Gibson USA SG Diablo

Hands-On Review: Gibson USA SG Diablo
Sculpted Gold

By Dan Day
Musician’s Friend Staff Writer


My first electric guitar was a Gibson SG. To be precise, it was an SG TV with a white finish, wrapover tailpiece, and a single P-90 pickup. I bought it secondhand for a mere $60. I was thrilled to have a guitar with that famous name on the headstock. No cheap imitation, this was the real deal—I wanted to rock and this was the guitar I needed. I knew that not too many years after it was introduced in 1961, the Gibson SG had established a well-deserved reputation as a solid workhorse guitar for no-nonsense raw rock with down-to-earth visuals to match. By the late ’60s Eric Clapton was playing his Fool-painted SG Standard in Cream and Pete Townshend was windmilling and smashing SG Specials with The Who. (For a list of famous SG players, check out the SG Buyer’s Guide.) Compared to its posh uptown socialite cousin the Les Paul, the SG is a street-savvy blue-collar worker. In contrast to the curvaceous carved maple top of the Les Paul, the SG’s all-mahogany body was a functionally flat slab. Its finishes—cherry, walnut, white and natural—were good-looking, but not especially flashy like a sunburst finish. The SGs only stylistic claim to fame was its dual-cutaway devil horns that were pointed and beveled in contrast to the gently curved single cutaway found on the Les Paul. But hard rockers didn’t care, the SG was lighter and less costly than a Les Paul, the double cutaway allowed easy access to the upper frets, and the all-mahogany body produced a powerfully warm sound.
The devil is in the details
Gold-plated parts:
Not gold:
Tune-O-Matic bridge
Stop tailpiece
Tuners
Strap buttons
Pickup covers
Truss rod cover
Screws for pickup rings, back plate, truss rod cover
Pickup selector switch ring
Input jack Fretboard
Frets
Nut
Inlays
Creme binding
Creme pickup rings
Strings
Back plate


Over the last five decades, the SG has pretty much stayed its simple stylistic course, with Gibson occasionally releasing an SG model that showed some visual flair such as the SG Supreme with a flamed maple top and striking finishes like fireburst. With the SG Diablo, Gibson has struck gold. The initials SG originally stood for “solid guitar” but with its headstock-to-strap-button gold treatment, those letters could stand for Shiny Gold. Until now, going for the gold in an SG led you to the All Antique Gold SG Custom. It has a goldtop finish and gold hardware with contrasting black pickup rings, headstock, truss rod cover, pickup selector ring, and top hat knobs. But the Diablo takes gold appointments to a whole new level that would make Goldfinger himself green with envy.

If you’re totally into the gold theme you can take it even further by installing some gold-colored strings, a gold nut, and frets. However, making the fretboard gold may be a bit much. As the Mad Hatter advised in Alice in Wonderland, “Let’s don’t be silly.”
Lots of curves, you bet

Just so we don’t get too distracted by the Diablo’s flashy gold exterior, let’s not overlook a huge stylistic innovation brought on by the SG Diablo: the carved top that gracefully rises to form a plateau for the pickups, bridge/tailpiece, and controls. Even the back of the body has dimples for additional visual flair. With its flowing, curvaceous 3-D body, the “SG” might also stand for Sculpted Glory.

Another significant touch is how the controls have been streamlined. Separate tone and volume knobs have been replaced by a master tone and volume control with the pickup selector switch in the middle. All three controls have been moved closer to the bridge, with the volume knob’s location making it easier to do volume swells with your pinky finger.
Midas touch

It seemed appropriate to test drive the SG Diablo by jamming on “Gold and Silver” by Quicksilver Messenger Service. Quicksilver was a San Francisco group that featured the dual SG attack of Gary Duncan, the co-composer of “Gold and Silver,” and John Cipollina. While my jamming buddy played the jazzy 6/4 time Dm to G chord changes on his SG Standard I played the “Take-Five”-inspired main theme on the SG Diablo. The ’50s rounded neck profile gave me the proper heft and support for strenuous string bending while the two extra frets allowed the extra upper end notes to provide a thrilling climax. The BurstBucker Pro humbuckers with Alnico II magnets and unmatched bobbin windings reproduce the classic “Patent-Applied-For” sound. The BurstBuckers and the all-mahogany body combined to produce treble notes that had a little extra top end and bite, the low end notes were chunky, and the midrange was nice and punchy—all-in-all a good balance of clarity and grime. Despite its flashy exterior, the SG Diablo delivers the down and dirty tones that have made the SG the rocker’s choice for generations.
Features & SpecsSolid mahogany body
Set-in neck joint
Mahogany neck
’50s rounded neck
Rosewood fretboard
24-3/4" scale length
24 frets
1.6875" nut width
12" fretboard radius
Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge
BurstBucker Pro 2 bridge pickup
BurstBucker Pro 1 neck pickup
1 Volume, 1 Tone, 3-way pickup selector
Top hat knobs
Grover keystone tuners
Nitrocellulose lacquer finish


