T H E GA S STATION 100 Words Ed Mitchell / Photography Neil Godwin SG-STYLE ELECTRICS UNDER £900 For those about to rock, we salute the latest descendant of the classic Gibson SG and three challengers for its throne... TOTAL GUITAR MARCH 2019 TGR316.gear_test.
THE TG TEST 101 T hings you probably know about the Gibson SG Standard. Angus Young of AC/DC loves them. So does Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Robbie Krieger of The Doors, and Modfather Paul Weller. If you’re up on your Gibson history, you’ll be aware that the SG was the replacement for the original poor-selling single-cutaway Les Pauls. The SG was named the ‘Les Paul’ on its launch in 1961. It was rechristened the SG [aka ‘Solid Guitar’] in 1963.
T H E GA S STATION GIBSON 2019 SG STANDARD TRIBUTE £899 The devil’s in the detail... YAMAHA REVSTAR RS620 £772 Another ‘killer’ from Yamaha? This is basically your classic SG then? The first time I’ve seen a mahogany SG-style with a flame top... Well, it throws that timeless shadow, right down to the double pointed body horns of Beelzebub. The sculpted mahogany body, ‘bat-wing’ scratchplate and nickel hardware are all iconic appointments.
THE TG TEST LTD VIPER-400M GUILD S-100 POLARA £699 All bite. No hiss £629 Superunknown? Not for long... The force of the SG is strong in this one... What’s with the Soundgarden reference? Yeah, just like the ESP/LTD Eclipse gear pays, ahem, tribute to the Gibson Les Paul, the Viper has its wicked way with the aesthetics of the SG. This is not a copy, however. The offset body is much deeper than the lightweight SG, closer to a Les Paul, in fact. It also has an incredibly thin neck.
THE TG TEST HEAD TO HEAD Four SG-style beauties with classic rock credentials I 104 n terms of playability, the Gibson, Yamaha and Guild guitars have a similar feel. Only the LTD bucks the trend with its ultra-skinny effort. Upper fret access on all four contenders is great thanks to the deep cutaways. Big frets equal easy stringbending. The flattish fingerboards help too from the Gibson-approved 305mm [12"] radius on the, er, Gibson and Guild to the even flatter ‘Super Strat’ feel of the LTD and Yamaha.
T H E GA S STATION FINAL VERDICT Which SG-style electric will tick your box? I t’s a long way to the shops if you wanna rock’n’roll on a double-cut, mahogany body, humbucker-loaded guitar. That’s why we picked four of the best examples for you to shortlist before you set off. The LTD Viper-400M stands out from the crowd as the shredder’s dream. We reckon that’s where most examples will find their forever homes.
