It's not every day I get to tell a "reverse scam" story! It is now with its new owner that always wanted to own a 2pup White SG Custom - (for $400 is a Christmas Miracle!) 🟢My Website: www.troglysguitarshow.com 🔴Reverb: tidd.ly/4aFiyhC ❓Private Help Sessions: troglysguitarshow.com/help-appraisals/ 👕 Merch: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211
Nice find, cool that you could help the guy out. Really enjoyed the playing, glad to see you stepping out of your comfort zone with the finger picking.
Don't the Gibson SGs have a flush body to neck joint? *Edit* Upon further research, it looks like the early SGs had that neck joint. Can you say when they started sculpting it flush like you see on modern ones? Thanks.
Knowing what I know about SG’s, the strap probably fell off at the neck, and it broke the headstock and the person who repaired it went all out and did a great job
@@RoachDoggJr2112 I’ve been playing Les Paul’s my whole life, I have four, and I only have one fender. No reason to get butt hurt over someone else’s opinion.
@@RoachDoggJr2112all 3 of mine have neck dive, including 2 standards (one a 68) and a custom. Maybe if I shielded the cavities with lead they wouldn’t…
This guitar was for sale at one point in San Diego, CA. It has a headstock repair which triggered the owner to make all the upgrades. I think they were done by The Repair Zone in San Diego. They have the talent to modify a guitar like this. I found it when I was looking for an SG Supreme or Modern.
I worked at a music store in the mid 1990s. We got shipped from the factory an acoustic guitar that had a Gibson headstock, and Epiphone inside the body, visible thru the sound hole. I asked a Gibson Factory rep about this. He said when the factories were moving locations, they just grabbed what ever was laying around & slapped the parts together, so they didn't have to move them.
I'm not a huge fan of Gibson, but I'd appreciate a Gibson+Epiphone hybrid just for the lulz. Bonus points if it's a Wilshire (or similar) with a Gibson headstock.
Get this -- $399 was just the last asking price before the Reverb listing came down (the third time). When the seller -- a brick & mortar store in Iowa -- put it up on its own site instead, it was at $349. And *then* there was some sort of automated coupon/sale going on, so at checkout it took off *another* $50. After tax and shipping from Iowa to Indiana to here it came to a little over $400, but the guitar itself was only $299. 😂
My guess is that the shop wasn't 100% certain about how legit the guitar was and didn't want to risk getting knocked for selling a fake as a legitimate custom. I see a lot of modded Gibsons go for more in far worse condition. This one is pretty nice.
So basically the shop fooled itself, and these kind “samaritans” helped them out real fast. Man I hate flippers and profiteers, it’s just disgusting… But hey America land of the free market and all that
This reminds me of a guitar I bought on Reverb a while back that was heavily customized beyond Gibson’s specs. It was an SG Special Faded that had its fretboard replaced with an ebony fretboard and no fret nibs, just like this one, a Standard headstock veneer added, refinished in Pelham Blue and a Vibrola trem added. In the end it looked mostly like a large-guard SG Standard. I tracked down the shop that did the work, and they told me there’s a guy who brings guitars in all the time to have them reworked like this. I wonder if it’s the same guy.
I have met customers who request these kind of modifications and more so that would make a lot of sense, that someone went through the trouble to convert/change a guitar
That is a very well done conversion. The fingerboard, headstock veneer and finish work are professionally done. I would love to have a SG Custom in that spec! What a steal at $400!
I honestly wonder if it was indeed stolen from its owner, or if someone passed... Because it's a lot of personal preference selecting,getting the right Luthier,parts...money + time to just part with it. That was someone's dreamy project.
As a Chibsons manufacturer human resources I can confirm Bobby Dravro works on the manufacturing line. He will be reprimanded for attempting to upgrade his process.
That is one hell of a beautiful axe and that veneer wouldn’t have been easy to put on if that was the case I’d assume the headstock may have been broken
Haha I’ve got a chibson LP Supreme a friend sold to me for $50 about 15 years ago. My dad took it to a guitar shop and people were offering to buy it off him for $600-$1000. I knew it wasn’t the real deal after a 5min search showing the real Supremes don’t have any wiring cavities in the back. Still funny when people including my dad think it’s legit. 🤣
Honestly, as a reseller of vintage guitars, he should have protected his reputation by branding the back of the headstock as a standard. Same way you would with a factory second. Might not happen for years, but someone will try and sell it as a custom shop rare model for over $5000. And trogly simply sending it down the line will have to defend himself when it's history passes through him. Personally if I'm after some 70s Les Paul and trogly has one and one other person, I'm not going through the one who has a history of blowing off guitars modded to look like more expensive models He should have simply stamped it at least.
I'm loving this video. I'm not really a "guitar guy" I've got a cheap Epiphone Les Paul and a bad wrist. But I'm a carpenter and the rework on the fretboard is very similar to a veneer fix I did today to a wine display. I don't know how many can perform this level of work but I love seeing some techniques I'm familiar with in fields I've never touched
No way, I’m a carpenter with a bad wrist, I did my apprenticeship in a joinery shop, I find a lot of work on guitars you can relate back to something you’ve done carpentry / joinery wise
A good oldfashioned veneer job is bloody difficult, I was told by a retired carpenter in our kayak and canoe club. One of the projects he is proud of, was the dashboard of a British sports car.
Yeah, you take a $1500 gibson, put work into it to make it on par with a $3500 guitar, and reduce its value to less than $500. The dilemma of being a guitar PLAYER rather than collector.
Seems to me like it was probably a headstock break that prompted a whole rework. I have to imagine it was probably a top tier luthier or repair shop that did the work, and did an excellent job. The only part that bugs me are the pickups, possibly they were removed before it was sold on?
What an amazing story, imagine the time and/or money spent on this one! I had a similar experience with a British brand SG copy in "vintage white". I bought a Vintage VS6VW from a store for €100 (normally €350) because it had a crack at the neck joint and some gold aging. Probably somebody dropped it while playing in the store and never mentioned it to the shop owner, not sure. I got my luthier to firmly clamp it tight together and drill some tiny holes in the crack under the cover at the front and fill it with superglue. I'm pretty confident it's safe now.
As a guitar dealer, I'm surprised Trogly thinks the shop got" bullied." They figured whatever small loss they took on some modded SG was worth avoiding a bunch of internet drama that could potentially cost them thousands in future sales.
I don't know what the situation is in the US, but here in Europe if a allegedly real Gibson has been worked over like this one, it loses a *lot* of its resell value - this one would fetch probably 400-500 Euros, although that case easily adds another 200 as they're rare as hen's teeth over here....
Gibson nuts will probably freak out at my comment but I think Gibson's have become a bit of a scam as far as pricing goes. I had an early 70's Angus-type SG I bought in 1977 from a lawyer who had it under his bed so it was in perfect shape and it was a great guitar but it wasn't $5,000 dollars great or any kind of crazy price like that and I think the only reason they sell for absurd prices is that people (like lawyers!), have the money and are willing to spend that to get the guitars they wanted while they were going to university OR they had sold and now want to own again.
Body was touched up, and refurbished by someone that loved it, the older paint matches the neck under the light. Amazing work, and even more amazing find! respect for you willing to help the guy after getting such a crazy deal, I know people that can't bring themselves to maintain that level of integrity, that's the real rare find.
