Played 5 new SG 60s Tribute with P90s yesterday!

[phil_104]

... and not a single one left me impressed.

I love SGs. I owned one earlier this year : it got me into Gibson. To me, the 61 Sg model they have is one of the coolest guitars in the world, even though I don't like the neck. P90s on an SG is just icing on the cake.

But not with this model. First thing I thought of when I saw them was "Wow, these look terribly underwelming compared to the pictures." The red was light and didn't let the wood underneath give any character, like on the Faded Les Pauls I have seen. The pickguard on it is 1 ply, and it looks, very, very cheap. The brown was by far the worst looking finish I saw, and the white was the best. But that's just looks.

Played all of them. All of them decent, none of them what I was expecting. I had a LP Studio Mahogany a while back, and the satin finish was nice, since it felt raw and fast. The finish on these things felt raw, unfinished, but also tacky and uncomfortable to play. At my favorite guitar store, the two they had where set up beautifully, with great fretwork and action. The other 3 at the other store, not so much, so I won't judge them as much.

Plugged them into a Dr. Z Maz 18. Those pickups... amazing! They sounded really good. The bad thing is, they are in a guitar that gives me absolutely no desire to pick it up and play it, as it has the basic shape of the classic I have come to love, with none of the playability! Seriously, around these parts, those guitars are about 850$. If you get a SG classic, you pay 150$ new, and you get a guitar that is so much better than the 60s tribute, that it's absolutely mind blowing as to why someone would settle on this one.

I was disapointed. Very disapointed.

But on the bright side of things.... I did play 2 60s Tribute Les Pauls.... and those things are pure SEX! Nothing in Gibson's line delivers those features near that price range, and they just felt like they had more effort put into them. The finish with the honeyburst was beautiful, and the goldtop just had that classic vibe. They just felt more solid, like more care had been put into making them. The finish seemed smoother and the neck just played like butter.

Might of just been those I saw... but yeah, just my observations. Flame away if you disagree.

[Funkfingers]

IMO, the key words here are "not what I expected". Only you know what you expected.

[phil_104]

IMO, the key words here are "not what I expected". Only you know what you expected.

I think my expectations where realistic. I didn't expect guitars that both looked, and felt cheeper than epiphones in that price range. And I'm not one of those dudes who says that caus he won't swing the cash for a Gibson. The feel of quality and playability that I have come to expect from the Faded studio series (which I have owned) was not even matched with these guitars.

Like I mentioned, the sound was decent, but not with the investement if I have to fight it out of a guitar that has me wishing I had bought something else.

If the way the Gibson line was structured made it so that nothing with P90s was available near that range with similar features, then I would probably look at it as a decent alternative for those who want the P90 SG thing, without going custom shop. But it's not, the Classic exists for 150$ more. Therefore, I can't imagine what this model's place is.

It just was not good man. When all is factored in, unless you find a magic one, I am very unimpressed by it all. They felt slapped together, and didn't convey a feel of quality, even in the 850$ range.

[drew_half_empty]

Meh, I hate SG's, it seems like most every one I've seen goes to crap at some point, and they're not comfortable at all to play.

But I'm glad you got to play the les pauls, now you know why I had to get one haha. I'm guessing the dealer gets a discount at 5, because when I asked if the price was flexible (it was already $785 though) the guys at the shop where I got mine said their boss told them they could only go down on price if someone bought five. I laughed, and they said 3 people had done it already. Apparently only one of them was planning on re-selling them. Anyways... what I was getting at with all that was there's a reason all the SG's were still there but more than half of the les pauls were gone

[phil_104]

Well, if you want to compare both 60s Tribute models... it's not close, and I really don't get it. There is a 50$ difference at most places. For that 50$, they made a guitar with a maple cap, arched top, better knobs, more ornate inlays, and more elaborate finishes, with the backs a different color on some models. The big thing for me is that the finishes felt different!

Now, since you are only charging 50$ less for the SG, why can't you offer a few basic appointments on the guitar, perhaps a 3 ply guard that doesn't look like it was cut from a piece of plastic by me in my basement, or a finish that doesn't feel like it was sprayed by me in my basement. I know most of this is cosmetic, but that's really not the point I'm trying to make. The guitar just felt cheap; every one of them. The Les Pauls did not, and this boggles my mind.

[IanBallard]

Henry J needs to step down and let somebody who knows what they're doing take over. If he doesn't, with boondoggle investments like "Firbird X", Fender will be owning them in a few years. Seriously.

[phil_104]

Henry J needs to step down and let somebody who knows what they're doing take over. If he doesn't, with boondoggle investments like "Firbird X", Fender will be owning them in a few years. Seriously.

No offense, but I don't see how this applies to this situation...lol.

SG with P90s for 850$ = Great idea!

Execution of said great idea = FAIL.

In this case it's not the concept, but rather everything else that sucks. Except the pickups. They sounded good, lol.

[BTMN]

Like one of these?

Tatooed Carrot's shot...

[phil_104]

Yup, like one of those. That shot looks great actually.

[The Dali]

Agree on the price difference. $50 gets you maple top, carved top, trap inlays. Strange...

[JOLLY]

My guess is these guitars are just like most everything else in the world. The first batch of just about anything usually sucks.

[Wattage]

No cookies are usually really good first batch

[Grandturk]

I played a really fantastic 61 RI SG that was superb. I wouldn't settle for anything less.

[IanBallard]

No offense, but I don't see how this applies to this situation...lol.

SG with P90s for 850$ = Great idea!

Execution of said great idea = FAIL.

In this case it's not the concept, but rather everything else that sucks. Except the pickups. They sounded good, lol.

It applies because Henry J. and his henchmen create an air of fear and intimidation and the lower-rung workers who make these guitars and treated like crap. Don't just believe the numerous sites that have documented such, but talk to any former employee. Maybe he has a few good ideas, but the reason why the execution sucks, is because the workers don't want to be there.

Anyway, I'll reserve judgment till I play a couple of these, but I still think a new CEO who isn't a dooshbag would help immensely to produce better products.

[Agileguy_101]

No cookies are usually really good first batch

You've never had my cookies.

[Grandturk]

but the reason why the execution sucks, is because the workers don't want to be there.

Then they should be fired and new employees that actually want to do a good job should be hired.

[AniML]

No cookies are usually really good first batch

and pancakes.

[phil_104]

Then they should be fired and new employees that actually want to do a good job should be hired.

And it still doesn't explain why the Standard SGs and the 61ri are epic, but not these. Or why the LP 60s Tribute rocks.

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Then they should be fired and new employees that actually want to do a good job should be hired.

They don't want to be there because Henry J is an imbecile.

My main electric is a Gibson but I still wouldn't work for the idiot that runs the company.