Build quality of the current Gibson guitars?

wolk

Member
How is the quality of the current "normal" Gibson guitars (2021 models, no custom store)?
Has anyone recently bought a current model and gained experience?

I ask because I bought a Gibson SG 61 in early 2020 in Corona times,
the build quality of which I did not like at all and
the complete quality control at Gibson and at the dealer did not notice anything.

There were only a few small dealers in the whole of Europe who could supply the model at that time and
I therefore had to order the guitar (I know: i shouldn't do that and I also learned why... ;-).
I ordered from a small dealer who advertised on the phone that each Gibson guitar is individually checked and well adjusted in the store before the store ships it.
The store has then, without that I knew before, noted in the invoice that the guitar was specially and individually adjusted for me and
that due to the "individual setting" and "adjustment" the return policy for the guitar no longer applies.

In contrast to most other Gibson models, the electronics of the SG 61 are still soldered individually and
not the standard circuit board and cable connectors are used.
You can see that the 4 potentiometers are soldered together with quite thick wire as a ground connection as a fixed block outside the guitar at Gibson and
the complete electronics is then plugged into the body as a fixed block. 

On my SG, this block did not fit properly with the holes in the body and resulted in the potentiometer axles sitting at an angle in the wood and misjudging when turned. 
Either the potentiometers turned extremely hard in the middle or could not be turned below 4.
If the nut holding the potentiometers had been screwed on tightly, nothing would have turned at all.
There were many signatures from Gibson on the note at the guitar for quality control, but anyone really checking this should have noticed that.
Also the local dealer should have noticed this with his "individual check" of the guitar.

On the phone I was told by the dealer "This is a historical replica of an old instrument, so the potentiometers are more sluggish, this is normal. I could loosen the nut to the holder a little, then they will turn a little easier".
Of course, this was complete nonsense, and straight installed potentiometers turn with equal difficulty.
I then contacted Gibson support in Europe because I didn't want to solder apart the electronics, install the potentiometers straight and solder the whole thing back together on a new guitar of that price range.
However, Gibson Support recommended that I book an hour of video conferencing with the Gibson Virtual Guitar Tech, who would then show me how to properly set up my good guitar for me individually.
I felt pretty screwed and asked again if Gibson Support was serious,
then only standardized text modules came back from Gibson "support is exclusively through dealers", "historical replica and that was so at that time", ... . 

That scared me even more that such universal standardized answers of the Gibson support already exist,
they are not developed to be used ONCE and
they are not needed if you want to check the problems of the instrument, but only if you don't intend to do that in the first place.
Besides, after that the company continues to believe that they have a well-functioning quality control,
after all, support has not yet seen a poorly build instrument.

Anyway, I had to disassemble the complete electronics and solder the potentiometers back together straight in the body and
additionally screw the bridge into the body with slightly longer screws (unbelievable how far the "fixed" bridge moved and you had the feeling of having a Floyd Rose under your hand).

I changed the pickups to Solodalla's T-top replicas in the process and the guitar was fine after that.
But the Gibson myth was destroyed for me and I sold the guitar shortly after.

I describe this here in such detail so that others, when buying a guitar, should also try out the potentiometers and
Gibson not always presume the top quality, which most Gibson Custom Shop model certainly have.
Do you have the feeling that this has become better in the meantime?
 
Tightening the nut has absolutely no effect on the turning tension of the posit is only cosmetic.
Garbage quality control is Gibsons middle name right up to the most expensive models.
You are absolutely right, 

the recommendation to loose the nut was nonsense and usually does not change turning tension.

On that guitar, the potentiometers did not fit straight into the holes,
because the connection terminals of the potentiometers have bumped against the wood of the body.
In this case, loosening the nut reduces the bending of the axes and the potentiometer turns actually more easily.
But for this the dealer had to suspect a bent axle and should have reacted differently to it.
 
I have already had very nice, well functioning and great sounding Custom Shop Les Pauls in my hand,
but you can get the same quality even from your local luthier much cheaper if you can live without the Gibson logo. ;-)
 
The Indonesian PRS SE245 is the best LP I have ever owned. That said, a few years ago, I grabbed a heavily-discounted SG Special. The pc-board-mounted output jack was a little loose from a year of GC customers jamming plugs in there and/or yanking them out with zero care. The pickups kinda sucked, too, so I shotgunned the whole mess and stuck a DiMarzio Virtual P90 and P90-sized Super Distortion. Much lower output and generally clearer, and with pulls on the tone knobs to go parallel, gets into Fender territory. Stuck some auto-locking Grovers on it which have tall spindles, which reduces the break angle at the nut just a little. Great guitar, once I fixed the factory's poor design choices. But, I picked it up and played it before buying. You absolutely must do that with Gibbos, due to their "quality control".

PRS guitars, OTOH, are consistent enough that I feel 100% comfortable ordering online from a reputable dealer. Even their cheapest SE is a good guitar, though they usually need a little love in the nut area from a luthier. $15 at the shop where I got my 245 and Standard 24.
 
Last edited:
I do not want to bash a company here but I did work for a local Luthier in Germany and we also did a lot repairs for local Music Shops.
There is a reason why I personally prefer other companies.
 
I was a Gibson guy for years. The latest I’ve had was a 2013, but can say it was a great guitar. My musical partner has a recent SG (the 61 version, I think) that he likes, and it does sound good. I got away from Gibson and played Carvin, then moved to PRS and haven’t found a reason to leave. I would advise anyone considering the two makers to go PRS without hesitation or reservation. If you want a Les Paul, get a PRS 594 Singlecut. It’s everything I ever wanted from a primo LP, and none of the stuff I don’t. Think of it as a great vintage LP without the peculiarities or maintenance issues of vintage.

On a side note, my favorite 594 Singlecut is the Soapbar Limited Edition. It rocks, and the SD Antiquity P90s they use are, hands down, the best P90 I’ve heard for classic P90 rock tone. I really enjoy mine.
 
Generalizations are general. Some are not all. All is not some. Personal experiences are not universals. :)

I have played and owned (briefly ;) ) clunkers from EVERY iconic guitar manufacturer, and also owned
GREAT guitars from most of them.
 
I've already held some really fine, well-functioning, and great-sounding Custom Shop Les Pauls, but if you can live without the Gibson name, you can buy the same quality from your local luthier for a lot less money. Thanks as usual!
 
Its ESP Eclipse or PRS SC only for me in an LP style guitar. I've never played a Gibson that I liked, in nearly 30 years of playing.
 
I love my new LP Classic. It looks and sounds and plays beautiful and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But,

EemZAbCVAAI9-RL
 
Some are but QC is all over the place . I find out of ten off the shelf you probably get two that are passable but don't compare them to PRS .

Yet my artist grade has delamination issues and my goldtop doesnt have damaged nibs despite 2 years on a shop wall haha. YMMV - its the first Gibson Ive tried and liked in a while.

PRS builds a great guitar, but they arent perfect all of the time.

Signed, 3 cores and an S2.
 
I have three Gibsons: 2014 Les Paul Traditional, a 2017 ES335 '63 from the last year of the Memphis plant, and 2019 SG '61...they are all wonderful models similar to the ones I played in the 60's. In the '60's you could go into a music store and see 4-5 of the same model and only find one that would hit the sweet spot! Fortunately, I have a great rep at Sweetwater and all three of these guitars were inspected by them. I believe a lot of this depends on the dealer you use and their staff...(I did customize some of the instruments, ex. Tuners, as we did back in the day)
 
Back
Top Bottom