Vintage SG (JHS) Reviews 3

I got this guitar through ebay and it set me back £189 which isnt bad considering the other SG imitations out there.

The guitar plays damn well! The simple fact is the neck is a little fatter than usual so for me who has large hands its alot easier to handle, but my small handed friends also fell the same way, so its win win in that area. The wiring on the inside is also pretty neat, which ensures no cross overs or mishaps with things falling out. The tune-o-matic bridge is also up to scratch as you would expect. The pickups for no name brands are also suprisingly punchy, they deliver the same kind of tone (although not in the same league) as an actual Gibson SG pickups, impressive nón?

With every guitar under £400 there are ALWAYS down sides. The biggest downside with this is its oversizing in the headstock. Most SG's have a low profile flat headstock, Vintage have neglected that and given it the fattest headstock possible which looks poifect! But when you stand up you either put the effort into holding the head up or let it take out your knees, your choice. Also ive seen a few of these models with blemishes and other minor detail on the body finish. Also the 2-ply neck is quite hastily made and the seams arent quite filled. You really have to look for these though so look before buying! Apart from these mainly aesthetic things its a damn good guitar, worthy of my new EMG 25th anniversary 81 pick ups, yes, it is that good.

Its quite strudy, although as usual its got the hereditary illness that effects all SG models and replicas, the weak neck. If you are a bit of an on stage acrobat this is NOT the guitar you want to buy, the headstock will snap off despite its thickness. Yet the rest of the guitar is pretty sturdy and has a nice mahogany finish to it.

This is a good guitar, not great and not the nicest to play, but for the budget guitarist of those who want something to look rock n' roll (thats what attracted me)this is a damn worthy buy. I dont regret buying it one bit, but wonder if i should have saved up for something else....

Alex Walker rated this unit 3 on 2004-01-17.

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