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NGD!! & REVIEW


RobinTheHood

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Well, the GAS finally became too much for me to bear. Been jonesing for a new git ever since I bought that SG Junior for my daughter. I traded in my 1994 Epiphone Expert-6 for this '61 SG Special and I dont regret it one bit. I had to ponder it for about a week or less,but I finally came to the conclusion that I never play the Expert-6. And now that I'm not in a band, I really didnt see much of a future for it being in my possesion. I'd rather have a guitar I will play than a closet queen. GC gave me $175 for it. Kinda sucks, but they will list it at $350 and probably sell it for $300. So I'm athe 50%+ margin, and that seems fair. The sales rep was impressed with the condition though. He gave me GC's top dollar for it without question. The tech guy liked it too. I think he wants it.

 

But enough about that. It was a toss up between the '61 SG Special and the Gibson Melody Maker SG. I had the intention of getting the Gibson, but honestly, I wasnt impressed with the fit & finish of these guitars. The finish looked like it had a non-gloss open-pore clear coat (which I didnt like over the paint), there were horrible sanding marks (practically gouges) on all of them, three of them had warped pickguards, and the one that didnt had a very crooked truss cover. Aside from that, they seem to be well constructed minus the finish and details. They played good and sounded good too. But with all of the things I didnt like, plus the baked maple fingerboards, I had to pass on them. Also, I played four different Melody Makers and they all weighed different. Very inconsistent. The idea of having a USA guitar wasnt enough for me to pull the trigger on these gits.

 

So I went with the obvious choice: the 1961 SG Special in TV Yellow. Absolutely fantastic. Epiphone really knocked the ball out of the park with this model. The only thing I dont like about it is the awful wraparound bridge, but I'm not complaining. Its one of the only things on it that I'll need to upgrade. Eventually, I may get a new nut for it, but that is probably all I will do to it.

 

So thats two TV Yellows in my house now. And I guess I know how to pick 'em. This one was the last TV Yellow and it was a floor model. Fortunately, it had some serious back-bow to the neck, making the first three frets across the entire neck unplayable. Nobody touched this guitar the entire time it was on the floor. Not a scratch or smudge on it. It was so clean that I couldnt even tell that it had the plastic on the pickguard still. I had to peel up a corner just to make sure. So the guitar tech straightened the neck and it played just fine.

 

Sound:

Since this is my first experience with P90 pickups, I dont see any need to change out the PUPs, wiring, caps, pots, etc. It sounds great to me as it is. Maybe some day, but not any time soon. It sounds great through my Fender Princeton Chorus. It is the first guitar that isnt a strat that has sounded good through this amp. None of my humbucker guitars mesh with the Fender Princeton at all. This one is a perfect fit and I'm digging it. I set the gain to about 5 and I get a nice, thick and dirty sound that just roars. I've had a hard time putting it down all weekend. Sounds great clean too, but I've mostly been digging the dirty distortion. For an entry level P90, they sound great and you cant go wrong with Alnicos.

 

Fit & Finish:

Perfect. The paint is darker, yet thinner than the TV Yellow SG Junior. Quite a big contrast when they are sitting next to each other. Its very Mustard Yellow, as Kai indicated in his review. Nice gloss clear coat, which I like. The paint seems to be thicker on the bevels than it does on the top & back surfaces. This creates a really cool two-tone look to the guitar. The guitar is constructed in a very soid manner. The neck joint is very nice, sturdy and clean. The nickel hardare tends to lean toward yellow (as opposed to chrome that leans toward blue) and compliments the body color very well. The reflector knobs and orange switch tip, along with the 5-ply pickguard and neck binding bring it all together beautifully.

 

Neck:

It is spec'd with a SlimTaper "D" and feels exactly like my G-310 neck. I'm very used to this, so its a huge bonus for me. The SG Junior has a chunkier neck, but is also listed as "D". I could get used to the neck on the Junior, but I like this one better. The frets are all level and nicely crowned, and the neck binding looks great. It came with Wilkinson Deluxe plate-mounted tuners. They seem to work just fine, but I'm having a hard time adjusting to the small buttons. I dont hink I'll upgrade these. No need. They look good and I'll adjust to them eventually.

