It's been a fantastic year for typewriter acquisition... I've settled in comfortably as an Olympia SM3/4 man.   I just found a lovely blue one, with Senatorial typeface, which types so well I think it must be an example of what the model line felt like new.
However, after playing with, and adjusting that gem... I sat down at my SG1 for a go... and was reminded of just how perfect these machines are.  To anyone reading this, and wondering whether SG1s are worth all the hype... just get one.  There's a perfect mix of weight & swiftness to the keyboard... at first it may feel heavy, but lighten up your stroke, and the type will remain bold.  Lighten up even more, and still the type is clear, but now you're flying!  There's a bit of faith involved, but it is well-rewarded!
Thanks to this forum for turning me on to these amazing machines!
 

"However, after playing with, and adjusting that gem... I sat down at my SG1 for a go... and was reminded of just how perfect these machines are.  To anyone reading this, and wondering whether SG1s are worth all the hype... just get one.  There's a perfect mix of weight & swiftness to the keyboard... at first it may feel heavy, but lighten up your stroke, and the type will remain bold.  Lighten up even more, and still the type is clear, but now you're flying!  There's a bit of faith involved, but it is well-rewarded!"

Fragpie, well said!

So at long last I have joined the SG1 club. I haven't had much luck with these typewriters over the past year or so of trying to find a good one:

1) SG1 #1 - purchased on eBay last year - seller misrepresented the condition. It arrived in a box, poorly packed, with much of it non-functioning. It can probably be fixed, but would take a lot of work to get it in tip-top shape, and there are a lot of marks on it.
2) SG1 #2 - purchased on eBay - seller placed it in a box, threw some wadded newspaper on top. Front got dented in so spacebar no longer works. Typewriter is very dirty, with a moldy smell. Needs a lot of TLC to bring it back to life. Carriage and margin issues. A parts machine?
3) SG1 #3 - Purchased on eBay - seller packed it very well. He removed the carriage and bubblewrapped that too. Shipped in a 2' square cube box. Arrived in excellent condition. This one has a wide 15" carriage, which I actually prefer to the shorter carriage. It's massive! It had a number of issues: a) margin release would stay on permanently - required removing the carriage to get the margin settings to work again b) clear tab button would stay down c) carriage had a raspy squeaky sound and was not working right. d) paper support was broken and taped with masking tape. e) paper clear see-through card holder metal adjustement sliders were frozen due to non-use. I tried to move one and it snapped off!

So I decided to fix #3 up, using parts from #2. Here's what I did:

1) Adjusted the margin release mechanism - now working perfectly.
2) Took the typewriter apart and fixed the raspy carriage issues.
3) Kept working with the clear tab button and it now works perfectly.
4) Replaced the bottom portion of the clear paper rest with one from typewriter #2 above. Now works perfectly.
5) Fixed the broken card support slider. Took them completely apart and cleaned both of them so they work great now. Replaced the broken tab with part from typewriter #2.
6) Very light oiling on a few parts to make everything move smoothly and quietly.
7) Light cleaning and removal of dried foam.
8) Cleaned the typebar slugs of grunge that had accumulated over decades. Many were so clogged with ink they didn't even make a legible impression.
9) Installed a new ribbon.
10) Tightened up some loose screws and straightened the eraser shield (was cocked slightly)

So at long last, I now have a mint 1960 SG1, serial number 7-572264. Will upload some photos shortly.

Wow, that looks like a brand new machine. Well done!