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DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 07:57 AM
Hi everyone, just thought I'd post a couple of pics of my latest acquisition, it's a year 2000 vintage Gibson USA Angus Young SG Electric guitar, a good mate of mine traded it with me for a Mexican Fender Standard Stratocaster because a friend of his wanted one.

The SG needs a bit of TLC work done on it to fix some fret-buzzing issues at the body end of the neck (the fret responsible seems to have lifted slightly from the edges of the fretboard), the tuners need replacing because they exhibit about 1/4-turn of backlash (I've ordered a set of replacements from Stewmac), and the nut needs replacing because the open high e-string buzzes like a sitar a bit (I'd like to replace the original plastic Corian nut with a bone nut), I've also ordered a Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge to replace the original ABR-1 bridge as well.


These pics aren't the best quality since I couldn't find my Digital Camera so I had to resort to using the Camera in my Samsung Galaxy Y phone, will upload some better pics later on once I've found my Digital Camera:

andrewdosborne
30-10-2015, 08:16 AM
Good score, should come up well with some minor TLC

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 08:34 AM
Good score, should come up well with some minor TLC



I reckon so too, as it is, the guitar is playable but the action on it is a bit too high, would love to be able to get the action to within Gibson Factory setup specs.

wokkaboy
30-10-2015, 09:03 AM
nice swap Dr Nomis, I would love to own one of these axes. At least you have a bit of work ahead. Sure you will get it playing well.
Can you please post a close up of the headstock ? Love the little Angus logo on these axes and the fret markers are so AC/DC !

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 09:19 AM
Here you go mate, this guitar has the Lightning-Bolt inlays but strangely it doesn't have the little Angus logo on the headstock, the truss-rod cover is plain black (no SG logo), so I'm wondering if the guitar is an earlier version of the Angus SG:62366237

wokkaboy
30-10-2015, 09:31 AM
thanks Dr Nomis, I remember seeing that logo but I think you are correct the later models had a little inlay of Angus on the headstock.
At least it's numbered so looks like a genuine Angus SG

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 09:39 AM
There's a website I found that decodes the Gibson serial numbers and it gave me this information about my SG guitar:


Guitar Info
Your guitar was made at the
Nashville Plant, TN, USA
January 17th, 2000
Production Number: 122



Link to the website:


http://www.guitardaterproject.org/gibson.aspx

wokkaboy
30-10-2015, 09:43 AM
nice find on the website Doc ! Now you are 100% sure it's genuine. I'm sure when AC/DC finally hang up the guitars this axe could be worth a bit down the track.
In 4 weeks today myself and DB will be at the Perth AC/DC concert - 28 sleeps and counting DB !
And how cool is this as I type this Dirty Deeds done dirt cheap is playing on the radio !

EDIT Doc, here is the latest headstock logo, I'll run with this till someone hacks my avatar hahah

pablopepper
30-10-2015, 09:54 AM
Dr Nomis, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm pretty sure that right there is a fake.

A few things.

-the pickguard is the wrong shape
-the switch cover is black not cream
-the knobs are wrong
and the big one
-The bridge uses slotted adjustment heads. Gibson NEVER does that.

Apart from the fact that someone was willing to trade a sub $1000 guitar for a guitar worth over $5k.
Please get it checked out and maybe think about getting your strat back.

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 09:54 AM
Very cool, I'm an AC/DC fan too, how's this?, my mum is in her 60's and she's a big AC/DC fan as well, I'd love to get the chance to meet all the members of AC/DC, Malcom too, and thank them all for making music that's helped me through alot of my bad times, I consider them my mates even though I'm yet to meet any of them.

AC/DC...one of the best, if not, the best Australian Rock band.

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 09:59 AM
Dr Nomis, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm pretty sure that right there is a fake.

A few things.

-the pickguard is the wrong shape
-the switch cover is black not cream
-the knobs are wrong
and the big one
-The bridge uses slotted adjustment heads. Gibson NEVER does that.

