Hardware for '61 Reissue SG

[benlf]

I was surprised to find my '61 Reissue SG, which I love, has "Gibson Deluxe" tuners that are actually made by Ping-Wells (and don't work well) and a Ping made Nashville bridge and tailpiece (all zinc, including the saddles and tailpiece studs). I like the Nashville bridge, primarily because it doesn't rattle. But I read Ping-Wells is a Taiwanese company with factories in China, and that made me want to upgrade the tuners and the rest of the hardware as well. For tuners, the only us made tuners I know of are Sperzel, and I'd have to drill into the neck to mount them. A lot of companies make Kluson copy tuners, including Kluson (Korean), Gotoh (Japanese), Grover (Taiwan) and Schaller (Germany). So far I'm impressed with the new Kluson Revolution tuners, so I'm going to give them a try. If they don't work out, I'll go with Schaller.

 

Kluson also sells American made tune o matic bridges ant tailpieces. I'm going to try those too. They have an aluminum tailpiece with steel posts, which are the materials Gibson apparently used back in the day. They have steel bridges, which I think are cool. But I don't think Gibson ever used steel, so I got a zinc Nashville bridge with brass saddles (I understand the ABR 1 bridges had brass saddles).

 

I think the hardware on Gibson guitars is a real weak point. There are much better American made products out there for reasonable prices (and they are more historically accurate). Philadelphia Luthiers and Callaham also sell high quality American hardware. I bought a Korean Peerless hollow body recently and was embarrassed to find the hardware was better than my American Gibson.

 

I say get that Ping stuff out of there!

[GibSinCity]

Remember that when you get a "reissue", it will come with the original specs.

Even some Custom shop guitars will come with "Gibson Deluxe" tuners, etc. if that's what's period correct.

There are other models that come with the upgrades from the factory.

 

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2017/USA/SG-Standard.aspx

 

[benlf]

I don't know. I guess the Gibson specs were for tuners made of zinc. No wonder they don't hold up well. The Korean Klusons have steel cases. Since the casing holds the part together, doesn't steel make a lot more sense?

 

I love my SG and I hope some day to own a 335. Gibson makes great guitars, but I think they cut corners on the hardware.

 

Steel is more durable than zinc for tuners. Why did Gibson stop using aluminum tailpieces, steel studs and brass saddles; and then replace them all with zinc? Because zinc is better or because zinc is cheaper?

 

Fender makes its own hardware (from steel); Gibsons are nicer and cost more, yet the hardware is made in China. Why China? Because the Chinese are better craftsmen or because they are cheaper?

 

I still buy Gibson, but I swap out the hardware.

[GibSinCity]

I don't know. I guess the Gibson specs were for tuners made of zinc. No wonder they don't hold up well. The Korean Klusons have steel cases. Since the casing holds the part together, doesn't steel make a lot more sense?

 

I love my SG and I hope some day to own a 335. Gibson makes great guitars, but I think they cut corners on the hardware.

 

Steel is more durable than zinc for tuners. Why did Gibson stop using aluminum tailpieces, steel studs and brass saddles; and then replace them all with zinc? Because zinc is better or because zinc is cheaper?

 

Fender makes its own hardware (from steel); Gibsons are nicer and cost more, yet the hardware is made in China. Why China? Because the Chinese are better craftsmen or because they are cheaper?

 

I still buy Gibson, but I swap out the hardware.

 

You don't have to swap-out the hardware if you know what you want.

You can buy a Gibson with:

 

Locking Grover kidney-button tuners.

Chromed aluminum Tune-O-Matic and aluminum stop bar.

You just have to buy the model that comes with these upgrades.

[benlf]

You don't have to swap-out the hardware if you know what you want.

You can buy a Gibson with:

 

Locking Grover kidney-button tuners.

Chromed aluminum Tune-O-Matic and aluminum stop bar.

You just have to buy the model that comes with these upgrades.

 

That would be a good idea, if I had the money. My SG was over a grand, and that's about my budget. I made the hardware upgrades and it sounds incredible now....

[Revolution Six]

Locking Grover kidney-button tuners?

 

Too much weight, the Gibson SG likes light weight tumers

 

 

Chromed aluminum Tune-O-Matic and aluminum stop bar?

 

Aluminium stopbar works on a Les Paul and doesn' t work on an SG.

[benlf]

Works great for me. I made the same change on a 335 clone. Worked well there too.

 

Check out Gibsons own $4,500 SG Historic. It comes with an aluminum stop bar tailpiece. The Historic Freddie King ES 345 (another $5k guitar) has one too.

 

In fact, the SG standards now come with an aluminum tailpiece and an aluminum bridge!!!

[benlf]

This is a follow up to my earlier review. I ended up going back to the zinc tailpiece for the SG, although I kept the steel studs and the ABR-1 bridge with brass saddles.

 

The clean tone of the SG is much better with the aluminum tailpiece. That little change helps turn the guitar into something you could actually enjoy strumming, like an acoustic; and the bluesy overdrive tone is also much better.

 

But the high gain tone is much better with the zinc tailpiece. I think you get more midrange and less treble with the zinc tailpiece. If you like that midrange bark on the bridge pickup, zinc is better.

 

Also, I think the aluminum would go better with Burst Buckers than 57 Classics.

 

In the end I bought the guitar to play metal, so I'm back to the zinc bridge.