SG John
Ambassador of Cool Guitars and Amps.
I first saw one of these when I was with Javamagic on Denmark Street in London. In the sunlight, it was gorgeous, and the fact that it really is an SG Special with bound fingerboard, dot inlays, two P90s, and a stop tailpiece grabbed both our approval. Even my friend Brendan (owner of one of the HesSG guitars) approved. I have lusted for one since, even though I need another SG like I need a hole in my head.
Anyway, fast forward to my X-mess break, I ordered one. They sent me a buggered one, so they agreed to send a new one pronto.
I picked it up at my mum‘s house yesterday. When I was tuning it up, I broke the the B string. So I oiled the fingerboard while putting on a new set of Nickel Rock and Roll Slinkies. Then I played it a bit unplugged. As I was changing the strings, I picked off a piece of chrome flashing from the cast pit metal tailpiece. Then, I had the same trouble as Grumpy with the set screws binding while intimating. It‘s almost there, but I‘ll need to pull it apart to run a tap through the holes to see if it improves. At the very least, I‘ll need to get a set of Tone Pros locking studs to clamp onto the tailpiece. It‘s at quite an angle because it is so far out.
Plugged in.... wow, these are supposed to be P-90s? They are very hot, and the bridge pickup is a bit brash. I could smooth out the amps eq a bit, but then stomp on some distortion, and the brashness is back. To answer Grumpy‘s question on the other thread, I love the feel of the neck. It has a wide nut, and is a bit fuller/rounder than my ‘62 or ‘61 Reissue. The fretwork is nicely done. More of a medium fret that has also actually been crowned properly, unlike the square frets on my ‘61 reissue.
Future plans will be a set of Tone Pros studs and maybe a MojoAxe tailpiece. Need to look at the controls, and maybe try a cap swap. Also need to spend a bunch of time adjusting the pickups and pole screws. Otherwise, she’s a keeper.
Obligatory sitting in front of the Fawn JMP shot.
Now, I have to get used to saying “Vintage Sparkling Burgundy”, unlike my “Burgundy Mist” Strat.
I have the locking studs on my ‘68 Junior, and they work perfectly. Here you see why I need them.
Anyway, fast forward to my X-mess break, I ordered one. They sent me a buggered one, so they agreed to send a new one pronto.
I picked it up at my mum‘s house yesterday. When I was tuning it up, I broke the the B string. So I oiled the fingerboard while putting on a new set of Nickel Rock and Roll Slinkies. Then I played it a bit unplugged. As I was changing the strings, I picked off a piece of chrome flashing from the cast pit metal tailpiece. Then, I had the same trouble as Grumpy with the set screws binding while intimating. It‘s almost there, but I‘ll need to pull it apart to run a tap through the holes to see if it improves. At the very least, I‘ll need to get a set of Tone Pros locking studs to clamp onto the tailpiece. It‘s at quite an angle because it is so far out.
Plugged in.... wow, these are supposed to be P-90s? They are very hot, and the bridge pickup is a bit brash. I could smooth out the amps eq a bit, but then stomp on some distortion, and the brashness is back. To answer Grumpy‘s question on the other thread, I love the feel of the neck. It has a wide nut, and is a bit fuller/rounder than my ‘62 or ‘61 Reissue. The fretwork is nicely done. More of a medium fret that has also actually been crowned properly, unlike the square frets on my ‘61 reissue.
Future plans will be a set of Tone Pros studs and maybe a MojoAxe tailpiece. Need to look at the controls, and maybe try a cap swap. Also need to spend a bunch of time adjusting the pickups and pole screws. Otherwise, she’s a keeper.
Obligatory sitting in front of the Fawn JMP shot.
Now, I have to get used to saying “Vintage Sparkling Burgundy”, unlike my “Burgundy Mist” Strat.
I have the locking studs on my ‘68 Junior, and they work perfectly. Here you see why I need them.
