Space Pup Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Gibson has probably introduced more original body styles than any other guitar company, the Les Paul, SG, Flying V, and Explorer to name a few. These are without a doubt the most copied guitars ever. Of those the SG has been a solid staple in Gibson's arsenal since its introduction in 1961. Its design may not be as radical as the Flying V but its small light weight body is a godsend to those who don't like the heavier Les Paul but still demand a versatile solid body guitar with lots of tone. This point is well proven by looking at the diversity of some of the most famous SG Players like Pete Townshend, Angus Young, Derek trucks, Frank Zappa, Toni Iommi, and Hank Williams Jr., to name but a few. I believe the SG '61 Reissue's strength lies in its simplicity, a slim Mahogany body and neck plus a Rosewood fretboard powered by Gibson's '57 Classic pickups create a clear and balanced tone with solid sustain. The double cutaway body not only provides easy access to the upper frets but adds a kind of "little devil" look adding to the SG's reputation. First off I believe the true test of any electric guitar is to simply plug it strait into an amp and play it clean. the use of effects can cover up a guitar weakness. My main practice amp is a 15 watt Crate but I have run my SG through a Marshall JVM stack, a Line 6 Spider III 120, and a Fender Cyber Twin SE. Using both pick and finger styles the clean sound of the SG '61 Reissue is amazing. The crisp, clean tone makes playing Jazz a sweet pleasure. I have also used the same sound to back up my acoustic on a few recordings. With the addition of a little distortion you get a great Blues and Classic Rock tone that has both the sustain and attack needed for some of those more tricky riffs. Full distortion turns the SG '61 Reissue into a rude monster that will tackle Metal and Punk with a fury. In Conclusion, the SG '61 Reissue has the looks and tone of an original with the attitude to back it up. It stands side by side with the Les Paul as one of the most versatile guitars Gibson has ever built. It's light weight, easy playability, and tone has made it a favorite among musicians for many years. I definitely recomend the SG '61 Reissue to anyone that wants an all purpose guitar that has both great tone and looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPDEN Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Enjoy, I have never heard one bad spoken -or- one bad written word about the '61 reissue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archer993 Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 It's on my want list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPDEN Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 It's on my want list! Can't wait to see the day you let us know you've brought one home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson CS Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 i completely agree with you if i wanted an easy playing, good sounding guitar i would get an SG or 3 =D but low slung les pauls are the only thing for me (untill i get to 50 years old and by then i will probly have bad joints and need to play my gutars up high Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Pup Posted May 5, 2008 Author Share Posted May 5, 2008 I just spent the weekend putting my SG (and J-45) through there paces and just wanted to say that my original review still stands. Interesting point Myspace.com/jessenoah, Les Paul's do look better slong low than Sg's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibis Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 A low slung 61 RI looks cool too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dio-bass Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 you can't beat the sg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kineman Karma Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 G'day Everybody, Well this is my first post here on the Gibson forum and I must say it is with absolute pleasure to do so. Here is why , Friday just passed I walked into my GC with the intention of buying a 65 deluxe reverb amp which was to be my final amp purchase prior to my wife and I buying a house in two months time. Well during the sale to which I must say there were only myself and three other guy's in the store, so there was no mad rush or quick decision making to be done. Anyway after looking at the massively reduced prices on everything, the sale really opened up the door to many other options for me. Well Jimmy my GC contact said to me, "You have every Strat known to man and you have a good mix of Fender Amps, so why not add something totally different to your collection" I was thinking omg here we go, he said "Try this Gibson SG 61 RI" Hesitantly I picked it up and omg, after playing it through a Fender Twin Amp to which I also recently purchased, I was just awe struck with everything about it, so I purchased a 2010 USA GIBSON SG 61 RI" On this occassion I don't understand what I feel to be my personal betrayl of my loyalty to Fender to which I still love through and through, but soon to make friends with all my Strats and Fender Amps will be Ms GIBSON and maybe other girls from the Gibson family :P Retail AUD $3523 Sale Price I picked it up for AUD $2100. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkbemb10 Posted September 19, 2010 Share Posted September 19, 2010 Please don't blast me for this... But I had the Gibson '61 Reissue for 6 months before selling it. I just didn't like it at all. Yes it's nice that it's incredibly light (unlike a Les Paul) but you pay a price. The guitar's tone was okay at best (unlike how great the les paul is) and the sustain was awful, probably because of how light the guitar was. I tried and tried for months to like it but just couldn't. I couldn't find anything the SG could do that the Les Paul or my ES-333 couldn't do better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewddawg Posted September 19, 2010 Share Posted September 19, 2010 Please don't blast me for this... But I had the Gibson '61 Reissue for 6 months before selling it. I just didn't like it at all. Yes it's nice that it's incredibly light (unlike a Les Paul) but you pay a price. The guitar's tone was okay at best (unlike how great the les paul is) and the sustain was awful, probably because of how light the guitar was. I tried and tried for months to like it but just couldn't. I couldn't find anything the SG could do that the Les Paul or my ES-333 couldn't do better. I love my SG's and each has it's own sound. Now the LP & SG are two different animals. The LP will have a more warm tone but I have never had an issue with sustain on any SG I have ever played. Sounds to me your setup was wrong. Now someone else has a fantastic guitar and probably has it set up right and is loving it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy49 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hi everyone, this is my first time in this forum. Just want to add that I have owned a 61' Reissue SG for 6 yrs. now and I have to say that I love it. I also own a Les Paul Custom and a ES 335 and each has their different voices for different styles and songs. Do not get me wrong I love them just the same but the SG can play any style of music. If it were to be stolen or what I know I would order another one. Can't be without one. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57-classic Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 I think this will be my next guitarpurchase. Unless I get a Dean Palomino. Gotta have those blues tones. I might Get an SG Standard and just swap the pickups to save some money. Probably not though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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