SG Faded versus other SGs

[bluser]

I purchased a used SG Faded a while back. I love it and everyone who plays it really digs it, too. I am getting a little buzzing at a

few places, but it is so minor (i.e. you really have to press down hard), it is not worth raising the action. The action is as low as I have ever seen on

any Gibson except for a few Les Pauls that were many times more expensive than this SG Faded.

 

I like both the pickups, though I notice that the bridge pickup is not as loud as the neck pickup.

 

The guitar is feather-weight and a pleasure to play gig with or just whip out if I am tired, since it takes so

little effort to hold.

 

I have compared this Faded SG with a friend's vintage 70s SG Standard. Both guitars looked almost identical, but

his SG was a solid piece of wood. Mine is 2 pieces, I think. Also, his weighs a little more. I think the tone of

his SG is better (thicker), but certainly not $1500+ better than the $500 I paid (i.e. approx. price of a comparable new Gibson SG). I have played new Gibson SGs in stores (i.e. Gibson specials with P90s or normal humbuckers, like mine) and it was a mixed bag - some were much better and some were much worse in sound and playability. The P90 Specials

seemed to be very lightweight where the Standards usually weighed a lot more. I thought

about getting one of the Pete T. type reissues and I believe this Gibson SG Faded gets

much of the flavor of P90 guitars, due to the thinness of the Faded woods plus the

relatively low output of the bridge pickup. And it is cool not having any hum! (though

I still like single coil and P90 pups).

 

I have some questions if you could comment on what you think about the SG Faded:

 

1. Why didn't Gibson make the SG Faded just a little thicker for more sustain and a more "beefy" sound? Is Gibson

trying to protect their more expensive axes from being "sales cannablized" due to the much cheaper faded model? I appreciate having a really lightweight guitar, but sometimes I think

that might be the difference in sound I am hearing between my friend's standard and my

faded. Or, is the weight these days supposed to be the same between any SG? Or, is this

a function of the density of the wood used, which as we all know can vary temendously

between, say, two Swamp Ash Fender Strats.

 

2. I am still convinced that getting this Gibson SG was the best bang for the buck.

Or, is there something in the SG Standard or other deluxe models that the SG Faded doesn't

have? (I am not worried about the pickups, since not only do I love them, they are not

THAT expensive to replace, if ever need be).

 

3. I have tried the EPI G400, which could be conceivably upgraded with killer

pickups and some other comparably priced brands like PRS SE guitars and I still think the SG Faded blows them away. There is some kind of resonance and "woodiness" in the sound of the Faded and the few other SGs I used to own, over the years (and a few ES-335s I owned

and stupidly sold!). I think Gibson still has it! (though I think Fender, G&L, and Hamer

are outstanding guitar companies, too).

 

Thanks for any opinions you have on the Gibson SG Faded.

[ampman72]

I have two SG's from the 60's and I have a 2008 faded. The weight of SGs always varies a little from piece to piece, with the 70's and 80's being the heaviest of the lot. Both of my 60's weigh less than my 2008 faded however. Light weight is generally a good thing with SGs. The 2008 has a tremendous neck, both in width and girth, which may help the tone.

The 490T in the bridge of my 2008 faded is a little weak compared to the 490R in the neck. My thoughts would be a burstbucker 3 or 500T to even it up a bit. My 490T reads 7.75K ohms, which is about where the PAFs are DC resistance-wise. I am deliberating this with my 2008 right now, but the 490T does sound good and clear when it is tweaked out, but it does not have as much bite as the early 70's T-top in my '66 which is 8.25K ohms.

Oh yeah, definately go with the gibson over an epi. 'nuff said.

[tartanbeastie]

I have a 2008 faded too and absolutely adore it, I still have that "I'm not worthy" moment when i pick it up. SG's were guitars i drooled over for almost 2 decades and of course had the epi's as I couldnt afford a Gibson. I didnt buy the faded because it was a "cheaper" SG, I actually love the fact its so basic and natural looking and the neck (other than my telecaster) is the best i have played on an electric.

