Gibson USA SG Special HP 2017 Electric Guitar, Satin Vintage Sunburst

This is, I think, my 85th guitar since I started playing in 1964, so I'm not new to the game. It is my 7th Gibson electric and the first one I liked right out of the box. Gibson has taken some well-deserved heat lately for their quality control. If this guitar is any indication, there have been some big improvements. I went over it with a fine tooth comb and the fit and finish is excellent. The only flaw I could find is a small section of the top edge of the fingerboard between the 1st and 3rd fret was not neatly stained. That's it. The set up is good with the factory strings with comfortably low action, no buzz and spot on intonation. All the controls work perfectly and the hardware looks and feels great. At 7lbs 1oz the weight is the same as my semi-hollow Rickenbacker 12-string. It's well balanced and the finish it gorgeous. Like just about everyone who shells out good money for a nice, American made guitar I'm not thrilled with the fact that this guitar ships with a gig bag. I purchased a similarly priced Gibson SG bass a few years ago, and it came with a nice hard shell case. That said, it's the best gig bag I've ever seen. Plus there are lots of reasonably priced after market LP hard cases. Gibson has done an amazing job with weight reduction on this - and some other - Les Paul models without sacrificing tone or sustain. Technically, it's now a semi-hollow guitar. Some LP lovers are never going to be happy with that, but I love it. I can enthusiastically recommend this guitar. Looks great, feels great, sounds great.

Wow! When it came in I was like a kid at Christmas. After opening this beauty, everything thing says this is what you pay for quality, even the case it comes in is made well (Case made in Canada). I saved a whole year for this and I have no regrets. Now about this great guitar: The feel is smooth and easy. The paint color is a rich beautiful green burst with a great depth. The locking tuners make tuning and changing strings a breeze. The only thing I will change are the strap lugs to schaller locking lugs. The idea of while playing this work of art and it falls to the floor because my strap popped off. NO WAY! Every part is meticulously perfect, from the wire frets and binding to the switch and knobs and back access panels. This is only the visuals. The real beauty of this guitar is when you pull it in and play it. I'm not going to go into the electronics and the specific humbuckers and what pots are used, if you want that research it. I simply want to talk about sound and playability. This Les Paul is dream to play, whether your style is rhythm or lead, mellow or crunchy riffs, this guitar gives it all. When selecting the bridge pick up the sound is bright and clear. Turn the volume up and she gets dirty. (Side note: some other guitars I have {Strat and Tele} I'm always maxing the volume out) Flip to the neck and warm tones resonate; add more volume, and rich chocolate tones pour out with a Hendrix feel. Rolling the tone knobs really have a range of tone, not just bright or muddy, but real range. The sustain on this guitar is like hitting an infinity switch, she holds the note long and clean. If I went into adding pedals, this would be an essay. So I will end saying this, is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Definitely. This isn't for your kid would thinks guitars are cool. This is for the aspiring musician or the person who demands quality sound from there instrument. And saving just $47/week for a year made it mine free and clear.

First, and this is VERY important: The reviews on this page are NOT all for the same guitar. If you look at the listing, you'll see Amazon has grouped most of the Gibson 2017 line on this one page, so the reviews here could be for any of those different models. (not just different colors of the same model) This review is for the 2017 Gibson Les Paul Studio High Performance, in wine red I studied it carefully before ordering. As of today, Gibson has absolutely nothing on their website about the 2017 Studios, so I was forced to do my research through the various guitar sites. All of them, including the listing at Amazon, contain specs provided by Gibson. In particular, they state: "Push-pull switching on all knobs (individual tap/split, phase, and coil selection) and 5 position DIP switch (adding Neck and Bridge Pickup Tap or Split, Neck and Bridge Vol Treble Bleed control, and Transient Suppression)" The 2016 studio only had 2 push/pulls, and 2 standard. Having all 4 push/pulls opens up a lot of options, and was a feature you had to step up to the Standard to get. And having that feature was the reason I was willing to pay $150 more for a 2017 vs the 2016. But it isn't there! It seems the problem is at Gibson itself. When I received the first guitar and found only 2 push/pulls, I called Gibson. The rep confirmed it should have 4, and even pulled the exact built sheet for serial number I had in hand, which also showed 4. Yet it had 2. He suggested it was a fluke, so I had Amazon set up an exchange for another. The second guitar was exactly the same. I called Gibson again, this time talking to a different rep. He confirmed this serial number's built sheet showed 4 push/pull, and he had no idea why it only had 2. He then walked out to the warehouse and opened up a few they hadn't shipped yet. Every one of them had just 2 push/pulls. He ultimately concluded the issue was with production. As far as other changes: The specs say the 2017s have "ultra-modern weight relief" as opposed to "modern weight relief" on the 2016. But they weigh exactly the same. The 2016 has a titanium bridge, the 2017 has a chromed aluminum bridge. Switching back and forth between a 2016 and the 2017, I couldn't hear a difference. But they are visually different. The 2017 has chrome caps over the pickup rings. The rings themselves are still cream, and you can see that underneath, so it looks a little odd when you install the cream pick guard. The 2017 removes the poker chip. The 2017 has chrome colored plastic volume/tone controls. And it has a chrome colored truss rod cover. Aside from that, they didn't change much. Some sites are showing a 498T+ pickup, as opposed to the 498 in the 2016, but the pickups in the 2017 and 2016 are identical. (another spec vs production mistake?) Given that the 2017 didn't actually have the major improvement I was looking for, I returned it and bought the 2016 for $150 less. But aside from that, and the 2017 having a little too much bling for my taste, I had no complaints with it. Both of the 2017s I received were decently setup, and played nice. I knocked off 1 star for the incorrect description, other wise this would be a 5 star guitar. I encourage Gibson to get their specs straightened out. And that case......it is a beast. If you are a traveling musician checking your guitar with the airlines, it fits the bill. For everyone else, it is overkill. I would have preferred a more traditional Gibson hard shell, with the reduced weight. The aluminum case is almost 22lb. But I guess it is just another way they justify the much higher price of the HP over the T model.

great guitar,good quality

Love this guitar sounds great

La chitarra parla da se nel senso che non tradisce le aspettative. Tuttavia alcuni particolari non mi sono piaciuti: un paio di righette (quasi invisibili) sul ponte, la placca del selezionatore humbucker svitata e quindi fa muovere tutto il blocco con rischio rottura cavi elettrici. Per quello che è costata doveva arrivare perfetta!!!

My whole musical jouney, I have always wanted an Explorer. The sole reason for picking up guitar was because of the look of this guitar. Opening it for the first time was magical and exceeding my expectations. It came with a beautiful hardshell with 80s red inside. I picked up the guitar and started tuning upwards (came is roughly C# standard). Each fret worked and theres no sharp frets at all. Only complaint would be lack of options for the nut. I want to put some 11-52s on there, but its routed to 9-48 ( i think). None the less, great guitar to have, and I will treasure it forever

I got mine (a 2017 model) for £660, an incredible bargain I think. Really nicely set up straight from the factory, I did customise it a little; it had to have the cream 'poker chip' on the pick-up selector & I really wanted to try the G Force 'robot tuner' so I've fitted that too (a very easy job and I really like it, switching between tunings & back is so easy....cheap to pick up too, got the whole lot for £50 on a certain web auction site). The finish is excellent, the pick-ups & sound is superb. I always wanted a Gold top but I haven't (& sadly nor will I ever be likely to have) the £2500+ a real one costs.....but this is, for me, close enough. I love it.