1982 Greco SS-600 Electric Guitar Review

Aloha!

I hope you are all doing well today! Today we are looking at a super-nice SG knockoff, an early 80s Greco SS-600. These guitars were not imported to the U.S., so this is the only one I have ever actually seen in person on this side of the pond. This thing just screams lawsuit, doesn’t it?

This Greco was built in Japan by Fujigen in August of 1982, and it is closer to a real Gibson SG than a lot of the Japanese copies I have run into over the years. It is a set-neck guitar with a mahogany body and neck that are finished in the classic Wine Red. Also in the looks department, this instrument got MOP block fretboard inlays, neck binding, and a nice 3-ply pickguard.

The neck is beefier than I thought it would be, but would still be an easy player for those with smaller hands. I like that they did inlays in the rosewood fretboard, but they are a little on the small side and are not trapezoidal, so this kills a bit of the Gibson vibe. The headstock has an inlay that kind looks like a flowerpot if you are not paying attention, and the Greco logo is kind of Gibson-like too. The tulip tuners are sealed-back unit that have Greco logos on them. The neck is in good shape, with little fret wear and so a few bumps and bruises on the back.

The electronics are solid, with a pair of humbuckers with typical Gibson wiring and controls. The hardware is a bit odd, but appears to be original to the instrument. There are two things (besides the inlays) that just do not look right on this guitar: it came with speed knobs and the bridge is a weird big rectangular thing. Looking through the old Greco catalogs, these are what they came from, but they just do not work aesthetically. If I was going to keep it, both of these things would be changed out in a heartbeat…

The overall condition is very good with just a few dings and scratches, and no unseemly modifications (even though it could use a few). This SS-600 sounds authentic and it plays well too, which is surprising because this was a fairly cheap instrument at the time. The “600” in the model name means that this guitar originally coset 60,000 Yen, which worked out to around $250 at the time. That was a heck of a deal for a sharp-looking guitar that played well and sounded good too. Not to mention that the quality is also top notch, even though it is not a upmarket instrument.

Anyway, I think this 1982 Greco SS-600 is really cool, and if I did not have so many other guitars I would keep it. But I do have those other guitars, including a very good Gibson SG, so this is the one that will have to go. Drop me a line if you are interested in purchasing it.

Mahalo!

1996 Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar Review

Aloha!

In recent years I have had much better luck finding good playing SGs than Les Pauls, and the 1996 Gibson SG Special we are looking at today is no exception.

The Gibson SG is a classic guitar that was introduced in 1961 as a cheaper version of the Les Paul. It has not really changed much over the years, and to be honest I think they play a bit better (easier) than the Les Paul models. They have never been as popular as Les Pauls, and everybody thinks you want to be Angus Young or Tony Iommi when they see you playing one.

Now, the SG Special is a little bit different than the SG standard, which is what I have always owned in the past. It has the same Mahogany construction, nitrocellulose finish, green tulip button tuners, Tune-O-Matic bridge, and stop bar tailpiece. And it certainly has the distinctive SG profile.

But the factory simplified some of the construction to make this guitar more affordable, so there are some cosmetic differences. The pickups are uncovered, there is no binding on the neck, there are small plastic fretboard dots instead of trapezoid inlays, and the headstock has a silkscreened logo instead of the mother-of-pearl Gibson logo and flowerpot.

There is also a slight difference in the electronics package. SG Specials long ago abandoned the P-90s that they had in the 1960s, and this model uses a balanced set of alnico-magnet pickups: a 490R at the neck and a 490T at the bridge. You will find that the SG Standard also uses a 490R at the neck, but has a hotter 498T at the bridge. There is no difference in the controls, which includes individual pickup volume and tone controls and a three-way switch.

Enough of the history lesson – how is this guitar?

This particular instrument is a very well kept SG Special that was built at the Nashville factory in 1996, and is finished in glossy Cardinal Red over its mahogany body and neck. This is not too common, as it seems that almost every other SG I have see is wine red or black, and all of the specials have been black. Hmm.

The neck is what makes this SG very good, as they got this one right. The fretboard is true, and the frets are dead nuts level. The fret edges are smooth as silk, and the action is low and buzz free with Ernie Ball 0.010s. There is almost no wear to the frets, despite its age. It also sounds amazing, and I do not notice that the bridge humbucker is not as powerful as on the Standard models. That is what you have a volume control for, after all…

As I said this is guitar is in really good shape, and I would call it collector grade if people actually collected low-end model SGs. It has no scratches or dings, and over the past 22 years it has been spared the indignity of ill-advised modifications (brass nut, speed knobs, etc.). I also have a Les Paul Standard and an Explorer (plus Japanese clones of all 3), and this is by far the best player of the bunch.

