A variation of the
Gibson SG (Solid Guitar) designed to be a bit more
economical. It still has the good build quality of a
Gibson with Gibson Deluxe
Tuners (non locking), but skimps a bit on the knobs and
pickups. It features a
mahogany body and neck with a
rosewood fretboard and
pearl dot inlays. The pickups in the current model are Gibson
490 humbuckers and have been for some time, I
think they might have been P-90's at one time. The other nice feature is a good looking
chrome stop bar tail and
tune-o-matic bridge. I've heard a lot of people say SG's don't keep
tune very well, but mine seems to do pretty good, especially compared to
Fenders.
Most of the Specials have 2 volume and 2 tone knobs, one for each pickup, however a limited number were produced in the late 1980's with three knobs (2 volume, 1 tone). I happen to have one of these, and I'd suggest avoiding it. The layout is not good, with the front volume knob right where you keep hitting it with your hand. All of the Specials have a 3 way pickup switch for neck, bridge, and both.
Overall, I'd say this is a great guitar. It's good looking, well built, and stays in tune great (at least mine...). In addition, it's got good sustain without the bulky weight of a Les Paul. I find the weight and size perfect. The neck is also extremely comfortable with great action. However, with dual humbuckers, this suits a rhythm player better. My complaints are limited to the 3 knob design on mine, and I'd like a little fuller bridge pickup and a little hotter neck pickup.
Oh yeah, it comes in Red, Black, Plum, Ebony Stain, and Cream. Sorry, no Heritage Cherry :(