Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Dave Sloven on September 24, 2013, 06:06:57 AM
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I just bought this guitar on ebay. Waiting to hear from the seller now.
Apparently these are rare. A small number of SG Juniors were made in 2006 for the Japanese market in pastel colours - blue, yellow, and pink. This is obviously one of the pink ones. It comes with a 'chainsaw' case, which I am guessing is something that the seller got with another SG and decided to sell it with this one. This one would have originally had either a standard case or a gig bag. Anyway I've had GAS for a P-90 & wraptail equipped guitar all year so I finally succumbed. The pink should freak a few people out. I'll tell them it's 'clit pink' :lol: While the colour isn't 'vintage' these were based on the late '60s SG Juniors, which had a batwing pickguard and a single soapbar P90 and 'lightning bolt' wraptail, as opposed to the early small pickguard Juniors with a slanted wraptail and dogear P90.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Gibson-SG-Junior-/200964696403 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Gibson-SG-Junior-/200964696403)
(http://i43.tinypic.com/vylavc.jpg)
Candidate for a Supermassive maybe?
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Wow, I love it! Can't beat a Junior. :D
I haven't seen one of those Juniors before, but Gibson also made the SG-X in those same colours (Caribbean Blue, Coral Pink and Corona Yellow) in the late '90s. I have an Army Green SG-X and I love it, but I'm always on the lookout for one in one of the "girly" colours as well. Some of them have ebony boards.
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I love that. I need to sell my Epiphone to fund a single p90'd guitar.
Paddy
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Love it, looks great. The simplicity of a single P90 guitar is tough to beat. Now put a Nantucket in it. :)
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That's awesome!
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Looks really good :D Love the colour and single p90 is awesome.
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I'm anxiously waiting for the seller to send me a total ... sometimes with guitars if they only get one bidder they come up with this cr@p about 'oh, I just sold it on gumtree' (or through the newspaper classifieds) and then hold onto it. But I doubt that he got many inquiries, as there are a number of other SGs on ebay here at the moment, including an SG Classic that is currently cheaper than this but has a few days of bidding still to go.
Anyway I think it's pretty cool.
I have toyed with the idea of picking up a custom pickguard and putting my A-bomb in it, but I think I'd rather have a P-90. If I went BKP for this it would be either Nantucket, Supermassive, or a P-90 size custom Stockholm. My Explorer has Warpigs and I don't want something too similar to my other two guitars (i.e., Cold Sweat or Warpig).
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Get a Pig 90, you can get brutal with them but roll the volume down for some more p90 twang :)
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That's a cool guitar :) those thin bodied, one pickup, all mahogany guitars tend to really vibrate and sing. should be nice. I imagine any of those P90's would sound great, although I'd likely go for one of the lower output ones myself.
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Well, it would be funny to play fully br00tal down-tuned palm mutes on a pink guitar with a Pig90, I have to admit. But even a Supermassive would induce a degree of jaw drop, especially if played through my 6534+
If I did it in front of a room full of try-hard black metal dudes it would be even funnier.
But maybe I should get some tweedy little amp like a Classic 30 and put some nasty distortion pedal on it like my Metal Muff just for jokes. Apparently people do play with such a combination.
But yeah I think a Nantucket or Supermassive would be what I was thinking of, rather than a Pig-90. I figure it would be too close to what I have in the Explorer, and if I swap out the pickups into an SG eventually - which has always been my plan - they would sound too similar.
The only other thing I might change on the guitar is the tuners. These particular Klusons have a reputation for being flimsy. There are some good Grover replacements though:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead_tuners/Grover_Tuners/Grover_Vintage_Deluxe_Oval_Knob_Tuners.html (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead_tuners/Grover_Tuners/Grover_Vintage_Deluxe_Oval_Knob_Tuners.html)
They don't involve drilling holes and look very much like the originals. There is a similar type with the tulip heads that I have considered putting on my SG Standard if the nut sauce doesn't cure the tuning issues. I tend to think that a lot of tuning issues on Gibsons come from the string angle at the nut and the flexing of the thin '60s profile necks, but my Explorer with Grovers doesn't go out of tune as often (although its neck is thicker)
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Great looking guitar!!
Love the simplicity of the juniors
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never seen one like it. very cool
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nice :D
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The only other thing I might change on the guitar is the tuners. These particular Klusons have a reputation for being flimsy. There are some good Grover replacements though:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead_tuners/Grover_Tuners/Grover_Vintage_Deluxe_Oval_Knob_Tuners.html (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead_tuners/Grover_Tuners/Grover_Vintage_Deluxe_Oval_Knob_Tuners.html)
They don't involve drilling holes and look very much like the originals.