The pick guard isn’t discoloring the finish, under the pick guard has never been faded from exposure to UV rays, sunlight, etc. this guitar probably spent some time outside of a case, possible close to a window, maybe a music shop had it on display in a window showcase or whatever, but it’s just a touch sun bleached, and under the pick guard has never seen the light of day and still has the original luster.
On a side note…I’ve actually purchased a couple sets of the Stew Mac Golden Age hum buckers..and A/B’d them against my custom shop R9 and R0 and they sound beautiful 🙂
A skilled luther with steam rods and irons could most likely remove a fret board without damaging the rest of the neck. Whoever did the work should be given a job with Martin or Gibson.
That is the craziest thing I’ve seen yet! Kudos for you doing the right thing for the customer! You just can’t buy that kind of reputation - gotta live it man! 👍🎸
This one started Life as a SG-Standard Single! The neck was cut from a 24 Fret to a 22 Fret to make room for another pickup at the neck, as originally only had one. Those two frets took up too much room to router the needed space and they cut it down.. That's why the pick-guard holes don't match at the top and fading is funny. This was originally a string through guitar, look for six tiny string holes in the body. THe original input jack was on the side. Now They are using the old Tone hole, for their input jack, (on the front? lol) and the other a R/L switch, where originally had just two knobs with the volume being a push button to split the coils . The four pots in your guitar were added with the new re-worked original SG neck & 2nd pick-up and new machine heads as the orig were Grover . The New neck-inlays wee added as the originals were a split diamond type design in mother of pearl. It is a very fast neck built for ripping leads. How do i know? I have a 1989 Gibson SG-Single in 'Alpine White" with 24 Fret and just one original 1959 GIBSON LP at the Bridge. It is a string through-body Guitar. The Neck Head Stock is Pearl Inlay with a crown inlay under it and is one piece, i suspect it is under that plastic plate they used on the Head stock on your guitar and i bet if you look, you will see the orig inlay Gibson logo. With the pick-guard removed, you see it's solid, no space cut for another pickup... a 1/4" 'chevron' shape or a shark's mouth is there and about all you see, is the tip of the neck attached at the 21st fret., ... Just to add this SG single has a sustain that needs to be heard to be believed as it is a string-through body . , (more wood is more good( for sustain) as mentioned 24 frets, its an odd ball for sure but i luv it. I got in Sacramento in 91 for $550.
I commend your integrity in honoring the help session price! It's a weird conversion, but nicely done, mostly. Not a fan of the pups, but easy to fix. Overall a great deal for your viewer.
I am not an SG player but congratulations to the receiver of this. My main guitar is a 1985 Gibson XPL. Got it at age 16 and still play it. Had a stainless refret done and run Seymour's in it.
I'm not a big fan of the SG but something about this one I really like. The fretboard and headstock are nice. Those pickups sound pretty nice too. I watched several of your videos in a row through my headphones and you can really hear differences between guitars. This sounds great. Looks great and the gold hardware really sets the whole thing off. What a lucky find. Congrats to the dude getting that one.
Actually they are great guitars to play and I had one long ago but I never liked the way they looked and I also hated the cherry red candy coated apple-type finish when I was a teenager. But as for how they play and feel they are great.
I had a 2013 Gibson Les Paul Standard and the neck and frets were so appalling I had it refretted within a year or so before eventually moving it on so not surprised the nibs are missing on this - Really don't understand why Gibson persist with their silly fret bindings. Oh and it came with Tone Pro Bridge.
My guess is that it broke the headstock at some point and was sold as a husk to someone who was able to fix it and do it well so they made it a custom. Unreal get and hats off to you for not snaking your client on the deal!
I’d bet big $ that it was a headstock break that also trashed the fingerboard and the headstock veneer. So might as well upgrade both the fingerboard and veneer before the refin.
To remove the fret board without damaging the paintwork on the neck is easy if the original fret board can be sacrificed. 1. remove frets. 2. use an electric planer or router remove most of the board 3. use a belt sander to get close to the neck wood and 4. hand sand to the final finish.
My 2012 Les Paul standard came stock, with Tone pros bridge & Tailpiece. I had a 2010 SG standard, same thing. From what I researched, Gibson offered that from 2008-2012, on Standard models. The LP also had locking tuners, and input jack.
this just reminds me of a long time ago when I had GMW do an inlay conversion from dots to blocks, and they did such a great job concealing the original dots. I couldn't see a trace of them.
That thing is gorgeous!!! I primarily only play PRS now but my favorite guitar is still the SG. I'd give almost anything to get lucky enough to get a deal like this on an actual Gibson SG. Great find and even better save Trogly, well done sir!!!
@@Ndlanding says you're one opinion. I own over 20 guitars, been gigging regularly for decades. I have just switched to sg's. Best guitars on the planet.
That guitar sounds very thin compared to other SGs I have heard/played. Those pick ups I would have to replace! I like the guitars looks and for 4-500 bucks what the hell. I would make that my roadie. I’m looking for something like that to take back out to sea with me when I go to my next boat. I got a hell of a travel amp I just want a cheap decent guitar. That would be perfect.
Dang, that's a good looking guitar. Knowing it's history, I personally would find it difficult to pay a premium for it, but I'd pay a lot more than $400 for it.
I've rebuilt two SG Special Worn Series 3 p/u guitars that was sold about 10-15 years ago. One became a look-alike of the 2 p/u SG Custom that Angus Young is using in the "Let there be rock video" the live Paris show from around 1980, the other became a look-alike of Angus's lightning bolt guitar that Gibson themselves made about 10 years ago (the super rare one built in something like 200 copies). From personal experience, having removed two rosewood fretboards using steam and heat, replacing them with custom made ebony fretboards - I see it highly unlikely that no refinish was needed on this guitar. You can make it fairly clean, but the paint will chip and it is very difficult to match the binding and neck without sanding. The finishes on these guitars are so thin that when you start sanding you will get through the layers very quickly. My best guess is that at least the neck has been refinished, if not replaced completely. One problem I got with the SG Custom look-alike is that the heads are not the same size so I had to add material in order for the new inlayed overlay to fit, that threw off the positioning of the serial number. The guitars are mine forever to keep (I'm obviously an AC/DC and Angus Young fan) so that won't be a problem, but it makes me wonder how this one was done. Could it be a true custom order from Gibson or a replacement neck of different type ? The CW written with a pen (in a very odd color) doesn't really say you anything. BTW, the overlays you buy in Ebay can't just be covered in a clear lacquer, then the headstock will turn almost grey, the ones I've bought at least, needs an overspray of black - then you need to scrape the MOP inlay clean and then clear lacquer on top of that. Tedious, but the result is really great.
Tell your buddy not to swap those pickups out. Damm. That is a gut punching rock monster, I dig it. Some folks here in the comments say they think the pickups suck, so it's really just an issue of tone preference.
Austin. You're a man of high integrity. So appreciated, especially in this day and age of deception, fake and fraud. Merry Christmas and happy new year.
@@scoutgirl7739 - I have a 20xx Gibson. Asked him if he thought it was real, since I got it for about half retail price. I sent him x-ray pictures, cavity pictures etc, the whole nine yards. He just told me it was a 20xx year (which I knew) and didnt really weigh in on if it was real or not. So, seems he is too busy for even a paid service.
Do you think this left the factory this way? maybe it was a one off? or someone sent it to get work done on it? this work looks impossible to achieve afterwards!
