This is the most geekery, crazy, nit picking deep dive of any guitar review I’ve ever seen. I loved it. And it made me appreciate my 2004 SG Special so much more. But I couldn’t make to the end. Had to watch in two parts.
Haha! Glad you loved it. That’s the intent. It’s really made for a specific audience that truly loves and wants to know every detail. It’s funny you say that too. There’s a chef guy that pops up on my RUclips all the time and I always find myself thinking, “who wants to watch 45 minutes about tomato sauce?” …but then I think about what I do. 🤣 Cheers!
The classic worn P90 SG from Epiphone is $20 less than the budget SG here. If you like P90s and want a different color, it is a great choice and probably the best bang for your buck when it comes to SGs. Besides, anyone that really is going to get upset by referring to any of these models by Epiphone or Gibson as an SG and not calling the "Les Paul" ones Leg Pauls is straight up wasting time watching this video. I see your channel more for the person that has enough money to get one model and wants to make a well-informed decision.
Great review, I know a lot of time went into making it. I’ve played 3 of these, and after much of my own research, I own two of them. I honestly believe the smart money is on the IBG, of the four options here, IF you don’t listen through your eyes. As far as it’s finish, I agree. You change strings immediately anyways, so pull the plastic parts off, and for an extra 15 extra minutes with a car hand wax, you’re rewarded with a beautiful rich finish! It also Sounds the best of them all live, with the BB 2/3 pup’s. Some people will still need the very expensive decal on their headstock, to feel secure though.
I just got the Custom Shop 60th anniversary ‘61 (with the sideways vibrola, which is something that I wanted on my “bucket list”)- great timing for this video!
@@johndaugherty4127 it’s really, really great. It has the same type of finish that my 68 LP Custom has. I have a hard time describing it. It’s maybe “harder” of a finish? It feels different than my other Gibsons. The dye gives it such a different look, too. And it sounds really great- you just feel like a rock star playing it. Now, can I say it’s worth the price? Nothing probably is, but I got a heck of a deal on it from a guitar store and I’m so glad I got it. It pairs well nicely with the Murphy Lab R9 in factory burst. 😃
Why does the Epiphone SG Standard '61 you use does not seem like it has a veneer? Is it some sort of different model? or a limited run? All the other standard I've seen have the ugly striped looking veneers.
Appreciate the time you spent on this. Small error at 59:39. You are playing the Gibson USA but the knobs are labeled Epiphone. Don’t suppose I could convince you to add the Gibson SG Supreme to the mix….
Noooooo!!! Haha. It’s bound to happen. Honestly, the “sound test” portion is the most confusing thing to edit every single time. If that’s the only error I can let go of my perfectionist tendencies this time. Haha! I just uploaded a video this morning, and I spotted at least 3 errors in the sound test, small errors for sure, but there’s a heavy debate in my head if I should spend the 4-5 hours re-editing, re- rendering, re-uploading and re-finalizing it to fix… 🤦♂️
Also, I do have a Gibson SG supreme deep dive already. It should be in the Guitar Playlist! AND, I’m doing another SG Supreme deep dive this week for a special model. 🤫
Great video mate. I've the Gibson sg standard 61 in heritage cherry now which plays great but used to own a 2010 Gibson sg reissues with 57 classics which never played as good and gained up sounded muffled on the bridge pickup. Also owned a Gibson 2020 sg standard with 490's and never bonded with that fat wide neck plus that 490 bridge pickup was mediocre
Thank you for checking out the video! I love the SG standard, but never liked the pickups. Swapped them for Custombuckers and now it’s one of my faves. They are all so similar in appearance but so different in the tiny details!
