Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar,Worn Brown Satin

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.

• 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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A Little SG History In 1961, the Les Paul was redesigned with a thinner body and 2 sharp cutaway horns that made the upper frets more accessible while lowering production costs. The new guitar was popular, but Les Paul the guitarist behind the original Les Paul did not like it and asked to have his name removed. Gibson renamed the model the “SG” which was short for “solid guitar”. Though Les Paul’s name was officially removed from the model in 1961, the plastic Les Paul nameplates (positioned between the rhythm pickup and fingerboard) were in abundance in the Gibson factory and SG models having these nameplates were built and sold by Gibson up to the end of 1963. SGs have been the choice of world-class artists such as Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, Tony Iommi, and Angus Young.

Key Features

’50s Rounded Neck Profile

No guitar neck profiles are more distinguishable than the neck profiles employed on the Gibson models of today. The more traditional ’50s neck profile on the SG Special is the thicker, rounder profile, emulating the neck shapes found on the iconic 1958 and 1959 Les Paul Standards. The neck is machined in Gibson’s rough mill using wood shapers to make the initial cuts. But once the fingerboard gets glued on, the rest–including the final sanding–is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.

Gibson’s 490 (R) Rhythm and (T) Treble Pickup

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The mid to late 1960s saw the emergence of a very different type of music coming from the clubs of England. It was an interpretation of the blues that hadn’t been heard before, and it was much harder, more rocking, and definitely louder than anything else before it. As such, this new genre’s players were demanding more powerful amplifiers with increased volume outputs to satisfy their sonic explorations. This led to a call for a more versatile pickup that could split coils through a push/pull knob, and prevent microphonic feedback from occurring when the volumes were turned up to maximum levels.

Gibson answered this call with the introduction of the revolutionary 490T and 490R pickups (“T” for treble, and “R” for rhythm). The 490R is a humbucker with the tonal characteristics of an original PAF, with a slight increase in upper mid-range response. The 490T bridge pickup is calibrated to match the 490R, with pole pieces aligned a little further apart to accommodate the spacing of the strings at the bridge, which is different than the spacing of the strings at the neck.

Solid Mahogany Body

Probably the most central of all the SG Special’s features is its solid mahogany body–lightweight, strong, with a thick, warm tone. The mahogany goes through the same rigorous selection process as all of Gibson’s woods, and is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson’s team of skilled wood experts before it enters the Gibson factories.

Inside the Gibson factories, humidity is maintained at 45 percent, and the temperature at 70 degrees. This ensures all woods are dried to a level of “equilibrium,” where the moisture content does not change during the manufacturing process. This guarantees tight-fitting joints and no expansion, in addition to reducing the weight. It also helps with improving the woods’ machinability and finishing properties. Consistent moisture content means that a Gibson guitar will respond evenly to temperature and humidity changes long after it leaves the factory.

Dot Inlays

Over the years, the classic dot inlay has been one of the more traditional features of many Gibson models, including the SG. A figured, swirl acrylic gives these inlays that classic “pearl” look. They are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn’t require the use of fillers.

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Nitrocellulose Finish

This guitar features a nitrocellulose finish–one of the most labor-intensive elements of the guitar-making process–which dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish, meaning there is less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, allowing for a purer tone.

A nitro finish is also a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a scratch or ding on a nitro finish, but you can’t do the same on a poly finish. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not “seal” wood in an airtight shell–as a poly finish does–and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.

What’s in the Box

Gibson SG Special electric guitar, Gibson Deluxe Gig Bag, and owner’s manual.

