SG

Ray · 2011-05-24T11:27:32+00:00

If anyone can give me some info I would be grateful. OK, so in a month or so or two, I need to get someone a present. And my thinking has been to get a Gibson SG standard. Now my question is at nearly half the price you can get a Gibson SG special. That is probably the most that I would ever spend on a guitar for myself becasue I have already had an experience with a reaonably expensive acoustic guitar that just didnt shake it. But thsi is not for me and I wnat to get something pretty lekker you see so that they will say listen Ed got me a what what and that is something grand. Then I have been thingking about these Tokais that everyone is screaming about and from what I can gather they are sharp. But I would like some info like where the heck do I go to buy one of these Tokais? Are they as good as the Gibsons? Are they cheaper than the Gibsons? Any $ talk will need to be PM'd lest I incur the wrath of the mods etc.. You know another guitar that I've been thinking about is a Les Paul. Personally I think it is quite as ugly as they get but I say again this is not for me and who gets it is going to think they are quite the shiz with a LP. But as much as I want to be generous and buy people's love and affection and all, I have to keep a little stash for bail from time to time.

singemonkey

I'll use that as an excuse to post some Tokai SG porn. Tokai only makes one style of SG - early '60s, in standard, custom, and a much more expensive standard equivalent. I happen to prefer the early SG for a couple of features - deep cutaways with great fret access. Extreme bevels that enhance the evil look of an SG ?, and the single pickguard with pickups mounted directly in the wood.

The Tokai matches these features a treat:

Note the cutaways/bevels highlighted here (I believe this is the premo, 1 piece Honduras Mahogany model):

Though, for the reasons that free2rhyme is expressing - the thrill of holding the legendary product, I get why Ray's moving towards the big G in getting an SG as a gift.

[deleted]

free2rhyme wrote I don't think I should explain... If Tokai's were as good as Gibsons why would people even buy a Gibson? Why would Gibson even be around if Tokai were "just" as good?

Let's get real here people, people like them for their warmness and tone, tokai gets close but in the end is an imitation.

You can't tell me that I am the only one here that when he picks up an expensive guitar, it puts a phycological advantage over the cheaper guitars? In other words...when you hold a Gibson, you KNOW its a Gibson...

I may be wrong, but let the feel of the guit guide you... I'm a brand GAS *hore I guess?

Nothing but kak... Sorry buddy but you got it ALL wrong.
I own both Tokai and Gibson, and have played enough to make up my mind...
With electrics, a good guitar is a good guitar, regardless of what the headstock says...

Ray get the SG that suits your pocket, go play some SGs and take your pick!
I can't play an SG. Just never bonded with them!

free2rhyme

Sorry for expressing my opinion.

Bye bye now.

[deleted]

free2rhyme wrote Sorry for expressing my opinion.

Bye bye now.

Nothing wrong with an opinion ?

What I can't stand is Gibson vs Tokai arguments >☹
They BOTH have their place in this world!

singemonkey

Ah c'mon Brent. These arguments can be fun. ? And the guy was just saying how he felt.

Kalcium

singemonkey wrote I'll use that as an excuse to post some Tokai SG porn. Tokai only makes one style of SG - early '60s, in standard, custom, and a much more expensive standard equivalent. I happen to prefer the early SG for a couple of features - deep cutaways with great fret access. Extreme bevels that enhance the evil look of an SG ?, and the single pickguard with pickups mounted directly in the wood.

The Tokai matches these features a treat:

Note the cutaways/bevels highlighted here (I believe this is the premo, 1 piece Honduras Mahogany model):

Though, for the reasons that free2rhyme is expressing - the thrill of holding the legendary product, I get why Ray's moving towards the big G in getting an SG as a gift.

oooo that looks purdy! It does look strange though, it looks like the neck is only juuuuust on the body, on my '72 SG the neck pickup is right up against the neck and even that looks like the neck is only just hanging in there haha ?

singemonkey

Yeah. It took me a long time before I realised what was going on. I saw someone on a forum write a description of all the changes that the SG underwent. That weirdness also led to a lot of neck problems in the original SG. Tuning problems, broken necks - the whole shebang. So they redesigned the neck in '64 (I think) to make it more stable. But to some extent they lost a little of the satanic wildness of the original design; especially because they also put on the batwing guard and reduced the sheerness of those bevels. But hell, it worked for Angus Young ?

But I've always liked the look of the originals, and quite a few people do, hence all the reissues. For all their faults, Clapton and Mick Taylor certainly did awesome things with them.

