syscokid
Ambassador of War & Peace
How so? Spill your guts on this...
Poll: SG Junior or SG Special or SG Standard?
- Thread starter Mr Grumpy
- Start date
BFT Gibson
Ambassador of Originality
here was the guitar for leads on Situation Critical song just posted..always seem to use SG's for leads...
SG John
Ambassador of Cool Guitars and Amps.
It’s just a dragon with a coiled tail. It’s got to be over forty years old at this point.
SG John
Ambassador of Cool Guitars and Amps.
Thanks. A friend of mine gave it to me around ‘81 or so.
syscokid
Ambassador of War & Peace
OP
Mr Grumpy
Ambassador of Comings and Goings
The standard seems to be winning, but that might mean a standard P90 v standard humbucker thread is required! 
Yeah, I can understand that - I'm not convinced either that many Gibson P90s sound that great compared to their humbuckers.
Yeah, I can understand that. They get you most of the humbucker gloriousness with a tad more bite and snarl, imho.
Thank you, Sir. I was a bit unimpressed at first, but am liking her more and more all the time. I'm very happy with the guitar other than: 1) silkscreen Gibson should be inlay; 2) the puppies are distinctly average to my ears; I really should get around to putting the SD Antiquities in, but I'm intending to get the amp perfect first then see how much of a change the pickup swap makes. The P90 on my Junior sounded a LOT better than the ones in this Special (I know many factors affect this, and we could talk about it for a long long time...).
Now that's a guitar - I love that guitar. I think the batwing P90 standard and the Special with short vibrola are equally as sexy; I'm not ure there are many better looking SGs/guitars out there although a 61 with full vibrola, a nice honey fade LP, a 52 tele, are up there.
Yeah, iconic. The standard Gibson humbuckers are really nice as well as aftermarket options being huge. I've tried a few P90s that haven't been impressive to my ears whereas almost all the Gibson pickups and few aftermarket humbuckers I've tried have sounded good. Maybe finding the right P90 is difficult?
With P90s...
The tributes and the SGJs are really nice guitars, under-rated by many. The fadeds too (not so much the last couple of years as they've pissed around with maple necks and glossy finishes...
) are really great rock machines.
O' come on, you don't ever fancy picking up a Junior and just rocking out???
Yeah, I can understand that - I'm not convinced either that many Gibson P90s sound that great compared to their humbuckers.
Yeah, I can understand that.
They get you most of the humbucker gloriousness with a tad more bite and snarl, imho.Thank you, Sir. I was a bit unimpressed at first, but am liking her more and more all the time. I'm very happy with the guitar other than: 1) silkscreen Gibson should be inlay; 2) the puppies are distinctly average to my ears; I really should get around to putting the SD Antiquities in, but I'm intending to get the amp perfect first then see how much of a change the pickup swap makes. The P90 on my Junior sounded a LOT better than the ones in this Special (I know many factors affect this, and we could talk about it for a long long time...).
Now that's a guitar - I love that guitar. I think the batwing P90 standard and the Special with short vibrola are equally as sexy; I'm not ure there are many better looking SGs/guitars out there although a 61 with full vibrola, a nice honey fade LP, a 52 tele, are up there.
Yeah, iconic. The standard Gibson humbuckers are really nice as well as aftermarket options being huge. I've tried a few P90s that haven't been impressive to my ears whereas almost all the Gibson pickups and few aftermarket humbuckers I've tried have sounded good. Maybe finding the right P90 is difficult?
With P90s...
The tributes and the SGJs are really nice guitars, under-rated by many. The fadeds too (not so much the last couple of years as they've pissed around with maple necks and glossy finishes...
) are really great rock machines.O' come on, you don't ever fancy picking up a Junior and just rocking out???
OP
Mr Grumpy
Ambassador of Comings and Goings
Yeah, all of them are nice - it is hard to choose a favourite for some folks, other folks have clarity.
It does seem to be the favourite.
Ooops, my oversight, sorry. Good point, Sir, and I've now added it to the poll - better late than never...
Spectre would be hard to beat when he gets on a roll...
On your other point, I was just kinda interested in folk's preferences and it's always nice to see pics of some of the superb SGs owned on here. But, I did have half an eye on buying that SG Junior back, although that CS '61 just doesn't go away, and it's kinda strange never to have owned a Standard (I really like the plain Jane, no case, Original Series (or whatever they call it now) batwing Standard...).
The standard seems to be winning, but that might mean a standard P90 v standard humbucker thread is required!
MUCH YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Although I’m not too sure that I’m going to end up in the majority on that one....