Yes i agree on the comments with the pickup being a little weeker but the sound is still fantastic. My only gripe, is that the G-string sounds a fraction louder than the others and doesnt sound perfectly in tune even when tuned with a digital tuner. its going in for a full pro set up at some point so that hopefully will erase my gripe. Its not enough of a problem for me to ever not love the guitar.

[mjlewis22]

 

I rock my 2006 faded tuned down a step--I have kind of a deep voice so that makes it perfect for solo gigs due to its lightweight and versatility. The chunky neck took me awhile to get used to but I'm all about it now.

[Onlyme]

For me one of the biggest differences between recent specials and the higher cost SGs is the quality of the necks. Not the shape of the necks but the attention paid to the edges of frets and so on. I have owned guitars with unbound necks before but for me the bound neck on my classic (with P90s) is just so much smoother than the unbound neck on any special I ever looked at.

 

I also wouldnt be so quick to dismiss Epi if you want bang for your buck. the top of the range epis arevery good and less than a special faded. If you get a chance to look at an Epi "prophecy custom" SG (which has genuine Gibson pickups) you will be amazed at the quality to price ratio.

[bluser]

I have two SG's from the 60's and I have a 2008 faded. The weight of SGs always varies a little from piece to piece, with the 70's and 80's being the heaviest of the lot. Both of my 60's weigh less than my 2008 faded however. Light weight is generally a good thing with SGs. The 2008 has a tremendous neck, both in width and girth, which may help the tone.

The 490T in the bridge of my 2008 faded is a little weak compared to the 490R in the neck. My thoughts would be a burstbucker 3 or 500T to even it up a bit. My 490T reads 7.75K ohms, which is about where the PAFs are DC resistance-wise. I am deliberating this with my 2008 right now, but the 490T does sound good and clear when it is tweaked out, but it does not have as much bite as the early 70's T-top in my '66 which is 8.25K ohms.

Oh yeah, definately go with the gibson over an epi. 'nuff said.

 

What kind of Les Paul would be similar to the faded SG? (i.e. barebone LP with maple top

and good Mahogany body)? Is there any tonal difference between a "cheap" LP and one of

the $2000+ models? I own a Hamer Sunburst with one piece Mahogany body, maple top. The neck

is really thin compared to a LP. I think in general, the Gibson necks are baseball bats -

but feel very nice - they are similar in a way to a Martin guitar's neck where a Taylor's

neck would be more like a Fender guitar's neck.

 

Are your Les Pauls similar to each other? I notice you have a list of what you own and

you have a series of similar model nos., varying by year? What is your favorite Les Paul?

 

I was in GC one time and they had this 2K LP and I should have bitten the bullet and

grabbed it - sunburst - real traditional looking and just had perfect action and sound.

 

Well, I really dig the SG for gigs and jamming - I can play for hours and hours. I guess

that is why Jerry G. used one!

[bluser]

I have a 2008 faded too and absolutely adore it, I still have that "I'm not worthy" moment when i pick it up. SG's were guitars i drooled over for almost 2 decades and of course had the epi's as I couldnt afford a Gibson. I didnt buy the faded because it was a "cheaper" SG, I actually love the fact its so basic and natural looking and the neck (other than my telecaster) is the best i have played on an electric.

Yes i agree on the comments with the pickup being a little weeker but the sound is still fantastic. My only gripe, is that the G-string sounds a fraction louder than the others and doesnt sound perfectly in tune even when tuned with a digital tuner. its going in for a full pro set up at some point so that hopefully will erase my gripe. Its not enough of a problem for me to ever not love the guitar.

 

I think if one can hear and feel the differences between a cheap and more expensive guitar,

it is worth every cent to get the expensive guitar, if possible. There is a point of

diminishing returns on every purchase and that varies a lot, of course..... I once did

a gig using a Dan Electro reissue guitar - at the time they cost $100 a pop. I think the

price has doubled or tripled since then, but nobody could really tell the difference

in tone. They are kind of cool sounding, anyway - good enough for Link Wray and Jimmy

Page! I think you could use the cheapest Fender Squire through a good amp and it would

do the job. It may not be that satisfying depending on the pickups and the action, but

sometimes you get lucky....

