# First Gibson SG Standard: 2015 or 2016 model?



## latrom777 (May 16, 2016)

Hello all!

I'm living in Spain right now and, being mostly a Fender guy, I'm now ready for a Gibson SG Standard in Cherry Red.

The problem is, what model/year to choose? But let me elaborate.

I've found an online store here in Spain that has the 2015 model for 1000, and it has the 2016 model for 1150.



Pros of the 2015:
- hard case
- coil-split (not a must have this, as I really want the SG for the humbucker sound, but it's cool to have more options)
- 150 cheaper
- G-Force tuning (if it stops working, I'll take it off, so it's not a bad thing to have)

"Cons" of the 2015, that are not really deal breakers for me, but still:
- that Les Paul 100 logo instead of the "crown" on the headstock (but for 150 I can live with that)



Pros of the 2016:
- a really "classic", more vintage reproduction of the SG, no frills guitar

Cons of the 2016, that are not really deal breakers for me, but still:
- no hard-case, just a gigbag...
- no coil-split... although I can mod it, of course... (again not a deal breaker)



Also, the 2015 has 57 pickups and the 2016 490/498. Not shure What are "better", or more classic SG sounding, or the "standard/typical" SG pickups...

The problem is, I can't try them!




I live in a small town with only a small music store and it doesn't sell Gibson. So this would be an online purchase.

What do you think? Despite the much hated 2015 model with the Les Paul logo, G-Force and wider neck, for 1000 and with the 57 pickups do you think would be a better buy than a new 2016 model, without case and with 490/498 pickups for 1150?

Or is the the 2016 much better tone-wise, play-wise, that for 150 more it's easy to forget the hard-case and coil-split compared to the 2015 model?

I love them both look-wise and none of them has something that turns me off... I like the SG with the small pickguard and the big pickguard, even the wider neck I think is no problem because I have a 7 string and I have no problem changing from 6 to 7 guitar string... The main thing, I guess is tone, playability, construction... 

Any input would be welcomed! Thanks in advance!


----------



## dr_game0ver (May 16, 2016)

I'd go for the 2015, i love wider neck, come with the hard case (that's a 80&#8364; save) and it's the cheaper one.


----------



## mnemonic (May 16, 2016)

playability wise, they should be pretty much the same. Like you said, the differences are going to be the tuners, wider neck, brass 'zero-fret' nut, and pickups. 

You say you want a 'classic SG,' and to me, a classic SG includes all the normal features that an old one would... normal width neck, normal tuners, normal nut, etc. So personally I would go for the 2016 model, as it just fits better. But if you don't mind the wider neck (really, all the other differences can be changed if you don't like them) then by all means get the 2015 and save &#8364;150. 

One thing to keep in mind if you get the 2016 that doesn't have a coil-tap; the pickups gibson loads into guitars stock are two-conductor only, so you'd need to do a pickup swap (or minor surgery to the pickup itself) if you wanted to coil tap it. Also, if that model has a PCB in it, the pots are attached directly to it, so replacing a pot (with a push/pull pot, for instance) is not possible, you'd need to get all new electronics. 

I'm a fan of the 490R/498T combo, my LP studio has it, and its really good for rock and metal in my opinion. Might not be ideal if you want that PAF type sound you'd get from 57's.


----------



## MattThePenguin (May 16, 2016)

Those tuners on the 2015 models make me want to put my head through the wall so I would say 2016 all the way.


----------



## MajorTom (May 16, 2016)

latrom777 said:


> Hello all!
> 
> I'm living in Spain right now and, being mostly a Fender guy, I'm now ready for a Gibson SG Standard in Cherry Red.
> 
> ...



