Can a Gibson get some props?

[shawr]

Love that es335 and es175, too bad they're crazy expensive. Gotta go to the nearest GC to play them when I get the urge. Happy with my Eppy Dot and Regent.

[jlynnb1]

I don't play Gibsons, jsut because I don't think their spotty QC warrants the price tag just because of the name on the headstock...I do however play an LP type guitar, and a semi-hollow with a bigsby.

[JayP5150]

I love the 335 style stuff (Epis and Gibs), but I have to agree with jlynnb1, you have to really SHOP for a Gibson... almost no two are alike. I've played $1400 LPs that were "just OK," and I've fell in love with faded studio LPs that were $600 less...

Wouldn't stop me from owning one, but it would have to be a deal.

[ShaunzNoiz]

Check out the Ibanez John Scofield model.  Picked one up last year.....I'll never touch a Gibson again!

[uriahsmusic]

..GO FOR THE EPIPHONE ELITIST SERIES!....INEXPENSIVE WITH GIBSON SOUND!

[lilBB]

Check out the Ibanez John Scofield model.  Picked one up last year.....I'll never touch a Gibson again!

know what kinda pickups are on the john scofield series? (im sure i could look it up, but i wanted to post the question for feedback)

ive got the AS73, and im lookin to upgrade the pickups. only option im seein is puttin Gibson '57 humbuckers on it, but not really feelin that..

[gtrdave]

I own 1 Gibson (Les Paul Standard), have owned several others (Les Pauls, L6S and others) and I play a lot of new models on a regular basis and this myth that their quality is 'spotty' is mostly that...a myth.
I have seen a few Gibson instruments that were delivered with minor finish flaws, most of them so subtle that I had to have them pointed out to me in order to see them, but on the whole I'd guess that well over 90% of the Gibsons I see in the store are as near perfect as an assembly line axe can get.

The 4 most recent Gibsons that I have played (Les Paul BFG, Les Paul Studio w/ BFG electronics, CS-336, VOS '56 Les Paul Junior) were all stellar instruments without equal.

[jlynnb1]

I own 1 Gibson (Les Paul Standard), have owned several others (Les Pauls, L6S and others) and I play a lot of new models on a regular basis and this myth that their quality is 'spotty' is mostly that...a myth.
I have seen a few Gibson instruments that were delivered with minor finish flaws, most of them so subtle that I had to have them pointed out to me in order to see them, but on the whole I'd guess that well over 90% of the Gibsons I see in the store are as near perfect as an assembly line axe can get.

The 4 most recent Gibsons that I have played (Les Paul BFG, Les Paul Studio w/ BFG electronics, CS-336, VOS '56 Les Paul Junior) were all stellar instruments without equal.

maybe you should come to the GC's in Dallas, lol.... 

[GMansAxe]

know what kinda pickups are on the john scofield series? (im sure i could look it up, but i wanted to post the question for feedback)

ive got the AS73, and im lookin to upgrade the pickups. only option im seein is puttin Gibson '57 humbuckers on it, but not really feelin that..

The Ibanez JSM 100 (Scofield Model) has Ibanez Super 58 pickups.  I own an Ibanez AS120 with the Super 58s and they sound great.  I think the Ibanez AS Series (ES335 clones) sound every bit as good and are as high quality as the Gibsons.  Check out the reviews on Harmony-Central http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Ibanez/AS200/10/1

[jlynnb1]

I own 1 Gibson (Les Paul Standard), have owned several others (Les Pauls, L6S and others) and I play a lot of new models on a regular basis and this myth that their quality is 'spotty' is mostly that...a myth.
I have seen a few Gibson instruments that were delivered with minor finish flaws, most of them so subtle that I had to have them pointed out to me in order to see them, but on the whole I'd guess that well over 90% of the Gibsons I see in the store are as near perfect as an assembly line axe can get.