 

Hardware:

Not much to say that I havent already said. I dont like the bridge and I will replace it sooner than later. Probably with something that has adjustable saddles and fine tuners. I am also considering countersinking the bridge posts. I have the bass side all the way down and I want it lower. The pots are nice and smooth, the switch is snug, etc. Nothing much to tell. It came with regular strap buttons, which is not all too surprising. What is surprising is that the Junior came with reverse-head mushroom-style strap buttons, but this came with the regular hour-glass style. I may have to swap them as long as the ones on the Junior are nickel.

 

Beveling:

Not Gibson spec beveling, but much wider than my G-310. The upper-bout is near Gibson spec width , but the lower bout beveling becomes much narrower, much sooner than a Gibson. The Junior looks to be Gibson spec. The horn beveling isnt exactly rounded. It has kind of a funky angle to it. The beveling on the tip of the horns follows the inner horn beveling instead of the outer edge beveling. So instead of the contour following the outer edge of the body to the tip of the horns, it stops where the body & horn bevels meet, and creates a slight curve to the horn tip, following the inner horn. Gibson spec beveling follows the outer bevel all the way to the tips of the horns. Though, not a complaint, just an observation. I like it much better than the beveling on the G-310.

 

So thats it. I love it and cant wait to get home and play some more. I tried to take some pics last night, but they were too yellow. Ironic, I know. I'll attempt to take some more after work today and post them tonight. I'll take some bevel comparison pics as well. Its interesting to see the differences.

 

EDIT: Here are the pics!

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Sound:

Since this is my first experience with P90 pickups, I dont see any need to change out the PUPs, wiring, caps, pots, etc. It sounds great to me as it is. Maybe some day, but not any time soon. It sounds great through my Fender Princeton Chorus. It is the first guitar that isnt a strat that has sounded good through this amp. None of my humbucker guitars mesh with the Fender Princeton at all. This one is a perfect fit and I'm digging it. I set the distortion channel to about 5 and I get a nice, thick and dirty sound that just roars. I've had a hard time outting it down all weekend. Sounds great clean too, but I've mostly been digging the dirty distortion. For an entry level P90, they sound great and you cant go wrong with Alnicos.

 

Neck:

It is spec'd with a SlimTaper "D" and feels exactly like my G-310 neck. I'm very used to this, so its a huge bonus for me. The SG Junior has a chunkier neck, but is also listed as "D". I could get used to the neck on the Junior, but I like this one better. The frets are all level and nicely crowned, and the neck binding looks great. It came with Wilkinson Deluxe plate-mounted tuners. They seem to work just fine, but I'm having a hard time adjusting to the small buttons. I dont hink I'll upgrade these. No need. They look good and I'll adjust to them eventually.

 

 

Epi P-90's are okay. Since I have a few P-90 guitars, all with upgraded PU's, it's a safe bet that you can get better tones by upgrading the PU's. But, it's not like you have to be in a rush to do it. If you need a little beefier tone from the bridge, swapping out one of the A5 magnets for an A8 will take care of that; more mids and a little more output.

 

I just do not like the slim taper D neck; it's wide for big hands (like mine!), but because it's thin, it doesn't fill my hand. I'm selling my '61 Special because I don't like the neck. I also think that binding on the neck of this guitar is totally out of place and looks weird when you have simple hardware like a wrap-around bridge. Since the SG Std (regular G-400) has an unbound neck, why put binding on this more basic version? Doesn't make sense. I've been looking forward to getting one of these '61 Specials for a while; if they had put a regular G-400 neck on this guitar, I'd love it. The neck was a deal-breaker for me.

 

As a additional note, since almost all of the various G-400 models have small angel-wing pickguards, I think they should have made this one a late 1960's Special with the big batwing pickguard, for variety.

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I really like the neck, but it is what I am used to. The Junior has more of a G-400 feel to the neck and takes a little getting used to when I play it. But they both feel good to me...just different.