 

The G-string volume -

I have found this weirdness on a bunch of electrics. I think many teles have the best necks

of any guitar - there is something about the way they are usually shaped.

[bluser]

For me one of the biggest differences between recent specials and the higher cost SGs is the quality of the necks. Not the shape of the necks but the attention paid to the edges of frets and so on. I have owned guitars with unbound necks before but for me the bound neck on my classic (with P90s) is just so much smoother than the unbound neck on any special I ever looked at.

 

I also wouldnt be so quick to dismiss Epi if you want bang for your buck. the top of the range epis arevery good and less than a special faded. If you get a chance to look at an Epi "prophecy custom" SG (which has genuine Gibson pickups) you will be amazed at the quality to price ratio.

 

I have not tried the Prophecy custom and I believe what you are saying,

since you have tried it. I'll have to check one out.

Having the genuine Gibson pups is half the battle. And the

Prophecy sounds like a real high-end EPI model. I like the EPI ES-335s a lot. I just

wish they would put the stock Gibson pups on those. You would have a killer guitar if

they did. I guess the pups would cost half as much as the guitar, though! Someone told

me before that pups really don't cost a lot of money to make after the development costs

and they are a cash cow for guitar companies, so that is why they put cheap pickups on

their budget guitars.

 

My favorite Asian-made guitars are G&L Tributes and Eastman going from mid-priced to

expensive. I also think some of the Fender Squires are a really good deal.

[bluser]

I did find out one thing - I looked closely at the grain and it was more than 2 pieces -

the SG faded I own has 2 main pieces and then there is a piece at the end. It is like they

are finding odd cuts of wood and gluing them together. You have to look real close, since

they did a great job in joining the pieces together.

[Larsson]

when i picked out my SG standard i played several sgs from specials, special faded and a limited blue guitarcenter sg but the standard felt best to me

 

the finish felt better on the neck and i prefered the hotter bridge pickup as well as the inlays and chrome pickup guards...

 

i guese its down to personal preference really, what feel best to the one playing and of course how deep into your pockets you are willing to go!

[Onlyme]

By the way the best way to see how many pieces of wood your body is made from is usually from the tail end of the guitar. Gibson generally do a good job of matching the grain on the front of the body so it is often hard to see the join (which is good) but it shows up more clearly on the back often and usually very clear when you view the end grain.

 

My Classic is 3 pieces, approximately 1/2, 1/4 and 1/4 of the width respectively. From the front it looks like 2 pieces straight down the middle! From the back you cant be sure but suspect the three pieces and from the tail end grain, it is veru obvious .

[rock09]

I used to have '77 SG standard, and have two LP studios, one is '97 black, the other is '07 mahogany.

 

The bigest and most important difference between SG standard and special is body. Standards have one piece body, specials 3 or 4 pieces body. One piece body resonates better and has better sustain. I guess that qualty of wood is also in favore to standards.

 

About LP Studio mahogany - it is great, great guitar. Not that thick as older studios, but great sound, a bit sharp, a lot like SG Standard, altough it has Burstbucker pro pick ups. It has chamberd body, '97 studio is solid body, much heavier, so I use it rearly. I now want to get my hands on some SG again, and my choice is Standard, it is better sounding any way you look at it.

[ozz]

 

I rock my 2006 faded tuned down a step--I have kind of a deep voice so that makes it perfect for solo gigs due to its lightweight and versatility. The chunky neck took me awhile to get used to but I'm all about it now.

 

awesome collection bro, but you need a Gibson Blueshawk in there too!!! EDIT: Oddly enough I"m drooling over that Schecter as much as any of them, Schecters are freaking sweet.

 

I just got my cherry faded SG yesterday and I must say, for riffs, this thing absolutely RULES. I will also say that as much as I hate to do this to a Gibson guitar, the stock 490s are coming out. I've been researching all over the web for which pick-up configuration to go with and I'm about 100% sure I'm going to stick with the Jazz / JB combo.

