"Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

[Jay 77]

Okay, so all Gibson-bashing aside, this slogan of theirs is beginning to get to me. I know of all the import and alternative builders that do LP-style guitars, and how many of them are at the top of their games and putting out quality instruments, but after playing in a band for almost a year with a guy that has a '91 Custom and a recently purchased Traditional, I have to say it. I want a Gibson. Very likely a Studio, since I just lost my job and will need to get back on my feet first, but man oh man is the GAS getting me. After hearing the tones he gets when we gig, and then seeing the Darkness play the living hell out of their LP's, it's official. I must have a Les Paul, and only a Gibson will do. When the time comes, I'll be fully prepared to play a ton of them so I don't run into lemons that weren't QC'd well. Just wanted to put that out there.

 

[ErikH]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

I know what you mean. I do the guitar tech work for myself and my evil twin on the other side of the stage. I recently set up his LP Trad Pro and fell in love with it. Then I got to play it during the last set at one of our gigs and wanted to take it home with me...LOL. I've got a PRS SE Singlecut Korina and had a Epi LP Standard Plus as well as a Gibby Studio. The Studio is hands down the best of the 3, but I do love my PRS SE for what it is, and it is a great guitar. BUT, I too want a Gibson Les Paul.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

I know that feel, bro.

 

[Jay 77]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

I should note that I've owned an Epi Standard since '05 or so, and have upgraded the pots & caps, and have tried the following pickup combos in it:

Custom bridge/'59 neck
Custom bridge/Mean 90 neck
Mean 90 bridge/Mean 90 neck
Crunchy PAT bridge/Mean 90 Neck

I know I could go with a myraid of other Duncans but at this point, it won't matter. I must get a Gibson.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

The part of your post that makes the most sense is when you say you'll need to "play a ton of them so (you) don't run into lemons that eren't QC'd well". For the price Gibson charges, their QC should make sure every LP that leaves the factory is perfect...There should be NO lemons.

Unfortunately, from my experience, the lemons are the norm for Gibson. There are many much better guitars available for less than half the price of a Gibson. This hasn't always been the case, however. Back in the old days you could count on every Gibson to be top quality.

They built their reputation in the old days, now they're resting upon their laurels.

Unless you want fancy, go for the Studio. But play lots of them to make sure you get a good one. That will be your best bang for the buck.

 

[Diego]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

In the guitar realm, most of the mindless "Only a <insert brand> is good enough for <insert music style>" slogans are complete horse****.

 

[DankStar]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

I'd settle for a epi that feels like a gibby - they are out there (jolly has one). but the ones I've tested aren't like that so far.

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

I've been fighting Gibson GAS for years, but playing a few nice LPs and SGs here and there set up just right... it makes me want to get one.

Part of me feels that if I get a LP, it won't be as satisfying as I expect it to be.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

Every company has eras of greatness and failure.

Gibson has been around in one shape or another since the early 1900's.

That's a pretty big span of time for things to go wrong.

As a younger player, I can attest to owning some great Les Pauls and some terrible ones.

The mid 2000 models in particular had terrible quality control. Unfinished product, unneccessary weight relieving, poor silk-screening, etc.

They churned out supposedly "innovative" models too, like the Voodoo, Menace, Goddess, New Century, and Robot, which were more flashy than practical.

The guitars Gibson has been putting out lately on the other hand have been exceptional. Tight control, player focused.

So play a few and find out which ones sound good and work for you. They've been around forever for a reason. Everybody, guitar player or not knows Fender and Gibson.

They are the Yale and Harvard of the guitar world.

 

[Jakek5150]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

Well after the Gibson factory raids, you would think that they might be trying to do a bit of PR work and focus more on quality control and prices. I have seen prices go down a little bit on some stuff here and there. Even if they are innocent in those raids, hopefully it gave them a good kick in the ass to prove that a Gibson cannot be beaten by any copy.

 

[woemoejack]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

yeah i want one too

 

[JordanM82]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

Sorry, I don't buy the "Only a Gibson is Good Enough." non-sense...

 

[Jay 77]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

Sorry, I don't buy the "Only a Gibson is Good Enough." non-sense...

Did you even read the original post?

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

The idea that Gibson ever, EVER put out 100% perfect guitars, at ANY time in their history, is sadly mistaken. There are stories in the world about LPs made in the 50s that are tone turds, but the collector value makes people look right over those.

Maybe it's just me, but a guitar with a bit of slop in the binding scraping, is not a lemon to me. The only thing that would make one a lemon is for it to be unplayable, and that ain't happening.

