Gibson quality
- Thread starter beaubrummels
- Start date
NegativeEase
New member
For starters...
neck joint/upper fret access
tuning stability
headstock angle
string pull
Ha! ahem......bullshit.
dystrust
Well-known member
I haven't played a new Gibson since the changing of the guard, but how many brand new Henry J era Gibsons have you played with nut or fretwork issues? I knew that my recently acquired 2003 SG Special had been worked on at some point because the nut doesn't bind.
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
My Ice Tea Traditional is a 2011 and it is a beast I also have a 2019 Goldtop that is flawless and one of the best guitars I have ever played in my life. RIght now I have 4 Les Pauls and a SG and would love to own more.
ehdwuld
A Ficus
I like the aesthetics of my swamp ash Gibson
it did arrive with a burr on the 5th fret
And the guy selling it asid
"Yup, they do that" and walked off
won't buy anything else there ...
But aside from that and a flakey switch
the wiring was pulled so tight across the switch that something was shorted
I got what i wanted
Was it perfect
nope
Is it now
Yep
it did arrive with a burr on the 5th fret
And the guy selling it asid
"Yup, they do that" and walked off
won't buy anything else there ...
But aside from that and a flakey switch
the wiring was pulled so tight across the switch that something was shorted
I got what i wanted
Was it perfect
nope
Is it now
Yep
nexion218
New member
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
I own four of them, so KISS my axe. I can walk in any store and buy a brand new custom with cash the minute one opens. Oh - by the way; I'm a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with 20+ years of experience. That means I have forgot more about Quality than most of you have ever known.
The next time you are in Tampa, send me a PM. I will take you to two Sam Ashes and Two Guitar centers. I bet dinner on you I can find 4 finish failures alone hanging on the wall before we even start playing and discover an ill cut nut, a jacked up fret end, or some other such foolishness that should be considered absolutely unacceptable in $2000+ guitar.
Last edited:
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
As always - Gibson Quality is and is not a thing.
First, Is NOT: I can walk into a GC, grab any Les Paul off the wall, stretch the strings, tune it up, and go play a gig problem free any night anytime anywhere. So everyone settle TF down. You guys act like 4 out of ten are unplayable and the rest are shaky. BS!
Now, IS a thing: If I start getting picky about my $2000+ that said Les Paul will cost (and up to $5000) I will find poorly matched tops, finish flaws, badly cut nuts, necks at questionable angles and more. It may only be 1/10 or 1/20. But it should be 1/1000 or less.
How they are doing these days? Don't know don't care. Not buying another new Gibson ever and wouldn't recommend it. For the cost of a new Gibson you can get so many better guitars cheaper. You can even get Les Pauls from Burny, Orville, and Tokai that are better cheaper, and even Epiphone Elitists. Maybe not better, but at least as good.
And I would never order one online without expecting to send at least one or two back.
So - there really are not any completely unplayable Les Pauls out there (that I know of). But there are certainly Les Pauls out there that do not deserve to have left the floor that for what they cost.
Things could be getting better. I don't know...Much like Ford or Chevy, its gonna be a long time before I even bother to check.
First, Is NOT: I can walk into a GC, grab any Les Paul off the wall, stretch the strings, tune it up, and go play a gig problem free any night anytime anywhere. So everyone settle TF down. You guys act like 4 out of ten are unplayable and the rest are shaky. BS!
Now, IS a thing: If I start getting picky about my $2000+ that said Les Paul will cost (and up to $5000) I will find poorly matched tops, finish flaws, badly cut nuts, necks at questionable angles and more. It may only be 1/10 or 1/20. But it should be 1/1000 or less.
How they are doing these days? Don't know don't care. Not buying another new Gibson ever and wouldn't recommend it. For the cost of a new Gibson you can get so many better guitars cheaper. You can even get Les Pauls from Burny, Orville, and Tokai that are better cheaper, and even Epiphone Elitists. Maybe not better, but at least as good.
And I would never order one online without expecting to send at least one or two back.
So - there really are not any completely unplayable Les Pauls out there (that I know of). But there are certainly Les Pauls out there that do not deserve to have left the floor that for what they cost.
Things could be getting better. I don't know...Much like Ford or Chevy, its gonna be a long time before I even bother to check.