Apart from the fact that someone was willing to trade a sub $1000 guitar for a guitar worth over $5k.
Please get it checked out and maybe think about getting your strat back.



The bridge is what's called a Gibson ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic (which does use slotted adjustment screws), Gibson used to use them before they switched over to the Nashville Bridge (which uses the phillips head style screws).


The guitar I traded for the SG was a 2010 Fender Mexican Standard Stratocaster I bought from Top End Sounds for Au $999.00.


Some Genuine Gibson USA SG Standard guitars actually did have scratchplates shaped same like the one on my SG:

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Gibson+SG+Standard+Guitars&biw=1366&bih=659&tbm=isch&imgil=N8vXMQ7C_5gQoM%253A%253BRSovkY-9ZYCBhM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fgear-vault.com%25252Fgibson-sg-standard-24-guitar%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=N8vXMQ7C_5gQoM%253A%252CRSovkY-9ZYCBhM%252C_&dpr=1&usg=__QAjEijtGegLfl9Pqk9yfRFddoaA%3D&ved=0CGUQyjdqFQoTCOOEuqaO6cgCFUctiAodXOwCVQ&ei=8tAyVuPDN8faoATc2IuoBQ#imgrc=IKGDo-Wl9WqyzM%3A&usg=__QAjEijtGegLfl9Pqk9yfRFddoaA%3D

keloooe
30-10-2015, 10:14 AM
Dr Nomis, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm pretty sure that right there is a fake.

A few things.

-the pickguard is the wrong shape
-the switch cover is black not cream
-the knobs are wrong
and the big one
-The bridge uses slotted adjustment heads. Gibson NEVER does that.

Apart from the fact that someone was willing to trade a sub $1000 guitar for a guitar worth over $5k.
Please get it checked out and maybe think about getting your strat back.

I was having thoughts similar to that myself...

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 10:16 AM
Anyway, I'm happy with the guitar.

keloooe
30-10-2015, 10:22 AM
As long as you are happy mate!

pablopepper
30-10-2015, 10:39 AM
Please don't take this the wrong way, I don't want to see anyone get a counterfeit unknowingly.

The back of the headstock should be stamped with a year.
The bevels around the horns are all wrong.
And the pickguard, once again, screams fake.

pablopepper
30-10-2015, 10:40 AM
Also, this:

http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/beware-web-sites-722.aspx

pablopepper
30-10-2015, 10:43 AM
And here's a pic from Aliexpress

http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/32305346171_1/Custom-Shop-Reliable-font-b-Feedback-b-font-SG-Angus-Young-Guitarras-Electricas-Chrome-Hardware.jpg

Same pickguard, same knobs. This one got the cream switch cover right though.

kimball492
30-10-2015, 11:33 AM
Hi DrNomis, I hate to tell you this but Pablo probably right. It looks like a Chinese made Chibson. Yep a Chinese fake Gibson. They sell for approx $200-$300 US. If your happy that's great but I'd seriously go get your strat back. And for the guy to swap it with you describing it as an original Gibson is illegal. This is one thing they do, they swap the fake for an original guitar. Then sell the original.And use the money to buy more fakes. If he's a good friend he may have done this unwittingly. So much of this is going on right now. Good luck maybe get the thing verified at a Gibson shop if they will even look at it for you. Here's some pics of yet another Chibson fake. They go to a tremendous amount of detail and mess it up with stupid little things. They normally play very badly and have unpotted pickups. They have blanked out Gibson logo on these pics if you zoom in you can still see their handy work. Check the back of the headstock Made in USA and serial number, that they copy from original ones. Hence your information being correct on Gibsons site. Let's hope it's real. But I'd move quickly before your guitar is handed on to someone else. Your Stat cost you $900.00 these fakes cost $200-300 your out of pocket by $600-700 .

wokkaboy
30-10-2015, 11:40 AM
thats disappointing Dr Nomis, I have to agree what KB and Pablo have said, there was a link to the Gibson shop on Pab's link, I'd verify if it's authentic and if not if your mate who swapped it with is a good mate he should give you your mexi strat back. A real Angus SG wouldn't have the problems you described unless it was played alot

