Gibson Faded SG Special Review

History:

Purchase: I ordered this guitar from Musician's Friend online for $580, largely because it semed too good to be true.

Pros: The biggest attraction of this guitar is the value. It has all the characteristics of a regular SG special for about $250 less. The main difference (only real difference?)is the "Faded" finish, which appears to be a flat stain/oil type. This is the finish I always wished Gibson would put on an SG, so I couldn't be happier.



Cons: The neck has a rather fat profile which is not the most comfortable for faster, more involved styles. The factory strings and setup were pathetic, but that is easily remedied, and not a particular failing of the model itself. I like the moon inlays, but they look odd as they only go to the 12th fret.

Faded SG Special Quality: The consturction, electronics, etc... are on par with any other model in the line. The excellence that guitarists expect from and pay dearly for under the Gibson label is clearly present. I can't imagine what is actually so different about this guitar that it costs so much less.

Gibson Summary: If you cannot, or don't want to, afford a standard Gibson SG, and are too much of a snob to play Epiphone (like me), this guitar is as good as it gets. This is exactly the guitar I have always wanted, and its good to see Gibson reaching out to musicians with day jobs without compromising the quality of the instrument as it really matters.

Rating of this product: 5

This Gibson Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Gerald Shea

Date: 2003-05-31

Usefulness Rating: 4.92593 out of 5. 27 reader(s) voted.