From your post it seems to me as if you are looking at these two models of Gibson Standard SG's:

SG Standard 2015
Gibson.com: SG Standard 2015

SG Standard 2016 T
SG Standard 2016 T

If that is the case then there are far more differences between the two than you have mentioned,

The Gibson SG Standard 2015 has the following specs:



 Gibson G FORCE&#8482; Tuning System: Faster, more accurate, additional tunings
 Zero Fret Adjustable Nut (patent applied for): Added action adjustment
  Upgraded Tune&#8211;o&#8211;matic bridge with titanium saddles: Ease of height adjustment and sustain
 Wider neck and fingerboard: Increased playing area with same string spacing
 Comprehensive wood selection and grading: Rarest and finest materials for best instruments
 Thicker Rosewood Fingerboard: Increased mass for sustain
 Pearl Inlays: Better appearance and value
 Smoother sanded, buffed and oiled fingerboard: Improved playability and feel
 Comprehensive Setup (Lower Frets, Improved Plek, Intonation): Silky smooth action and bending, improved intonation
 Improved contact output jack: Secure contact and uninterrupted signal
 More robust cables: Stronger signal strength
 Les Paul 100th birthday signature: Honoring a genius with a facsimile of his actual signature taken from a pickguard autographed by Les.
 Les Paul Hologram: Authenticity and tribute
 New & Improved Hardshell Case: Improved protection (up to 15 foot drop), sleek, ergonomic, made in USA


The Gibson SG Standard 2016 T has the following specs:



 Tuners: Traditional tuners
 Neck width: Historic original 1 11/16" neck width
 Nut: TekToid nut
 Period-correct knobs: Black Top Hat knobs with silver inserts
 Carrying case: Padded gigbag
 Inlays: Traditional trapezoid inlays
 Pickups: Versatile 490R and 498T humbuckers
 Fingerboard: Thicker rosewood fingerboard
 Setup: Comprehensive hand-finished setup
 Finish: High-gloss nitrocellulose finish
So as you can see that is is actually a quite a very big difference in specs between the 2015 SG Standard and the 2016 SG Standard.


Looking at the specs point by point, this is the difference in the cases you get with the 2015 Standard SG and the 2016 Standard SG:






The gig bag on the far left is the front of the gig bag that you get with the Gibson SG Standard 2016 T, the gig bag on the far right is the back of the gig bag that you get with the Gibson SG Standard 2016 T, it's a very good quality gig bag, far better padded and far sturdier than the gig bag that you get given with a RRS SE, the gold hard case in the center left is the front of the hard case that you get with the Gibson SG Standard 2015, and the gold hard case in the center right is the back of the hard case that you get given with the Gibson SG Standard 2015, these are amazing quality hard cases, and I mean really good quality hard cases, to buy a hard case of similar quality you are going to be looking at spending at a minimum of around £150.00 for a brand new case of similar high quality, if not more, I would honestly say that these hard cases are superior to any SKB flight case that I have.

Then there is the G-Force tuners that come as standard on the Gibson SG Standard 2015, these are actually really good, I gig with with a 2015 Les Paul, and to be honest, I've stopped using my pedal board tuner and I use the G-Force tuners, if you set it up to tune for accuracy instead of speed - as in it tunes your guitar as accurately as possible instead of as fast as possible, the G-Force is as accurate as both my BOSS TU-3, and rack mounted Korg tuner, it's actually extremely damn close to tuning as accurately as my Peterson Bench Top Strobe Tuner - a tuner designed and made for guitar builders and technicians and not everyday use so it is super accurate, the only down side to the G-Force system is that they don't give you the full manual for it with the guitar, they just give you a single page quick start guide, and expect you to download the manual from here: http://images.gibson.com/Media/Product-Documentation/GFORCE_OM_2.32c_02122015_en.pdf . Once you get used to the G-Force tuners they are great, even on the accuracy setting you can't tune your guitar as fast as the G-Force turners can, string changes on the other hand, are a PITA, and require some getting used to.

The Gibson SG Standard 2015 comes with a zero fret as well as a brass nut, though if you call up or email Gibson's customer support in Europe they will send you out about half a dozen titanium nuts to replace the brass nut with, I did this, so I have six titanium nuts for each 2015 Gibson that I bought, and to be honest the four that I have been using for three nights a week since October 2014 - when they where first made available to the public, for gigging still have the original brass nuts that came with them, some people have had issues with the brass nuts pitting, others haven't, none of my work Les Paul's have had any problems with their brass nuts. The Gibson SG Standard 2015 is also user adjustable, and very very easy to adjust, it simply two screws, so it's very easy and quick for you to not only raise you nut height, but also lower it, all with out removing the nut from the guitar or even the strings. 

