First things first: The people reviewing this guitar and giving negative comments are probably doing so in large part because their respective guitars have not been set-up properly. I have been playing guitar for many years and one thing is certain: Realistically speaking, there is no such thing as a guitar being set-up perfectly right out of the box. For those of you who claim you received one set up properly, with all due respect I submit that it was a mistake and is just not really possible. This faded SG is no different - it seemed like it was not even setup or at least very well.
The intonation was way off, the action was too high, the pick-ups needed adjustment, the truss rod and stop tail also needed adjustment. Even the fretboard and the body finish needed to be oiled. HOWEVER, once the sixty five dollars is invested to accomplish this, you will be rewarded with an absolutely superb instrument. It plays and sounds like a dream. Even with my $65 set-up adjustment investment, I feel like I am way ahead of the game in terms of money for value. You will be gigging with this guitar as your primary WMD. It is an excellent musical instrument. You will not achieve its true potential as a players guitar unless you set it up properly.
That being said, the neck plays extremely fast and the pickups sound awesome. This guitar is extremely light (for a Gibson electric guitar) so you can play it for hours without getting tired. I would highly recommend this guitar to anyone that craves the SG tone and feel without the heavy price attached to most of the other Gibson SG and Les Paul Standard Models. As said, even with the set up fee, you will probably have about a thousand dollars left over.
It does look pretty cool in a simple, KISS (keep it simple stupid) way. What I care about is it having a straight neck, and sounding good. I like the finish or lack thereof; it is comfortable to play. The neck pickup is the same (a 490r) as on a SG Standard, but the bridge pickup is a 490t vs. the Standard’s 498t. If that bugs you, you can buy a 498t for like 100 bucks and change it. It (the 490t) provides a good tone though. I play through a Peavey Classic 30 and this guitar sounds good through this amp. The most important reason for me this guitar is so like able is this guitar (and all Gibson SG’s for that matter) is versatile. I think it is well suited for playing lots of styles of music.
Essentially, it over performers nearly every other guitar for the money. It would make a good second/backup guitar. I think it could also be a good guitar for a beginner. I’d recommend paying the extra 100 or so dollars and getting one of the SKB SG cases too. They’re better than the gig bag that comes with the guitar, and better than the Gibson hard cases. The Gibson SG Special Faded may not be the prettiest one on the shelf, but she’s got it where it counts.
Performance wise, the controls and switches work adequately, performing their jobs as they are supposed to. Nothing remarkable to say, that is a good thing!. Meaning that this instrument is really surprising in terms of the way a guitar should play. While it may not be a new Standard SG or Les Paul, it costs a lot less, That my friends is why this guitar is so valuable, it outperforms every other guitar in the price range.
A Little SG History: In 1961, the Les Paul was redesigned with a thinner body and 2 sharp cutaway horns that making the upper frets more accessible while lowering production costs. The new guitar was popular, but Les Paul the guitarist did not like it and asked to have his name removed. Gibson renamed the model the “SG” which was short for “solid guitar”.
Gibson Faded SG Special Electric Guitar Features:
• Mahogany body
• Mahogany neck
• Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays
• 24-3/4″ scale
• 1-11/16″ nut width
• Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
• Chrome hardware
• 490R and 490T alnico magnet humbuckers
• Controls: 2 volume, one tone, 3-way switch
Gibson Faded SG Special Electric Guitar Includes:
• Gibson gig bag
Playing a guitar that looks as if it has been rode hard lends authority. Order today.
Compare Prices and Customer Service Policies at Selected Stores:
Check Pricing at Musicians Friend: Gibson Faded SG Special Electric Guitar Worn Brown
Check Pricing at Guitar Center: Gibson Faded SG Special Electric Guitar Worn Brown
Check Pring at zZounds: Gibson SG Special Faded 3-Pickup Electric Guitar (with Gig Bag)
For more stores to use for comparisons purposes click here.
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Please leave a comment and enjoy. GPC
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5 Comments
I was feeling better after visiting your sits as i was pretty upset with my guitar. Now i will try out what all you said and try to adjust strings and get
melodious sounds from it.
I agree with your point about guitars not being setup ‘out of the box’. I worked for a few years in a music gear shop and I can confirm that the Gibsons I dealt with were hardly ever playable after being unpacked.
Quite often I’d tune them up to concert pitch, give them one strum and half the strings would jump straight off the bridge saddles.
You can’t really judge a guitar until it’s been setup.
It’s well worth learning how to set up your guitar yourself, just for the practical knowledge.
Yeah, I agree with the comments above–I hadn’t thought about the way the guitar was set up out of the box. Thanks for putting more good info out there.
Interesting points about set-up — thanks for the history
All other comments aside, good setups out of the box DO exist. Not perfect, but good. My Ibanez S2170 came almost in tune and with an EXCELLENT stock setup considering it had been shipped and subject to climate before I recieved it.
Although I urge ANYONE looking to buy ANY Gibson guitar to DO THEIR RESEARCH and PLAY THE ONE THEY BUY.
The reasoning for this is that Gibsons quality control, as a huge company, is VERY lacklustre due to a combination of size, and selling on brand name. This doesnt extend only to setups, but the actual construction of the guitar itself. See this link and you will see first hand what 2008 gibsons come out of the factory looking like.
http://www.musicbanter.com/talk-instruments/29602-heres-warning-anyone-even-thinking-looking-gibson-guitar.html