# NGD Gibson SGJ 2014



## Tone Chaser (Mar 2, 2014)

Hi. ordered one of these from L and M a week ago before the price increase. I have several of what I consider very good guitars.

I have a 1973 Yamaha SA60 that is very well set up with Seymour Duncan's, a 1983 two knob Fender American Standard Stratocaster that is well set up, a 2013 Gibson LPJ that I'm still figuring out, a 2011 Fender American Special Telecaster that I am also still learning about, and for some reason I replaced my beater Epiphone SG special with the Gibson SGJ 2014.

I have had several other guitars along the way that had great voices, but just didn't wind up being a keeper. This SGJ is already starting to look and feel like a keeper. It came set up with the action too high for my liking; but it only took several minutes to get it set way better than my Epiphone SG could ever be adjusted.

This SGJ is my favorite Gibson to date. It is light and comfortable. There is no sign of neck dive. It is rock solid and just does what a SG is supposed to do. The Epiphone never did any of these things well. It gets dirty real quick, and cleans up with just a little roll back of the volume knob(s). The tone knobs are just as responsive. The Zebra pickups are doing it for me. I also reset the height on the pups, but this is just an initial setting.

I have 7 amps to put the SGJ through, and have only had time to investigate two extremes; one is my Dr. Z Maz Jr combo, and the other is my little Fender GDec 3 15 watter. I can't believe the tones that I am getting out of this inexpensive guitar. The amp that surprises my the most is the little GDec3. The little modelling amp sounds so much more real with this guitar.

From what I learned with the SGJ, I had to go back and try some different things with my Tele. This has led to more tones that I don't think that I would have found if it wasn't for the newly purchased Gibson. I have to go back to the LPJ and see if I can learn something new about it.

Don't let the corks sniffers and the anti 120th anniversary inlay haters convince you any different. This is one of the best guitar purchases for the money that I ever made. I'm sure that it will only get better as time goes by and the adjustment get refined. The two extra frets actually make the neck feel just a tad longer than what I am used to.

You have to seriously give one an honest try. I can afford a high dollar one, but I have always been frugal and have found that at times, less can really be more. This is perhaps the most resonant solid body guitar to date. It may be those factory installed Cleartone strings that this resonance can be attributed to. I've read about quite a few haters of these strings. I am giving them a chance. There is something good going on with this entry level American made Gibson.

The first two guitars that I have listed above play exceptionally well and have voices that are my personal bench mark guitars, even with old strings. This SGJ may wind up getting ranked as one of my bench mark guitars.

Please don't ask for pictures, I don't like the way this forum requires me to use third party sources to post pictures.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Tone Chaser said:


> Please don't ask for pictures, I don't like the way this forum requires me to use third party sources to post pictures.


Too bad because I don't like NGD threads without pictures.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Tone Chaser said:


> Please don't ask for pictures, I don't like the way this forum requires me to use third party sources to post pictures.


Seeing you have a whopping 3 posts under your belt you're a few hundred shy before we allow you to have an opinion.:smile-new:

That's really too bad because..........

:useless:


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2014)

one of these? cool. especially for the price.


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## surlybastard (Feb 20, 2011)

How's the fret work on it? I've picked up to SGJ's (both 2013's mind you) and the fret work was, in my opinion, horrible and virtually unplayable. Just jagged frets you could cut yourself on like the cheap XS Cargo guitars.


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## DrHook (Oct 28, 2013)

surlybastard said:


> How's the fret work on it? I've picked up to SGJ's (both 2013's mind you) and the fret work was, in my opinion, horrible and virtually unplayable. Just jagged frets you could cut yourself on like the cheap XS Cargo guitars.


I think both the big F & G are guilty on that count when it comes to their lower end guitars, I picked up a MIM paisley strat that required bandaids  And on the other end your lower PRS models are well turned out in the fret department. This is one area that guitar makers shouldn't be cheap on especially if they won't give you a hard case.


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## Tone Chaser (Mar 2, 2014)

Steadfastly said:


> Seeing you have a whopping 3 posts under your belt you're a few hundred shy before we allow you to have an opinion.:smile-new:
> 
> That's really too bad because..........
> 
> :useless:


So now we have the opinion police chiming in. I didn't know that this was the Yellow Bullet forum where the weak are eaten. 

I am not allowed an opinion because of only having 3 posts. I'm not here to fight with anyone. Life is to short to waste any of my time with this kind of stupidity. My 3 naïve posts likely had more relevance than all 7497 of yours. I spent enough time trying to find a way to post pictures. Thought I would give this forum a chance and eventually get the hang of things work. I have one weakness with photos on this forum only. I will not set up another account/password/etc. because you need a picture of a common guitar that can be found in a music store.

