ChatNoir Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Does anyone know how the neck of the SG compares to the Mex Strats? I'll be getting the faded SG sometime this year but the Midnight Wine Mexican has always had my eye. Has anyone handled both to make a comparison? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jef Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Whole 'nuther animal. The strat's neck is thinner, with medium jumbo frets - and is longer scale. I own an 08 SG Standard, a Classic Players 50s reissue Strat, and a Classic Players 70s reissue Strat. Great guitars for the price, but they ceratinly don't feel as tight as an SG. Could be the bolt on neck too. I'm gonna play them for a while and then sell to invest in another SG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 I've played both and currently have an SG and an AD Strat in my stable. If you're talking about neck profile - necks change, you should be a little more specific about model and year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChatNoir Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Well, this is the SG I love: http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-USA/SG-Special-Faded.aspx and this is the Fender that has my eye - current year for both: http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0144600375 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feldkeen4 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 My 06 midnight wine strat has an awesome modern C neck. I hear you must try them first, because all necks are subject to a little variance. I notice that when arpeggiating open chords my neck makes it easier "not to muddy up adjacent strings". My acoustic epi DR100 I have to be more careful. I don't play my daughters SG as much, but that guitar plays real easy for me. Maybe the shorter scale after being used to the strat scale, ya know the whole less tension debate. Even though There is 10's on the SG and 9's on the strat. I'm not a very accomplished player. But, it's just an observation that I notice. And I'm thinking about getting a Blacktop Tele and it will be important to me that the neck will feel like my strat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feldkeen4 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Well, this is the SG I love: http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-USA/SG-Special-Faded.aspx and this is the Fender that has my eye - current year for both: http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0144600375 My 2006 Midnight wine has a maple neck and I love the way it looks. Well, you know where I'm headed with this....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChatNoir Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 My 2006 Midnight wine has a maple neck and I love the way it looks. Well, you know where I'm headed with this....... Yes I do.... Thank you for your input, I appreciate your comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsteele Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 My advice to you is to go to a guitar store and play both of them and see which one you prefer. I think the faded SG special is a better guitar for the price than a standard MIM Strat. Also, how low do you like the action set. I like mine low and I could never get it as low as I would have liked on my Roadhouse Strat. Also how do you feel about the pickups? Most people consider changing the standard MIM Strat pickups out, But I think the 490's in the SG Special are acceptable. Sure, the Strat has a nicer finish, but that's about it, If I bought another MIM Strat, I would be making a lot of upgrades, whereas with the SG, I can live with the stock equipment it comes with. I did need to file down the fret ends, but a couple of hours on a saturday spent doing that was a lot cheaper than buying pickups,tuners and possibly pots and a solid steel tremblock to increase the sustain to an acceptable level. I do like the thicker neck of the SG but thats not a sign that you will too. The best way to tell is to go out and play both through an amp like you own and make a decision. $500 or $600 dollars it better spent after some careful consideration because both of these guitars resale value drops like a rock after your cash hits the salesmans cash drawer. Happy Hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Basically, the SG neck is going to be a smidge wider and feel a bit more "meaty" (thick). Here's the breakdown - Profile The STD Strat you mention specs a - Modern "C" Shape The SG Special you like specs a 50s rounded profile - which is a bit deeper than Fender's Modern "C". This means the distance between the surface of the fretboard and the back surface of the neck is greater on the Gibson. Frets Both medium jumbo. Width at the Nut Your Strat is 1.650; the SG is 1-11/16" (1.6875"); so the SG is a smidge wider. Radius Your Strat is 9.5"; the SG is 12"; so the SG will feel flatter - less likely to fretout on bends. Neck finish Both satin (I believe) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geff Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I have found that, with relatively little time and effort, I can adapt to a fairly significant difference in neck. having said that my playing standard is low whatever the guitar! I am mainly an SG fanatic but I too have a hankering for a telecaster for reasons I cannot quite explain. Stratocasters, however, have no appeal to me. maybe because they are just too "everyday". I find Les Pauls the same. I am thinking maybe a hollowbody telecaster would be interesting. Do they currently have such a thing in their line-up? Alternatively, another SG with a different pick-up configuration. Of course what I actually need right now is a decent acoustic guitar but that is not so much fun to think abouyt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 ... I too have a hankering for a telecaster for reasons I cannot quite explain. ... I am thinking maybe a hollowbody telecaster would be interesting. Do they currently have such a thing in their line-up? ... '69 Thinline is a semi-hollow Tele with traditional Tele pups - http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0136902300 '72 Thinline is a semi-hollow Tele with dual humbuckers - http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0137402321 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Lunatic Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Oops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevoT Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Neck finish Both satin (I believe) All Gibsons have nitro finishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChatNoir Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 I have found that, with relatively little time and effort, I can adapt to a fairly significant difference in neck. having said that my playing standard is low whatever the guitar! I am mainly an SG fanatic but I too