So, if you are looking for a good Gibson electric, think about extending your search beyond the sexier Les Paul models, and give a SG a try. You might like it!

Mahalo!

2001 Gibson SG Special Electric Guitar Review

Aloha!

In recent years I have had much better luck finding good playing SGs than Les Pauls, and the 2001 Gibson SG Special we are looking at today is no exception.

The Gibson SG is a classic guitar that was introduced in 1961 as a cheaper version of the Les Paul. It has not really changed much over the years, and to be honest I think they play a bit better (easier) than the Les Paul models. They have never been as popular as Les Pauls, and everybody thinks you want to be Angus Young or Tony Iommi when they see you playing one.

Now, the SG Special is a little bit different than the SG standard, which is what I have always owned in the past. It has the same Mahogany construction, nitrocellulose finish, green tulip button tuners, Tune-O-Matic bridge, and stop bar tailpiece. And it certainly has the distinctive SG profile.

But the factory simplified some of the construction to make this guitar more affordable, so there are some cosmetic differences. The pickups are uncovered, there is no binding on the neck, there are small plastic fretboard dots instead of trapezoid inlays, and the headstock has a silkscreened logo instead of the mother-of-pearl Gibson logo and flowerpot.

There is also a slight difference in the electronics package. SG Specials long ago abandoned the P-90s that they had in the 1960s, and this model uses a balanced set of alnico-magnet pickups: a 490R at the neck and a 490T at the bridge. You will find that the SG Standard also uses a 490R at the neck, but has a hotter 498T at the bridge. There is no difference in the controls, which includes individual pickup volume and tone controls and a three-way switch.

Enough of the history lesson – how is this guitar?

This is a player’s-grade SG Special that was built at the Nashville factory on January 23, 2001, and is finished in glossy ebony over its mahogany body and neck. Come to think of it, every other SG I have owned was also black. Hmm.

The neck is what makes this SG very good, they got this one right. The fretboard is true, and the frets are dead nuts level. The fret edges are smooth as silk, and the action is low and buzz free with Ernie Ball 0.010s. There is very little wear to the frets, despite its age. It also sounds amazing, and I do not notice that the bridge humbucker is not as powerful as on the Standard models. That is what you have a volume control for, after all…

As I said this is a player’s guitar. It has some small scratches and dings, though they are all from normal use, not abuse. One of the tuners was changed out as it got bent – it is the same tuner, but it looks a bit newer. And somebody (not me!) installed speed knobs on this thing at some point. I need to do something about that, as an SG just looks stupid with speed knobs.

So, if you are looking for a good Gibson electric, think about extending your search beyond the sexier Les Paul models, and give a SG a try. You might like it!

Mahalo!

2009 Gibson SG Standard Guitar Review

Hi there!

In recent years Gibson’s quality has slipped, and I have seen plenty of their guitars with crappy fretwork and bum necks, but most of the problem guitars have been Les Pauls. It is a crying shame that people continue to buy Gibsons for thousands of dollars that need fret jobs or fretboard planing right out of the box. I can only figure that most of them never get played very much. But the simpler and less expensive SG models usually have nice-playing necks, and thankfully this 2009 SG Standard is a good one!

The Gibson SG is a classic guitar that was introduced in 1961 as a cheaper version of the Les Paul. It has not really changed much over the years, and to be honest I think they play a bit better (easier) than the Les Paul models. They have never been as popular as Les Pauls, and everybody thinks you want to be Angus Young or Tony Iommi when they see you playing one.

This unmodified example is an SG Standard that was built at the Nashville factory in February of 2009, and is finished in glossy ebony over its mahogany body and neck. It has chrome hardware, including Gibson Deluxe tuners and a Tune-o-matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece.

The humbucker pickups are a 490R at the neck and a 498T at the bridge. They are wired in the typical Les Paul fashion: two volume and two tone pots with a 3-way selector switch.

As I said before, the neck is what makes this SG so good. It is a standard scale (24.75-inch) neck, with a bound rosewood fretboard and trapezoidal inlays. BTW, the only time I ever use the word “trapezoidal” is when I talk about Gibson guitars. Anyway, they got this one right. The fretboard is true, and the frets are dead nuts level. The fret edges are smooth as silk, and the action is low and buzz free.

