Poor Gibson

[dod]

I have a Gibson Melody Maker that is ok in the build department and a Rickenbacker 360 that is amazing in build, quality, tone etc...but oddly enough the guitar that somehow blows me away for fit, finish, sound etc is a $100 dollar washburn Wi-64 that I grabbed at a pawnshop...made in korea?! It sounds and plays unreal and has such an amazing finish...just goes to show dont be fooled by branding and if it feels good in your hands and sounds good does it matter where it came from?

I am a huge fan of buying local products...but the washburn really opened my eyes.

 

[Sixstringpsycho]

I own two les pails. Both are older and are good quality. Now a days Gibson is so hit and miss. I believe it's poor mgt, poor R&D and the fact they have attempted to flood the market with Les Paul models.

 

[MesaGod666]

DBZ all the way!

$800 and AMERICAN MADE!

 

[Turumbar82]

American made has a premium price tag on it. People are starting to realize that American Made doesn't necessarily = quality, and Made in China doesn't necessarily = crap.

I still love my Classic Les Paul. I'm sure it would be just as nice at a quarter of the price and made in China.

Every Chinese guitar I have are crap, and they're all Deans. Oh and BTW maybe you should check out the way Dean handles their guitars in the warehouse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEiKdjgZcH8

I'm not standing up for Dean or anything. Not a big fan of their guitars but to me it's pretty obvious in the video the way that box landed and wobbled and the boxes moved underneath that all of them were empty. Like I said, I'm not trying to protect Dean's rep or anything I just think it's kind of lame to post one video of a guy throwing a box around in the warehouse.

 

[LerxstLee]

No matter what brand of guitar someone buys, myself included, I would at least expect the company to be
proud enough of what they made to warranty it. If they warranty it, at least be reasonable to the people
that bought your item. I am not suggesting in anyway that if someone missuses the instrument that the builder
should cover that under warranty. Yet if there are problems at least RA it and examine it. If gibson even
gave some sort of helpful way to deal with the issues I had with the AL-355 then that would have been fine.
One great example that really should not have been an issue for Gibson is the trem arm that came with it. When they were plated gold and the plastic end was threaded, it was too long and upside down. If you installed it the correct
way it would rest against the body. It needed to be turned five more times, then the end was facing the right way, which
in turn simply made the trem arm stand up the correct way. Yet, I called five times on this simple issue and sent two
pictures. I was told (1) I will have someone look into that. (2) We do not know what you mean. (3) Trem arms are not
covered under warranty. (4) There are no notes that you have called about this, I will have someone look into it.
(5) I am going to give you an ra#, you will need to ship your guitar back, we will replace the trem arm if we feel it
is incorrect.
Enough, I do not want to ship my guitar if I do not have to and two it cost $35 bucks at all parts for a new one that was
correct. Less than it cost for me to ship the guitar back and forth and wait. I was also warned that if I broke the part
trying to turn correct it, they would not replace it. There was no way to deal with these people.
How hard did gibson work to make sure they did not have to simply replace they trem arm.
/cheers

Some will crack if you turn them, they are already threaded up to the gold plating, being cheap plastic a turn could or would break it.

 

[jdurso]

This is what happens when people go for their MBAs instead of refining their guitar chops :wink:

But seriously coming from someone who has a BS in Industrial Engineering and AMA certified this is what happens when upper management think by the book without knowing the actual business. I see it day in and day out in the homebuilding industry and you can see what they did not only to their industry but the entire US economy. My father is a pizza man... he has owned many businesses in his time but has always been there in the trenches with his employees. No one understands his business better than him and above all he has a passion and a sense of pride in making pizza. The result is any business he has owned has done well and has had raving reviews from all his customers. And that makes all the difference... if you have a passion for your product and know the business you will inevidably deliver a high quality product. The best examples of boutique companies getting big qithout sacrificing quality in my mind are Mesa and PRS... if you look at the men at the helm it is easy to see why the product is still kept to a high standard even while producing more every year. When the guy at the top cares as much as the guy sweeping the floors, your company is bound to produce quality.

 

[Sixstringpsycho]

This is what happens when people go for their MBAs instead of refining their guitar chops :wink:

But seriously coming from someone who has a BS in Industrial Engineering and AMA certified this is what happens when upper management think by the book without knowing the actual business. I see it day in and day out in the homebuilding industry and you can see what they did not only to their industry but the entire US economy. My father is a pizza man... he has owned many businesses in his time but has always been there in the trenches with his employees. No one understands his business better than him and above all he has a passion and a sense of pride in making pizza. The result is any business he has owned has done well and has had raving reviews from all his customers. And that makes all the difference... if you have a passion for your product and know the business you will inevidably deliver a high quality product. The best examples of boutique companies getting big qithout sacrificing quality in my mind are Mesa and PRS... if you look at the men at the helm it is easy to see why the product is still kept to a high standard even while producing more every year. When the guy at the top cares as much as the guy sweeping the floors, your company is bound to produce quality.

