Challenge to all Sherlock Holmes's here. Can you spot it or is nothing odd there?

chilipeppermaniac

chilipeppermaniac

Ambassador of Decibels
Country flag
Is Guitar/ AMP/ Pedal etc Real or Fake, Modded Vs Pristine Untouched OEM like the day it left the factory, and/ or JUST what the heck is it?
I ask because many people here and elsewhere have pretty good BS detectors, details knowledge and stuff like that in their brains on here. AND, I came across the SG FOR SALE over on ETSG. The ad says 1988, but if one looks at my comments and looks at the pics, you all might see what I see and then some other stuff you pick up on. Help me see it, and tell me what you think the guitar really is when you are all done. I will add other items as they come up, and you all feel free to do likewise. Amps, guitars etc.

FS: 1998 Gibson SG

This is a Gibson USA SG reissue from 1998. Originally Ferrari Red, refinished by a professional airbrush artist ( http://gerddagne.com/gd/ ) in white, original pickups, Grover tuners, in excellent condition, includes new hard shell case. $675 plus shipping from NJ 07656
www.everythingsg.com www.everythingsg.com
 
Cool Beagle, I used to go to TDPRI once in awhile.

I am not doggin on Rob or anything, but it was his first post on ETSG and certain things are all over the place for me on that particular guitar.
I am no expert so I posed the questions here.
 
Look more like a 1998 Special to me. The one you posted over there is what an '88 should look like. Something goofy going on with the refin and serial number either way and the price isn't so great as to make you forget about those things. I'd pass hard.
 
Yeah, Gball, This is one of those Has to be seen in person affairs.
I did mention could it possibly be he meant a 98 and typed 88 by accident.

The case is worth maybe $100.
But, since there are so many other SG's out there that all looks as should be without much eye squinting, it is likely one of those is a better choice.
The seller does have about 75 non For Sale posts at TDPRI. Some are even non guitar related.
 
It looks sweet but does raise some flags. The electronics have been tampered with bit that isn't strange since it's a refin. Thete is no serial number but that could be hiding under the finish. I've owned a brand new SG wher ethe serial number and MIA was barely readable because the finish drombthe factory was so thick.

Maybe it is like you say, a 1998...
 
FWIW.... I downloaded from the ad at ETSG, the image featuring the control cavity. It's not detailed enough to make out the date codes on the pots. Maybe somebody else here can see things better than I can...
20201210_120827.jpg
 
Thats an SG special first off: dead give away is the dot inlay and exposed coil humbuckers. The tuners are not stock as Gibson was and still is using Klusons at this point. The wiring in the cavity is absolutely god awful and whoever did that, knows jack :poo: on how to rewire controls. While gibson doesnt copper-foil shield their cavities, they do typically use some form of shielding ( typically in their paint) and this clearly hasnt been redone in the new paint job( from red to white, cavity is white now too) The fact the serial numbers are now goobered up with paint and defaced, makes this VERY hard to date from the surface.

That era of SG special used ebony fretboards, which seems right on this guitar. However, 83-88 models used a 2 knob setup. This is at least 89 by the layout. Probably 490R/490T pickups which was common place on the 89 onward Specials
 
Last edited:
syscokid said:
Ha ha... You were right! It is a '98. Also, the neck pickup has been flipped.
Click to expand...
I flipped the neck pickup on the faux 335 too, basically to make it slightly brighter by having the adjustable poles closer to the bridge than the neck. It rolls the bass off that a normally positioned neck pickup gets a little bit because on that guitar, its inherently bassy anyways being a semihollow body.

But you see that done a lot when someone cuts the wires too short during soldering too lol
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
Is Guitar/ AMP/ Pedal etc Real or Fake, Modded Vs Pristine Untouched OEM like the day it left the factory, and/ or JUST what the heck is it?
I ask because many people here and elsewhere have pretty good BS detectors, details knowledge and stuff like that in their brains on here. AND, I came across the SG FOR SALE over on ETSG. The ad says 1988, but if one looks at my comments and looks at the pics, you all might see what I see and then some other stuff you pick up on. Help me see it, and tell me what you think the guitar really is when you are all done. I will add other items as they come up, and you all feel free to do likewise. Amps, guitars etc.

FS: 1998 Gibson SG

This is a Gibson USA SG reissue from 1998. Originally Ferrari Red, refinished by a professional airbrush artist ( http://gerddagne.com/gd/ ) in white, original pickups, Grover tuners, in excellent condition, includes new hard shell case. $675 plus shipping from NJ 07656
www.everythingsg.com www.everythingsg.com
Click to expand...
Why would anybody paint a red SG white ---unless they were trying to hide something?
 
Amp Mad Scientist said:
Why would anybody paint a red SG white ---unless they were trying to hide something?
Click to expand...
Wow, I didn't notice the part in the ad that said the guitar was originally Ferrari Red... :oops:. FR is an awesome color on an SG. The guitar for sale has lost so much value. $675 (plus shipping) is way too high. Assuming nothing else is majorly wrong with it, $450 would be a fair price. Use as is, like a beater-guitar or refinish it. Ferrari Red would be really cool... :sneaky:
 
Amp Mad Scientist said:
Why would anybody paint a red SG white ---unless they were trying to hide something?
Click to expand...
Sounds about right to me. Like i said on another thread about bursts : light colors are used to hide mistakes, just like car paint jobs hiding bondo that are resprayed in a light tone. Judging by how the serial numbers are sprayed to the point of filling and erasing them, id say this thing was hiding a LOT
 
syscokid said:
Wow, I didn't notice the part in the ad that said the guitar was originally Ferrari Red... :oops:. FR is an awesome color on an SG. The guitar for sale has lost so much value. $675 (plus shipping) is way too high. Assuming nothing else is majorly wrong with it, $450 would be a fair price. Use as is, like a beater-guitar or refinish it. Ferrari Red would be really cool... :sneaky:
Click to expand...
Exactly! The Ferrari Red was unique to only the specials of that time on the SGs , like Candy Apple Blue was unique to Standards. Kind of a waste to change that unless there was a massive cover up attempt
 
Amp Mad Scientist said:
Why would anybody paint a red SG white ---unless they were trying to hide something?
Click to expand...
syscokid said:
Wow, I didn't notice the part in the ad that said the guitar was originally Ferrari Red... :oops:. FR is an awesome color on an SG. The guitar for sale has lost so much value. $675 (plus shipping) is way too high. Assuming nothing else is majorly wrong with it, $450 would be a fair price. Use as is, like a beater-guitar or refinish it. Ferrari Red would be really cool... :sneaky:
Click to expand...

OK, NOW you guys have me needing a 10th look at this ad content. If you guys are seeing Red, Ferrari Red, etc, I think this may have been added info or somehow carefully placed info I did not see any of the other times I looked at the guitar pics or ad copy in ETSG or TDPRI.

I myself would love a WHITE guitar over a red one. The only red guitar I have ever seen that I have liked is a particular ES 335

1607762521337.png
This guitar belongs to an ETSG member Bob Womack, and he has given me permission to post about it.

I posted in the ETSG thread on how the neck pup is upside down, and how the Ferrari red comment was recently added.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top