 

I have the Seymour Duncan Jazz neck pickup in one of my neckthru BC Rich's and it's got the most killer, smooth tone I've come across in a neck pick-up... the JB I am not sure about as I've never played a guitar that had that in the bridge.

 

Is the bridge pick-up in the Seymour Duncan jazz set-up a worthy addition to the faded SG? I know for a fact the Jazz will go in the neck, but I'm contemplating possibly a Burstbucker in the bridge or even a higher output Dimarzio. Comments are welcome.

[ozz]

I have not tried the Prophecy custom and I believe what you are saying,

since you have tried it. I'll have to check one out.

Having the genuine Gibson pups is half the battle. And the

Prophecy sounds like a real high-end EPI model. I like the EPI ES-335s a lot. I just

wish they would put the stock Gibson pups on those. You would have a killer guitar if

they did. I guess the pups would cost half as much as the guitar, though! Someone told

me before that pups really don't cost a lot of money to make after the development costs

and they are a cash cow for guitar companies, so that is why they put cheap pickups on

their budget guitars.

 

My favorite Asian-made guitars are G&L Tributes and Eastman going from mid-priced to

expensive. I also think some of the Fender Squires are a really good deal.

 

Korean made guitars rule as well. I have a Korean made Schecter and Bc Rich which are simply unbeaten when it comes to bang-for-buck (edit: once the Seymour Duncans / Dimarzio's are put in, of course...)

[XPAULPITT]

Korean made guitars rule as well. I have a Korean made Schecter and Bc Rich which are simply unbeaten when it comes to bang-for-buck (edit: once the Seymour Duncans / Dimarzio's are put in, of course...)

I have 3 Korean made Epis, 2 ZW LPs and a G400 Custom and they are all beautiful guitars. Fit and finish are perfect. I like metal so they are all upgraded with EMGs and TonePros hardware. If I had to compare I would say they are 90% as good sounding as my Gibsons. At usually 1/4 of the price I would say thats definitely bang for your buck. Made in USA doesnt mean crap anymore. I work in the USA and I see the quality of everything thats done here, frankly I'm not impressed. This country has gone down the drain. If you dont agree with what I am saying just go to Mc Donalds and pay attention to your service. Then look at how sloppily your burger is put together. Or go to home depot and try to find someone to help you.

[Stewie]

I purchased a used SG Faded a while back. I love it and everyone who plays it really digs it, too. I am getting a little buzzing at a

few places, but it is so minor (i.e. you really have to press down hard), it is not worth raising the action. The action is as low as I have ever seen on

any Gibson except for a few Les Pauls that were many times more expensive than this SG Faded.

 

I like both the pickups, though I notice that the bridge pickup is not as loud as the neck pickup.

 

The guitar is feather-weight and a pleasure to play gig with or just whip out if I am tired, since it takes so

little effort to hold.

 

I have compared this Faded SG with a friend's vintage 70s SG Standard. Both guitars looked almost identical, but

his SG was a solid piece of wood. Mine is 2 pieces, I think. Also, his weighs a little more. I think the tone of

his SG is better (thicker), but certainly not $1500+ better than the $500 I paid (i.e. approx. price of a comparable new Gibson SG). I have played new Gibson SGs in stores (i.e. Gibson specials with P90s or normal humbuckers, like mine) and it was a mixed bag - some were much better and some were much worse in sound and playability. The P90 Specials

seemed to be very lightweight where the Standards usually weighed a lot more. I thought

about getting one of the Pete T. type reissues and I believe this Gibson SG Faded gets

much of the flavor of P90 guitars, due to the thinness of the Faded woods plus the

relatively low output of the bridge pickup. And it is cool not having any hum! (though

I still like single coil and P90 pups).