I couldnt agree more with you, far too many people try to apply management science principles and textbook models to a business in order to make it and them look better, this is often the results. My MBA taught me the same principles but my 5 years of exec level mgt has taught me to be prudent

 

[eltib]

I'm not standing up for Dean or anything. Not a big fan of their guitars but to me it's pretty obvious in the video the way that box landed and wobbled and the boxes moved underneath that all of them were empty. Like I said, I'm not trying to protect Dean's rep or anything I just think it's kind of lame to post one video of a guy throwing a box around in the warehouse.

Well I didn't shoot the video. This video was an excerpt from DD Drum, video which is owned by the same guy who owns Dean. And to many of the detractors, quite a few have said there is a guitar in that box.

 

[toneguy86]

I played every Gibson ES 335 in G.C. and all of them were way below what I expected. Then, I noteced a lonely Epiphone 1963 ES 335 Dot Elitist. Went into the private room to play it. I was instantly sold on this guitar. This is not one of the lower end 335 Epiphones. This one is made in Japan and is of custom shop quaility. Absoloutly a perfect guitar. The tone from this guitar is pure gold. I could have bought any guitar that day. The Epiphone won out huge over the Gibsons. I think that Epiphone was forced by Gibson to discontinue this model for that reason. I highly recomend picking one of these up if you can find one. They are destined to be a very sought after gutiar. I have played for over 30 years in both pro bands and studios and I am not just throwing out B.S. Just thought I would add that.

I agree. I owned one...and then like a moron I gave it away to a friend who was down on his luck and needed a guitar to play. The idiot lost it...ah lesson learned. Anyway, I agree about Gibson/Epi. I struggle to find good sounding Gibsons as much or more then the Epis. I have played some horrible guitar examples with both names on the headstock.

Mark

 

[212Mavguy]

All of the above criticisms are the reason why I own three Heritage guitars and could not be happier, they are wonderful instruments made in the old Gibson factory with love and respect in the good ol' USA, a few of the guys there are from the old Gibby days. For some great guitar porn, visit www.heritageownersclub.com and for a look at current production see www.heritageguitar.com, see the instruments still made in the old school way, old school craftsmen (and woman) old school tooling, and old school ethics with WAY better woods. Tones to die for!

 

[swbo101]

This company is now run by a bad CEO. I went to a web site recently that rated companies by current and former employees (careerbliss.com ?) and the ratings for Gibson was in the toilet. EVERYONE basically wrote the same thing and there were dozens of comments. It sounds like the CEO overly micro-managers and they treat their employees poorly. Also many said that they have seen things done wrong and are made to do things that are not the best for the instrument. At this point Gibson is living off their past. I have 2 Les Pauls from the early 80's, not the best period for the instruments but have been very happy with them. Still compared with some today, I'd take mine. I bought a ES-335 a few years back and the set up was done sooo poorly. I got it for $700 below retail and knew that I could fix the setup myself. Still for that amount of money a guitar shouldn't leave the factory like that.

 

[toneguy86]

All of the above criticisms are the reason why I own three Heritage guitars and could not be happier, they are wonderful instruments made in the old Gibson factory with love and respect in the good ol' USA, a few of the guys there are from the old Gibby days. For some great guitar porn, visit http://www.heritageownersclub.com and for a look at current production see http://www.heritageguitar.com, see the instruments still made in the old school way, old school craftsmen (and woman) old school tooling, and old school ethics with WAY better woods. Tones to die for!

I am way into Heritage these days and am trying to save for a H-150. A friend has one of their small body semi hollow guitars (not sure on the model). It's am amazing instrument. Just joined the heritage owners club just to be connected and see what kinds of deals might be out there. Honestly...this is the real Gibson today. It just doesn't say it on the headstock.

Mark

 

[enuenu]

My 2007 Explorer had an atrociously messy job done on the cloth that wraps around the pickup. I could not believe that it was let out of the factory like that. However I got a good deal and the guitar plays well.

Three years old with amateur use and I am going to have to get the wiring checked out because of developing noises. One of the tuners went all sticky real quick too. Other than that I still like to play the guitar.

I always wanted a Gibson. When shopping I played some LPs that had horrendous QC issues when you looked closely. The variability was crazy. I was pretty shocked.

Which of the well known brands has good QC? A friend bought a custom shop Fender Tele and has trouble keeping it in tune. I have heard PRS are good for QC.

Silly prices in Australia mean I will buy my next guitar online from USA without playing it. I haven't got the balls to take this route with a Gibson, I could get a gem or a dissapointment.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

While you are at it mate, buy me a Hamer Vector Korina USA. Cheers... :lol:

 

[Guitar GeeK]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clXaf4Gg6bg&feature=related
AWESOME!

 

[boogieman60]

I have a 1998 Gibson double cut Les Paul...It is the best guitar I have owned. Sounds so good with the MarkV. Never have any trouble with this axe. Take it out of the case, it is usually in tune. Regarding the older epi's They are good.. I had a epi 1967 12 string Riviara Sold it to a friend, Bad decision, Never have played one as good.

