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New RD and DC Special and SG Junior


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Well we have seen the crazy expensive custom ones.. These prices even though are still a bit expensive for a slab model seem a bit more reasonable..

 

SG $1,299

An essential favorite, the special edition SG Junior guitar delivers vintage looks and tones with improved modern playability. The iconic double-cutaway body in solid mahogany and a mahogany neck with SlimTaper profile accompany period-inspired appointments including the Gibson historic script logo on the headstock. A Vintage Cherry finish highlights the historic looks, while a nickel wraparound bridge and single dog-ear P-90 pickup drive rich and powerful tones.

 

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2018/USA/SG-Junior-2018.aspx

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RD Artist $1,699

Reintroducing a modern design classic of the late '70s, the special edition RD Artist 40th Anniversary guitar delivers radical looks with versatile tones. The unique RD body style in solid mahogany complements a mahogany neck with rounded profile and an exotic torrefied granadillo fingerboard, graced with the Gibson historic script logo on the headstock, gold Grover tuners, Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece. A pair of GEM active pickups deliver improved output and extreme tonal versatility.

 

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2018/USA/Gibson-RD-Artist-40th-Anniversary-2018.aspx

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DC Special $1,399

An iconic rock'n'roll guitar, the special edition Les Paul Special Double Cutaway model combines vintage looks and tones with uncompromising performance. The mahogany body's double-cutaway styling yields superb access to the top of the SlimTaper neck and rosewood fingerboard, while the nickel wraparound bridge enhances the sustain and rich tone these guitars are famous for. Featuring the Gibson historic script logo on the headstock and two powerful P-90 soapbar pickups, this guitar delivers extremely big and well-rounded tones in vintage style.

 

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2018/USA/Les-Paul-Special-Double-Cutaway-2018.aspx

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Ohh and theres a Junior too.. but I think we have seen this already?

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2018/USA/Les-Paul-Junior-2018.aspx

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That TV yellow looks bad to me. I never saw what the color originally looked like in the 50s, but that seems too bright and opaque.

 

The SG doesn’t look too bad but the bevels are weird. Look how the bevels in the cutaways have a weird kink in them from meeting up with the bevels on the left and right of the body. The original SGs were not like that and it looks weird. Also if you look at the bottom edge near the controls, it kinda looks like they used a bigger roundover radius or something. Then the random different logo.

 

It’s kinda weird how Gibson absolutely cannot make a correct SG body to save their lives. Don’t get me wrong, I love my SG with the wrong bevels and all, it’s just interesting that they can’t simply copy the shape of an original SG

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Yeah I’m not crazy about the logo

 

Prices are relatively steep as well. $1,300 for SG Junior with single pickup, no binding compared to the 2018 Standard which costs $1,385. So if I were to buy another pickup from Gibson that would cost more than $85, and the binding should add a substantial amount of labor. The price is high on that for apparently no good reason

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Yeah I’m not crazy about the logo

 

Prices are relatively steep as well. $1,300 for SG Junior with single pickup, no binding compared to the 2018 Standard which costs $1,385. So if I were to buy another pickup from Gibson that would cost more than $85, and the binding should add a substantial amount of labor. The price is high on that for apparently no good reason

But yet still more reasonable than a $4999 LP Junior painted red ;) (not that that's an excuse).

 

I just think times, they are a changin..... Remember all the CITES crap they have to deal with now too (still not an excuse though)..

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I dig that double cut with the p90s

Its the wrong shape for me.. they should look like this with the end of the fretboard almost in line with the edge of the body.. I think they did it in order to strengthen the neck join area.. Which I kinda understand.. But ive never heard of a neck falling off or the joint snapping on these models.. So im not sure how much that design change was actually needed.

 

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I'm digging the RD Artist too, except for the price. The others also seem too steep price wise for what they are. I recall seeing a new SG Junior on end of year sale just 4 or 5 years ago at £450. I bought a Les Paul Junior for the same figure around that time and wouldn't pay any more than that now for pretty much the same model. I know the prices over here have rocketed since the Brexit thing, but really, no Junior should be around the £1000 mark! I paid less for my SG Standards than what they want for the junior and my 2013 SG Custom Kirk Douglas was only £1149 at the time.

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I love the look of the RD Artist. A finer body shape than the Firebird IMO. The special headtock logo is nice too. Unfortunately I dont like active pickups nor P90s, so nothing too tempting for me in there.

 

edit: It might be the photo angle thats decieving me. Is that a different body to Firebird? I'm not sure now [confused]

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Are you asking if the RD is a different body shape than the Firebird?

If so, yes. Someone described it as the love child of a Firebird and an Explorer.

I tried one when they first came out back in the 70s and didn't care for it at all but maybe I'd feel differently nowadays.

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I have a RD Artist on order at Sweetwater. I am very much looking forward to getting it.

Let us know what you think about it when you get it. I love the special "shape" guitars from Gibson and this one has always intrigued me. Just not sure about the active pickups. I don't have much knowledge about active pickups outside of what I've briefly thumbed through on the internet. Any personal experience here with them and if so what are your thoughts?

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Looking at these pics. It's time that Gibson changed that head angle. It's far too much.

Yeah and remember the truss rod access hole... Means theres such little wood there, right at the point where the most stress is...

 

YkfLFjW.jpg

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