Members MatchFive Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 There is no magic thing Gibson does that nobody else is doing. They don't have wood from the magic forest assembled by magic elves and pixies.That's not what the guy at Guitar Center told me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MatchFive Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Didn't want to damage the collector value A guitar you can saw a tree down with is quite handy! and valuable as well apparently.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zhorellski Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Wanted to buy a LP Gibs for the longest!! how do you find out if your buying a legit used LP Gibs from a bootleg china? ie e-bay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jnurp Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 buy from a reputable dealer and you absolutely have to play one first as there are insane amounts of quality control issues with lp's. Once you find a good one you will understand why people love them and why they are worth the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MatchFive Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 The fact you gotta sort through a stack of them to find a good one speaks volumes.. I guess there are a few people there who know how to make good ones.. They should fire everyone else and let the guys that make the good ones train the new guys so they will all be good.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boonestunes Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I can't really comment on the schecters..... I got a chance last month to take a tour of the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville. I always assumed they were mostly CNC machined, "factory" guitars. I was wrong! MOST of the process of building those guitars are done with human hands.....rough body shapes cut from blanks by one guy on a bandsaw. Necks shaped by hand, glued in by hand. Really the only computerized assembly I saw were the routes on the bodies for pickups/cavities and the PLEK machine that sets up the frets and nut (amazing machine!). Saw guys hand shaping the carved tops on 335's, saw the one guy who does the top carves on les pauls. Binding applied by hand by ONE guy. They paint over the binding, then have 3 ladies that scrape off the paint over the binding with little razor blade tools they make themselves- all freehand, before the final clearcoats go on..... I was REALLY impressed with the craftmanship that goes into those guitars. I asked if the larger 'factory' was run differently and told that NO, the "factory" puts out more guitars (over 500 instead of 72 at the custom shop) but the processes are all the same. Also interesting to note that many of the workers there are NOT players. They're craftsman. WHile the CNC factories overseas can put out really precise copies, that look feel and play great (i've got a few, and play them out!)......There's just not the same as a guitar that's worked on and inspected by hand at every stop in the assembly process. That's what you're paying for in the difference between a Gibson and a Dillion...... And I do believe that playing 10 guitars that come out of the shop at the same time will get you MAJOR differences in tone.......this is the nature of playing an instrument made of WOOD and made by HAND. Funny thing is that the guitar that is YUCK to you might just "speak to" the next guy.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P. Wallace Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I can't really comment on the schecters..... I got a chance last month to take a tour of the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville. I always assumed they were mostly CNC machined, "factory" guitars. I was wrong! MOST of the process of building those guitars are done with human hands.....rough body shapes cut from blanks by one guy on a bandsaw. Necks shaped by hand, glued in by hand. Really the only computerized assembly I saw were the routes on the bodies for pickups/cavities and the PLEK machine that sets up the frets and nut (amazing machine!). Saw guys hand shaping the carved tops on 335's, saw the one guy who does the top carves on les pauls. Binding applied by hand by ONE guy. They paint over the binding, then have 3 ladies that scrape off the paint over the binding with little razor blade tools they make themselves- all freehand, before the final clearcoats go on.....I was REALLY impressed with the craftmanship that goes into those guitars. I asked if the larger 'factory' was run differently and told that NO, the factory puts out more guitars (over 500 instead of 72 at the custom shop) but the processes are all the same. WHile the CNC factories overseas can put out really precise copies, that look feel and play great (i've got a few, and play them out!)......There's just not the same as a guitar that's worked on and inspected by hand at every stop in the assembly process. I'm all warm and fuzzy inside after reading that. Thank you. Anyone else care to share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cac1389 Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 are the Qc issues just with the lower tier gibsons, cause if after all of what boones described, how can a bad guitar get through all that hands on work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 are the Qc issues just with the lower tier gibsons, cause if after all of what boones described, how can a bad guitar get through all that hands on work? The difference between Gibson QC issues and other companies QC issues is that when it's Gibson, it gets posted all over the internet. That's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boonestunes Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I'm all warm and fuzzy inside after reading that. Thank you. Anyone else care to share? two interesting stories from my trip... 1) I got to hold and play the Clapton (beano) guitar serial number 01. It had been at Eric's house earlier in the week, and was going back to him... 2) while we were talking to the supervisor that gave us the tour, an office worked walked up and said, "Mr. ____, when you get a chance, Keith Richards is on the phone for you". I asked, "is that A keith richards, or THE Keith Richards"......he smiled and said "THE Keith Richards"...... also got to see Roy Orbison's guitar that he did the "BLack and WHite" concert with in '87 (I think). They were getting it ready for a TV special...Still had sweat marks on it from Roy..... The whole thing makes me wanna quit my job and go to Luthier school......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Harvester1199 Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 for the most part unless your getting a custom chop model yes you are paying mostly for the name when it comes to Gibson most high end epiphone guitars can sound just as good with a few hardware upgrades Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boonestunes Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 are the Qc issues just with the lower tier gibsons, cause if after all of what boones described, how can a bad guitar get through all that hands on work? I think with the Regular Shop Gibsons, the guitars go through a LOT faster....hence some quality control issues. Plus, I would guess that the ONE guy doing binding on Eric Clapton's signature guitar probably makes a bit more $$$ than the guy who's cranking out Les Paul Traditional's at the regular factory. with their clientele and the prices you're paying for a custom shop instrument, it SHOULD get a little more attention. But do I think they can do a better job at the regular factory...sure. But it's still a damn fine guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members glenecho Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Nothing sounds like a Les Paul huh? So those ones they make now that are all routed and chambered out sound the same as a '59 LP then? Ok... