I've been getting some flak from some about having a Fender Squier or Fender in general in favor of a Gibson. What's the real difference between a Fender and a Gibson guitar (besides the name)?

Has anyone ever had a Gibson and switched to Fender or vice versa?

Just curious. Don't know what to say to this person since I don't know much about Gibsons. All I know is that I love my Fender.

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"While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

My dad said, "I'm going to miss you."
I said, "Well, now that I broke that sight off your rifle..." (Emo Philips)

Its like the difference between a rally car and a Formula one car. They're both cars but for different things.

Different beasts entirely.

CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

yeah im pretty much the same I love my Fender, the one thing i've noticed is Gibson seems to have a harder rock/heavy metal sound, but then again so does a Strat sometimes. One other major difference i've noticed is the price, the lowest I've seen a Gibson at was $600 as oppose to a Fender which is usually $200 less. But like i said (and i could be wrong) there seems to be a heavier harder rock sound to Gibson guitars. Then there's the obvious that Gibson's have 24 frets (i think) but if you listen to Slash or Page as oppose to Clapton or Hendrix you can hear the difference.

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I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk...

Most Gibsons have 2 humbucking pickups, the body shapes are different than Fenders, the inlays on the fretboards are different, they have a different sound. The list goes on and on. Gibson manufactures very nice guitars just as Fender does. Its like comparing apples and oranges. The guitars are completely different. You will probably need to look at some web sites in order to see the visual differences. In particular look at a Gibson Les Paul, and an SG. Some Gibson owners are snobs because they typically pay alot more for a Gibson. I own a Gibson SG along with my Fenders. I play the Fenders more, but I wouldnt give up the SG for anything.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

It's a matter of taste/choice I have both and one is no better than the other.

Listen to some old Les Paul stuff. Gibson has tons of different guitars and not all of them are heavy sounding rock beasts. Any guitar can be made to sound like that. Take away the distortion and you have some pretty sweet sounding guitars.

The Gibson Melody Maker is around $489. Gibson guitars are set neck meaning they are glued into the body, Fender uses bolt on necks. More hand work is involved in making a Gibson guitar and Gibson guitars are only made in the USA which is why they generally cost more. Custom Shop Starts are pretty expensive too.

Both Fender and Gibson make incredible instruments as do PRS and many others. They are like sonic tools to me and I use both as well as Supro. Danalectro, Ibanez and others. Use what fits your style.

Exactly. I have a Gibson Les Paul BFG that I like very much, and I have a MIM Fender Strat that I like very much, and a Squier Strat that I like very much. The Strats feel and sound completely different than the Les Paul, but which one is "better" is completely a matter of personal opinion. I personally like my Strats better, but I like to use my Les Paul for certain things and I know people who swear by their Gibsons. It's just whatever you prefer.

And don't ever let anyone bash your Squier. Yes they're cheap, yes they have some quality issues but they're excellent guitars for the price and I'm going to play my $100 Affinity Strat until the day I die. Seriously, I like better than some guitars I've played that are ten or even twenty times the price. And I'm not crazy, because there are guitar players twenty times better than me who played Squiers, like Jeff Healey. And his tone is right on up there with the best of them!

Sorry about the Squier rant, I just needed to get it out of my system. I'm so sick of hearing people bash them.

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Tell them to grow up. Each make is a top of the line pro machine. It is like being an artist that paints, there are different colors and shades that you use or you would wind up painting the same picture over and over again. Music is the same way and just about every top guitarist that ever lived has recorded with different axes and own different models. Take George Harrison -Gretsch, Rickenbackers, Fenders and Gibsons. Page= Teles, Pauls and Strats. Clapton= Tele, Paul, 335, SG, Strat. The list goes on and on.

