The Quest for a P90s SG Hits Paydirt!

My quest to find a P90s guitar seemed like it was going on forever. It all started with a reissue double-cut Les Paul Special that a friend of mine had years back. I coveted that guitar and looked around for one a little, but they were scarce and expensive. More recently, I ramped up the search but still kept coming up empty handed.

I’ve been eyeing Epiphone Casinos, Les Paul Specials, Juniors, SGs, and of course lusting after expensive Les Paul gold top reissues, everything under the sun it seems, even Guild X-175s – they sound great but not really my style of neck. I had seen a few people playing the recent model Gibson SGs with P90s and I love The Who, so that was high on my list. I was almost ready to order a Gibson 2016 SG Standard – they dropped the price from $1200 to $999, but I had played one a few months ago and was unimpressed. I have to add that I have an amazing 2014 SG with 57 Classics so, the bar was a little high.

The nut is a little bizarre. Graphite? I might have a new bone nut made for it. Also, '50s Tribute'? Didn't the SG model start in the '60s? The logo looks like it could be easily scraped off...

Recently I tried a ‘tribute’ SG at Sam Ash in Queens that wasn’t half bad at $399. It seemed slightly toy-like, but I was getting desperate and it really wasn't half bad. A few days later, it was gone! So I tried a bunch of modern Specials and even Juniors but they were all huge necks and that awful tuning system, Ugh! Not really high quality. A Modern style Special in TV Yellow was gorgeous but see above. Sam Ash is blowing them out, if you’re interested.

Gotta find out a little bit of the history of this particular guitar. Note 'PROTOTYPE' vertically stamped in.

Today, I ran into this used Gibson SG “50s Tribute” at Guitar Center. At $499 it was a bit more than the cheapie that got away but it was also a much more substantial guitar. In fact, the quality level is maybe slightly higher than the Standard that I tried earlier this year, and it sounds better, too. I’ve always had a theory that guitars from the beginning of the line (I don’t know how long Gibson has been doing the Tribute series) are better. This guitar has “prototype” stamped into the back of the headstock, along with Made in USA, a very long serial number, and 2013 Model. I’ve never seen that – Prototype! And it's definitely been played.

I'm thinking of getting a pickguard and replacing the truss rod cover to make it like a fake '60s era Special, heh heh... Maybe drill a couple of holes... Not.

It reminds me of the guitars that I used to see guys playing in my neighborhood back in the day. A little dinged up, a nice cherry finish, and that mean shape. Unlike my 2014 SG “61 Standard,” it doesn’t “play itself.” The neck is pretty chunky and the action is a bit high at the moment. But it sounds very balanced with very good intonation and a decent top register. The P90s are warm, have good midrange and some high end sparkle. And it's LOUD! Because it didn’t cost $1200 or more, I’m less worried about a headstock accident, using a gig-bag, etc. It also definitely feels like more than $500 worth of guitar. Way more. I bought it on the spot. It has tons of mojo. I love SGs and I love loud guitars! I’m excited. 

Comments

[harley]

Very cool....I was on that same quest but because of my agressive playing style [at the time] I would put the sg out of tune bending the neck. So I ended up with a modified 58 junior. No original parts but the body and neck are the real deal and an old old factory refin in an unusual mocha sunbursty color. It;s a beast of a rock and roll machine.

[On Practicing Guitar]

Thanks for your comment, Harley! I looked at a bunch of Juniors, where I could find them, either at Rudy's or South Side Guitars in Williamsburg, and I loved them but so expensive! They tend to be much brighter than this guitar, which is very warm but lacks a little brightness. And the frets are usually pretty worn down. I almost thought about taking the plunge and buying one but ultimately I thought the price-tag was just out of bounds - usually in the 4K+ range. I tried various Specials but mostly they didn't sound that good and the best one was really heavy and overpriced. I'm digging this guitar and I'm going to bring it down to Ed's jam at some point in the near future. I hope to see you around. Thanks again for writing! -Chris

[Tim Burke]

Hi Chris,

Don't get too excited about the prototype stamp, all 50's tribute SG's have them. It was Gibson's way of releasing a 50's tribute line for a model that didn't ship until 1961. Great value guitars. I have one in Ebony.

Here's a fact for you, if you ever get sick of the P90's in this guitar then the Gibson mini-humbuckers are a direct drop in replacement, they even use the same metal mounting bracket inside the pickup routes.

Cheers,

Tim
Australia

[On Practicing Guitar]

Thanks, Tim. Whatever the branding of this guitar, I still feel it's one of the best newish Gibson that I've played in awhile. I feel that sometimes the new products, meaning when they first start making them, are better than after they've been making them for years. I've been to the Gibson shop in Memphis and I've tried so many guitars that just didn't have anything special for a lot of dough and this guitar has a lot going on. I doubt if I would change the pickups but thanks for the info.