SG/ LP owners

Remember me, the mcdonalds 14 year old worker who saves all his money and buys guitar gear with it (bought a Fender '65 deluxe reverb, Guild DC-1 acoustic/electric, q tron + envelope filter, alltogether so far spent $2000 on gear this year). Well...

I have $1000 now in the bank, and will be replacing my Squier Strat with a new guitar soon (a nice one). I've played plenty of LP's (epi lp's) and have my eyes on one right now, i think i already showed the link (3 humbuckers/black, epi lp black beauty 3), and also the Gibson SG Standard. The price difference is $600 bucks (i get $300 a month from Mickey D's, price is not really the biggest issue) I've never played an SG before (will be in a few weeks, going to a music store that has em). The main thing im worried about is that SG's might not be versatile enough (i already know the LP is very versatile), and that it might dent easily due to its light weight, etc.

Thats where price comes in, i remember hearing somebody say they bought a really nice expensive guitar and they didnt want to bring it in public because they thought it would break somehow and all that money he saved up for would be down the drain (i know its a little exaggerative but things like that happen).

So basically, what im asking is to tell me what model you have of either carnation of the SG or LP and tell me how you like it and (in your opinion) the pros and cons of your instrument.

yeah, see the double cutaway is cool but i dont really like the horns (im not into the whole satanic thing). Jerry Garcia almost exclusively used an SG in 1969 including Woodstock (not that the dead played particularly well at woodstock...but none the less). The LP's I've played (at least the High End Epi LP's, which IMO are built better than the low end Gibson's), had this beautiful smooth jazzy/bluesy type feel to it on the neck pickup, then this tremendous crunch on the bridge pickup, it totally blew me away, and something like that just makes you want to become more well-rounded...

But then again, the SG could be "my" axe from age 14 to whenever i get rich enough to get a custom guitar made (not through warmoth), and having a special axe for a few years helps people recognize the guitar with the guitar player (anybody who sees Jer's Tiger will immediately think of jerry, anybody who see's Angus Young's guitar will immidiately think of angus, etc).

Im struggling to figure this one out, because unlike amps, the answer is not always clear (as fender tube amps are!), and have been struggling with the decision for a few months now...I have 2 major guitars on each side of the spectrum, and inbetween is a guitar called the Gibson Les Paul Double Cut Away Plus, a 24 fret guitar built just like a LP, only double cutaway...Only problem is that there is only 1 vol/1 tone (i'd like to have it be 1 vol/ 2 tone), but im sure i could have that done if i wanted to (and if i found it neccessary). Anyways, the major thing about the Epi LP is the 3 humbuckers (and the LP tone), the main thing about SG is the lead guitar tone and the double cutaway, main thing about the Gibson DC is the double cutaway, 24 frets, and the LP style tone (but you pay $1400 for it...)

just wondering, where have you seen the Gibson SG Standard for $800? Cheapest i've seen it for is $1200 or so.

I considered the Special for a few days, then realized that i make enough money that i could get the Gibson SG Standard, which imo looks alot nicer (i know its only cosmetics, but still)...

essentially, yes...But the neck doesnt have those beautiful block inlays, and the finishes suck (on the special), and if i don't have confidence in the guitar im playing, what confidence is going to be in the music?

Does Gibson have anything where if you want a certain part on a certain guitar, they'll make it for you (for example, i saw the neck on the SG Supreme, totally blew me away, was thinking if i wanted the SG standard, but with a Supreme neck, i could pay like $300 more and they'd do it for me...maybe...

lol, no trust me i just have a thing for the block inlays (dots are too boring for me), the inlays have nothing to do with how confident i am in my music. The finish does though, and every finish i've seen on a SG Special has been ugly as ****, and i can't have that, especially when i can AFFORD an SG Standard.

I dont like the colour of the SG standards. They seem brighter than the ones on the old reissues. I dont have the money for any big fancy Gibsons, so I got me an Epiphone G400, it was top of the line untill they built one with three pickups, which looks funny anyway. Point is, I like the finnish on it better than on the new SG standards.

They didnt sell the cherry red color on the website i checked ( i think it was zzounds or music 123, can't remember), and even though its a good deal, i just can't resist the block inlays.

I've been thinking about it for a while now and i think the Gibson Standard Double Cut Away + might be the one for me, and started to realize that there are alot of plus's to having 1 vol/1 tone as compared to 2 vol/2 tone, keeps it alot simpler to maneuver, and i think the body cavity where they put all the electronics in is smaller than normal (since you dont need a big fat one since its only got 2 buttons and a 3 way switch) allowing more wood...plus the AAA maple top is stunning, even better than the Gibson LP Standard (which i was also considering buying, until i realized that the Standard DC+ looks nicer and probably plays just as nice/better than the LP Standard).

I think the reason for the price difference ( over $600) is because the DC + isnt hyped up to hell like the LP Standard is (if you look at the stats on the DC+, alot of them are better than the LP Standard...24 frets...AAA Maple...etc)...

Sometimes the first one that blows you away is your guitar, if you know what i mean...The DC+ (when i saw it online) totally stunned me, and gave me motivation to keep working at mcdonalds for nearly 5 months (until i got my new Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, etc), i still work there btw...

yeaaaaah. Check your sources though, jerry didnt have a guitar worth more than $1000 up until like 1974 (SG's back then didnt cost nearly as much as they do now, same with LP's), after they went on 2 europe tours and were one of the top acts in the biz, and then he bought "Wolf" from irwin for $1500, and used that guitar for the next 6 years. it wasnt until 1980 that jerry actually played a "8 thousand dollar guitar", and by then he was 38 years old and had already led the dead through 15 years. These musicians did not sound good because of their guitar, they actually are/were good musicians...you make it sound like they would totally suck if they played through a cheaper guitar (Jerry played synth's through a Fender Standard Strat with a roland thingy in it in 1989 before he got Rosebud, thats a $350 guitar with the synth in it...and he made it sound great)

tell me, if you had $10,000 to spend on a guitar, would you just keep playing your beat up SG, or would you get a new, nice one? simple logic.

:D. Santana is alot more flashy than jerry garcia was though, i mean jerry didn't say "Make me a really nice guitar that is expensive, etc" he told doug irwin to just make a nice guitar, however doug felt it should be done, and doug put alot of pride into making a really fine instrument, jerry didnt tell him to make it superfancy.

But there is one thing about music that i think you've taught me in a way, about the simplicity on the guitar, 1 tone/1 vol makes it very simple and easy to use onstage, and i thank you for enlightening me with that.

very true, and i have been writing songs all week (well, so far 2 songs, but i just started yesterday so im doin okay with that). I chose the LP DC + because it fits all my needs for both rhythm and lead, and i can't wait to get it...

Nice :) Les Pauls are where its at for me too, although I'm kinda in the same place as you coz I got some cash set aside for a new electric and I'm thinking of a strat but I'll wait till I form a band so I have a better idea of what I need in a guitar.

You say you're gonna replace that squire, my advice would be keep it for spares and to work on. I've still got mine coz its good to play about with and when I use it on stage I can beat the **** out of it :D

I guess, but i could get some cash out of it and buy a decent guitar to work on, if you know what i mean...

yes, i've heard about them.

I'd rather spend my $100 tinkering money on a bass though, so that when i get in a band i have a better idea on what the bass is all about, etc.