high-priced Gibbies

JDOD said:
So, you agree then. There's no objective reason that Les Paul's are comparatively more expensive than other guitars.
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It's what the market will bear man. Les pauls are the "gold bars" of the guitar market. They are a benchmark as to longevity, classic style, collectabilaty, American craftmanship, coolness, name and design recognition, iconic headstock, fat tone, and association with scores of the greatest guitar hero's in rock and blues.
People feel comfortable dishing out more for a les paul because for one, the hold their value, and two....almost every guitar player wants one whether they admit it or not.

Gibson has been EXTREAMLY successful at making the buying choice of a humbucker equipped guitar between the genuine Gibson you really want or something else you'll have to settle for.
 
I'm STILL kicking myself for passing on a early 50's sunburst Gibson lap steel, in a pawn shop in New Orleans in 1982, for 75 bucks.

I snooze and lost on that one
.it's hard to go wrong buying a Gibson if you investigate the fair value of what you're buying.
 
I just paid $4500 Canadian for a Les Paul Black Beauty last July. Now it sells for $5400. (Both including 5% GST Tax).
Now you know someone who has paid that for a Gibson.
It's hilarious how guys will pay thousands for boats, cars, trips etc etc but think Gibsons are too expensive.
My LP will outlast my truck which cost me 4 times that used.
 
ido1957 said:
I just paid $4500 Canadian for a Les Paul Black Beauty last July. Now it sells for $5400. (Both including 5% GST Tax).
Now you know someone who has paid that for a Gibson.
It's hilarious how guys will pay thousands for boats, cars, trips etc etc but think Gibsons are too expensive.
My LP will outlast my truck which cost me 4 times that used.
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That's kind of where I'm at on instrument prices. If it makes you happy, and you enjoy playing it and looking at it, then it was worth every penny you paid for it.

I think that a lot of the gripes towards Gibson in particular is that their standard pricing took a pretty big jump this year, and this year they come standard with features that the public didn't want nor ask for.

I was fortunate and bought my LP right before the steady price incline they've been going through for the last 15 years or so (or at least I got it early in that curve). Still, my Classic was one of their "lesser" models that wasn't priced on par with the Standards at the time (I think I paid about $1700 in 1999, when the Standards were going for $2000 or $2200 if I remember correctly).

Today if I were going to drop $5K on a guitar, it'd probably be a 1960s Jazzmaster. I've been lusting after those mid-60s offset body Fenders for a while now. I've never owned a vintage anything, but something about those old guitars just turns me on. I can't afford a vintage Les Paul (well I could if I didn't mind using the case as a tent because I'd be living under a bridge). It's astounding what those late '50s and early '60s LPs sell for!
 
I'd rather drop $5 K on a vintage SG (or vintage anything) and if I bought right I could also get either a real Blackface Vibrolux or a Blackface Super. You can be fairly certain that at the very least all pieces will retain their value if not increase in value (assuming that's a concern, of course). But then I already have a Les Paul Custom (bought in 1991 for about $1k new). If I want another I'll look on Craigslist.
 
ido1957 said:
I just paid $4500 Canadian for a Les Paul Black Beauty last July. Now it sells for $5400. (Both including 5% GST Tax).
Now you know someone who has paid that for a Gibson.
It's hilarious how guys will pay thousands for boats, cars, trips etc etc but think Gibsons are too expensive.
My LP will outlast my truck which cost me 4 times that used.
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The difference here is that it is questionable if a 5k Gibson is actually better than a 1-2k Gibson, not if it's "worth it" in general.
 
I think that a lot of the gripes towards Gibson in particular is that their standard pricing took a pretty big jump this year
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It's a free market, but everything is taking a big jump in price every year. I got my Gibson EB2-D bass for $350. Today, it appraises for $3200, with some wear. When I bought it, a nice new car was $3200. Are the guitars worth that much more? Or is the money worth that much less?

Then there's the question of "what you like."

I have a pawn shop knockoff Strat, with a big fat neck with a goofy headstock, and embossed "ghost flames." It was $100 ten years ago. It's light as a feather but with amazing sustain, and I wouldn't want to part with it, because I actually *like* to play it. How much is it worth? Who knows, because I'll probably not sell it.

On the other hand, the friend who gave me the Strat knockoff told me he was selling his LP Special and wanted $700 for it. I sent him $1000. The next week, he had successful surgery to remove a brain tumor. How much is the LP worth? I don't know, and I don't care. I like to play it, too. If he ever wants it back, it's his, but he probably won't want it, because he loves to play his Washburn hollow body. Otherwise, it's just my other favorite guitar, and a nice one, to boot.

