Gibson SG Standard - Ebony

I have owned many Gibsons before and loved everyone of them. And bought a few from AMS with no problem as well. In fact AMS is a great company to purchase from. I always look at their website first when shopping for equipment and will continue to do so. I've had several SG's since the 70's and decided to buy this one mainly for the Pelham Blue color and being a Standard. I have barely played the guitar , maybe a few hours in 9 months of ownership. I got it in August 2020. It was not a floor model or demo. It's mainly been in a case , and occasionally on a stress free stand. The paint near the nut is cracking and peeling off. It appears that it may have began with clear coat overspray or something. It's looks like the nut is cracking, but it's actually the clear coat ... MoreI have owned many Gibsons before and loved everyone of them. And bought a few from AMS with no problem as well. In fact AMS is a great company to purchase from. I always look at their website first when shopping for equipment and will continue to do so. I've had several SG's since the 70's and decided to buy this one mainly for the Pelham Blue color and being a Standard. I have barely played the guitar , maybe a few hours in 9 months of ownership. I got it in August 2020. It was not a floor model or demo. It's mainly been in a case , and occasionally on a stress free stand. The paint near the nut is cracking and peeling off. It appears that it may have began with clear coat overspray or something. It's looks like the nut is cracking, but it's actually the clear coat or whatever they finish it with , and the paint along the fret board binding is flaking off, so far its gotten about 2 inchs down the neck from the nut. There is also a 2 inch crack in the paint on the back of the neck, close the the nut as well. I thought the headstock was about to crack and break off as many Gibsons do. Speaking with Gibson on the phone, they say this is "normal" and they won't do anything for me about this. I promise you, if you saw this hanging in a store and saw these defects..you absolutely wouldn't buy it. The guitar plays great, sounds great, but this paint defect is ridiculous , and for an actual rep from Gibson to say this is normal is pitiful to me. This review is by no means any slight to AMS or their staff, or the way they operate , they are a great company. It's purely my opinion on this product the apparently Gibson does not stand by. I would have given it a 1 star or lower, but that felt bad because I've had a lot of older Gibsons that I never had any problem with ever.

A great Solid Guitar 2.0

A beautiful guitar!490s are as described with upper mids more present. Output seems hotter than 61s - not as much "airy jangle", but more "snap" than a LP. All subjective, of course.Slim taper neck is comfortable; fast, but a bit wide, especially at upper register.I'm a big SG fan and I think this one nails it! Love the batwing pickguard!I think the Volume & Tone controls could use pointers, but that's me.Didn't come with a hardshell case, but points will cover most of a new Gibson brand HSC ... just FYI.With the stop bar set all the way down, the strings are forced onto the bridge bar behind the saddles. Stop bar can be adjusted or string the bar in through the outdoor, like a wraparound bridge. Either method definitely solve the problem, arguably with some ... MoreA beautiful guitar!490s are as described with upper mids more present. Output seems hotter than 61s - not as much "airy jangle", but more "snap" than a LP. All subjective, of course.Slim taper neck is comfortable; fast, but a bit wide, especially at upper register.I'm a big SG fan and I think this one nails it! Love the batwing pickguard!I think the Volume & Tone controls could use pointers, but that's me.Didn't come with a hardshell case, but points will cover most of a new Gibson brand HSC ... just FYI.With the stop bar set all the way down, the strings are forced onto the bridge bar behind the saddles. Stop bar can be adjusted or string the bar in through the outdoor, like a wraparound bridge. Either method definitely solve the problem, arguably with some added sustain using the latter.

Best Gibson I've played.

90%. . Love the neck its perfect . If you have XXL hands. You will love neck and width. Perfect . Light weight, great access. 490T is great rock pickup,, only minor complaint is 490R. I know its closer to the bridge. But it lacks smooth jazzy or woody sound. . The best sounding R pickup is 59 pickup in my LP Heritage.such a fantastic clean pu. Put that in this would be perfect. Even soft case is nice.

