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Derald

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Posts posted by Derald

  1. I have (had) a 2017, 2019 and 2019 SG Standard as well as a 2019 SG Tribute.  The 17-19 all had SlimTaper necks and they were all pretty thin.  The 2017 had the thinnest neck.  All were in the general "thin" category.  The 2019 SG Tribute that I have now has a 'rounded' neck and for me feels right.  If the 'new' 2019 SG Standards have the rounded neck I might like that as well.  When I say 'rounded' its not a little thicker than the SlimTaper - its not a baseball bat like my old 2013 SGJ.  I also have a '70s Tribute SG with the 70's type neck and volute. That neck feels really nice to me as well.  Needless to say I have only kept the 70s Tribute and the 2019 Tribute.  

  2. I think the best part of that scratch is if the OP returns the guitar I can buy it at $250 off!

    Ok I can't because I'm left handed. But really, those 'blemished' guitars are my go-to buy. I just bought a 2018 SG Std from GC of all places, listed as Excellent. It was obviously bought new and returned. I can't find a flaw on it. Maybe the original owner didn't like the pickups, IDN. But I saved $500 off the original price. In fact I bought it less than a used one on Reverb. From GC of all places! Left handed!!

     

    I get the point, its not perfect, and for $2500 it should be. But those kinds of thinks don't bother me. Before I saw the OP's second picture, I said "OMG thats an amazing guitar, please make one left handed I'll buy it right now". Beautiful guitar nonetheless.

  3. The point of repositioning that neck strap button to the higher bout was to help alleviate neck dive. Very few guitars would remain in exactly the same position seated and standing. The flying V is one of them. The SG, Les Paul and Firebird all require a slight adjustments from seated to standing position

  4. I had a '17 Traditional but I sold it because, well, I bought it on credit and I didn't want that much debt on my credit card. I am keeping the '19 Studio, I played it for a few hours last night, right out of the box, with a minor adjustment in setup. Really nice guitar. Clearly better than the Tribute I had in terms of finish and fret ends ('19 Studios had bound necks). Pickups are nice, a little different than my typical low output PAF styles (498 bridge).

    Works really nicely with my amp setup. I'll post pictures tomorrow when I'm home.

    • Upvote 1
  5. Turns out my ‘18 Tribute has a bad pot. The seller didn’t want to discount it so I sent it back rather than pull the whole PCB out and hand wire all new pots.

    I got a ‘19 Studio instead. More money better guitar in my opinion. It’s lighter which I would rather it not be. I just don’t want to spend $2500 on a Traditional so I’m keeping the Studio.

    The 498/490 combo works well with my setup.

  6. The ‘19 Tribute (and earlier Trbutes, maybe Studios as well) are about 1/8” thinner than the Standard/Classic/Traditional. That is part of why they weigh less.

    Two things I didn’t like about the ‘19 Tribute was the light weight and the fret ends. I wanted a heavier guitar because to me it feels better. That’s just my personal opinion. The fret ends bothered me until I got my guitar to the tech shop and had them dressed.

    My first Gibson was a ‘17 SG Standard which was perfect. I guess I expected the tributes to be similar regarding the fret finishing.

    The ‘19 Tribute was in Iced Tea and honestly it just didn’t look as nice in real life as it did on Sweetwaters website. I sent it back and got a ‘18 Tribute instead.

  7. I just picked up a NOS 2018 Gold Top Tribute. It weighs exactly 9# even though it’s not weigh relieved. The stock strings had to come off. Without any modifications it’s quite resonate. The fretwork is ok - they’re all level, but the fret ends are not great. They’re a little rough on the ends. I had this same issue with a 2019 LP Tribute and a 2019 SG Tribute. I had the fret ends dressed during setup and the SG played like a dream. When I get this ‘18 Tribute setup I’ll have the fret ends dressed as well.

    My 2017 SG Standard (with binding) has perfect frets and fret ends.

