Gibson Review: SG Special Faded

History:

Purchase: Sam Ash, Lombard Illinois, $550. ...Had a Les Paul stolen and wanted to stick with a Gibson product.

What I Like About This Gibson SG Special Faded: I certainly like the distinctive body and headstock as well as the unbelievable crunch.

What I Do NOT Like About The Gibson SG Special Faded: Out of the box: The intonation was way off, the frets were really sharp at the edges, and the action was barely passable. I had it set up and also added grover tuners because...well, you know why. This added more than $100 to the price. Additionally, the guitar isn't balanced so you must hold it up with your fingering hand. I own several guitars and can get an awesome clean sound out of my line 6. The SG, however, is only clean with the drive way down. This creates problems with volume if you're in a band with an insane drummer. I now use a full stack while practicing (...with an insane drummer) and have to turn the distorted channels down to match the clean.

Gibson SG Special Faded Quality Rating: Besides the lack of factory set-up, there were no problems.

Review Summary: It is not a versatile guitar. It is crunchy and very noticeable in its appearance. I've used it extensively in live performances for these reasons. I do not, however, record with it.

Rating of this Gibson product: 3

This Gibson SG Special Faded Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: mike

Review Date: 2004-09-20