I haven't tried the Grovers, but Tonepros/Kluson also make some direct replacements (i.e. with the bolt bushings rather than press-in ones) which are very good.
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It's paid for now.
Amazingly - it's never happened before - the seller called me on the phone to ask me if the postage charges and had a long chat with me. I think he really just wanted to make sure the guitar was going to someone who would appreciate it! I'll post some photos when it has arrived. Now I will have to buy a third Hercules guitar stand! Too much nitro around here ;)
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Nice looking guitar. I like pink ones, I have a couple of shell pink strats and also 2 burgandy mists, which goes pinker as it ages. Check the bridge for the G intonation. Later Gibson bridges are set for open G's, but the originals were compensated for a wound G.
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Nice looking guitar. I like pink ones, I have a couple of shell pink strats and also 2 burgandy mists, which goes pinker as it ages. Check the bridge for the G intonation. Later Gibson bridges are set for open G's, but the originals were compensated for a wound G.
The bridge would be perfect for one of those Ernie Ball 'Not Even Remotely Slinky' string sets and gonzo drop tuning - I doubt though that the rest of the guitar would be suited to that, although the colour of it is very 'brutal' :lol:
Seriously though I am looking forward to this. The seller said that it has a real Pete Townsend sound to it
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Guess what a courier just delivered ;)
(http://i42.tinypic.com/2ij2hhs.jpg)
Haven't had the chance to play it through an amp yet as I foolishly attempted to remove the screws on the back of my Orange PPC412 cab and found that one of them just won't come out (you can see it behind the guitar) ...
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I missed this thread somehow, but that's a sharp looker. Like this colour. I can imagine it looks great in faded surf green too.
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I missed this thread somehow, but that's a sharp looker. Like this colour. I can imagine it looks great in faded surf green too.
Thanks! They only came in three colours:
(http://i41.tinypic.com/2jed4ig.jpg)
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Glad it's arrived safely! :D
This thread inspired me to order a "lightning bar" bridge for my '65 Melody Maker. It had an adjustable bridge (a Badass which I replaced with a Pigtail) but I've been meaning to return it to something closer to the original spec.
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Is it compensated for the unwound G string? The early wraptails were designed for the thicker, wound G strings typical of early '60s string sets and apparently this is where the intonation issues come in. I'm hoping that my 2006 reissue has a bridge that is not an exact replica of that early bridge
What was the Badass bridge like? I've been contemplating getting one of the repros from Stew Mac if I have an intonation problem
One issue with this guitar is that the pickguard has yellowed slightly, except for a circle where it obviously had one of those round stickers for a long time. Any ideas on restoring its whiteness and thus making the little circle less obvious? Bleach? It is single ply
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I missed this thread somehow, but that's a sharp looker. Like this colour. I can imagine it looks great in faded surf green too.
Thanks! They only came in three colours:
(http://i41.tinypic.com/2jed4ig.jpg)
Cuties! The yellow one appeals to me too.
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Is it compensated for the unwound G string? The early wraptails were designed for the thicker, wound G strings typical of early '60s string sets and apparently this is where the intonation issues come in. I'm hoping that my 2006 reissue has a bridge that is not an exact replica of that early bridge
What was the Badass bridge like? I've been contemplating getting one of the repros from Stew Mac if I have an intonation problem
As you mentioned, the original bridges were made for a wound G string (and most cheap copies of those bridges are still made that way, bizarrely). But in recent years, Gibson have been using a slightly redesigned bridge compensated for an unwound G, which works fine (at least to my unsophisticated ears). That's what was fitted to the Pete Townshend SG I had a few years ago.
The bridge I've just bought has the unwound G compensation, I got it from a German seller on eBay. I'm pretty sure it's an actual Gibson part, but aged for a relic effect. They have them in both chrome and nickel.
I personally don't like the Badass bridge, it works fine (and has some vintage appeal, I suppose) but I think it's ugly and I don't like the feel of it under the hand. I much prefer Pigtail or TonePros. The Schroeder and Graph Tech ResoMax bridges (also available from StewMac) look good too, but I haven't tried them.
(No idea what to do about your yellowed pickguard, I'm afraid)
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I sat down and played it for a while tonight. I couldn't stand and play it as the guy has fitted the buttons for Schaller strap locks but didn't send me the actual strap locks! I will get some genuine Gibson strap buttons and use the 'ghetto' Grolsch grommet system ;)
The yellowed pickguard would seem to be a product of it hanging on a wall in Queensland for a couple of years. I'm pretty sure he hasn't played it much recently as the strings are rusty!