@CompanyGrip so true. I just found that 2020 sg standard fat neck hard to play. I had once a 2010 Gibson les paul traditional with a 59 neck, light in weight, in ebony, 57 and 57 plus pickups and I stupidly traded it for a 2013 standard which didn't turn out as good. That traditional was light in weight and sounded better than anything else I ever owned and I should've kept it and moral of the story is I never played or came across another like it. Now I am too old for les Paul's because of the weight factor so the sg standard 61 is the next best thing beside my strat
Very thorough detailed 61 SG compare, thanks! I want the chiseled angles it's what I fell in love as a kid. Still not sure whether I want BB1,2,3 Al2 or 60s Burstbucker Al5 pups in an SG but your USA61 did sound good. As much as I'd like the USA 61 in TV yellow like yours that blunted upper horn meant for strap buttons annoys me a little. I note that my '74 SG reissue 2018 SG Special has the very narrow neck at 1.65" and sharp upper horn both that I prefer. Also the neck joins the body at 19th fret not 22nd as with your 4 examples. The 74 had regular pole piece minis, but the 2018 has stock Gibson dial rail minis (look like Firebird pups but non magenetized rails and wound hotter).
Thanks, it’s just something I wrote for these videos - it’s the only way I can get by with music not getting flagged these days. About 6 months ago I played 15 seconds of a song from another artist on my guitar and RUclips Flagged it for “similar melody”, so I’ve been trying to use original material unless the song is really old like “Idle Moments” from Grant Green. Appreciate the compliment! Maybe one day I’ll do something with it.
@@CompanyGrip Wow, it is really a nice riff, I'm amazed by your talents. I thought it was a published song and was thinking about learning it through guitar tabs. Hope one day you will be able to play a full version and upload it, I'd like to be the first purchaser. :)
For the "Idle Moments" part, the Epiphone 1961 sounds surprisingly good, even can be compared to the Gibsons. Maybe its the Burstbucker 2&3 boost it up.
JimmyJames! Thank you for the gift and for the comment too! Yes, lots of pickup options available and sadly, I don’t know if any of the Gibson USA offerings will ever offer as much attention to detail as the original models or the custom shop, but darn fine guitars regardless! Yes, your 74 reissue is definitely that period when Gibson switched over to the less intricate body style, that still exists even today with the standards and what not. It’s still a great player, just lacks that flair that makes the 1960-1968 models so magical. At least to me. I LOVE all those carves, and like the video says, that beveling that leads from the body to the neck. Pure guitar nerdery! Haha. Thank you again! For my money, the 61s Burstbucker pickups in the SG Standard 61 is such a good beast!
I’ve been an SG guy since I was a kid and saved up my snow shoveling moneys back around 79’ or 1980. I took a ride on the NYC subway to what was then called ‘Music Row’ and walked into Manny’s Music and purchased a beautiful white SG ( it had the small guard like yours and the input jack was on the side of it. ) Sadly I sold it in the mid 80’s to purchase a car. Currently I own 3 SG’s and I love all three of them, none are Custom Shop… maybe one day I will but the cost difference has stopped me from doing it already, obviously lol. The Standard USA models I own play phenomenally with very low action and it’s just tough to justify the up charge on over to a CS, not that I’m saying it’s not a good choice, the deep red finish on the CS models are beautiful, I believe it’s the aniline red which makes the obvious difference. Great video man, I just subbed your channel, thanks for sharing this in depth breakdown 🤙
Thanks for the sub! Glad you checked out the video too! As you have no doubt realized, I’m a big fan of the SG, so I loved making that video. Custom shop are nice of course, but they can’t build mojo in the shop thankfully! Thanks for sharing your story! Keep rockin! 🤘🏽
Wow, great investigation into all the nuances of these instrument choices! Thank you for presenting them in a systematic and balanced way. Very informative and very helpful. Well done.
The TV yellow SG looks gold. Also, I think maybe part of the Partership with Gibson custom shop is the QC on the Epiphones that are imported are done by the Custom shop instead of Epiphone. Not sure if that is true, but that seems to be how some companies justify the higher price for some of their import models. Also, the guitars could be manufactured overseas and then hardware and electronics installed here.
It’s possible for some models. I think the IBG stuff is still mostly assembled overseas based on the pots and bridge and stuff, but you’re right, they could do some tweaks here. The IBG guitars are shipped out of Gibson Nashville. 🤷♂️
That’s not a bad idea. I think one of these days I’ll probably get to it. Maybe when there’s a slow week for releases. I did kind of an overview of my LP custom a few months back, but it wasn’t as in depth as my deep dives. Truth be told, I need to study the Les Pauls more and how things changed over the years.
Awesome! Thanks for the information! I’m a big fan of the 60BB! I’m always surprised when I hear people say they don’t like them. I think they are fantastic!