List Price: $ 1,164.00

Price:

A very good looking bass for sure; black on black is the classic rock look, and they simply sound just as good as they look. Perfect for rock, punk, metal…

Epiphone Les Paul Special Electric Bass Guitar, Black Satin

• Les Paul bass guitar in satin black. Serious Les Paul sustain
• Mahogany body with set (glued in) mahogany neck
• Rosewood fretboard with dot inlays; long scale (34″)
• Specially designed Alnico bass Humbucker pickups
• Width at nut: 1.65 inches
• All black hardware

List Price: $ 499.00

An amazing sounding bass that is amazingly affordable too. The Les Paul Special Bass from Epiphone takes it’s styling from the original Gibson Les Paul guitars of the 1950s. All-Mahogany construction, including the set, mahogany neck gives great sustain; every note is warm and lasting. Great bass tone comes from a pair of 442R Alnico bass humbucker pickups. The Pitch Black finish and blacked-out hardware complete the attitude.

Price:

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More Epiphone Bass Products

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.

Gibson Les Paul Studio 60s Tribute Electric Guitar, Worn Cherry Sunburst

• Slim Taper Neck
• Dual P-90 soap bar single coil pickups
• Limited Edition
• gigbag included
• Comes with adjustment literature, and documentation for the guitar’s Limited Lifetime Warranty, along with Gibson’s 24/7/365 Customer Service.
• Dual P-90 soap bar single coil pickups and slim taper neck.
• Limited Edition and gigbag included.

The 1960s Tribute electric guitar consists of a basic Gibson Les Paul chassis with all the essential elements needed to rock including a Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece and Kluson-style tuners keep it all rock-solid and resonant and its gnarly P-90 tone stays true to the Les Paul style.

A solid, carved maple top and chambered mahogany body give the Les Paul Studio ’60s Tribute the same tonewood combination that has been helping Les Pauls rock for nearly 60 years. Authentic vintage-style finishes present a guitar with the look of a well played original, while the instrument’s unbound body and neck keep it in line with the popular Les Paul Studio line. The headstock of the Gibson Les Paul Studio 1960s Tribute is equipped with Grover Kluson style green keys. With a gear ratio of 14:1, these tuners deliver precision tuning in a durable housing that provides maximum protection for the gear and string post. The Gibson Les Paul’s Tune-O-Matic bridge, sets a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. The Tune-O-Matic provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. Both the neck and bridge position pickups are equipped with cream-colored screaming single-coil P-90 pickups. The P-90 was the standard pickup on all Gibson guitars in the late 1940s and into the 1950s and because of its crisp, bright tone it has experienced resurgence in popularity with many of today’s modern rockers. These classic Gibson guitar pickups deliver sizzling, slightly gritty midrange roar. You’ll find that the P-90s’ high output and biting treble has more nuanced harmonic coloring than the typical single-coil pickup.

List Price: $ 1,399.00

Price:

Check out these great vintage guitar resources

• Gibson Les Paul – vintage Les Paul guitar information

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: $ 499.00

Price:

So why are the Epiphones so much cheaper than the Gibsons? Well they are not made in America, but is that it? Some friends of mine over at Fly Guitars suggested the following (they know everything you need to know about old Gibson basses there):

The primary difference between a Gibson Thunderbird  and an Epiphone Thunderbird is the construction method. The Gibson has a mahogany/walnut through-neck design, with mahogany wings – the Epiphone maple neck is bolted to the alder body, more akin to a Fender. The Epiphone is considerably easier to make.

Nothing says rock like a Thunderbird, and both the Gibson and Epiphone versions sound terrific. When you consider the price too, the Epiphone is the real winner. Rock!

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Find More Epiphone Bass Products

Check out these great vintage guitar resources

• Gibson Thunderbird – vintage Thunderbird information at FlyGuitars.com

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!

List Price: $ 285.70

Price:

Find More Ibanez Bass Products

Squier by Fender BulletStrat w/Trem, Brown Sunburst

• Basswood body with gloss polyurethane finish
• Maple neck with 9.5 in radius rosewood fingerboard with 21 medium jumbo frets
• 3 Single-Coil Strat Pickups
• Synchronous Tremolo with Cast Saddles
• Master volume with 2 tone controls with 5 position pickup selector switch

List Price: $ 199.99

Price:

So whats so special? nothing… and everything

The thing is, Leo Fender got it right first time round. In the first half of the 20th century, guitars were built by highly skilled artisans, usings skills that had taken years to perfect.

