Gibson Quality????

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Lambo

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I just received a new GIbson 2002 SG Special and am I ever disappointed. The finish is a piss-poor flat pewter that I'd probably rub off in a month. The pick-ups have tape, which I might add was poorly applied, to attempt to fill in the 1/4" gap between the pick-up and the pick guard. I called the place I purchased the guitar from (sure looked & sounded a whole lot better on the web-site, after all...it's a Gibson) and they said that to get into a real one (you know, decent finish, covered pick-ups) that I'm looking at an additional $700-1000 for the next level Gibson. So, needless to say this bad boy is in the box going back and I'm still looking for decent guitar. Is it too much to ask for a decent guitar for $600? I have an Epiphone Les Paul Custom that puts this thing to shame in every way. I thought Gibson made a quality guitar. What's up with that?
 
Gibsons are excellent guitars until you get to the bottom of the barrel.

I also bought a new Gibson, and it was not the top of the line either. It was a Les Paul Studio with a wine-red finish. I don't think I would ever buy one of these through mail order because I don't want to get one with crappy wood or other problems I'd have to live with.

I went to the local guitar place (Island Guitars), and picked out my Les Paul from several that they had on hand. It only cost me $1150 out the door, which I feel was definately worth every penny. What I ended up with was one of the best playing Pauls I have ever played. The wood looks incredible, the finish perfect, the setup was even right on the money. This is the first guitar I've ever owned where I have not needed to rip out the pickups for something better. It sounds so damn good through my Boogie Mark IV, that I can't risk messing with it. It has become my primary guitar except when I need a strat sound or vibrato arm.

When I bought that guitar, they also had several, cheaper Les Pauls like the Smartwood, and some flat-black one I can't remember the name of, one that was this puke-green color without any clear-coat, etc., and none of them seem to be what I wanted, but that Les Paul Studio I ended up buying seemed worlds nicer, yet didn't end up costing the $2300 that a Les Paul Standard would have cost. I guess what I am trying to say is that it is particularily important to be able to try before you buy when shopping for a quality guitar.
 
I recall somebody around here touting the Special as "the real deal."

Pssh. Gibson sucks. Buy a Heritage.
 
Lambo said:
Is it too much to ask for a decent guitar for $600?
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No, they are out there but you won't find a good one ordering it "blind" over the internet. Find the gems out there by playing it through a good amp and properly evaluating the construction, fit, and durability.

(Sorry about your experience Lambo. Good luck on your search)
 
Well, Lembo, there are perfectly goog guitars out there for $600, but it ain't a new Gibson. New Gibsons that are any good start at a grand and go up from there.-Richie
 
Lambo said:
I just received a new GIbson 2002 SG Special and am I ever disappointed. The finish is a piss-poor flat pewter that I'd probably rub off in a month. The pick-ups have tape, which I might add was poorly applied, to attempt to fill in the 1/4" gap between the pick-up and the pick guard. I called the place I purchased the guitar from (sure looked & sounded a whole lot better on the web-site, after all...it's a Gibson) and they said that to get into a real one (you know, decent finish, covered pick-ups) that I'm looking at an additional $700-1000 for the next level Gibson. So, needless to say this bad boy is in the box going back and I'm still looking for decent guitar. Is it too much to ask for a decent guitar for $600? I have an Epiphone Les Paul Custom that puts this thing to shame in every way. I thought Gibson made a quality guitar. What's up with that?
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How did it sound and feel?Everything you mentioned in your post was about the cosmetics of the guitar....cosmetics are the last thing to pay attention to when searching for a good guitar....I agree though,it should look a little better if it's a brand new product....I bought a Les Paul Special for $499 brand new a couple of years ago and it sounds and plays great......never had any problems with it.
 
I bought a Les Paul Jr. Special about two years ago for about $500.00 and I'm still happy with it. The finish is a little sticky, but it sounds great.
 
a couple of months ago I bought a used SG special. its an older one...before the "faded" finish. its a good guitar that im happy with.

hey guitarman, do you have a heritage? how do you like it?
 
Thanks to all for your support. And yes, I admit there is a tremedous amount of risk purchasing a guitar over the net, but this wasn't my first attempt. Actaually, my wife and kids surprised me with an Epiphone Les Paul Custom from Muscian's Friend a couple of Christmas' ago and it is one sweet guitar. I realize now that trying to step up to a Gibson on a budget is a bad mix. My quandry is that I still want a new guitar and I'm still on a budget. The search continues.... I really like the Epiphone SG '61 Elite which extends my budget a bit but not nearly as much as a (decent) Gibson SG would. I know how a lot you you folks feel about Epiphone but like I said, I have had good luck with the Les Paul Custom.
 
I bought an ES-135 last summer and although it sounded good and the finish on the body was nice, everything about the neck was awful. I took it back.

Think I'll just put those vintage pickups in my ES-150D.

I should know better than to shop new anyway.
 
