Well, there it is! (Along with my snazzy Weejuns!)

_________________
"To Be Is To Do" --Locke
"To Do Is To Be" --Thoreau
"Do Be Do Be Do" --Sinatra

Fender has some pricey stuff too. Some of the custom shop stuff goes up to 6 grand.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search. ... Shop+Strat

I'd never pay that for any bolt together guitar. Explain why that's not a ripoff.
It is what it is. It takes more labor and skill to build a set neck guitar. Gibson is also using different woods than Fender. Better? That's a matter of opinion. I don't think the faded series are that great, but you can get a nice Gibby for under 2 grand. The Road Worn Strats are almost a grand and they're made in Mexico with mediocre pickups and they all have cookie cutter wear. All the same and the QC leaves a lot to be desired IMO.

again with the roadworn's?

Why not compare a LP standard to a Custom deluxe as their around the same price, instead of comparing whats meant to be a world class guitar with a high end beginner guitar.

As for the bolt on statement thats nonsense. The fender bolt on neck is infinately stronger than the weak gibson glued in neck, its the main reason Gibsons are a game to keep in tune.
Take a look at the timber to timber contact with gibson's regularly shimmed construction methods.
Heres all three as you move up the pricerange you get more timber on the neck. Note the horrible neck joint on the standard.



They do better with the Epiphone range.


I will come right out and say it, I think Ed Roman (for all the sensationalist BS he comes out with) makes some very valid points where LP's are concerned.

I'd be far happier to pay £6K for a real Customshop guitar than £5K for a ultima. Despite the poor bolt on neck thats out performed the glued in neck for durability for 58 years now.

_________________
No no and no

C'mon, if you want to get into Custom Shop territory compare them to the Gibson Custom (from 2.5 k for a Custom LP Jr, up to 7.3 k for a Bloomfield LP).
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/manufac ... m/high2low
So, here the prices match.

How about PRS? Set necks, MIA, in the same price range as the Gibbos, and QC stands no comparison to Gibson's, sorry.

I wanted badly an ES-335. Value/quality for a Gibson ES can't possibly justify me buying one. The Epis I simply didn't like. Now, since the Guild Starfires are gone, the only good alternatives I found are the Hagstrom Viking and the Schecter Corsair.

_________________
La vie est belle, le monde est pourri, make the most of it!

Purple

Luckily for you Hagstrom make a damn fine guitar. My bassist has a HB4, I couldnt fault it for £1450, never mind the £450 he paid.

_________________
No no and no

I do know Niki, thanks for confirming; the only thing keeping me from having one is that I want to buy it in a shop, not ordering it online.

Now, my question is how can I justify 1,600+ euros for a Gibson ES, or even 300 for an Epi Dot, when I can get that much guitar from a Hagstrom Viking for under 500?

Guitar World review of the Viking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSdH9z8snac

_________________
La vie est belle, le monde est pourri, make the most of it!

Niki, I found mine(2007) here on MLP and paid $1300 shipped
http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/member- ... -neck.html
http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/member- ... rades.html
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showth ... dard+faded

_________________
Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica

Thought about a LP once, bought a Gretsch Duo Jet instead. Let me tell you, it beats out my friends LP studio any day.

-Vince

_________________
-Fender 92' Telecaster unknown
- 2007 Gretsch 6118T
- Ibanez 02' AF85 Artcore hollowbody, modded
- Epiphone Firebird
- Line 6 Variaxe 300
- Squire strat (refinished)
- 2008 Fender Supersonic
- Fender Blues Junior (original)

A friend has one, it is an excellent axe.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I have played some really great LPs and till this !@$ keep saying I am going to buy one as I have never owned a Gibson guitar. I used to borrow my friends Silver Burst which sounded great and like butter to play, even though I hate that expression it fits.lol Really a very easy and forgiving guitar to play unlike a Tele or Strat which makes you work and is not as forgiving for being sloppy.What has been written though is on the mark as I would definitely buy a used one with all the quality problems Gibson has today.

The point I'm trying to make is both companies have a high end. You don't have to buy it. I don't, but a ripoff? Nah. Skilled labor and good materials cost money. There are lots of instruments I and many others want but can't afford but I'm not going to do the sour grapes thing about it.
Martin, Taylor, Fender, Gibson.... Personally I don't find 3 grand for a professional instrument outrageous. When I bought my 72 Strat, it was $300. A lot of money in 73. It translated to around $1200 in today's money. I find more stuff wrong with Fenders stuff than many others. On many models the QC on the Epi's are better and most times some of the mid level Ibanez stuff is better. And for the other poster the said not the Road Worn? IMO it's one of the worst values in the Fender lineup. Fender Custom Shop guitars are STILL BOLT TOGETHER GUITARS. How much skill does it take to screw together something from Ikea?

Just because something is out of someones price range does not make it a ripoff. You can't compare apples and oranges it's silly. There is a lot more in the Gibson process than the Fender process and people building the American made stuff don't make $50 a day or less like many Asian and Mexican workers. If you want a hand made American instrument be prepared to pay for it. If you don't play professionally, why buy a high end guitar? To impress friends and family LOL.

I would say if you are worried about price... Wait until you see a les paul that is underpriced... Like me... I waited until I found a lp custom (in playing condition) for $1500 which is about $700-$1000 undervalued...

If you do this, you are making an investment... You are not losing money...

Yes, I agree that there are other options out there that are just as good as Gibson that cost much less... But, Gibson Les Pauls do NOT lose their value over time... It is a very safe purchase when it comes to money...

I've seen a quote attributed to several successful business leaders. It goes, "To be successful, see how much you can give your customer for his dollar, not how little."

_________________
"To Be Is To Do" --Locke
"To Do Is To Be" --Thoreau
"Do Be Do Be Do" --Sinatra

Both companies have a high end, agreed. Fender's high end is cheaper than Gibson's high end, agreed again.
The Ikea comparison was such a low blow, I won't even comment on it.
You might wanna consider an apology to the people in whose forum you're posting tho.

Why buy a high end guitar? Maybe because I just love it, regardless of investment value, is that reason enough?
If I want a hand made instrument, I am prepared to pay for it, wherever it was made - US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Japan...

Now, to compare apples with apples, as I said before, how come PRS manages to have impeccable QC and Gibson does not? At least not over the last couple of years.
PRS are MIA, setnecks, etc, etc. And their entry price point is 1,200 (Starla X). The Custom 24 is 2,600 and probably the most popular model of their MIA guitars.

_________________
La vie est belle, le monde est pourri, make the most of it!