Gibson vs. Fender

Rock Boy · #1 11-06-2007, 12:30 PM

I am looking into getting a decent electric guitar, but can't decide which one to get.

Gibson SG or Fender American Strat?

Which one would you buy and why?

imwjl · #2 11-06-2007, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock Boy

I am looking into getting a decent electric guitar, but can't decide which one to get.

Gibson SG or Fender American Strat?

Which one would you buy and why?

It was a Telecaster that ultimately did it for me. The why??? I had a Strat and didn't hate it, but didn't have the love and didn't think its clean tones were as nice as the Tele, and sort of same for some Gibsons unless I'd have spent serious $. Basically the Tele was way more versatile than I expected and I really liked one copy and bought it. I'm not saying others are not versatile, but it had the obvious twang with bridge pickup, was way more jazzy than I expected with neck pickup.

I don't know if this makes sense from an acoustic standpoint, but the Tele seemed to have tone even without an amp and it didn't beg to have effects or be overdriven via the amp, yet it's great with my tube amp pushed.

YMMV of course, so try many and play them clean in the same or similar amp for testing purposes.

Have fun.

Herb Hunter · #3 11-06-2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock Boy

I am looking into getting a decent electric guitar, but can't decide which one to get.

Gibson SG or Fender American Strat?

Which one would you buy and why?

You should buy the one whose tone and neck appeals to you the most. The Gibson has dual-coil tone and 24.75" scale, the Strat has single-coil tone and a 25.5" scale.

preston · #4 11-06-2007, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock Boy

I am looking into getting a decent electric guitar, but can't decide which one to get.

Gibson SG or Fender American Strat?

Which one would you buy and why?

Two totally different animals . . . . the Gibby has the growl and is easier to play in that the tones and clarity on the Fender make sloppy riffs harder to get away with. Depends on what kind of music you like and your style of play. For the right kind of music the Strat can't be beat. Not one "better or best". YMMV

Bluepoet · #5 11-06-2007, 01:53 PM

Get an Epiphone, Ibanez, or Dean...and use the savings to buy an amp that will model any guitar sound you wish...(that's my take, but just from seeing what my friends have gone through, as I don't play electrics, unless there's no acoustic around.).

Actually, if I ever buy an electric, it will probably be a hollow-body jazz archtop, of some kind...

jyee · #6 11-06-2007, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluepoet

Get an Epiphone, Ibanez, or Dean...and use the savings to buy an amp that will model any guitar sound you wish...(that's my take, but just from seeing what my friends have gone through, as I don't play electrics, unless there's no acoustic around.).

eww... don't do that. get a good guitar and a good tube amp, don't model unless you absolutely have to. granted, amp modelers have come a long way, but to me they're still lacking.... and i've yet to hear one that can model a combination of guitar and amp well (most don't even try, they only model amps). Yes, going electric is expensive after you add up guitar, amp, pedals, etc... but cutting corners with modelers is cutting corners and typically doesnt net good results. My own experience was buying a pretty good guitar (the carvin that i still own) and cutting corners with a cheap amp and a modeling pedal... it seemed like the inexpensive route when i made the choice, but looking back it cost me more in the end as i had to resell the amp and modeler for a loss and purchase good equipment. My current philosophy: listen to as much equipment as you can and only buy quality stuff that has the sound you want.

As for the thread question, i'd go with the gibson SG... i'm partial to the sound and feel of gibsons - it's probably because the first electric i played was an old 70's SG i borrowed from my teacher.

sharkydude50 · #7 11-06-2007, 02:09 PM

If you go Gibby & SG- be sure the sucka stays in tune. My experience with several SG's (especially older ones) is that they can get outta tune w/o much hard play quite quickly. Sux to always having to check the tuning after every song.

EverythingMusic · #8 11-06-2007, 02:13 PM

Might I recommend Schecter?

preston · #9 11-06-2007, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharkydude50

If you go Gibby & SG- be sure the sucka stays in tune. My experience with several SG's (especially older ones) is that they can get outta tune w/o much hard play quite quickly. Sux to always having to check the tuning after every song.

First thing I did was lose the Kluson's and install Grovers - no more problems . . . . .

Doubleneck · #10 11-06-2007, 04:41 PM

I love the feel of a Gibson, I have a les paul custom. I absolutely hate the way the volume control is so close to the strings on a strat. They say you can curl your finger around it but to me it keeps me from play close to the bridge. They say there are two kinds of guitar players Gibson or a Fender. It will always be Gibson here.
Steve

HereIGoAgain · #11 11-06-2007, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blindreality

Might I recommend Schecter?

+1,000,000.