Some new strings should make it much better. I have some Rotosounds that BKP sent me with pickups (I don't use them normally), so I will try those first. The pickup and electronics seem okay. Hard to pick their true character played with rusty strings through a Roland Cube but when I have the new strings on and my big Peavey rig back together I will get a better idea. They have nowhere near the output of my Cold Sweats in the SG Standard though, that's for sure.
The bridge does have a slight intonation issue at the 12th fret of the G string. Given what I have read about this issue I have to assume it is the fault of the Gibson 'lightning-bolt' wraptail. It's not bothering me too much at the moment but I might swap it for something else eventually. I was wondering more if there were tone issues from the heavy Badass bridge
Worst comes to worst I can put a sticker over the circle on the pickguard or install a custom pickguard
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I've never seen a Gibson with a bridge like that. Intonation must be tricky. Are you planning on putting a bkp p90 in there?
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I'm planning to get to know the guitar first. Once I have worked out what I like and don't like about it I might start changing some stuff. If it ain't broke don't fix it! Those strings badly need changing though, they have rust patches on them!
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The bridge does have a slight intonation issue at the 12th fret of the G string. Given what I have read about this issue I have to assume it is the fault of the Gibson 'lightning-bolt' wraptail. It's not bothering me too much at the moment but I might swap it for something else eventually. I was wondering more if there were tone issues from the heavy Badass bridge
It doesn't sound as good as a lighter, more precisely made bridge like the Pigtail, that's for sure, but the difference in tone is fairly subtle really.
Personally I can live with the intonation thing, loads of my guitars have the old-style '50s slanted wraparound bridges and they're "in-tune" enough for my ham-fisted playing. Of course it would be more of an issue if I was playing some kind of precision math-rock, I'm sure. There are various bridges available with clever compensating ridges built in, but I don't notice much difference.
When you think about it, most acoustics just have a slanted one-piece bridge with no intonation adjustment and nobody seems to make a fuss about those.
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I'm planning to get to know the guitar first. Once I have worked out what I like and don't like about it I might start changing some stuff. If it ain't broke don't fix it! Those strings badly need changing though, they have rust patches on them!
understandable. example, i love the BKP line, but i can honestly say i dont think i will ever switch out the seymour duncan i have in my main strat. it just works. the blend of tone woods with the fat humbucker is music to my ears.
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I've never seen a Gibson with a bridge like that.
The 'wraptail' bridge is quite common on '60s Gibsons. The earliest version was slanted, while the later ones had little ridges on the straight wraptail (this type is called a 'lightning bolt'). My SG Standard has the 'Nashville' Tune-o-matic bridge and 'stopbar' tailpiece. I'm contemplating having the wood under the pickguard routed to accept either a P-90 or a standard long-legged humbucker like my A-Bomb before I paint the cavity with shielding paint, and then get a custom pickguard made (in the same colour as the stock one, but with a bridge pickup hole like the one on my SG Standard) and another complete harness (with 500K pots and a similar cap to what I put in my Standard, basically a half version of that harness) so that I can switch between the P-90 and the A-bomb as the mood takes me. The A-Bomb is monstrous in an SG, perfect for hardcore stuff, especially the early-mid '80s British and Japanese stuff.
Here's a photo of the two guitars together so that you can see the differences.
(http://i.imgur.com/ZTFLTeF.jpg)
The Junior is very 'bare bones'. If you click on the image you can see everything closer up
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Put a new set of Rotosounds (scavenged from BKP boxes!) into the Junior today and the guitar is completely transformed! The ones that came on it were very rusty ... my guitar no longer sounds like a bad piano - it rips! I'm very happy with the P-90 through my Peavey 6534+, although it seems to magnify the noise issue I have with the power supply in this house (I'm guessing any single coil would have this problem). Other than that the noise is not bad as I have a Decimator to sort that out. I love the character of this pickup. If I were to replace it with a BKP I wouldn't stray too far from the sound of this one, probably a Nantucket rather than a Supermassive or Pig-90. This guitar is sweet for sure! Now I just need those regular strap buttons to arrive so that I can play it properly (at the moment it has Schaller strap buttons but I don't have the matching strap locks).
Also, you can now see the unwound strings against the rosewood fretboard! LOL!
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i've always been an ernie ball guy personally. been using the rotosounds i got with my nailbomb a few weeks back and i find it hard to see why these are "amazing" granted, i dont have them on a guitar with bkps or anything. but i still like my ernie balls
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i've always been an ernie ball guy personally. been using the rotosounds i got with my nailbomb a few weeks back and i find it hard to see why these are "amazing" granted, i dont have them on a guitar with bkps or anything. but i still like my ernie balls
Sorry, slightly off-topic, but I changed to Ernie Balls cause my tech, who is also a Fender CS-dealer, offers them quite cheap. They're ok, but my experience is that don't last as long and break easier than the D'addarios I used to play. I tend to go back.