No, it’s pretty easy to do for a competent luthier. They do way crazier shit on the daily. Just look at a neck reset on an acoustic, and that’s a relatively common thing to do
There’s a couple of small details that are still incorrect for a custom, namely the serial number and lack of a custom shop logo on the back of the headstock Whoever did the work did a fantastic job, and clearly cared about the finished product. I don’t think a shop did this because the cost would’ve been outrageous for such work, and such shops that do this clean of work are (unfortunately) really rare. I’d say this was most likely a personal project done by a pro luthier in their spare time
@@qwertpoiuy430 That wouldn't be that easy for any Luthier to pull off. I have built overt 2,000 guitars and worked for a guy who is considered one of the best at repairs and that would have been tough to do without doing a refin. You could mill the fingerboard off or build a jig to rout it off but would be hard to do it perfectly even where you could take it off evenly without leaving a slight hint of it. same with the headstock. Perhaps someone put the wrong neck on at the factory and it made it past QC. No binding on the frets is obvious refret. Even if they steamed the fingerboard off there would be some kind of damage to the finish. Maybe that is how the checking happened.
It's so funny how Gibsons quality control is so bad people feel like they need to change things to fix it, then those fixes make people think it's a fake 🤣
I've been down that road many times with Gibson, but the quality really depends on the years, aka when the workers hate their CEO and dont care about what they make. Buy years where people were valued and taken care of and you'll get a solid guitar
With the neck having been refinished, my best guess would be that it suffered the infamous the infamous dropped and broke the headstock off the neck scenarios. In having the neck repaired someone said I always wanted this particular model why not build a tribute "clone" out of it while it is torn down and that would explain the finish not showing signs of damage from fretboard replacement. It would also explain how the headstock veneer does not show any tell-tale signs of finish rework.
I love the fact I’ve used the info I’ve learnt in this channel to both stop a prick gaslighting a shop into believing their real Norlin era LP custom was a fake And also stopping a shop from selling a Chibson for $2k masquerading as a Nashville 335 Thanks For you insights as always Trog
I had a 92 Les Paul special and it had the CW notation in the pick up cavity and had a bit of yellowing on the neck. It had an ebony fretboard tho'. I was not aware they made some of the early 90s with the ebony fretboard but collectors said they did.
What an amazing back story with this! This is why we need honest, technician, analysts like Trogly. Someone who's aware of the good deal, and is presenting the guitar as such. Not some "bitchin' guitar" dude, who'd turn it around and sell it as a "customized SG" for $15,000. Thanks Austin.
That's awesome. I am new to the channel but this just made me respect you so much. So the first guy gets his guitar, gets an appraisal, and an awesome story all for $400. That's cool.
Trog said that it didn't have split coil technology "fortunately" not sure why he feels that way. My 2011 has splits and it's an awesome sounding instrument. Although rarely do I play it split. Just wondering why he said that, nice to have if you want it, but if you don't use it what is the difference? Mine has 490/498 PUs. Anyone have thoughts on this? Trog?
As a small business owner myself, I appreciate you your honesty and ethics in letting this deal go to your client. Fun video and if you ever find out what luthier replaced that fingerboard- I want his number. LOL
Back in the late 70's a friend turned me on to ES-125TDC's. I bought one from the 60's for $350, it was a little beat up and re-fretted. Bought another for $350 I think was early 70's but didn't like the neck because it was fatter. Put it in the "Want-Ad Press" for $350 (same price I paid). The guy who bought it tried to give me an extra $100 bill and I said no man, I just want to get my money back. He was shocked and started wondering if there was something wrong with it. When he left he said, "you should check out prices at Sam Ash or mabey he said Manny's, I can't recall now; but he said you'll be surprised to see what these are selling for now. That was the last time I sold a guitar for my purchase price. Now I see these things selling for $2,500 all day.
Wow, that is a real Gibson. That's the deal of a lifetime!! Not possible to replace the fretboard without refinish if you want it to look natural. The mods on this guitar was done by a real guitar guy. He could work at Gibson even. $1500 to $2000 is spot on!!
@@ericolson326 I love SG's (got 2 of 'em, a '92 Standard & a '61R) & I've always wanted a white Custom (with 3 pups though). I just don't want to fork out the 5 Grand or thereabouts to get one. I'd be more than happy to settle for just 2 pups though if I could find one as cheap as yours lol. Even those pups, which I thought would be way too hot & sound horrible, sounded lovely (apparently they're Wagner's or something & a decent upgrade). Congrats again, cool find pal.
About 4 years ago I found a 69 SG Special in the basement of a house I was painting. (Owner told me I could have anything I wanted that was left behind by former tenants) it was tucked away in a dark and dusty corner. Looked a little rough. Someone who didn’t know what they were doing tried to refinish it😭. I have properly refinished it. As a professional painter, I learned restoration on old staircases, cabinets, furniture,ect.) I LOVE my SG and I love the price I paid 🤣😂 for it. The only thing I had to change was the string’s. It is 💯legit vintage,all original, pickups, pots, ect. Total Price under $50 and a little labor!
To get a custom modified Gibson for an Epiphone price isn't exactly terrible. Back when a model like this was available brand new for $400 USD, that price would have been more like $2,000 in today's rate. Even I would want something like this if I wasn't so concerned about having a(nother) top heavy guitar. That whole thing concerning neck dive is what may always put me off getting an SG.
I find your integrity refreshing! Most people you see in the music industry is all about themselves but you stood tall here! So glad I found your offerings to world!👊🙏
It appears the squares for fret markers are not perfectly centered, in first few of them (1, 3, 5). Not sure I saw any perfect photos to determine from your video but looking at them with strings the 1 and 3 look like they are even on one side and of on the other (should be a little off on both). Its difficult to get them all centered when doing by hand, almost always off by a tiny bit and not noticeable usually. I'm thinking the fretboard was made by hand, and they did a nice job on it. All the higher frets, where I could see better from video, they looked dead on right. Can just spray clear lacquer if the white wasn't damaged and you would never be able to know. I'd be curious about blacklight test on original color lacquer with a new clear only on top. Would the glow from the color show up or would the new clear layer prevent it?
Looks more yellow around the neck joint, under normal light. Possibly entirely renecked. Built from two broken guitars? Possibly neck pocket repair as well.
That’s nitro fade where the pick-up ring fits, if the neck had been out the writing on the neck ten on would be gone if the neck had been out. I think it’s just a fretboard replacement and neck refin
The real difficult stuff was done at the factory. The replacement parts were done by an owner... SG body, pro shop neck. I'm thinking the neck snapped off at the factory. Mfr refurb'd with a neck they had layin' around, then an owner did the hardware, pickup, and pots...
Agreed, there is now way that binding is coming off without damaging a good portion of the finish. Especially since Gibson paints the lower part of the fingerboard binding. If it were originally that white color an experienced person could match the finish (as it appears they did). Fingerboards do not want to come off and they will put up a pretty good fight when being removed. Gotta say, the jumbo frets really changed the whole look of that Custom/Ebony fingerboard, I think it looks better than stock w/fret nibs.
I think I know what happened. Most stores “If they’re not Guitar Center” as any changes to the guitar as devaluing the guitar itself, and thus they usually give you a modification markdown off of the trade value that they would normally give you, usually this markdown is under $50. Guitar Center does the same thing, except after they purchase the guitar they add everything that has been added also to the overall price based on that price if there was no modifications, but if there was major modifications they won’t even buy the guitar, because the selling price of that guitar is going to be under what the selling price of their other guitars are based on the major modifications. I’m surprised the shop owner even bought the guitar.