With the dollar falling, it’s time to invest in gold and order your new Gibson SG Diablo. It comes with the Musician’s Friend Lowest Price/Total Satisfaction Guarantees, making this a no-risk deal.

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fender 57_stratocaster

2005 Fender Japan 1957 Reissue Stratocaster. 21 vintage frets, 1 piece D-shape maple neck with a 7 1/2" radius.
Price paid: $ 805.2

Purchased from: Rockers

Features: 2005 Fender Japan 1957 Reissue Stratocaster. 21 Vintage frets, 1 piece D-shape maple neck with a 7 1/2" radius. 3 piece alder body finished in tobbaco burst (2-tone sunburst). 1 ply white 8-screw pickguard. Fender Vintage 6 point non-locking tremelo. 3 single coil US Fender Vintage pickups. 1 volume control, 2 tone. 5-way Switch. Kulson tuners, 1 string tree. Purchased from Rockers, London in August 2005. Currently fitted with Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky strings, originally a set of Fender 9's. No official accessories, but I got a fitted flight case thrown in for another £40. A small ding on the body (hardly visible) reduced the retail price by £10 from £450. // 9
Sound: I mainly play blues, modern rock/indie, and jazz through a Peavey Bandit Transtube 112 (an equally versatile amp) with various effects (delay, compression, Big Muff, wah). This is a very versatile guitar, the strength of the Stratocaster. The neck pickup is mellow and warm, perfect for those slow Gilmour-esque blues leads. The 2nd and 4th positions are funky and tight, with the middle setting producing a nice rhythm sound. The bridge pickup is brighter, with more treble, less bass and suits crunchy distortion very well. These are Vintage style pickups so they are not high output, not that this guitar can't be loud. This is definately not a metal player's ideal choice, it is more suitable for blues, country, jazz and rock (it is after all a 1957 design). The tone is most impressive clean, or with just a hint of distortion. You can get spot on Hendrix, Gilmour, Knopfler and many other famous player's sounds depending on your amplifier. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came set up well, although the tremolo was flush with the body. I personally wanted to have a two way trem so I raised it, and reset the guitar, but it plays very well indeed and the 7 1/2 radius neck is very comfortable. The pickups were set far too low. I'm not sure on the ideal height but having checked Fender's recommendations they are now much higher and the tone and volume has improved considerably. The tremolo action is incredibly smooth, using 3 springs. The fit and finish is extremely high quality. People often mistake Japanese Fenders as the middle ground between Mexican and American models, but this is not the case. This uses the same hardware and pickups as US Strat and has equal if not better finish quality. Fender ceased officially selling Japanese models in Europe due to their being too competitive in terms of quality with the US models. You really are getting the same quality for half the price because the USA are having to increase their labour effort to produce the same quality as the more efficient Japanese manufacture, and this cost is then passed on to you. Everything else is fine and will last longer than I will. The finish is tough enough, but look after it and there will be minimal scratches, mine are barely visible hairlines on the back from play, only visible under light. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have gigged with this without back-up and it was fine. I haven't broken a string and it stays in tune very well for a Vintage style guitar. I've fitted strap-locks for added security (even though I don't hurl it around or anything) but the standard strap buttons were very solid. The hardware is fine, no problems, the fit of the knobs, pickguard and switching is good and the Switch is smooth with no noise between shifts. The pickups are quite noisy but this is the case with all single coil instruments, hence the invention of humbuckers and Lace sensors. As long as you roll off the volume when you need to then it's not a problem. // 9

Impression: Overall this a top quality instrument, far superior to the Mexican equivalent and easily on par with the American models. The finish is flawless on my example, the neck is very comfortable and, although laquered, it is never sticky just silky smooth. I haven't had any problems with this guitar, it will last me indefinately. I would definately replace it with an identical model were it lost or stolen. Incidently I was originally after a Telecaster or a Jazzmaster, but this is far more versatile and outplayed them. Yes, they're everywhere but until I owned my own Stratocaster I didn't realise how personal they become. I'm not planning on altering or modding this in any way, I wanted the pure '50s Vintage approach, which in my opinion is the peak of Stratocaster design.
Purchased from: ebay