Birthday trip

We took our 17 yr old to Sweetwater to experience the store we had heard so much about. We were at first not getting any help and were kinda underwhelmed. When we asked for help we never stopped receiving it! My son got to play guitars we clearly could not afford but not one employee made us feel like we weren't welcome to let him play. He tried pedals galore! Although they didn't have the guitar he initially went to look at he ended up getting what he considered a dream guitar. We were treated very well and the experience although not cheap was a good one. My son has asked several times when are we going back. Everyone we spoke to knew exactly what we were asking and what they were talking about. I highly recommend if you can to go to the store it's a great place ... MoreWe took our 17 yr old to Sweetwater to experience the store we had heard so much about. We were at first not getting any help and were kinda underwhelmed. When we asked for help we never stopped receiving it! My son got to play guitars we clearly could not afford but not one employee made us feel like we weren't welcome to let him play. He tried pedals galore! Although they didn't have the guitar he initially went to look at he ended up getting what he considered a dream guitar. We were treated very well and the experience although not cheap was a good one. My son has asked several times when are we going back. Everyone we spoke to knew exactly what we were asking and what they were talking about. I highly recommend if you can to go to the store it's a great place to shop. So now about the guitar! It is amazing it has great sound and my son loves the sound. We need a better amp to give this guitar the sound it deserves.

Excellent guitar!

I went in to guitar center this evening with full intention of purchasing a Les Paul studio. I currently own a very nice Les Paul traditional special edition which I love in every way! But because of its cost I've been very careful with it, which results in me not playing it as often as I'd like. My solution was to get the Les Paul studio that would give me the tone and feel that I was looking for without the tendency to treat it like a newborn. I played a very nice Les Paul studio which was a great guitar, but in the end I still felt like something was missing. I was just about to leave when I spotted an SG standard and I thought why not give this a go. Honestly it felt superior to the studio to me. The neck felt better and the clarity felt better. It just clicked ... MoreI went in to guitar center this evening with full intention of purchasing a Les Paul studio. I currently own a very nice Les Paul traditional special edition which I love in every way! But because of its cost I've been very careful with it, which results in me not playing it as often as I'd like. My solution was to get the Les Paul studio that would give me the tone and feel that I was looking for without the tendency to treat it like a newborn. I played a very nice Les Paul studio which was a great guitar, but in the end I still felt like something was missing. I was just about to leave when I spotted an SG standard and I thought why not give this a go. Honestly it felt superior to the studio to me. The neck felt better and the clarity felt better. It just clicked when I played it. I'm not a professional, but I have been playing for 20 years now and I feel like I've gained some perspective on guitars. The Les Paul studio felt like a different guitar than my traditional. I wish it didn't. The SG was just what I was looking for! It has an awesome edge to it. It screams with distortion and sounds excellent clean as well. The neck feels great and it just feels like there isn't anything to complain about. It may end up being my go to over the Les Paul! Everything is just as it should be. I love it. No regrets!

Finish flaws and rough fret

I bought this guitar from the Florence KY location yesterday. The set up was awful. I had to intonate, set action and I spent 3 hours setting it because the neck relief had to be adjusted severaI times was told that it set up to spec and after getting home and measuring it was no where close to spec. Upon setting it up I found several finish flaws and a fret that was so rough that I could get my fingernail to catch on it. I returned it today to an employee who was combative and dismissive when I tried to inform him about the issues I found with it. If you're going to sell an almost 2k guitar make sure it's set up properly and do some QC checking before you just throw it on the wall. Frankly it should have never left Gibsons' factory in that condition.

Great guitar, irrespective of cost

I bought this guitar as realisation hit when I was playing my Gibson SG Standard, Im not in a band playing guitar and wont ever be (Im a bassist though do play guitar as well) as such dont need a thousand pound guitar at home, its a bit of a waste. So I ordered this Epiphone hoping that it would play and sound ok, but accepting that it wouldnt be as good as the Gibson. Well I was wrong, out if the box and no tweaks to the set up I prefer this Epiphone to my Gibson. I cant put my finger on what it is specifically, I just know that I enjoy playing it more. It plays incredibly well, sounds great, and holds tuning really well. Id thoroughly recommend these guitars, Ive been playing for 40 years and had some very nice guitars along the way (Fenders, Gibsons, Yamahas), in ... MoreI bought this guitar as realisation hit when I was playing my Gibson SG Standard, Im not in a band playing guitar and wont ever be (Im a bassist though do play guitar as well) as such dont need a thousand pound guitar at home, its a bit of a waste. So I ordered this Epiphone hoping that it would play and sound ok, but accepting that it wouldnt be as good as the Gibson. Well I was wrong, out if the box and no tweaks to the set up I prefer this Epiphone to my Gibson. I cant put my finger on what it is specifically, I just know that I enjoy playing it more. It plays incredibly well, sounds great, and holds tuning really well. Id thoroughly recommend these guitars, Ive been playing for 40 years and had some very nice guitars along the way (Fenders, Gibsons, Yamahas), in terms of enjoyment of playing this one is amongst those at the top. If you already love your Gibson SG and are in need of a backup guitar snap one of these up.