Man, I still think this guitar is a fake. No fret nips, fake pickups and wiring, wrong ebony fretboard 12th fret inlay wrong... I could be wrong, but I'm sure this thing is just a fake. The gold color on the tuners look wrong and fake. Gibson pots are fairly cheap to install. Confusing guitar to say the least.
You can see that headstock veneer is way thicker than any stock Gibson. So someone did glue this one over the stock one. From side view one could see black line of the stock headstock veneer so respray of the headstock was needed. Than he cut the finish of the neck under the binding and heated up the original fretboard and then removed it. This looks like he made new ebony fretboard and that’s why it doesn’t have fret nibs. Then all neck was re touched. If he did cut the finish nicely he needed only top clear coat over the whole neck and small side of the headstock touch up. That’s how it looks like to me. This was done by luthier disregarding how he calls him self and is he living from it. Great job. Even as touched up Standard its wort so much more. It’s a conversion that doesn’t bother me at all although I am bit of a purist and traditionalist. Excellent work and even better value.
Goodwill for $100?! 😆🤣 The Goodwill does not have the greatest deals at all times. Guitars usually get auctioned on their website... so bargains on guitars are super rare. Guitar sell prices are rarely below market. I mean, they sell stuff that couldn't sell on clearance at Target with prices marked higher than the Target clearance price (probably not worth the effort to remove the old price tags, so they're often still there).
This could also have been a black SG Custom refinished in Classic white. It's very possible that either the customer had it sent back and painted classic white or had an experienced luthier paint it white and stamped with the "CW" in the neck pick up cavity to make it look like it was never repainted. Literally looks identical to a Black SG Custom except in white. My friend Brett bought a fake Gibson Les Paul standard in the "Translucent Amber" finish for $300 back in 2014. However, the serial checks out and it shows up as a real Gibson. The story behind it is that a guy who used to work for Gibson started making his own out of his private shop so he knew the exact recipes and how to give them the correct serial numbers. That guitar could still be fake even if it has a real serial number. It's the story behind it that tells you if it's actually real or not. That guitar does look legit though. Just repainted.
My first guitar was a gibson sg with the factory floyd rose, which was pretty rare. It was beautiful black and had some sort of special factory ordered pickups. It was stolen from me by a close family member and sold to a pawn shop where it was dropped and shattered. I was just getting into playing and didn't touch a guitar after that for years. I was shot in the face and am disabled so I will probably never be able to afford such a quality instrument as my first ever again. I really loved that thing, but I'm lucky to be alive and have a couple cheap guitars to beat on nowadays. That guy got an awesome deal on that guitar.
Pretty click baity there trogly. Nobody ever claimed it was a Chibson as far as you explained. The shop simply couldn't in good faith sell it as a authentic Gibson since it is now far from original. The fact that the scammer attempted to make it look like a custom SG, makes it a counterfeit. They realized it upon further inspection and priced it to get it away from their store. Gibson finds it and they are going to flag it, because someone is going to try and sell it as a custom for $3500 eventually.
Jim Wagner WCR pickups used to mark his pickups with the Red and Blue stripe in those locations. Not sure if anyone else does that but for my money, those are WCR Coils/Wagner pickups. I bet that guitar sounds amazing.
Hate to say it, but I worry that strongly got this one wrong. This particular SG appears to be a fantastic fake which has been dressed up with hardware by a previous owner. I ordered a ‘57 reissue “chibson” Les Paul to learn how to refret on. Same deal on the inconsistencies - New Orleans era headstock veneer, 2011 serial number with USA stamp, and a real ebony fretboard with no fret nibs. The truss rod and cavity are accurate as well. The aliexpress seller prided themselves on how accurate the actual build was. (FYI - I scratched out the serial and carved “Fake” into my copy).
It's not every day I get to tell a "reverse scam" story! It is now with its new owner that always wanted to own a 2pup White SG Custom - (for $400 is a Christmas Miracle!)
🟢My Website: www.troglysguitarshow.com
🔴Reverb: tidd.ly/4aFiyhC
❓Private Help Sessions: troglysguitarshow.com/help-appraisals/
👕 Merch: teespring.com/basic-logo-4245?pid=211
I will give you $400 for it ..😁
Nice find, cool that you could help the guy out.
Really enjoyed the playing, glad to see you stepping out of your comfort zone with the finger picking.
I just absolutely ranted hard on Roberts Guitar Dungeon about his list of worst guitars I commented that Chibsons are the worst!
Don't the Gibson SGs have a flush body to neck joint?
*Edit*
Upon further research, it looks like the early SGs had that neck joint. Can you say when they started sculpting it flush like you see on modern ones? Thanks.
A player can only dream of coming across such a deal. That's impressive work whoever did that.
Whoops, I think we sent the wrong box...
😀😆🤣
Could you send another one to us?
Could you make that 2
Make that 3
If youre sending out 3 already may as well make it 4
Knowing what I know about SG’s, the strap probably fell off at the neck, and it broke the headstock and the person who repaired it went all out and did a great job
If I was the owner I would have broken into tears.
Exactly
Never had an SG with neck dive. Y’all fenderheads can stay coping
@@RoachDoggJr2112 I’ve been playing Les Paul’s my whole life, I have four, and I only have one fender. No reason to get butt hurt over someone else’s opinion.
@@RoachDoggJr2112all 3 of mine have neck dive, including 2 standards (one a 68) and a custom.
Maybe if I shielded the cavities with lead they wouldn’t…
This guitar was for sale at one point in San Diego, CA. It has a headstock repair which triggered the owner to make all the upgrades. I think they were done by The Repair Zone in San Diego. They have the talent to modify a guitar like this. I found it when I was looking for an SG Supreme or Modern.
I wonder of trogly has seen this
I emailed Repair Zone the video link, but sadly they didn't remember if they worked on this guitar or not.
@@ericolson326 - How could they not? How many white ones come in to be completely repaired? They are pulling your leg!!
I worked at a music store in the mid 1990s. We got shipped from the factory an acoustic guitar that had a Gibson headstock, and Epiphone inside the body, visible thru the sound hole. I asked a Gibson Factory rep about this. He said when the factories were moving locations, they just grabbed what ever was laying around & slapped the parts together, so they didn't have to move them.
I'm not a huge fan of Gibson, but I'd appreciate a Gibson+Epiphone hybrid just for the lulz.
Bonus points if it's a Wilshire (or similar) with a Gibson headstock.
Proving my point that Gibson are resting on their laurels
That’s not a steal that’s robbing the whole shop. 400 for that level of Gibson is crazy.
Get this -- $399 was just the last asking price before the Reverb listing came down (the third time). When the seller -- a brick & mortar store in Iowa -- put it up on its own site instead, it was at $349. And *then* there was some sort of automated coupon/sale going on, so at checkout it took off *another* $50. After tax and shipping from Iowa to Indiana to here it came to a little over $400, but the guitar itself was only $299. 😂
My guess is that the shop wasn't 100% certain about how legit the guitar was and didn't want to risk getting knocked for selling a fake as a legitimate custom. I see a lot of modded Gibsons go for more in far worse condition. This one is pretty nice.
So basically the shop fooled itself, and these kind “samaritans” helped them out real fast.
Man I hate flippers and profiteers, it’s just disgusting…
But hey America land of the free market and all that
Their bad.
@@ericolson326 My GOD.... lol.