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jnurp Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 are the Qc issues just with the lower tier gibsons, cause if after all of what boones described, how can a bad guitar get through all that hands on work? not true i have had 2 higher end gibsons with {censored}ed up necks. If mrjaaaaar was still here he could tell you himself i sold him one of them if not both i cant remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cac1389 Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 im only asking cause dont get to see many gibsons round here. only gibson i ever played and seen was my mates dads 86 les paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaXu Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I got a chance last month to take a tour of the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville. I always assumed they were mostly CNC machined, "factory" guitars. I was wrong! MOST of the process of building those guitars are done with human hands.....rough body shapes cut from blanks by one guy on a bandsaw. Necks shaped by hand, glued in by hand. Really the only computerized assembly I saw were the routes on the bodies for pickups/cavities and the PLEK machine that sets up the frets and nut (amazing machine!). Saw guys hand shaping the carved tops on 335's, saw the one guy who does the top carves on les pauls. Binding applied by hand by ONE guy. They paint over the binding, then have 3 ladies that scrape off the paint over the binding with little razor blade tools they make themselves- all freehand, before the final clearcoats go on.....I was REALLY impressed with the craftmanship that goes into those guitars. I asked if the larger 'factory' was run differently and told that NO, the "factory" puts out more guitars (over 500 instead of 72 at the custom shop) but the processes are all the same. Also interesting to note that many of the workers there are NOT players. They're craftsman. Where you see craftmanship, I see inefficient production. Having some guy chisel and fit the neck tenons instead of a machine cutting them to the exact right angle every time is just unnecessary work. If I remember correctly Gibson also frets the guitars by hammering the frets in, whereas a press would do that in half the time. A bunch of guys doing stuff by hand is just fine for a small builder but for an outfit doing as many guitars as Gibson it just results in sloppy quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members "sasquatch" Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 best guitar i've ever played was a 57 LP VOS. unreal how {censored}ing great that guitar was. by contrast, i had an SG that was simply OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OceansBetweenUs Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I played a hagstrom swede not too long ago in nashville that IMO smoked dozens of les pauls I played at the guitar center. It really wowed me to be totally honest. The setup was EXCELLENT, the tone from the stock pickups was nice and it just played really well and resonated nicely.I liked it so much, I kinda want a viking deluxe. I know that Pat Smear from the foo fighters pretty much plays all hagstroms at this point. Dude - Hags are awesome. I played a Viking Deluxe locally at a shop for about a half hour and couldn't believe how comfortable it felt. I want one, but have no need for another guitar at this point/that's the only store that carries them and they only stock 1-2 at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FastRedPonyCar Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 our drummer works at GC so I would get him to order it and snag that discount. I have no need for it though... hell... I'm trying to sell both my carvins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FBird Nation Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I grew up playing Gibsons: a Goldtop LP, an LP Recorder, a slew of SGs, and an ES335. To this day, a good SG is my favorite rock guitar... But Gibson nowadays is riding on their decades-old rep; their QC is hit-or-miss, they have few options, and they're incredibly overpriced. Gigging out with a $4000-5000 guitar is playing Russian Roulette, IMHO... There's so many guitar manufacturers nowadays, that Gibson (and Fender, for that matter) don't have the lock on the market that they did years back; not to mention the different needs/options that different players have... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P. Wallace Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Nothing sounds like a Les Paul huh? So those ones they make now that are all routed and chambered out sound the same as a '59 LP then? Ok... The routed chambered ones sound even better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members doomsdaymachine Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 As much as I think Gibson is severely overpriced, that Schecter doesn't even come close to the elegance of the Les Paul design. Schecter has a track record of going for gaudy instead of classy and it seems they still do judging by their 35th anniversary models. I agree, and have owned 2 Schecters - both of which felt like toys. Cheap, plastic feel on the necks. I also agree that Gibsons are overpriced, (the Les Pauls, anyway). My V was $1199, and an awesome guitar. I've owned Les Pauls that cost much more, and had serious issues/flaws. You either get a good one, or a REALLY bad one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gt_jumper Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I kind of agree with this. It is one of those things where you pick the gaudy-ass looking pile of mid-quality mahogany and ebony/rosewood with seymour duncan pickups off of the wall, and you are like "well... it plays pretty much perfectly... but I don't want to be seen in public with this".Same with a Line 6 amp. I often find myself enjoying a lot of the sounds in combination with the sheer {censored}ing ease of dialing the amps in, but, I would never buy or own one (I do have a podxt live, but that is a bit different).I do have a Schecter Classic, from back before Schecter took off with the little douchey metal head kids with rich parents and metal-zone boosted single rectos. It is an extremely nice guitar, one of the best players I have ever come across. I love my classic, but my elite c1 is by far the best guitar i have picked up, period! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ibanez270 Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 If you can't afford a real one. Buy a copy. Nothin' wrong with that. But only a Les Paul SOUNDS and FEELS like a LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madrigal77 Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I've seen Chinese made Epiphones with better build quality than some USA Gibson's. What's up with that? I mean, they're both owned by the same company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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