2013 Gibson SG 50's Tribute with Min-Etune

[elantric]

I just took delivery of a new 2013 Gibson SG 50's Tribute with Min-Etune (thanks to Amazon Prime "free" 2 day shipping )

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ADQS0IA/ref=oh\_details\_o00\_s00\_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ADQS0IA/ref=oh\_details\_o00\_s00\_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ADQS0IA/ref=oh\_details\_o00\_s00\_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url]

 

I went for a Black (Ebony) color, with the 1950's fat neck profile when they were $645 on Dec 26.

They have a red one for $615 - which considering the Tronical Tuners go for $329 alone

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-TRO-TYPEA-LIST?src=Y0802G00SRCHCAPN&gclid=CLfrpKTM1LsCFcU5Qgod9R0AdA" rel="nofollow">http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-TRO-TYPEA-LIST?src=Y0802G00SRCHCAPN&gclid=CLfrpKTM1LsCFcU5Qgod9R0AdA]http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-TRO-TYPEA-LIST?src=Y0802G00SRCHCAPN&gclid=CLfrpKTM1LsCFcU5Qgod9R0AdA[/url]

- makes this the cheapest new Gibson USA model I have ever seen worth owning.

Typical Amazon - its important to check prices 4 times a day - I see they are all back up to $819 right now.

http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-Tribute-Min-ETune-Heritage-Vintage/dp/B00ATDO8FG/ref=sr\_1\_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1388268888&sr=1-1&keywords=min-etune" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-Tribute-Min-ETune-Heritage-Vintage/dp/B00ATDO8FG/ref=sr\_1\_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1388268888&sr=1-1&keywords=min-etune]http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-Tribute-Min-ETune-Heritage-Vintage/dp/B00ATDO8FG/ref=sr\_1\_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1388268888&sr=1-1&keywords=min-etune[/url]

 

I actually own a real 1961 Gibson SG Special, purchased it in mint condition back in 1970,(now worth $$$ and not worth the risk taking it out to gigs )

This new 2013 Gibson 50's SG with Min-Etune is extremely similar (built Nov 15, 2012 and apparently been sitting in an Amazon warehouse in Phoenix Arizona for the past year)

 I'm no stranger to Gibson's as I grew up playing Gibsons, (saved up and got my first Gibson at age 15) and it was not until age 19 I ever owned a Fender. (I celbrate my 59th birthday in 4 days)

Back in 2009 when I briefly worked in the Gibson Nashville factory. to help sort out the Dark Fire production, I was vocal to Gibson management that I felt all the standard production Gibson guitars had a "too slim" neck profile, didn't matter if you ordered a Flying V, Explorer, or Les Paul or SG - They all came with an identical neck profile that was too thin for my taste, (exceptions were the Billie Joe '57 LP Junior (nice fat neck) or the Melody Makers.) and I told the head designers at Massman Avenue to head across town to Gruhn's Guitars and measure neck profiles and play real examples of vintage Gibsons, and consider offering a broader range of neck geometries on the regular production line instruments, instead of forcing customers interested in owning an authentic Gibson with an authentic vintage Gibson neck profile to order from the Gibson Custom shop.

http://www.gibsoncustom.com/

 

When I was reading about the latest SG models with Tronical Min-Etune systems, I discovered that much to my amazement, Gibson apparently took my advice - or others must have provided similar feedback to Gibson.

So if you read reviews that say - "Nice Gibson, too bad it has a neck as big as a horse's leg" - you might have me to blame

Meanwhile, for those who are old enough to remember what a real 1950's to early 1960's Gibson feels and plays like, I can whole heartily endorse these recent Gibson SG's , choose the model that has the neck profile you prefer - Myself, if I had my way, I prefer Necks that are close to 1 inch thick from 1st fret to 12th fret - like a 'stock '52 Fender Esquire, or stock '54 Les Paul Goldtop had.

The 2013 SG Tribute 50's has the thickest neck at 0.963" at 12th fret.

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-USA/SG-50s-Tribute.aspx

 

While the 2013 SG Tribute 60's has a thinner neck at 0.875" at 12th fret.

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-USA/SG-60s-Tribute.aspx

 

 And the 2013 SG Tribute 70's has a neck at 0.930" at 12th fret.

 http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-USA/SG-70s-Tribute.aspx

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ADQS0IA/ref=oh\_details\_o00\_s00\_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ADQS0IA/ref=oh\_details\_o00\_s00\_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ADQS0IA/ref=oh\_details\_o00\_s00\_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url]

http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-Tribute-Min-ETune-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B00ATDNR3K/ref=pd\_cp\_MI\_2" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-Tribute-Min-ETune-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B00ATDNR3K/ref=pd\_cp\_MI\_2]http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-Tribute-Min-ETune-Vintage-Sunburst/dp/B00ATDNR3K/ref=pd\_cp\_MI\_2[/url]

 

Re the Tronical Tune Min-Etune robotuners  - there are reports of gear slippage I blame to pilot error on using Tronical locking tuners.