have a hankering for a telecaster for reasons I cannot quite explain. Stratocasters, however, have no appeal to me. maybe because they are just too "everyday". I find Les Pauls the same. I am thinking maybe a hollowbody telecaster would be interesting. Do they currently have such a thing in their line-up? Alternatively, another SG with a different pick-up configuration. Of course what I actually need right now is a decent acoustic guitar but that is not so much fun to think abouyt. Well the teles just don't appeal to me visually - I wouldn't mind a Les Paul, unfortunately, being a small lady, I find the weight to be too much. So unless they come out with a light weight Les Paul, the SG is the way I'm going to go for my first Gibson. Laura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG FAN Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Hell yeah, SGs are my fav Gibsons. But if you really have your heart set on a Les Paul, see if you could find a used Goddess LP. They are really lightweight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChatNoir Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 I don't recall reading that the Les Paul Goddess was a light weight guitar, but I wouldn't mind if Gibson came out with another Purple Goddess Sg...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geff Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 BK, Thanks for the hint, I guess I am looking for a 69 thinline then! CN, You just cant go wrong with an SG but Im sure a chambered LP must be a lot lighter than a solid one. I dont actually know as I have never felt the slightest desire to own a LP so Ive never bothered to pick one up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69 Son Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Any Les Paul Standard made after the Fall of 2008 will be chambered, they average 8 lbs, which is pretty light, and sound incredible. My 09 is 7.8 lbs, or 1 lb. heavier than my SG standard, 1.5 lbs than my former '61 RI SG. I dig tele thinlines too just not a MIM for $700. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geff Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I know this is the SG forum but while we are on the subject of Tele's I had, for some reason, always assumed they were cheaper than Gibsons. No way am I paying what they are asking for a new thinline that isnt even USA made. So I guess used is the way forward (I am guessing thata MIM tele cannot hold its value as well as a Gibson) but are there any common faults with Tele's I should look out for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geff Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 All Gibsons have nitro finishes. While true, that is missleading. Some have a deep high gloss while others have the faded treatment. Nitro finishes come in all sorts. Personally, while I love a deep gloss on the body, I find guitars with a satin finsih to the back of the neck far easier to play. Having said that my SG classic has a gloss neck and I got used to it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fedwayjohn Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Whole 'nuther animal. The strat's neck is thinner, with medium jumbo frets - and is longer scale. I own an 08 SG Standard, a Classic Players 50s reissue Strat, and a Classic Players 70s reissue Strat. Great guitars for the price, but they ceratinly don't feel as tight as an SG. Could be the bolt on neck too. I'm gonna play them for a while and then sell to invest in another SG! The idea that Strats are less sturdy than SG's is a little ridiculous given their long history of hard professional use. I own American Strats and have played SG's, and both are fine axes. The Strats are every bit as sturdy in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin4195 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I have owned both, fender has a bolt on, gibson has a glue on, and the gibson feels tighter, though the guitar is lighter. I personally love the SG neck, because the fender neck is a bit too wide for me. The SG has a great profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKoor Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 I have AVRI 70s Strat , CP60s Strat and SG Special Ebony. Sincerely I cannot decide between SG and AVRI, I absolutely adore vintage Strat frets and that 7,25" neck (dig on wood all the time), but SG has monster tone (harmonics) and is a bit more easy to play (shorter scale, in spoite of my bigger hands) - I don't really dig CP60s so I'm selling/trading it - it has narrower neck -or be it string spacing- (already arranged something, hopefully will be done next week). Necks on all guitars are quite different... for me frets and string spacing play biggest role in "playability" , neck profile isn't so important although I prefer necks on a chunky side in most cases. :) EDIT Just to add to original poster and his question: mate choose an SG if you don't have preferences in tone, and if you don't need trem arm. Strat is more versatile guitar but I think SG "has it" at least for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 i have played both..like everyone else says, they are too entirely different animals that go way beyond the neck profile. i am a big fan of a nice feeling neck. as such, i have also noticed that for me, it is not just a matter of fretboard radius or neck thickness, but rather a combination of all of it, and for me no telling what i will like. when i find a great neck, it could be anything. that said, i have come close to buying the occasional sg faded, but in those cases i found the neck dive on them to be too much. sometimes, though, they have great feeling necks, but some are just regular ole nice. also, in general, the mim strats have pretty nice feeling necks. so when it comes down to it, both usually have nice enough necks that it is the other points about the guitar that would sway me one way or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiltone Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 i have played both..like everyone else says, they are too entirely different animals that go way beyond the neck profile. i am a big fan of a nice feeling neck. as such, i have also noticed that for me, it is not just a matter of fretboard radius or neck thickness, but rather a combination of all of it, and for me no telling what i will like. when i find a great neck, it could be anything. that said, i have come close to buying the occasional sg faded, but in those cases i found the neck dive on them to be too much. sometimes, though, they have great feeling necks, but some are just regular ole nice. also, in general, the mim strats have pretty nice feeling necks. so when it comes down to it, both usually have nice enough necks that it is the other points about the guitar that would sway me one way or another. x2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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