Features: 05/06 Fender Japan 57 reissue. Vintage white, DiMarzio collection stamped pickups, c shape maple neck and fretboard with Vintage style lacquer finish, Vintage frets, 5 way Switch, gotoh tuners, etc etc. Came with all the tags and what not as well as trem bar and carry bag. // 9
Sound: I play a bit of everything. Using it currently through a Fender 15 watt amp. has a very very good clean tone on each pcikup, very brights sound. It also handles dirty sounds well with these pickups, which I think are the higher of the jap made. pickups are also quite noiseless. handles delay, distortion, wah very well too. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Since it was second hand I don't really know any of these. But the bloke who had it before kept it in mint condition, basically Brand New. No rust or any where on it. all the elctronics are well built and frets in great condition. the action is set well, however I think it will take some time to get use to 'Vintage' style frets as they make bending a bit harder. I currently have 10's on but might move to 9's to improve this. // 9

Reliability & Durability: "Reliability & Durability" is very good haven't played live but sure it would handle it with ease. the finish seems very good as welll as the hardware. the strap buttons are very solid. of course if you were to gig you would take a second guitar as backup but this would be your number 1 guitar. // 8

Impression: I've been trying to play guitar for 6 years. I owned a squire before this for that period and always wanted an american standard but this came up for less than half there price. these are very good guitars and match it with american strats in my opinion. I have played some mexican made standards and they are no where near the quality of this guitar. The only problem I see with it are the Vintage style frets, which I'm slowly getting use too. Gilmour and clapton use these frets so they must be ok. This guitar was a complete bargain and if I were in japan I would bring a few of these home with me as you can't seem to find them anywhere and I was lucky this came up.

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PRS Starla Review

In decades to come, these last few are likely to seem like something of a burgeoning for PRS. Maybe it’s the fact that Paul Reed Smith’s outfit—which has built an impeccable reputation by pursuing a decidedly focused vision of what an electric guitar can be, and created guitars that undoubtedly constitute a category all their own—seems to have decided in recent years to begin branching out in every direction at once. How they have managed to do this without losing track of what makes PRS such a strong and unique brand is a little mysterious.

Whatever it is, guitarists who have never owned one, but who have known for a long time about their stunning beauty, their superb playability, out-of-sight craftsmanship, the laundry list of special touches and refinements, and the attention to detail each one receives, are taking notice of the recent escalation and may be starting to rethink some things. Some (like me) are realizing that they are indeed jonesing for a PRS guitar that seems specially designed to bring them into the fold.

Such a guitar was the Mira. When it appeared in 2007, it hit all the right buttons the moment you saw it. Now, following on that success, PRS has introduced the Starla, Mira’s exuberant little sister. If the Starla began with the idea of a singlecut Mira, it certainly didn’t stop there. This guitar, which was unveiled in late 2008, offers a number of new features that depart not only from our ideas about what PRS is up to, but from the Mira as well.

The Starla’s retro style goes further afield than anything I expected to see, and it seems to be taking a good deal of its inspiration from golden-era guitars of the fifties and sixties; in particular, the influence of Gretsch solidbodies is tangible, but Starla remains clearly a Paul Reed Smith guitar, even from across the room. Getting up close and personal seals it. Rather than boasting one of the eye-catching ten-tops that makes other PRS guitars the envy of every instrument in the room, the Starla goes for a more understated seduction. With its mirror-smooth finish, old school slab-style mahogany body, sleek bevels, rosewood fretboard, the Bigsby tailpiece and the elaborate pickguard shape, the Starla is all class in a stripped-down, old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll frame. Specific appointments, though, like the hardware, Grover Tune-O-Matic bridge, proprietary Alnico pickup magnets, and coil splitting feature bring the guitar up to date.

That instantly recognizable headstock and the trademark bird inlays, when registered against this particular body style and appointments, make the instrument seem like an uneasy creation, as if maybe someone had put a PRS neck on a different guitar. Not everyone around here who’s seen it has been crazy about it, but the slightly-at-odds-with-itself look of the whole instrument appeals to me: it is and it isn’t a PRS guitar. I could go on and on about the build quality and the care that obviously went into its construction, but in this case all that seems somewhat unnecessary. Everyone knows PRS is not going to let a dog out the door.

