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Post subject: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 12:50 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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All will agree that this guitar is gorgeous:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2005-Gibson-Les ... 485wt_1328.

Also: http://www.ebay.com/itm/300895649514?ss ... 720wt_1328.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Les-Paul ... 589f3c4bff

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2005-Gibson-Les ... 485wt_1328

etc etc etc.

Perhaps this is the wrong forum in which to ask this question (but I know many of you own and love Gibsons too), but... what's the deal with Gibson? I mean... what's the DEAL, people?

While I acknowledge that this guitar is beautiful, why is it that a Gibson Les Paul Standard that's 8 to 17 years old (a 1996!!!) sells for about $700.00 to $900.00 more than a BRAND NEW American Standard Strat?

Why? I'm being serious and asking you veterans, because I really want to know the answer.

Is it because it's built in the US and they pay US union worker salaries? Reputation? Is the sound really worth it? (I have never so much as touched a Gibson with my fingers.) The chambered body? It's sure awesome when Slash plays it.

And if you read about the 2012s and 2013s, they mention all sorts of improvements? Why? Slash didn't have a 2013 when he was creating magic in 1989.

I have numerous Fenders and I'm starting to look at Gibson.

Should I have bought one Gibson for $3500 instead of 6 Fenders with an average price of $600? Yeah, each person must answer that question individually, and I like variety.

Yeah, I know, many of you have numerous Fenders AND $3,000 Gibsons, and that's great too.

But say a person's total guitar budget is $3500.

But in short: why is a Gibson Les Paul Standard $2500 to $4000 new, and even if it's a 1996 or 2007, it still goes for $1,600 or $2,000, whereas I got my American Standard Strat, brand new, 2011, for $765.00, with no tax and free shipping?

And the list of pros who thought a standard strat was good enough for them is, of course, too long to name. Hendrix....I'll stop there 'cause y'all know the rest.

Will the feel and sound of the Les Paul truly blow me away when I try it?


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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 1:01 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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A Les Paul is a bit more involved to make - the carved top, set neck, angled headstock, etc, etc.

Still doesn't justify how much more expensive Gibsons generally are, but there is definitely a bit more work to making an LP than making a Strat.

Gibson's lower end models really have become a lot better these days, and quality control seems to have (thankfully!) got a lot better as well, so you can snap up some really nice instruments for decent money.

When I worked for a Gibson dealer, people used to ask "What's the difference between a Gibson Les Paul and an Epiphone Les Paul?" - the answer we always felt like giving was "One has really good build quality, excellent setup and superb inlay work. The other one is a Gibson." :lol:


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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 1:11 pm
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Location: Illinois, USA
Her Wanna wrote:
All will agree

Perhaps this is the wrong forum in which to ask this question I mean... what's the DEAL, people?


Why? I'm being serious and asking you veterans, because I really want to know the answer.


Yeah, I know, many of you have numerous Fenders AND $3,000 Gibsons, and that's great too.


And the list of pros who thought a standard strat was good enough for them is, of course, too long to name. Hendrix....I'll stop there 'cause y'all know the rest.

Will the feel and sound of the Les Paul truly blow me away when I try it?


No, IMHO YMMV (in the words of my favorite Martian) :D

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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 2:59 pm
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In short I echo SBLS.
No it won't blow you away. It's just another guitar different from Fender and less different than certain other manufacturers.

As for the price difference. I think it has less to do with creation process as it does to do with the mythos Gibson has actively encouraged. Gibsons long history of instrument making and Gibsons consistently high prices for 110 years.

Love mine, utterly adore it. Worth £1800 new? No.

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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 3:04 pm
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Leo designed them to be inexpensive and Gibson didn't. There are cheap gibson s to just not les Paul standards. If people didn't pay the prices for them the price would come down.


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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 3:53 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Why are Gibsons so expensive? Because people have been paying the price. They're still around very strong, so my guess is it's working.

Would I pay the price? No, I would be fine with an Epiphone LP Studio.

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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 4:53 pm
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You can pick these up for as low as $550.

Mod to your heart's content.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-1997-Gibso ... 565564bbf7

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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 5:08 pm
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I think you're comparing apples and oranges, and asking for a reason why marketing works. Remember, Fender has some pretty expensive models. If you pick apart the components that make the expensive models and compare them to a Standard, will it add up to the difference in price? I doubt it.

