Re: Quality:Fender vs Gibson
I honestly do not have a problem with Gibsons quality. If you know they have trouble with QC, then keep an eye out for it and take your time when looking for a an LP or SG or whatever it may be.
I agree with this. There will always be variations with every manufacturer's instruments. Not every guitar is going to speak to you, you have to dig a little to find the ones that are special.
The only problem I have is the price, at the price of a new LP STD, you can start to look into having a guitar custom built for you, which would have much better quality and effort put into it. I'll consider buying a used LP, but never a new one. I don't think Gibsons guitars are worth how much they cost new.
The price is what it is, and most custom Luthier's would be hard-pressed to make a copy of a Les Paul and sell it for anything CLOSE to what Gibson does. And if you ever decide to sell your custom made guitar, you're going to take quite a hit, simply because it doesn't say, "Gibson" on the headstock.
As far as new versus used, I think the Historic line of Les Pauls should be considered EXCELLENT buys. People are trying to get as much for a Norlin-era Gibson as what the new Historics are selling for, and in my mind there's no comparison--the Historic is most certainly the better guitar and the one that I would buy. Even in the regular Gibson USA line, there are some excellent values to be had, but you have to look hard and buy smart.
I have several Ibanez guitars, and frankly, I'll put them up against any Gibson in terms of quality of workmanship. But while the Ibanez guitars are great guitars, there's no denying that the five Les Pauls I own are very special instruments. No matter how good the Ibanez guitars are, there's just something "special" about the Les Pauls. Can't define it; can't explain it. And a lot of players who don't have my values, well...they just wouldn't understand it, even if I could put it into words. Sure the Ibanez' are PERFECT; and yes, the Gibson's have flaws. Which one is better?
Which one is better? Your hammer, or your screwdriver?
For me, it doesn't matter--a moot point. I love them all.
And as far as Fender goes, after playing vintage Fender guitars for many years, I bought one of Leo's first Music Man Sabre guitars in 1978. I then switched over to G&L in about 1993, and I now use one of my fifteen G&Ls when I want "Fender" tone. These are the real Fenders; they're designed by Leo Fender; and made by the company that he founded after he sold Fender in the 1960s.
When it comes to QUALITY and VALUE, I don't think anything that FMIC makes can really compare. These guitars have the features and the tones that I want in a "Strat" bodied guitar. I didn't have to modify them to get what I needed out of them.
So, I personally don't think much of Fender guitars these days. They really don't make anything these days that interests me--and what they do make that I like, comes out of their Custom Shop and cost three times what my G&Ls cost.
It would be great if Gibsons were made with the same quality and attention-to-detail of say, a PRS. Unfortunately, they don't, but--they have a feel and cachet that is somehow lacking in a PRS. If you think Fender Squires and MIM Strats are great, then go for it; but I'd rather have a G&L.
Value is not always something that is determined solely by the item's price; nor can quality always be determined solely by workmanship and materials. Sounds odd, but it is true.
Bill
