OPINIONS? - Gibson SG 50's Tribute

ninjaking67

ninjaking67

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Gents,

I have a potential opportunity to pick up a Gibson 50's Tribute SG for $450CDN (approx $360USD). The catch is that the P-90's have been removed. It has all the electronics, pots, etc. Everything but pickups.

Should I pick this up to flip? Mod? Strip and paint with a wild finish?

What do you folks think?
 
You’re asking this group if you should buy.?Have you learned nothing in your time here? :pound-hand:

Seriously though. If the guitar is in good shape structurally. Electronics are good. It’s just minus pups. That does open up options. Load it up with whatever pup grabs your fancy and play away. If you end up not liking it. Flip it.
 
I had one of these. It was a decent guitar, very thick neck. I didn't like the neck. I'm pretty sure the electronics were on a circuit board. If it is the stock electronics you will need to source the plugs to plug the pickups onto the circuit board. I paid $450 new for the one I had. Best Buy was blowing out old stock. They sold a shitload of them. They had been sitting in a warehouse for a long time and the fretboard had dried out. The fret ends were sprouting and very sharp. I had to do some filing to fix them. They seem to sell for around $600 to $700 now.
 
TVvoodoo said:
I don't get it, wasn't the SG a 60's starter? That's A decent price tho... if the neck Feels right, and it's in good shape fits you how can you go wrong?
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Yes, you have to ignore the 50's moniker. Puzzling why Gibson did this but...whatever!
 
iblive said:
You’re asking this group if you should buy.?Have you learned nothing in your time here? :pound-hand:

Seriously though. If the guitar is in good shape structurally. Electronics are good. It’s just minus pups. That does open up options. Load it up with whatever pup grabs your fancy and play away. If you end up not liking it. Flip it.
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Stupid question, I know! :ROFLMAO:

The thing is that I need another guitar like I need another Mother-In-Law and I already have more projects on the go than I care to discuss!

I guess what I should have asked is it really going to be worth the effort, given I already have a killer SG (2020 SG Standard with Maestro).
 
ninjaking67 said:
Yes, you have to ignore the 50's moniker. Puzzling why Gibson did this but...whatever!
Click to expand...
They were stamped “Prototype” on the back of the headstock. I wish I would have kept mine. It had that raw SG bite.

legacy.gibson.com

Gibson.Com: SG

The SG '50s Tribute represents the look, feel, and tone of the set-neck, double-cutaway solidbody as it would have appeared equipped with features of the 1950s. As such, the SG 50s Tribute carries a pair of screaming P-90 pickups, the fat Gibson single-coil that has been beloved for more than...
legacy.gibson.com legacy.gibson.com
 
TVvoodoo said:
I don't get it, wasn't the SG a 60's starter? That's A decent price tho... if the neck Feels right, and it's in good shape fits you how can you go wrong?
Click to expand...
ninjaking67 said:
Yes, you have to ignore the 50's moniker. Puzzling why Gibson did this but...whatever!
Click to expand...

Yeah. It’s weird. The idea is that the ‘50s Tribute SG represents what Gibson thinks the SG would have been like if they had released in the ’50s. I think that explanation is even weirder, and it just strikes me as a hollow marketing gimmick.

Not really “playing authentic.”

But, they are nice guitars. I nearly bought one once, myself. Why not just get it and put real P-90s back in it and keep it?
 
smitty_p said:
Yeah. It’s weird. The idea is that the ‘50s Tribute SG represents what Gibson thinks the SG would have been like if they had released in the ’50s. I think that explanation is even weirder, and it just strikes me as a hollow marketing gimmick.

Not really “playing authentic.”

But, they are nice guitars. I nearly bought one once, myself. Why not just get it and put real P-90s back in it and keep it?
Click to expand...

kind of reminds me when i had one of those ivory and gold triple pup Epi G-400 "Les Paul Custom" SGs
I used to troll all the "Show your Les Pauls" thread like crazy with it.
 
So if you buy a set of pick ups for say $200 & the guitar checks out first off your into it for less than $600. You can get that for any good playing Gibson if you ever wanted to flip it. Hell I will give you $360 for it right now if it checks out :p
 
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The Tribute series SG's were/are great stripped down, no nonsense bare bones rockers. I have a '12 60's tribute (slim taper neck) that I bought new. Changed out the pc board for standard 50's wired circuitry & threw a T top type pickup in the bridge position.
I do also have a '61 standard SG, but the 60's tribute is the one I take to gigs (don't gotta worry about it getting knocked around & it rawks).

So you have an SG standard,,, but you don't have a P90 SG. In your position I'd be grabbing it & Sysco's P90's & rocking that sucker. As has been pointed out, if you end up not liking it you can easily flip it without taking a loss. Cheers
 
There was a lot of derision over on ETSG when Gibson announced the SG "Fifties Tribute."
Lots of us scoffed, and personally I didn't get it.

But here's what conclusion I came to some years later:
The SG 'fifties tribute" is an excellent guitar with a really dumb name.
The "prototype" stamp makes it totally unique.
IMHO it's a very desirable guitar if left stock, because they only made them
for a short time. If you can install Gibson P-90s, you'll be restoring a fairly
rare instrument.

There is something about an SG with P-90 pickups... it's one of the classic tones.
I personally would love to have one, and getting one for a decent price is even more
attractive.

I'd snap that baby up, install a fine quality traditional wiring harness, get the pickups offered
here and wire them in, get it set up perfectly and then I'd play it. Don't buy it expecting to make
a profit... the dumb name will be a stumbling block to most closed minded and/or ignorant
guitarists. People who'd buy it are people who value the music to be made with it... like me.

Get it, restore it as I've described, and then offer it to me. I'll give you a hundred dollars over
whatever you put into it. I live in Michigan now, and could meet you across from Sault Ste Marie
or Port Huron or Detroit if you're anywhere in Ontario.

I know, I know... this thread's months old. But you cain't ketch a fish if ya don't throw
any lures in the water.
 
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