NGTD - Where's all the supposed Gibson quality control issues I been hearing about?

[maguchi]

New Gold Top Day! I went into my local GC to buy some nylon strings for my classical. I shoulda known better and just ordered them online, but nylon strings take a long time to stretch and stay in tune, and I have a upcoming rehearsal with a nylon string guitar.

Anyways, I saw a brand new goldtop Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s P90 hanging on the wall. I din't have a P90 LP yet and I been wanting one. I picked it up and immediately noticed that it was light for a fully solid unchambered LP. I played it through a Tweed Bassman reissue in the store and it sounded and played great. I got my little fisherman's weighing scale out of the glove compartment and it weighed only 8.6 lbs. I wasn't gonna buy it because I bought too many guitars lately. But the salesman saw me and said there was a 48 month with no interest special. So the guitar followed me home. Despite all the talk about Gibson's high prices I got a brand new Gibson LP with case for under $2500.

When I got it home, I went over it with a fine tooth comb and it was pristine. Plek'd frets, flawless binding and finish! The salesman told me they had just put that guitar out that morning, so maybe it hadn't been played much.

I been buying Gibson electrics and acoustics both new and used since the 1980s and never found one with any problems or faults. My question is where are all these supposed quality control issues with Gibsons that people post about on these forums? I never seen a bad one before yet.

 

[Eagle]

I went into my local GC to buy some nylon strings for my classical. I shoulda known better and just ordered them online, but nylon strings take a long time to stretch and stay in tune, and I have a upcoming rehearsal with a nylon string guitar.

Anyways, I saw a brand new Gibson goldtop Les Paul hanging on the wall. I din't have a P90 LP yet and I been wanting one. I picked it up and immediately noticed that it was light. I played it through a Tweed Bassman reissue in the store and it sounded and played great. I got my little fisherman's weighing scale out of the glove compartment and it weighed only 8.6 lbs. I wasn't gonna buy it because I bought to many guitars lately. But the salesman saw me and said there was 48 month with no interest special. So the guitar followed me home.

When I got it home, I went over it with a fine tooth comb and it was pristine. Plek'd frets, flawless binding and finish! The salesman told me they had just put that guitar out that morning., so maybe it hadn't been played much. I been buying Gibson electrics and acoustics both new and used since the 1980s and never found one with any problems or faults. My question is where are all these supposed quality control issues with Gibsons that people post about on these forums? I never seen a bad one before yet.

View attachment 30126View attachment 30127

Start by looking at the scratches on the finger board when scraping the binding. Then feel the ridge between the binding and the wood. Now look next the the neck where the lacquer in not flatted . Now notice the sides and back of the head aren’t either. I could go on. These things don’t make it a bad guitar but the QC at PRS is vastly better.

 

[maguchi]

Start by looking at the scratches on the finger board when scraping the binding. Then feel the ridge between the binding and the wood. Now look next the the neck where the lacquer in not flatted . Now notice the sides and back of the head aren’t either. I could go on. These things don’t make it a bad guitar but the QC at PRS is vastly better.

Yeah, that's what I suspected. The PRS guys are behind a lot of the supposed complaints. Lot of presumptions and preconceived notions about something that can't possibly be seen in cellphone pics. But just to consider the claims, I took another look with a magnifying glass. There are no scratches on the fingerboard, no ridge between the binding and wood, and the lacquer is flat on the neck and the sides and back of the head. Besides what can you get in a PRS south of $2500? Maybe a nice S2. Meh.

 

[Whizzinby]

New Les Paul day is always a good day.

 

[HomespunEffects]

Does it stay in tune?

You can put those pickups on reverb and use the money toward a set of Lollars.

 

[Blix]

Does it stay in tune?

You can put those pickups on reverb and use the money toward a set of Lollars.

Beautiful guitar!

 

[maguchi]

Does it stay in tune?

You can put those pickups on reverb and use the money toward a set of Lollars.

