Late '60s SG Junior reissue (2006) Coral Pink

[PhilKing]

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.

[Dave Sloven]

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

[Dave Sloven]

Guess what a courier just delivered ;)



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) ...

[Telerocker]

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.

[Dave Sloven]

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:

[Philly Q]

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.

[Dave Sloven]

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

[Telerocker]

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:

Cuties! The yellow one appeals to me too.

[Philly Q]

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)

[Dave Sloven]

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

[littleredguitars2]

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?

[Dave Sloven]

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!

[Philly Q]

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.

[littleredguitars2]

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.

[Dave Sloven]

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.



The Junior is very 'bare bones'.  If you click on the image you can see everything closer up