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 12:02 PM
thats disappointing Dr Nomis, I have to agree what KB and Pablo have said, there was a link to the Gibson shop on Pab's link, I'd verify if it's authentic and if not if your mate who swapped it with is a good mate he should give you your mexi strat back. A real Angus SG wouldn't have the problems you described unless it was played alot


Well, the thing is, I was never very happy with my Mexican Strat even after I'd bought it brand new, it would never stay in tune very well anyway, I don't really want it back to be honest as I'm looking at buying myself a good Fender USA Strat soon.


I know you guys reckon the SG is a fake but I'm happy with it.

kimball492
30-10-2015, 12:09 PM
Cool DrNomis if your happy. Might be worth letting your buddy know the situation. As he could be doing this unintentionally. And it will be him that ends up in serious trouble as he's the middleman. Goodluck I hope you can repair all the little niggles

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 12:17 PM
I do want to say this though, thank you guys for expressing your concerns, much appreciated....cheers.

wokkaboy
30-10-2015, 12:20 PM
main thing is you are happy Doc. Once you fit the new hardware and fix the high fret it should sound and play well.
Hope it doesn't have any dings/dents and is in good nick. The top and headstock looks in pretty good nick.
The forum is only making sure any members don't get a raw deal, that's why we were concerned mate !

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 12:40 PM
main thing is you are happy Doc. Once you fit the new hardware and fix the high fret it should sound and play well.
Hope it doesn't have any dings/dents and is in good nick. The top and headstock looks in pretty good nick.
The forum is only making sure any members don't get a raw deal, that's why we were concerned mate !


There are some scratches on the back of the guitar's body but I'm fine with that, my Gibson USA Les Paul Studio has some dings in the body too but that doesn't bother me much either, no real major dings in the SG, the frets have very minimal wear on them if any and yeah the headstock is in pretty good nick, totally understood about the raw deal stuff, and again much appreciated.


Going back to dings in guitars, it's funny how Fender are manufacturing deliberately dinged-up guitars at expensive prices when you can ding-up a guitar yourself at a much lower cost, never really understood the logic of selling deliberately "Road-Worn" guitars at high prices when genuine natural wear/damage costs nothing.


One thing I did notice is that on the back of each of the original tuners on the SG guitar it says Gibson Deluxe in vertical capital letters.

wokkaboy
30-10-2015, 01:08 PM
funny you say that about the big F Doc,
few months ago I attended the roadshow and it focused on custom shop and they have a heap of relic'd guitars in the range like Clapton, Beck, Hendrix, SRV and they were all dinged up and paint missing, cigarette burns, matched perfectly with the real thing. Sure these guitars would cost well north of $10-15k. I don't see the point.
Bassguy from the forum walked out after half an hour in disgust

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 01:25 PM
funny you say that about the big F Doc,
few months ago I attended the roadshow and it focused on custom shop and they have a heap of relic'd guitars in the range like Clapton, Beck, Hendrix, SRV and they were all dinged up and paint missing, cigarette burns, matched perfectly with the real thing. Sure these guitars would cost well north of $10-15k. I don't see the point.
Bassguy from the forum walked out after half an hour in disgust



I don't blame him, I think this whole Relic'd Guitars thing is mostly market-driven, I seem to remember one of Jimi Hendrix's burnt Stratocasters going for some exorbitant price at an auction one time, and then you had the limited run of Fender's SRV No.1 Strat.

dingobass
30-10-2015, 02:25 PM
It really peeves me off the way F are treating their customers with such contempt.
10-15k for a CNC'd chunk of junk with more CNC added wear and tear..
Pro tip: by a Guitar, gig with it for 20 years and then you will have a real relic...