 

Today Ive been bending strings more wildly than Michael Bloomfield on my new  Gibson SG Tribute '50's with Min-Etune all afternoon, no signs of Gear slippage. I have to chalk it up to newbie pilot errors for those bad Amazon reviews and the fact the Gibson final assembly line in Nashville still does not know how to install strings on Robot guitars ( mine came with 4 wraps on each tuning peg, when we know these systems rely on one half wrap max  - for tuning stability with the locking robo tuners     

A padded Gibson gig bag is supplied - which is a bit cheap and not recommended as it does not properly support the angled headstock. (Will seek a better case) 

I just returned from a 4 hr rehearsal and playing this Gibson SG Tribute 50's guitar brings back memories - mostly due to the ergonomics (compared to a Les Paul, F bar chords at 1st fret played on any SG seem a mile away    Despite the Tronical Tune system the guitar is balanced and not "neck heavy"  - that is it does not drop its headstock when playing standing up with a strap  - (as a Melody Maker with Grovers does).  This Min-Etune Gibson SG is the best slide guitar today IMHO.  24 frets help too! + 

 

Compared to a real deal '61 Gibson SG  Neck which constantly feels a bit more than flimsy and all too easy to get The Who "Live at  Leeds" vibrato on open chords with very little  provocation by wiggling the neck, by contrast this 2013 50's  SG Tribute fat neck model has an extended Rosewood Fretboard that is glued down and overlaps into the body at the crucial Neck to Body joint - provides far more substantial neck joint, and better tone and sustain and feels very solid - Neck is more like a '57 LP Junior It feels as solid as any Les Paul, despite the very light all mahogany body. ( I lucked out)    

This guitar is very light, and rings well. Its not a high gloss hand rubbed lacquer finish, Gibson probably spends no more than 3 minutes painting this guitar in the production line ( its similar to the back side of the Dark Fire  - so orange peel poor paint job is the order of the day on this budget Gibson - also no binding on fretboard, but it has nice bright white fretboard edge markers and decent looking Trapezoid inlays that evoke a 1961 SG Standard. On the Gibson Forum I recall there were many "SG Purists" who despised that fact that normal production SG's back in 2008 have improper size "bat wing" Body cutaways that are too thick. I own an original '61 SG, and i can say this new SG has identical thin body shape as my original  - so Gibson must have tweaked the profile on the Fadaal CNC machine since 2009. Also I prefer this SG body style as it has more wood, and not the typical bathtub body route under the '66 style pickguard to accommodate 3 humbuckers as '66 SG Customs do. The features on this 2013 50's  SG Tribute fat neck model gets me in the ballbark for all my SG urges at a nice price for a real Gibson USA guitar that sounds great.

 

All that is left is for me to perform my Humbucking mod. (seems ridiculous that in 2013, nobody at Gibson has figured out that if you take the Neck P90 PU apart , rotate  the two internal bar magnets 180 degrees, then reverse the electrical phase of the neck coil and put it all back together - the result is a guitar that sounds 100\% identical to stock  - yet is humbucking (no hum) when the PU toggle position is in the  middle position where both bridge and neck PU are on. BTW the Squire J Mascis Jazzmaster ( also with a pair of P90's)  is already wired humbucking in the same manner described above straight from the factory. Weird when Fender tops Gibson in basic P90 guitar wiring tricks . 

[thom]

HNGD! That's a nice score there. 

Nice review btw, good to read a user review that doesn't look like a teenager's twitter message:p

Not that I'm personally particularly interested in the mini-etune technology. I'm sure it has it's use to others, I guess I'm just not in gibson's target demographic when they thought of this. 

Main reason is the price though, it's just not worth that much to me personally.

At $615 however, it'd make total sense to try it out and order one of those. 

I'd trade in the tuning computer thingy for neck binding btw, I'm picky/shallow about sg estheatics:)

Didn't know about that trick to de-hum P90s, that's actually pretty awesome. I currently don't have any P90  guitars anymore, but I definitely have to remember that.

[Malcolm Ramone]

Hmmm, 50's tribute to a guitar that didn't exist until 1961. Well played, Gibson!

[PurpleTrails]

HNGD, and thanks for the great review.  I'll have to think about doing the p90 magnet mod on my LP 60s tribute.

Also, good to see that I'm not the oldest fart on GAB, though I am close.

[elantric]

All that is left is for me to perform my Humbucking mod. (seems ridiculous that in 2013, nobody at Gibson has figured out that if you

 

1) take the Neck P90 PU apart ,

 

2) rotate  the two internal bar magnets 180 degrees,

(see detail A)

 

3) then reverse the electrical phase of the neck coil

 

4) and put it all back together - the result is a guitar that sounds 100\% identical to stock  - yet is humbucking (no hum) when the PU toggle position is in the  middle position where both bridge and neck PU are on.

 

 Hmmm, 50's tribute to a guitar that didn't exist until 1961. Well played, Gibson!

I agree - as one who has collected Gibson Catalogs since 1954, the current regime has an odd naming convention for these. I suppose its to be expected when Gibson sells 22 separate unique guitars that all look like bat wing SG's, while trying to come up with new names for the next new batch of 22 SG's they release each year.  But 50's tribute SG? At this rate I suppose they will release the SG Charlie Christian tribute in 2015