Gibson SG Standard Bass - Heritage Cherry Reviews

I have been playing the bass guitar since the mid 1960's. While I own, Hofner, Multiple Fender Bass Guitars, three double neck guitars, (4 and 6 string) and a few others, The Gibson of my dreams is the bass that is has been and I suspect always will be the best of the best. I had a job in the 60's with MoTown as a Day Musician, there I had access to just about every bass guitar made. I always came back to my Gibson EBO as my go to instrument. Gibson nailed it when they made this bass. While I prefer my old EBO, I have played new ones that are just as good. It it ain't broke don't fix it! Pay attention Gibson, you have the best of the best in your inventory.

I bought my SG bass a couple of months ago. The instrument was set up well. Did minor adjustments to it. This is a great addition to my selections. 1982 Alembic Distillate, 2005 Rickenbacker 4003, 1972 Fender Precision Bass, 1965 Fender Jazz, and now my Gibson SG Bass.
Solid instrument. Love the light weight of this bass and the wonderfull tones. I have in my hands daily over my number one P-Bsss. Highly recommend this for all levels of player. Pricy, but worth it.

I have owned about 6 or 7 bass guitars over the last 15 years. Being a guitar player primarily, I always played bass for fun and as such never sought out a "professional" grade instrument. Most consistenly, I've played Squier basses, and for the price, they are quite good. But I wanted something different; after getting a Gibson SG, I thought what better way to have fun than to have a matching SG Bass?

This instrument plays very well. It is slightly neck heavy, but not as drastic as some may suggest in my experience. The sound of the bass is boomy, but with the treble pickup a decent enough approximation of a jazz bass can be had. It looks fantastic, it comes with a hardshell case, and it was set up pretty well, too. I have no complaints!

This is the 3rd Gibson bass I've owned. The first one was an EB3 and the second was an SG bass like this one. I've owned all kinds of basses over the years from Fenders to Rickenbackers to Ampegs, but I keep coming back to the SG style basses. The playability is so easy and the sound is unlike any other bass. The SG really likes to be played with a pick, but it's also a great finger style bass. Quality is top notch. Setup from Sweetwater was perfect.

I got my Gibson EBO Bass in high school around 1968.
I always wanted another Gibson.
I saw this one that looks just like my old one.
If you are looking for a quality bass that is fun to play and has a great sound this is the one.
I love the low tones that this bass produces.
All I can say is that I am very satisfy.

I've had mine for several years and it has proven to be a great sounding and playable bass. I use it mainly for recording, but I have also used it live. I prefer flat wound strings and love its low end tone. I typically play it through an old Kustom amp. I haven't had one issue with it and would buy again. I can also it she's purdy, too!

I initially wanted this bass because of its retro vibe and association with so much late 60s and early 70s music that I love. What I wasn't prepared for is how truly awesome it sounds. It has a deep, rich tone with plenty of variability depending on how you blend the two pickups. Both have more low end than any other bass pickup in my collection which includes Fender, Rickenbacker, Spector & Music Man. The neck humbucker is very dark (hence the nickname "Mudbucker") while the bridge humbucker combines a tight, warm low end with a perfectly defined high end that is bright but not abrasive. I rarely use just the bridge pickup alone on my other basses but on this bass the bridge pickup has perfect tonal balance for a wide variety of applications. I usually keep it full up and blend in the Mudbucker as needed to create the tonal quality I'm looking for.

This bass is absolutely gorgeous to look at, well-crafted and easy to play. Weighing only about 7 lbs it's also very light and comfortable. It is a tiny bit neck heavy if you let it hang on you hands-free but I don't really feel it while playing. Slap style is a little bit tricky because the shorter scale length and reduced string tension don't give you quite the bounce you're used to, but this is likely not going to be your go-to instrument for that style anyway. If you want to play some psychedelic blues rock, old school prog or hard rock, country, or even punk or grunge, this bass will deliver.

Finally, it comes with a high quality Gibson case loaded with case candy including a strap, polishing cloth, owner's manual and the Gibson Multi-Tool equipped with all the wrenches and screwdrivers you'll need for adjustments.

If you've been thinking about this bass, it is a beautiful looking and sounding high-quality instrument worthy of your consideration. It's just so much fun to play! Check it out.

Wasn't sure if it was the guitar and sound I was looking for but I ordered it anyway. It arrived early and all I could do was stare at it. What a beautiful guitar. Finally I plugged it in and immediately knew it was not just any guitar it was a Monster. It took a while to find the perfect amp but when I plugged in the Rumble 350 the search was over. First live show was nothing but compliments on its tone and buttery bottom. And that was just the guys in the band. As with anything there is a learning curve but what a difference for a classic rock band. Thanks Gibson.

