So why the hate towards Gibson?

[DonP]

The price of the things is what gets me. I just can't pay over $2500 for what is essentially a fifty year-old design. I mean... if I wanted to spend that much, I'd go out and get a PRS or something much more snazzy.

I used to say that 20 years ago. Am I old?

Having a kick ass Les Paul is like having a Muscle Car. I have a 1970 Challenger and a 2007 Acura TL Type-S. Sure the Acura has all the modern features and everything, but it doesn't give the same feeling as the Challenger with all of the horsepower under the hood.

[DonP]

Have you looked lately?

Every time I go into GC

According to what you're saying, you bought the last one in '04. Could it be the quality has slipped since then?

Possibly. When you go into GC, you are looking at the guitars that people DON'T WANT. Unless you are lucky and time it when they get in a new shipment no one has picked through yet. I will say it's very rare that I see something that gives me the slightest bit of gas. I'm very happy with the ones I have. It takes a very special axe to top what I've got.

2002 was a high point for quality for the Les Paul Standard. Gibson made a huge number of changes to the spec that year to make the Standard much more historically correct. We believe Gibson made a noticable attempt to make these guitars excellent because they knew they were going to get a lot of interest in them. Anyone I've talked with who has a 2002 has been very pleased.

2008 was a year for huge changes to the Standard, so mybe those are good quality, I don't know. The changes to the specifications were to make the Standard more "modern". This doesn't appeal to me. I prefer my Les Paul's to have traditional specs from 1958-1960.

[asix]

the wound of my 97 explorer is amazing but the fretting is rubbish. Price was amazingly cheap du but it was a 1 in a million deal.

[pro-fusion]

For me, it's the high prices and poor quality control on the production guitars. It's not just a guitar here and there having QC problems--almost all of the ones I've played in the last few years have been atrocious, especially in terms of fretwork. You shouldn't have to pay $4,000 to get a passable quality Les Paul.

When I decided to get back into Les Pauls, I went with Heritage. That's the "real" Gibson, anyway. Made in the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, by the old Gibson employees from back in the day who knew how to make great instruments. The modern Gibson company is trading off of the legacy those people built, and adding nothing to it.

[DrDestruction]

The price of the things is what gets me. I just can't pay over $2500 for what is essentially a fifty year-old design. I mean... if I wanted to spend that much, I'd go out and get a PRS or something much more snazzy.

Besides- there are so many other more worthwhile alternatives to Gibsons out there. I particularly like my Yamaha AES620HB, which totally spanks the LPs I have in my collection.

[wilkinsi]

Why? Cuz they're round, not pointy.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Maybe lucky, or maybe I was unlucky to find the two LP Standards I saw which were pretty crappy. :dunno:

Have you looked lately? According to what you're saying, you bought the last one in '04. Could it be the quality has slipped since then? I definitely wasn't looking at them back then.

My old The Paul II was a great guitar for the money, and I did find an early 90's LP Studio for under $500 recently, which I thought was definitely a great deal.

The Standards I have looked at, I saw the price tag first, I thought "OK, $1899, that's reasonable if it's a great guitar" and I just was, well... Very disappointed when I got the guitar in my hands. If the fret work and binding had been better and it had an ebony board, I very likely would have taken it home.

[DonP]

The Studios and Standards I see at Guitar Center, however, are pretty junky, and cost $1899.

Maybe that's why they are still there? I see the same guitars day in and day out at my GC. It's like seeing old friends. The good guitars get snatched up before you have a chance to see them.

I bought my first new Gibson at GC. The 1998 SG had left Gibson only 10 days before, so I got it before anyone else had a chance to mangle it.

The 2002 LP Std. I impulse bought on ebay in Feb 2003. It was brand new, and shipped in the original Gibson carton which I still have. Great guitar out of the box.

My last new Gibson (G0/R0) I bought in Dec 2004. It was in GC for only a few days. When I bought it I left for vacation to CA and checked / played every R0 in Southern CA. I actually bought one at GC Hollywood and brought it back to Cinci. But when I a/b'd them, I kept the one I originally bought and took back the Hollyood guitar.

So I guess I must be lucky.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

So, to sum up what's been said:

Many people hate Gibsons because they can't afford them.

I didn't see anyone say they hate Gibson because they're too expensive and they can't afford them.

"People" including me, said they're overpriced. At least in my case, I can afford them just fine, thanks. I feel that while LP Standards are very comparable in price to USA Jacksons, they are a poor value by comparison of quality.