Then along came Fender, bolting a few bits of wood together and calling it a guitar. And it blew tradition out of the water. Five decades later and via just about every rock god that ascended the stairway to guitar heaven, and the Stratocaster has barely changed. Why not? I already said, Leo got it right!

It won’t look dated in 5, 10 even another 50 years, and it’s robust. It’ll certainly last that long.  You know how it sounds already. It’s Clapton, it’s Beck, it’s Hendrix at Woodstock; the wide sixties-style headstock just screams purple haze at you, and the tremolo is there for all those dive bombs.

Three pickups give a wide range of tones, for all styles of playing, and plenty of great lead and rhythm sounds. It’s made of the right woods, using the right hardware, and comes in an array of colors.

This is a superb guitar, that can do everything that a very expensive pro guitar can do, but for a fraction of the price. It’s functional, it’s durable, it’s cheap, and it sounds flippin’ marvelous!

Figure 1 – The Seagull Entourage mini jumbo

Seagull (by Godin) produces some of the finest acoustic guitars for under $500. The Seagull Entourage Mini Jumbo is currently priced at $349. Not bad at all.

This guitar was hand crafted in LaPatrie, Qu’bec Canada. Lets take a look at the features:

Body: Mini Jumbo
Top: Solid cedar
Back: Wild Cherry
Sides: Wild Cherry
Neck: Silver Leaf Maple
Fretboard: Rosewood, 21 frets
Bridge: Rosewood
Finish: Rustic Burst Semi-gloss
Nut: Tusq®
Saddle: compensated, Tusq®
Nut Width: 1.72″
Upper Bout: 11.59″
Lower Bout: 16″
Waist: 9.53″
Body Length: 2.0″
Body Depth: 5″

As stated above, the top is solid cedar! Although it does produce a nice sound, it is fairly delicate and will easily scratch and dent. The finish is a very thin semi-gloss. I don’t mind this. I actually like it this way – You just have to be extra careful if you don’t want tons of dents and scratches in your guitars body (which WILL happen). The action on this thing out of the box was just perfect. It came with fairly low action which made it a breeze to play. The mini jumbo body style is one of the main reasons I purchased this guitar. The bigger dips in the body make it feel much more comfortable than a standard dreadnought guitar as it rests on your thigh. The rustic sunburst finish is also candy to the eyes.

The neck is a little bigger than most acoustics but isn’t as wide at the nut as the Seagull S6. I hear some people say that the headstock on the Seagulls are ugly. Sure, it’s a little smaller than a lot of other headstocks but in my opinion it still looks great. The smaller size does not affect tuning stability or anything else, but it does feel better from the players point of view. The Seagull Entourage Mini Jumbo stays in tune better than my Takamine and my Ibanez acoustics.

I’m willing to say that it is the best 6 string acoustic guitar for under $1k. I played much higher priced guitars at the music store, but none of them had the mojo that this one did. Highly recommended!

• Buy the

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.

So what’s so special? Surely a tuner is a tuner? Well, yes and no. The first thing you notice about the PT-100 is its weight; this is a rugged, heavy-duty stage tuner. Its die-cast metal casing isn’t going to break, and the hinged battery cover is screwed down – this will survive a good gigging for sure. But the weight has another advantage for simple home-tuning. When you plug in to tune it stays where it is. How annoying is it to have a lightweight tuner that can’t bear the weight of the cable that plugs into it, and ends up on the floor, usually in two pieces with the battery hanging out?

Of course the floor is where this tuner is designed to be. The LEDs that tell you whether you are flat, sharp, or just right, are very bright indeed. You’ll be able to tune from standing in any lighting conditions…. and seeing as this is a chromatic tuner there are no switches to flip. Just lights to tell you which way to go!

