Gibson SG Special VERSUS 72 Tele Deluxe

ANarcho-Munk

Ok. Here's the story.

A few weeks ago I bought a [url="http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-SG-Special-Faded-3-Pickup-Electric-Guitar?sku=512799] Gibson Sg Special with 3 pickups[/url] It's a pretty ok guitar but I can't help but feel that I could have gotten better bang for my buck for €800 snots.

I lOVE the appearance of the guitar and the neck is great for sliding. But the middle pickup is quite annoying and gets in my way. Also, the lack of volume and tone controls is a bit of bother. I haven't been playing it through a great amp (a Behringer vintage 25 watt) but the tone doesn't seem to go great. But then again that could have a lot to do with the amp?

I was considering sending it back and getting a 72 Telecaster Deluxe isntead of it. I admittdly havent played one before but they seem quite good.

I was also considering a Fender CIJ Jazzmaster


What I like to play is punk, metal and alternative. (stuff like Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Death, Slayer, Bad Religion, Husker Du, Black Flag)

Would I be crazy to do this? Give me your opinions, please! My 30 day guarantee is running out...

Karl Hungus

A telecaster has a vastly different sound to an SG. What kind of sound are you going for?

Anyway, I'd say the amp is playing a huge part in bad tone.

ANarcho-Munk

Ah. Just got in bfore my sneaky edit there.

Well I want something with a lot of versatility. I'm in a metal band at the moment and we play Death, Bodom, Carcass, Slayer and stuff like that.
This is where I'm not sure that a Tele or Jazzmaster would be suitable....but i'm also into a lot of indie/punk like Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Choking Victim etc.

I'm really curiios to the Jazzmaster as a lot of bands I really like use them. But i've heard some people say they aren't versatile enough but i've heard others saying they are extremely versatile. But again, i've never played one myself and I reckon it'd be hard to find a shop in Ireland that has it in stock.

And yeah, I think my amp is playing hell with me as you said. You wouldnt expect much out of a cheap Behringer now!

Voodu Child

I don't know how you're playing in a metal band with a 25 watt Behringer..but anyway:

If you're playing metal you want something with humbuckers.

That's about it, the rest is up to your personal preference. The guitars you mention are so far apart, it sounds like you don't really know what your preferences are...can't help you there unfortunately.

Maybe go to a few shops and try as many guitars as you can, to get a feel for what you like/dislike in a guitar..

Karl Hungus

I think for most of your kind of music, a guitar with humbuckers would be the best thing. A tele, with single coils, just isn't going to cut it for most rock or metal.

If the middle pickup on the SG is getting in your way, then I suggest lowering it a bit.

Seriously though, I think investing in a better amp is definetly the way to go.

It wasn't me!

Anything with decent humbuckers and a good neck, then you'll be sorted. For a lovely, versatile guitar, perfect for metal, my reccommendation lies with the Ibanez RG and S series. They'll also probably do whatever else you want, particularly the S.

fish-head

Karl Hungus wrote:

Single coils, just [aren't] going to cut it for most rock or metal.

Tell that to Iron Maiden!

Voodu Child

The Iron Maiden guitarists use humbuckers most of the time, JB juniors, hot rails, etc.

punchdrunk

used to have a 72 custom with a duncan lil'59 in it,savage guitar!

Johnny Storm

ANarcho-Munk wrote:

.... But the middle pickup is quite annoying and gets in my way. Also, the lack of volume and tone controls is a bit of bother....

IMHO you will soon get used to the position of the middle pickup. Also/ having more knobs on a guitar is unlikely to make it sound better. EDIT: Surely you can get a lot of different tones from the "6-position rotary knob"?

ANarcho-Munk

It wasn't me! wrote:

my reccommendation lies with the Ibanez RG and S series.

Not with a Licencsed Floyd Rose, there a nightmare. Wretched wretched things. I decided i'm gonna keep it. I just had a wave of buyers remorse and got pretty anxious or something.

I say through a good amp and a nice pedal it could be a great guitar.

Ravelleman

Karl Hungus wrote:

A tele, with single coils, just isn't going to cut it for most rock or metal.

Perhaps not, but the Tele he suggested doesn't actually have single coils...

fourmations

hi munk

i have a cij jazzmaster and a tele

the jazz was something i wanted for a while (15yrs!)
(mascis is my hero, love mbv, sy etc etc as well)

the jazz is a great guitar for all the sounds that they
are associated with, indie, post-punk, grunge, shoegaze etc etc
the tremelo is to die for and it sounds fantastic

they are NOT a metal guitar though, they have a vintage fretboard
radius and play with a highish action, they also excel playiing 11's
not shredder 9's, the pickups are vintage and DO NOT play heavy distortions well, think sonic youth noise rather than smooth slayer type distortions,
they also dont play great "out of the box" the CIJ need better pickups
and a good bit of tinkering, having done that its a fantastic guitar and too cool for school in looks and sound

have a look at offsetguitars.com (its the ultimate site for jazz and jags)

I have a tele on a long loan too and really have fallen for that too
(again the standard one does not do metal well, maybe the deluxe will)
the standard does great punk tones and is very versatile, nothing sounds like the bridge of a tele,

i have an epi les paul and an old shredder, both of which do the heavys
really well (humbuckers!) but IMO the cleans and crunches dont get near the fender sound that you will get off the jazzmaster or tele

the outshot of all this is that I would be inclined to get a standard tele or the jazz and allow funds for a humbucker in the bridge, it think its a shame to not have a single coil on board if you buy a fender, look what J and thurston can do with their vintage single coils and your cant get near the clean and crunchy sounds of fenders!

(i know an awful lot about jazzmaster if you have any questions
I did lots of research and have set mine up myself)

rgds

4

It wasn't me!

ANarcho-Munk wrote:

Not with a Licencsed Floyd Rose, there a nightmare. Wretched wretched things. I decided i'm gonna keep it. I just had a wave of buyers remorse and got pretty anxious or something.

I say through a good amp and a nice pedal it could be a great guitar.

Hmm, I think you need more experience of Ibanez trems. Personally, I'll put them up there at least as high as an original Floyd Rose, and the ZR trems on the S series are far, far more stable.

ANarcho-Munk

Brilliant post Fourmations, ta!


Ideally I wouldn't really be playing metal but I want to be able to cover it and a single coil jsut wouldnt do the job. I'd lOVE to get a Jazzmaster though, maybe if I raise the funds I may be able to get one sometime. And yea, J Mascis is God.

deaddonkey

you're wondering why your tone stinks.

you've told us

it's the amp
anything will sound bad through a 25 watt solid state behringer. sorry, but it's that simple.

p.s. only scumbags post at offsetguitars.com

novarock

I have the 72 telecaster customer, it has a wide range humbucker in the neck and a single coil in the bridge. It is a truly excellent guitar, but the reason i got it over an SG is because i wanted slightly less gain from it, but more than a standard tele, so in your case if you are going to be playing metal id go for the SG, or maybe a les paul studio if you could stretch the fundage!

edit: just re-read some previous posts, if you only hope to be able to play metal the 72 would cut it with the right amp, can be pretty brutal when the gain is at 20 on my JCM-900