 

I have some questions if you could comment on what you think about the SG Faded:

 

1. Why didn't Gibson make the SG Faded just a little thicker for more sustain and a more "beefy" sound? Is Gibson

trying to protect their more expensive axes from being "sales cannablized" due to the much cheaper faded model? I appreciate having a really lightweight guitar, but sometimes I think

that might be the difference in sound I am hearing between my friend's standard and my

faded. Or, is the weight these days supposed to be the same between any SG? Or, is this

a function of the density of the wood used, which as we all know can vary temendously

between, say, two Swamp Ash Fender Strats.

 

2. I am still convinced that getting this Gibson SG was the best bang for the buck.

Or, is there something in the SG Standard or other deluxe models that the SG Faded doesn't

have? (I am not worried about the pickups, since not only do I love them, they are not

THAT expensive to replace, if ever need be).

 

3. I have tried the EPI G400, which could be conceivably upgraded with killer

pickups and some other comparably priced brands like PRS SE guitars and I still think the SG Faded blows them away. There is some kind of resonance and "woodiness" in the sound of the Faded and the few other SGs I used to own, over the years (and a few ES-335s I owned

and stupidly sold!). I think Gibson still has it! (though I think Fender, G&L, and Hamer

are outstanding guitar companies, too).

 

Thanks for any opinions you have on the Gibson SG Faded.

 

I have 3 SG Style guitars. I have a 2007 G400, a 2004 Standard, and a 1968 Special with P90s I have owned the special for over 42 years.

A good friend of mine has one of the early Faded SG specials, and he loaned it to me to compare to my 68. At that time I had not purchased the Epi or the Standard.

My impressions of the Faded was that it was really close to the feel of my 68. I really liked the tone and the feel of that guitar. It has the open coil 490 set. The neck was not as chunky as the 68 but pretty close.

Fit and finish were great and I instantly wanted one. That was about 2 years ago. I started looking at used ones and they all were pretty pricey. Actually not that far from a used Standard.

This year I decided to get a guitar to take to my vacation home. I saw a G400 for 200 bucks and grabbed it. Unfortunatley the action was high and that should have been a warning. I ended up having to get a new nut and Fret level. The Jack also needed grounding, a wire had come loose. 100 bucks later and it is an amazing playing guitar and I have a 2 mm action on it. I liked this guitar so much I decided to look again for a Gibson. I saw several used fadeds but again they were only a couple of hundred under a Standard, I found a 2004 Standard in mint condition and I really like the 498 in the bridge. It seems to have just a little more bite than the 490T.

As far as LPs I have 4 Gibsons and I plays mostly my SG now. I find it is the most comfortable to play all poisitions on the neck and I can dial in such a sweet blues tone. When you want all out solos you just crank the tone knob. The faded LP Studio is a really nice guitar with the BBs in it and that might be a nice compliment to your faded SG. I do like the brown faded best though. You have to look for a good one, workmanship can vary quite a bit on the Fadeds. I don't see as many of them for sale now and I think people ralize they are as you said really good value for your dollar.

You didn't mention what year yours was?

Another thing about the Standard was that it came with a Gibson case.

[codename]

I'm not sure about standards all having 1 piece bodys. Not all 61 RIs have 1 piece bodys. Mine is a 2 piece.

[bobouz]

My first year ('02) faded special has the ebony fretboard, moon inlays, and ABR bridge. It is significantly heavier than my '07 Classic with P90s. One has a bound fingerboard while the other does not. They are very different animals, but I enjoy them both equally. Generalizations about specs can often be rather misleading, or meaningless in the long run, such as how many pieces of wood the body is crafted from. If the guitar sounds good to your ears & playability factors are where you want them to be, it could easily be superior to others under consideration.

[Draco]

I just got my cherry faded SG yesterday and I must say, for riffs, this thing absolutely RULES. I will also say that as much as I hate to do this to a Gibson guitar, the stock 490s are coming out. I've been researching all over the web for which pick-up configuration to go with and I'm about 100% sure I'm going to stick with the Jazz / JB combo.