And lastly, this one comes in at around 7 pounds, 10 ounces. This is a real blessing for any of you out there that have grown used to heavy-assed Les Pauls. It almost feels like a toy in comparison to my 12 pound Les Paul Standard.

The moral of this story is that there are still some good Gibsons out there, but you might have to extend your search beyond the sexier Les Paul models, and always try before you buy.

Mahalo!

1961 Gibson SG Re-issue

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Today we are looking at a real peach of a guitar I borrowed from a friend of mine a while back. It is a 2010 Gibson SG 1961 re-issue finished in Heritage Cherryburst. This is, of course, a reissue of the first run of SG’s that were ever made.

I have owned a few SG Standards over the years, but this one is quite a bit better, mostly due to the neck and the electronics.

This 1961 re-issue plays the role of an iconic rock instrument, and has a first-class list of specifications and hardware.

For starters, it has a mahogany body that has been sprayed with a very thin layer of nitrocellulose lacquer. You can see the ripples in the grain, and that is a good thing in my book. This SG has a beautiful natural resonance and sustain when it played unplugged, and I think it has a bit to do with thin finish. That and that this guitar comes in at around 5 pounds, 12 ounces, which is ridiculously light for most any electric guitar.

The body shape is a little different, so that the neck heel meets at the 22nd fret instead of the 19th fret, giving a little more access to the notes that I never use. It also gets a different pickguard shape.

The one-piece mahogany neck has a 60’s slim taper feel with a 1.695-inch wide nut, and it is thinner and flatter than any SG (or Les Paul) I’ve ever played. It is very comfortable and has a similar profile from the nut to the heel. It has some nice-looking cream binding and the 22 frets are level and well-done, unlike a lot of newer Gibson products I have played. They seem a little more flat than crowned, but I am putting that aside as an eccentricity of it being a re-issue. It has the classic trapezoidal inlays in the rosewood fretboard, which is another design I never tire of looking at.

The 1961 re-issue gets Gibson 57 Classic humbuckers, and I never realized how much better sounding they are that the Regular 490 series pickups that come in the SG Standard. I A-B’d this one with my Standard, and the 1961 has a fuller sound and loses the tinny-ness that I have in my guitar. I was so impressed with these pickups that I picked up a set to throw in a Japanese Les Paul I have. It has the expected 2 volume pots, 2 tone pots and a 3-way switch.

The rest of the hardware is as expected, with Grover Kluson-style green tuner keys and a tune-o-matic bridge. It has the vintage look nailed, for sure.

And the vintage sound. This guitar plays very well and sounds incredible. I played a little Doors, a touch of Cream stuff and some AC/DC and this guitar sings. It is the real deal.

These guitars are definitely a step up from the everyday SG Standard models, but so is their price. The list price for a Gibson 1961 re-issue SG is an astounding $3299, with a street price of $1999. Start saving your money!

Mahalo!

2003 Gibson SG Standard Guitar

Hiya!

Holy cow, a Gibson with a decent neck! I’ve seen (and bought) a seemingly endless procession of Gibson guitars with crappy fretwork and bum necks, so finding this SG is a treat.

It is a crying shame that people continue to buy Gibsons for thousands of dollars that need fret jobs or fretboard planning right out of the box. I can only figure that most of them never get played very much.

Anyway, the Gibson SG is a classic guitar that was introduced in 1961 as a cheaper version of the Les Paul. It has not really changed much over the years, and to be honest I think they play a bit better (easier) than the Les Paul models.

This unmodified example is an SG Standard that was built in July of 2003, and is finished in glossy black over its mahogany body and neck. It has chrome hardware, including Gibson Deluxe tuners and a Tune-o-matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece.

The humbucker pickups are a 490R at the neck and a 498T at the bridge. They are wired in the typical Les Paul fashion: two volume and two tone pots with a 3-way selector switch.

As I said before, the neck is what makes this SG so good. It is a standard scale (24.75-inch) neck, with a bound rosewood fretboard and trapezoidal inlays. BTW, the only time I ever use the word “trapezoidal” is when I talk about Gibson guitars. Anyway, they got this one right. The fretboard is true, and the frets are dead nuts level. The fret edges are smooth as silk, and the action is low and buzz free.

And lastly, this one comes in at around 7 pounds. This is a real blessing for any of you out there that have grown used to 11 pound Les Pauls. It almost feels like a toy in comparison.

The moral of this story is that there are still some good Gibsons out there, but they are few and far between -- always try before you buy.

Mahalo!