Return to questions listing: Gibson SG (part two) Thank you for your help. I was not aware that the SG body was designed not to resonate. Maybe it's not dead, just "SG" Sounding. The sustain is fair on all strings, except the 1st string "e"   I was asking basically because I have an old Univox Strat Copy that produces far more sound than the SG does when it is not plugged in.  The strat copy has much more wood to the body (it's about twice as thick as my SG), and 3 very large holes under the pickguard for the pickups. I thought that because the strings went through the body, and the saddles sit right against the wood, the sound was resonating from the body.   I will have the SG Tuned up and see how it goes.   Thanks again. Lee   A: Here's another factor. The SG has a 24 3/4" scale (the string length from the nut to the bridge).  The Univox has a 25 1/2" scale. You can raise the pitch of a string by shortening it or tightening it or thinning it. Hence, it takes more tension to pull a 25 1/2" long string up to pitch than it takes to pull a 24 3/4" string up to the same pitch. Higher tension has the same effect on a vibrating plate as using a heavier string. If you use the same gauge strings on both guitars the Univox will sound louder acoustically.  If you use a .009 high E string on the Univox, using a .010 on the SG will make them sound more alike. You often hear of people putting Fender pickups on Gibsons and Gibson pickups on Fenders to try to get one guitar that produces both sounds. The truth is that the scale length has more to do with the tone than the pickups. If you put a Humbucking on a fender it still sounds like a fender, but with less treble and hum.   Steve Mason Return to Questions