 

I have the Seymour Duncan Jazz neck pickup in one of my neckthru BC Rich's and it's got the most killer, smooth tone I've come across in a neck pick-up... the JB I am not sure about as I've never played a guitar that had that in the bridge.

 

Is the bridge pick-up in the Seymour Duncan jazz set-up a worthy addition to the faded SG? I know for a fact the Jazz will go in the neck, but I'm contemplating possibly a Burstbucker in the bridge or even a higher output Dimarzio. Comments are welcome.

 

 

I did the same thing, I put a Seymour Duncan Jazz (SH-2) in the neck of my special faded and a hotter SH-10 in the bridge. It's a phenominal sounding combo for accomplishing a wide range of tones!!

 

[Dallastx]

when i picked out my SG standard i played several sgs from specials, special faded and a limited blue guitarcenter sg but the standard felt best to me

 

the finish felt better on the neck and i prefered the hotter bridge pickup as well as the inlays and chrome pickup guards...

 

i guese its down to personal preference really, what feel best to the one playing and of course how deep into your pockets you are willing to go!

Completely agree~

[GuitarTrouble]

I'm not sure about standards all having 1 piece bodys. Not all 61 RIs have 1 piece bodys. Mine is a 2 piece.

 

I have a new SG Standard and I can attest to the fact that it does not have a one piece body. In fact, it has a three piece body. Nicely matched, beautifully grained wood, but three pieces for sure.

At first I was a bit disappointed, but the guitar looks, plays and sounds great. Lets face it, using two and three piece bodies is a way for Gibson to keep their profits up, stretch out wood supplies and keep prices somewhat in check. The reality is, within the last couple of years the out the door price of a new SG Standard has actually gone down. They are $1,199.00 out the door at most dealers which is around 100.00-150.00 less than they were before....there had to be some savings in the cost of manufacture to make this possible. Fortunately the savings were not at the expense of playability or tone. IMO, most new Gibsons I've tried have improved set-up and playability from the factory and appear not to require anything but a little bridge and truss rod tweaking to one's own taste.

[This_Dying_Soul]

I have a new SG Standard and I can attest to the fact that it does not have a one piece body. In fact, it has a three piece body. Nicely matched, beautifully grained wood, but three pieces for sure.

At first I was a bit disappointed, but the guitar looks, plays and sounds great. Lets face it, using two and three piece bodies is a way for Gibson to keep their profits up, stretch out wood supplies and keep prices somewhat in check. The reality is, within the last couple of years the out the door price of a new SG Standard has actually gone down. They are $1,199.00 out the door at most dealers which is around 100.00-150.00 less than they were before....there had to be some savings in the cost of manufacture to make this possible. Fortunately the savings were not at the expense of playability or tone. IMO, most new Gibsons I've tried have improved set-up and playability from the factory and appear not to require anything but a little bridge and truss rod tweaking to one's own taste.

 

I believe there has also been some international trade policy that dictates how Gibson is able to aquire it's wood. The result is that the wood is more costly and probably harder to get in the size needed for a 1 piece body blank. No doubt the use of multiple pieces of wood to form a body does save some money but it does also help to reduce strain on wood supplies and results in less waste of otherwise perfectly good wood.

 

I have a 2008 SG Special that is made of 3 pieces, you can hardly tell without close examination. I'm told that when buying used Gibsons the better quality ones are generally 2008 and back. Supposedly you began to see SG and Les Paul Standards after 2008 using more than 2 pieces of wood to form the body and SG Specials now commonly have more than 3 pieces used.

[greglawrence]

2002 Faded Cherry SG

 

Ever since Frank Zappa's Roxy & Elsewhere album, I always wanted one and the "faded" price put it within reach.

 

Yes - Ebony fretboard and limited edition crescent moon inlays.

 

I got mine for $579 new, but had sent the first two back and kept the third one. (Made in 2002)

There were various flaws and fast production boo-boos like finish, scratches, electrical on the first two, but the third one passed the hurdles for what I deemed an affordable 'beat-em-up' jam night axe.

 

Same specs as any other SG without the fine finish, appointments, binding or inlays.