I know you have your heart set on a new Strat but for the same money you could get a custom built one that will poo all over anything coming out of the F sweatshop these days..
I have had a close look at what they are producing and TBH with you, I have seen better results from some of our first time builders of PBG kits...

wokkaboy
30-10-2015, 02:42 PM
fair comment DB, like the time the young sales rep at Kosmic Music said to you "check all those F and G guitars on the wall" and you said they are all carp !

jarrod
30-10-2015, 03:49 PM
I really am struggling to work out where they justify that kind of price.
Also on very defensive note from one friend to another lets put a few facts on the line.
The timber is important to any instrument ........true.
The one I just can't get my head around is how what cuts that timber affects quality eg: bandsaw / router / wood plane / rasp / CNC router all equal too sanding the bas@$rd by hand. They are all tools that simply remove timber only some are faster than others thus considered production tools.
Now what I am also trying to get my head around is that yes the big "F" will be using extremely high productive tools to meet world demand.....true. So why the hell is the price so dam high?
The set up and especially the neck and bridge set up is the most important part that sets a guitar apart from the rest of the cheaper options. So how is a "F" relic set up different to any other "F" to warrant the difference from say a $2000 Standard to a $15000 relic.
Now before I wrote this post I stopped into a large music shop to have a close look at what the said company's quality was like now days. My USA Strat was purchased some 12 years ago and I love it to death. What I found was very pretty looking guitars on the wall , I took one down and closely inspected it. The finish is 2pk Urethane but I kind of expected that from a high production guitar now days. What really took me in was how thick the finish was and we all know that ain't great. The neck was simply stunning and felt perfect , the sad part for this $5000 axe was it suffered with quite bad fret buzz in several positions on the fret board of which kind of shocked me a little bit. At this point the shop assistant said some buzz is quite normal ........mmmm no it's not replied....The neck was a simple rock maple that looked to have a thin coat of 2pk all over in satin. The hardware does not even come close to the quality of say Babicz / Shaller / Gotoh. In all I walked out very disappointed in what a $5000 guitar from a well known manufacturer actually is.

wokkaboy
30-10-2015, 03:57 PM
WOW Jrod the rep said "fret buzz is normal", sounds like a dodgy rep !

jarrod
30-10-2015, 04:07 PM
WOW Jrod the rep said "fret buzz is normal", sounds like a dodgy rep !

Yes I agree Wokks , but more disappointing that a guitar with that kind of price tag even had that amount. Different temperature changes could allow for a little set up needs but it really was more than I would expect.

dingobass
30-10-2015, 04:11 PM
I hear you, Jrod.
The problems are many.
To begin with, they are mass produced in China by folk who are peice workers struggling to feed their families. Not Luthiers.
They drown the instruments in whatever the gunk is to try and hide the imperfections.
Then they send them by the container load to the USA where they bolt the neck on, slap on el cheapo hardware (again, mass produced in China) and then because the USA has stupid laws around manufacturing they stick a made in USA stamp on it.
None of this work is done by Luthiers, if it was there would be no setup problems with frets, action etc...

They proudly jump up and down saying look at these great Guitars we make here in the States and whack a stupidly high price tag on them.

As for the custom shop, well... They charge exhorbitant prices just to keep a handfull of real Luthiers employed.
Mind you, the bodies are still made in PRC and the necks I am lead to believe are Mitey Mite necks....

This is just one of many "made in USA" products out there being sold to the unwitting buyer.
The list is long, and it is sad that all these once great US products have been dumbed down in quality just so the big corporations can make more money.

They are treating the customer with contempt and they should be ashamed.

jarrod
30-10-2015, 04:16 PM
All in All I have to agree with the wild Australian Dog (DB). The quality under all glitz and glamour was ordinary. Pick out the most fancy wrapped chocolate from the box, once you have unwrapped it and thrown the wrapper in the bin your just left with the same chocolate as the plain wrapper.

dingobass
30-10-2015, 04:26 PM
Quality is the key word, Jrod.

I had Adams '76 TC on my workbench a while back to put some new pickups in.
The qualty of this made by a real Luthier vs todays made by a sweatshop slave is incomparable.
The '76 had all the hallmarks of a craftsman who knew what he was doing and loved his profession.
You cant get better than that.