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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 5:13 pm
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I think they are in a league of their own.. As much as people like to, you really can't compare a les Paul to a Strat. Like comparing say, a PRS custom 22 to a telecaster. Totally different build techniques, different grades of wood compared to a fender.. Which is why they are higher priced.

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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 7:26 pm
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Fender bolts their guitars together, Gibson doesn't. I've taken my 72 Strat apart a couple of times, just recently to replace the original trem with a Super Vee Bladerunner. Easy job. I can't do that with my Gibson LP Studio 60's Tribute. I can build my own Strat or Tele but not a set neck carved top guitar. It takes a bit more skill and time to build a set neck guitar. Gibson Studio series are a great bang for the buck, so are the Melody Makers. My Studio has P 90's and sounds and plays really well. Some can be had for under a grand. Blertles hit the nail on the head. They are two very different instruments. Comparing them is apples and elephants. I like a lot of different guitars and they're all great in their own ways.

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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 8:35 pm
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Hobbyist
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Gotta play one to understand, I paid 1818.00 for my standard and I really love it, it feels like home to me. Its pricey but well worth it to me. Dont get me wrong, I love a good Stratocaster, the first brand name guitar I ever bought was a Fender Stratocaster but the Gibson just feels so right, but that just my opinion. The humbucker sound is a whole other world also. This is my new girlfriend Image


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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 9:32 pm
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Gibsons aren't all they're cracked up to be IMO.

I once watched a guy on stage lose a strap button from the upper bout while talking into the mic between songs with both hands on the mic. His Les Paul dropped to the stage floor and landed headstock first. The headstock broke right off. His guitar was in two pieces. I've heard others tell similar stories so I know it was not a completely isolated incident. Rare, perhaps. I've seen Fender guitars take far worse abuse than that and survive with only a dent or two. Some have called Fender guitars a "plank" in the past. I believe this name was originally meant as an insult, insinuating the bodies were cut from a rough 2x12 plank. Putting aside for a moment Fender guitars are actually greater than 12" wide I think a better name would be "tank," as in built like a Sherman.

As for the price difference I think it has mostly to do with the history of Gibson guitars. Back in the day they had a rep for being built better than most makes. That hasn't always been the case. In fact in the late 1990s and early 2000s they were quite widely criticized for poor quality builds. Gibson seems to have addressed some of those issues and the complaints don't seem to be as common or as widespread as they were 10 years ago. Regardless of how they're made and what may be involved in setting a neck compared to bolting, there is no way they are worth the price difference, IMO. Not to mention that Gibson has never learned how to make a good sounding pickup and their current production Burstbuckers may be the worst attempt they've ever made.

That's not to say a Les Paul doesn't have it's place.

Image

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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 9:33 pm
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I would like a standard myself.. Only thing is I don't like the way they are doing the sunbursts these days, and the Les Paul Traditional neck shape isn't to my liking..
Image




I would love a honeyburst plain-top with a very slight flame.. I don't mind flame tops but they are soo common, I'd want a custom shop with a high figure grain. However it seems that if you want a honeyburst lespaul with a nice neck carve, you need to get a std now (if you are looking new)

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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 10:52 pm
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I dig the Les Paul scale length and humbucker tone. But not the pricetag. I've been on an Epiphone Elitist kick lately. The Elitist Les Pauls and SGs were made in Japan at the Fuji-Gen Factory from 2002 to 2008. The quality rivals the better Gibsons and some would say surpasses them. I picked up these 3 over the past month off Craigs for $1475 total for all 3. My Standard Plus was $650 with case, SG was $450 with case and I snagged a Les Paul Studio for $375 with no case. They are all killer guitars. The prices can get a bit steep on Ebay but if you're dealing locally, you can get them at a pretty steep discount due to the name on the headstock. Here are pics.

Image
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Post subject: Re: Gibson. What's the deal?
Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 12:22 am
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Aspiring Musician
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I think my favorite Gibson bass is the mud brown, single humbucker at the neck EB3(?) shortscale. I keep seeing these online for under a thousand..old one's even.

I don't think the Gibson crew drop tested their instruments like Leo did. Fender is practicality.


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