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First Gibson. Some questions about the SG.


alienstarguest

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Im new. I thought I might resurrect an old thread (you see in the list - white sg), but no responses. So here a goes a complete new one. I just bought one of these white

sg standards that were sold on music123 back in 05. Obviously I bought it used. It looks just like the one pictured in

the older thread (but I added some of my own pics here). Fine condition. I paid $900. Back hills of West Va.

Had a few questions...and please remember I'm not a skilled guitarist.. but rather a music person,

song writer, festival goer and admirer of fine instruments. I'd be able to hold up the band if the bass

player croked and I stood in, given the audience was a bunch of drunks. (I am bottom end at heart). Ok so thats enough about me.

I have a few questions about this guitar.

1. The fretboard seems to be showing dryness if you know what I mean. The wood is lighter and seems dry.

What do you use, if anything, to polish this up. I always hesitate to put anything on fretboards, since this is

the business part of any stringed instrument.

*** note the odd thing is that some of the screws in pickguard have some oxidation (almost a touch of rust) - so I think it was stored where moisture was present.

2. I know very little about guitar strings, but these seem to be a heavy gauge. I have a strat that has fender bullets and I can't figure if its the strings or is the sg known to have a higher action?

3. speaking of 'action' what would be expected of an sg hardly played as this one was. seller said no mods were made and I believe him. other than what I stated the guitar looks almost the same condition as the one pictured.

4. What is the difference between this guitar and the white VOS SGs they are now selling for 3K?

5. exactly how are the pots supposed to function. I have my guesses but I'm not completely certain (I told you

I wasnt a guitar maven)

I have some pics in my next post.

Thanks folks.

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Gorgeous guitar!!

 

1. I only use Fret Doctor. It's premium bore oil and costs around $20 a bottle. You can only get it from one website. It may also darken up that fretboard. http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm

 

2. Unless the previous owner tried a different strings, they should be Gibson Brite Wires, 10 - 46. Your Strat probably has 9 - 42.

 

3. Action is adjustable, set it up to the way you like it.

 

4. The historic SG has different pickups, pots and caps. Aside from that, Custom Shop guitars get higher grade (and lighter) wood. Your Standard is likely a two-piece body;wheeas, the historic's is a one-piece.

 

5. I don't understand the question. How do they function? You turn them and they change the volume or the tone of the guitar. Your guitar has 500k volume pots & 300k tone pots. Historics have 500k all around.

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Here is what I know. One volume and one tone control each for each pickup. I guess my question about the pots is this. If the toggle switch is in the middle, does that mean both pickups are engauged, and I notice that one volume only works that way. Does this seem correct. I have so little time to spend playing that I really don't know much about adjusting tone on electric guitars. I plug and go, twittle to get something that does not offend and that is pretty much it. I am probubly over complicating things which I have a tendancy to do (just my brain). I was wondering if there are any set ideas. esp regarding the toggle switch. When you want 'blah blah sound' you flip to treble when you 'want this you flip to that'.

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Yes, you are over-complicating things. :-

Best thing to do is to play around with the controls and figure everything out. It'll only take you a minute or two.

When the selector switch is in the middle both pickups are active and all four pots control the sound. If you set one volume to 0, then you get no sound output.

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To dumb it down a little more, the lowest knobs are for the bridge pickup.

Farthest back is tone, further forward toward the neck is volume.

 

Moving up toward the strings, the neck pickup controls are the same set up.

 

Most rock stuff is bridge pickup only, neck is used for most solo stuff and sometimes lighter chording.

Gets muddy with multiple strings involved and higher volume.

 

Both pickups together will give you many varieties in sound at low volume, but sound like muddy sh!t when cranked.

 

Volumes can be adjusted giving one pickup dominance (the neck usually wins) but turning either volume to 0 stops output for both. They basically work in series.

 

 

Try this;

Turn the volume off for the neck pickup, flip the selector switch down for the bridge.

 

Put the bridge tone (lowest knob, farthest back) at about 6 or 7 and then use the bridge volume to taste.

Go from there and get something you like before you even use the neck pickup.

 

If you get it restrung, use a set of 9's for easier playing.

I use 10's on everything I own, but the additional volume output is not needed with humbuckers.

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