Gibson SG ´61 Standard TT

Much is made on the internet about Gibson's QC issues. I found no flaws with this guitar.

The finish is excellent. The Translucent Teal renders to a deep green over the mahogany body. You can't better a nitro cellulose finish.

The initial set up was good. My only quibble being that the stop bar was slammed to the body resulting in a sharper break angle than I'd be happy with long term. Easily adjustable though.

My biggest whinge - and it is very minor - is that Gibson seem to be cutting costs on the case candy - no bench photo and the included strap is a relatively cheap 2" PU leather one. Not a patch on the straps I've had with previous new Gibsons.

I can't really rate it for 'features' - it's a simple two volumes, two tone controls in the classic Gibson control layout - no coil tap or splits, no phase switching - but that's to be expected on a guitar catching the vibe of a 61 SG (Les Paul).

The neck is thin and works well with my relatively small hands. If you like a chunkier neck then there are other SG variants that may suit you better.

The 60's burst buckers are very articulate, picking up the nuances of playing well. They handle dynamic playing well. Whilst not the hottest humbuckers in the Gibson range, they can still push an amp nicely yet clean up well when the volume is rolled off.

Playability is good for me. The factory set up is good. The action & intonation were good straight from the case.

An SG with no neck dive! I couldn't ask for more.