Thats why I made the comment the otherday re I would have one of your Nebbies before I would have a F or G.
Sure, you use a CNC but it is all to do with the care, passion and knowing how to build a quality axe that makes the difference between a chunk of wood with strings and a Guitar.......

jarrod
30-10-2015, 04:31 PM
I hear you, Jrod.
The problems are many.
To begin with, they are mass produced in China by folk who are peice workers struggling to feed their families. Not Luthiers.
They drown the instruments in whatever the gunk is to try and hide the imperfections.
Then they send them by the container load to the USA where they bolt the neck on, slap on el cheapo hardware (again, mass produced in China) and then because the USA has stupid laws around manufacturing they stick a made in USA stamp on it.
None of this work is done by Luthiers, if it was there would be no setup problems with frets, action etc...

They proudly jump up and down saying look at these great Guitars we make here in the States and whack a stupidly high price tag on them.

As for the custom shop, well... They charge exhorbitant prices just to keep a handfull of real Luthiers employed.
Mind you, the bodies are still made in PRC and the necks I am lead to believe are Mitey Mite necks....

This is just one of many "made in USA" products out there being sold to the unwitting buyer.
The list is long, and it is sad that all these once great US products have been dumbed down in quality just so the big corporations can make more money.

They are treating the customer with contempt and they should be ashamed.

My belief is that PRS are still manufactured by the said country of origin after watching a documentation on them. Designed by experts and machined by professionals . They have there own Lab and employ scientists to constantly improve there finishes using many combinations for tone / durability / and of cause that well known thin gloss that has dive in and take a swim written all over it
They actually use an acrylic based formula on the back of the guitar and a nitro based formula on the front and have proven that although an expensive way to produce it pushes the tone through the front of the guitar (go figure). I also played the PRS custom at the store and quite frankly it blew my mind. Perfect in every way possible.

jarrod
30-10-2015, 04:36 PM
Quality is the key word, Jrod.

I had Adams '76 TC on my workbench a while back to put some new pickups in.
The qualty of this made by a real Luthier vs todays made by a sweatshop slave is incomparable.
The '76 had all the hallmarks of a craftsman who knew what he was doing and loved his profession.
You cant get better than that.

Thats why I made the comment the otherday re I would have one of your Nebbies before I would have a F or G.
Sure, you use a CNC but it is all to do with the care, passion and knowing how to build a quality axe that makes the difference between a chunk of wood with strings and a Guitar.......

An old Fender is most certainly a thing of beauty. Sounds stupid but I believe your right!!!!! you can feel a guitar that has been made with someone who loved making it.

dingobass
30-10-2015, 04:39 PM
PRC= Peoples Republic of China :)

Pretty sure Paul Reid Smith are still made in the USA, as are Riccies??

jarrod
30-10-2015, 04:50 PM
Yer I didn't want to say USA don't want the yanks to feel good they got it right lol.....

kimball492
30-10-2015, 05:13 PM
Actually Jarrod some PRS Guitars are made by World Guitars Korea. As are some of Perrys,Rob Chapmans,Fenders,Gibsons,Esp,Music Man, Vigier and Kramer. World guitars are known for making the better quality ones,it's a family business and staff are well looked after. But yep strange how companies can put made in the USA on a product.
Check the video out http://youtu.be/OZhAzVo6mX8

DrNomis_44
30-10-2015, 05:15 PM
PRC= Peoples Republic of China :)

Pretty sure Paul Reid Smith are still made in the USA, as are Riccies??


PRS actually get some of their range of guitars, the SE series, made overseas in in Korea, I know because I happen to own a PRS SE Custom 24 Cherry Red guitar, made in Korea.

kimball492
30-10-2015, 05:16 PM
Actually Jarrod/DB some PRS Guitars are made by World Guitars Korea. As are some of Perrys,Rob Chapmans,Fenders,Gibsons,Esp,Music Man, Vigier and Kramer. World guitars are known for making the better quality ones,it's a family business and staff are well looked after. But yep strange how companies can put made in the USA on a product.
Check the video out http://youtu.be/OZhAzVo6mX8

Part Two
http://youtu.be/fctC_jrHK8s

dingobass
30-10-2015, 05:17 PM
Thanks for clearing that up Kimball and DrNo :)

dingobass
30-10-2015, 05:20 PM
So we can assume that custom shop F's are Korean, put together in the USA then.......