It did come with a pickguard as the newer model faded guitars no longer do, but without covers on the pickups.

The body on mine after close inspection appears to be two pieces.

 

A very bright and 'ringy' guitar when played without an amp.

Some people say the frets can stick out from the edge of the unbound neck and rub against your hand but I have found no problem with this. If your guitar has dried out in low humidity or desert dry conditions, the fretwires might protrude out from the neck/fretboard any guitar if the wood dries and shrinks.

 

Really dig the crescent moon inlays...did I mention that? (lol)

It was a nice surprise to find out it was a limited run.

 

Since then I have acquired a proper Gibson SG case, replaced the tuners with heavy Grovers, added a TP-6 fine tuning tailpiece and most recently swapped the pups out for '57 Classic and a Classic Plus at the bridge.

 

Before, the sound of the stock 490's were a little hollow and ratty. The only amp I found it to be really compatible with was a Tweed Blues Junior. It really liked that amp, but was seemingly a one-trick pony.

Now, with the 57' Classics in it, I find I can take it onstage and it will do more styles with a fuller, meatier tone especially on that neck pickup. Now, a workhorse of many colors!

 

Nice & light, and even though it is the same scale length, the guitar seems "neck-heavy" or feels like it is "sticking out" more because of where it joins to the body. One must be mindful not to slide up a couple of frets when getting acclimated to the ergonomics of an SG -lol.

 

The neck is somewhat wider than most Gibson electric guitars. This is good for some things, and a little more challenging for others. Plenty of room between the strings for clean fingering as well as digging in quite hard while remaining articulate tonally.

 

I still find the 'jack-on-the-front' design really weird if not awkward & cheap, but using a cable with an angled plug will only rub wear spots, and sometimes wonder what it would be like to have an SG with a carved maple top like a Les Paul. I remember Sigma made an SG copy that seemed to be more molded & thicker, not to give the impression I don't dig the flat-top slab or the reduced weight! Compared to the CS-356 or the Les Paul Custom, it's quite light and fun playing.

 

These were some of the last series where the faded finish actually looks kind of nice, cheap albeit, but nice.

The newer model faded finishes look as though horrid white-wash or watery-stain was applied by a blind chimpanzee. The new faded finish looks more 'cheap' than 'faded.'

 

As of January 2014 I have seen "The Crescent Moon SG's" on eBay selling for $550-$585 -some with a hard case.

I expect the price of them to rise significantly in the future adding at least an extra two hundred dollars for the collector's appeal of ebony fretboard and crescent moon inlays limited run...probably ten years down the road.

I just found out the Tim Shaw pickups in my '82 LP are selling for $400 on eBay...yeah, hard to believe it myself.

[Johnny Seven]

Can't say enough good things about my '08 Faded. I still have a hard time putting this one down..

 

 

[rct]

I have a new SG Standard and I can attest to the fact that it does not have a one piece body. In fact, it has a three piece body. Nicely matched, beautifully grained wood, but three pieces for sure.

At first I was a bit disappointed, but the guitar looks, plays and sounds great. Lets face it, using two and three piece bodies is a way for Gibson to keep their profits up, stretch out wood supplies and keep prices somewhat in check. The reality is, within the last couple of years the out the door price of a new SG Standard has actually gone down. They are $1,199.00 out the door at most dealers which is around 100.00-150.00 less than they were before....there had to be some savings in the cost of manufacture to make this possible. Fortunately the savings were not at the expense of playability or tone. IMO, most new Gibsons I've tried have improved set-up and playability from the factory and appear not to require anything but a little bridge and truss rod tweaking to one's own taste.

 

Multiple pieces of wood glued together to form the blank from which the body is cut produce a more stable body. A single piece of wood as (relatively) thin as an SG slathered in paint is a warp waiting to happen.

 

Multiple piece bodies have been fairly standard for a long time now, decades. The number of pieces in a blank is in no way an indicator of quality, and if you really want to define quality as what makes a great guitar, it could be logically said that the more pieces the better.

 

rct