I decided to buy a second Gibson SG because I really love the playability and tone of these guitars.
Features
This guitar boasts nearly perfect specs: a reasonable price considering recent inflation, a modern custom color, a large batwing pickguard, Grover tuners, and a rounded neck. The pickups are what you would expect from a standard model at this price point, although there are superior pickups available. I am considering upgrading to Gibson Classic 57s. The included soft shell case is higher quality than Fender's equivalent cases, featuring additional padding and a leather-like exterior that gives a more premium feel compared to cheap polyester. However, I would have preferred a hard-shell case like the one my 2010 SG Standard came with. While the included truss rod tool, microfiber cloth, and guitar strap are nice extras, I would trade the cloth and strap for an upgraded hard-shell case any day. The guitar strap looks and feels very cheap and is not suitable for gigs with a guitar of this price point.
Quality
The finish on the guitar was almost perfect, with only minor defects on the headstock where the black and silver colors meet. The silver mist color makes the wood grain more visible compared to heritage cherry or ebony, so you might see slight tooling marks on the horns. The action was set to Gibson's standard, the intonation was perfect, but the truss rod needed tightening. It's common to adjust the truss rod according to the time of year anyway.
Sound
The guitar delivers the amazing Gibson tone you'd expect. There was no fret buzzing, and the pickup heights were perfect for me. It offers nice sustain and acoustic resonance, even better than my other SG. However, the current pickups are the cheapest Gibson offers. Upgrading to better ones could further improve note clarity and harmonics.
