16 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
Gibson SG Special: A Guitar That Really Rocks!
Date of Review: Apr 26, 2003
The Bottom Line: The Gibson SG Special is a great guitar, and better than the Gibson Les Paul Special in my opinion.
The Gibson SG Special and the Gibson Les Paul Special are the least expensive variants of each guitar in the Gibson line. I wasn't so hot about the Les Paul since Gibson ditched the archtop design, but the Gibson SG Special is definitely a different story.
-Price-
*The Gibson SG Special costs around $600. For the way that the guitar sounds, looks, and feels, it's definitely worth it! I mean c'mon, this is a GIBSON! Gibson had never put poor quality guitars on the market. So the price range is competitive to that of some Fender Stratocasters. Overall, the build quality is better on a Gibson, and the Gibson SG Special provides that Gibson 'roar' and a different tone than a Strat. It depends on what you like. If you like the tough and solid sound of a Gibson, but the Gibson SG Special, but if you like the 'twang' of the Strat, buy a Fender Stratocaster. I'd take the Gibson though. Remember to look at other guitars and see which one you like better. But the Gibson SG Special has everything that a Gibson has to offer.
-Under The Hood-
*The Gibson SG Special is powered by two nice sounding humbuckers. It has Alnico 490R and 490T humbuckers. They provide for a very rich and versatile tone. It gives you the Gibson 'roar', and it also sounds great all together. The guitar sounds absolutely wonderful and stunning.
-The Neck-
*The neck on the Gibson SG Special feels like any other Gibson guitar. It feels GREAT. It's a rosewood fretboard over a mahogany neck. The rosewood gives the guitar a very warm and smooth tone. It makes the Gibson SG Special sound great. Also, unlike Strats, the Gibson SG Special has a great feeling neck. My favorite necks are Gibson, they feel the finest, and they are also wonderful quality. The materials that Gibson used to make them, rosewood and mahogany, aren't cheap and make the guitar sound great.
-The Feel-
*The Gibson SG Special feels great. It's a light guitar, much lighter than a real archtop Les Paul. The Gibson SG Special feels wonderful to play. Not to mention, it has a very sexy and sleek look to it. It looks much better than a Gibson Les Paul Special. It looks like an authentic SG, while the Les Paul loses it entirely with its non-archtop body. The body that the Gibson SG Special has is mahogany, which is high quality, and gives the Gibson SG Special a warm tone. When you pick up the Gibson SG Special, it really does feel like a high-quality guitar! Believe me, you won't be dissapointed!
-The Bad-
*There's nothing bad about the Gibson SG Special. It feels great, it looks great, it sounds great, it's a Gibson, what more can you ask for? It's very competitive in its price range, if not the best?
-The Verdict-
*The Gibson SG Special is a true pleasure to play. It'll give you everything that you could want from a guitar, also at a very low price. No wonder Gibson is known for making the best guitars in the world! But remember, you should buy only what you like, if you like a guitar better than the Gibson SG Special, then it's better. But for most part, the Gibson SG Special is very competitive in the $600 price range, and it sounds better than most guitars there in my opinion.