Gavin1393
30-10-2015, 05:27 PM
Woks....who you supporting in the final of the RWC...?

stan
30-10-2015, 05:32 PM
makes you fell better about Chinese kit guitars hand fitted and finished by the budding builders/luthiers on this site.

not much different to what the big names do and often better results

jarrod
30-10-2015, 07:26 PM
Actually Jarrod/DB some PRS Guitars are made by World Guitars Korea. As are some of Perrys,Rob Chapmans,Fenders,Gibsons,Esp,Music Man, Vigier and Kramer. World guitars are known for making the better quality ones,it's a family business and staff are well looked after. But yep strange how companies can put made in the USA on a product.
Check the video out http://youtu.be/OZhAzVo6mX8

Interesting Kimball . So the doco I watched seemed to have left that bit of info out. Jeeeezzzz can anyone be trusted to provide what it say's on the tin.

dingobass
30-10-2015, 08:15 PM
Interesting Kimball . So the doco I watched seemed to have left that bit of info out. Jeeeezzzz can anyone be trusted to provide what it say's on the tin.

In one word......
No.

keloooe
30-10-2015, 08:16 PM
Yhep I do like the instruments that World guitars have made, I'd buy most of the guitars from that factory if I could!

IMO MiM Squiers are really nice instruments too, I'm considering getting a MiM J bass one day after playing one, with a couple simple, little, inexpensive upgrades you really can end up with a very nice instrument, even with a somewhat thick finish (it was thinner than I thought it was). I agree with DB and Jrod, the so called USA made guitars are just horrid for what you pay for. A legitimate USA made instrument on the other hand like a Ric or a PRS are so worth getting!

Rabbitz
31-10-2015, 03:21 AM
makes you fell better about Chinese kit guitars hand fitted and finished by the budding builders/luthiers on this site.

not much different to what the big names do and often better results

So why aren't we charging $5 to $10k for our hand-finished, Made-in-Australia-from-local-and-imported-parts, customised guitars?

:)

stan
31-10-2015, 06:48 AM
So why aren't we charging $5 to $10k for our hand-finished, Made-in-Australia-from-local-and-imported-parts, customised guitars?

:)

chuck a zillion dollars at marketing and perhaps we could....

they rest their laurels on past heritage too

jarrod
31-10-2015, 08:19 AM
I guess the dollar sign takes over and like everything else it gets made as cheap as possible and sold for as much as possible. Western world labour is very expensive . But this would make the consumer price tag cheaper being made in a sweat shop one would have thought. After what I have seen Nebulars have gone up to $30,000 lol...who wants one :)

DrNomis_44
31-10-2015, 08:40 AM
I guess the dollar sign takes over and like everything else it gets made as cheap as possible and sold for as much as possible. Western world labour is very expensive . But this would make the consumer price tag cheaper being made in a sweat shop one would have thought. After what I have seen Nebulars have gone up to $30,000 lol...who wants one :)


That's what bugs me the most about our Free Enterprise system, companys try to reduce manufacturing costs in order to increase their profit-margin, unfortunately reducing manufacturing costs isn't without it's detriments, the cheaper you make something to build the less reliable it is, or the quality reduces, there is always some kind of tradeoff, it's funny how some old things keep on working when some new things break down within days of being bought.

And then you see piles of those broken new thing ending up as landfill.

dingobass
31-10-2015, 09:33 AM
That's what bugs me the most about our Free Enterprise system, companys try to reduce manufacturing costs in order to increase their profit-margin, unfortunately reducing manufacturing costs isn't without it's detriments, the cheaper you make something to build the less reliable it is, or the quality reduces, there is always some kind of tradeoff, it's funny how some old things keep on working when some new things break down within days of being bought.

