Gibson SG Standard Electric Guitar - Heritage Cherry Reviews

The look and feel and especially the playability is outstanding.

I've been a Les Paul player for 30 years now. I've owned dozens over the years and really enjoy them. Mostly Gibsons and a few of the new Epiphones. This SG was just an impulse buy late one night, but nowthat it's here I'm glad I pulled the trigger.
Mine is very balanced, (read; no Neck dive!) light-weight and just a lot of fun to play.
It arrived needing almost no setup at all, just my favorite strings and minor intonation.
Now, I've owned a Les Paul Tribute with this 490 pickup combo and I wasn't a big fan, I almost expected to need to change them straight away, but in this SG they really come to life. Great PAF tones, both clean and dirty. The neck shape has the perfect amount of chunk to it to make the transition from a Les Paul very easy.
This guitar is really inspiring me to play more, and to try new things. And that's exactly what great new gear is supposed to do, right?

...Just bought a SG Standard and this guitar is SWEET ! They keep you informed every inch of the way. Arrived in no time and is in perfect shape. I couldn't be happier with my purchase and if I ever need another guitar I will be knocking at their door...Want to thank you all at Sweetwater for making my experience a good one, Thanks again !...

Over the years, wanted to add the SG to my guitar collection. So glad I did… love the feel, tone and looks of this guitar. So glad finally purchased one. Also want to add about great service from Sweetwater. Dave was excellent. Prompt response to emails, friendly and helpful on phone too. Lightning fast delivery too, received guitar in mail 3 days after ordering it. I will definitely continue to be a customer of Sweetwater. I have purchased several guitars from them, various types of gear, and will continue to do so.

Ordered a second one because the first one was so good. Went with the plek pro and it arrived perfectly.

Really can't be more pleased with the guitar and service. The photos of the guitar that Sweetwater posted were completely accurate and well lit. This SG plays great and pickups have great tone with bright crunchy bites and nice smooth clean sweeps. Setup was good right out of the box. Shipping was quick and the guitar arrived packed good and tight in protective wrap and double boxed. Really top notch Sweetwater!

I have washed away my fears and expectations of buying junk online or over the phone with out ever laying a hand on it in person is so foreign to us old school codjures haha

2+ years in deciding on this guitar. Actually had never held or played one before I received this SG. ——///—- >~~~ I figured so many legendary players could not be wrong with saturated tones played in every genre there is. 52 years was long enough to wait for this guitar.
I have friends that own and play SGs models from 1962—- 2006s. Always offered me the opportunity to play but never took them up on it.
To see your legends play, friends play, watching videos and then close your eyes and shut out everything except the guitar (any guitar) you get the sounds from the string rub sliding up and down the entire fretboard soloing tonalities that sets the SG apart from all other Gibson models. 22 fret accessible neck, light weight to say the least so it's very comfortable to wear with out breaking down your neck for extended use.

We all want hopefully to pick up a guitar that fits our needs, style, abilities and disabilities being matched and met head right on out of the box for comfort, tonal qualities , playability, accessibility through out the fretboard experience with action, harmonics, tailstock to tuner's has been well worth the time waiting to pull the trigger.
This is my 9th guitar in my meager collection, 5 acoustic, 4 electric since I started playing in 1968.
Like most of us, the could have should've held onto a series of instruments traded, sold, were stolen, broken beyond repair, gifted and or lost are gone.
This SG has soothed those whoa's away bringing new life into a soulful expression that has been downtrodden in griefs and now I am breathing easier deep breaths while expressing that very release!!! I Can't be more pleased than this!!

From start to finish, my entire experience with everyone in the SWEETWATER complete chain of technicians , engineers, salespeople all involved have provided me with a GREAT EXPERIENCE in receiving one of my dream guitars!

I THANK SWEETWATER AND FILIPE FOR THIER PROFESSIONAL COURTESY, KNOWLEDGE AND PATIENCE!!! GREAT EASY EXPERIENCE FOR AN EXCELLENT PLAYING GUITAR!!!

