Gibson Custom Shop 2006 SG Std. VOS Maestro

This 2006 Gibson Custom Shop SG Maestro VOS is a particular treat, and it's been replacing the trusty 2016 SG in Meister Ede's Private Stock for a while now.

It's an Art & Historic model, one of the “good old” ones, with the large certificate to go with it. It sounds that bit more settled and there's an aura about it. The Cherry VOS finish grabs you the moment you open the case, and its reddish-brown depth shifts with whatever light is falling on it.

The lovely rosewood board and its figuring give it a classy look, and as a finishing touch the Custom Shop fitted a Maestro. That isn't only a visual highlight allowing gentle vibrato — there's a tonal effect to note as well.

The guitar has a very nice voice, marked by woody mids alongside a steady transparency. It sounds alive before you even plug in. The Maestro seems to give it a little more attack. You can shape the tone very well with your picking hand, and that's helped further by a very good overtone response.

Gibson fitted a set of the popular Burstbuckers here. They suit this blues/rock SG perfectly and pass on the woody character noticeably. In short: singing, highly dynamic, woody PAF sounds at their best. The pickups are nicely balanced against each other. The sound stays stable throughout, and even the neck pickup doesn't turn to mud. The capacitors and pots were adjusted to Meister Ede's needs, so the controls have a very musical sweep to them.

This Custom Shop SG plays like butter. The handling makes it a pleasure, and that very successful Cherry VOS will make any vintage heart beat faster.