The Hidden Secret of Gibson's Cheap Guitar from the 80s | 1981 Sonex 180 Standard / Custom Review
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2023
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I've never been a huge fan on the Gibson Sonex as a guitar, but its history is quite fascinating. They made the Sonex 180 Deluxe much more abundantly (and longer) so that's what you normally see on the used market. However, there was also a Custom and Standard model which featured MUCH better pickups known as Dirty Fingers which were coil tapped with a mini toggle switch. It is hard to find these in all original configurations as nowadays a set of these pickups are worth more than the guitar due to other models that are more valuable also using them (and other people wishing to restore these guitars.) Just like The Paul and The SG using TTOPS pickups and getting parted out.
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I used the YT editor to cut out a few parts and for some reason, it desynced the video for Desktop Users.
Here is the "correct" version of tonight's Sonex-180 Custom Video
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it was desynced on mobile as well
glad its fixed now
It definitely strikes me as a punk/new-wave/grunge/alternative line of instruments. I still dug that unplugged strum that sounded less like Blink 182 or Soundgarden than it did Jethro Tull.
The Sonex 180 was my first quality guitar (after starting with a Sears LP copy). Brings back memories!
Not a bad looking guitar and I was really impressed with the sound of those dirty fingers pick ups!
My first guitar was a used S1 (still have it)
When the Sonex came out, I wasn't even thinking of the price, it just felt so right to me I *had to get one!
(I guess I get why, now...)
I've had probably 15+ of these and I've never seen one with an ebony fretboard.
Yes, I have the same Sonex same color but mine don't have smoke stains. The truss rod is the same too. It was good you confirmed it. I had to put a string tree on mine now it stays in tune really well. I really like it because of the tone quality and the vintage vibe. Good review. Like all your reviews.
There's a guitar like the sonex I can't remember the model name of but they came in silver, had this body style and had EMG looking pickups with all black covers... Paul Westerberg of The Replacements played one.
Might be the Gibson Challenger? They look similar to the Sonex, and had black covered humbuckers without visible pole pieces.
I still have my 1981 Sonex Artist. Active electronics and all.
Silver Burst an Ebony fret board. Set Neck.
My 1979 ES347 has Dirty finger pickup with black epoxy filler on the back.
That neck pocket is an easy fix if you know what your doing (which I KNOW Trog, does) just go to a hardware store and buy a roll of edging veneer with the melt glue in the back. Maple, birch, or redwood. Wrap the heel of the neck and sand if necessary to fit..works WONDERS.
I still have my 1983 Sonex Deluxe. I really liked the Velvet Bricks when it was young, as it aged and the winding on the pickups got loose, it developed a feedback issue. Mine has the maple neck, came with tulip tuners that said Gibson on them. Mine was solid silver when I got it, it turned more puke green from my smoking around it so much (I quit smoking in 1989). The finish was pretty much gone from the back of the neck, had dings in the finish and I didn't care. The neck pocket was good.
Then my oldest son struck, he thought he would be nice and clean it and paint it, he got overspray on the logo, I was crushed and won't even look at it. One day I will dig it out, fix the frets (has some worn spots) and try to get the overspray off the headstock. Will likely wax pot the pickups too to fight the feedback thing. Got her new at Sword's Music in Fort Worth, I put her in my oldest son's hands when he was 6, showed him how to do some stuff with power chords and went to the kitchen to have coffee with my wife. After a while it got loud and I went to see what was up, he had cranked the pre gain all the way, and he just looked at me and said "dirty dirty guitar", will never forget that, now he plays much better than me.
I had a second one (I got used), a 1981 that had those boring tuners and a mahogany neck. The neck pocket was awful. I took the neck off, cleaned the pocket, roughed the pocket up with 60 grit, stretched plastic around the neck and taped it to the fretboard. Mounted the neck, put two strings on to assure alignment. Then I rammed epoxy wood filler into the gap. After it had time to cure I removed the neck, used a sanding block to smooth it out, put primer on and sanded repeatedly until it was smooth. I painted it satin black, put all new hardware on it and gave it to my oldest son. He later lost it in a pawn shop.
Ok
I am assuming much of the sound is from the pickups, but this one certainly has a pleasant, fat sound to it. Nice and full, plenty of bottom end and not so twangy as to be annoying.
The clean tones sounded so good. Great review as always. 👍
I trie a couple of the Sonex models back in day, with resinwood they felt odd to me.
Some people loved them back then, but not was what I was looking for.
