490R and 490T humbuckers, and has two volume and two tone controls, accompanied by a three-way pickup toggle switch. The binding on the neck, chrome hardware and pearloid Kluson tuners give the Gibson SG Standard a look of sleek elegance. The guitar comes in ebony, heritage cherry and natural sunburst finishes, and a vibrato arm is available as an option.
There are many reasons why I like this guitar. It's very light and easy to play on stage--after playing a heavy Les Paul, you'll be amazed at the difference in weight. The playability is superb--the body joins the neck at last fret, and the twin double cutaways provide easy access to the highest notes on the fretboard. The neck feels extremely comfortable in my hands, even though there are several Gibson electric guitars with thinner necks.
Does this guitar have a great sound? I should say it does--it comes complete with that fabulous Gibson "growl" that so many professional guitarists love. It has that fat, beefy sound that is so different from that Fender "twang", but it can get dirty, too, for biting solo work, thanks to those double humbuckers that are stock for this guitar. Want to hear a good example of the sound of this guitar? Go put on an AC/DC cd--Angus Young plays Gibson SGs almost exclusively, and he gets the most incredible rock 'n roll sound possible out of his SG.
My Gibson SG Standard is an ebony 1995 model (it is just like one in the picture in the top left corner of this page) that I purchased new for $1,300.00. Today I understand that the same guitar retails for just over $1,900.00, but the price of all Gibson instruments are rapidly increasing year by year. If you decide to purchase one of these instruments new, you can probably negotiate your dealer down a couple of hundred dollars.
This guitar is a standard by any definition. It's a very versatile instrument that can be used for rhythm work and for soloing, but it's probably best used in a rock 'n roll format. As I said, I've always owned one or two of these guitars, simply because the Gibson SG Standard is about as reliable and versatile as a guitar can be.