The 4 most recent Gibsons that I have played (Les Paul BFG, Les Paul Studio w/ BFG electronics, CS-336, VOS '56 Les Paul Junior) were all stellar instruments without equal.

let me rephrase.....I've picked up very few Gibsons that felt like they were worth the price tag. I've played some great ones, no doubt, but I've rarely had one in my hands and thought that if I had the 3 grand in my pocket that I'd buy it right there. Now, I would like an Sg, and I'd love to get that Kiefer Sutherland model, simply because a Jack Bauer guitar must obviously rule all others....

[gtrdave]

know what kinda pickups are on the john scofield series? (im sure i could look it up, but i wanted to post the question for feedback)

ive got the AS73, and im lookin to upgrade the pickups. only option im seein is puttin Gibson '57 humbuckers on it, but not really feelin that..

You could also drop a pair of Duncan pickups. A Duncan SH-5 and a '59 might sound good in there.

While I haven't heard the specific Ibanez pickups mentioned, I've never been impressed with stock Ibanez-brand pickups in any Iby that I've owned or played.

[gtrdave]

let me rephrase.....I've picked up very few Gibsons that felt like they were worth the price tag. I've played some great ones, no doubt, but I've rarely had one in my hands and thought that if I had the 3 grand in my pocket that I'd buy it right there. Now, I would like an Sg, and I'd love to get that Kiefer Sutherland model, simply because a Jack Bauer guitar must obviously rule all others....

I've played a lot of them and imho they're well worth the money but the internet and the opinions spread on it have done more to fuel the rumor of spotty Gibson quality than truth has.

Of course, I'm also the guy who has had horrible past experiences with Honda Civics and I will not buy another because of that. Other folks seem to like them but my real-life experience with them turned me away.

[jlynnb1]

I've played a lot of them and imho they're well worth the money but the internet and the opinions spread on it have done more to fuel the rumor of spotty Gibson quality than truth has.

Of course, I'm also the guy who has had horrible past experiences with Honda Civics and I will not buy another because of that. Other folks seem to like them but my real-life experience with them turned me away.

i'll have to be totally honest...i don't know that i've ever laid my hands on a guitar i'd happily lay a few thousand dollars on, i just haven't felt that big of a leap in quality or anything, but that's just me. my 700 dollar Eclipse came straight from the factory with SD's, an Earvana nut, perfect frets and a perfect finish for 1/4 of what some LP's go for....I just can't personally justify ever spending that much on one.

then again, i might just be uncivilized, lol.

[gtrdave]

i'll have to be totally honest...i don't know that i've ever laid my hands on a guitar i'd happily lay a few thousand dollars on, i just haven't felt that big of a leap in quality or anything, but that's just me. my 700 dollar Eclipse came straight from the factory with SD's, an Earvana nut, perfect frets and a perfect finish for 1/4 of what some LP's go for....I just can't personally justify ever spending that much on one.

then again, i might just be uncivilized, lol.

I'm kind of in the same boat. Both of my Godin guitars are not considered high-end axes at all yet they're constructed well and from good components with attention to details like Tusq nuts, beautifully finished frets and fretboard edges (a Godin trademark), pickups that I don't feel the need to change (allegedly they're made from Duncan's own plans), and a rock-solid feeling that equals guitars costing over twice as much.

That said, I can pick up a $2200 Les Paul Standard and feel a marked difference. The LPS is just a different beast and I can see a genuine ESP Eclipse comparing to it easily.
An LTD not so much...still a good guitar but the real MIJ ESP guitars are and have always been super quality.
I still have my '86 400 Series ESP and I prefer it over most Strats.

[melrhyne]

Gibsons get mad props!!! I, like plenty of guitar players was prejudiced against Gibsons. The whole lot of 'em.
I knew that most of the historic guitar recordings in jazz, and blues (and rock, for that matter) were done on Gibsons. Les Pauls, 335's, L5's, Super400's, etc...But, I thought that only "rich" people played them, and I'm poor for sure! Anyway, I was recently in the market for a new #1 guitar for work purposes. I went down to my local GC, looking to get a Music Man Luke, or a Baja Tele. This clip

http://youtube.com/watch?v=86GKnLw0TkI

had a lot to with my initial decision.

