Cheap SG special w/ new guts

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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MechaBulletBill
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Cheap SG special w/ new guts

Post by MechaBulletBill » Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:57 am

I think I posted about this when I got it but I couldn't find the thread (may have been lost in the great OSG revamp).

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Vintage [brand] Mick Abraham's signature. A pretty close clone of a 60s SG Special. Picked up secondhand for £120.

The stock pickups were some stacked P90-types that sounded a bit gash and the pots/wiring were cheap rubbish.

All of that's gone, replaced with some Alegree Sea Smoke P90s and proper pots/switch/jack.

(Some wax from the pickups had come loose in the fitting/adjustment and smeared on the covers)

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I've never had (or even really tried) P90s before and, because of the stock pickups, I didn't think they were for me. The replacements sound amazing, however, and for about the price of a secondhand Squier VM, this SG plays and sounds like a guitar that cost hundreds more.

I went with CTS 500k linear "True Vintage Taper" for all the pots and, as someone who's always playing with the guitar's controls, I like what they're doing. It's first time using the shielded wire and I think it's great, it looks really tidy (even if my wires are a bit longer than they *need* to be).

LESSONS LEARNED:
-Short shaft pots don't leave enough room for the knob pointers that I really wanted to put on here ::)
-the neck pickup cavity is much shallower than you'd think! :fp: :fp: :fp:
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Excuse me while I play along to Live at Leeds for the billionth time... :D
Last edited by MechaBulletBill on Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

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leokula
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Re: Cheap SG special w/ new guts

Post by leokula » Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:26 am

That guitar is pretty sick. BTW I like Vintage guitars better than the Epis, specially the les pauls, they're amazing.
Jaguar > Jazzmaster :)

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MechaBulletBill
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Re: Cheap SG special w/ new guts

Post by MechaBulletBill » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:08 am

Yeah man. I had an Epi SG (G400 vintage) when I was a kid and in many ways, it was a solid guitar, but the neck and fretwork on this one are a lot tidier. I'm not a fan of tuneomatics either and cheap ones are almost uselessly bad.

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NoiseNoiseNoise
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Re: Cheap SG special w/ new guts

Post by NoiseNoiseNoise » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:30 am

MechaBulletBill wrote:
Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:08 am
Yeah man. I had an Epi SG (G400 vintage) when I was a kid and in many ways, it was a solid guitar, but the neck and fretwork on this one are a lot tidier. I'm not a fan of tuneomatics either and cheap ones are almost uselessly bad.
I had a G400, but just couldn't get on with it. Oddly enough I have an Epi G310 that I LOVE playing. I think I must have an aversion to set necks :/
This is a signature. If you're reading this you've gone past the end of my post.

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Steadyriot.
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Re: Cheap SG special w/ new guts

Post by Steadyriot. » Thu Feb 08, 2018 1:08 am

Nice guitar! Congrats!
"If someone duetted with a Bald Eagle, they could rule the Country charts from here to eternity." ~shadowplay

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