Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar, Worn Brown Satin

Gibson Faded Sg Special Electric Guitar Worn Brown
Gibsons are expensive. We all know. So how about this? A fantastic SG, at a great price – the satin finish is not as shiny as a regular finish. But that’s it. it’s still a fantastic sounding SG, with it’s trademark bite. With the full pickguard it’s very much late sixties style. Think Pete Townsend on Live at Leeds, or Carlos Santana at Woodstock.

Gibson Faded Sg Special Electric Guitar Worn Brown

  • Powerful, intense, and affordable 6-string electric guitar with solid mahogany body and ’50s rounded neck profile
  • 490T and 490R pickups–“T” for treble, and “R” for rhythm
  • Swirl acrylic inlays for classic “pearl” look
  • Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge; 2 volume and 2 tone controls plus 3-way toggle
  • Worn brown finish with chrome hardware; comes with Gibson Deluxe Gig Bag

The Gibson Faded SG Special is an electric guitar that maintains the tradition of looks, functionality, and value for which the SG guitar is known. Under its attractive faded finish, the Faded Special SG is still the traditional SG, with mahogany body and neck, Tune-O-Matic/stopbar bridge, and alnico 490 pickups. The guitar’s faded finish gives it the look of an electric that started its rockin’ days in the ’60s.

The Gibson SG range was first popular in the mid 1960s . Very influential guitarists such as George Harrison of the Beatles, Eric Clapton of Cream, and Robbie Kreiger of the Doors all played Gibson SGs. But this  model, the full-scratchplate Gibson SG Special is most associated with Pete Townsend of the Who around 1969-1970.  

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Gibson Les Paul 60s Tribute Electric Guitar

Yeah vintage Gibson Les Paul guitars are cool – but who can afford a real one?

Well, with a Gibson Les Paul 60s tribute, you get 60s styling, Gibson quality, and a price point that us non-bankers can afford. A fine looker for sure, based on their 1960s Kalamazoo-built classics. And incredible value for money; an outstanding guitar for any price!

Gibson Les Paul ’60S Tribute Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst

Gibson Les Paul '60S Tribute Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst

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Epiphone Thunderbird IV Electric Bass Guitar

Epiphone Thunderbird IV Electric Bass Guitar, Vintage Sunburst

The Thunderbird bass is a staple of rock and heavy metal bands everywhere. Gibson Thunderbirds cost an arm and a leg (well, Gibson’s always do…) but Epiphone Tbirds are very very affordable, and they just happen to sound great! Really great!

A fine looking bass, no mistake, and one that simply screams rock

  • Four string electric bass guitar in vintage sunburst with classic shape and a classic sound
  • Alder body with bolt-on maple neck
  • Rosewood fretboard with dot inlays; 34-inch scale
  • Dual TB Plus Humbucker pickups
  • Black hardware, volume and tone controls

Featuring both a classic shape and a classic sound, the 4-string Epiphone Thunderbird IV bass guitar in vintage sunburst finish has a reverse body styling, carved top and the Thunderbird insignia on the pickguard. The alder wood body and generous bolted maple neck work together to deliver warm bass tone with plenty of attack from the dual TB Plus Humbucker pickups. Other features include a 34-inch scale, rosewood fingerboard with dotted inlay, 1.73-inch nut width, volume and tone controls, and black hardware.
List Price: typically around $400 (check latest prices here)

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Ibanez Soundgear GSR200 Bass Guitar – Black

Ibanez Soundgear GSR200 Bass Guitar – Black

For this months GuitarFact bass guitar review we’re going to have a closer look at this Ibanez bass

Quite a good looking Ibanez bass for sure; black on black underlying it’s rock credentials, but how does it play?

  • PHAT II active bass boost offers additional
  • low-end power on all GSR200 models
  • GSR offers famous Soundgear pro comfort and playability at “entry level” prices
  • The GSR series includes the most affordable 5- and 6-string basses of any major brand
  • Phat II active bass boost adds additional low-end power to the affordable GSR200 models.
  • GSR200’s powerful Powersound pickups deliver full tones and strong low-end.

GSRs offer famous Soundgear sleekness, comfort, tone, and playability. GSR Mikro basses are perfect for anyone who needs a compact axe or the comfort of a smaller neck.

Great for rock, superb for metal, this Ibanez has to be played to be believed!

Typical Price: $200 (Check price here)

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The Fender PT-100 Guitar Stage Tuner

Fender PT100 chromatic pedal tuner

Figure  1 – The Fender PT-100 chromatic guitar tuner

I think i’ve found one of the most useful pieces of equipment any guitarist can own! Such statements shouldn’t be made lightly, but in this case I stand by it. If you need a new tuner you really should consider this one. In the PT-100, Fender have a solid, durable and, most importantly, easy to use tuner that works for guitar and bass. It does the job, and it does it well.

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John Lennon Limited Edition Casinos by Epiphone

John Lennon 1965 Casino

Figure 1 – The John Lennon 1965 Casino

In the 1960s Epiphone Casinos were ‘in’. And John Lennon wasn’t the only Beatles to own one. In fact Paul McCartney and George Harrison both had Casinos, as did Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. But it was Lennon who became most associated with the instrument, most famously playing it on the infamous rooftop appearance of 1969.

The Epiphone John Lennon Casino

Fast forward to November 1997, and a team from Epiphone visit “The Dakota” in New York to examine John’s Casino. They took measurements of the neck and body, studied the components and photographed everything, in order to create a guitar as close to Lennons original as was possible to acheive.

As a result and in cooperation with Yoko Ono, Epiphone proudly introduced the Limited Edition John Lennon “Revolution” and “1965” Casinos.

The “John Lennon 1965 Casino” is a reproduction of the guitar as John originally purchased it with the sunburst finish and stock hardware.

The “John Lennon Revolution Casino” is a reproduction of the “stripped” guitar featuring one coat of nitro-cellulose lacquer, gold Grover tuners and no pickguard.

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Gibson ‘Inspired by’ Dave Grohl DG-335

Gibson 'Inspired By' Dave Grohl DG-335

Figure 1 – The Dave Grohl DG-335.

2007 has seen a wide range of guitars leave the Gibson factory doors; from the standard instruments that are the companys bread and butter, to limited-number special-edition instruments: the Guitar of the Week range, numerous historical reissues, and of course the Inspired By range.

This is a series of instruments “inspired by and built to the exact specifications of passionate musicians and artists” – among them are Les Pauls (John Lennon and Warren Haynes), Flying Vs (Jimi Hendrix and Zakk Wylde) and three thinlines; the Roy Orbison ES-335, Keither Sutherland  ES-336 and best of all the Dave Grohl DG-335.

So it’s a 335? Not quite……

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Bass Guitar Strings

A new set of strings can do wonders for a bass. If the old set have been on for a while, the sound they produce will be dull and lifeless. Old strings can be the cause of fret buzz and intonation problems, and in a worse-case scenario could snap during performance. Bass guitar strings last longer than guitar strings, but a new set can really invigorate your bass

How long a string takes to become ‘old’ depends on several factors: how much it is played, whether it is wiped down after use, and even how corrosive the perspiration of the player. Top players may change their strings nightly; only fresh strings give them the sound they want, whilst a bass that spends very little time in use – perhaps avoiding gig situations – will be fine for months or years.

So, now you’ve decided to treat your beloved bass to a new set, how do you decide what to buy? There are a lot of choices, but which ones are right for you? Long scale? shortscale? roundwound? flats?

This article describes some of the main types, to help the reader identify the best bass strings for them…

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