Faded SG 5-piece body

[3th3r]

I picked up one of the Music 123 Faded SGs when they were at the incredible price of $486 last week. Well, today I am very disappointed -- 5 pieces of wood, all cut in different grain directions, make up the body. (It's MUCH more obvious in real life than in the pictures 'cause of the flash)

This is something I expect from Fender Esquires and other ~$100 Indonesian/Sri Lankan/Indian instruments, not from Gibson. Are they just picking up wood scraps off the floor? Am I expecting too much from one of the premier American guitar companies?

I think I'll send it back and wait for a good deal on a better SG.

 

[Cheburashka]

naaasty.

How does it sound though? If good, I'd keep it.

My Ibanez S has a paper-thin blister maple veneer top, a three piece mahogany back, and a three piece bolt neck with a double-locking trem setup. It also sounds just heavenly and I wouldn't sell it for anything.

 

[rufes]

I picked up one at $486 ............ Am I expecting too much from one of the premier American guitar companies?

I guess that's what I'd expect for a $486 guitar.

 

[zyx345]

To me from the photos it doesn't look that bad but as you say it looks worse in real life. It kind of reminds me of the PRS SE Soapbar II guitars in vintage cherry. As you can see the opposing grain patterns in this photo:

http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com/images21000-21999/ngb21165-prssesoapbarll/2.jpg

 

[3th3r]

naaasty.

How does it sound though? If good, I'd keep it.

My Ibanez S has a paper-thin blister maple veneer top, a three piece mahogany back, and a three piece bolt neck with a double-locking trem setup. It also sounds just heavenly and I wouldn't sell it for anything.

I wish this SG sounded heavenly too, but it's just OK, nothing special I haven't heard out of other SGs. I've seen the blister top Ibanez model you mentioned, I've always liked it, but never played it.

I'm still debating whether to keep the SG. Maybe in 30 years, 5-piece bodies will be all the rage

 

[Radagacuca]

here´s what gibson says about the faded sg....

Nothing can match the well-played look and feel of a favorite SG from the 1960s or’70s – except today’s SG Special Faded. The “Worn” finish make these guitars feel like old friends, while humbucking pickups bring the SG Special to a level of performance the originals never had.

hmmm.... well i think it´s a nice guitar, but you don´t seem to like it even within the "honeymoon" period, so send it back.... you will probably not play it much in the end.

and hoping it will be worh what a burst is like today in 40+ years is maybe not a good idea

 

[EFLOW]

I' ve heard this:
Faded = 3 to 5 pieces body
Standard = 1 to 3 pieces body
If you don' t like the guitar, return.

 

[3th3r]

To me from the photos it doesn't look that bad but as you say it looks worse in real life. It kind of reminds me of the PRS SE Soapbar II guitars in vintage cherry. As you can see the opposing grain patterns in this photo:

http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com/images21000-21999/ngb21165-prssesoapbarll/2.jpg

I've checked out those p90 PRSs, and I can't quite get along with the necks, but they sound very good for the price. My local GC was selling them for $299 last year. I suppose I expect the 2x4 construction from the cheap import guitars, but not from Gibson. I think this is what's bugging me.

I understood that the reduced prices in the Faded series comes from the labor and material saving measures in the finish, not from using any different construction than the "regular" guitars. Obviously I was wrong.

 

[EFLOW]

Do you prefer a 3 pieces body made of high quality maogany or 1 piece of bad maogany ? BUT 5 pieces, that' s a lot :hmm

 

[Marshall Man]

I had an 04 Faded SG that was three pieces, but I sold it this summer; good guitar for the money. I'll tell you what I did was pick through about four or five looking for a good one when I had bought mine.

 

[3th3r]

Do you prefer a 3 pieces body made of high quality maogany or 1 piece of bad maogany ? BUT 5 pieces, that' s a lot :hmm

:hmm

What about two pieces of good mahogany and three bad ones?
or the opposite?

 

[3th3r]

I had an 04 Faded SG that was three pieces, but I sold it this summer; good guitar for the money. I'll tell you what I did was pick through about four or five looking for a good one when I had bought mine.

I wish I could go to Music 123 warehouse and have my pick from their stock. They must have hundreds of 'em, and I'm sure some of them would be amazing players. I was just unlucky with this one. Someone, somewhere must have bought one of these fadeds that is just great. I hope they post.

 

[burst59]

Welcome to the new Gibson.:nut
2006 isn't much better.
Bad solder jobs, doesn't look like much time is spent on them anymore.:hmm

 

[Don]

To me from the photos it doesn't look that bad but as you say it looks worse in real life. It kind of reminds me of the PRS SE Soapbar II guitars in vintage cherry. As you can see the opposing grain patterns in this photo:

http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com/images21000-21999/ngb21165-prssesoapbarll/2.jpg

It's funny that you mention the PRS SE Sopbar II.

I was going to mention tht I have one in sunburst and it has a 2 piece body. The seam is near the controls and the wood is so well matched that I never would've noticed it except that it's slightly visible in the cutaway.

The more I see things like this, the more I realize what a nice guitar my Soapy is:couch! Oh, and it only cost me $289 new!

At least Fender veneers and/or paints their butcher block guitars!

 

[loufed52]

I bought one too for $486.25. I got a pretty nice one. The color is nice, neck and frets are nice, nice dark piece of rosewood too. It looks 2 piece with a center seam, but there is another seam that runs through the controls that is tough to spot. It actually looks better in person than in the pictures. It came decently set up right out of the Gibson box, just some minor tweaking needed. Frets are well done too. What you get is purely the luck of the draw.