Electric Guitars I have a bad itch.

Stinger22

Blues Junior
I have a bad itch..
I don't have a Gibson.
I don't have an SG.
I don't have $2,000.00 either.
View attachment 13934
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...sg-standard-61-maestro-vibrola-vintage-cherry

HOWEVER ... I have a VERY HARD TIME spending $1,500.00 just for the name on the headstock ... well, it has Bustbucker pickups and Plek'd frets that the Epi doesn't have ... but $1,500.00 more? My Epi 339 Pro has the same pickups as this Epi SG and they are EXCELLENT pickups.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...sg-standard-61-maestro-vibrola-vintage-cherry

I am not ready to actually do this yet ... and may never be ready, but if I do ever get another new guitar it will be an SG with the Maestro trem. So I have plenty of time to ponder. And I may cave just so I can belong to the exclusive prestigious "I got ripped off by Gibson" club.

Had one like that around 1970. Bought at a store for $250. Headstock did the Gibson break and I traded it to a guy who fixed guitars for a no name he had fixed up. Was only 17 at time, should have just paid him to fix it.
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
All good things to those who wait.:) Congratulations!!!(y) I hope you enjoy it for as many years as you've waited for it!!;)
Thank you Many Moons! Everything just kind of all came together like a Blues Brothers "mission from God". :)
I guess the stars all lined up just right to get me exactly what I wanted.
I wanted a '61 SG.

But probably 80% or more of them have wood grain that makes them look "striped" and I hate that.
In the past, Sweetwater has always shown me pics of 5 or 6 guitars they have in stock so I could pick the serial number of the one I wanted. Not this time. First, they have none in stock and I had to place a pre-order. And when they come in, my sweetwater guy has no control over which guitar gets assigned to which pre-order. He could send me a pic of that one, and if I didn't like it I would have to wait 2 - 3 months for the next batch to arrive from Gibson, rinse and repeat. And ... they won't have ANY in stock until first / middle of May.

I looked on Chicgo Music Exchange ... all back-ordered.

Yesterday a gave Guitar Center a shot. Bingo! They have some in stock. So I called them and got a very nice gal named Dedria. I told her what I was looking for, no "striped" wood grain. She put me on hold for a little while and found several GC stores that had them in stock and that were willing to send me pics. Bingo again! The first store had several out on display and one still sealed in its box. He was willing to open that and send me pics of it. BINGO! It was EXACTLY what I was hoping to find. It has very nice grain, not at all stripey.

And on top of that it has a color I thought would be hopeless to find. I am not a big fan of the commonly seen deep cherry, and would prefer the Gibson Walnut stained body like seen on some other SG models. This one is cherry, but very lightly stained / dyed, letting the natural mahogany color come through. I am a HAPPY CAMPER. It isn't deep red, and it isn't walnut, and I really like it. His pics are nowhere near the quality of pics from Sweetwater. In this pic it looks like there is a little light spot, like a blemish, towards the tail. That isn't there in other pics he sent, but those had similar "thingies" going on like that elsewhere that aren't in this pic ... so those "thingies" are just light reflecting off of something.

MY SG1B.jpg

See, in this pic that "blemish" has moved. It is just light reflecting off of something.
MY SG2C.jpg
 
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Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
Congrats Rancid! That's one of the prettiest SG's I've ever seen.
Thank you Ron! I wasn't exactly ready to pull the trigger financially, figured my next retirement deposit would be in before Sweetwater acually got a guitar. But when I saw this one I went "YES! SOLD!" and transferred the money from my savings to checking and called the dude and we got 'er done. When my retirement deposit gets in I can transfer the loot back into savings. The guitar should be in my hands Between Friday and Monday.
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
Tracking says it will be delivered TOMORROW! I am so excited. I hope it gets here undamaged!
I won't take good pics of it and post those until I have the Bigsby and roller bridge on it.
The Bigsby won't be in stock at GC until the 28th, and I am going to polish it to a mirror shine with my Dremel buffing wheel and polishing compound. Polished aluminum looks very close to nickel plating. So no pics until about the 1st of May or later.
 

steve o

Student Of The Blues
Tracking says it will be delivered TOMORROW! I am so excited. I hope it gets here undamaged!
I won't take good pics of it and post those until I have the Bigsby and roller bridge on it.
The Bigsby won't be in stock at GC until the 28th, and I am going to polish it to a mirror shine with my Dremel buffing wheel and polishing compound. Polished aluminum looks very close to nickel plating. So no pics until about the 1st of May or later.
Looking forward to seeing the pics!:):Beer::)
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
Well, IT GOT HERE ... UNDAMAGED!

Very nice sturdy case, solid and ... heavy.

The guitar is gorgeous to me!
Perfect set-up, perfect action, no fret buzz anywhere on the neck.
Very light weight!
It is strung with 10's, but they feel light to me for 10's (??).
It is cherry, but not a deep cherry ... actually closer to natural mahogany ... the wood grain shows through very nicely.
Here are first pics, not the best, just hand-held, no tripod or lights.


IMG_0923.JPG
IMG_0924.JPG
 
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sloslunas

NM Blues
Well, IT GOT HERE ... UNDAMAGED!

Very nice sturdy case, solid and ... heavy.

The guitar is gorgeous to me!
Perfect set-up, perfect action, no fret buzz anywhere on the neck.
Very light weight!
It is strung with 10's, but they feel light to me for 10's (??).
It is cherry, but not a deep cherry ... actually closer to natural mahogany ... the wood grain shows through very nicely.
Here are first pics, not the best, just hand-held, no tripod or lights.


View attachment 14285
View attachment 14286
Giddy up!!

Steve
 

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
Well, IT GOT HERE ... UNDAMAGED!

Very nice sturdy case, solid and ... heavy.

The guitar is gorgeous to me!
Perfect set-up, perfect action, no fret buzz anywhere on the neck.
Very light weight!
It is strung with 10's, but they feel light to me for 10's (??).
It is cherry, but not a deep cherry ... actually closer to natural mahogany ... the wood grain shows through very nicely.
Here are first pics, not the best, just hand-held, no tripod or lights.


View attachment 14285
View attachment 14286
Very nice. I really like SGs. I'm sure you will, too!
 
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