The neck is what PRS calls a wide-fat neck; however, the large amount of neck handwork leads to slight variations in the feel of these necks. It’s a nice chunk of wood, more like the fifties rounded Les Paul neck than the slimmer Gretsches and Fenders, and supremely playable—but another unforeseen surprise that give the Starla a distinctiveness all its own. The Bigsby B5 tailpiece is another must-have for any retro-inspired design, and is the first on any PRS model, but the tuning stability is just not there. I really love the way it looks on this guitar, and I’m certainly using it (maybe even overusing it). I can accept the need for regular retuning as part of the territory, though part of me was hoping PRS had found a way around this long-standing problem…

Some of the players around here suggested that more traditional dot pattern inlays would be a better fit, and they might be right, but personally I’ve always been fond of the signature birds, and I’m too stuck on their newer open look not to want them. The vintage K-style pegs are also a necessary touch for a vintage-oriented design.

The Starla’s pickups are also new to the PRS catalogue, and for me they’re the real secret to this guitar’s seductiveness. Knaggs has said that they were inspired by the old FilterTrons. Those pickups captured the ears of a generation, and are still admired for their characteristic brightness, which the Starla’s version has plenty of—and they’re a perfect complement to the warm depth of the all mahogany body. This type of pickup is perhaps even more regarded among tone hounds for their singular balance, which is where the Starla’s pickups really shine. The one at the neck has the bluesy warmth and more prominent low end, while the one at the bridge cuts a sharper figure that still sings, and shows off the solid quality of the guitar’s construction. Neither of them, though, ever gets too fat or too thin.

The ringing clarity of the pair working in combination contains the recipe for rich, articulate cleans, but they’ll also get mean enough—thick and muscular—if you want it that way, without getting too explosive. That makes them just right for the kind of work players enticed by the Starla are likely to put it to. This guitar into an AC30 is truly a rig to be reckoned with. The added bonus here is the coil splitter, which is a feature I’ve always liked, but on a lot of the guitars I’ve played this feature is more promise than product, tone-wise. Not so here: the single-coil setting has all of the balance but more of the characteristic crispness of singles. Both pickups retain the smooth, even lows on this setting, and are unusually quiet, even with the AC30.

I had to get pretty nitpicky to find a fault; even then I didn’t come up with much: the bell-style knobs, while not unusual are perhaps not the perfect shape for a pull-knob coil splitter if you want to switch on the fly—sweaty hands have to tendency to slip off before getting a good grip, sometimes requiring another try to get the knob up. Other than that, the crew at PRS has done a mighty good thing here, producing a guitar that is not standard fare. It may not appeal as deeply to their core enthusiasts as the instruments they are renowned for. If that means PRS is no longer going to fit in the box so many players have become used to putting them in, so much the better. That might take some getting used to, but they deserve a great deal of credit for taking this kind of leap.

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RG520QS Review

Basic RG shape, 24 jumbo frets, mahogany, transparent blue with a green under coat, Floyd Rose licenced dual locking tremolo, 1 volume and 1 tone control, passive humbuckers, V7 in neck and V8 in bridge, 3-way selector switch and a wizard neck.

Price paid: $ 500

Purchased from: ebay

Features: Original edge tremelo and locking nut, 24 jumbo fret, wizard neck(maple with a stripe of bubinga? wood), mahogany body, quilt sapele top (blue on mine). Standard rg body. 5-way selector 1 volume and 1 tone, gotoh tuners. Pickup config: HH normally v8 and v7 I think, but mine has DiMarzio evolution and paf pro. Came with hardshell case and trem arm. // 10
Sound: I play mostly rock including metal, classic rock, and instrumental rock and some jazz. The pickups are both very defined and punchy. The neck pickup (paf pro satriani's old neck pu) is not muddy at all and is great for clean and keeping articulate under distortion. The evolution of course is one of Vai's pickups. It is very hot and is great for leads as well as crunchy stuff. I play through a 6505 combo; it has huge and fantastic distortion. Though that amp is much too loud so I usually play my little 30w Behringer. The pickups and electronics are fairly quite for passives. I can get uber distorted rhythem on the bridge pu. It is hot but not sort of screechy. Chords on the neck pu are very fat and open. note that these are aftermarket dimarzios, not stock and I don't really know what the stock pickups sound like so caveat emptor.

