Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue Lightning Bar VOS Review

Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue

Earlier this year I decided to get a new SG to add to my collection. I first attempted to order an Epiphone Tony Iommi, but Epiphone stopped production and my order was cancelled. Then I attempted to order an Gibson Original Collection SG Special. Although they were out of stock when I ordered, they were supposed to arrive within a month. Unfortunately, Gibson was behind in production… read more at the time and I was later informed that this model was delayed for at least four additional months. With my recent defeats in mind, I decided to order an in-stock guitar that I coveted, but that came with a much higher price tag, the Gibson Custom 1963 SG Special Reissue. Before I get into the guitar itself, I must send a sincere thank you to Chris Shura, my Sweetwater Sales Engineer. Throughout my guitar seeking odyssey, Chris was super helpful, kept me informed on a regular basis, and was very enjoyable to converse with. I found myself talking to him about guitar playing and guitars in general during each one of our conversations. Also, Chris was straight with me the entire time. I greatly appreciate that, so kudos to you Chris. Now the guitar. It came in a Gibson traditional period case and as soon as I opened it up, I was greeted my that candy smell from the Nitrocellulose VOS finish. Pictures didn't do the guitar justice and it is absolutely stunning. I took a high-powered flashlight and examined the whole body, neck, and fretboard and it was perfect. I couldn't even find slight tooling marks where the binding meets the fretboard and the frets are perfect and smooth. I had heard that many times fretboards coming from Gibson were dry and needed treatment. My fretboard, a beautiful Indian Rosewood, was not dry. I may treat it the first time I change strings, but there's no need to do that now. The guitar seems to be set up perfectly, and other than mild tuning due to travel, it will be ready to play. I am extremely impressed by the quality and appearance of this instrument. Since most of the details and specs of this guitar are contained in the website description, I won't get into too much detail, but I will note that this guitar is hand wired and contains vintage re-creation P-90s pickups. Also, it's a one-piece Mahogany body with a long tenon, deep-set neck which will produce fantastic sustain. If you're looking for that classic 60s and early 70s rock sound the SG is known for, this is the guitar for you. I can't wait to plug it into my Marshall and Laney amps and see what it can do. Thank you Sweetwater and thank you Chris Shura!

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