Review: 2013 Gibson Faded SG Special
With the faded SG Special, we have that odd situation that Gibson and Epiphone seem to get into every few years. Which is that their mid-price products clash and are in open competition.
The most famous instance is the Epiphone Casino, which was essentially a Gibson ES-330 body (but with P90s) but the latter model faded while John Lennon rocketed the Casino into a clear victory for the economy model (at least at that time).
At this time, you can get a faded Gibson SG for around 570.00, and the Epiphone 400 model has dropped to as low as 299.00 (a very good deal also, it's an underrated guitar). This can create some confusion, as about the only thing you can do to an SG is change its color. If it's any other wood than mahogany, it's not an SG, period.
So what Gibson has done is produce an SG that saves you the trouble of buying the Epiphone, and buying good pickups for it. Also, I'm sure Gibson's a little tired of seeing all those competitor SGs and Flying copies selling well at the 400-500 price point.
This particular SG is not the classic configuration. This one is like a special version of the Les Paul. The pickups are standard Gibson 490s, which are more midrangy and dirty than the classic '57s (which are like the Seymour Duncan Seth Lover for another example). There are two camps on this now classic pickup, one hating it, the other liking it.
Personally, I think on any Les Paul Special, faded SG, or any pure mahogany guitar, the 490s are a very good fit. The rear pickup is pretty hot and sharp, yet thick sounding, and the front gives you anything from a classic hard rock sound like AC/DC, or a little on the jazzy/blues side).
Remember, Muddy Waters' first guitar player used an SG (in case you don't know, it was Buddy Guy). Guitars at this level, which have the same standard pickups that the company puts on its high-end stuff, should frankly be bought that way as a package.
If you don't like the pickups, you shouldn't buy the guitar (used or at a close-out price, that's a different situation). The reason? You're going to just add another 200.00-300.00 (if you install the things yourself) to the price. Put that 300.00 with the 579.00 and tax and buy an SG Standard.
Or, even if it gives you a guitar that others think is lame, upgrade to an Epi SG and it'll cost a bit less. Since the 400 model has dropped to 299.99 (due to the Faded coming into the market I imagine) it's a feasible idea.
The faded Gibsons are often a mixed bag, but the lowest-priced ones are as good a deal as any. It's a mid-priced package that emphasizes the key parts of the guitar, the neck, and pickups. The Walnut finish in particular actually has the advantage of looking vintage also.
At 579.00, it's as good as you'll get with Gibson. A decent mahogany guitar, their top-line pickups and a nice neck and fretboard. Also, as we all know, even the cheap Gibsons keep their value better than a lot of other brands, including Epiphones.
So instead of an Epiphone or Agile Les Paul copy, buy a faded SG, and let that Gibson magic rub off on you which is now at a price for the masses.
- Al Handa
2013
Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2013. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.
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