What kind of dog do you have? Do people give you flack about that? This sounds like the old "Betcha my dad can whip your dad!" crap. No matter what you play, there'll always be some retard saying he has something better. Fact is we all tend to think ours is the best. It's just that some people like to brag like they're getting a kickback from the people who make the guitars. I have a friend who has a Martin guitar that he goes on and on about how much it cost and how great it is. After listening to him for what seemed like hours I told him that there was only one thing wrong with a Martin guitar............It wasn't a Les Paul. He got mad and went home. Worked for me.
Guitars are all different. I like Fenders, Gibsons, Epiphones, Yamahas,
Squiers, G&Ls, Ibanez, Tokais, Gretschs, all of them. (I'm not real crazy about those plastic PS IIs Hero Guitars)

Do what you like on whatever instrument you like, or whichever you have or can afford for now. Don't worry about the haters and criticizers...Just have fun playing, and don't get too caught up on what other people say, because who cares what anyone else thinks as long as you're not hurting anyone.

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RAMA LAMA FA FA FA

Gibsons are typically set neck, humbucking guitars with often some level of binding, and they are only made in the USA.

Fenders are typically bolt-on neck, single-coil guitars with very rarely any binding, and they are made in Mexico, Korea, Japan, and the USA.

Gibsons are typically more expensive for good reason. Making a set neck guitar with binding in the USA is going to drive up cost, compared to the much simpler Fender design that is possibly made outside the US, depending on model.

How good are Fender and Gibson?
Both are great. Anyone who says differently is likely ignorant and echoing something that they heard or read.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Be happy with your Squier Strat. As others have stated, comparing Fender to Gibson is like comparing apples to oranges. It's all a matter of personal choice between the two. There is no one "best" guitar company (well, I'm biased towards Fender heehee) or any one "best" company for anything be it cars, shoes, or whatever. That's why there are literally hundreds of guitar manufacturers out there both big and small. Not everybody likes the same thing and no one should criticize anyone else for not liking the same thing they do. I don't like apples (that's the truth I really don't) but I'm not going to go around bashing everyone that does like apples and tell them they only have to eat oranges.

For me, I prefer Fender style guitars (Strats and Teles, Squier included) just because they feel good in my hands and I like the way they sound. You probably feel the same way about your Squier. I do have a Gibson SG in addition to my Fenders so I can have a variety of sounds though. I don't see the point of being loyal to ONLY one guitar brand, and making fun of people who don't have the same guitar as me is plain rude and dumb. Just refer this thread to the offender you speak of and we'll set him/her straight! LOL!

p.s. While it is true that the average Gibson costs many times more than the average Squier...who cares? Squiers can be very playable good sounding guitars. It's smart to have variety at all price points. Even Gibson has their own budget line Epiphone, just like Fender has Squier.

although, you can buy a great fender for under $1000, whereas if you want a great gibson your into $2000+.

And the build quality that gibson is churning out nowadays isnt great either....

So you could call me a fender guy, I love my MIA tele but nowadays im using my ibanez more then anything (Ibanez's are surprisingly good for clean and then just get better with more juice!)

Furthermore, why not add Ibanez and PRS into the same equation? They're more MIA guitars. (Mind you Ibanez is mostly japanese, They do have an custom shop in LA)

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"Oh, it's a windy and sunny day
And I can hear the faint sound of distant waves
The past weeks have been going by so fast
It's all the same, the bright sky and shining sun
I have a feeling it's gonna be a fun day"

I would just like to add one more comment to this post. Forget about what guitar someone has as the best way to shut someones mouth is with your PLAYING SKILLS. Period end of story. Does it matter if someone has a 59 Les Paul but cant play for $@!&. I have a friend named Sane and this is no lie he can play most goes under the table and I have never seen him with a brand name guitar ever. Six years ago he was as happy as a bird showing me an Agile he just bought for $180. I went to three triple bill shows in Bklyn and one at CBGBs in the city and he was the top player everytime. The other guys were coming up to him and asking him about his Agile and where they could get one. Meanwhile they were all using Fenders and Gibsons. Yes it is nice to have a good instrument and yes they make it more of a joy to play but the bottom line being a good player is more important than any gear you could have. Lets not lose the point of why we spend so many hours of our lives woodshedding, it is to be a good player and make music we enjoy.

One more thing, if you like single coil pups, you need to try a Gibby with P90 pups.