PS. The review title is a new written song I call,
I.A.D.T.
It's About Dam Time

I've always wanted a Gibson Les Paul and was actually shopping for one on Sweetwater.
But I got to thinking about how much they weigh and thought I'd look at the SG. I've always love the SG. So after some research I decided to go ahead buy one. As usual with Sweetwater it arrived pretty fast. I was so geeked out about this guitar. Finally a Gibson! After the unboxing process I put a strap on and got busy. This guitar so absolutely gorgeous. But I found it doesn't quite fit me well. So I'm really having to get used to it ergonomically. I'm used to playing a Stratocaster. My Strat fits me perfectly. So it has been a process getting comfortable with the SG and the tones it gets. I am so glad I ordered this guitar. It does everything it's supposed to do. Also I love dealing with Sweetwater. I've purchased several products and it's always a great experience.

What can I say? Its a proper SG. QC has gotten so much better. J.C seems to be on the right path with Gibson. Beautiful guitar all around. There is a bit of neck dive that caught me by surprise, not bad at all, just a heads up, may want to get a heavy bridge to balance the weight.
Lighter machines and a bridge change has fixed all dive issues.

And a big thanks to Jon K. at sweetwater!

It's a Gibson. Not inspired by or close copy or wanna be one.. it's a Gibson.
Took it outa the box gave it a close look. Tuned it up and put it to work. It's all good. Worth the money. Gibson just is.

In the past two years I've bought two American Pro II Fenders and a Gibson Les Paul Standards 60s. This SG is easily the best guitar out of the four. Almost perfect with the exception of minor intonation adjustments needed on two strings. Everything else is perfect. My second SG and this one is great. I gave my first one to my daughter. I almost wish I had bought a black one instead so I could get a SG 61 as well. I don't want two in the same color.

If you are on the fence, buy one.

I had a Gibson SG Standard that I bought in 1973. I played through an Ampeg BA115 with two speaker cabinets. I got sounds through that combination I could get no where else. I had Sears cheap distortion pedal and a Sears Wah. It's because of the SG Standard that everything worked. Of course the Ampeg amp helped. However, I practiced in my room for hours on the SG unplugged. I could hear it. It's much lighter than a Les Paul and has a thinner, faster neck. You know when you plug in it will never fail. I enjoyed playing the SG Standard more than any guitar I have owned. The closest was Gibson Les Paul Double Cut Studio. Unfortunately because of circumstances I know longer have the SG Standard. I miss it and plan on getting one through Sweetwater. If its your first electric or want another electric guitar, get the Gibson SG Standard. It will be your go to guitar no matter what songs you play. My opinion, the Gibson SG Standard is the best electric guitar to play and the best sounding. As far as I am concerned, it's the Best electric guitar ever made and still is.

Wow...plays great looks great sounds great.
And sweetwater gave me % off on a demo!!!!
Something guitar center and musicians friend will not do.
Remember that all you deal hunting guitar players. The sweetwater guys are the best.
a spotless SG
Best deal on the planet

I got my Gibson SG Standard a week ago and have not been able to put it down since! The guitar fits me perfectly and sounds absolutely amazing, each note rings out crystal clear playing clean and chords growl like a beast when over-driven. The fit and finish of my guitar is perfect, with a little tuning it was ready to go!
I really like how Sweetwater has actual photos of the guitars online, this along with Sweetwater's 55 point inspection allows me to choose the guitar I want with confidence. Many thanks to Bryan Leo, his support and attention to customer needs is above and beyond what I have experienced from other guitar retailers. Sweetwater even threw in a pack of picks for free!
I look forward to many years of enjoyment with my new SG, and will gladly purchase from Sweetwater again!

My first Gibson was bought in 1983. It was a used Gibson SG standard. Immediately fell in love with the neck. I had been previously playing a fender lead ll Stratocaster. Sold that Gibson a few years later and always regretted it. So I decided to buy another one. Though some people say that Gibson has issues with their fit and finish, I can say that mine arrived in excellent condition. Wood grain is beautiful, neck binding and fret nibs are done very nicely. Set up was perfect straight out of the box. Don't know if it arrived that way from the factory or Sweetwater had something to do with that. Either way I have not touched that guitars set up. I would definitely buy it again and thank you to Alex and his Sweetwater team for this purchase.

