Gibson SG Special Faded

Price: $650 new, they go for $690 on musicians friend now though

Pros:
great sustain
great sound
nice feel
great playability sitting or standing
light on the shoulder
sexy body shape
paint job is sexy
eye-catcher, it gets you noticed by the ladies, and respected by guys
made in USA
carries the gibson name

Cons:
bridge pickup doesn't sound good

Review:Wow... my jaw dropped when I first played this thing. it sounds wonderful! it plays just as well too! I have tried finding flaws with this guitar, and have found none other then the bridge pickup. the bridge pickup doesn't have a very good sound, it is very bassy and can turn a smooth distortion into a fuzzy one. the neck pickup is great though for both leads and rhythm.

the paint job on this thing is really cool. it shows the wood grain through the wood, and in my opinion I prefer it to the SG standard's paint job.

Summary: this guitar is a great mid-level guitar! a change of pickups, especially the bridge, and I would use this thing in a concert for 25,000 people! great guitar for the price. it's basically a stripped down version of the SG standard which costs $1100-$1200! so for half the price you get all the tone. plus this thing just looks great!

Our bass player bought a faded flying V and I was very impressed with the sound of it....Guess it's a stripped down version of the original V.

im not a big fan of gibson(read my name, lol,) but thats a pretty nice sg, and for 650?not bad.

I have the exacct same one..they look almost identical exept mine's a little darker and has a new bridge pickup....what an awesome guitar....and i got mine for 400...ahah

Originally Posted by: Cookie monsterI have the exacct same one..they look almost identical exept mine's a little darker and has a new bridge pickup....what an awesome guitar....and i got mine for 400...ahah

you get it used? or blemished?

and also, what pickup did you put in the bridge? and does it sound better with it?

Hey man, I don't have the faded SG, but I do play a Gothic SG. I put a Dimarzio Tone Zone in the bridge and it'll peel the skin off your face now. Great pup for an SG.

What does it mean when it says its "Faded"?

Originally Posted by: alucard0941What does it mean when it says its "Faded"?

it means the paint job was put on very light, with less clear coats on top. it makes the guitar not appear glossy, giving it a "faded" look... this method of painting is much cheaper to do. thus making the guitar much cheaper then an SG standard.

in my opinion, the faded paint job looks better then a standard SG... though I wouldn't mind having trapezoid inlays, pickup covers, etc. all of which were taken away to make the guitar cheaper.

Originally Posted by: JFRICKHey man, I don't have the faded SG, but I do play a Gothic SG. I put a Dimarzio Tone Zone in the bridge and it'll peel the skin off your face now. Great pup for an SG.

thanks, I'm trying to decide what pickup to replace my bridge pickup with. I've heard nothing but good of the tone zone, so I might go with that one.

Originally Posted by: 6strngs_2hmbkrsyou get it used? or blemished?

and also, what pickup did you put in the bridge? and does it sound better with it?

i put in a dimarzio tone zone...its actually a pretty good combo because the stock neck p/up sounds really nice clean but not so nice w/ alot of gain (like for getting chuggy sounds) and the tone zone sounds awsome with distortion but a little thin bodied when you play it clean...so it works out...and i got the guitar at a half off sale at sam ash, it was the last one they had or sumthing

Originally Posted by: 6strngs_2hmbkrsthanks, I'm trying to decide what pickup to replace my bridge pickup with. I've heard nothing but good of the tone zone, so I might go with that one.

I hear good things about the Dimebucker.

I know you guys are sick of me punting them, but bareknuckle pickups are the way...when I worked at Soho Soundhouse and we got them in..., all of the old Sd, or Dimarzio users (the satff atleast) converted to Bareknuckle...I promise, they are that good that you will never want to play another pickup brand. I have a nailbomb and a warpig...both are monsterous man...the warpig will cut you through the mix like nothing else...

I see most of the other pickups suggested are hot, with ceramic magnets...I personally dont like the sound of ceramic magnets, and stick with alnicos...but if you want ceramic output, buy a Bareknuckle Miracle Man...

I cant exaggerate how good these things are...there are no words that indicate such greatness!

Yah, i own one of these, got mine very early on in their release, before i even saw them advertised, mine has crescent moon inlays, ebony fretboard etc. which i'm not sure is still available, i think these options have been changed to rosewood fretboard and dot inlays. I have to disagree with the bassy-ness of the bridge pickup, i find it to be incredibly trebly and sound great, especially once i had a rewire to allow individual tone and volume control on the middle switch setting (a la original gibson setup, rather than the modern use of the neck pickup controls for both in the middle position). I'd say a great guitar, it plays fast and comfortably, and the lack of gloss on the neck actually makes it a bit faster and alot less sticky. I highly reccomend it.

nice, u sure only diference is the paint coz if it is thats defintly on my to get list :P i never liked sg's but thre growing on my...fast :D

Originally Posted by: damagednice, u sure only diference is the paint coz if it is thats defintly on my to get list :P i never liked sg's but thre growing on my...fast :D

it's still a mahogany body, with a mahogany set neck, with a rosewood fretboard, with a tune-o-matic bridge, with a 490r pickup for the neck. the bridge is a 490t, as opposed to a 498t on the sg standard. the control layout is the same, a tone and volume for each pickup (4 knobs total). so yes, the only real differences are the cosmetics. a lighter paintjob, dot inlays, no pickup covers, etc. are what make it so much cheaper.

ahh... I see so mainly cosmetic's i guess :rolleyes: and the "bassy sound" of the bridge is what i like... i hate to much treble... to bad there $2000 in australia lol

I have ben looking at this guitar alot lately, and I have decided this is the one I want. I cant wait to go pick it up :D

you won't be disappointed. though I don't post on here often anymore, I still play this guitar almost everyday. I love it! though I still want to get a new pickup for the bridge.

Originally Posted by: 6strngs_2hmbkrsyou won't be disappointed. though I don't post on here often anymore, I still play this guitar almost everyday. I love it! though I still want to get a new pickup for the bridge.

How much do you think it would cost to change the 90 pickup to the original 98?

Originally Posted by: ThraxionHow much do you think it would cost to change the 90 pickup to the original 98?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-498T-Alnico-Humbucker?sku=306060

$110 if you install it yourself :) I want to try a DiMarzio Tone Zone though ($70)