This reminds me of a guitar I bought on Reverb a while back that was heavily customized beyond Gibson’s specs. It was an SG Special Faded that had its fretboard replaced with an ebony fretboard and no fret nibs, just like this one, a Standard headstock veneer added, refinished in Pelham Blue and a Vibrola trem added. In the end it looked mostly like a large-guard SG Standard. I tracked down the shop that did the work, and they told me there’s a guy who brings guitars in all the time to have them reworked like this. I wonder if it’s the same guy.
oh DO TELL. - I mean what shop does this quality of work? Two of my Gibsons need some work, not as extensive as this, but work none the less.
I have met customers who request these kind of modifications and more so that would make a lot of sense, that someone went through the trouble to convert/change a guitar
What's the name of the guitar shop?
Name drop tha shop
Just name the damn shop 😮
That is a very well done conversion. The fingerboard, headstock veneer and finish work are professionally done. I would love to have a SG Custom in that spec! What a steal at $400!
Like I would love to have a Gibson les Paul custom for 400
Yes,Nice guitar ,Nice job !!!
I honestly wonder if it was indeed stolen from its owner, or if someone passed... Because it's a lot of personal preference selecting,getting the right Luthier,parts...money + time to just part with it. That was someone's dreamy project.
So good he was looking directly at the inlay fills and he didn’t even see them. That takes some skill.
Mad respect for helping out that dude out and giving it for what you paid for it! Awesome man!
As a chibsons manufacturer I will use this new knowledge to upgrade my processes. Thank you
youre definitely not a chibson manufacturer Bobby Davro 😂😂😂😂😂
As a Chibsons manufacturer human resources I can confirm Bobby Dravro works on the manufacturing line. He will be reprimanded for attempting to upgrade his process.
I own Chibson Guitars and I'm going to take over the world!!! Bwa ha ha ha ha!!
That is one hell of a beautiful axe and that veneer wouldn’t have been easy to put on if that was the case I’d assume the headstock may have been broken
Haha I’ve got a chibson LP Supreme a friend sold to me for $50 about 15 years ago. My dad took it to a guitar shop and people were offering to buy it off him for $600-$1000. I knew it wasn’t the real deal after a 5min search showing the real Supremes don’t have any wiring cavities in the back. Still funny when people including my dad think it’s legit. 🤣
Trogly is a good man selling that for what he paid for it.
Agreed, Austin chose to honor a $10 private help session instead of making a huge profit. That level of integrity is rare, much respect to him.
it’s a win-win situation….he gets to make a video while earning more respect as a reseller!
Honestly, as a reseller of vintage guitars, he should have protected his reputation by branding the back of the headstock as a standard.
Same way you would with a factory second.
Might not happen for years, but someone will try and sell it as a custom shop rare model for over $5000.
And trogly simply sending it down the line will have to defend himself when it's history passes through him.
Personally if I'm after some 70s Les Paul and trogly has one and one other person, I'm not going through the one who has a history of blowing off guitars modded to look like more expensive models
He should have simply stamped it at least.
Mad respect trogily 🤘
luzzyfows why do people like you act like making money is morally wrong. Do you have a job?
Congrats to the new owner and a fantastic story to go along with it.
I'm loving this video. I'm not really a "guitar guy" I've got a cheap Epiphone Les Paul and a bad wrist. But I'm a carpenter and the rework on the fretboard is very similar to a veneer fix I did today to a wine display. I don't know how many can perform this level of work but I love seeing some techniques I'm familiar with in fields I've never touched
That's a real talent you have there. You should so that as a side business! You can charge whatever you want within reason and make some real money.
No way, I’m a carpenter with a bad wrist, I did my apprenticeship in a joinery shop, I find a lot of work on guitars you can relate back to something you’ve done carpentry / joinery wise
This is why we can’t have nice things
A good oldfashioned veneer job is bloody difficult, I was told by a retired carpenter in our kayak and canoe club. One of the projects he is proud of, was the dashboard of a British sports car.
Thumb over cured my bad wrist that kept me away from playing for years. Thanks to Jimi and Srv Im not stuck playing the drums anymore .... 🤣
If anyone doubts when he tries to resell it, it's trogly certified authentic, which is good enough for me.
You can literally refer them to a RUclips video with the serial number visible.... Weird flex, but it works
“I think I’ll do a conversion on this guitar that will make it worth $400 someday.”
Yeah, you take a $1500 gibson, put work into it to make it on par with a $3500 guitar, and reduce its value to less than $500. The dilemma of being a guitar PLAYER rather than collector.
Seems to me like it was probably a headstock break that prompted a whole rework. I have to imagine it was probably a top tier luthier or repair shop that did the work, and did an excellent job. The only part that bugs me are the pickups, possibly they were removed before it was sold on?
I think these are a LOT higher output than stock, and make total sense as a personalization.
What an amazing story, imagine the time and/or money spent on this one!
I had a similar experience with a British brand SG copy in "vintage white".
I bought a Vintage VS6VW from a store for €100 (normally €350) because it had a crack at the neck joint and some gold aging. Probably somebody dropped it while playing in the store and never mentioned it to the shop owner, not sure. I got my luthier to firmly clamp it tight together and drill some tiny holes in the crack under the cover at the front and fill it with superglue. I'm pretty confident it's safe now.
I've never seen such a unnoticeable fretboard replacement and headstock veneer redo. I absolutely would pay $1500 (top dollar imo). Love it.
That guitar shop could use an employee that at least knows a little bit about Gibsons.
Exactly
At least make a phone call like they do on Pawn Stars!
As a guitar dealer, I'm surprised Trogly thinks the shop got" bullied." They figured whatever small loss they took on some modded SG was worth avoiding a bunch of internet drama that could potentially cost them thousands in future sales.
clearly this was a case of, "someone is gonna think we ripped them off" always be ware of the customers ignorance.
I don't know what the situation is in the US, but here in Europe if a allegedly real Gibson has been worked over like this one, it loses a *lot* of its resell value - this one would fetch probably 400-500 Euros, although that case easily adds another 200 as they're rare as hen's teeth over here....
You probably hit it on the head..
Trogly actually comments on this at about 11 minutes
Gibson nuts will probably freak out at my comment but I think Gibson's have become a bit of a scam as far as pricing goes. I had an early 70's Angus-type SG I bought in 1977 from a lawyer who had it under his bed so it was in perfect shape and it was a great guitar but it wasn't $5,000 dollars great or any kind of crazy price like that and I think the only reason they sell for absurd prices is that people (like lawyers!), have the money and are willing to spend that to get the guitars they wanted while they were going to university OR they had sold and now want to own again.
Body was touched up, and refurbished by someone that loved it, the older paint matches the neck under the light. Amazing work, and even more amazing find! respect for you willing to help the guy after getting such a crazy deal, I know people that can't bring themselves to maintain that level of integrity, that's the real rare find.
What I can't understand is why someone would go to that much trouble to 'upgrade' this SG? Must have been a labor of love.
@@jimchesnutt7879 - A snapped neck and fretboard gives no other option!
The pick guard isn’t discoloring the finish, under the pick guard has never been faded from exposure to UV rays, sunlight, etc.
this guitar probably spent some time outside of a case, possible close to a window, maybe a music shop had it on display in a window showcase or whatever, but it’s just a touch sun bleached, and under the pick guard has never seen the light of day and still has the original luster.
On a side note…I’ve actually purchased a couple sets of the Stew Mac Golden Age hum buckers..and A/B’d them against my custom shop R9 and R0 and they sound beautiful 🙂
A skilled luther with steam rods and irons could most likely remove a fret board without damaging the rest of the neck. Whoever did the work should be given a job with Martin or Gibson.