I've been playing bass since 1965. I got into the Gibson SG basses a few years ago. I now own two of them. I needed to change to short-scale basses due to problems I was having with the muscles and tendons in my arms. These basses have made it possible for me to continue to play actively for years longer. They are light weight, and play VERY nicely, with lower action than just about any of my 25+ basses (yes, it's an addiction). My SG basses are by far the most comfortable basses to play for extended gigs, recording sessions, and long rehearsals. They quickly became my primary gigging basses.

But, don't go for a Gibson SG just because they are comfortable to play! They are capable of an amazing range of tones. I run LaBella flats on both of mine. That does cut down on the "twang" you get from any bass. With proper balancing of the bridge to neck pickups, I can get sounds that easily rival even my Fender long-scale basses with flats. The secret is to run up the bridge pickup first to the level you want, and then add as much depth as you need with the neck pickup. Mine usually run about 8-9 on the bridge, and between 6 or 8 on the neck pickup. With that set-up, I can cut through any mix clearly, and sit nicely in just about any mix. A little extra punch in the upper-mids with your EQ is also welcome with any short-scale bass.

The humbucker pickups are VERY quiet, which is another plus in the studio. Even standing inches from my Ampeg V4B tube amp, which radiates hum like crazy, the SG basses are completely quiet. There's no neck-dive that I've noticed. The tuners must be pretty good, because I rarely feel any need to touch-up my tuning during a long evening of playing.

My SG basses both came with the older 3-point bridge. I've gotten to where I'm comfortable with that bridge. Recently, I did invest in the newer Hipshot replacement for the 3-point bridge. That's on my more expensive "Limited Edition" SG with the flame maple top. It is nice to have the extra adjust-ability of the newer bridge, but it's certainly not a deal-breaker for me. These newer SG basses come with an improved replacement for the old 3-point bridge. I can't really notice any significant difference in the tone. Perhaps just slightly more sustain (which I believe is over-rated), and slightly more mid over-tones with the newer bridges. But I do like the new-found adjust-ability. The black color I got also looks cool on the flame maple topped bass.

I fell in love with these basses because of the way they play, but I've learned to love them for the sounds they produce as well. I have some very valuable basses, but these SG's are the ones I never want to part with. Thanks to Gibson for making such a high quality, professional instrument for folks who need the short-scale! I would have had to quit playing years ago without these high quality options.

I had to remove the neck pickup and add foam to stop the rattle. Gibson needs to beef up the little foam squares.

Otherwise I love the tone and weight!

I bought this bass during quarantine 2020. I'd been a fan of Jack Bruce and had heard a lot of good things about short scale basses, so I thought I'd give this one a shot. The heritage cherry finish is gorgeous and it's heavier than it looks. The bass is easy to play for the most part and I can get those Jack Bruce tones with some Labella flatwounds and a cranked amp. I love the case and case candy with Gibsons. I use that multi tool all the time.
The frets on this one really stick out and make sliding up and down the neck painful at times. I had my local luthier dress them, but Gibson should have done better on QC. The pickups were pretty rattley so I had to add a piece of foam underneath.
It didn't take me long to see why a lot of people don't like the 3 point bridge. It's not a defect, but they are hard to work with. I opted to replace the 3 point bridge with a nicer hipshot which was an improvement.
I'm happy with the bass now, but still prefer my Fenders or my new Ric. Still it rounds out my collection and gets a lot of use.

The bass I received plays very nicely and at the end of the day that is what matters most.

It took about 30 days to arrive from the day it was ordered, which meant the guitar was made to order, so to speak. Arrived with a nice hard shell case, that included the necessary paperwork, one strap, and a small set of tools.

As I was not fond of the included roundwound strings, I immediately replaced them in favor of flatwounds. I also needed to adjust the intonation and overall setup to my liking.

Quality Control (QC) fell short on a few aspects: 1.) Both truss rod cover screws were loose and not screwed down past one or two threads; 2.) The front strap button is installed off-center to the neck; 3.) The four neck pickup screws were not securely tightened, which caused a sharp rattling of the pickup when playing. Albeit Gibson's & Sweetwater's QC missed items, I would not expect Sweetwater to be responsible for the placement a strap button. That falls on Gibson.

Note: It's also worth mentioning the volume pot for the bridge pickup does not produce sound until about number 4 or 5 on the tophat knob is dialed in. I do not know if that is normal, but the neck pickup produces sound much earlier on the knob.

Fret dressing and quality of the paint are spot-on, and the tuners hold pitch quite nicely. The nut, although plastic ( I believe), is set properly to accomodate all strings.

Overall, I am pleased with the bass but not overly ecstatic due to QC issues. Although I definitely would think long and hard about purchasing another Gibson, no qualms at all about purchasing again from Sweetwater.