Ok...so after playing both guitars (SG and GT) last night...about 4 hours straight, to backing tracks of every style I could find, I was hit with a couple of unexpected revelations.
Getting totally past all the popular romanticism that Gibson's are perfect and that you should actually rejoice over problems with Gibson's for the sake of headstock script, I will share these observations.
First of all, the incredible difference in tone between this Les Paul and my SG is amazing. Its hard to put into words...but I will try to illustrate....running through the same amp and same settings.
The SG sounds a lot like Angus's tone on Highway to Hell, which I guess we could expect from a pair of GFS Alinco II's with 7.93k/7.88k. Very balanced. Great tone control spectrum. Intonation is dead-on everywhere I check it.
The Gold Top sounds like Robin Crosby's intro riff in "Back for More," kind of a snarling overtone with a real heavy punch. Intonation is dead-on everywhere I check it.
The SG is more comfortable to sit with, which is expected. The Gold Top is very bottom heavy - not balanced like the Les Paul Custom Replica I had made, but that's ok.
The SG, despite my psychological issues with it, really is a capable studio guitar. Quiet under all conditions, it really needs nothing.
I actually turned down $1,200 with case for it yesterday.
The quality of the wiring and shielding is just incredible. The tone from the Bill Lawrence treble bleed is immediately recognizable and really sets it apart. I think this one needs nothing but to be played. I think it could use more pickup output, honestly, but I cannot see opening up a perfect job.
The Gold Top needs a lot of electronic work. That buzz is really bad. It needs to get fixed. Beyond that, this rough looking guitar has some potential...