That is the craziest thing I’ve seen yet! Kudos for you doing the right thing for the customer! You just can’t buy that kind of reputation - gotta live it man! 👍🎸
This one started Life as a SG-Standard Single! The neck was cut from a 24 Fret to a 22 Fret to make room for another pickup at the neck, as originally only had one. Those two frets took up too much room to router the needed space and they cut it down.. That's why the pick-guard holes don't match at the top and fading is funny. This was originally a string through guitar, look for six tiny string holes in the body. THe original input jack was on the side. Now They are using the old Tone hole, for their input jack, (on the front? lol) and the other a R/L switch, where originally had just two knobs with the volume being a push button to split the coils . The four pots in your guitar were added with the new re-worked original SG neck & 2nd pick-up and new machine heads as the orig were Grover . The New neck-inlays wee added as the originals were a split diamond type design in mother of pearl. It is a very fast neck built for ripping leads.
How do i know? I have a 1989 Gibson SG-Single in 'Alpine White" with 24 Fret and just one original 1959 GIBSON LP at the Bridge. It is a string through-body Guitar. The Neck Head Stock is Pearl Inlay with a crown inlay under it and is one piece, i suspect it is under that plastic plate they used on the Head stock on your guitar and i bet if you look, you will see the orig inlay Gibson logo.
With the pick-guard removed, you see it's solid, no space cut for another pickup... a 1/4" 'chevron' shape or a shark's mouth is there and about all you see, is the tip of the neck attached at the 21st fret., ... Just to add this SG single has a sustain that needs to be heard to be believed as it is a string-through body . , (more wood is more good( for sustain) as mentioned 24 frets, its an odd ball for sure but i luv it. I got in Sacramento in 91 for $550.
“You gotta play to win”. -Tyrone Biggums
I commend your integrity in honoring the help session price! It's a weird conversion, but nicely done, mostly. Not a fan of the pups, but easy to fix. Overall a great deal for your viewer.
Congrats to the new Owner - amazing deal!!!
I am not an SG player but congratulations to the receiver of this. My main guitar is a 1985 Gibson XPL. Got it at age 16 and still play it. Had a stainless refret done and run Seymour's in it.
I'm not a big fan of the SG but something about this one I really like. The fretboard and headstock are nice. Those pickups sound pretty nice too. I watched several of your videos in a row through my headphones and you can really hear differences between guitars. This sounds great. Looks great and the gold hardware really sets the whole thing off. What a lucky find. Congrats to the dude getting that one.
You can tell that it just feels comfy and inviting to play. Some guitars you can just see it before you even hold them.
Good hardware is a huge turn off for me personally…it looks good sometimes on black LPs…but I like smoked nickel, or everything blacked out
Same, not an SG fan but this one is pretty cool.
Actually they are great guitars to play and I had one long ago but I never liked the way they looked and I also hated the cherry red candy coated apple-type finish when I was a teenager. But as for how they play and feel they are great.
15:25 Can't believe you told that guitar that is has a small ding.
I had a 2013 Gibson Les Paul Standard and the neck and frets were so appalling I had it refretted within a year or so before eventually moving it on so not surprised the nibs are missing on this - Really don't understand why Gibson persist with their silly fret bindings. Oh and it came with Tone Pro Bridge.
The headstock veneer is usually made out of Holly wood, good job figuring out which one matched (or at least was close enough) to this guitar.
My guess is that it broke the headstock at some point and was sold as a husk to someone who was able to fix it and do it well so they made it a custom.
Unreal get and hats off to you for not snaking your client on the deal!
I’d bet big $ that it was a headstock break that also trashed the fingerboard and the headstock veneer. So might as well upgrade both the fingerboard and veneer before the refin.
Sweet axe! You don't see too many white ones. A white SG always reminds me of Glen Buxton of the original Alice Cooper Band. 🤘
To remove the fret board without damaging the paintwork on the neck is easy if the original fret board can be sacrificed. 1. remove frets. 2. use an electric planer or router remove most of the board 3. use a belt sander to get close to the neck wood and 4. hand sand to the final finish.
Love that little change to "Dropped D"!!!
Enjoyed the video man, see you tomorrow!!!
My 2012 Les Paul standard came stock, with Tone pros bridge & Tailpiece. I had a 2010 SG standard, same thing. From what I researched, Gibson offered that from 2008-2012, on Standard models. The LP also had locking tuners, and input jack.
this just reminds me of a long time ago when I had GMW do an inlay conversion from dots to blocks, and they did such a great job concealing the original dots. I couldn't see a trace of them.
🤣🤣🤣 please tell me this is a joke
That thing is gorgeous!!! I primarily only play PRS now but my favorite guitar is still the SG. I'd give almost anything to get lucky enough to get a deal like this on an actual Gibson SG. Great find and even better save Trogly, well done sir!!!
Poor sod. PRS and SG guitars have one big feature in common: blandness.
@@Ndlanding says you're one opinion. I own over 20 guitars, been gigging regularly for decades. I have just switched to sg's. Best guitars on the planet.
Really good Luthier work on that bad boy.. should have 61 PAF reissue pickups
That bridge pickup is abrasive as hell… yikes!!
That guitar sounds very thin compared to other SGs I have heard/played. Those pick ups I would have to replace! I like the guitars looks and for 4-500 bucks what the hell. I would make that my roadie. I’m looking for something like that to take back out to sea with me when I go to my next boat. I got a hell of a travel amp I just want a cheap decent guitar. That would be perfect.
🤣🤣🤣 Episodes like this is why I keep tuning in love my Gibsons love all the minutia and detailed history
I think a history like that makes it unique, and INCREASES it's desirability. No one else in the world's got one, y'know?
I can break one for you, if you pay extra 🤪
Fantastic! Lucky guy. Nice of you to make it right with him. 👍🏻
That tabletop looks like it was beneath a urinal in a bar for 20 years.
Dang, that's a good looking guitar. Knowing it's history, I personally would find it difficult to pay a premium for it, but I'd pay a lot more than $400 for it.
I've rebuilt two SG Special Worn Series 3 p/u guitars that was sold about 10-15 years ago. One became a look-alike of the 2 p/u SG Custom that Angus Young is using in the "Let there be rock video" the live Paris show from around 1980, the other became a look-alike of Angus's lightning bolt guitar that Gibson themselves made about 10 years ago (the super rare one built in something like 200 copies). From personal experience, having removed two rosewood fretboards using steam and heat, replacing them with custom made ebony fretboards - I see it highly unlikely that no refinish was needed on this guitar. You can make it fairly clean, but the paint will chip and it is very difficult to match the binding and neck without sanding. The finishes on these guitars are so thin that when you start sanding you will get through the layers very quickly. My best guess is that at least the neck has been refinished, if not replaced completely. One problem I got with the SG Custom look-alike is that the heads are not the same size so I had to add material in order for the new inlayed overlay to fit, that threw off the positioning of the serial number. The guitars are mine forever to keep (I'm obviously an AC/DC and Angus Young fan) so that won't be a problem, but it makes me wonder how this one was done. Could it be a true custom order from Gibson or a replacement neck of different type ? The CW written with a pen (in a very odd color) doesn't really say you anything. BTW, the overlays you buy in Ebay can't just be covered in a clear lacquer, then the headstock will turn almost grey, the ones I've bought at least, needs an overspray of black - then you need to scrape the MOP inlay clean and then clear lacquer on top of that. Tedious, but the result is really great.
