NGD...Zhivago's adventures in The Land of PAFs...

[Paul-T]

SGs are perhaps the most under-rated Gibsons and that is definitely the most beautiful.

http://trynka.net/2018/03/by-the-grace-of-god/

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

Wow!

Normally - like I just noted many others here - I don't really care about SGs... this red (or brown or black) and black combination just doesn't exite me at all.
Got their right to exist, sure!... I mean, where would all the Doom and Proto-Meral Bands be without their SGs?

But this one, sir...is a completely different case!
I always adored the White 3PU+Vibrola combination since I first saw one...about 7 years ago. But wasn't it even a Les Paul Model when they came out - back then in the early 60s?

Anyhow congratulations! Great find!

[øøøøøøø]

Damn that’s beautiful

[MechaBulletBill]

incredible

[mynameisjonas]

It was pretty easy to guess that this was next on your list (from your description in the Penguin thread), but I didn't think it'd be this soon. Congrats, it's a real beauty!

[StevenO]

How does an SG feel to play standing up as a 6'4" lanky fella?

It's beautiful, by the way. I fell in love with an old 3 pickup Greco in dark cherry once, I could only imagine what yours sounds and plays like!

[Maggieo]

Your taste, as always, is impeccable. Gorgeous guitar.

[Squirrel]

Oh wow that's nice, a true "Vintage with a capital V" guitar. I've actually had a growing desire for an SG lately, as Paul T already mentioned they're highly underrated and it's kind of becoming an event to see someone playing one. I really think a Custom like yours, or maybe a pre-'67 Special with the smaller pickguard might be on the cards for me in the future.

[zhivago]

Yannis, as I've said to you quite a few times already ... that's a really really nice one. And I'm delighted that it's gone to someone who has wanted one of these for a very long time.

I like SGs, but they're not bucket list guitars for me (if this was a '63 ES355 ... different story). Even still when I was playing this one I was thinking to myself that maybe I should reconsider!

The pickups on this one are possibly the best balanced set of PAFs I've ever encountered, with an actually usable middle position voicing (they're usually a bit meh in that weird out of phase bridge/middle setting) - on this one it's a lovely sweet tone that was actually the nicest setting (not to knock the bridge/neck - but they good PAFs and the sound was sort of what I'd expect, the middle position surprised the hell out of me).

I'm looking forward to your full review on this

Thanks Kev!

It is a sweet guitar for sure...been playing it for the past couple of days, getting to know it.

The PAFs sound amazing, and I am blown away by how playable the guitar is all over the neck...it is up to par with my 50s Les Paul for sure!

I am a bit busy this week, but I hope to play it more over the coming weekend, so I can post a bit more about it. In the meantime I will post some more photos below.

Again, many thanks for the test-drive you gave it...it was the clincher for me!

[zhivago]

Did you sacrifice your Penguin to the sea gods?

Very much congratulations otherwise, I'm not much of an SG person but I'd say that's probably peak SG on the humbucjer sides.

D

Thanks David!

The Penguin is still here at the moment...I am trying to figure out a way to keep it, but we shall see how it goes...the initial victims were my Ric 660 and my '52 J50 acoustic

[zhivago]

Thank you everyone for the great vibes!

I am really lucky to have this...the stars aligned and I managed to make it happen....I honestly had given up on the search full of disappointment a while back....never say die, I guess!

Oddly enough, it feels a bit like playing a Jazzmaster, as the neck is sticking out more than a 50s style Les Paul.

It is rather cool and pretty hefty (for an SG - but still lighter than a standard Les Paul) with the Grover tuners, the three humbuckers and the sideways vibrola...there is a tiny bit of a neck dive, but not much.

Here's some more photos for everyone.

[zhivago]

How does an SG feel to play standing up as a 6'4" lanky fella?

It's beautiful, by the way. I fell in love with an old 3 pickup Greco in dark cherry once, I could only imagine what yours sounds and plays like!

It feels ok, in a weird way it feels longer than a 50s style Les Paul, although the body itself is smaller...the one striking thing is how fragile it can feel...you definitely can bend notes by shaking the neck a bit, although I wouldn't advise it!

I had no idea Greco did SG Customs back then...I always thought it was just cool Les Paul copies

[Despot]

Yeah ... the neck bending thing freaked me out when I had a '64 Special a few years back - it had the same neck profile as yours and the same short type neck join (compared to later SGs). I would find that if I was sitting on the couch and adjusted my seating position even a little bit while playing the guitar would bend out of tune! That being said the guy I sold that guitar too has gigged it now for five years with zero issues.

I'm still amazed by how clean this one is - it seems to have been taken care of for most of it's life. But what a guitar. That bridge PAF is really nice - I always found the bridge PAF in my old ES345 to be a little weak compared to the loud as hell neck pickup, and that made for a strange middle position tone. I'd always put that down to the out-of-phase thing, but this SG is the same (albeit middle and bridge mixed rather than neck and bridge) and it has a really beautiful sound in the middle. Those pickups are just super responsive too - I got a kick out of just fretting notes without picking and hearing the notes ring as loud and clear as they would picked on another guitar. Perfect balanced pickups, perfect '60s neck shape, pretty perfect condition ... that's the top of the SG pyramid right there.

[Despot]

And I should say as well ... to have even just gotten a chance to play one of these was a big deal for me. I'd been deliberately avoiding playing it for weeks - I knew I'd love it if I tried it, and having just sold off a load of gear to help house buying I couldn't take that chance!

When Yannis contacted me about the guitar it was great as it gave me a reason to check it out without having to worry about whether I might do something foolish...

[StevenO]

That's really just a scarily hot guitar. I have no GAS for one, I wouldn't even know what I'd do with one, but for some reason I just want to look at it. A lot.