NGD: SG Custom Birthday-Birthyear surprise!

[sal paradise]

That is so cool. Entirely ott in all the right ways

[Jonesie]

Gorgeous! Congrats!

[Embenny]

Was totally kidding! Looks fantastic as is!

I know you were, but now I'm picturing this in a maroon sparkle and it's certainly not unappealing, haha.

Happy birthday, and that SG is just stunning! Nicely done!

Thanks! I normally don't care about my birthday at all, but I was under strict orders to make this one feel special, and this totally did the trick.

Cool. I have my dad's '74 pretty much just like it, but in black. Amazing looks.

But I hardly ever play it. (too) chunky neck, tiny frets, and the middle pickup does get in the way. I also rewired it so the middle position isn't out to phase (wth were they thinking?!). Neck and treble position sound great, pickups are original tarbacks.

Sure hope you like/play yours more than I do.
I only take it outta its case for about a week each year, then stash it away again. Yeah what a waste, but it IS my dad's guitar he got in the 70s so I won't be "able" to sell it, I guess.

That's actually my main fear about this one. It's so nice - I really can't tell you how amazing the neck feels and plays. So naturally, a guilty voice at the back of my mind started saying that I probably won't play it enough to justify keeping it.

As for the out-of-phase middle position, I actually kinda get it. It feels like an early attempt to target Fender - PAFs out of phase sound similar to single coils in parallel but in-phase like a Strat.

From a modern perspective, it seems silly to not be able to access the middle pickup or any in-phase tones, but in 1961, even strats had only three switch positions. The Jaguar hadn't come out yet, and electric guitarists weren't used to having too many switches or settings yet.

If I decide it's a true keeper, I'll likely drop in a Free-Way switch. I have one in my Bullet Mustang that looks like a standard Gibson toggle, but it has six positions. The bottom three go neck - neck and bridge - bridge, and the top three go neck and middle - middle - middle and bridge.

It's basically all combinations except for all three at once, which I've never found particularly useful on any instrument.

With all those tones accessible, why not use them? I'm sure neck and bridge would sound amazing on it, and the middle pickup might be a pleasant surprise on its own.

As it stands, all three positions sound good to me. It's got lower output pickups than my V, which are more to my taste, and the neck pickup does that SG thing that only SGs do, since it's a bit closer to the bridge than on other Gibsons.

Also, I thought its looks would be too over-the-top, but I think my years of chrome plates and sparkles have prepared me for this moment. I can handle some extra inlays and gold hardware...I think.

But I understand your position you're in. If I had sentimental attachment to it, I'd never be able to let it go. Some things trump all specs and tones.

That is so cool. Entirely ott in all the right ways

That's definitely how I'm starting to feel about it. My skepticism is waning. I can post some closeups later, but it has quite a bit of honest play wear and natural aging, which tone it down just enough for me.

Gorgeous! Congrats!

Thanks! The banana creme finish is growing on me.

[Maggieo]

Seconding the Free-Way switch!

[Surfysonic]

Was totally kidding! Looks fantastic as is!

I know you were, but now I'm picturing this in a maroon sparkle and it's certainly not unappealing, haha.

Cool, I've been bitten by the sparkle bug, too! Most recently, I refin'd my Squier Paranormal Cyclone in Rose Gold.





My next refin project is going to be a blue sparkle finish on one of my parts build Teles. It currently has a milk paint finish that I'm bored with (the one on the left).

[Embenny]

Seconding the Free-Way switch!

It's such a useful mod, right?

Right now I'm kind of in love with the neck and bridge pickups on this guitar. The middle + bridge, not so much. I mean, it's certainly usable, but the neck and bridge on their own are phenomenal and it's just not up to that bar.

Cool, I've been bitten by the sparkle bug, too! Most recently, I refin'd my Squier Paranormal Cyclone in Rose Gold.

My next refin project is going to be a blue sparkle finish on one of my parts build Teles. It currently has a milk paint finish that I'm bored with (the one on the left).

I think that'll be a great project! I'd love to learn to do sparkle finishes, but it would be very dangerous to learn to do them well, since I'd probably end up working my way through the whole collection.

For now, I'll just appreciate the sparkly guitars I do have, which are slowly but steadily growing in number.

[Surfysonic]

I think that'll be a great project! I'd love to learn to do sparkle finishes, but it would be very dangerous to learn to do them well, since I'd probably end up working my way through the whole collection.