Trogly's in the HOUSE!!!
Oah yaaa
Greetings Greg
We have Greg and RONDO in the House!
Sweet SG, super happy for the new owner.
Tell your buddy not to swap those pickups out. Damm. That is a gut punching rock monster, I dig it.
Some folks here in the comments say they think the pickups suck, so it's really just an issue of tone preference.
Agree, those PUs sound great!!
That new fretboard has less tooling marks than an actual gibson LMAO
Austin. You're a man of high integrity. So appreciated, especially in this day and age of deception, fake and fraud. Merry Christmas and happy new year.
I delt with him. No, he's not!!
@@mistersniffer6838 can you tell us why? What is your experience
@@scoutgirl7739 - I have a 20xx Gibson. Asked him if he thought it was real, since I got it for about half retail price. I sent him x-ray pictures, cavity pictures etc, the whole nine yards. He just told me it was a 20xx year (which I knew) and didnt really weigh in on if it was real or not. So, seems he is too busy for even a paid service.
Do you think this left the factory this way? maybe it was a one off? or someone sent it to get work done on it? this work looks impossible to achieve afterwards!
No, it’s pretty easy to do for a competent luthier. They do way crazier shit on the daily. Just look at a neck reset on an acoustic, and that’s a relatively common thing to do
There’s a couple of small details that are still incorrect for a custom, namely the serial number and lack of a custom shop logo on the back of the headstock
Whoever did the work did a fantastic job, and clearly cared about the finished product. I don’t think a shop did this because the cost would’ve been outrageous for such work, and such shops that do this clean of work are (unfortunately) really rare. I’d say this was most likely a personal project done by a pro luthier in their spare time
@@qwertpoiuy430 That wouldn't be that easy for any Luthier to pull off. I have built overt 2,000 guitars and worked for a guy who is considered one of the best at repairs and that would have been tough to do without doing a refin. You could mill the fingerboard off or build a jig to rout it off but would be hard to do it perfectly even where you could take it off evenly without leaving a slight hint of it. same with the headstock. Perhaps someone put the wrong neck on at the factory and it made it past QC. No binding on the frets is obvious refret. Even if they steamed the fingerboard off there would be some kind of damage to the finish. Maybe that is how the checking happened.
That 2nd number reading though when you checked the middle position at 6:23 ... The number of the beast! Haha. Great video man!
It's so funny how Gibsons quality control is so bad people feel like they need to change things to fix it, then those fixes make people think it's a fake 🤣
Lol seriously im watching this and asking why do you guys idolize these guitars?
"My SG stays in tune, has a decent finish and the headstock isn't broken, it must be a fake!"
@@1978garfield Actually, SG necks are more famous for just separating from the body.
I've been down that road many times with Gibson, but the quality really depends on the years, aka when the workers hate their CEO and dont care about what they make. Buy years where people were valued and taken care of and you'll get a solid guitar
The pickup cavities on this SG look shockingly shoddy.
Personally I've always thought Gibsons vastly overpriced, happy to be proven right...
With the neck having been refinished, my best guess would be that it suffered the infamous the infamous dropped and broke the headstock off the neck scenarios. In having the neck repaired someone said I always wanted this particular model why not build a tribute "clone" out of it while it is torn down and that would explain the finish not showing signs of damage from fretboard replacement. It would also explain how the headstock veneer does not show any tell-tale signs of finish rework.
I love the fact I’ve used the info I’ve learnt in this channel to both stop a prick gaslighting a shop into believing their real Norlin era LP custom was a fake
And also stopping a shop from selling a Chibson for $2k masquerading as a Nashville 335
Thanks For you insights as always Trog
I had a 92 Les Paul special and it had the CW notation in the pick up cavity and had a bit of yellowing on the neck.
It had an ebony fretboard tho'.
I was not aware they made some of the early 90s with the ebony fretboard but collectors said they did.
What an amazing back story with this! This is why we need honest, technician, analysts like Trogly. Someone who's aware of the good deal, and is presenting the guitar as such. Not some "bitchin' guitar" dude, who'd turn it around and sell it as a "customized SG" for $15,000. Thanks Austin.
That's awesome. I am new to the channel but this just made me respect you so much. So the first guy gets his guitar, gets an appraisal, and an awesome story all for $400. That's cool.
So your Chibson was a Gibson? What a Tripson!
Very clever 👏 👌 😀 😄 👍
I have a Chibson with serial numbers etc. The guitar center couldn’t tell when I took it there.
Trogly is a good man if he really sold it to the buyer at the price of $400.... Props to you Trog!
Trog said that it didn't have split coil technology "fortunately" not sure why he feels that way. My 2011 has splits and it's an awesome sounding instrument. Although rarely do I play it split. Just wondering why he said that, nice to have if you want it, but if you don't use it what is the difference? Mine has 490/498 PUs. Anyone have thoughts on this? Trog?
As a small business owner myself, I appreciate you your honesty and ethics in letting this deal go to your client. Fun video and if you ever find out what luthier replaced that fingerboard- I want his number. LOL
Back in the late 70's a friend turned me on to ES-125TDC's. I bought one from the 60's for $350, it was a little beat up and re-fretted. Bought another for $350 I think was early 70's but didn't like the neck because it was fatter. Put it in the "Want-Ad Press" for $350 (same price I paid). The guy who bought it tried to give me an extra $100 bill and I said no man, I just want to get my money back. He was shocked and started wondering if there was something wrong with it. When he left he said, "you should check out prices at Sam Ash or mabey he said Manny's, I can't recall now; but he said you'll be surprised to see what these are selling for now. That was the last time I sold a guitar for my purchase price. Now I see these things selling for $2,500 all day.
Trogly, that good mojo will come back to you. Thanks for all you do, and for being a good egg.
Wow, that is a real Gibson. That's the deal of a lifetime!! Not possible to replace the fretboard without refinish if you want it to look natural. The mods on this guitar was done by a real guitar guy. He could work at Gibson even. $1500 to $2000 is spot on!!
Man, I would be insanely jealous of this deal if not for, well, you know. 😉 Excellent video and thanks again!
Enjoy it!
Ah, so I'm guessing it was you who bought it then? What a deal man, congrats. That thing looks gorgeous!
@@jubei7259 Good guess, and thanks! A white 2-pickup SG custom has been on my bucket list for ages.
@@ericolson326 I love SG's (got 2 of 'em, a '92 Standard & a '61R) & I've always wanted a white Custom (with 3 pups though). I just don't want to fork out the 5 Grand or thereabouts to get one. I'd be more than happy to settle for just 2 pups though if I could find one as cheap as yours lol. Even those pups, which I thought would be way too hot & sound horrible, sounded lovely (apparently they're Wagner's or something & a decent upgrade). Congrats again, cool find pal.
I’ll give you 500 for it :D
About 4 years ago I found a 69 SG Special in the basement of a house I was painting.
(Owner told me I could have anything I wanted that was left behind by former tenants) it was tucked away in a dark and dusty corner. Looked a little rough. Someone who didn’t know what they were doing tried to refinish it😭.
I have properly refinished it. As a professional painter, I learned restoration on old staircases, cabinets, furniture,ect.)
I LOVE my SG and I love the price I paid 🤣😂 for it. The only thing I had to change was the string’s.
It is 💯legit vintage,all original, pickups, pots, ect.
Total Price under $50 and a little labor!
Nice guitar. Get your money’s worth.