I unboxed my sonnex custom after a few decades, and found this video while trying to see the interior before opening it up (to figure out why one set of knobs is dead). I have the exact guitar shown in this video. Crazy to think anything in it is worth anything. At the time, I bought it because it was what I could afford, and the pickups sounded better than anything else in my price range.
Feel like I watched this like an hour ago...? Even commented on it.
UA-cam desynced the old video when I used to editor to cut a few redundant parts from it. Old video only worked for mobile users. Thanks for tuning in again!
@@Trog interesting and good to know. Thanks. Thought I was crazy!
Me too
It’s hard to tell from the video, but the grains on the fretboard look really tight. The color of ebony varies, it could just be lighter in color. The discoloration on the paint is likely just from light, not smoke.
Hi Austin. I'll be keeping an eye out for one of these! Can I ask though, have you changed the amp you use for demo's recently. Theres something about your recent sound and I can't quite put my finger on it....
It would make sense if some other place made the necks they wouldn't want them to use the "real" Gibson logos.
The finish on those are terrible too, I accidentally buffed it off a neck once... BY HAND! Definitely not the usual Gibson finish.
Could you please consider getting an “L-C-R” meter to measure pickups? That way, we get all the static parameters: Resistance, Capacitance, and Inductance (L). Tim Sway did a bunch of pickups recently, and got the numbers.
Hi trogley,did you know they also made lefty sonex guitars. How cool is that dirty fingers. I love the info. You provide. Very interesting details,'bravo! Thanks Trogley! Your loyal troglasubject,Jim K.
I have always loved the vibe of these. Finding a GGC.
Whoa I.. thought Fenders in the late seventy's had sloppy neck pockets. 😯 1:25
I bought a Sonex off a friend at a poker game for 100 bucks in 93. Not my favorite and pretty heavy but kind of wish I still had it seeing this. Mine was all original
I pickup a sonex 180 custom that had a cracked body, for the parts , neck that is a three piece w/ 5/16 adjust nut, dirty fingers pickups that are 15k and change, pickup rings that are 3 way adjustment. made a parts guitar. neck has binding w/ nubs. made in 82 rebuilt in 85. looks like adam jones guitar.
Not gonna lie, I've always thought the Sonex line was one of the coolest looking guitars Gibson made. Idk, maybe I just like pickguards...
I think they used pickup rings on this guitar with a pickguard, to help protect the pickup coils from a stray guitar pick, since there are no covers on the pickups.
Ha, is that Jim Suhler’s of Monkey Beat? He is a blues guy here in Dallas! A really good Texas blues player.
Good eye! Makes sense with Texas drawn in with the autograph. Haven't heard that name in years having lived in Dallas during the 80's. Another one comes to mind, Bugs Henderson.. good times.
@@cataclysmicconverter Bugs Henderson is a name you don’t hear often. He’s a great player. I read somewhere that he used to record at Jerry Abbot’s studio in Arlington Texas and used to occasionally teach a young Dimebag Darrell guitar licks.
It's resin, not rosin. 😉
Would love to see/hear a "blindfold" comparison of all of your gibsons.
I alwats thought the Sonexs look super cool, the pickguard, uncovered pickups with the rings, even the set neck.
There’s a pile of these on eBay with the pups in there for under $1k right now.
It’d be interesting to have an episode on “Orville by Gibson” aka Gibson Japan.
I've got the neck, strings and stop bar off of one of these. Got it at a kiss gig after Paul Stanley smashed it.
Sounds good!
I never knew about "dirty fingers" but maybe your reading from the VOM was off due to the pot was fully set to zero effecting your reading.
Where are the pics of the sawed up body from?
I love these things so, so much.
I have a lefty, it used to be in silver, now it's black. I just found out how rare silver leftys are.
My dad had one (black) and I learned my first few chords on it.
I think he payed $300-400 for it.
Gibson made another el cheapo guitar, for one year only in 2007. and it was super cheap. and that was the Gibson Baldwin epoch. and it was a very entry level guitar. it was produced on Gibson Baldwin education program. these guitars had a pre intonated wrap around bridge. and two cheapo covered humbuckers. in the bridge and neck. they were single bound and had cream plastics. and a three position switch and one volume and one tone. they are bolt on neck and the neck, plate says Gibson Baldwin education. and a rosewood fretboard, however bottom of barrel rosewood. the fretboard is bound but the headstock isn't. but they have the open book headstock, and some sort of cheap Grover knock off tuners. and they are a flattop LP. and came one color black they are probably the cheapest Gibson guitar ever made.
So, where does the Gibson Invader fit in?
