Over the weekend EGR reader Jarrod Perkins left us a great review of his new Limited Edition Gibson SG-3 Fireburst (Guitar Of The Week #21,) and I thought I’d post it here so more of you would get to read it. Enjoy––
So my SG3 arrived yesterday. After giving it a proper workout, I’m very happy with it. I’ll give a quick list of pros and cons and a short review.
• Lets start with the Cons:
The pickups look goofy. They are these VERY tall single coils (esp the bridge) that are white on top, but wrapped in black on the sides. You can’t see this in any of the online photos.
The chickenhead pickup selector is nice, however it’s quite hard to tell which pickup you’re on just by looking at it. I’m sure this will get easier over time, but all of the settings are fairly close together.
The only other thing is minor cosmetic issues that are specific to my guitar: a bit of white fuzz or something in the laquer, and the fretboard has a bit of a divet on the 5th fret.
• Now, on to the Pros:
This guitar sounds GREAT. There are so many different sounds to dial in on this thing. It’s missing the big humbucker sound that my Les Paul has, but that’s why I got it. There are two settings that sound very strat-like, although a bit toned down. There are also two fairly mellow settings that are good for rhythm and strumming. There is a super treble-y setting, and a fairly creamy sounding setting as well.
It’s light & easy to play. But I guess this is the norm for SGs, however this is my first.
Fit and finish are top notch. Aside from the minor cosmetic blemish I mentioned, this guitar looks stunning. The ash top has a quilted-type grain to it that is stunning. The tuners are quality, and everything just feels solid. Intonation was pretty good right out of the box, but it needs a setup to lower the strings a bit, although they aren’t sky high. The case is even beautiful.
Now here is the question… If I was going to a gig with just one guitar, would it be this one?
I think so. This guitar is not a one trick pony. I’d use it simply for the variety of sounds I can get. Not to mention it looks stunning too. I’m quite happy with my purchase (I sold a Mexi Tele, 2 snare drums, and recording gear to buy this) and feel the price I paid was more than fair ($799).
Thanks for reading & happy playing.
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #21 :: SG-3 Fireburst
- A Closer Look At Guitar Of The Week #37 :: The ’67 SG Special Reissue w/P-90′s
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #35 :: ’61 SG In Satin Antique Walnut
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #3 :: SG Standard Silverburst
- A Reader Reviews The Gibson Jimmy Page Double Neck VOS
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #32 :: SG Special With EMGs
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #10 :: SG Standard With 3 Single Coil Pickups
- Gibson Announces Guitar Of The Week #26 :: ’61 SG Reissue Classic White
October 1st, 2007 at 4:29 pm
The pickups do look odd, but considering the quality of the axe — and the case — I’d say $799 was a great deal. Interesting to read the review of the different varitone settings, as I have a 70s Gibson L-6S with “super humbuckers” and the 6-way Varitone, and I would describe some of the tones I get from that guitar in very similar terms.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Does this Sg handle distortion really well? almost like a humbucker, but brighter (that would be very nice)? Can it get kind of crunchy like a humbucker would without any muddiness?
And could fender single coils fit into the slots if one decides to change it?
February 9th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Hi, I’ve just got one myself. In regard to Matt’s question, yes it should fit all your dreams in regard to distortion. As the pickups are running very hot and close to the strings it gives a nice hot signal that drives oh so nicely, but still gives a bit of a fender sound if run clean. I don’t know if fender pickups would fit in or not, but I don’t see why you would want to put them in. If you wanted one you had better act fast as there is only 400 world wide. And $800 was an awesone deal as in Australia they retail for $3000 which would still be over $2500 US.
January 27th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Hi, thanks for your insightful review. I did not know that it’s only one of 400. Got it for a song (about US$800 too) comparatively in Singapore. The Fireburst rocks out beautifully across settings and is lovely with a clean tone too. It’s light and is just built to be slung low! Read a fair amount of poor reviews of it elsewhere but couldn’t agree with them. This one grows on ya.