I just want to thank ray Gonzalez and his team for getting me a great price and picking out a 8.5 pd sg as i was looking for a heavy one and its awesome
Everything is perfect.i especially love the big fat neck. Out of the box everything was terrific.nothing to do but play
Really impressed by everthing and sweetwater service is the best

I have seen a few of these come through a local business and the finish is wavey and on particular one had a strange defect. I ordered mine from Sweetwater and it is flawless! Seems like maybe these guitar companies know that they have to send Sweetwater jam up instruments or they will come back. I personally know of Sweetwater rejected most or all of a particular lot of out-of-stock basses recently. So, if the manufacturer passes it in inspection and it goes to most retailers, it is sent out in a factory sealed box to the consumer. But, going deeper, if the manufacturer approved it, and Sweetwater rejects it, do you think the manufacturer reworks it, or sends it on to your local store who will just hang it on the wall?

This guitar is great. No issues. LOVE IT!

Looks incredible, smells incredible, plays incredible, sounds incredible. The finish and craftsmanship are amazing. The action is low and comfy. I play classic rock and blues through a Marshall Origin (with a Greenback) overdriven by a Blues Driver. This guitar, especially in that combo, nails the 60s and 70s tones of the bands we all love. And SGs are known for hard rock, for sure, but this thing also sings beautifully on clean settings. 10/10 recommend. I don't regret it one bit.

I have never been able to afford a true Gibson.
Keith worked with me to find the perfect piece. It looks like museum artwork.
Incredible to play. Needed very little setup. I can be extremely picky.

Fantastic, fun guitar on it's own, I had the Sweetwater Shop do some great mods--
bone nut, push-pull coil splits, tone bypass and a bass roll-off.
Now it just does so many more tones and I don't have to change guitars for most of what I play (unless I need a Acoustic).
Brad J was a huge part in getting this all together-his service was stellar as always and the mod shop was fast.
Placed the order and I think it was about 3 days and it shipped.

This guitar is wonderfully delicate, and the tone is clean, great sustain.
Needs a proper strap to limit the neck dive, but it's good once you get used to it.
Indeed it is great to play this guitar standing up.
And shredding it feels way more proper than my Ibanez. May be it's just my fingers, but the neck is just sweet. Everything about this guitar just comes together way too well for speed.
Really gets me up for getting some more Gibsons!

At first, I wasn't sure about ordering the SG. I had never played one before and always had Les Pauls in the past. After watching the latest Gibson factory tour, I decided to give Gibson another shot and decided to order the SG Standard. After talking to Josh at Sweetwater, I chose to have the SG I picked out, plek'd by Sweetwater even though Gibson does it at the factory. BEST DECISION EVER!!

The neck on my SG is like butter. I can glide up and down the neck and it feels amazingly smooth. The guitar is a delight to play and ther customer service at Sweetwater has been fantastic. The plek job and setup the tech did is the best I have seen, even better than a plek'd Les Paul straight from Gibson itself. If you are debating on getting your new guitar plek'd...just do it. I wouldn't buy a new guitar without that service, makes a guitar play so much better.

Sweetwater...I am a customer for life!!! Thank you to Matt Stockburger and Josh for all their help, you guys rock!

This is the first time I've written a review in my 70 years. Been playing for over 50 of em'. I feel compelled because in these times when many of us have been conditioned to accept less in terms of products and services that there is a business striving to exceed our expectations. I've purchased 3 guitars from Sweetwater in the last year. Not the most expensive (SG standard, Mex Strat standard and Mex Robert Cray Strat), yes, I like Mex guitars, and all 3 have arrived in immaculate condition with beautiful set-ups. The only person I've dealt with is Evan Nieman. Don't be fooled by his goofy tie photo. He's a no nonsense straight shooter who knows his business and i consider him my go-to guy. If only he'd be quicker on e mail returns. Someone should give him a raise.

Anyway.....so ends the ***-kissin'.

Ta-ta

Humbuckers! This is my first Gibson, always been into strats but wanted something completely different for a changeup and boy does this fit the bill.
It's light, resonant, VERY playable, very tight and just comfortable to hold. The 490 R/T pickups sound exceptional, the bridge pickup seemed a little weak at first but just needed raised a smidge and BAM it sounds beautiful, crisp, and warm. I'm totally sold on the SG and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a light versatile work horse instrument.