And then you see piles of those broken new thing ending up as landfill.

And not to mention deliberate obsolescence being a part of modern manufacturing......

stan
31-10-2015, 09:38 AM
haha DB a constant cause of friction at my place:
"what are you modifying that for ?"

"because if they made it right, I wouldnt have to..."

DrNomis_44
01-11-2015, 05:34 AM
Hi everyone,


Well...I guess I should apologize for having any doubts about my SG guitar being a fake Gibson, a few minutes ago just out of curiosity I undid all the scratchplate screws and lifted it up enough so that I could see the underside of the pickups, lo and behold what did I see.......the word "Epiphone" written on the underside of the pickups..... I think we have our ""Smoking Gun" here, so, you guys are right, what I have here is definitely a fake Gibson USA Angus Young SG which, I'm guessing, was most likely manufactured at the Epiphone factory in China.


Since I don't really like the tone of the pickups (they're a bit too bassy compared to the ones on my Les Paul), I'm seriously considering changing them out for a couple of Entwistles.

pablopepper
01-11-2015, 06:02 AM
I hate to say this, but they're not even legit epiphone pickups, those things come in most of the counterfeit guitars that come from the chinese fake factories. The epiphone factory had nothing to do with it, they can at least make a convincing copy.

Oh well, its a modding platform now. I hope you can get the dead frets sorted.

DrNomis_44
01-11-2015, 06:22 AM
I hate to say this, but they're not even legit epiphone pickups, those things come in most of the counterfeit guitars that come from the chinese fake factories. The epiphone factory had nothing to do with it, they can at least make a convincing copy.

Oh well, its a modding platform now. I hope you can get the dead frets sorted.


I think the main thing is we know that it isn't a legit Gibson, and yes, I was going to use it as a mods platform anyway, I'm mostly going to be replacing all that needs replacing, the bridge, tuners, and nut (will be buying a couple of permanently lubricated Graphtech Tusq nuts from Stewmac), might also buy whatever tools I need to do the fret-levelling work on it, always wanted to get into a bit of diy guitar repairing anyway.


I definitely like the idea of replacing the stock pickups with a couple of those Entwistles, might be the start of an interesting forum thread.

jarrod
01-11-2015, 08:09 AM
Epiphone once made great guitars themselves. But alas pab's is correct. The Chinese have no copy write laws what so ever. Lets start making expensive high quality copies of Chinese guitars lol.....

DrNomis_44
01-11-2015, 08:35 AM
Epiphone once made great guitars themselves. But alas pab's is correct. The Chinese have no copy write laws what so ever. Lets start making expensive high quality copies of Chinese guitars lol.....


Actually, the Chinese Government were supposed to be cracking down on illegal guitar counterfeiting after being pressured by Gibson,Fender, and all the other major guitar manufacturers, there's supposed to be some kind of coalition monitoring what the Chinese Government are doing to address the issue.

dingobass
01-11-2015, 11:44 AM
I dont think you owe any apologies at all, Doc.

DrNomis_44
01-11-2015, 11:57 AM
I dont think you owe any apologies at all, Doc.



Cheers mate.

kimball492
01-11-2015, 07:41 PM
Yeah DBs right I think we are all just genuinely concerned that we don't like to see this happen to anyone. The trouble is once a guitar like this gets in the system. It's passed on through a variety of hands. In the end the owner wouldn't have a clue that it wasn't legit,until he tried to sell it as such. If I can help in anyway with repairs or advise please just ask.

DrNomis_44
01-11-2015, 08:20 PM
Yeah DBs right I think we are all just genuinely concerned that we don't like to see this happen to anyone. The trouble is once a guitar like this gets in the system. It's passed on through a variety of hands. In the end the owner wouldn't have a clue that it wasn't legit,until he tried to sell it as such. If I can help in anyway with repairs or advise please just ask.



No worries and cheers for that mate.