Gibson P90s are weird....kinda hit and miss?...I love my Standard...the factory P90s are super versatile. My Special 60s Trib...they were nice, but not the same... They measured around the same resistance, but the two guitars have vastly different character. I will continue to speculate that it is the different pickup positions, and mounting method...though mostly the former. I liked it a lot, but I’m immensely happy with the Special 60s trib now though. It’s a completely different beast these days.
OP
Mr Grumpy
Ambassador of Comings and Goings
This might be embarrassing to admit, but that's a really American cultural comment, and I don't get it. I presume it links to the famous character/book, but not sure of the meaning - please explain, I need me some learning today.
In my experience, a single P90, position as per the '61 style with slanted stopbar/bridge has a lot more going for it soundwise (bark, bite, width...) than the 63/64 style Specials with 2 pickups and the lightening bar. Now, I'm comparing here in two ways: 1) when I bought the Junior, I also tried out a Standard (2017) at the same time; 2) the Junior against the current Special I own. In both cases, the Junior Lorded it with ease, sonically. Ok, the 2017 standard had 57s which are far from my favourite (I like the 490/498T combo much better although the 57 in the neck is very nice; bridge 57, meh...), but this Special, and SG John has had a similar thought I believe, has bland sounding pickups.
You know the theory of the neck pickup magnets affecting the overall sound even when that pickup isn't 'on', and you know the theory of bridge/stopbar position and type... I suspect, a combination of these three elements mean the Junior has a different sound, and one that I personally prefer. I always think of the Special, the Who type sound, as a tad thin - as I say, that's why I bought the SD Antiquities.
Junior
See, we have to wait until a smart Scandinavian comes along to get the best answer!
&, that, Sir, is a beautiful JuniorI really rate the SG faded - a great and affordable rock machine.
See, I knew this would happen, I feel inadequately endowed now...
Both fellas have so many lovely guitars.
&, if SG John says the answer is Standard then that's the answer, I'm selling the Special, never buying a Junior again, only Standards from here on in. Thread closed!
SG John
Ambassador of Cool Guitars and Amps.
I chose Standards mainly because that's the sound in my head, and I've been playing them for so long. Granted, I have had my Junior the longest of any of my guitars, with the exception of a couple of crap acoustics I learned on. I've just always found my Standards to always do what I need them to do when playing in a band situation.
SG John
Ambassador of Cool Guitars and Amps.
&, if SG John says the answer is Standard then that's the answer, I'm selling the Special, never buying a Junior again, only Standards from here on in. Thread closed!
Don't! My opinion is just my opinion, and only works for me.
OP
Mr Grumpy
Ambassador of Comings and Goings
I’m going to end up in the majority on that one....
Mate, we'll win; I'll fix the poll - 1 P90 choice and 15 humbucker choices...
I get exactly the same feeling - I've only tried out 5 or 6 different P90s (Gibson [dogear/soapbar - should be the same, but...], Epi, Bare Knuckle, PRS and Voodoo), but it was very hit and miss. I've found 490s, 498T, AY, 57s all sounding good, just different flavours - but, more than half the P90s I've tried do not sound good, not a flavour issue, there's something not quite right. Maybe I need to take more care with pickup height and setup?
Yeah, I agree, they are two of the reasons, but I reckon there's more - I go with Phil X.
That's another lovely guitar. :dood:
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OP
Mr Grumpy
Ambassador of Comings and Goings
Yeah, is it fair to say that the humbucker SGs are the most versatile, and the Standard just has all the bits that an SG is famous for (the binding, inlays, etc). Although, I was shocked by the variety of sounds a Junior possesses. As a crappy player, the simplicity of a Junior is a really great learning tool.
Good point, my post was a tad tongue in cheek, but at the same time you have a lot of experience/knowledge of SGs so your comments do carry weight.
I must admit, just a simple 490 or 57 in the neck of an SG is glorious.
67plexi
Ambassador of Amps
Well Mr. Grumpy I rank my guitars in three category's one stage thrashers. Two band practice. Three the vintage guitars I play alone.
The 2020 guitars are the category two band practice.
Flash back the LPJ was the best thing since sliced bread well I got one never played it.
The 2020 guitars are the category two band practice.
Flash back the LPJ was the best thing since sliced bread well I got one never played it.
Sp8ctre
Ambassador of Steel
Truth! It's Scary!
More than 100 Guitars have passed through my hands since 2014. At one time I had more than 30 on hand!
Not mention Amps, effects, recording gear, etc...