 

[oilpit]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

You guys are right...they should change their slogan to:
"In 1959 we produced the best guitars in history, we've kinda dropped the ball over the years, but that doesn't mean we can't ride the coattails of our former glory and put out stupid, overpriced crap!"

Fantastic business model...


People will pay for the name...that being said, I honestly don't know how much longer they can run the way they are running. Maybe Gibson will fall out of the public eye (they've already alienated the "well informed internet gear nerd crowd")...

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

You guys are right...they should change their slogan to:
"In 1959 we produced the best guitars in history, we've kinda dropped the ball over the years, but that doesn't mean we can't ride the coattails of our former glory and put out stupid, overpriced crap!"

Fantastic business model...

They're not overpriced. The ones they made back in the 50s, when adjusted for inflation, actually cost more to that day's average budget than they do today

 

[oilpit]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

They're not overpriced. The ones they made back in the 50s, when adjusted for inflation, actually cost more to that day's average budget than they do today

For a "standard" Les Paul (whatever their flagship model is called now, idk if it's the standard, traditional, traditional pro, classic, classic plus, classic premium, classic premium plus). I think that a 2 grand list price that can be haggled down to somewhere between 1,500 and 1,800 bucks is reasonable, you get what you pay for, I've bought two myself.

But the barrage of "artist" models that are all essentially the same, save how faded the finish is, all the robot **** that cost thousands and thousands of dollars, a lot of what Gibson produces is overpriced for what it is. Nothing bothers me more than people complaining that well made guitars are overpriced just because they are expensive, it's the reason for the upcharge that makes Gibsons overpriced.

 

[JeffB]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

Its just a slogan. I'm not sure why people get so hung up on it, but I guess intarwebz people have to ***** about everything

As for the slogan- I *used* to mostly be of that mindset and I've owned a couple dozen Gibsons in my life -mostly production models, but some custom shop stuff too. There are alternatives that are certainly as good and often better than the absolute best Gibson can put out (especially taking production model Gibsons into account). On the used market they are far better values than any Gibson new or used: Strictly speaking on a tone, construction, and playability standpoint. Two perfect examples would be Hamer USA, and Heritage USA if you are looking for exact Gibson clone tone-as well as Dean USA when talking pointies, as well as the high end MIJ knockoffs from Tokai, Navigator, Bacchus, etc. PRS USA short scale stuff doesn't sound the same, so I don't consider them an alternative so to speak, though the PRS 245 models of all stripes sound very good.

But if re-sale value and aesthetics are also factors, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, then sometimes only a Gibson *is* good enough.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

The idea that Gibson ever, EVER put out 100% perfect guitars, at ANY time in their history, is sadly mistaken. There are stories in the world about LPs made in the 50s that are tone turds, but the collector value makes people look right over those.

Maybe it's just me, but a guitar with a bit of slop in the binding scraping, is not a lemon to me. The only thing that would make one a lemon is for it to be unplayable, and that ain't happening.

Yep. Same goes with say, 70's Fender guitars. 15 years ago, no one wanted anything to do with a "CBS era" Fender, now they're going for $3K-$4K. Collector values have really made people forget the dogs and look at the past through rose tinted glasses. Many of the guitars today are made with much tighter and consistent QC.

 

[Gunny47]

Re: "Only a Gibson is Good Enough"

Okay, so all Gibson-bashing aside, this slogan of theirs is beginning to get to me. I know of all the import and alternative builders that do LP-style guitars, and how many of them are at the top of their games and putting out quality instruments, but after playing in a band for almost a year with a guy that has a '91 Custom and a recently purchased Traditional, I have to say it. I want a Gibson. Very likely a Studio, since I just lost my job and will need to get back on my feet first, but man oh man is the GAS getting me. After hearing the tones he gets when we gig, and then seeing the Darkness play the living hell out of their LP's, it's official. I must have a Les Paul, and only a Gibson will do. When the time comes, I'll be fully prepared to play a ton of them so I don't run into lemons that weren't QC'd well. Just wanted to put that out there.

Man, there's nothing like a good LP when it's done right. Some come straight from the factory dialed in sooo well, some you have to work with and some are dogs. I think that's the nature of the beast for ALL guitars. We are dealing with wood that hasn't been touched for ____ years and now it's being shaped into something it wasn't intended to be hehe. It needs some time to settle in (especially archtops obviously).

With that said, I haven't played many Historic/VOSs that were dogs. There's something amazing about those guitars when you find a good one. You don't have to change the pickups or mod them or anything, they just speak so well on their own.

Go to all your stores and look for a nice LP Studio when the time comes. I'd be more optimistic about "weeding out lemons." Think about it as "finding the right one that speaks to you." LP Studios are everywhere so you'll have a lot of options. Good luck!