Why the Gibson SG is Still My Favorite Electric Guitar 

My first encounter with the Gibson SG wasn’t planned. My ex-boyfriend got one, and as I watched him stroking the strings on the glossy, black beauty, I felt a longing to try. He let me play it once, maybe, before telling me it wasn’t a guitar made for a girl. 

That relationship didn’t last, but the desire to own an SG, only grew stronger. I’d never heard such a glorious, bold, metal sound pumped through a Marshall half stack — lingered on. In 2015, the man I married got me one for our fifth anniversary. 

Today, it’s my #1 go-to — even ahead of my Fender Stratocaster, my Gibson ES-335, and the zillions of other guitars I’ve tried. There are so many reasons why I love it: 

#1: It’s physically made for a woman. Some have griped that the Gibson SG is too heavy, feels lopsided on the body, or that the neck is too wide when compared with a Gibson Les Paul. I’d argue that the Gibson Les Paul is heavier, and harder to manage. Even with small hands, I can strike a guitar solo or a “Sweet Child O’ Mine” intro riff on the SG.

#2: It sounds big for a slender body. Gibson SGs sound big and bold through every amp. Guitar pros attribute this to their humbuckers, mahogany body cut, and “iconic shape for resonant tone and balance.” Also, according to the Internet, the guitar’s “classic P-90 pickups” contribute to “biting treble and high output.” 

#3: It’s easy to adjust, hardware and otherwise. When I first received my Gibson SG, it was equipped with the Gibson G-Force autotuner, which drove me nuts. I paid good money to disable this (see “Why I Gave Up my Gibson G-Force Autotuner”), and I have zero regrets, ten years later. 

If you’re a guitarist who likes playing in five different tuning schemas for a one-hour set, then perhaps you’ll disagree with me. But for most of us, who just like standard tuning and Drop-D tuning, or simply want to stay in tune for a 45-minute gig) Stomp, tune, play. No stress! 

#4: Famous babes play the SG. Samatha Fish, Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Gos, and Charlene Kaye love their Gibson SGs. So do the ladies of Veruca Salt (Nina Gordon and Louise Post), and so did Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

#5: It’s not as expensive as a Les Paul. Some will say that comparing other Gibson models to the Les Paul is like comparing apples to oranges. But at the very least, most Gibson SG models are financially obtainable. A guitar like mine will set you back less than $1800, brand new. Yes, there are different price points for every SG and Les Paul model (and you can get a Gibson LP for less than $1,800), but SG’s are generally more affordable!