 

[giantstepjoe]

I special ordered my Gibson Pat Martino signature custom from the "custom shop" in 2000 and the guitar feels great and has great natural resonance. What pisses me off is when you pay $2600+tax for a custom shop instrument and the flame maple top is bookmatched rather poorly. Seriously it's hardly "custom shop" material. The quality control sucks. I can almost understand this on a regular production model but from the custom shop-come on I've seen Epis with better tops. Pat's personal guitars were all bookmatched perfectlywith AAAA grade flamed maple of course(they looked pristine every time I've seen him live). I guess when you order it and pay in full in advance and wait for it for five months they don't care what you think because they already have your money. BTW the tuners and all electronics were not up to "custom shop" standards either. I had to replace the tuners with gotoh mini deltas because the gear ratio sucked and replace the electronics with Lollar Imperials and an RS Guitarworks package of new pots, switch, and caps. It is now the best sounding guitar I own and to my ears one of the best I have heard for almost all styles. Who knew after an initial investment of almost 3k you would just have to dump another grand into it in parts and labor to have a good quality instrument. F Gibson!

 

[LerxstLee]

GiantstepJ,
Sorry to hear you have had a very close experience to mine. I also had to preorder my guitar.
I had only 48 hours to return the instrument , which imHo is not much time. Soon I started to discover
problems that were overlooked as the instrument seemed perfect. I was stuck with this instrument, it
is a keeper and plays great. Yet, it is NOT the guitar I payed for. Gibson would not even deal with most of the
issues. They were issues that were covered under warranty, yet they advertise 24/7 customer support, and after seven
calls, one person finally said , yes it appears the trem arm, "lyre version" is incorrect, if you send back the guitar we will
determine if the trem arm is wrong and replace it.
I bought one from all Parts and saved the shipping, my how lame is a company when the trem arm can't be sent back and replaced with the correct one. I have to sent the guitar back? The less an item ships the better. There are plenty of
other guitar makers that have pride in their instruments, Gibson is done, sure they but some nice ones out. Yet they are
trying to make payroll and pay the lawyer's for the wood scandal still. Look at the guitars they issue. With the exception of a few, just wait six months and get them at half price when they mark them down. I won't buy gibson any long and after thirty years of playing them, I could care no less, sadly they could not either.
/cheers

I now make sure I buy from a place that gives at least TEN days to return the item, some places give you longer, but this highly regarded store does not budge one minute fom the 48 hours. I won't buy from them either.

 

[Guitar GeeK]

I like alot of instruments. Gibson used to be one of my favorites. I still see a few guitars I would like
but ever since the screwing they gave me on my $3800.00 Alex Lifeson AL-355, yes the one with the volute in
the wrong place, I will never buy a Gibson again. Not that it matters to them.
For a reminder the white neck in the picture is the "painstaking recreation of Alex's Iconic guitar".
The other neck is a close year back when they used volutes to reinforce the truss rod carve out,
due to excessive neck/head cracks.
Right click open, you won't get logged out :

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb206/RareFormMusic/DSC00186comp.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb206/RareFormMusic/DSC00186compred.jpg

Gibson claimed they were working on a resolution, then about two months laterI was told that there is nothing wrong with this neck, and that is the neck Alex chose. I was then instructed to send it to Gibson restore shop, and they might be able to take of the volute, all at my cost of course, OR , yes they also told me I could sell it on ebay.
I love great customer service. I could list the other issues but I am really leading to Gibsons other problems
that are coming to light.

Like when they opened up and sold guitars to the public for a month. Probably quick cash?

How about those Jimi Hendrix "STRAT PACKS", a gibson strat and an amp to put under the tree for $100.00 bucks.
Brilliant. I hope Fender finds some ground here.

Yet this beats it all, Please remember Innocent until Proven guilty, Yet still, I would not want to have to deal with
this. Yet it is really beyond reasoning why they have to go to these levels.

Any how right click and check it out:

http://www.guitaredge.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=280:gibson-gets-raided-by-law-enforcement-officials&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=107

Cheers

That now PROVE'S that Gibson can't do ANYTHING right. The fact that a company that sell's guitars for 4 GRAND, and can't get the position of the volute right, BUT you can buy a cheap-o LTD M-103 for UNDER 300 bucks, and the volute is in the right spot, AND it plays better, AND it stays in tune better PROVE'S WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT ALL GIBSON'S ARE SEVERELY OVERPRICED!!!!!!!!!! It's not just with Gibby's though. An EPIPHONE, for $2000, the SAME Epi that make the LP-100, a $100, bolt on neck'ed version of it's gibson, making a 2 grand guitar? But, I can't complain too much, the sad thing is, that same Les Paul 100 plays better then almost any of Gibson's best. Sad, isn't it?

 

[big_red]

I have an old '77 or '78 RD Custom. Someone did me a favor before I became the owner and removed the active electronics but also routed a sport for a third humbucker in the middle. The craftsmanship on the guitar is fantastic compared to the new RDs. I had a chance to play one a couple days ago. The shorter scale murdered the guitar. Original model RDs have a 25 1/2 scale, the new ones have the 24 3/4 scale. It really broke the guitar. They also went with a slab style body instead of the three piece of the originals. The old versions have a nice smoothing on the upper rear bout where your arm lies; the new ones have no smoothing.

Gibson has really dropped the ball with their current models. The only good guitars they make any more are the Firebirds IMO.