    • Upvote 1
  8. In case anyone wanted to know, I’ve had a few Gibson’s with the RoboTuners. While I liked them, I replaced a few too. By default the guitars with the Tronical Tuners (Gibson G-Force and MinE-Tune) have only the peg holes drilled (10mm). There are no screw holes drilled.

    So you can easily replace the Robo Tuners with whatever you want. Literally just install any other tuners. You will have to mark/drill new screw holes for new tuners. But you won’t have any extra holes to fill or have to re-drill.

    I personally used Hipshot tuners specially because they could be installed without any screws or drilling whatsoever. They use a mounting plate and you don’t have to drill anything.

    • Upvote 2
  9. I know the 2017 and 2018 Tributes have proper inlays and because they’re being discounted you can buy one cheaper. I think the dots look good on lower end models. I also like the maple neck as it adds some brightness and stability to the neck. I’m happy Gibson is making all kinds of guitars over the years so I can choose exactly what features I want without having to get a Custom Shop Made to Order model.

  10. BTW the two Epiphone guitars I’ve owned never had static or pops but they come with factory shielding paint. Gibson should do the same but they don’t. Oh well I don’t complain about it I just paint the cavity and there’s never been an issue.

  11. I had a ‘13 brand new in box Signature that buzzed and popped right out of the box. I used some used dryer sheets rubbed on the back and it solved the problem.

    My ‘17 SG Standard might have had that problem but I hardly noticed it. I removed the PCB and wired in some Emerson CTS Pots and PIO caps instead. I prefer Emerson CTS Pots because they are low torque and vintage taper so it’s generally my first and usually only mod when I get a new guitar.

    I did shield paint the cavity using my trusty $8 shielding paint. I do this any time I’ve changed pots. Absolutely no static, pops, hums, scratches or other noises from the guitar even when my amp is on ‘10’ which it usually is (amp into load box with IR speakers).

    I haven’t kept stock Gibson pots in any guitar and because of this I paint the cavity. So I never have any static or hum issues. Out of the box I don’t think my SG had any static issues.

  12. You're right there is no 2017 SG Standards left on line, other than eBay. I have a 2017 SG Standard Cherry Burst in left handed, because I'm left handed..

     

    The Cherry Burst is the way to go. I'd wait until you found one. The Autumn Shade on-line pics look great. In person it just didn't do it for me either. One of the main reasons you need to get hands-on time with the guitar.

     

    I was ambivalent about the 61 pickups. They are really nice pickups, but compared to my '57s they're just missing 'something'. Anyways good luck!

    • Upvote 1
  13. The ‘61 pickups in the ‘18 SG (and other guitars) are alnico V versions of the ‘59 Tribute pickups.

    They are ‘reverse’ Burstbuckers. That is one coil is slightly overwound compared to the other. In Burstbuckers the mismatched could give a great single-coil type of sound. It’s just a smidge of single coil sound though. It’s not suddenly sounding like a Strat.

    The ‘61s have the opposite coil as the overwound one. This, with the alnico V magnet, make a more balanced tone and sound. They’re less ‘single coil’ sounding compared to the Burstbuckers, but have a bit more too end crunch and sizzle compared to Classic 57s.

    I believe they are Gibson’s version of an alnico V Pearly Gates.

    I have owned SGs with Classic 57, Burstbuckers 1/2, and ‘61s. I played all those through the same Marshall Vintage Modern amp.

    To my ears the Classic 57 gave me a thick classic sound. The Burstbuckers sounded like early AC/DC and had more clarity, but didn’t compress quite like the Classic 57s did under gain. The ‘61s sounded to me, like a mix of the Classic 57 and Burstbuckers. But on my setup with my amp and my ears, the ‘61s didn’t sound better than the 57s or Burstbuckers. Just different. Kind of like mixing both pickups but not really getting the best of both pickups. I ended up keeping the Classic 57s and Burstbuckers.