Pickups sound good!
the pickguard it´s almost the same than the hofner colorama II (srry for my bad english)
Bare with me for some reason I cant ad to my previous comments. Ive tried a Sonnex back in the day and i did like the acoustic nature it has. But maybe it was a base model since i wasnt to impressed with the pickups. Ive tried guitars equipped with dirty fingers . That guitar obviously didnt have them. Been playing the heck out of my Casino and it must be about time to change the strings because one or two drift on me. But that guuitar also has great acoustic abilities also.
I do like these better than the L5 or the L6, at least the body shape is better
The big cavity. It IS hollow lol
those model names like car model name or production code some sort of
I had a Gibson Invader a bolt on LP in the 80s $350 out the door
The way them necks look it reminds me of a tiesco neck.
Wow, I like that a lot. They should bring that back for Epiphone so people can afford it.
I'd put some Fishman Fluence pickups in it.
I love Gibson guitars, but no matter what brand I like, I love a white guitar! Not yellow! If I want a yellow guitar, I will buy a yellow one. The whole "aged" is cool is the most ridiculous thing ever. No one buys a car that's aged to the point that it's a different color, paint missing, scratches all over it, and the chrome gone. It's a way for Gibson to make excuses for how poorly the guitars are truly built. I know it's been put into people's minds that aged is good, but the reality is that it should look like it did brand new. My first 2 white Gibsons, a V and Les Paul Custom turned yellow and looked like crap, I got rid of them because it disgusted me. I now have a Flying V Blue Widow and so far, so good considering how long I have owned it since new. I love your show and watch them all, but let's be real about the aging garbage.
Me too. Always loved a white guitar.
I have a sonex180 deluxe and need pick guard for it without breaking the bank,
WD Music Products has them starting at $40
Yeah, a midrange model with a truss rod cover from the model above.
That's a "facrory error" alright
To be fair I can understand why you might want to give the guy you bought it from the benefit of the doubt and I can think of plenty of reasons for it to have been done over the course of several decades that don't involve intentionally misrepresenting the instrument.
Jam in the depths of hell ! LoL
Seems like the neck is replaced
I don’t care what anyone says the Sonex Guitars Fucking rip if you get a decent player.
You rocked me, Trogly! 🔥🔥🔥
Yahoo
Eurrghh. Bolt on necks. The front wheel drive of the guitar world.
I had one for years. Worst sounding crap guitar I ever heard when plugged into a good tube amp.
This thing looks TV yellow to me to
What happened 🤔
PS I hope the sound is better.
UA-cam desynced the old video when I used to editor to cut a few redundant parts from it. Old video only worked for mobile users. Thanks for tuning in again!
@@Trog No Problem
I had a white one once, someone stole it. It was the cheapest model.
I dig the Sonex by Gibson branding, cool quirky "I'm different" vibe lol
reupload?
UA-cam desynced the old video when I used to editor to cut a few redundant parts from it. Old video only worked for mobile users. Thanks for tuning in again!
@@TrogMakes sense, thanks for the clearup! I was actually watching the first version when I got the notification for this one, and I was understandably confused.
It's a bolt on neck! It is was it is?
Please Gibson bring this model back and don't put a price on a $1000 or over on it.
Pickups are nice, guitar is....lol
That casing for the pickup wires looks a bit like either medical lines or fish tank lines.
👍
Such a badass guitar!
Bitchin’ guitar! Those dirty fingers sound nasty!!
Bong Bong Bong Bong.
Sounds great…very full.
The guitar itself looks like a pile of crap but those pickups sound absolutely fantastic 😮
80s lookin and sounding gettin j geils band vibez
My custom came in a chainsaw case
*pulls out piss yellow guitar*
"It's white!"
Yellow-ist white guitar I've ever seen
Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley will be playing sonex and marauders for ever in the depths of hell.🙂
I guess it’s supposed to be white? But it’s aged yellow?
✌️
Uhmmm, that's yellow
Meanwhile in Japan.....
The cheaper style knobs don’t age… cheaper… lmao yup clearly inferior
this is 1 step above THRASH
Now my very witty “First” comment is lost to time
But what does it weigh?
This seems like a guitar that a Kahler would actually belong on…
Waffles🧇Waffles🧇Waffles
Time for some new material Biker Jon!
Takes out a yellow aged guitar
“It’s white” - Trogly
How much did you shell out for this piece of crap? LOL
Worst deal
Its like those ugly epiphone 99 dollar guitars they had a while back
This guitar is great in a museum, or a wall hanger. Its not a great every day player. It is a great piece of history though.
That looks yellow to me, not white
ughhh everytime i try to buy something someone has to go make a video about it