 

As far as the pickups, I'm sure you are absolutely correct, and I may upgrade in the future. But it sounds great to me now and better than anything I've ran through this amp so far. For introdutory model P90's, I think they sound good. I dont know a whole lot about guitar tone chasing, but I can tell the difference between ceramic and Alnico. I dont like ceramic at all. I'm just glad these are Alnicos. I'll keep your advice in mind about switching to the A5 magnet when the times comes. [thumbup] As it is, this guitar has a beefier tone than anything else I own, so I'm really happy with it. Through this particular amp, they sound better than my DiMarzio humbuckers. But the DiMarzios are way hot and were made to push a tube amp. They arent a really good match with my Fender Princeton amp.

 

Either way with the pickguard is fine with me. My G-310 has a full guard on it, so this is a nice change-up for me. I actually took it off for a minute to see what it would look like. No thanks!

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Shes a real beauty!! NICE!![thumbup]

 

Thanks! I love it. Though I dont really care for the way they beveled the horns on this model, but its not a deal breaker by any means. Mine also had a sanding dip on the upper horn. You can see the light reflect off of it in the bevel-comparison pic closeup. I didnt even notice it until I took that pic. It just adds character. [biggrin]

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RTH,

 

Enjoyed the pics and the review.

Congrats on the new guitar. Which GC did you get it from? I used to go to the one up on Northwestern Highway.

Been going to the one on Ford Rd. for a few odds and ends.....That would probably be a bit out of the way for you.

 

Anyway, thanks for posting!

 

Willy

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RTH,

 

Enjoyed the pics and the review.

Congrats on the new guitar. Which GC did you get it from? I used to go to the one up on Northwestern Highway.

Been going to the one on Ford Rd. for a few odds and ends.....That would probably be a bit out of the way for you.

 

Anyway, thanks for posting!

 

Willy

Thanks Willy! Yeah, I go to the one on Northwestern Highway in Southfield. Once in a great while I go to the one in Roseville, but its really small compared to the NW Highway store. I live halfway between the two stores, but the Roseville store never has what I'm looking for when I check for availability. I think those guys at the Southfield store are starting to remember me now as well. Four guitars in the past two years, plus several gigbags and some high-end cables. No big ticket items, but I'm always good for a sale. [biggrin]

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Congrats on the "G" !!! Sounds like you have things well in-hand so there's no need to say take the upgrades slowly to see how you like the guitar as it is at first. And yes, let's see some pics![thumbup]

Thanks! Not much in the way of upgrades needed for me. Just the bridge, but that isnt even a big deal at the moment. It just needs a string change more than anything else.

 

Big Congrats on the new SG

 

and thanks for the review [thumbup]

Thanks, Pete! You know I will always do a review for any new guitar I buy. I may even do one for the Gibson Melody Maker since I tried four of them. It probably wont be a great review for the guitar though. I really didnt like them all that much.

 

Grats on the '61 Special Rob, glad to hear it's such a player for you mate, have a blast, HNGD.

Oh yeah! Its a player all right. Feels great and not too different than what I am used to. Its a great fit for me. My daughter suggested that we trade guitars. LOL. no.

 

HNGD !

Thanks, Brad! [biggrin]

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Thanks Willy! Yeah, I go to the one on Northwestern Highway in Southfield. Once in a great while I go to the one in Roseville, but its really small compared to the NW Highway store. I live halfway between the two stores, but the Roseville store never has what I'm looking for when I check for availability. I think those guys at the Southfield store are starting to remember me now as well.

 

Geez, I used to live up there (Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Clawson, NW Detroit); probably wouldn't recognize much anymore.

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Geez, I used to live up there (Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Clawson, NW Detroit); probably wouldn't recognize much anymore.

Yeah, probably not. I live in the Ferndale area. Smack dab in the center of the metro area.

 

HNGD

Nice catch RTH.. Gotta luv those SG's w/P90's.

 

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That SG is a real beauty! I love the color. Are those humbucker-size P90's? I am considering putting one in the Junior eventually...very eventually.

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Yeah, probably not. I live in the Ferndale area. Smack dab in the center of the metro area.

 

 

That SG is a real beauty! I love the color. Are those humbucker-size P90's? I am considering putting one in the Junior eventually...very eventually.

Yup ...HB size P90's from gfs. They sound great and not expensive! Just put them in my Dot also...Same results.

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