Keira-WitherKay

singemonkey wrote Ah c'mon Brent. These arguments can be fun. ? And the guy was just saying how he felt.

actually you right singemonkey when these so called "arguments" are on the forum suddenly becomes very interesting , and of course we know it's basically all coming down to personal preferences at the end of the day and even if the thread runs into 50 pages there can never be "right or wrong" but the debates are fun .....and it's sometimes good to see other peoples honest opinion on gear we either idolise or we hate .and the importance of the "name on the headstock" is the ultimate debate ?

singemonkey

'Course sometimes we lose it. ? But I still don't mind people feeling strongly one way or another unless the person's deliberately trolling, for myself.

deebee

I have an EPI SG with DiMarzio pups, even Angus Young and Tony Iommi would drool at the sound. Of course, a nice floor pedal and a good old Marshall do help. Who really cares about the name on the headstock, if you can find a ten buck axe, and you like the look, sound and feel, then that is all that matters. The rest is just marketing and snobbery -- imho ? ? ? ? ?

DonovanB

I like to look at it like this.
If you are buying to play, get whatever feels right.
If you are buying to sell again, buy the brand name...

As for SG's, sies. Didn't Les Paul also hate them?

singemonkey

Donovan Banks wrote I like to look at it like this.
If you are buying to play, get whatever feels right.
If you are buying to sell again, buy the brand name...

As for SG's, sies. Didn't Les Paul also hate them?

Les Paul didn't even like Les Pauls that much, at least the way we do. He favoured the Les Paul Recording - which many more people would greet with, "sies," than the SG:

It's still not that well known that Les Paul did not design the Les Paul. He was merely a consultant in the process and chose the gold colour and the trapese tailpiece - neither of which are its very most popular features today. He modded heck out of most of the first ones he was given. They're covered in switches, and funny vibrato systems. He was a tinkerer bless'm.

Kalcium

Donovan Banks wrote I like to look at it like this.
If you are buying to play, get whatever feels right.
If you are buying to sell again, buy the brand name...

As for SG's, sies. Didn't Les Paul also hate them?

I use to love the Les Paul look and never liked SG's ...then one came up at a great price (u actually alerted me to the ad on the gumtree specials thread) and I impulsively went for it...And I am SOOO glad I did, now I LOVE my SG and don't actually think a Les Paul looks that great anymore, still awesome, but not as awesome as before....another thing is with the SG the 22nd fret is soooo playable, im a small guy with small hands, so small that on my strat I find it difficult to playthe 21st fret because the bolted on neck gets in the way of my thumb on the back of the neck...With my SG the 22nd fret is as playable as if I was just holding a long neck...Thanks for letting me know about that ad! ?

EDIT: Just checked, its the base of my thumb, where it joins the hand that hits the bolt on neck joint...starts feeling uncomfortable after the 19th fret (20 and 21)
This is just tying in with what u said though about buying to play though...but what i did wanna say is I now LOVE the look of SG's too ?

Reinhard

SGs are damn sexy, lightweight and can hand with the best LP. Compared to my LP it is a feather weight. To get a bit of a different sound to my other buckered guitars I went the SD phat cat route. When I first ran it through a plexi marshall it sounded heavenly. Through a clean fender you get some very nice spanky clean sounds. I think phat cats are very underrated, check them out sometime ?

arjunmenon

Reinhard wrote SGs are damn sexy, lightweight and can hand with the best LP. Compared to my LP it is a feather weight. To get a bit of a different sound to my other buckered guitars I went the SD phat cat route. When I first ran it through a plexi marshall it sounded heavenly. Through a clean fender you get some very nice spanky clean sounds. I think phat cats are very underrated, check them out sometime ?

I've got two at home and all they like to do is eat and sleep by the heater.
One doesn't produce any sound (dud?!) and the other has great tone but only when it's hungry.

StephenG

Arjun Menon wrote
Reinhard wrote SGs are damn sexy, lightweight and can hand with the best LP. Compared to my LP it is a feather weight. To get a bit of a different sound to my other buckered guitars I went the SD phat cat route. When I first ran it through a plexi marshall it sounded heavenly. Through a clean fender you get some very nice spanky clean sounds. I think phat cats are very underrated, check them out sometime ?
I've got two at home and all they like to do is eat and sleep by the heater.
One doesn't produce any sound (dud?!) and the other has great tone but only when it's hungry.

:applause: :applause: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

singemonkey

Lol!

Reinhard

You may just have to replace the battery on the dud. The 9V slots in at the back.

Ray

So I've spoken to quite a few people about this. Here and over yonder and there are people who say go with the original and there are people who say the jap product is better. I'll go and take a look this morning I think. If I cant take a decision based on the product my uneducated eye beholds it will have to be based on factors like price, the fact that the japs wont stop whaling and klapping dolphins, and a bunch of things I guess that will pop up. Some people reckon I should get one of each and maybe that's not a bad idea. The Tokai looks like the 61 reissue does it not? Some places I read that the 61 had neck/body join problems. Would this be a problem with the Tokai?

singemonkey

The necks on '61s are more flexible as I understand it - compared to the '65s and such. I think the neck will give more flex. But it shouldn't be a big issue. I certainly haven't heard anyone complaining too much about '61 reissues from any manufacturer.

As for the "Japs" klapping dolphins, you gotta weigh it against the yanks incinerating little Afghan girls dancing at their sisters' weddings, don't you ?

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