DrNomis_44
02-11-2015, 12:11 PM
Okay so to reiterate, here's my plan for getting my Chibson Angus SG modded up so he/she/it, or whatever, will play alot better than it currently does:

1, Rip out the stock nut which causes the high E-String to buzz like a sitar when tuned to pitch, and replace it with a white Graphtech Tusq XL nut.

2, Replace the stock bridge with a new Nashville Tune O Matic bridge (the original bridge also causes the high E-String to buzz like a sitar).

3, Replace the stock tuners with a set of better quality replacements, each of the original tuners exhibited 1/4 turn of backlash rendering it very difficult to accurately tune each string to pitch.

4, Level the frets near the body end of the neck to get rid of serious fretbuzz/choke on the high E-string.

And finally....

5, Replace each pickup with new Entwistle HV58 pickups.

wokkaboy
02-11-2015, 12:46 PM
sounds like a solid plan Doc, look forward to seeing the build diary. Maybe you can record how it sounds now and compare it to what it will sound after the upgrades

DrNomis_44
02-11-2015, 01:01 PM
sounds like a solid plan Doc, look forward to seeing the build diary. Maybe you can record how it sounds now and compare it to what it will sound after the upgrades



Actually, that's a pretty cool idea now that you mention it, and since I happen to have all I need to do good recordings, I'll do that, will also do the diary as well since I just found my Digital Camera, so I'll include pics with it too.

wokkaboy
02-11-2015, 01:04 PM
sounds good Doc, then you will have a gauge to how much the sound has improved.
Might pay to take photos of the amp settings so you can replicate the sound after the upgrades have taken place

DrNomis_44
02-11-2015, 01:21 PM
sounds good Doc, then you will have a gauge to how much the sound has improved.
Might pay to take photos of the amp settings so you can replicate the sound after the upgrades have taken place


Since I don't have any of my guitar amps at home I'll be using an amp simulator that's on my Desktop PC to do the recordings, that'll keep things consistent with regards to settings since I can just do a "save as", I'll be using a plugin called Positive Grid Bias.

wokkaboy
02-11-2015, 01:22 PM
sounds good Doc

kimball492
02-11-2015, 01:45 PM
Sounds great DrNomis. Download the latest Bias software not sure if you know but it now includes variety of cabs too. Look forward to hearing and seeing the difference's

DrNomis_44
02-11-2015, 02:01 PM
Sounds great DrNomis. Download the latest Bias software not sure if you know but it now includes variety of cabs too. Look forward to hearing and seeing the difference's


For sure, I'll be interested in hearing the differences, if any, for myself.


I just checked out some demo videos of the Entwistle HV50 Pickups on youtube, to my ears they sound alot like the pickups in my USA Gibson Les Paul Studio guitar, so that's a good sign.


What forum section would be the most appropriate section for me to start the mod diary in?, I can't start it in the kit building section cause it's not exactly a kit and it isn't a Pitbull Guitar's instrument.

dingobass
02-11-2015, 03:10 PM
Hey Doc, like your plans for the SG :)

Please feel free to start a diary in Non Pitbull Gear section

DrNomis_44
02-11-2015, 03:19 PM
Hey Doc, like your plans for the SG :)

Please feel free to start a diary in Non Pitbull Gear section


Cheers, will do mate.

stan
02-11-2015, 05:18 PM
sad news about the guitar, but sounds like you are making the best of it and it will still be a cool instrument when completed. as long as it is playable and sounds good, it will still be ok, just not a gibbo...

DrNomis_44
02-11-2015, 05:46 PM
sad news about the guitar, but sounds like you are making the best of it and it will still be a cool instrument when completed. as long as it is playable and sounds good, it will still be ok, just not a gibbo...


I look at it philosophically, since I do happen to have a genuine USA Gibson guitar it really doesn't bother me that this SG is a Chibson, as you said, I'm going to make the best of it, or, turn a negative into a positive, I'm sure lots of us have done that at some stage, I think that's what makes this whole guitar building thing alot of fun.