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I don't think I've broken a string in years to be hoNest. I don't play super hard though and I feel like they last as long as I need them to
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I've only ever broken strings when putting new ones on - I broke a high E once. I did throw out one of the Rotosounds though as it came out of the packet kinked. Unfortunately it was not kinked at the winding end but near the pickup
The strings on this guitar were terribly rusty. I would have been embarrassed to sell something with strings like that ...
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I stretch new strings (10-46) quite heavily before a gig, so that my strats and tele stay in tune during three sets. I had several EB's broken in this process, whilst never D'addario's with the same guitars, same ritual. I've broken a few with heavy bending too. Not every week, but now and then. And no, the bridges are not the issue here.
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The high E that broke when stringing my Explorer was an Ernie Ball Slinky 10, and it snapped at the bridge. The G string I broke was a Rotosound from a BKP box, and it snapped at the nut. No discernible pattern yet, although I think I've had two Rotosound strings that have had kinks in them.
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I've ordered a Stockholm in standard P-90 form after discussions with Ben.
I decided that I wanted something more for hardcore in the Heresy, S.O.B., and Unseen Terror vein than an older style punk guitar, as I tend to play older punk stuff as hardcore covers of punk songs anyway.
Also it needs some br00tz to balance out the pink :lol:
Nothing better than having a whimpy looking guitar and then blowing some Dean Razorback or similar uber-metal guitar into the weeds ;)
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Fitted the Stockholm P-90 today.
Being a 'batwing' guard model it his the bracket that enables you to mount the P-90 to the pickguard with two screws like a regular 'batwing' humbucker SG. There is a small metal piece between the pickup and the bracket that can't be fitted due to the two BKP screws which seem to be permanent under the pickup but when it's all tightened up with the two nuts on the end of the bolts that go through the top of the pickup it all seems to be fine.
(http://i.imgur.com/bM6W8JD.jpg)
Here's the guitar with the new pickup and a new set of strings. I also added the Alternative Tentacles sticker to the pickguard for extra hardcore flavour. AT had sent it to me with a copy of the RDP 'Ao Vivo CBGB's' CD a few years back (they sent a black one too).
(http://i.imgur.com/ZUdDWpw.jpg)
I was a bit clumsy with the soldering (there was tonnes of solder on the back of the stock volume pot, and it seemed to have a high melting point) but I got it in okay, even if I did accidentally burn the finish slightly when I accidentally touched the tip on the paint :(
(http://i.imgur.com/4kPSKTn.jpg)
The pickup gives the guitar a lot more bottom, less shrill highs, and more output in general. The sound is more contemporary hardcore whereas the standard pickup was rather vintage sounding. I don't know how much of that is 'P-90 character' but this one sounds more like the A-Bomb than the old P-90 that was in it. I need to adjust pickup heights etc as the low E doesn't sound right at the moment
Here's a photo of it with my SG Standard and my amp setup. I hope that the Explorer will soon be fixed and will be able to join them once I get another Hercules stand. It is in the process of being rewired at the moment.
(http://i.imgur.com/QOyZ5tv.jpg)
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Really cool looking setup you've got there :)
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Really cool looking setup you've got there :)
Thanks!
My Explorer, which has been given the name Crustzilla, is still a work in progress out in the garage but the wiring harness should arrive sometime today or tomorrow. It has '50s wired CTS volume pots and a push-push pot that apparently will keep the pickup selector and master tone active while cutting out the two volume pots to open the sound up if need be while still having the ability to switch pickups and roll off some brightness as needed. Should be a monster tone with the Warpigs, especially when the Tonepros locking bridge and tailpiece are fitted (I'm converting the hardware from gold to chrome at the same time as firming everything up) and the SD Triple Shots and a new metal pickguard and full shielding are in.
This one will receive a similar harness, although it will be much simpler due to no pickup selector.
Then I will have one rock/metal guitar (the SG Standard with Cold Sweats), one punk/hardcore guitar (this SG Junior with the Stockholm), and one guitar for crust/grind/death stuff (the Explorer with Warpigs). That covers most of the stuff I play.
I'd like to get some kind of super strat with a Floyd and either Rebel Yells or Miracle Mans one day
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The Rebel Yell is great in a superstrat. Funnily enough I've been gas'ing for a superstrat recently, I really fancy a hardtail Ibanez RG in vintage white or bright yellow! The one thing missing from my guitar collection is a high output modern metal beast.