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was ridiculously low compared to my old prs SE Custom. Of course the floyd style trem requires a fairly large amount of maintenance and adjustment as per usual. The previous owner had left some buzz on the low e string which I had to fix. The neck was basically as straight as I wanted it. Of course a lot of set up is personal choice. The wizard neck feels like butter compared to my relatively fat and sticky prs SE Custom's neck. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I think the guitar will stand Live playing. My old prs se was like a rock in this regard and I played on stage on several occasions. This new guitar feels slightly less solid I'll admit. Maybe it's just a feeling though and I will definite take it on stage(with my old guitar backup of course) soon. All the hardware feels solid. it's already an 8 year old guitar and the finish still looks great so I hope that's a sign of it's durability. With proper set up the Edge tremelo can go crazy and come back in tune much much better than I even had anticipated. With my Prs se's(trem version) crappy tuning stability I am much relieved at this new guitars trem system. // 8

Impression: I tried a bunch of guitars at guitar center and my local shop and I really liked the Ibanez ones. So like my 6505, I went to ebay to try find a nice deal on a made in japan Ibanez et voila I found this masterpiece. This guitar matches my lead playing style fantastically. Unfortunately, as with all Floyd Rose guitars, you have to go through lots of time and anguish to change the tuning and strings as well I guess. So I'll keep my prs se permanently downtuned for metal songs. If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely get this guitar or a similar made in japan Ibanez, perhaps a rgt or s series prestige if I had the money. I wish it had more a tiny bit more sustain and the Floyd Rose style trem were easier to deal with. Many of the flaws are inherent to all Floyd Rose style trem guitars so you can't really blame this guitar for it. But the freedom and tuning stability offered by the floyd are worth it imo. Of course not floyd style trems are made equal so watch out. There are a lot of online resources in addition to your local luthier to help with the trem system which can be difficult for people new to it. My favorite thing about it is the playability, which is of utmost importance to me. Despite it's shortcomings, the edge tremelo offers amazing feel and sounds, with the various tricks that can be performed on it. This is a no gimmicks or super special features, player's guitar.

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the Slash Les Paul

Per Slash's spec, the Slash Les Paul features a pair of conventional Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups plus a Fishman Power Bridge unit in the bridge.

Purchased from: Internet

Features: Made in the USA. 22 frets. Mahogany body and neck, with the neck being set to Slash's personal specifications. It is so thin and comfortable it blows every other Les Paul I've played away. Beautiful flamed maple top. Tonepro stop bar and bridge. 2 tone, 2 volume controls and 3-way selector switch. Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro-II humbuckers. Non-locking Kluson copy tuners. Came with a custom made Gibson USA case. The only thing I changed was I put on a set of Schaller strap locks. // 10
Sound: I play from classic rock to metal and it fits perfectly no matter what I am playing. It can do sweet clean tones, metal crunch, and everywhere in between depending on how you set your amplifier. It's not noisy at all. I took it to a guitar shop and it out played every guitar we pulled off the wall including a couple Les Paul Studios. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: It was set up perfectly, the action was great. The pickups didn't need any adjustment. The bridge was properly routed. I can't find any flaws on the whole guitar and I've looked over the entire thing in and out. The finish looks beautiful and can looks like it will last as long as I own the guitar. All of the chrome is perfect. The pickup selector isnt noisy at all. Everything was perfect right out of the box. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar seems like it can take abuse well, my friend smacked the bottom against a chair and it didn't leave a mark. The hardware is totally solid and seems like it will last. I replaced the strap buttons so I don't really know. I could easily gig without a backup, but anything could happen so I would always bring a spare just in case. The finish seems just as solid as the rest of the guitar. // 10

Impression: I play anything from classic rock to metal and it can do it all with just a little adjustment of your amplifer. I have been playing for only 5 years but that doesn't mean I don't know what's good. I also have an Epiphone Les Paul with EMG pickups and a B.C. Rich warlock all played through a Marshall amp and there isnt even a contest. If it were stolen or lost I would definetly get a new one no question. I love the skull and crossbones picture on the headstock instead of the "Les Paul model". It just looks badass. I love everything about it, and I can't seem to find anything I hate. Like I said it before I compared it to some guitars in a guitar shop and it blew them all away. They was a Dean ML, a Paul Reed Smith Mira, a Gibson Flying V, a Gibson SG, and a Gibson Les Paul Studio all played through a Marshall amp and the only thing that even came close was the SG and and Mira but it still outshined all of them. I only wish the case came with a lock so my friends can't steal it but that's the only thing. If you get the chance buy one.

More about → the Slash Les Paul