Absolutely great guitar. Gibson is doing better these days, I think. There were absolutely no flaws on the guitar I received. It is absolutely beautiful and plays/sounds sweet. Dark fretboard, fairly good set up already from the box. It just "feels" good. 490 pickups are some of my favorite Gibson makes. Service from Sweetwater was spot on. The 55 point inspection is above and beyond and lets you know you are getting what you paid for. It was re-packed better than the factory packing. Thanks Sweetwater and shout out to Gibson for turning out a beauty. 10/10 all around.

I ordered this on 11/28 - which is a Sunday. With the delays that we're all experiencing, and even paying a small amount to go to a 2-day delivery, I figured delivery in about 5 business days, so, Monday the week after, and I would have been fine. But S/W had different plans and my guitar arrived at my desk in work Thurs 11/2. Special thanks to my ep, Ed Nystrom, for his help. And also to the rest of the group at S/W as well. The focus on the customer experience and satisfaction is so noticeably different than anything else I see in the course of my week. Thank you for that.

I'm 64, and had an SG way back when. This new one is even better than I remembered! Really nice workmanship. It's light and has the best neck and action ever! And it sounds fabulous! Makes me feel like a teenager again... almost! Pass the ibuprofen!

So beautifull, every part of this guitar is exactly as it should be! The wood grain the color finish, and a non existent action with hum buckers that push sonic heaven or mayhem that is just perfect. Every one should have one. You can not go wrong with this guitar, or sweetwater.

I have always been a big fan of the SG (my first was a Japanese copy in the 1970s). I decided to purchase the Gibson SG and I am very glad I did! The guitar is light and solid and the action is very fast. The sales staff (especially Ian) do a great job of making sure the initial setup is correct and the order is to your satisfaction. I highly recommend!

I just got my first Gibson SG and I'm blown away at the quality of it. The guitar arrived at my house in perfect condition and I couldn't be happier. The finish on the guitar is beautiful and there is not a single flaw on any parts of it. Everything from the tuners to the tone knobs and toggle switch are all very sturdy and function well. I feel like the standard models have a slightly "darker" sound compared to the 61' and that is exactly what I wanted. I have a simple setup and the amount of tones I can get out of this guitar is on another level compared to most other guitars that I've owned. Thanks so much to everyone at Sweetwater (especially Calvin) for always being so helpful and professional with their services. I couldn't be happier with this purchase!

I've been playing my Gibson SG for a while now and I absolutely love it!! I've been playing it non-stop since I received it from Sweetwater. Tt's a really fun guitar to play. After I had played it for a couple of weeks to get a feel for the sound and the action, I made a few very minor adjustments. First, I lowered the bridge pickup way down from where it was when I received my SG. The bridge pickup was up about as high as it could possibly go and was almost touching the strings. This created a really high output from the humbucker. So I lowered it down to less than half of what it was originally set at and now the pickup gives me a solid full tone. Second, I lowered the bridge on the low E side just slightly and I had to do a little adjusting of the bridge saddles (The strings were coming up a little sharp when I did the harmonics on the 12 fret).

Now my SG sounds even more amazing than before!

Thanks Sweetwater for the your great inventory and great customer service (I'm always excited to get the bag of candy with every order!)

I had been wanting a Gibson SG for years and when I finally had a chance to buy one, I bought this one. Let me just say this is the best guitar I have ever owned. Its light as a feather, looks and sounds amazing! I haven't been playing my other guitars much since buying this. I also threw a couple Dimarzio pickups in for a little extra punch. I would like to thank Mitch Dazey for the excellent service, thank you so much!

What a great guitar. Does everything I need it to do. Great tone. Action. I love the way it smells. Lightweight with a thick but smooth, resonating neck. Got to give her room to breathe, but once you get her going you never want to stop.

Guitar is very light weight, only around 6 pounds compared to my other electric guitars which weight between 9 and 11 pounds. The Heritage cherry looks great. The playability and setup is right on the mark. It has a slender neck which is great for me and makes it easy for chords and solo's. I love playing the SG, it's a rock n roll machine! It comes with a soft shell case which keeps the price of the guitar down but I will be purchasing a hard shell case in the future. Guitar arrived in perfect shape from Sweetwater, they do an awesome job of packing and shipping.