Dude, the SG VooDoo is an awesome introduction to the SG line up. The SG is a vintage shape that they could make into a modern metal powerhouse easier than the Les Paul.
Agreed. I love the voodoo more and more every day. What a cool look the first editions had. Ebony Fretboard, satin ebony finish with red grain filler… When they re-introduced it in 2019, they flipped the colors, so the body was blood red with the black grain filler, a maple neck and richlite fingerboard… it was not the same guitar at all! I still want to get my hands on one though and do a side by side… hmm…
No. It’s a great player, and the tone is unique, but to me, you pay for the authentic recreation of the various parts and the elaborate body carving, if you don’t care about that stuff, the Gib USA or the IBG Epiphone are great players too!
This is the most geekery, crazy, nit picking deep dive of any guitar review I’ve ever seen. I loved it. And it made me appreciate my 2004 SG Special so much more.
But I couldn’t make to the end. Had to watch in two parts.
Haha! Glad you loved it. That’s the intent. It’s really made for a specific audience that truly loves and wants to know every detail.
It’s funny you say that too. There’s a chef guy that pops up on my RUclips all the time and I always find myself thinking, “who wants to watch 45 minutes about tomato sauce?”
…but then I think about what I do. 🤣
Cheers!
The classic worn P90 SG from Epiphone is $20 less than the budget SG here. If you like P90s and want a different color, it is a great choice and probably the best bang for your buck when it comes to SGs. Besides, anyone that really is going to get upset by referring to any of these models by Epiphone or Gibson as an SG and not calling the "Les Paul" ones Leg Pauls is straight up wasting time watching this video. I see your channel more for the person that has enough money to get one model and wants to make a well-informed decision.
🙏 Thanks for the support as always!
all reviews should be like this. you deserve more views and subs. kudos
Thank you so much for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers!
Great review, I know a lot of time went into making it.
I’ve played 3 of these, and after much of my own research, I own two of them.
I honestly believe the smart money is on the IBG, of the four options here, IF you don’t listen through your eyes.
As far as it’s finish, I agree.
You change strings immediately anyways, so pull the plastic parts off, and for an extra 15 extra minutes with a car hand wax, you’re rewarded with a beautiful rich finish!
It also Sounds the best of them all live, with the BB 2/3 pup’s.
Some people will still need the very expensive decal on their headstock, to feel secure though.
Thank you for checking it out! All of them were great honestly! It was awesome test them all out!
I just got the Custom Shop 60th anniversary ‘61 (with the sideways vibrola, which is something that I wanted on my “bucket list”)- great timing for this video!
That’s awesome! Great guitar! 🎸 🤘🏽
@@jimfusco how do you like it? Wanting one badly.
@@johndaugherty4127 it’s really, really great. It has the same type of finish that my 68 LP Custom has. I have a hard time describing it. It’s maybe “harder” of a finish? It feels different than my other Gibsons. The dye gives it such a different look, too. And it sounds really great- you just feel like a rock star playing it. Now, can I say it’s worth the price? Nothing probably is, but I got a heck of a deal on it from a guitar store and I’m so glad I got it. It pairs well nicely with the Murphy Lab R9 in factory burst. 😃
@@jimfusco Ive heard nothing but good things about it.
Great review! I just purchased the Epiphone you used in this video...I actually love the finish :)
Thanks for checking it out Scott! I’m on my way to ship it at 10am today as soon as they open! Cheers!
Heritage Cherry on the Gibson Custom Shop
Why does the Epiphone SG Standard '61 you use does not seem like it has a veneer? Is it some sort of different model? or a limited run? All the other standard I've seen have the ugly striped looking veneers.
It is a veneer. I guess it’s one of the better looking ones! Cheers!
Love this video. Thank you for all the info and work it took to make. Can't wait to own a custom shop sg some day
Thank you for checking out my video! Hope it was helpful! Cheers!
Appreciate the time you spent on this. Small error at 59:39. You are playing the Gibson USA but the knobs are labeled Epiphone.
Don’t suppose I could convince you to add the Gibson SG Supreme to the mix….
Noooooo!!! Haha. It’s bound to happen. Honestly, the “sound test” portion is the most confusing thing to edit every single time. If that’s the only error I can let go of my perfectionist tendencies this time. Haha!