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Oh I'd never get a hardtail super strat ... when I think of super strats it's always floyd rose whammy bar action that I get GAS for ... I have enough guitars with fixed bridges. I need something to do some OTT divebombs on. :D
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A 'Mused' SG! Love it. The colour is growing on me too. :)
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This guy I know here in Adelaide said on Facebook that the colour of my guitar is 'gay' (which made me laugh as I know a gay guy who was hit up by this dude and his wife for a threesome, but I digress) and in response I posted this video of a high Chris Pontius (from Jackass) at a guitar show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYMiAABQbus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYMiAABQbus)
:D
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This guy I know here in Adelaide said on Facebook that the colour of my guitar is 'gay' (which made me laugh as I know a gay guy who was hit up by this dude and his wife for a threesome, but I digress) and in response I posted this video of a high Chris Pontius (from Jackass) at a guitar show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYMiAABQbus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYMiAABQbus)
:D
Guys playing pink guitars show selfconfidence. Maybe that attracts the ladies too. Anyway let us know if your SG can get them lined up! :lol:
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While the guys are bitching about my pink guitar they won't notice the mistakes in my playing ;)
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I just purchased a yellow version of this guitar. Can't wait to get it!
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Well, we approve slightly gay versions too! :grin:
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But it is yellow - from the same family as TV Yellow. :cheesy:
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The yellow is not TV Yellow, it is Corona Yellow. It is a brighter colour than TV Yellow.
Note that I eventually had to convert the pickup mounting to a direct screw into wood mounting. Unless BKP have changed their P-90 baseplates since 2014 the stock pickguard mounting will not work. I've had no issues since the conversion, besides the two empty screw holes in the pickguard.
I also had to shield the pickup and control cavities with shielding paint, including a ground wire from the paint to the back of one of the pots, and I have a custom made wiring harness in it these days, two 500K CTS pots with a 0,033uf PETP Russian poly cap (modern wiring).
(https://i.imgur.com/joIIGtM.jpg)
Here's a photo of it in its current spec.
(https://i.imgur.com/26uzQj2.jpg)
Stockholm 90 pickup, GraphTech ResoMax NW-2 bridge, GraphTech TUSQ XL nut, Gotoh SG301-05P1 MGT locking tuners, DiMarzio ClipLock strap system, Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky strings (9-46), standard tuning.
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Guitar looks great! I know that when I take delivery it will be getting a black pickguard, dial pointers, and reflector knobs to start. The rest will come over time.
I've owned a couple TV Yellow Les Paul Juniors, so I know the color - that's why I said this yellow is from the "family" of the TV Yellow Gibsons. Some TV Yellow Gibsons can be a bright yellow, others are more mellow or even wheat-colored. I prefer a yellower looking Junior or Special myself.
Before I purchased it, I emailed Gibson at their service@gibson.com address to confirm model, build date, etc., and Gibson called this guitar a Creme Yellow SG.
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Before I purchased it, I emailed Gibson at their service@gibson.com address to confirm model, build date, etc., and Gibson called this guitar a Creme Yellow SG.
Are you sure it is a Yamano one? As far as I am aware they only came in one yellow, which looks like this.
(http://i41.tinypic.com/2jed4ig.jpg)
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Those colours are a timewarp for me. My parents had plates and cups in exactly the same pastel colours. Anyway, cool Juniors!
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Yes, Gibson confirmed it was a Yamano order. They just called it Creme Yellow. Corona Yellow is fine with me too. :grin:
The guitar is being shipping to me later today. So in 7-8 days I should have it.
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Yes, Gibson confirmed it was a Yamano order. They just called it Creme Yellow. Corona Yellow is fine with me too. :grin:
The guitar is being shipping to me later today. So in 7-8 days I should have it.
Welcome to the Yamano SG Junior club ;-)
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Thanks! Here is a picture of it:
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Congrats! Looks sweet
Mine has that same mark on the pickguard! I will get a new one one day, same 1-ply white but minus the pickup mounting screw holes
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Yes, that pickguard mark - when I buy a guitar, pickguard stickers come off, though I will keep them. I don't know why people would keep them on for years.
I've read about your mods and will keep those ideas in mind. I'm thinking of putting a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbucker under that soapbar cover (well, the SD Custom Shop builds humbuckers to go under the P-90 cover). The guitar plays great but I'm thinking about a pickup change in the near future.
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Sometimes they are hanging in the shop for years
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It's a cutie. I thought I would never say that about any SG.