So far it's been staying in tune. I looked at the nut pretty closely and it looks good. If there's any issues later, I may have to clean up the nut. Usually any tuning issues I run across on guitars been if the grooves on the nut or bridge need smoothing or widening.

I rarely change pickups, but I have changed pickups on a couple of guitars, but not very often.

I also don't often sell anything, and never online. Never been much of a flipper. If I want to get rid of something, I'll usually walk into one of the many music stores in LA and take their measly 60-65% offer of what they'll sell it for, because my motivation for selling is to get rid of it and not financial. I have started to walk out of music stores a couple times when I thought an offer was too low, and suprisingly was offered more. So since that if I think I can get more, I'll ask "will your offer still be good tomorrow?"

 

[LCW]

Congrats dude! Gold Top and P90s is a sick combo.

 

[Eagle]

Yeah, that's what I suspected. The PRS guys are behind a lot of the supposed complaints. Lot of presumptions and preconceived notions about something that can't possibly be seen in cellphone pics. But just to consider the claims, I took another look with a magnifying glass. There are no scratches on the fingerboard, no ridge between the binding and wood, and the lacquer is flat on the neck and the sides and back of the head.

View attachment 30136

They are there but I still like Gibson . Post a sharp close up and you can see it. Typically the finish is better on Epiphone . Get a better phone .

 

[the-trooper]

Gold Top

Deal breaking defect no. 1.

P90

Deal breaking defect no. 2.

There you go.

 

[maguchi]

They are there but I still like Gibson . Post a sharp close up and you can see it. Typically the finish is better on Epiphone . Get a better phone .

The phone's fine, not even the best camera will live up to a wish to see something that's not there.

 

[maguchi]

Deal breaking defect no. 1.

Deal breaking defect no. 2.

There you go.

Well already got the other two, so wanted a other color and a other flavor of pickup.

 

[Eagle]

The phone's fine, not even the best camera will live up to a wish to see something that's not there.

It’s there alright. I see them all the time. Fit and finish on Gibson is by far the worst of anything in its price point.

 

[maguchi]

It’s there alright. I see them all the time. Fit and finish on Gibson is by far the worst of anything in its price point.

Yeah, I don't think so. Wishful thinking on your part. You want to see it even though it's not there. I can't see or feel any of those flaws holding the guitar in my hands and looking at it with a magnifying glass, or running my fingers down the areas you mentioned. But you claim my new guitar has flaws even though you can't possibly see anything like that from the photos, not realizing how that reflects on your credibility.

 

[Eagle]

Yeah, I don't think so. Wishful thinking on your part. You want to see it even though it's not there. You claim my new guitar has flaws even though you can't possibly see anything like that from the photos, not realizing how that reflects on your credibility.

Or your eyes. I like Gibson guitars but they still make things using older techniques and this is reflected in many things that you simply don’t find in other manufacturers. They don’t even have processes on the production line for flatting the lacquer up the fingerboard edges or the edges of the head . I’m glad you like the gold top it will be a great instrument .
But make sure you keep it in the case.

 

[yek]

What a weird thread.

 

[maguchi]

Yeah I just realized you're that guitar tech Andy Eagle with the "Ask Me Anything" thread on this forum, and a bias against Bigsby trems. And now an apparent bias against Gibsons too. I don't think I'll be bringing any of my guitars to you. And I won't be recommending you. Too much baggage. Those guitars and trems exist in big numbers whether you like them or not. So I take them to techs that have pleasant and upbeat dispositions and don't complain about our guitars and tremelo bridges and how hard they are to work on.

 

[maguchi]

What a weird thread.

Yeah it got weird fast. I started it out as NGD and a vote of confidence for Gibson guitars and it went south. Oh well, I'll have to be more careful not to irritate any haters.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Deal breaking defect no. 1.

Deal breaking defect no. 2.

There you go.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Love a goldtop les paul, bonus points for the P90s. Pay no notice of Eagle, he can't help pissing on people's chips.