I just uploaded a video this morning, and I spotted at least 3 errors in the sound test, small errors for sure, but there’s a heavy debate in my head if I should spend the 4-5 hours re-editing, re- rendering, re-uploading and re-finalizing it to fix… 🤦♂️
Also, I do have a Gibson SG supreme deep dive already. It should be in the Guitar Playlist! AND, I’m doing another SG Supreme deep dive this week for a special model. 🤫
Great video mate. I've the Gibson sg standard 61 in heritage cherry now which plays great but used to own a 2010 Gibson sg reissues with 57 classics which never played as good and gained up sounded muffled on the bridge pickup. Also owned a Gibson 2020 sg standard with 490's and never bonded with that fat wide neck plus that 490 bridge pickup was mediocre
Thank you for checking out the video! I love the SG standard, but never liked the pickups. Swapped them for Custombuckers and now it’s one of my faves. They are all so similar in appearance but so different in the tiny details!
@CompanyGrip so true. I just found that 2020 sg standard fat neck hard to play. I had once a 2010 Gibson les paul traditional with a 59 neck, light in weight, in ebony, 57 and 57 plus pickups and I stupidly traded it for a 2013 standard which didn't turn out as good.
That traditional was light in weight and sounded better than anything else I ever owned and I should've kept it and moral of the story is I never played or came across another like it. Now I am too old for les Paul's because of the weight factor so the sg standard 61 is the next best thing beside my strat
Can you do the P90 versions please?
I have an older P90 SG that I’ll be doing soon. Maybe in a couple weeks or so. I’m so behind schedule. Thanks for checking out the video!
Cheers!
🤘😈🤘
Very thorough detailed 61 SG compare, thanks! I want the chiseled angles it's what I fell in love as a kid. Still not sure whether I want BB1,2,3 Al2 or 60s Burstbucker Al5 pups in an SG but your USA61 did sound good. As much as I'd like the USA 61 in TV yellow like yours that blunted upper horn meant for strap buttons annoys me a little. I note that my '74 SG reissue 2018 SG Special has the very narrow neck at 1.65" and sharp upper horn both that I prefer. Also the neck joins the body at 19th fret not 22nd as with your 4 examples. The 74 had regular pole piece minis, but the 2018 has stock Gibson dial rail minis (look like Firebird pups but non magenetized rails and wound hotter).
How are your arms? ;-)
Great video!
Haha! Tired! Thanks for checking it out.
The Custom shop looks the best by a mile. It looks like you polished it and made it sparkle and used the other three as they were.
It does look great. I love the deep cherry hue! I’m also a fan of the TV Yellow, obviously! 😆
49:45 This raised fret is the reason why you shouldn't buy an epiphone.
A great review thanks
Thank you for checking it out! Cheers!
Couldn't find the song "Missed Flights", may I know whose song is it? The song really sounds good
Thanks, it’s just something I wrote for these videos - it’s the only way I can get by with music not getting flagged these days. About 6 months ago I played 15 seconds of a song from another artist on my guitar and RUclips Flagged it for “similar melody”, so I’ve been trying to use original material unless the song is really old like “Idle Moments” from Grant Green. Appreciate the compliment! Maybe one day I’ll do something with it.
@@CompanyGrip Wow, it is really a nice riff, I'm amazed by your talents. I thought it was a published song and was thinking about learning it through guitar tabs. Hope one day you will be able to play a full version and upload it, I'd like to be the first purchaser. :)
Thank you for the kind words, that means a lot. I hope to develop it one day! Cheers!
For the "Idle Moments" part, the Epiphone 1961 sounds surprisingly good, even can be compared to the Gibsons. Maybe its the Burstbucker 2&3 boost it up.
Possible! And agreed!
Thanks!
JimmyJames! Thank you for the gift and for the comment too! Yes, lots of pickup options available and sadly, I don’t know if any of the Gibson USA offerings will ever offer as much attention to detail as the original models or the custom shop, but darn fine guitars regardless!
Yes, your 74 reissue is definitely that period when Gibson switched over to the less intricate body style, that still exists even today with the standards and what not. It’s still a great player, just lacks that flair that makes the 1960-1968 models so magical. At least to me. I LOVE all those carves, and like the video says, that beveling that leads from the body to the neck. Pure guitar nerdery! Haha.
