SteveFord Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 It doesn't look like there's a thread for SG Clubs so here's my Classic. I had an SG Standard from around 1974-81 and stupidly sold it and around 2007 I decided I needed another SG. I always thought P90s were kind of cool and when I saw the Classic, I decided I'd better get one. I tried a few at Guitar Center and didn't like the feel of them at all and then I saw this one on eBay and I liked the wood pattern. It just looked like a good one. I've only started playing this one recently and it took about a week to get the neck to settle down and remain straight (which explains the missing truss rod cover in the picture), I gave the frets a mild dressing, some Lemon Oil, a pick up adjustment and it's almost wonderful. The neck still feels like it belongs on a much larger guitar. It really reminds me of a Firebird neck that needs to go on a diet. It's wide and thick but after two weeks of steady playing I'm getting the hang of it. I did own a recent faded yellow SG Special which had a fairly stout neck but not quite as much as this one has. It's surprising there's so much variation with these models as I'm sure they crank them out by the boat load. At any rate, here's my SG. I'd say it's a keeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 Yep, the shops refused to sell him any at the end - who could blame them? This guitar was made to play "I'm Free" from Tommy, it just seems to come naturally to it. Don't you fret none, old Classic, nobody smashes you as long as I'm around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Did somebody say SG Classic? That is my favorite guitar. I had been an SG fan for years and was looking to get into P-90s when a used one popped up on CraigsList. It was love at first strum and she's been my main guitar since. When I get the desire to play or when I am not near a guitar and have the itch to play, this is the guitar I fantasize about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 What is that cobra thing on your guitar? Is it for decoration or does it serve a purpose? It's purely for decoration. I velcro'd a patch to the pickguard (so I don't harm the finish). As a child I was obsessed with GI Joe and was big into the Cobra characters like Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander, and Zartan. It's a nod to that. The witch hat knobs are another story. They sound killer. Highly recommended if your tone needs a bump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Speed knobs have faster transients. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Speed knobs have faster transients. rct Shhhhh. Don't let the secret out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyMoon Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Always up for a good excuse to post some guitar porn.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 I want knobs that sound good, too. Marshall amp knobs to sound more Brittish or Fender amp knobs to sound more U.S. ?? one guitar of mine has old Univox amp knobs and I SWEAR it sounds like Japanese Anime' ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaicho8888 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Another stock SG Classic, I like the neck shape and easy access to the higher frets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Speed knobs have faster transients. rct Thank you for revealing this valuable inside information. I gues I will hype up the response of my SG Supra to attack by swapping the Witch Hats for Speeds. They are big favorites of mine, I have put them on next to all Gibsons which came with different ones stock, and now I finally know why! However, the bite of my Frank Zappa "Roxy" SGs is quite fine. Think I will stay with the Witch Hats there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 It doesn't look like there's a thread for SG Clubs so here's my Classic. I had an SG Standard from around 1974-81 and stupidly sold it and around 2007 I decided I needed another SG. I always thought P90s were kind of cool and when I saw the Classic, I decided I'd better get one. I tried a few at Guitar Center and didn't like the feel of them at all and then I saw this one on eBay and I liked the wood pattern. It just looked like a good one. I've only started playing this one recently and it took about a week to get the neck to settle down and remain straight (which explains the missing truss rod cover in the picture), I gave the frets a mild dressing, some Lemon Oil, a pick up adjustment and it's almost wonderful. The neck still feels like it belongs on a much larger guitar. It really reminds me of a Firebird neck that needs to go on a diet. It's wide and thick but after two weeks of steady playing I'm getting the hang of it. I did own a recent faded yellow SG Special which had a fairly stout neck but not quite as much as this one has. It's surprising there's so much variation with these models as I'm sure they crank them out by the boat load. At any rate, here's my SG. I'd say it's a keeper. Congrats, Steve! Beautiful SG, nice timbers, and a pretty finish. The only thing that counts is your opinion. When you say it's a keeper, then it is. I decided by myself all the time, and I am fine with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 Thanks. It's growing on me and is really changing my style of playing - my poor ES335 doesn't know what hit it! Before I croak I want to get an SG Custom - a white one with gold plated hardware and an ebony fret board would do the trick. One thing I've noticed about this Classic is that I've never seen a guitar break in as quickly as this one has. It went from WTF, this thing feels pretty weird to this plays really, really nicely in maybe two weeks of playing and screwing around with adjustments. Evol!, What did that Bigsby do to the sound and sustain? I won't do it to this one but maybe on a Satin Finish SG I could give one a shot. (Never mind, I just found a thread on it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Evol!, What