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SG good choice for beginner?


epetrillo

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Posted

Hi,

 

I guess it's a little late to be asking this since I have a brand new SG Standard on the way but i'm going to ask anyway. I am an acoustic player (a beginner at that) and know nothing about electrics except that I wanted to try one so I ordered an SG standard. Is this a good choice as a "do it all" first guitar for a beginner? If not, why and what would be a better choice?

 

Emilio

Posted

I have an SG special amongst other guitars and SG's are great guitars. Light, comfortable and great sound. Enjoy your new guitar when it arrives

Posted

Welcome to the forum Emilio, and congrats on purchasing a GREAT guitar !!

 

I own guitars of several different brands/shapes/designs & weights, and I can't think of any guitar i'd recommend to a beginner more than an SG.

I don't know where you are, or how available a good guitar technician may be in your area, but when it arrives you should either take it to a tech for a "setup" or read over the setup page on Gibsons website and make sure everything (string height/intonation/neck adjustment) is as it should be.

If taken reasonably good care of, an SG should play well for a VERY long time......good choice !

Posted

I too become a recent owner of an SG Standard, and having played for 19 years, i cannot for the life of me understand how i have not bought one sooner!

 

Pro / Cons of an SG (Just my opinion!)

 

Pro's

 

SG fits the body a lot better than a Les Paul

SG is probably the lightest of all my electric guitars

SG's 12" radius fretboard reduces fretting out when bending strings compared to my '57 Strat (7.5" radius)

SG's 24.75" scale length makes it much easier on the hands when compared to the majority 25.5" scale

SG's access to upper frets is better than my RG550! Thats saying something!

SG's tone rivals that of a Les Paul.

SG's sustain rivals that of a Les Paul. You'll need a good set of lugs on you to say otherwise!

SG's body shape epitomises rock 'n' roll and thats gotta be a good thing!

 

Con's

 

Erm.... Still workin' on that one!

 

As for a beginners guitar, it'll be perfect! I just wish my first electric was an SG :P

Posted

Wait...let me get this straight.

You bought a Standard SG and you never played an electric guitar before? Do you own a amp? If you own a bad amp, go out and buy a good one cause buying that Standard would be worthless then.

For a beginner i wouldnt recommend a standard because a huge majority of beginners quit at trying to learn so id recommend an Epi SG or a faded.

Posted

Good call dem00n on the amp, I naively assumed that box would be ticked!

 

With regards to an Epi SG, as everyones financial situation differs, go for the Gibson, if that doesn't make you wanna play electric then its definitely not for you! And if that's the case, it'll only mean another bargain for one of us! Well not me, I'm a wrong hander :(

Posted

Wait...let me get this straight.

You bought a Standard SG and you never played an electric guitar before? Do you own a amp? If you own a bad amp, go out and buy a good one cause buying that Standard would be worthless then.

For a beginner i wouldnt recommend a standard because a huge majority of beginners quit at trying to learn so id recommend an Epi SG or a faded.

 

This is just a hobby for me. I do it for my own personal enjoyment. For that purpose I have a Fender Blues Jr. amp that my daughter gave me to get me started. I know it's not much but it should do for now, until I can buy my own, shouldn't it? I picked the SG Standard over something cheaper for several reasons. I have always been a firm believer that a person starting in a new "equipment intense" Interest should buy the best equipment he can afford (within reason). Too many people have quit a new hobby or interest because the equipment they were trying to learn on was so poorly designed or manufactured as to make it almost impossible to succeed at what they were trying to learn. I am not saying the Epi or faded fall in this category but I believe a certain amount of "pride of ownership" can also help keep you going when the going gets tough. I like what I read about the SG. I like the look and feel of it. I also scored a pretty good deal on this one and should be able to sell it, if need be, with little or no loss on my part. This reduces the risks associated with both spending more for the SG and buying sight unseen by mail order. I can't wait for the SG to get here but will keep playing my acoustics no matter what I decide about electric. I am having fun!