Thank you again! For my money, the 61s Burstbucker pickups in the SG Standard 61 is such a good beast!
I’ve been an SG guy since I was a kid and saved up my snow shoveling moneys back around 79’ or 1980. I took a ride on the NYC subway to what was then called ‘Music Row’ and walked into Manny’s Music and purchased a beautiful white SG ( it had the small guard like yours and the input jack was on the side of it. ) Sadly I sold it in the mid 80’s to purchase a car. Currently I own 3 SG’s and I love all three of them, none are Custom Shop… maybe one day I will but the cost difference has stopped me from doing it already, obviously lol.
The Standard USA models I own play phenomenally with very low action and it’s just tough to justify the up charge on over to a CS, not that I’m saying it’s not a good choice, the deep red finish on the CS models are beautiful, I believe it’s the aniline red which makes the obvious difference.
Great video man, I just subbed your channel, thanks for sharing this in depth breakdown 🤙
Thanks for the sub! Glad you checked out the video too! As you have no doubt realized, I’m a big fan of the SG, so I loved making that video.
Custom shop are nice of course, but they can’t build mojo in the shop thankfully! Thanks for sharing your story! Keep rockin! 🤘🏽
Great video man!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 thanks for the thorough comparison
Thank you for checking it out! 🤘🏽
Wow, great investigation into all the nuances of these instrument choices! Thank you for presenting them in a systematic and balanced way. Very informative and very helpful. Well done.
Thank you for checking out the video and for the kind words, they mean a lot to me. Cheers!
The TV yellow SG looks gold. Also, I think maybe part of the Partership with Gibson custom shop is the QC on the Epiphones that are imported are done by the Custom shop instead of Epiphone. Not sure if that is true, but that seems to be how some companies justify the higher price for some of their import models. Also, the guitars could be manufactured overseas and then hardware and electronics installed here.
It’s possible for some models. I think the IBG stuff is still mostly assembled overseas based on the pots and bridge and stuff, but you’re right, they could do some tweaks here. The IBG guitars are shipped out of Gibson Nashville. 🤷♂️
Excellent video! The time and effort put into this really shows through. Thank you.
Thank you for checking it out!
Great video! You should do another one for your Les Paul Custom and as an extra you should compare it with the SG custom.
That’s not a bad idea. I think one of these days I’ll probably get to it. Maybe when there’s a slow week for releases. I did kind of an overview of my LP custom a few months back, but it wasn’t as in depth as my deep dives. Truth be told, I need to study the Les Pauls more and how things changed over the years.
Ive got the 61BB in my 2020 LP Standard and I love them. 7.42 in the bridge and 7.43 in the neck.
Awesome! Thanks for the information! I’m a big fan of the 60BB! I’m always surprised when I hear people say they don’t like them. I think they are fantastic!
@@CompanyGrip im with you on them. I feel they are a hidden gem and the best of the large production level burstbucker line.
Great vid. 'Got my '61 CS last week.❤
Nice! Those 61CS are real beautes! Cheers!
Dude, the SG VooDoo is an awesome introduction to the SG line up. The SG is a vintage shape that they could make into a modern metal powerhouse easier than the Les Paul.
Agreed. I love the voodoo more and more every day. What a cool look the first editions had. Ebony Fretboard, satin ebony finish with red grain filler… When they re-introduced it in 2019, they flipped the colors, so the body was blood red with the black grain filler, a maple neck and richlite fingerboard… it was not the same guitar at all! I still want to get my hands on one though and do a side by side… hmm…
@@CompanyGrip The VooDoo reminds me of the Gothic series.
This is a great video. You keep us interested.
Thanks for checking it out! Cheers!
Is the custom shop model worth the price when it comes to playability and tone?
No. It’s a great player, and the tone is unique, but to me, you pay for the authentic recreation of the various parts and the elaborate body carving, if you don’t care about that stuff, the Gib USA or the IBG Epiphone are great players too!
@@CompanyGrip The custom definitely has more time invested in carving for sure.
Out freaking standing deep dive Ben! 👍👏
Thank you for the kind words!