Gibson SG Tribute Natural Walnut

Absolutely love this guitar. Lighter than a Les Paul,with everything you need to rock!The only thing I don't like is the dot inlays. I am used to the trapezoids on my Les Paul. The tone is sharper and great for what I need it for. I've only had it 2 weeks, but already replaced a Paul part with the SG on my current project. It just got me the sound I was looking for.The body is comfortable and the neck is the slim taper which is perfect for my old fingers.I chose the brown because I think the red needs to be a lacquer finish and not the satin on the Tribute.Although I've only had it a short time, I can tell it has the soul of a beast. I feel more comfortable playing it than almost every other guitar I own. It just feels right.I love the maple neck, however, ... MoreAbsolutely love this guitar. Lighter than a Les Paul,with everything you need to rock!The only thing I don't like is the dot inlays. I am used to the trapezoids on my Les Paul. The tone is sharper and great for what I need it for. I've only had it 2 weeks, but already replaced a Paul part with the SG on my current project. It just got me the sound I was looking for.The body is comfortable and the neck is the slim taper which is perfect for my old fingers.I chose the brown because I think the red needs to be a lacquer finish and not the satin on the Tribute.Although I've only had it a short time, I can tell it has the soul of a beast. I feel more comfortable playing it than almost every other guitar I own. It just feels right.I love the maple neck, however, it does tend to want to neck-dive a little. Speaking of maple, I normally prefer a maple fret-board, but this one could change my mind.I'v been a Fender and Rick man for many years, but this guitar is well made, beautiful, and canplay just about any type of music.The low price does not mean low quality on this instrument.I would HIGHLY recommend the SG Tribute to anyone, novice to pro.

I have only had this guitar a few weeks, but it exceeds all my expectations. I have another SG, with all the binding, covered '57 Classics, and block inlays on the fretboard. I continue to get compliments on this new guitar, even though the "bling" is dialed back a bit. Dot fretboard inlays, no neck or headstock binding, and uncovered 490T an 490R pickups. To quote most of the compliments, it looks "awesome" and sounds "badass". I couldn't agree more. I absolutely love this guitar. The pickups have more presence than the '57s, and a "growl" like I have never heard anywhere before. It's a rock'n'roll machine.

A great SG, especially for the money!

I have a collection of about 35 guitars ranging from PRS, LTD, Jackson, Charvel, Schecter, Ibanez and Gibson. I even have a Brian May Red Special. Understanding this is a basic model for the American made SG, I am perfectly satisfied for the value per dollar. I play mostly hard rock (AC/DC, Judas Priest, Sammy Hagar, etc.) and this guitar is very versatile, even without the Floyd Rose. It came set up well with a very nice soft case and a picture of the actual guitar during manufacture. It stays in tune, plays fast and sounds great. It's a good alternative when playing a fixed tail without the weight of a Les Paul and has that distinctive Angus/Tony Iommi SG sound. Sam Ash did a good job of getting it to me quickly and without incident. I highly recommend this guitar ... MoreI have a collection of about 35 guitars ranging from PRS, LTD, Jackson, Charvel, Schecter, Ibanez and Gibson. I even have a Brian May Red Special. Understanding this is a basic model for the American made SG, I am perfectly satisfied for the value per dollar. I play mostly hard rock (AC/DC, Judas Priest, Sammy Hagar, etc.) and this guitar is very versatile, even without the Floyd Rose. It came set up well with a very nice soft case and a picture of the actual guitar during manufacture. It stays in tune, plays fast and sounds great. It's a good alternative when playing a fixed tail without the weight of a Les Paul and has that distinctive Angus/Tony Iommi SG sound. Sam Ash did a good job of getting it to me quickly and without incident. I highly recommend this guitar and supplier.

A workhorse

Guitar came set up with the strings hitting the bridge on the break over angle to the tailpiece. For decent action, the tailpiece has to be set quite high to avoid break over touching the bridge. Once this is done however, the guitar resonates wonderfully, especially compared to an Epiphone SG Pro that I have. A couple rough frets and one high one. Once properly set up, the guitar plays and sounds great. Really like the neck, pick ups a little less bright than the Probuckers in the Epi. A fine gigging axe, not going to care about dinging the finish. The gig bag is classy and functional.

