Gibson SG: Yes/No?

[DesmondWafers]

Yes, yes, yes. I'm honestly not the biggest fan of the looks (RAWK) but they're one of the most utilitarian guitars to me and they're so comfortable. I also play mostly clean and my sg with 57 classics sounds perfect.

[HorseyBoy]

Lots of solid advice in this thread already, so I'll just add a big YES.
I've had and played a bunch of SGs over the years. Currently have a 67 SG Jr that I love, chunky neck, narrow nut and all. That P90 sound is pretty much impossible to get with any of my other guitars. If I had my pick, I'd go for an early 60s SG Special (two P90s). Those uniformly have the best necks. Pretty much the best, most comfortable necks I've ever played. Some of the modern Custom Shop SGs are great, too.
A Maestro vibrola (short or long) will help with any neck dive, as will a good strap (ie, not a slippy seatbelt strap).
You need to find out for yourself, so play as many as you can.

[ryverb]

I love SG's but they are all different, I recommend choosing one in person. Not all of them suffer from neck-dive!

[windmill]

Played a 61 reIssue from a few years ago. The neck is different from offsets.

Different radius and shape more of a D shape than the C shape of an offset

Took a while to get used to.

[BoringPostcards]

Played a 61 reIssue from a few years ago. The neck is different from offsets.

Different radius and shape more of a D shape than the C shape of an offset

Took a while to get used to.

Mine is a 2013 SG Standard, which is exactly the same as the previous 61 Reissues. It does have a very different neck from my offset Fenders. I got used to the difference though after not much time and am able to switch back and forth without issues.
The SG Standards from other years have very different necks, some fat, some skinny.
Fat neck SGs are usually the worst for neck dive, although a suede strap solves it with zero effort.
Personally I don't like fat necks on anything besides Telecasters.

[budda12ax7]

Angus says yes. Each one is different though. I have a mid 90's faded SG which plays and feels different than some I tried in the store. SOUNDS Like a rock machine should.

[Pat V]

Big yes from me. I've got a 2013 SG Standard with '57 classics pickups and it's phenomenal. I was originally on the hunt for an SG Classic because I wanted the p90s, but I tried one of the '13 Standards in a store and had to order one for myself. I still GAS for a p90 model and will probably get one down the road.
Very comfortable guitar to play sitting or standing. Very light. The neck on mine is the 60s profile and I love it. I'm not a fan of baseball bat necks, with the exception of early 50s tele necks.
Try a bunch. They're great guitars.

I totally agree. I absolutely love the 2013 SG Standards. Here's mine. It isn't the most expensive SG I have, just my favorite!

I'd love a P90 version Gibson too but for now my 5oth Anniversary Epi 1961 Special more than fits the bill.

[Despot]

Played a 61 reIssue from a few years ago. The neck is different from offsets.

Different radius and shape more of a D shape than the C shape of an offset

Took a while to get used to.

Same is true of all Gibsons though. And Gibsons vary wildly from year to year and model to model. The nicest SG neck I ever played was a '65 Junior - it had a big old baseball bat of a neck that was a full C, with a wide nut. It actually felt a lot like the AV65 JM neck.

But you're right about the '61 RI SG - I think this is Gibsons '60s 'slim taper' neck ... you find this on a lot of their guitars, not just the reissues. I have an ES355 that has that neck profile. It's not my preferred profile, but I get along fine with it.

[dezb1]

A big YES from me l wanted an SG since I was at school (a long time ago) finally got round to buying one 2 years ago and it's been my go to guitar since - 2014 SG special - very versatile guitar coil splits on both pickups sound excellent - the neck coil split sound is beautiful - had to change all the manky beige plastics but otherwise perfect. Just bought a Deusenberg Les Trem to see if I can get even more versatility. I'm not a Rock guy and play clean most of the time these things aren't just for the saturated sounds.

So to recap YES get an SG

[rumfoord]

Bridge P90 in an SG is one of my very favorite pickup combinations to play.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I'd put it 3rd overall behind JM neck, and Strat middle.

[RuffiansFC]

Bridge P90 in an SG is one of my very favorite pickup combinations to play.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I'd put it 3rd overall behind JM neck, and Strat middle.

Big reason why I got the p-rails back in the day. I started with the bridge to get that Townshend sound and it delivered big time. there is nothing else like pairing it with an amp on the verge or breakup. since my sg is my number one and I play with a lot of high gain and fuzz, switching to the humbucker settings are a live necessity.

[Grey]

The first guitar I ever bought with my own money was a Faded SG. I always liked the SG because it's a very comfortable guitar to play with pretty much unrivaled upper fret access because of where the neck meets the body. The position of the strap pin behind the neck heel also makes it sit differently against your body than most Fenders or other guitars with the pin on the upper horn.

I sold the Faded after a few years, never really got on with it. The neck was like a baseball bat and the fret ends weren't finished very well which made them feel sharp and uncomfortable when moving up and down the neck. I still wanted an SG though and a couple of years after that I found a nice '97 SG Standard that i've had ever since. I'm a big fan of 90's-era Standards, many of them were 1-piece bodies and all of them had the ABR-1 style bridge vs. the Nashville bridge that all SG's made post-2001 have used. The Nashville sits on posts that thread into bushings pressed into the body, whereas the ABR-1 sits on posts that screw directly into the wood. In my opinion this gives the guitar a bit more sustain. I had a thinner neck than the Faded I had owned, as well.

[Larry Mal]

Yeah. Fuck the Nashville bridge. First thing I do on a Gibson is get that off there, and get real bridge posts and an ABR-1 bridge on there.

[mijmog]

Intrigued by these, think its a limited edition, an SG Special HH. Always wanted to try a wrap tail with humbuckers since trying one of those R4 Tonequest Goldtops they did a while ago. For me I've found there's really nothing more exciting in terms of "playing feedback" than the combination of the SG's light resonant body, coupled with that tailpiece.

Shame about the baked maple neck but I'm sure I could live with it.

Add some nice PAF type pickups, drill for the extra tone pot, add 50s wiring, voila: a lovely guitar.

[ifallalot]

I got rid of mine to help pay for my wedding. Now I really want another one.

I'll hold out for something with a P90 though