What??? What a steal!!! That’s very cool of you selling it to the original guy, talk about integrity. Well done 👏👏👏👏🤙🍻
Sounds like Gibson needs to hire whoever did this!
To get a custom modified Gibson for an Epiphone price isn't exactly terrible. Back when a model like this was available brand new for $400 USD, that price would have been more like $2,000 in today's rate. Even I would want something like this if I wasn't so concerned about having a(nother) top heavy guitar. That whole thing concerning neck dive is what may always put me off getting an SG.
I find your integrity refreshing! Most people you see in the music industry is all about themselves but you stood tall here! So glad I found your offerings to world!👊🙏
Thanks for watching!
It appears the squares for fret markers are not perfectly centered, in first few of them (1, 3, 5). Not sure I saw any perfect photos to determine from your video but looking at them with strings the 1 and 3 look like they are even on one side and of on the other (should be a little off on both). Its difficult to get them all centered when doing by hand, almost always off by a tiny bit and not noticeable usually. I'm thinking the fretboard was made by hand, and they did a nice job on it. All the higher frets, where I could see better from video, they looked dead on right.
Can just spray clear lacquer if the white wasn't damaged and you would never be able to know. I'd be curious about blacklight test on original color lacquer with a new clear only on top. Would the glow from the color show up or would the new clear layer prevent it?
Looks more yellow around the neck joint, under normal light. Possibly entirely renecked. Built from two broken guitars? Possibly neck pocket repair as well.
That’s nitro fade where the pick-up ring fits, if the neck had been out the writing on the neck ten on would be gone if the neck had been out. I think it’s just a fretboard replacement and neck refin
The real difficult stuff was done at the factory. The replacement parts were done by an owner... SG body, pro shop neck. I'm thinking the neck snapped off at the factory. Mfr refurb'd with a neck they had layin' around, then an owner did the hardware, pickup, and pots...
No you’d have to refinish if you took the fret board off.
Agreed, there is now way that binding is coming off without damaging a good portion of the finish. Especially since Gibson paints the lower part of the fingerboard binding. If it were originally that white color an experienced person could match the finish (as it appears they did).
Fingerboards do not want to come off and they will put up a pretty good fight when being removed.
Gotta say, the jumbo frets really changed the whole look of that Custom/Ebony fingerboard, I think it looks better than stock w/fret nibs.
I think I know what happened. Most stores “If they’re not Guitar Center” as any changes to the guitar as devaluing the guitar itself, and thus they usually give you a modification markdown off of the trade value that they would normally give you, usually this markdown is under $50. Guitar Center does the same thing, except after they purchase the guitar they add everything that has been added also to the overall price based on that price if there was no modifications, but if there was major modifications they won’t even buy the guitar, because the selling price of that guitar is going to be under what the selling price of their other guitars are based on the major modifications.
I’m surprised the shop owner even bought the guitar.
Man, I still think this guitar is a fake. No fret nips, fake pickups and wiring, wrong ebony fretboard 12th fret inlay wrong... I could be wrong, but I'm sure this thing is just a fake. The gold color on the tuners look wrong and fake. Gibson pots are fairly cheap to install. Confusing guitar to say the least.
Yup.
You can see that headstock veneer is way thicker than any stock Gibson. So someone did glue this one over the stock one. From side view one could see black line of the stock headstock veneer so respray of the headstock was needed. Than he cut the finish of the neck under the binding and heated up the original fretboard and then removed it. This looks like he made new ebony fretboard and that’s why it doesn’t have fret nibs. Then all neck was re touched. If he did cut the finish nicely he needed only top clear coat over the whole neck and small side of the headstock touch up. That’s how it looks like to me. This was done by luthier disregarding how he calls him self and is he living from it. Great job. Even as touched up Standard its wort so much more. It’s a conversion that doesn’t bother me at all although I am bit of a purist and traditionalist. Excellent work and even better value.
Goodwill for $100?! 😆🤣 The Goodwill does not have the greatest deals at all times. Guitars usually get auctioned on their website... so bargains on guitars are super rare. Guitar sell prices are rarely below market. I mean, they sell stuff that couldn't sell on clearance at Target with prices marked higher than the Target clearance price (probably not worth the effort to remove the old price tags, so they're often still there).
This could also have been a black SG Custom refinished in Classic white. It's very possible that either the customer had it sent back and painted classic white or had an experienced luthier paint it white and stamped with the "CW" in the neck pick up cavity to make it look like it was never repainted. Literally looks identical to a Black SG Custom except in white. My friend Brett bought a fake Gibson Les Paul standard in the "Translucent Amber" finish for $300 back in 2014. However, the serial checks out and it shows up as a real Gibson. The story behind it is that a guy who used to work for Gibson started making his own out of his private shop so he knew the exact recipes and how to give them the correct serial numbers. That guitar could still be fake even if it has a real serial number. It's the story behind it that tells you if it's actually real or not. That guitar does look legit though. Just repainted.
Damn $400 for a sg custom and to top it off it has a set of Jim Wagner pickups! Lucky sob!
My first guitar was a gibson sg with the factory floyd rose, which was pretty rare. It was beautiful black and had some sort of special factory ordered pickups. It was stolen from me by a close family member and sold to a pawn shop where it was dropped and shattered. I was just getting into playing and didn't touch a guitar after that for years. I was shot in the face and am disabled so I will probably never be able to afford such a quality instrument as my first ever again. I really loved that thing, but I'm lucky to be alive and have a couple cheap guitars to beat on nowadays. That guy got an awesome deal on that guitar.
The shop got bullied and scammed. Taking advantage of a mom and pop guitar shop like that is almost as bad as selling a fake.
I absolutely love the intro guitar!
Pretty click baity there trogly.
Nobody ever claimed it was a Chibson as far as you explained.
The shop simply couldn't in good faith sell it as a authentic Gibson since it is now far from original.
The fact that the scammer attempted to make it look like a custom SG, makes it a counterfeit.
They realized it upon further inspection and priced it to get it away from their store.
Gibson finds it and they are going to flag it, because someone is going to try and sell it as a custom for $3500 eventually.
Reminds of a broken headstock LP custom I bought that turned out to have been Re necked with an epiphone conversion. Pretty crazy
I can't believe that someone did those mods to a legit Gibs
There's nothing wrong with FIXING Gibsons.
@@snap-off5383 Haha....yep that's one thing. This is a Gibs to a Gibs.
Jim Wagner WCR pickups used to mark his pickups with the Red and Blue stripe in those locations. Not sure if anyone else does that but for my money, those are WCR Coils/Wagner pickups. I bet that guitar sounds amazing.
Good job Trogley. Nice to see honest guys out there.....glad you are returning it to the owner.
What year. This guitar made
Yeak
Jim Wagner pickups usually marks his bridge (red) and neck (blue) like that. if they are wagners, it should sound great!
How!!!?!
Hate to say it, but I worry that strongly got this one wrong. This particular SG appears to be a fantastic fake which has been dressed up with hardware by a previous owner.
I ordered a ‘57 reissue “chibson” Les Paul to learn how to refret on. Same deal on the inconsistencies - New Orleans era headstock veneer, 2011 serial number with USA stamp, and a real ebony fretboard with no fret nibs. The truss rod and cavity are accurate as well.
The aliexpress seller prided themselves on how accurate the actual build was.
(FYI - I scratched out the serial and carved “Fake” into my copy).
Yeah, as he went over the inconsistencies, I started thinking the same thing.