For now, I'll just appreciate the sparkly guitars I do have, which are slowly but steadily growing in number.

All I'm using is Krylon Glitterblast - more coats the better per the pros. Then a few clear coats. Here it is so far...



Body shots look better and more fully done in the daylight. I took these photos in the garage at night with a flash.

[panoramic]

SG's kinda rule and this one looks lovely. Congrats.

[BoringPostcards]

I had an Epiphone version for a short time. Couldn’t get on with the middle pickup being there. Felt like there was no space.

SGs kick ass and you got a real good one there. Good score.

[Embenny]

Looking pretty cool so far! Can't wait to see it clearcoated.

SG's kinda rule and this one looks lovely. Congrats.

Thanks! Still feels foreign to me, but it's such a great player that I'm hoping it starts to feel like home at some point.

I had an Epiphone version for a short time. Couldn’t get on with the middle pickup being there. Felt like there was no space.

SGs kick ass and you got a real good one there. Good score.

Yeah, it still feels that way to me but I'm adjusting...slowly.

I haven't tried dropping the height of the middle pickup yet. Not sure if it'll help or not. I've found that I really like playing fingerstyle with it - the pickups make a giant, flat ramp like some bass players add under the strings, which keeps your fingertips from going down too far.

It's the opposite experience from playing with a pick - I actually really enjoy having the pickups right there while playing fingerstyle.

I'm still not 100% sure what I'm doing with this guitar, musically speaking. I feel like I haven't figured out the permutation of amp settings, playing technique and musical style that clicks, but the fingerstyle discovery feels like an important step in the right direction.

[Surfysonic]

Looking pretty cool so far! Can't wait to see it clearcoated.

Thanks! More rattle cans ordered - more spraying hopefully in a couple of days.

[Embenny]

Ok, I feel like I'm starting to crack the PAF code and am really, really digging this guitar.

With single coils, I've basically been using the Supro 1624T as the starting point for all my tones, but it's got a midrange character I don't find flattering toward PAFs (at least for my taste).

I've been exploring the brighter side of Marshall models on my AxeFX, and now we're talking.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm totally the first person to ever realize that a Gibson sounds good plugged into a Marshall. Sounds really stupid when I say it out loud, but there you have it. I was just so used to the Supro always serving me well that I stopped experimenting on the amp side of things for a while.

Having said that, a lot of "traditional" higher-gain Marshall tones sound congested and cheesy to me on this guitar, but there are some gems in there. But I'm slowly zeroing in on what works for me, and the clean tones on this guitar are really, really nice.

I'm even warming up to the bizarre, "wish.com stratocaster" tone of the middle position.

But mostly, my attraction to this guitar is really all about feel. The neck is sublime and the feeling of those big ass pickups under the fingers changes the way I play, which I actually really like. No point in having so many guitars if they don't inspire you to play differently, right? Same reason I love sitting down with my Flying V. It's different enough to encourage me to play different things, or the same things differently.

Goddamnit, I really do like Gibsons now. What is happening to me?

[jakeisjake]

Big Mama!

[Larry Mal]

Goddamnit, I really do like Gibsons now. What is happening to me?

They make great guitars, always have. Along with Martin and Fender, they've totally defined the world of the guitar and everything else that has happened has been in response to them in some way or the other. And Gibson is the only one of those three that you can say the same about the electric and acoustic guitar, not to mention the banjo, not to mention the mandolin.

I never understand people's knee jerk reactions against Gibson.

I'm glad you like this one, though. To me, it's world class and totally a keeper, when will another one of these come along, you know? At the same time, though, it's kind of a weird guitar and would not be for everyone.

I wonder, does this have the "fretless wonder" frets like Gibson uses on this type of Les Paul? I encountered that kind of fret on a Les Paul Deluxe from 1981, and I've been haunted by them since. What a super playable neck that was.

[Surfysonic]

Looking pretty cool so far! Can't wait to see it clearcoated.

Thanks! Also, thanks for allowing me to slightly derail. I applied more coats of the Shimmer Blue sparkle and then three coats of clear on the body, two coats of clear on the headstock (I'll put on 2 more coats of clear after I put on the Tele decal when both body and headstock have cured for a month or two). Very happy with the outcome so far.





Back on topic, I love my Gibson ES-135 and Les Paul Special Tribute.



Some day I'd like to get a Les Paul Junior (single cut or double cut) in Pelham Blue or Tobacco.







Or even a Les Paul Special Double Cut