 The PT-100 has two outputs, the second for muted tuning. Silent adjustments can be made mid-set, purely by stepping on the pedal. And when the input jack is removed no more power is drawn from the battery. Never again will you unpack for rehearsal to find a flat battery from when you left it on last time! And when it is time, the battery can be accessed by loosening the screw on the underside. Here again Fender have thought of everything; this simple large slot-head isn’t going to fall out, yet can be opened with a small coin or stiff plectrum.

 This is a great piece of equipment, and although more expensive than some lighter tuners, it really is worth every cent.

• Buy the
• See also Fender AG-6 guitar tuner

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.

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.

Epiphone is, of course, owned by Gibson, and in the sixties guitars by both brands were very similar, and were made side by side in the factory at Kalamazoo, Michigan. Read more about the 1960s Epiphone Casino. Gibson had strict product licensing arrangment that limited the number of dealers stocking Gibsons, and the Epiphone brand was a way to increase sales without breaking these deals.

These Lennon reissues are incredible guitars; manufactured to the standards of the 1960s originals. Just 1,965 instruments have been made, each numbered. A portion of the proceeds from each sale was donated to “The BMI Foundation, Inc. for John Lennon Scholarship fund” which supports music education

Original body shape and materials- Mid 60s Kalamazoo Specifications

• Nitro Cellulose lacquer finish
• One-piece Mahogany neck
• Rosewood fingerboard with pearloid, parallelogram fret markers, binding over fret-ends
• Neck joint at 16th fret
• 24.750″ scale
• Mother-of-pearl headstock logo – 17 degree pitch
• “Gibson USA- factory” electronics and hardware
• Nickel plated, Alnico-V p-90s with original pole spacing
• Switchcraft, 3-way toggle with old style black washer
• Nickel ABR bridge with nylon saddles
• Vintage style case with shroud

Figure 2 – The Beatles perform on the roof of the Apple building, Jan 1969. Note John’s Epiphone Casino is now stripped down to a natural wood finish

Similar guitars

The Casino was very similar to the Gibson ES-330TD. Today Epiphone produce some very nice Casinos, some cheap, and some quite expensive – but all terrific instruments. If you want to play a semi-acoustic guitar, you should certainly try one out!

• Epiphone Casino
• Gibson ES-330TD
• Vintage Epiphone guitars
• Buy an Epiphone Casino

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.

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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 its a 335? Not quite……

Dave Grohl likes his Gibsons; Firebirds, RDs and of course his cherry red Trini Lopez Standard which he has played for some time.

It is this guitar that the DG-335 is based on, and of course both are basically 1960s ES-335s; a one-piece mahogany neck, maple top, back and rims, and the central maple block that makes this guitar semi-solid. Differences are largely cosmetic: firebird-style headstock (with six-on-a-side tuners), split diamond inlays, and the diamond shaped sound holes.

Figure 2 - Also available in Ebony…

So what did Dave Grohl want from his Inspired By guitar? Well the obvious change is the striking pelham blue colour; a traditional Gibson finish, but scarcely used. The other changes are in the hardware. A stop tailpiece and Gibson burstbucker humbuckers.

Dimensions, materials and construction are all unchanged.

• Body: Laminated maple top, back, rims.  White binding. Diamond soundholes.
• Neck: Mahogany. 50s rounded neck profile.
• Fingerboard: rosewood with split diamond inlay and white binding.
• Frets: 22
• Scale: 24-3/4″
• Width at nut: 1-11/16″
• Hardware: ABR-1 bridge with stop tailpiece. Chrome plated.
• Pickups: Burstbucker 1 (neck); Burstbucker 2 (bridge).
• Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way selector switch.
• Finishes: Pelham blue, Ebony.

This truly is a special guitar. Dave has been playing his since the summer, and they are at last available to the guitar-buying public.

• Gibson Inspired By Dave Grohl DG-335 Electric Guitar
• Foo Fighters website
• Gibson ‘Inspired By’