Anyway, I ended up buying a Highway Tele! Played great, WAY TOO MUCH FEEDBACK! Brought it back. Hated the Music Man. Really unbalanced guitar. Knew that I didn't want ANOTHER STRAT, but I couldn't really scale the $1500 ladder, could I? I decided to play the "high end" guitars. The @#$%-gulp-Gibsons, and the Gretschs.
The Gretschs were cool. Not for me, but definately a corner of the market I never considered. Then I tried an SG. Loved the scale of the neck, but, again, not for me. I tried a Les Paul. Sounded great, but a bit too heavy. It was a '60's neck profile. Then I tried another. 50's neck profile this time. I found my guitar!!! I played that guitar for the next 30 mins or so, and fell in love with it. The 50's speck, has a chambered Mahogany body. It was like 50% lighter!!! And the neck fit sooo well. I didn't wanna like it. I couldn't afford it.
I checked the price.$2199! Too rich for my blood. The 60's neck profile, was only $1695, but I didn't like it.
I left. I came back 2weeks later. I played it, and I, I bought it! This guitar was a stretch for me, but it feels good to have a high-end instrument. I don't have to worry about small quality issues,like spaces, fretwork, electronics, pickups, nothing. It is all top of the line. That being said, your sound is really in your hands.

P.S. I'll post pics in the next couple of days

[Sonar]

Back in the '70s, I owned ONLY Gibson guitars. Black Les Paul Custom (incredibly HEAVY), '68 SG, '76 black Explorer, '75 Les Paul Deluxe and many I've forgotten. Paul Reed Smith was my local guitar tech and was making crappy Les Paul Junior looking-kinds-of-things out of his shop for $1,000. (Terrible guitars before the PRS factory IMHO, but WAY collectable now!)....but Paul kept my Gibson's playable.

Anyway, when I came back to playing in the late '90s, found MOST of the new Gibsons hanging on shop walls had an unfinished and cheap feel and appearance about them. Questionable fret end finishing and set-up...the "Gibson" logo on the headstocks now appear fuzzy with a line around the entire deal....the neck joints have a copious amount of goop and finish compared to old Gibsons....binding work isn't typically as clean as the crappy '70s models...and the prices are laughable.

The current SG models under $1,500 are largely unplayable to me after comparison to my '68 SG.

I have found two Gibsons that I can live with, but it's a guitar-by-guitar selection process with Gibson these days. I'd NEVER buy a Gibson unseen & unplayed on the Internet. There's no telling what you might get. They're simply nowhere near consistant.

I did find a good used deal on a cherry sunburst Gibson Les Paul Classic with upgraded pickups locally....and I'm currently using it fairly regularly.

I also picked up a discontinued black Gibson Chet Atkins SST to replace my very cool Seagull SA6/Gogin S6 thin acoustic model. It's turned out to be a keeper after a PLEK fret setup, Buzz Feiten replacement nut and piezo saddle replacement (the old one had been hacked by a previous guitar repairperson).

So, while I am a currently a Gibson owner....but I'm very wary of Gibson's "quality control" issues.

Some things change. I used to be a "Chevy Man"...until my last two Chevy trucks SUCKED SO HARD.

On the bright side, I still prefer Coke over Pepsi (well....unless a Dr. Pepper is offered)!   

[Razzman]

well over 90% of the Gibsons I see in the store are as near perfect as an assembly line axe can get.

The 4 most recent Gibsons that I have played (Les Paul BFG, Les Paul Studio w/ BFG electronics, CS-336, VOS '56 Les Paul Junior) were all stellar instruments without equal.

I purchased a bfg goldtop just in the last few months, the price was resonable and  the Tone is killer