Nice Guitar, however….

Overall:This guitar showed up in need of a complete setup. Nothing was properly adjusted and setup, and I’m still not sure about the neck truss rod. Fortunately for me I know how to setup a guitar, however everything was out. When I set up a neck I usually adjust for .009” relief. I am unable get that with this neck probably because the truss rod was installed wrong at the factory. I might send this one back for that reason because if I ever go to a light gauge string I’d have to raise the action at the bridge so high it would be unplayable. As far as the CTS pots, they’re a very cheap version and they’re not very good. I replaced all of them with Bournes 500k pots and installed a Switchcraft jack. It definitely makes a big difference. Now that it’s been setup and ... MoreOverall:This guitar showed up in need of a complete setup. Nothing was properly adjusted and setup, and I’m still not sure about the neck truss rod. Fortunately for me I know how to setup a guitar, however everything was out. When I set up a neck I usually adjust for .009” relief. I am unable get that with this neck probably because the truss rod was installed wrong at the factory. I might send this one back for that reason because if I ever go to a light gauge string I’d have to raise the action at the bridge so high it would be unplayable. As far as the CTS pots, they’re a very cheap version and they’re not very good. I replaced all of them with Bournes 500k pots and installed a Switchcraft jack. It definitely makes a big difference. Now that it’s been setup and fixed, except for the neck truss rod, it’s a great guitar. The Epiphone pickups sound great and the tuners are nice too. The finish is perfect and the stock hardware seems good. I certainly can recommend this guitar, but I feel zZounds should at least try and send these out in better condition. A setup like what I did would cost about $150. The last guitar I bought from zZounds was perfect, they let me down this time.

Poor finish from Gibson

After a 7 month wait this guitar arrived with some serious laquer finish issues. Two large streaks on the front and one on the back. Bit disapointed that PMT did not check this guitar before its dispatch. I'd justified the buying of this to get onto the Gibson ladder and it seems I got what I paid for. Back to my old trusted Epiphones. In my review Ive had to give marks for tone etc, I didn't actually plug this instrument in as once again the strings were all slack so doubt this had even been played by Gibson QC, however my two previous Epiphone purchases from PMT came fully set up and play just perfectly.

Welp, I’m in love with this Gibson

Overall:I received mg SG yesterday, intiatially I was going to wait awhile to write this review until I’ve really had a chance to bond with it but it’s already happened. I chose the Heritage Cherry, and I’m really glad that I did because it just shows off how aesthetically beautiful that this instrument really is. I could not find a flaw at all on it anywhere. It literally is perfect, the hardware was also snug and everything well aligned. I’ve been hesitant to buy anything new from Gibson because of the horror stories that I’ve heard about their past issues. Definitely not the case with this one at all. Setup right out of the box was low and is exactly where I would’ve want it set at anyways. From the pickups to the action everywhere on the neck it is absolutely ... MoreOverall:I received mg SG yesterday, intiatially I was going to wait awhile to write this review until I’ve really had a chance to bond with it but it’s already happened. I chose the Heritage Cherry, and I’m really glad that I did because it just shows off how aesthetically beautiful that this instrument really is. I could not find a flaw at all on it anywhere. It literally is perfect, the hardware was also snug and everything well aligned. I’ve been hesitant to buy anything new from Gibson because of the horror stories that I’ve heard about their past issues. Definitely not the case with this one at all. Setup right out of the box was low and is exactly where I would’ve want it set at anyways. From the pickups to the action everywhere on the neck it is absolutely flawless and is the easiest playing guitar I have by far. I own an 1988 Les Paul Custom, 1972 Fender Strat, 2011 Fender Telecaster and a 2020 PRS Custom 24. Speaking of well playing, this guitar is resonant AF not even plugged in. Was worried it’d be rather lifeless due to the low weight of the guitar but I was wrong. Plugged in, she is a beast. Loud and articulate. Sounds fantastic and the controls are so responsive. All in all, I am so happy with this buy and can’t wait to get another Gibson in the future hoping I have the same luck.Only thing I am not happy with is getting a gig bag for such a high end instrument. I mean, it’s useable but it should definitely come with the SG hard case. Buy this guitar!