    • Upvote 1
  14. As a follow up to the Gibson 61 pickups. I’ve replaced them with Classic 57s and I’m happier. The 61s just didn’t do it for me in my Les Paul. Can’t put my finger on exactly why. The 57s however are perfect.

    • Like 1
  15. The Origin 20 is a great amp. I use the head version into a Torpedo Captor and use Celestion IRs with Wall of Sound. Sounds BOSS!

    I use it at full volume and mostly full gain. It has a little more gain than my Vintage Modern in LDR.

    I use a Soul Food and a an OD Glove and the Origin handles it great. I use the amps gain rather than pedals in mos cases.

    I had a DSL a few years ago. I thought it was a nice amp. But the Origin is definitely more my style. I liken the Origin to a JMP Marshall with its EL34 power plant. My Vintage Modern is more like a JTM Marshall.

    • Like 1
  16. I can say that I personally own a pair of 61T/61R pickups that I put in a Les Paul Traditional. They replaced the 57/57+ pickups that came stock. To me, the 61s sound like the 57s with a touch more high and low-end push. It took quite a while to dial in my rig after I changed the pickups because I wanted a similar but not the same sound as the 57s.

    Honestly I am debating changing the 61s out for Burstbuckers. I really love the tone of Burstbuckers. The 57's and 61's just don't have the same tone as the BBs.

     

    Regarding the 61's I think when coil tapped they sound a little better than the 57s. But I hardly use the coil taps.

     

    If I were to blind test the 57s and the 61s I'd have a hard time guessing which one was which.

     

    The 61's have an Alnico 5 magnet. To me, they sound a little more 'scooped' compared to the 57s. I think that is because they have a little more high and low end (and thus leaving the mids about the same as the 57s). Under gain they sound almost identical to the 57s. I think the 61s have a bit more 'bite'. They remind me of Pearly Gates without the fizz on the top.

     

    I can tell you that the 61 neck pickup is missing something. I don't know what it is. Its not the same as the 57 neck which I liked. I have to spend some more time dialing in a better tone.

     

    The 61s are staying in the guitar for now, but like I said I'm very partial to BBs so I might change them out for a pair.

     

    I would probably not buy another set of 61s though and just keep the 57s or my preferred BBs. I don't think the 61s are terrible but they just don't sit well with my particular guitar/amp/setup. I use a Vintage Modern 50w amp and Marshall IRs for cabinets. I have not tried the 61s through my brand new Origin 20 however.

     

    Sorry for the rambling post. Just trying to give you some insight into the 61s. The 61s probably sound better in the SG. I don't have an SG to swap them into.

    • Like 1
  17. Drock: Couldn’t you have just had GC or your tech replace the cracked nut on the first or second Honey Burst Les Paul? Seems like a really simple cheap fix that would allow you to keep your desired guitar. I wouldn’t sent back a guitar with a cracked nut I would replace it. If I was really upset i’d have GC pay to replace the nut. But I wouldn’t send the guitar back. Thats just me though. A $2500 shouldn’t have a cracked nut but we’re talking about a $10 part ruining your whole experience.

    • Upvote 2
  18. Replying to the question regarding durability of the electro static paint. I had no durability problems but of course it’s on the inside of the cavity and pickup routes. Once setup I have no reason to go in there so nothing wears. I haven’t owned a guitar for twenty years so I don’t know how long it would last in that case but again I rarely even open the back once I have my guitar setup the way I want so I see no reason anything should wear the paint.

  19. I think this is not just a Gibson problem. However I will admit my Epiphones (owned three) all were electrostatic painted in the control cavities and pickup routes and that is where I first noticed NOT hearing static or grounding problems. I’d plug in my Gibson and would hear that annoying noise.

     

    The electrostatic paint is cheaper than copper and in my opinion easier to apply and use. Good luck hunting ‘the noise’. Believe me it’s annoying.

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