What can I say I'm in love' my little SG has all the action of my Les Paul Sunburst and easier to handle. Thanks to Ryan and the great sales and tech engineers at Sweetwater. (and the candy never hurts) At 68 years old I thought I couldn't be surprised

beautiful guitar with its inlays in the fret board and head the sound is great much like my Les Paul with similar pick ups this ones a keeper id say i enjoy very much playing it i also own a 2016 Gibson sg and there's no comparison i must better sounding instrument

Haven't had an SG since around 1991. I used to gig with a heritage cherry SG90 which was a 24 fret neck/ebony fingerboard version made in the early 90's. Mine had a single coil in the neck position and a humbucker in the bridge. I just kept thinking about how great the neck played and felt. Fast forward to this year. We took a trip to Sweetwater on a weekend and I was just blown away by how alive these guitars played and sounded. I went back about a week later and unfortunately the one I had played was gone. I probably should have known it would be. Since I had my mind made up, I had my rep bring 3 different guitars for me to try. The first was a demo. It was good, but it just didn't seem to have the magic in it. Well...let's try the second. BAM! There it is. Everything I was looking for. Low action, great upper fret access, and pinch harmonics for days. I've always said: the SG ain't much to look at, but the tone and playability is simply something to behold. My Charvels, Schecters, Fenders, and other Gibsons just have to sit and watch now.

A hell of a guitar. I was never into SGs, but wanted to give one a go. Also, Sweetwater is amazing about returns so I knew if it wasn't a fit, I could switch it out..etc.

Well, I have 3 SGs now. I love the light body, easy access, great neck carve, no neck dive, but, I do see the possibility if the machine heads had more weight.

I will say the Exclusive 61 standard has the best neck. The reg 61 standard is too narrow. The SG standard has a great rounded neck. But, the Exclusive 61 had a neck on par with a lp custom. Wide and thin, of the 3, it's tops.

The plek job is well done. Albeit, some dislike the shorter, stubby fret wire. I think it feels great.
Gibson from 2021 to now have been on their game. IME.

Got me one of these just because I just wanted to try one. Angus Young. Tony Iommi. Frank Zappa. Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother. Derek Trucks. Robbie Krieger of The Doors. Lots of players using the SG. Half the Les Paul price too.
Being familiar with the 490/498 pickups and hating them, I swapped out for 57 Classics and could not be happier.
The guitar felt weird at first. Its thin, light and the neck has a longer length than Les Pauls but thats what allows such superb upper fret access. I am surprised the neck just doesn't break off as there seems to be very little holding it there. The neck feel is entirely different and somewhat like a baseball bat. The strings are closer together. The electronics are the same as Les Pauls but the toggle switch is in a lower spot so its a bit tricky switching pickups on the fly. I am surprised how resonant the guitar is when unplugged but its probably due to the larger pickguard having a cavity inside vs the version with the small pickguard with the pickups mounted like on a Les Paul. It also stays in tune beautifully unlike Les Pauls that can't adapt to the environment. Will keep this one, especially if my back gives out from much heavier Les Pauls.

I bought this SG Standard and I love the action. HOWEVER: Sweetwater sends the guitar with Gibso 490 Humbucking pickups which works great for a next pickup and sounds horrible as a bridge pickup. I sent the first one back because of this and Sweetwater sent me another which basically sounded the same. Realizing I was going to have to take matters into my own hands, I did some research and found that the bridge pickup should be a Gibson 498-T humbucker which did the trick. HOWEVER, when I went to replace it I found that the stock pickups wiring was done production style with slip on connectors to the volume and tone pots so my guitar tech charge me double to modify the non-slip on wiring of the 498 to work with the new pickup. After putting it back together which included resetting the bridge and raising the poles in the new pickup; it sounded great! HOWEVER- the pickups top face is angled with the bottom of the strings because apparently for Gibson cost- cutting they mount the pickups directly into the pickgard faceplate with no cambered pickup collars which are available if you want to spend even more to further modify. I suggest if you really want this guitar, make sure you pay to have Sweetwater modify the guitar before they ship accordingly!..

I paid $ dollars for a nice looking piece of wood. The control cavity had the roughest work I've ever seen. The bridge pickup produces a insane amount of static when touched. This SG has one of the thinnest lead tones I've ever heard. It only sounds okay with a decent amount of drive and has no good clean tones. With all of these five star reviews I had hoped for something better. You live and learn I guess, I just wish the cost of knowledge wasn't so high. I guess I'm going to keep it because it looks great, I'll see how much money it takes to make it sound good.