Richard Monroe said:
New Gibsons that are any good start at a grand and go up from there.
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I'm sorry, but in my experience - which has been pretty extensive - paying big bucks for a Gibson is no assurance against the inept and negligent workmanship that has plagued the company off and on for decades.

I believe I have written here about my experience when I went to buy a Les Paul about a year and a half ago. It's a typical Gibson horror story:

I went through sixteen Les Paul Standard and higher models and did not find ONE without clear screwups. I only found a single one, a Les Paul Standard Plus, that had the top binding put on evenly and flush with the body, an operation that few makers other than Gibson are unable to routinely accomplish - much less on a guitar with a $3800 pricetag.

One blithering idiot on another board angrily insisted that this is a feature of Gibsons rather than a flaw! One can only wonder if it's a feature on the side of the guitar where it's even or a feature on the side of the guitar where it's uneven. Which do you think? :) I wonder when all the other manufacturers will introduce this "upgrade" of uneven production routing on their instruments.

So...the one guitar with the binding on right was OK, aside from a lot of crooked and cockeyed misalignments of the hardware mounting. It played so-so, but I noticed that I was getting something nasty all over my hands, Turns out that there was a pea-sized wad of industrial buffing rouge stuck in a crevice of the headstock which nobody at Gibson could be bothered to note or wipe off. Looking at this mess I noticed something much worse. Sometime prior to shooting the finish, someone whacked the corner of the headstock on something and made an ugly split in it about 1-1/2" long. No matter - they just pushed it back together and shot the finish over it! Yes, it came that way from the factory.

Note that this isn't some $99 Chinese-made Squier, but a "premium" $3800 high-end "American classic."

Needless to say, I left the store with my money, disgusted.

Just one Gibson tale from the dozens I've experienced over the past thirty-five years in dealing and playing guitars. I have lots more...like the neck coming loose on my J-45, or...

Is Gibson alone in such slovenly production? No, Fender and others do as badly - or nearly - and are at least as resistant to making good on their screwups by repairing them, but they are not as expensive as Gibsons.
 
philboyd studge said:
I bought an ES-135 last summer and although it sounded good and the finish on the body was nice, everything about the neck was awful. I took it back.
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This was exactly my take on the ES-135s I saw, too.

I was really encouraged by the apparent improvement in workmanship, but the necks were just horrible.
 
jimistone said:


hey guitarman, do you have a heritage? how do you like it?
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Unfortunately, no. I've played a few, and was impressed with the playability and cosmetics. I WILL own one, one day. The only thing that I will give Gibsons over Heritage is that they come stock with roller bridges. You can order them with tune-o-matic bridges though.

Although I haven't played 600 Gibsons in my lifetime, I've played enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth...and that's BEFORE I looked at the pricetag. There is no way in hell I would pay over a grand for an instrument made by a CNC machine.
 
I have '96 Les Paul Studio that I bought brand new and it is a PERFECT GUITAR. There is nothing wrong with it. Gibson does not have poor quality. That is all just a bunch of BS. I am sure Gibson made better guitars in the 50's and 60's, but I bet they made them ever better before that...........or maybe its the other way around....or maybe its all just some bitterness from A bad experience. GIBSON KICKS ASS. AND SO DOES FENDER. AND SO DOES MARTIN.
 
My main guitar is a 71 custom les paul (not a reissue) and i love it but I can see how the complaints about gibson's lower models can be justified. I have 98 les paul 2 and my biggest complaint are those krappy tuners that the backs pop off of after a year or so. I can say that ive called gibson and they have sent me a new set everytime for free though.
 
I should probably rephrase some of that.

In '96 the Studio was the BOTTOM of the line. Everything was good. Now, today, I think that those 600 dollar guitars Gibson is putting out are probably junk compared to anything over a grand. I didn't ask for binding and a gorgous finish on my Studio. But it sounds just as good (and that red wine finish is nice...not any more, I had a sticker phase...). If I wanted all that flash, we are talking 1800 and up at the time. I don't even want to know what they are now. But to ask for a good finish, binding and such, plus play like a exspensive guitar.....thats just too much to ask for under a grand. If you want quality playing, forget the finish.......If you want flash, bust out your pocketbook, leather seating and a (real) woodgrained dash in a car is not cheap.
 
1984 studio custom

i have an 84 studio custom bought brand new for 850$ no one has ever picked up my guitar and not wanted it ...one out of a hundred that was good, maybe, but i always hear on these boards how they are overpriced ,do you think a company is just going to drop there prices there are going to drop the level of the guitar ,thats business.... my only question about the place that had all th crappy Gibsons with th polishing rouge ,is ,and i'm not doubting YOUR statement , are they a reputable dealer can you be sure they don't have a "seconds deal with someone .I mean to be honest my local guy only gets a few Gibsons a year but they are flawless ,now by comparison th ones i saw at Mars never matched up .....and i know that still doesn't look good toward gibson if they are letting seconds out but you never know
 
prs rules!! (i am just biased though since i used to work for paul)

:)


-alex
 
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