Absolute Perfection

Overall:I have been playing for over 50 years. I own a Maple Topped Les Paul that cost a fortune. I originally decided to get an SG as a lighter, easier to maneuver Les Paul. Man, was I wrong. This guitar is absolutely the perfect solid body rhythm guitar. I don't know how they did it, but the body resonates like a semi hollow guitar. The neck pickup has as much bite as the bridge. This thing sounds fantastic even unplugged. I wish I'd have gotten one years ago.

Amazing guitar

The guitar plays perfectly, No fret buzz or dead notes. I didn't really want another hard case laying around taking up space and love the soft case. The finish on the walnut model is more like a satin finish with no grain filler, which I love. I did get this in a flash sale, I do believe the guitar is a tad bit overpriced. I've played gibson les paul standards and studios and like that it's like half the weight of a les paul. Love this guitar

An Excellent Guitar!

Overall:This is very nice guitar! Last year I ordered a 2019 SG standard that turned out have some QC issues. I sent it back and ended up getting a Gibson TV yellow special that's turned out to be the best guitar I've ever owned (go figure) but I still couldn't get the SG jones out of my system so I decided to order one of these tributes. I have always like the stripped down looks of the faded specials of the past but I never pulled the trigger on one. These new tributes look to be very similar to the old faded specials but I think that they've done some minor cosmetic upgrades to them. I like the lighter walnut stain on these tributes more than the darker worn brown specials. They also added a silk screen Gibby "thistle" to the head stock which really doesn't mean ... MoreOverall:This is very nice guitar! Last year I ordered a 2019 SG standard that turned out have some QC issues. I sent it back and ended up getting a Gibson TV yellow special that's turned out to be the best guitar I've ever owned (go figure) but I still couldn't get the SG jones out of my system so I decided to order one of these tributes. I have always like the stripped down looks of the faded specials of the past but I never pulled the trigger on one. These new tributes look to be very similar to the old faded specials but I think that they've done some minor cosmetic upgrades to them. I like the lighter walnut stain on these tributes more than the darker worn brown specials. They also added a silk screen Gibby "thistle" to the head stock which really doesn't mean much to me but I guess it makes it look a little more like a standard. The satin or "vintage gloss" finish looks a little different than the old faded specials to me. It looks more like a semi gloss than the matte finish they applied to the faded specials. I may be in the minority but I like the looks of this SG more then the fancy but boring "cherry" or "ebony" of the standards. I like the visible texture of wood grain and the lighter shade of walnut stain they used on these tributes. The wood on mine was very well matched on the front. On the back you can tell that they used two, maybe three, pieces of mahogany for the body but from the front it looks like one solid piece of wood until you get right up on it. The fretboard on mine was dryish and needed a lemon oil treatment but it wasn't as bad as the fretboard on my Special. There were also no tool marks from dressing the neck binding (because there is none) like there was on my special. I feel as though this guitar would look better with nickel pickup covers and reflector knobs so I will probably add those as an upgrade. The "poker chip" was included in the gig bag but not installed on the guitar. I will probably leave it off as it makes the control area look cleaner and allows more of the beautiful wood grain to show through. The frets and dot makers were well done with no sharp ends. The fretboard played great and the frets appear to have been "plekked". Setup was great and ready to rip right out of the box. Tuning stability was good after I changed the strings and stretched them in good. Pots and controls seem sturdy and responsive. The satin maple neck felt nice as far as the texture but it was a little fat and wide for my liking. I was expecting it to be more like the neck profile on my Special which is fatter than a slim taper but it just fills the web of my hand, between my thumb and forefinger, and doesn't impede the "thumb over top" playing style that I use quite a bit. This SG has a flat area on the back of the neck and thicker shoulders and I fell like it favors more of a thumb behind the neck playing style that jazz players and shredders tend to prefer. It's not a thin "shredder" neck like an Ibanez but the flat spot on the back and thick shoulders made me have to shorten my strap and play the guitar higher up on my torso than I like in order to play some songs but I soon got used to it so it's not that big of a deal. The upper fret access was hindered IMO by the thickness of the shoulders and width of the neck which increases the farther up the neck you get but I use this guitar more for heavy rhythm playing so, again, it's not a big deal to me. If Gibson would improve the neck profile on this guitar I feel as though it would be a much more versatile guitar but then it would compete with higher end SG's so there ya go. The 490s in this guitar are very good pickups IMO. They are slightly hotter than PAF in output with prominent vocal like mids to my ears; great blues-rock p'ups for sure. They are noticeably lower in output than the P90s in my special which is okay because I use pedals to compensate for the differences in tone and output when switching between guitars during a set. They 490t in the bridge is probably my favorite. It can go from a jangly, chordy, rhythm to crunchy power chord riffs using the volume knob on the guitar and it retains clarity and definition when playing heavyish drop D rhythms with more gain. My LP Special is my go to guitar for playing "chordy stuff" (which is about 90% of the time) and soloing but the SG comes out when I need more chunk to my palm muted drop d riffs although the 490s are bright and articulate enough to do do the chordy stuff too. I use this guitar to do a drop D version of "Copperhead road". I play Steve's mandolin riff in the middle position then switch over to the bridge pickup after the "smell the whiskey burning" part and it sounds great never muddy or harsh. It also does the lower gain double drop D Neil Young rhythm stuff very well. The "soft case" that came with this guitar is the same as the ones that you get with the regular Standard. It's very nice as far as "soft cases" go I suppose but, IMHO, it's still not much better than a gig bag in function in that does not offer the same level of protection that a hard case does but at the price point these tributes are going for I feel that that's acceptable because it leaves some spare change in my pocket to get a proper hard case which is a must when traveling with my guitar. So if you're looking for a stripped down Gibson to add to your arsenal I can highly recommend this SG tribute. The thinner nitro finish to me is a plus and trapezoid fret markers won't make you play or sound any better; just ask Toni Iommi, Frank Zappa and Pete Townsend.

