<Norm McDonald Voice>Gibson!</Voice>

[PFDarkside]

Securb ’s thread about the Smokehouse burst had me browsing Sweetwater for some Les Paul action. Now I know some of you like plain tops but if it’s maple and it’s a Gibson, I want some flame…. So let’s see what we’ve got.


Lets see, oh yeah looking good. Let’s click to see the real guitar…


GIBSON!!!!

Come on, that’s like tribute style compared to the photo.

 

[PFDarkside]

Ok, I want flame maple, maybe let’s look at a AAA top. Shouldn’t be necessary for a $2450 guitar, but let’s bump to $2900 to see what we get….

Advertised stock photo… hmm not very flamed…



Anyway let’s click to see what we get.


GIBSON!!!! That’s not even book matched for a AAA top?!

 

[PFDarkside]

Maybe I need to seek out the custom shop.

Ok, Gibson Custom Shop Figured Top ES-335….

GIBSON!!!!

Another non-book matched top for $5500 this time!

 

[PFDarkside]

Anyway just a little fun. And of course you have to read it in the classic Norm McDonald voice.

 

[Securb]

Love the unburst

 

[GuitarDoc]

With all of the choices of guitars available today and in so many price ranges, why in the world would you even look at Gibson. You can get a better looking guitar, better quality guitar, better playing guitar, and at only 1/2 - 1/4 the price.

If stunning looks are important, PRS is the one. You can get an SE for under $1000.

 

[Aceman]

With all of the choices of guitars available today and in so many price ranges, why in the world would you even look at Gibson. You can get a better looking guitar, better quality guitar, better playing guitar, and at only 1/2 - 1/4 the price.

If stunning looks are important, PRS is the one. You can get an SE for under $1000.

If you can't afford a Blues Lawyer to answer that, you can't afford a Gibson so it does not matter.

But...yeah.

 

[Fender_Punk]

With all of the choices of guitars available today and in so many price ranges, why in the world would you even look at Gibson. You can get a better looking guitar, better quality guitar, better playing guitar, and at only 1/2 - 1/4 the price.

If stunning looks are important, PRS is the one. You can get an SE for under $1000.

Gibson is a century old company that's been a vital part of 20th century music history and instrument innovation and been used by many famous players on records that have stood the test of time.

Sure my R9 wasn't cheap but it's easily the best playing and best sounding guitar I've ever had. It's also the closest thing to a real '59 LP that I'm ever going to get my hands on and way cheaper than a vintage burst. No regrets here.

You could make the same argument against Fender. Fender has guitars over 3k that require far less craftsmenship to make than a Gibson. You could assemble your own Tele/Strat or buy an off brand for less than a MIM. You can also buy a Suhr/Anderson/PRS for the same price as a Fender CS. So why do people look at Fender? Because of its history and the players who have used them.

Brand and history doesn't matter to every guitarist but it matters to enough of them that Gibson and Fender can prosper even with all the competition.

 

[Securb]

You can get a better looking guitar, better quality guitar, better playing guitar, and at only 1/2 - 1/4 the price.

That is all subjective. IMO there is nothing as stunning looking as a Les Paul and mine play better than any guitar I have ever picked up. We get it you do not like Gibson. There is no need to post in every Gibson thread to bash people's gear choices.

 

[solspirit]

The Norm McDonald voiced 490t?

 

[GuitarDoc]

It's not all subjective. Certain aspects of quality and even esthetics (like good book matching) is very objective. Price is also very objective. Some aspects are neither subjective nor objective but just a matter of personal choice (like one size/shape neck may be more playable to one person than another).

This wasn't meant as a bash to Gibson...not at all. It's just an observation that there is MUCH competition and very many other brands make excellent (if not better) guitars for less money.

I, in fact, currently own a half dozen Gibsons. If I thought that these particular instruments were bash bait, I wouldn't own them.

And I certainly am not bashing anyone's gear choices. Everyone is entitled to play any gear that he/she wants...that doesn't bother me at all. And why are you only attacking me? PFDarksides posts are more incriminating than anything I said. But he absolutely has a right to what he said and implied. I totally enjoyed the video he posted. I thought his posts were very entertaining and I didn't feel like they were meant to bash anyone's gear choices either.