The Gibson SG Standard 2016 T comes with a TekToid nut, this is basically a high density plastic nut, it's not user adjustable, so if you want to raise your nut height you will have to remove the nut from the guitar and have a new nut made, if you want to lower your not, again you will have to remove the nut from the guitar and sand some of it away, meaning that if you want to return the nut to the factory set height you will have to buy a new one and either fit it yourself, or have a guitar tech fit it for you.

The Gibson SG Standard 2015 comes with titanium saddles, compared to the Zamak saddles that the Gibson SG Standard 2016 T comes with, the titanium saddles are much harder and will last a lot longer, in fact they will probably never need to be replaced, the Zamak saddles on the other hand are quite soft, and will wear out and need replacing at some point in the future.

The Gibson SG Standard 2015 has a wider fretboard at the nut than the Gibson SG Standard 2016 T, the Gibson SG Standard 2015 has a 4.5993cm/1.795" wide nut, the Gibson SG Standard 2016 T has a 4.3053cm/1.695" wide nut, it won't take you long to get used to the extra width of the 2015 model, in fact you'll probably appreciate the extra space at either side of the fretboard for either bending the first and sixth strings or the ability to preform a wider vibrato on the first and sixth strings.

The Gibson SG Standard 2015 has mother of pearl inlay, the The Gibson SG Standard 2016 T has acrylic - plastic, inlays.

As for the pickups, the Gibson SG Standard 2015 has the 57 Classic combination while the Gibson SG Standard 2016 T has the 490R and 498T combination, pickups are subjective, what one person like another person may hate, however from what I've seen the 57 combination seem to be far more popular than the 490R and 498T combination, but this is an non measurable and subjective point.

For me as far as value for money goes, it is very hard to beat what you get for your money with the Gibson SG Standard 2015, I honestly consider it to be a very good deal an a lot of guitar for the money, where as the Gibson SG Standard 2015 T to me is a striped back version of the SG especially considering that Gibson have a second model of the SG Standard for 2016, the Gibson SG Standard 2016 H:

SG Standard 2016 HP

Which is basically an updated version of the Gibson SG Standard 2015, it still has all of the features of the Gibson SG Standard 2015, plus it has things like the brass user adjustable nut upgraded to a titanium one as stock, the neck is wider than the Gibson SG Standard 2016 T model, it has the titanium saddles like the Gibson SG Standard 2015 has, it has the G-Force tuning system.

If it was me I would go with the Gibson SG Standard 2015 especially over a Gibson SG Standard 2016 T unless you are willing to pay the extra for a Gibson SG Standard 2016 HP, I have a few Gibson SG Standard 2016 T as well as Gibson Les Paul Standard 2016 T, and I honestly think that these features are being phased out for the ones that where introduced in 2015, and that the T series is just to give people who complained about the specs of the 2015 range of Gibson's a last chance and a choice of getting pre 2015 specs, before they show them at the end of the year that the HP line - the 2015 specs, is the far more popular and better selling of the two lines available in 2016.

I would take the Gibson SG Standard 2015 blind in a heart beat, Gibson's Q.C. has improved drastically since 2010, the odds of getting a bad or lemon Gibson nowadays is extremely slim, not to mention that you are covered by both a warranty from the place you purchase the guitar from as well as Gibson's lifetime warranty.

So for me my first choice would be the Gibson SG Standard 2015, my second choice would be the Gibson SG Standard 2016 HP, and my third choice would be the Gibson SG Standard 2016 T.

Put it this way, this year I have bought twice as many HP series Gibson's than I have T series Gibson's, I don't regret buying any of the T series Gibson's that I bought, they are still very nice and very good quality guitars, the HP series were simply not available when I started buying 2016 model Gibson's, I do wish that I had perhaps held off on buying all of the T series Gibson's that I did buy until the HP series where made available to the public, and bought more of the 2016 HP series instead of so many of the 2016 T series of Gibson's, so that instead of owning twice as many 2016 HP series of Gibson's to the 2016 T series of Gibson's, the ratio would of been closer to three 2016 HP series of Gibson to every one 2016 T series of Gibson that I have bought so far this year.