 

Emilio

Posted

This is just a hobby for me. I do it for my own personal enjoyment. For that purpose I have a Fender Blues Jr. amp that my daughter gave me to get me started. I know it's not much but it should do for now, until I can buy my own, shouldn't it? I picked the SG Standard over something cheaper for several reasons. I have always been a firm believer that a person starting in a new "equipment intense" Interest should buy the best equipment he can afford (within reason). Too many people have quit a new hobby or interest because the equipment they were trying to learn on was so poorly designed or manufactured as to make it almost impossible to succeed at what they were trying to learn. I am not saying the Epi or faded fall in this category but I believe a certain amount of "pride of ownership" can also help keep you going when the going gets tough. I like what I read about the SG. I like the look and feel of it. I also scored an pretty good deal on this one and should be able to sell it, if need be, with little or no loss on my part. This reduces the risks associated with both spending more for the SG and buying sight unseen by mail order. I can't wait for the SG to get here but will keep playing my acoustics no matter what I decide about electric. I am having fun!

 

Emilio

Oh well the Blues Jr. is a great amp!

I see what you mean about someone buying a cheap equipment and that being the reason they stooped playing but its also a big waste to spend a ot of money on a guitar you just put in your closet and forget about. The Epi SG G-400 is a great beginner guitar.

I will agree that buying a bad beginner guitar is something i try to tell everyone to avoid because it could ruin the whole experience of playing guitar!

Posted

An excellent choice for anyone from beginner to pro.

If I could only own one guitar, it would be an SG. (as it happens I own three, two of which are SGs and I am a beginner).

 

The Standard is the cheapest of what I would describe as properly finished SGs (unless you count the classic which is only available new from certain outlets) and, as such, is a good entry point into what might just become an obsession if you are not careful!

 

If you dont get on with an SG, electric is probably not for you.

 

Do invest in a good strap and strap locks though and remember to keep it in a sfae place, preferably in its case.

Posted

I too become a recent owner of an SG Standard, and having played for 19 years, i cannot for the life of me understand how i have not bought one sooner!

 

Pro / Cons of an SG (Just my opinion!)

 

Pro's

 

SG fits the body a lot better than a Les Paul

SG is probably the lightest of all my electric guitars

SG's 12" radius fretboard reduces fretting out when bending strings compared to my '57 Strat (7.5" radius)

SG's 24.75" scale length makes it much easier on the hands when compared to the majority 25.5" scale

SG's access to upper frets is better than my RG550! Thats saying something!

SG's tone rivals that of a Les Paul.

SG's sustain rivals that of a Les Paul. You'll need a good set of lugs on you to say otherwise!

SG's body shape epitomises rock 'n' roll and thats gotta be a good thing!

 

Con's

 

Erm.... Still workin' on that one!

 

As for a beginners guitar, it'll be perfect! I just wish my first electric was an SG :P

 

Absolutely well said and correcto on all grounds. [thumbup]

Posted

Welcome to the forum Emilio, and congrats on purchasing a GREAT guitar !!

 

I own guitars of several different brands/shapes/designs & weights, and I can't think of any guitar i'd recommend to a beginner more than an SG.

I don't know where you are, or how available a good guitar technician may be in your area, but when it arrives you should either take it to a tech for a "setup" or read over the setup page on Gibsons website and make sure everything (string height/intonation/neck adjustment) is as it should be.

If taken reasonably good care of, an SG should play well for a VERY long time......good choice !

 

I am in Southern California, the Inland Empire area to be exact. If anyone here can recommend a good guitar tech in my area I would love to hear from them.

 

Emilio

Posted

The blues junior amp is actually really good and surprisingly loud. I have a telecaster and an sg special faded and use it for both. The tele was an imediate thubs up on almost any setting but it took me some fiddling to find the best sounds for the sg, now i got it nailed.. sounds superb. Gotta love tube amps. if you want louder, either run the blues junior through an extension cab or have it linked to a PA

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