Many people say there guitars are junk with poor quality control, but for some reason they still sell? I have three new Gibsons and all were great. If they make bad guitars, people wouldn't buy them. Right?

People buy bad guitars every day. Most music stores are full of cheap pieces of shit that outsell everything else.

The Custom I looked at, for $3800, was a very nice guitar, as I said. That's the kind of quality I expect for $2000 - $2500. The Studios and Standards I see at Guitar Center, however, are pretty junky, and cost $1899. I've only looked at a couple, but both of them had obvious quality issues that I would not expect to find on a guitar that costs close to $2K.

[ulijdavid]

I love my Gibson Vees (1983 Heritage 58' Reissue, 1981 Silverburst, 1981 V). They are all great sounding and playing guitars. These are older guitars. I would not pay the prices for Gibson's guitars right now. From the ones I have played at various music stores, I find the attention to detail and playability nowhere near the level of Jackson. I realize that it is up to the music store to adjust the guitars for playability and you can't really blame Gibson for the final set-up (things move during shipping). I just compare the price and quality of the Gibsons compared to what else is available in that price range. Once I look at that, I feel there are much nicer quality guitars that have just as good if not better tone for less price. This is why I now have a bunch of Jacksons. No hate towards Gibson, just no need for anything they are offering.

[ejpii]

I have to say I am warming up to Gibson's. As others have pointed out they are expensive, but if you keep looking for the deals they do come up.

An example of that would be the recent Robot blowout. 999.00 for a USA made Gibson Les Paul or SG, or 1199.00 for the Explorer or V Robot with ebony boards and binding. I picked one up! The one I picked up had an Ebony board with binding, and not the binding under the fret, but like the good old 80's Jackson binding over the fret ends which I prefer. I also believe there are dealers who would cut deals just to move inventory.

Here is another example why I became a believer in Gibson. Seven years ago I purchased an ES-135 (For playing Ted Nugent stuff) from Musicians Friend once again on a blowout 899.00. Last month I went to give it its 6 month check up and when I opened the case, and there was a crack in the top. I about Shit myself when I saw this. So I sent the Guitar back to Gibson, waited three weeks, received an email saying.

We want to replace your guitar, unfortunately we no longer make the ES-135. The closest model we make is an ES-137 Classic; here are the specs and colors available. Yadda Yadda Yadda. Not only are they replacing my guitar but they stepped it up a notch in my opinion to a better model. This shows me they stand behind there product. Keep in mind I did not modify or change the guitar in any way. Always read your warranty card.

I am loyal to J/C guitars, but once the pricing went up it opened up other doors as well. Something you might not have thought about buying before is that much closer now.

[Spivonious]

It's the prices for me. They may make a good guitar, but I can get equal quality for half the price by going with another brand.

[Sharkfin]

I honestly can't say I've played a lot of Gibson guitars for one reason, the pricing is outrageous. The few I did play, I found their craftsmanship shoddy. Hell, a couple couldn't even stay in tune after a ten minute beating...and I'm not that good. The Epi I bought costs $1800 less than it's counter part...$1800. It also took a beating. However, if I did have the money, I would go to the original building site in Kalamazoo and buy a Heritage. Here's a link to one I found in my area.

http://jerrys-music.com/catalog/heritage-h150cm-classic-p-241.html

Original builders, cheaper price, and better build quality. IMO.

I see those guitars when I go for my lessons every week. They look very nice!

[DonP]

Just curious but why do people hate Gibson so much?

So, to sum up what's been said:

Many people hate Gibsons because they can't afford them.

Many people hate the owner of the company because he took a shit company in 1986 and made a huge profit on it.

Many people say there guitars are junk with poor quality control, but for some reason they still sell? I have three new Gibsons and all were great. If they make bad guitars, people wouldn't buy them. Right?

Many people hate Gibson's attempts at coming up with something new. The Flying V and Explorer were flops when they came out in 1957. So I guess Gibson should not try to create anything new.

Many people on this site are dealers and hate Gibson's dealer policies.


Personally, I couldn't give a rats ass what the Gibson company does. I don't hate it, I don't like it. It's just a company that makes guitars, and just like any other company, is motivated to make as much money as it can. No different than all of the Wall Street firms that sold out the US in order to make a big bonus.


However, I do love my Gibson guitars as much as I love my Jacksons and Charvels.

[Jason1212]

Because they are not Jackon/Charvel.