The neck and fretwork on the SGJ 2014 is much better than what is on my 2013 LPJ. I have 45 plus years of music experience and no opinion since I can only write worthless threads without pics. I guess that I get the picture.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

DrHook said:


> I think both the big F & G are guilty on that count when it comes to their lower end guitars, I picked up a MIM paisley strat that required bandaids  And on the other end your lower PRS models are well turned out in the fret department. This is one area that guitar makers shouldn't be cheap on especially if they won't give you a hard case.


The SGJ's I've seen were well done on that count.

Part of the issue is climate.

However I have gone into one store and a MIA Strat has a smooth neck on the side where the frets are, and the MIM has an okay one, and the Squier is bumpy at best & a slicing hazard at worst--but then I'll go to another store and the Squier has the smoothest fret edges, and in a third store the MIM is the best.

So it could be the store, the climate, the QC person at Fender or Gibson that day, etc.


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## fredyfreeloader (Dec 11, 2010)

Tone Chaser said:


> Hi. ordered one of these from L and M a week ago before the price increase. I have several of what I consider very good guitars.
> 
> I have a 1973 Yamaha SA60 that is very well set up with Seymour Duncan's, a 1983 two knob Fender American Standard Stratocaster that is well set up, a 2013 Gibson LPJ that I'm still figuring out, a 2011 Fender American Special Telecaster that I am also still learning about, and for some reason I replaced my beater Epiphone SG special with the Gibson SGJ 2014.
> 
> ...


With a sales pitch like that I have to ask. do you work for L & M or are you a Gibson rep? 
There are instructions here on GC to help you post pictures directly from your computer. Ask for some help with posting and drop the snarky attitude. We don't have opinion police, but just saying you don't like the way the forum wants you post through a third party leaves some people with an uneasy feeling of, here we go again. Maybe you don't want to post because there is no guitar, we don't know yet.


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## dmc69 (Jan 20, 2011)

Steadfastly's post had some hidden tags in it. Let me reveal them:



Steadfastly said:


> *<sarcasm><friendly teasing>*Seeing you have a whopping 3 posts under your belt you're a few hundred shy before we allow you to have an opinion.:smile-new:*</friendly teasing></sarcasm>*
> 
> That's really too bad because..........
> 
> :useless:


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

too bad if he has butt hurt. posting pics on a ngd thread is obligatory on any forum, not just just this one. and not just this topic. ANY FORUM. 2ndly, all forums of this type post the pics in the same way because it's not their responsibility to host your pics. it's your problem, not everyone else's, where you're pics get hosted. it's obvious in the o/p that he's been called on this before, and he expected to be called on it this time as well. so he he knows how, he knows it's expected, and refused. it's no law or anything, but certainly not the way to walk into a place where you're the new guy looking to be accepted. join the community or dont. post pics or dont. but you're the cowboy who walked in with his gun drawn.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

dmc69 said:


> Steadfastly's post had some hidden tags in it. Let me reveal them:


Thanks, dmc, I guess he didn't catch it. I thought the smiley would do it but maybe I should have added a couple extra.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Tone Chaser said:


> So now we have the opinion police chiming in. I didn't know that this was the Yellow Bullet forum where the weak are eaten.
> 
> I am not allowed an opinion because of only having 3 posts. I'm not here to fight with anyone. Life is_* to short*_ to waste any of my time with this kind of stupidity. My 3 naïve posts likely had more relevance than all 7497 of yours. I spent enough time trying to find a way to post pictures. Thought I would give this forum a chance and eventually get the hang of things work. I have one weakness with photos on this forum only. I will not set up another account/password/etc. because you need a picture of a common guitar that can be found in a music store.
> 
> The neck and fretwork on the SGJ 2014 is much better than what is on my 2013 LPJ. I have 45 plus years of music experience and no opinion since I can only write worthless threads without pics. I guess that I get the picture.


I hope you're joking. I was.:smile-new::smile-new::smile-new::smile-new::smile-new:


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## surlybastard (Feb 20, 2011)

DrHook said:


> I think both the big F & G are guilty on that count when it comes to their lower end guitars, I picked up a MIM paisley strat that required bandaids  And on the other end your lower PRS models are well turned out in the fret department. This is one area that guitar makers shouldn't be cheap on especially if they won't give you a hard case.


I totally agree, the difference is the Gibson's are 'Made in the USA' and therefore there's a certain level of quality expected. This is my (and others) bias of course, which is why I was surprised at the fret work. That said, I've been looking at 2014 Classic's and even those are hit and miss quality wise.


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## Fiveway (Mar 21, 2010)

I'm glad to hear good reviews for these cheaper Gibsons. I used to have an $800 Les Paul Studio Faded and I thought it was great. Fit and finish, playability, set up, and sound were all very good. At the time I bought that guitar Gibson was making the Melody Maker line and as much as I wanted to like them, they always felt too much like toys for me. So I was excited to see them introduce a whole line of less expensive guitars. And again, it's good to hear good reviews.

