CME limited edition SGs - collecting for fins and pickguards

Granny Gremlin · January 12, 2022, 09:09:25 PM

I'm really into this.

https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/products/gibson-usa-sg-standard-bass-olive-drab-wtortoise-pickguard-1351958

Chris P. · January 13, 2022, 03:06:26 AM

I like the Pelham Blue with tort even better!

uwe · January 13, 2022, 04:31:35 AM

I do like the military use look of the green thing. Buy one, get a Humvee free!

We are not collecting for tort guards, are we?!

uwe · January 13, 2022, 04:41:52 AM

Flash thought: The SG Bass/SG-Z/EB-0, -3 & -4-common SG body shape has established itself as Gibson's most durable and consistently successful bass design since the TBird Rev. The reintroduction of the shape for basses via the SG Bass has now been around uninterruptedly for pretty much as long as the first round did in the 60ies/70ies. Who'd have thought. Not bad at all for a short scale in a long scale world, especially how badly the SG-Z (which was long scale) tanked commercially in the late 90ies/early 00ies.

doombass · January 13, 2022, 08:20:25 AM

What stands out most to me are the bound necks on both. I like the looks of bound necks.

uwe · January 13, 2022, 08:36:48 AM

Døømbæss, you of all people ... I was hoping for some more (needless to say: Scandinavian) unemotional, sparse & sober austerity from you that shies away from all embellishments cluttering and obstructing the inherent minimalist nature of things!!!

I find neck binding kitschy. And not Gibson'ish at all. Are we a Ric forum now where every bass is tarted up like a soldier from the Napoleonic wars?

gearHed289 · January 13, 2022, 08:58:15 AM

I like them both, but the green especially. I'm usually not into binding or tort, but both are working well here.

Granny Gremlin · January 13, 2022, 08:58:47 AM

Come now Uwe, what's this working class pride? Sure neck binding on Gibson basses is uncommon as they were always treated as second class citizens (but happens - see the Triumph), but the flagship guitars always had neck binding - collectors love to spot fake LPs by the lack of fret end "nibs."

Alanko · January 13, 2022, 11:22:33 AM

A parchment pickguard would make those pop in my opinion. The fretboards are too red-ish to play ball with a tort pickguard with similar hues. Very nice basses all the same!

Dave W · January 13, 2022, 11:31:55 AM

Thumbs up on the color.

Thumbs down on the bound board and tort guard.

4stringer77 · January 13, 2022, 12:37:00 PM

Not bad, at least they didn't do vintage white and three color sunburst.
It's funny when Gibson finally puts out something with tort and it's nicer than anything you can get on a Fender. Seems like there's a lot of drooling over these on certain other large bass forum for that reason.

Granny Gremlin · January 13, 2022, 12:49:20 PM

Quote from: Alanko on January 13, 2022, 11:22:33 AM
A parchment pickguard would make those pop in my opinion. The fretboards are too red-ish to play ball with a tort pickguard with similar hues. Very nice basses all the same!

Rosewood varies in colour some.... anyway that's the reason I thought the tort worked - matching the fretboard.

I am surprised about the bound board rejection. Like I don't care too much either way.

uwe · January 13, 2022, 01:27:06 PM

Quote from: Granny Gremlin on January 13, 2022, 12:49:20 PM
Rosewood varies in colour some.... anyway that's the reason I thought the tort worked - matching the fretboard.

I am surprised about the bound board rejection. Like I don't care too much either way.

WHAAAAAAAAAT?!
Revisionism has a new name and it is "Jake'ism". You used to be up in arms bro how crap binding is, how it devalues a bass and "is just plastic for which wood is sacrificed". You might have conveniently forgotten, Jake, but we all have an eye on you ...

Granny Gremlin · January 13, 2022, 02:17:16 PM

Quote from: uwe on January 13, 2022, 01:27:06 PM

WHAAAAAAAAAT?!
Revisionism has a new name and it is "Jake'ism". You used to be up in arms bro how crap binding is, how it devalues a bass and "is just plastic for which wood is sacrificed". You might have conveniently forgotten, Jake, but we all have an eye on you ...

You remember well. Not devalue - so much as look cheap (the general market consencus being that it adds value, or it is a feature of deluxe top of the line instruments). BUT we were talking about body binding, which is thicker vs a thin strip like when it's a neck - doesn't bother me in the same way. And even then I always added the caveat that if it wasn't cream, but pinstripe (like my D'Angelico - actually double pinstripe) or checkerboard/tux (like a Ric) or black (like my Triumph), or tort (rare but I've seen it - Gretsch maybe?), or any other material other than plastic (dunno if anyone does that ), it's not so bad.

I also went off on how I can't stand LP Standards due to the all cream hardware (pup rings, switch tips, jack plate, poker chip etc). HATE IT. But a bound neck is fine - comes off as a contrasting pinstripe from the front, vs a large block of boring plastic.

The one exception for cream body binding is a black beauty - somehow the contrast makes it work.... though I'd still prefer something else.

Devil is in the details, bud.

Dave W · January 13, 2022, 02:49:46 PM

Tort is just personal preference to me. If I loved a bass otherwise, I'd put up with it, but if there were a choice, I'd go with something else. The tort fetish you see elsewhere is a mystery to me.

Neck binding is different. The look is okay, but I like wood there, not plastic, and it's not necessary.