Which Gibson SG would you buy?, Please help me choose one
 

Hello,

I won a poker tournament and want to buy me a good Gibson SG - I prefer the price would be > $2500.

I have found a used Gibson SG - the one with the title: RARE Beautiful Vintage 1964 Gibson SG Junior Guitar

It's got history and the few times I have tried to play a SG I loved it.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
TDK

tbh in that position I would go to your local guitar shop and play as many guitars as you can.especially because:

1 - A new gibson is subject to current gibson QC, which is terrible (Look up my old posts to prove this)
2 - An old gibson is expensive as hell and may not have been looked after.
3 - There are a lot of fake gibsons.


Plus, why limit yourself to just SGs? I personally find them to be a PITA because they neckdive like crazy, among other things i dont like. Play a lot of stuff and try and look at each guitar with an objective mindset.

I'd rather help him make the most of his decision and not waste time trying to change his mind.

The new SG Classics are a good deal right now. Around $1000 and they seem well made considering the above mentioned QC problems.

For the kind of money you want to spend, I'd go with a used, actual late-60s SG junior. I've seen them around in used/rare guitar stores for $2000 - $2500 (I live in L. A.). I've never bought a guitar off of Ebay, so I have no advice for you there.

Minor changes by the previous owner, like aftermarket tuners or a refret will also make it more affordable.

Often, the older SGJRs come with a tremolo which helps offset the neck heaviness.

I sincerely doubt you'll have QC or construction issues with a 60s SGJR. 40+ year old Gibsons (in decent condition) look and feel amazing.

The people at the Les Paul forum can give you more info if you need it.

i would NOT bother with the guitar in that auction. mainly due to poor pics. you can't see what's on the headstock and everything else is very low detail. it might arrive and be flawless and amazing, or it might arrive with the name gibsUn across the headstock. not a risk i would take. most every other gibson i've seen for sale has close up pics of the headstock AND the serial number when possible.

like roivas says, try shops in your area first or local bulletin board sites like craiglist or kijiji. you never know what you'll find. for the amount of cash you're looking to spend i'd take my time and hunt around to find an SG i can try first then pull a wayne's world and ask the clerk if they accept cash. CH-CHING! with a handful of bills and a big smile hehe

One that either says " Fender" or "Patrick Eggle" on the headstock!:tramp:
Seriously, DON'T BUY A GUITAR UNLESS YOU'VE HELD IT IN YOUR HANDS, PLAYED IT AND CHECKED IT OVER, PREFERABLY IN A MUSIC STORE -At least you've got some comeback if a couple of days later you find something wrong.

Yeah buying things without having even touching them generally isn't the best thing to do, especially since you're spending so much. Try your local music store and see what they have, just my 2 cents.

Sods to the SG if you have the money to choose buy a les paul black beauty.

Have to agree with littleknowitall here.
Any Les Paul will hold it's value better, have a better range of sounds and will be less fragile if it gets a knock or two, (which is inevitable if you're planning gigging with it).
I'm not a big Gibson fan, having played many of their guitars, but in your shoes, I'd buy a Les Paul, an Explorer or a 335, or better still refer to my previous answer.

Plus you can haggle with them and get the price down, and maybe some extra strings, strap, straplocks and picks thrown in the price!
REMEMBER they WANT you to spend your cash! - most music stores have 100% mark up on instruments, so they can afford it.