Last edited:
The 'Dark Tiger' wasn't a hit, either.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
I think it's just as the personal cost goes up, so do the personal demands and nit-picking, attention to detail. The more money it costs you personally, the more you pay attention to everything.
I haven't really noticed severe issues with my Gibsons that I would rant about. I don't really notice fretwork issues, at least if they are there, they never affected my ability to play and get what I wanted out of their guitars. The biggest flaw/quality thing I've noticed with Gibson is I think the famous 'plain G string binding in the nut' is something that they should have solved with an improved design/nut at the factory way before now, however it also has a very easy fix. I have 3 Les Pauls, 2 SGs, 2 Melody Makers and a couple acoustics. One of the MMs was missing the bridge adjustment screws, but the rep just sent me a set for free, no hassle.
But I've had about the same level of issues on all brands I've bought. I did notice rough edged frets on my MiM Strat hurting my hands as I grabbed the neck. My HM Strat back in the 90's came with a few raised frets at the body and had to be filed before I could play it. Also I have a Rickenbacker bass that I waited for 3 years to have built and it arrived with a bent tuner and one pickup not working. So... yeah. I don't think any particular brand at any price point is any worse offender than any other.
NegativeEase
New member
Wow, I've never heard of a Ric not being perfect -perfection is pretty much what they hold their hat on.
Yeah the G string thing is pretty common across all brands IME.
I think part of the Gibson quality issue is demand, A Gibson with minor fret problems are less likely to be pulled out of the pool once arriving at the retailer because of a much stricter demand to get into the stores. -That doesnt excuse it leaving the factory that way of course (but it happens at volume) , but distribution and retail will usually pull a Gretsch, Guild etc. and get a credit and return it because it's not going to affect their bottom line like not having that red LP special will if it's not available to sell the next Saturday. SO my suspicion is that the retail need, and the supply chain has had a little bit of influence on having the Gibson quality issues show up at the consumer level in past years where other brands wouldn't.
But if you fix as much of the. minor problems upstream at the factory, you are only dealing with shipping damage, setup, and handling in the stores. _ I think thats where Gibsons focus is now.
Ashurbanipal
Well-known member
I guess because of Gibson's history and status in the guitar universe, people have different (i.e. higher) expectations. They also present themselves as a more premium brand (and are priced accordingly - back in 1958, the list price for a burst was $375, that's about 3.5k in today's money), which adds to that, so people are quick to judge if there's dimples in the finish, imperfect binding, file marks on frets, and so on. This may be further compounded by various import brands offering cheaper instruments with very consistent fit and finish in the same type of instrument (as per Ace's list above), and the various business/marketing decisions in the last decade or so of the Henry J. era.
I don't have much of a stake in this, not being a Gibson owner. I would occasionally look at them and play them in shops, and there was the odd howler (one that sticks in my memory is a BFG Gary Moore LP - splintered maple top in the cutaway, no joke!). I have an old plywood Epiphone LP, which was fine when I got it back in the day (apart from the mudbuckers, of course), back when MIK guitars were pretty hit and miss.
Would I get one? Don't know - I do like SGs; for pricier options, VOS and vintage stuff sometimes overlaps; for under 1-1.5k, it's possible to get a Japanese copy with good specs; and the new Epiphones seem to be getting a good rap, the P90 models certainly look legit in capturing the earlier and later 60s vibes for a budget friendly option. There's plenty of choice these days for a G style guitar if you don't need to have the 'right' name on the headstock.
I don't have much of a stake in this, not being a Gibson owner. I would occasionally look at them and play them in shops, and there was the odd howler (one that sticks in my memory is a BFG Gary Moore LP - splintered maple top in the cutaway, no joke!). I have an old plywood Epiphone LP, which was fine when I got it back in the day (apart from the mudbuckers, of course), back when MIK guitars were pretty hit and miss.
Would I get one? Don't know - I do like SGs; for pricier options, VOS and vintage stuff sometimes overlaps; for under 1-1.5k, it's possible to get a Japanese copy with good specs; and the new Epiphones seem to be getting a good rap, the P90 models certainly look legit in capturing the earlier and later 60s vibes for a budget friendly option. There's plenty of choice these days for a G style guitar if you don't need to have the 'right' name on the headstock.
Last edited:
Synapsys
Well-known member
Same here. And my name isn't Mark.