You also have a right to your opinions and choices...I just don't like getting attacked because of mine, thanks.

 

[PFDarkside]

The Norm McDonald voiced 490t?

The nasal honk, it cuts through the mix!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Well, you can take anything out of context and imply anything you want.

 

[Securb]

PFDarkside I actually like this one. I like some of the non-matched tops. Perfectly book-matched tops make me think of photoflame.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...es-paul-standard-60s-unburst?serial=234410107

The first Les Paul I almost bought was a Cherry Sunburst plain top. There is something cool about those non-AAA tops I love.

 

[PFDarkside]

PFDarkside I actually like this one. I like some of the non-matched tops. Perfectly book-matched tops make me think of photoflame.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...es-paul-standard-60s-unburst?serial=234410107

I do like that color the best of the three, but it pales in comparison to the “stock” photo advertising it.

 

[Fender_Punk]

I do like that color the best of the three, but it pales in comparison to the “stock” photo advertising it.

I feel that's a fault of Sweetwater rather than Gibson. We all know Gibson makes plain top Les Pauls. Sweetwater is the one who decided to use a photo of a AAA top LP to represent a plain top.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Perfectly book-matched, breathtaking figured tops (and cheaper alternatives that are intended to look like those tops), are so commonplace now that, for me at least, they are not so breathtaking anymore. I would rather have something a little weird that is its own kind of cool and one of a kind. It is hard for me to describe, but I know it when I see it.

Maybe you should get that ES-356, and maybe it’s counterpart that got the other half of the book matched top.

Seriously, half a flame top?

 

[PFDarkside]

Maybe you should get that ES-356, and maybe it’s counterpart that got the other half of the book matched top.

Seriously, half a flame top?

I like plain, I really like flame, but half and half (like a lot of the above guitars) really does not do it for me.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

I like plain, I really like flame, but half and half (like a lot of the above guitars) really does not do it for me.

I looked up that particular 356 on SW. There’s a *little* more flame on the right than I initially thought, but good grief. For over five grand, you’d think they could afford to train people to bookmatch tops.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Its your context. Why in the world would you even look at Gibson isnt bashing? I felt bashed. Anyone else? I am sorry if I overreacted.

Yet you own Gibsons. Are yours different?

First of all, I'm sorry if you felt bashed...that was not my intent to make anyone feel bad about their guitars. You could also substitute ANY brand name for "Gibson" in my statement. I wasn't bashing "Gibson" per se...if I was bashing anything I was bashing any guitar brand that sells a guitar for several thousand dollars when a guitar of equal or better quality, playability, esthetics, tone, etc could be had for 1/4 the cost. You shouldn't call me a Gibson hater or Gibson basher because I just stated some reality/facts, just like I didn't call you a Gibson fanatic or cork sniffer. It's your money and your choice.

Yes, I actually own 7 Gibsons right now and have owned at least 8 others in the past. So if I was bashing any Gibson owners I was also bashing myself.

And, yes, mine ARE different because I liked them enough to spend the time and effort and money to make them better/keepable/playable. If I have any complaint about Gibson worthy of bashing (other than their relative cost) it's the way they do neck binding with the plastic nibs rather than having the metal frets going across the entire fretboard. I have had to "fix" that on all of my Gibsons with neck binding. It's a lot of effort and time to fill-in the tiny (sometimes huge) gaps and file and polish them so there is no click as a string is pulled across that joint. I have one Gibson (a Firebird) where the high "e" string would actually get stuck in that gap!! (There is absolutely NO excuse for that poor quality in any guitar in any price range, let alone in the $3000-5000 range)!!! I have also felt the need to replace most of their expensive pickups with better ones (this is a common complaint about many Gibson pups, it's not just me).

But I did that because I actually LOVE the Gibsons that I have and felt that it was worth it to me to fix them. And I was able to get all of them (new) for a very reasonable prices, similar to some of their "cheaper" competitors.