did that Bigsby do to the sound and sustain? I won't do it to this one but maybe on a Satin Finish SG I could give one a shot. (Never mind, I just found a thread on it). To be honest, I did not own the guitar long enough to take notice of the tonal changes before I put the Bigsby on her. The sound is still the sound I have been searching for for a while and it did add much needed weight and balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyK Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Lovely guitars. I sold mine to buy another guitar, and I do regret it. Point of order about Pete Townsend - I have never seen him smash one of his SGs, because I understand that he loved them too much. He used to smash Strats, and had at least one "smash-able" guitar, which his roadies used to rebuild. I have seen him be rough with an SG, banging it on the stage on its edge, but not causing any real damage. [edit] I had a good look around and still can't find any pics or vids of SG smashing, but I did find this from Whotabs site: "The earliest appearance of Pete’s use of the Gibson SG Special (other than one he borrowed in 1966 from a support group the Tages) is July 1968, likely purchased at Manny’s Music, New York, though regular use wouldn’t come until late 1968. Throughout his use of this guitar from 1968–1971, he usually used 1966–1970 models, which feature the full black wraparound pickguard. He did, however, occasionally use pre-1966 models, which feature the small pickguard, especially in 1971 as the available supply began to dry up. In all, Pete likely went through dozens of these guitars between 1969 and 1971." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I've always like the "Classic," or what we used to call the SG Special, back in the early-mid 60's! I'd like the more current version, a LOT better, if it had the early '60's bevels and horn tapering! But, that's just Me! IF/When they do that, I'll buy one! Same thing, for the Jr.'s, as well! And yeah, I know, "Picky, picky, picky!" CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 31, 2013 Author Share Posted December 31, 2013 It looks like he did in a few if this can be believed: http://www.thewho.ne...ar/smashed.html I have an old copy of the Guitar Player book (a collection of interviews) and I'm almost positive he said that nobody would sell him an older SG Special at the end for fear that he'd destroy it. Great for the audience, maybe, but I wouldn't let him anywhere near my guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyK Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I love Townshend's playing, singing, songwriting, and stage antics, but I never got the whole guitar smashing thing. Yes, there is a certain wild animal side that comes out on stage; just not sure why or how that manifests itself into smashing such beautiful instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar-slinger Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I never understood the smashing of perfectly good Gibsons... That's why Fenders were made for... look at Jimmi.. he set them on fire... LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 It looks like he did in a few if this can be believed: http://www.thewho.ne...ar/smashed.html I have an old copy of the Guitar Player book (a collection of interviews) and I'm almost positive he said that nobody would sell him an older SG Special at the end for fear that he'd destroy it. Great for the audience, maybe, but I wouldn't let him anywhere near my guitars. Well, at least Pete destroyed his OWN guitars (at least that I know about). Not so, with "Prince," when he destroyed "Captain Kirk" Douglas's guitar, that he had borrowed, in a live peformance on Jimmy Fallon! That's a truly "Stupid Tool" thing to do, IMHO. http://www.vibe.com/article/prince-smashes-guitar-late-night-jimmy-fallon-video CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I never understood the smashing of perfectly good Gibsons... That's why Fenders were made for... look at Jimmi.. he set them on fire... LOL I've seen Jimi and the Who, never saw any guitars set on fire or smashed. No doubt it was done on occasion but maybe not as often as we believed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windmills Optional Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Over the years I've really enjoyed reading and sometimes re-reading various long rambling interviews with Pete Townshend. This one, from 1968, is one of the best I think, and particularly interesting in this conversation as it took place right after the first performance at which he deliberately did not smash a guitar: http://www.rollingst...rt-one-19680914 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Another stock SG Classic, I like the neck shape and easy access to the higher frets! i'm really liking the FB on this one ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 I've been doing a little work on mine to get it to play a bit easier. I was worried about screwing up the nibs but if you follow this from the Gibson Tech Tips Section: 17. Use 400 grit sandpaper and fingers to sand the rough marks on the tops of all the frets. Then using a sanding block, sand with 400 grit down the beveled sides of the frets. 18. Finish sand with 600 grit and 0000 steel wool. 19. For a highly polished, professional look, buff the tops of the frets using a cloth on a sanding block with some yellow jeweler's rouge. Your action, feel, and intonation will be highly polished and professional as well. ---------------------- I'm waiting for a welder's tip file to show up and then I've got to lower the G, B and E strings a little bit and then it should be good to go. I've got the action REALLY low and by leaving a small amount of relief in the neck the strings have a really supple feel to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 PT is a nit wit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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