Fantastic guitar at any price!!!

I purchased this Gibson SG Tribute online from Sam Ash. Out of the box, I was impressed. Set up was almost spot on. The SG sounds great, it is easy and fun to play. Great weight and feel to it. I purchased the Satin Walnut and it is stunning. I'm normally a Telecaster guy, and I have a few. This time around I wanted something different from what I have and was looking at Gibson. This SG is a lot of guitar for the price. Sam Ash had a financing promotion going with their card and I pulled the trigger. It arrived two days after I ordered it. Thanks Sam Ash!!!!!

My Opinion

Overall:Just delivered a half hour ago, only took one day. zZounds is the best in the business and I can't even imagine doing business with another company. I bought this axe as a beater to practice on so I don't have to use my expensive guitars. It's not as pretty as the Specials and other entry level SG's Gibson was churning out between 1982 and 2014, but it plays and sounds marvelous. It has the nice rounded neck that fits comfortably in the palm of the hand, and has extremely low action on the strings. Only drawbacks are the fretboard edges are sharp and the fret ends need a little filing, but that's nothing that can't be quickly remedied in an hour. All in all the question comes down to whether or not it's worth the price asked for it. Well that's a subjective ... MoreOverall:Just delivered a half hour ago, only took one day. zZounds is the best in the business and I can't even imagine doing business with another company. I bought this axe as a beater to practice on so I don't have to use my expensive guitars. It's not as pretty as the Specials and other entry level SG's Gibson was churning out between 1982 and 2014, but it plays and sounds marvelous. It has the nice rounded neck that fits comfortably in the palm of the hand, and has extremely low action on the strings. Only drawbacks are the fretboard edges are sharp and the fret ends need a little filing, but that's nothing that can't be quickly remedied in an hour. All in all the question comes down to whether or not it's worth the price asked for it. Well that's a subjective opinion so I'll leave it alone and up to the purchaser, however, since the build quality will enable this instrument to last virtually forever, and the playability and tone are exceptionable and it has no nose dive I'll say yes, with inflation etc. it's worth the price tag.

Superb SG without the frills

This guitar is a full-blooded SG without the superficial additions. The sound is classic SG, with a definite late 60's vibe. Having recently owned a 61 reissue SG I find the sound of this guitar to be more "up-front" and satisfying than its more expensive counterpart. Also, the rounded neck profile feels much more comfortable for long periods of playing. It looks great and understated in walnut. The only thing I didn't like was the uncovered pick-ups but this was easily rectified by fitting some covers which were inexpensive and for me complete the look of this instrument. If you are looking for a real SG but not the price-tag then this is the guitar for you. Highly recommeded.