WTF - Gibson!

[TrueTone500]

I was at Sam Ash last week trying out various guitars. The fit and finish was the worst I have ever seen on a Gibson. I looked at three others, but they weren't any better. I've played 90's Epiphone's that were of better construction. Very sad...

 

[dr.underhill]

last new gibson i ordered was when they first reissued the ES-135. i had been playing an epi sorrento the last couple of times i was in the shop (action sound in liberty city tx- Kelly Barber is an upfront, straight dealer) and expected the gibson to be at least as nice as the epi. when it arrived there was orange peel out the ass, and i've had hacksaw blades smoother than the fret ends. we're talking zero quality control. the import epi put the gibson to shame in every catagory- fit/finish/frets- you name it. i've bought a few used gibsons since then, but that's the last time i put my money down and expected to get what i paid for from gibson.

 

[steve_k]

My Les Paul has a few finishing flaws.....

 

[Blitzie]

The setup shouldn't need to be immediately overhauled as soon as it gets into the door. If it's been sitting for a while, maybe yes, but not if it's fresh out of the box. I just recently bought a PRS SE245 and it came in the mail with a perfect factory setup and almost in tune. And that came from Korea.

A $3k-$4k shouldn't have any of those issues, period.

That's flat out wrong.... period.

Most guitars need to be adjusted in some form or fashion. Going from a cold dry climate to a hot humid one can greatly affect the guitar, $4k CS or not. ESP's that travel by boat overseas need to be setup straight out of the box, damn near every time. What makes the CS quality guitars worth their $ is that in a temp/humidity controlled environment they hardly need to be touched.

Your Korean guitar should've had the strings loose prior to shipment. Luckily for you there was no warping of the neck.... at least not that you're aware of.

I can see what you mean but I disagree. Maybe an "adjustment" should be expected but not a totally new setup, restring, intonation, etc. And that does nothing to account for the finishing issues that Gibson have been having.

Totally get what you mean but if they're going to charge $4,000 for a guitar, the finishing flaws should be basically non-existent.

 

[barnesjd]

My Les Paul has a few finishing flaws.....

Yeah, that LP ain't any good. I'll take it off your hands for $50

 

[jcm800x4]

Pretty tough justifying such poor craftmanship at that price. Also, I would think that the factory should make an effort to setup the guitar prior to leaving but ultimately it's the store's responsibility to fine tune it if they really want to sell it! I mean, make some effort!

This.

 

[PhloridaMan]

Gibson has become guilty of Corporate Greed in my eyes... Maybe I am alone in this feeling but I remember when you could get a nice Les Paul Standard for $1399... Now they are $1799 or more!!! It's ludacris... I bought my "worn" studio last year just before the current model line of "tributes" came out for $599 at a local GC brand new in the box... It's the nicest guitar I own honestly, but I would never buy another Gibson... They have just become ridiculously priced!

 

[rupe]

Custom shop or not. $4k, while expensive is not what most places sell them for

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-Custom-Les-Paul-Custom-Electric-Guitar-109456608-i1175483.gc

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPCEBCH/

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/gibson-custom-les-paul-custom-electric-guitar

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GIB-LPC-LIST

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/...Les-Paul-Custom-Electric-Guitar-Alpine-White/

Your Korean guitar should've had the strings loose prior to shipment. Luckily for you there was no warping of the neck.... at least not that you're aware of.

Explain how a neck would warp due to not loosening the strings during shipping? Ever heard of a truss rod and understand what it does?
The only reason to loosen strings during shipping is to avoid tension on the headstock...and this isn't even an issue with many guitars outside of Gibson and through-neck Floyd nut mounts.

The setup shouldn't need to be immediately overhauled as soon as it gets into the door. If it's been sitting for a while, maybe yes, but not if it's fresh out of the box. I just recently bought a PRS SE245 and it came in the mail with a perfect factory setup and almost in tune. And that came from Korea.

A $3k-$4k shouldn't have any of those issues, period.

That's flat out wrong.... period.

 

[Dissolution]

What does a crappy setup have to do with Gibson? I'd say it more reflects poorly on the store you went to. With the distance/weather changes guitars endure during shipment they all should be properly setup before going out to display. Custom shop or not. $4k, while expensive is not what most places sell them for and again that's more of a reflection of the shop. Look at all the other major brands out there, CS quality guitars are all around or north of $4k MSRP. These aren't some $500 POS LTD we're talking about. Without seeing pics it's hard to tell just how poor the QC is on this, but Gibson has been known to let a couple of stinkers fall through the cracks. But then again, so does ESP, Jackson and Fender.

I've had guitars setup properly from the factory shipped to me, bought from the store out of the box, etc and they only had one string slightly sharp, setup was still perfect. In your eyes the shop wouldn't have to purposely mess up the setup.

A poor setup is from the factory. The shop can fix it, and they should. But....they don't most of the time in my experience. They want that setup fee.

 

[1meanplexi]

My Les Paul has a few finishing flaws.....

Now that is MOJO baby!!!!!! Price tag?????? Priceless !