Gibson SG Special Satin Ebony Electric Guitar

Hands down, the Gibson SG Special Satin Ebony electric guitar is the best combination of features and value in Gibson's iconic SG line-up. You still get the dynamic, slim mahogany body and hair-trigger quick neck that have made the SG a workhorse guitar, yet without all the non-essentials. The ultra-affordable price tag on this electric guitar is owed to fewer coats of finish than can be found on the traditional SG Standard and SG Special. This stripped-down finishing process means that not only will you enjoy more resonance, but you'll be the proud owner of an SG that looks straight out of the '60s. The Gibson SG Special is uncivilized. It's fierce. And it's got to hang in your guitar rack.

Solid Mahogany Body
Probably the most central of all the SG Special's features is its solid mahogany body—lightweight, strong, with a thick, warm tone. The mahogany goes through the same rigorous selection process as all of Gibson's woods, and is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson's team of skilled wood experts before it enters the Gibson factories. Inside the Gibson factories, humidity is maintained at 45 percent, and the temperature at 70 degrees. This ensures all woods are dried to a level of equilibrium, where the moisture content does not change during the manufacturing process. This guarantees tight-fitting joints and no expansion, in addition to reducing the weight. It also helps with improving the woods' machinability and finishing properties. Consistent moisture content means that a Gibson guitar will respond evenly to temperature and humidity changes long after it leaves the factory.

'50s Rounded Neck Profile
No guitar neck profiles are more distinguishable than the neck profiles employed on the Gibson models of today. The guitar's more traditional '50s neck profile on the SG Special is the thicker, rounder profile, emulating the neck shapes found on the iconic 1958 and 1959 Les Paul Standards. The neck is machined in Gibson's rough mill using wood shapers to make the initial cuts. But once the fingerboard gets glued on, the rest—including the final sanding—is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while the Gibson SG Special guitar still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.

Dot Inlays
Over the years, the classic dot inlay has been one of the more traditional features of many Gibson guitars, including the SG. A figured, swirl acrylic gives these inlays that distinguished pearl look. They are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn't require the use of fillers.

Gibson's 490 (R) Rhythm and (T) Treble Pickup
The mid to late 1960s saw the emergence of a very different type of music coming from the clubs of England. It was an interpretation of the blues that hadn't been heard before, and it was much harder, more rocking, and definitely louder than anything else before it. As such, this new genre's players were demanding more powerful amplifiers with increased volume output to satisfy their sonic explorations. Gibson answered this call with the introduction of the revolutionary 490T and 490R pickups ("T" for treble, and "R" for rhythm). The 490R is a humbucker with the tonal characteristics of an original PAF, with a slight increase in upper mid-range response. The guitar's 490T bridge pickup is calibrated to match the 490R, with pole pieces aligned a little further apart to accommodate the spacing of the strings at the bridge, which has different string spacing at the neck.

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