Not to mention the little things that they include with the 2015 models, like photos of your guitar being set up and intonated and other little things personal to your specific guitar.

I hope my long post helps you with you decision, and I hope you enjoy which ever one you decide to go for, and good luck with buying your first Gibson.

Incidentally if your looking for a Gibson Les Paul Thomann are selling the 2015 LPM for a little over £500.00 for brand new ones.


----------



## MajorTom (May 16, 2016)

mnemonic said:


> playability wise, they should be pretty much the same. Like you said, the differences are going to be the tuners, wider neck, brass 'zero-fret' nut, and pickups.
> 
> You say you want a 'classic SG,' and to me, a classic SG includes all the normal features that an old one would... normal width neck, normal tuners, normal nut, etc. So personally I would go for the 2016 model, as it just fits better. But if you don't mind the wider neck (really, all the other differences can be changed if you don't like them) then by all means get the 2015 and save 150.
> 
> ...



It has the PCB board in it, so you would not only need to change the pickups, but you would also have to get four pots, two caps and a three way switch in order to get coil tapping on the 2016 SG Standard T, in fact since around 2008 all Gibson's have come with a PCB board as standard.

The problem with using after market and third party parts to modify the guitar so that it has coil tapping is that it is not so easy to get push pull pots in Europe that are of good quality, it's quite easy to get the cheap and rubbish Alpha push pull pots, but it's next to impossible to get CTS branded push pull pots, not to mention that Gibson use imperial sized pots, in Europe we get metric sized pots so you would need to widen the holes for the pot shafts as well as the three way switch to accommodate the metric size ones sold in Europe. So it is far better to get it already built into the Gibson, and if you don't like the stock pickups, you can always buy the male end of the moles connector that they use to connect their pickups to the PCB board, and wire up pickups of your liking and choice to the male molex connector and simply plug it into the Gibson female molex connector on the PCB board.


----------



## BucketheadRules (May 16, 2016)

Does it have to be new?

I'd look for a '61 reissue used, for around the same money. It'll be a better guitar.


----------



## Rotatous (May 17, 2016)

^Agreed, I'd choose neither personally. A '61 reissue is the one I'd have.


----------



## CaptainD00M (May 17, 2016)

I agree with the last two posts, if it doesn't have to be new then I would trawl the bay or maybe join MyLesPaul and trawl the classifieds and see if you can pickup up either a 61' reissue or an early 00's standard. Good solid no nonsense guitars.

Mnemonic is right some will require a whole new rewire if you want coil spits (but dude you have a bunch of strats, nothing sounds more like single coils than a strat) but if you can solder you can get proper kits for around &#8364;50 + 30mins of work. Pickups I might suggests looking second hand if you want to save cash.

The drawbacks I see with 2015's are the nut, which will be harder to cut if you decide to change string gauge and the tuners. The robot tuners are great in some respects and not in others and frankly while you might save cash with the 2015 model I think you will be putting it into mods by the sound of things. So get a second hand for one or two hundred less and sing said saved cash into mods.

but thats my  

I say this based on also considering the now economically priced Les Paul Classic/Traditional 2015 models and not wanting to blow the whole budget on the guitar when I needed spares for mods.


----------



## TruckstopChuckie (May 22, 2016)

Agree with the two lads above. Get a pre-2015 Standard (or maybe pre-2014 to avoid the 120th anniversary inlay). I've got a 2009 SG Standard. Nice and semi-beefy neck, good Kluson tuners (that has equal amounts of lovers and haters). Fine guitar (though I have changed out the stock Nashville TOM and stop tail for a Faber ABR-1 and a extremely light weighted Faber stop tail, and pickups wound after my specs). 

90's SG Special were also good guitars, if you can stand the lack of neck binding (much better guitars than the satin finished Specials that have been around the last 10-12 years or so).


----------