Schecter's fit, finish, and "off the rack" playability cannot be beat by anything Gibson or Fender costing less that $2,000. The Schecter Diamond Series is assembled in Korea, but each Diamond Series guitar goes through setup and inspection at Schecter's California facilty. I can't recommend them highly enough. Grover Tuners, Tonepros bridges, and Seymour Duncan or "Duncan Designed" pickups complete the package. The C-1 line (Classic, Exotic, Elite, Plus, and standard) are a good introduction to Schecter. Also, the Tempest series would be a good one as well.

Dean in the $400-$650 price range has some great guitars. The EVO Special and the Hardtail can pretty much do anything a Les Paul can do, including coil-tapping via a push-pull pot. Oh, wait..... That's an aftermarket mod for the Gibby, isn't it? Again, Grover tuners can be had on these.

ESP's LTD line is also a contender the "Bang For Buck" battle. I'm not tremendously familiar with the LTDs, but the ones I've demoed are really decent guitars.

There are no reasons not to consider Schecter, Dean, or ESP unless you're absolutely set on a Gibson or Fender.

I will second jyee's comment on the amp. It is better to wait and buy what you really like the sound and feel of than to attempt to "make do" with something you don't like right off.

franchelB · #12 11-06-2007, 08:29 PM

As much as love my Gibson Les Paul (I know the topic is about "SG" versus Strat!), I'd go with a Fender simply because of easier maintenance...should something happen to the guitar.
The Strat pickups can be upgraded to hotter pickups, and the availability of modeling amps can make a strat sound like a Gibson. One's "out of luck" if his/her Gibson breaks its neck...

romo · #13 11-06-2007, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rock Boy

I am looking into getting a decent electric guitar, but can't decide which one to get.

Gibson SG or Fender American Strat?

Which one would you buy and why?

I'd say play them both and see what you like better. The trouble comparing these two guitars is that they sound and play completely different. It really depends what kind of sound you want to achieve.

The SG with two humbuckers would probably be a better choice if you want to play more high gain stuff. In general I think humbuckers are better suited to crank the distortion than single coils, and you can still get a really nice, fat clean tone out of them. Try a Les Paul as well. It's a little more expensive but I think they are more versatile than an SG (plus they look pretty). Gibson guitars are a shorter scale than strats which makes them pretty comfortable to play unless you are going up to the 17th-21st frets a lot where things get a little tight. The shorter scale also lowers the string tension a bit making bends a little easier.

A strat with 3 single coils is not a very good high gain guitar IMO. Although you can crank the amp for some singing sustain on the solos I dont think single coil pickups handle heavy rhythm guitar parts as well as a humbucker. Of course strats are great guitars for overdriven blues tones ie Clapton, Hendrix, SRV, style etc or for clean stuff. The thing you do get with single coils that a humbucker can't do is clarity. When you strike a chord you can hear each individual note ring out but with a humbucker they blend together more and can sometimes be just plain muddy sounding. This also makes strats less forgiving to sloppy play...you got to get your fingerings right on or you will hear the wrong notes. The strat also has a longer scale...so you have to stretch a little more on the low end but you have better access to the higher frets.

In my experience the Epiphone guitars, while they are pretty decent instruments for the money, don't stack up when compared to Gibsons. If you want an SG or LP just buy the Gibson and don't fool around with a copy, they just aren't the same.

Check out the Schecter stuff too. I played a bunch of them when I was looking for my first decent electric guitar and they are pretty nice instruments but there are a lot of choices in that 400-1000 range that would be good. If you are looking for a higher end guitar don't bother because in my opinion they don't compare to the standard or custom shop Gibsons, Fenders, or PRS. Standard Gibson SGs and LPs can be found pretty cheap used and even the 1957 and 1958 reissue custom shop Les Paul's can be had in the 2 grand range.

As for Fenders, the American guitars are really nice and worth the price tag. My personal favorite is the Clapton strat. The thing with Fender is that there are tons of Mexican made strats that are really killer guitars and just as nice as the Americans and they cost under 400 bucks, but you have to look hard for them because there are even more Mexican strats that aren't nearly as good.

And just because this is the Acoustic (Taylor) Guitar Forum...Check out the new Taylor solid body electrics coming in 2008. I haven't played one but I think they look sweet.

Taylorplayer · #14 11-06-2007, 09:01 PM

Scale length is a true difference between the two.... what's your comfort zone on that issue?

francoislegacy · #15 11-06-2007, 10:42 PM

After trying many Fender (Strat and Tele), a few Gibson, I finally decided to go with a G&L Legacy. Superb finish, superb build quality, superb tone. Of what I understand, those G&L guitars are much more on par with Fender Custom shop than regular American serie, for a much better price.

On the other hand, I would like to add to my collection a Gibson SG; faded or menace are quite a bargain.