Gibson SG Standard '61 Sideways Vibrola Review

Beautiful Guitar

Guitar is absolutely stunning! I will say I immediately noticed a screw missing on the top right pickgaurd which is evident in Gibson's own photo that came with the guitar. 55 point inspection? But you know what? Who cares?! Easiest fix and I couldn't be happier with the guitar. Took this one to a good, local luthier who was familiar with these tremolo's and this thing plays fantastic!… read more I don't have any tunning issues as long as I don't go crazy with the trem bar. I also don't have issues with guitar cable hitting tremolo arm. I use a Pig Hog double angled cable. This guitar is such a pleasure to play and to own and I really appreciate the way Sweetwater packages these guitars for shipping, the reason I buy from them. Oh and the case is phenomenal! Super luxury! Thank you to Austin for moving this along and for staying in touch with me. He always does such a good job letting me know exactly what's happening.

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Near perfect interpretation of an infamous guitar from the Gibson Archives

I've had this guitar for a few weeks now and it's easily the best I've ever owned, and the best I've ever played (and I've noodled on some rare/sought after vintage Gibson guitars). The clean sound is out of this world, and a Boss Blues Driver is a match made in heaven. Pros: - Modern construction = Modern Strength and stability - No neck dive thanks to the added weight of the… read more Vibrola - Amazing classic guitar that will turn heads and garner questions from those familiar - Legitimately great, smooth, fast neck - beautiful transparent vintage brownish-red finish Cons: - Obvious tuning instability from the Vibrola (just don't touch it) - Vibrola arm WILL touch the barrel of most guitar cables, you need to either remove the arm, remove the nylon washer, or reverse the arm to get it out of the way - Low break-angle over bridge can cause strings to pop out of the saddles on the bridge. If you're considering buying this, you likely already know about it's flaws and they shouldn't bother you. The issues with the vibrola are fairly easy to eliminate with a few washers and nuts from the hardware store. This instrument is genuinely a great product that will be a guitar for life.

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Gibson is back

Wonderful in every way; finish is flawless, construction is supreme and no rough spots, glitches, discoloring, weak spots on neck, body, headstock, electronics are smooth and pickups are super responsive and vintage esq quality. Really well balanced weight, neck doesn’t swing up or down when sitting or standing. Great case as well. I’ve played slide on it and this guitar can… read more get all the blues, country and rock tones desired. Finger style and picked, just what I was looking for.

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Great guitar

All I had to do was tune it after I got it; the setup was perfect. Even with the Vibrola, it's really light, & fun to play; the neck is fast & the bound fretboard means no sharp fret ends. The pickups sound nice, & the Vibrola is surprisingly stable. The only 2 problems are: 1) the slack in the Vibrola linkage rattles, & 2) the folding handle hits the input plug because the handle… read more is either too long or not the right shape. But for me this guitar brings back memories, because my first decent guitar was a cherry red SG (although without the sideways vibrato). But that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...

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Some kind of wonderful

I bought a brand new SG/LP in 1962 when I was an 8th grader. I played and loved that guitar until it was stolen in 1968, and I"ve missed it ever since. When the new Gibson announced they were reproducing it I was in heaven. My order went into Sweetwater on the first hour of the first day it became available. Three days later I had it! And I love it. The same super thin neck,… read more perfect size frets, low action, light weight, great tone, beautiful cherry red gloss finish.....SO right. The sideways trem is still a thing of beauty, but just don"t touch it or you are out of tune. Exactly the same as my original sideways trem was some 50 years ago. I think the side trem contributes to the awesome tone, and tuning is just fine if you leave it alone. They have a model with a stop tail piece and the Maestro trem if you think that"s better for you. The sideways trem arm has about 1/2" of slop which eventually I"ll unscrew the cover to investigate, but my original sideways trem never really worked so I had no expectations this one would either. If you buy one of these guitars just realize the side trem is the coolest thing ever, but it just doesn"t work. They never did and never will. Also, these guitars are fragile. Most originals have at least one neck repair, and there is a good reason Gibson abandoned the 22nd fret neck joint for something stronger back in the day. Treat it with extra extra care. I got rid of a wonderful but too heavy Les Paul Classic to fund this SG, and I am so glad I did it. This new 61" SG is the berries. One day I"ll pick up a Les Paul bell cap for it like it deserves, but other that, it"s just perfect. Oh, thank you new Gibson, for making this guitar dead on to the spirit and wonderfully unique personality of the original. This guitar is a keeper, which for me is the highest compliment.

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