We become attached to what we're used to, to what we feel comfortable with, and what gives us satisfaction. I know some folks would turn up their noses at a short scale Gibson bass, but then, they are used to and feel comfortable with a P-bass or a 15 string bass, or whatever they have (or whatever they dream of). I just wish everyone could afford to play something they can get attached to and feel comfortable with, regardless of price.
 
IMHO ALL manufacturers instruments are over-priced. PS - there are NO deals at Sweetwater - ever. And their "sales engineers" are nothing special either. Don't buy the hype that what differentiates them from MF or GC is the great customer service - BULL. All we want are great prices.
 
Schwarzenyaeger said:
The difference here is that it is questionable if a 5k Gibson is actually better than a 1-2k Gibson, not if it's "worth it" in general.
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My friend has a 2013 LP Studio. Nice guitar, but my Custom plays much better, sounds better and looks better with its higher craftsmanship. I've played his and would never buy one just to save money because it's a pain to play.
 
Maybe some of the LP haters have never actually played a truly good one. They're easy to bash when you A) can't afford one, and B) wouldn't know a good one anyway. Gibson QC is spotty no matter what the price point, always has been, but when you get a hold of a good one it will really reveal the shortcomings in other guitars.

For me, the only drawback of a Les Paul is that big ass heel. It takes some getting used to.
 
Greg_L said:
Maybe some of the LP haters have never actually played a truly good one. They're easy to bash when you A) can't afford one, and B) wouldn't know a good one anyway. Gibson QC is spotty no matter what the price point, always has been, but when you get a hold of a good one it will really reveal the shortcomings in other guitars.

For me, the only drawback of a Les Paul is that big ass heel. It takes some getting used to.
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True - That heel is a pain, and hard to get used to having played my Strat and Kramer for years. You have to reposition your whole hand to get up there. Even then it's painful.
 
I got myself an Alpine white LP custom last year having played one owned by a relative 20+ years ago. For me it was a guitar I aspired to own and I'm not at all disappointed with the purchase. The wife knows very little about guitars or their cost (just as well) however she does comment when I am playing it, oh you've decided to treat yourself to a session with that one. I have a lot of other pretty guitars I play at home, none of the others get that reaction. In light of criticisms I've read regarding these guitars I can only say I'm fortunate to have gotten one which is superb straight out of the case. Finish wise it's got character and some aspects which are unique to its maker, not flaws but just how this one was finished. Unlike picking up a mass produced guitar where they're all identical other than a speck or two of debris in the lacquer or other defect, or set up variance. My only regret is that I couldn't stretch to getting the black one as well.
 
I have a Les Paul Recording Bass from the early 70s. Thanks to my stubby fingers it's short scale was perfect. Played it for years and never was comfortable with Fenders so it's all I used to gig with. Got it from a buddy going on tour for $300 and now it's worth 10 times that. When I recently looked at what was available for short scale the pickings were thin. I couldn't part with for anything short of retirement funding and that ain't gonna happen. Too many memories and it is still my favorite sound. Of course I sold a Fender 2x15 50w bass amp for $200. Can't kick myself enough for that decision...
 
The fact that they hold their value better is a really valid point as to why they're worth more to buy. Discounting they're name, style and heritage I still dont see them as having any more inherent value from a playing point of view than anything else.

I don't mind the heal on them that much, the thing I don't like is the balance.
 
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Greg_L said:
Maybe some of the LP haters have never actually played a truly good one. They're easy to bash when you A) can't afford one, and B) wouldn't know a good one anyway. Gibson QC is spotty no matter what the price point, always has been, but when you get a hold of a good one it will really reveal the shortcomings in other guitars.

For me, the only drawback of a Les Paul is that big ass heel. It takes some getting used to.
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Yeah, you have to adapt to the heel. I don't grip the back of the neck/heel when I playing up high on a les paul neck. My thumb will be in front of the neck, with the rest of my fingers, or along side the bottom of the neck.

And you're right, there is nothing as good as a les paul that's built right. They are amazing guitars and after putting a lot of olaying time in on one, every other simular style guitar feels cheesy in comparison
 
I will say that I have played some late 70s japanese les paul knock offs that were VERY good. A lot closer to a good les pauls feel than the modern LP knock offs.
Electra, Aria, Tokai, and Yamaha all made pretty damn fine LP clones back then.
Good enough that Gibson sued. Good enough that the resale on them has held up pretty good.

I guess Ibanez was the most famous high profile cloner of Gibson guitars back then...but it's been my experience that they were the shoddiest built ones.
 
I don't get it; is the Ensure thing a longstanding forum joke to which I'm not privy?

"Can" on the left, LP on the right.
 

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