Mind you, who ever starts an NGD thread and tells you what a piece of crap the guitar they just bought is.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

surlybastard said:


> I totally agree, the difference is the Gibson's are 'Made in the USA' and therefore there's a certain level of quality expected. This is my (and others) bias of course, which is why I was surprised at the fret work._* That said, I've been looking at 2014 Classic's and even those are hit and miss quality wise.*_


I've read this so many times in different posts over the last few years and often from people who really like Gibson guitars. I find it perplexing because I've taken a couple of the YouTube Gibson USA factory tours and from what you can see, the quality should be consistent, especially with the quality checks that are done at the end. The only thing I can put the inconsistent quality down to is disgruntled employees because if you're proud of your product you would never let those things get out the door.


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## surlybastard (Feb 20, 2011)

Steadfastly said:


> I've read this so many times in different posts over the last few years and often from people who really like Gibson guitars. I find it perplexing because I've taken a couple of the YouTube Gibson USA factory tours and from what you can see, the quality should be consistent, especially with the quality checks that are done at the end. The only thing I can put the inconsistent quality down to is disgruntled employees because if you're proud of your product you would never let those things get out the door.


I just want to add that I've seen three 2014 Classics so far, one played great, the other two had fret jobs that I would say wasn't not nearly good enough for a guitar they're charging that much for and I absolutely wouldn't have purchased them. I think the rule is (and really should always be) play before you buy. But until this year I think I would've considered buying a Gibson sight unseen, not anymore.


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## dmc69 (Jan 20, 2011)

surlybastard said:


> I just want to add that I've seen three 2014 Classics so far, one played great, the other two had fret jobs that I would say wasn't not nearly good enough for a guitar they're charging that much for and I absolutely wouldn't have purchased them. I think the rule is (and really should always be) play before you buy. But until this year I think I would've considered buying a Gibson sight unseen, not anymore.


I don't like how they got rid of the fret nibs. My 2005 Classic has them and I think they feel fantastic. IMO the nibs effectively solved the fretboard feeling like a hacksaw issue.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

surlybastard said:


> I just want to add that I've seen three 2014 Classics so far, one played great, the other two had fret jobs that I would say wasn't not nearly good enough for a guitar they're charging that much for and I absolutely wouldn't have purchased them. I think the rule is (and really should always be) play before you buy. But until this year I think I would've considered buying a Gibson sight unseen, not anymore.


To give them a bit of a break on the frets, someone mentioned the other day that humidity (or the lack of it) can play havoc with the fret ends sticking out a bit more in some seasons than in others and I think this makes sense to at least some degree as the fret board swells and shrinks.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Gibson SGJ - Now someone tell me why we can't post pics directly to the forum but we can copy/paste some Google pics. Oh ya, nice guitars by the way.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Guitar101 said:


> Gibson SGJ - Now someone tell me why we can't post pics directly to the forum but we can copy/paste some Google pics. Oh ya, nice guitars by the way.


Well, one has nothing to do with the other. In the case of the photo you linked, some outside third party is paying to host that picture. Linking third party photos into forums is a practice that used to be very frowned upon but seems more commonly accepted these days. You still occasionally see photos with some sort of message about 'don't steal my bandwidth' or some variation of 'don't steal our pictures' when linked to an outside site.

In the case of posting pics to the forum, if you did essentially the same thing (hosted the pic elsewhere like photobucket, which is free and easy to use) then linked it back, you'd be fine. As to why our host doesn't allow for it, well:
-we don't know what software issues the forum software may or may not have with hosting
-there is cost involved, the more pics hosted the more bandwidth needs to be paid for
-I'm a member of approximately 25 forums across several hobbies, not one of them has direct hosting of photos. It's just not common practice or 'industry standard', so to speak. I'm sure some hobby forums do allow it, somewhere.


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

Ah, how come I can post pics direct from my computer and some of you guys can't?


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Jimmy_D said:


> Ah, how come I can post pics direct from my computer and some of you guys can't?


Because you are a "paying" member. It's one of the extras you get with your membership. It may have to be a gold one though, if I remember correctly.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Jimmy_D said:


> Ah, how come I can post pics direct from my computer and some of you guys can't?


Yes, "Gold" members are supposed to be able to post pic directly. I am a "Gold" member but for whatever reason, it doesn't work for me. Not a big deal but I'll probably drop back to "Silver" when it's time to renew my membership. Sorry for the thread hijack. Now back to SGJ's.


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## DrHook (Oct 28, 2013)

Try clearing your cookies, especially for GuitarsCanada and disabling any popup killers.


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