Gibson suck

Actually I would think more like a child company. Gibson is the sole owner of Epiphone. It's their offshore line. Currently Epiphone's are made in China to reduce the cost and increase profit. They gotta compete with FMC (Fender) somehow.
Epiphone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If a Chinese Epiphone that is made with plastic nuts and pot metal hardware is eating Gibson's lunch in quality, I hate to see what they are building in Nashville.
I have a LP custom shop and it really plays nice. It's definitely not worth the money and I consider my purchase a mistake. I just wanted to ensure I got a "good one".
I swapped out the Pickups for BurstBuckers, then BurstBucker II's, then back to the original Humbuckers. Sounded different with each pickup change, but I still sound like me when I play. Nothing made it sound like Gary Moore was playing it. Currently it hangs on the wall and looks nice. My PRS and my Carvin put it to shame.
For me the guitar is typically used with overdrive pedals and overdriven amps. It seems like you are playing more of the pedal or amp than the guitar.
Want a newer fatter tone? Swap out the dirt pedal. If that's the kind of playing you do, then an Epiphone is the best bet.
If you are playing a semi-clean tone and using your fingers, then buy a Gibson LP and it can sing. Some amp/guitar setup and talent is required.

funny_polymath said:
Go Epiphone. They are eating Gibson's lunch in terms of price and quality. They are putting their 'sister company' to shame!
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I think it all highlights the perils of deciding you want a specific guitar. It's fine to want the "Les Paul sound", as this leaves you with many options. I always assumed a Gibson Les Paul would be my dream guitar, until I played a few. It's such an iconic guitar and I still have a bit of envy when I hear people saying how much they lover their one. I just never enjoy playing them.
 
mogvinda said:
I think it all highlights the perils of deciding you want a specific guitar. It's fine to want the "Les Paul sound", as this leaves you with many options. I always assumed a Gibson Les Paul would be my dream guitar, until I played a few. It's such an iconic guitar and I still have a bit of envy when I hear people saying how much they lover their one. I just never enjoy playing them.
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I hear what you're saying, and there was a point where I said to myself - "am I buying Les Paul's, just because they're Les Pauls?....or because I like them?".
So I went on a spree of buying other guitars: Schecter, Strats, Andersons, Warriors, Trussart....

And then I picked up one of my favorite Les Paul's again and it just felt so comfortable, and has a tone that the other guitars can't replicate.

I came to the conclusion that a great Les Paul is still just a guitar that I love to play and sounds unique (to me).
And I've also concluded that I only like older Les Pauls. Not saying there aren't great 'newer' Les Paul's out there....but I just haven't found any that I like.
Or said another way, I've had a much easier time finding a Les Paul I love when I'm looking in the used market (70's-80's years). Haven't had the pleasure of playing a 60's Les Paul yet.
 
From what I've read, CEO Henry Juszkiewicz is a massive tool who terrorizes Gibson's workers. This alone would make me unlikely to buy a new Gibson guitar. The prices they charge for such hit and miss quality would make me further less likely to buy a new Gibson.

That said, my favorite guitar is my Gibson Custom Shop 62 Reissue SG Standard. Man, that guitar is magical. I bought it from a local private seller a few years ago and it was the best guitar purchase I've ever made. I'll be buried with that thing.

Gibson has its issues, but finding a good Gibson guitar is a magical thing indeed.
 
bammbamm said:
I was planning and almost got a Gibson Standard LP but now I might just get something else after reading these comments.
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Personally I would try some out for yourself.
I own a Gibson les Paul classic and it's one of the best guitars I ever owned.
I also have owned a Les Paul custom. That one was definitely a great guitar, huge warm sound and it played so well.
Unfortunately selling that guitar was the only way for me to afford an Axe fx.
I've also owned a Les Paul faded that was wonderfull and an explorer that was great.
So as you can see I've only had good experiences with my Gibsons.
 
I wouldn't pass on a Gibson if I happened to find a good one. If you are lucky enough to find a good one, they are fantastic guitars. There's good reason they are a fixture in the industry. The problem is that the good ones are a little too hard to find. The sad thing is they could easily correct it by just simply paying closer attention to QC and not let lemons out the door. Production flubs are a fact of life for any manufacturer. That's why quality control departments exist. With so many great options out there these days, that Gibson logo on the headstock doesn't mean what it used to. Very similar problems in the past have plagued Colt in the firearms industry. When people trust the name more than the product, companies can get lazy.

That said, Gibson is known for using a bit more exotic import woods in their instruments and with all the pressure from the EPA, they are having to make due with a much smaller supply of the high quality tone woods they have come to rely on. Fender was a bit more industrious in choosing readily available domestic woods for their guitars from the start, which is a big part of why they have always been more affordable. This is a reality that all guitar makers are going to have to face. Sadly, those 100+ year old trees that are supposed to make the best tonewoods are getting few and far between. Heck even in the lumber industry, wood just isn't the same anymore. The stuff available at most lumber yards these days is crap. You have to dig through a huge pile just to find a few solid and straight boards.

Rotti, I too have heard great things about Carvin guitars. Always been interested in what they have to offer, but the factory direct thing means they are rare in shops. They do have a pretty good return policy though.
 
BIGDOG said:
I've been so lucky to have found mine
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Nice collection BIGDOG!
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How do you find your Epi stacks up against the others..?
 
As good as the others to be honest its a 1960 tribute model it has long tenon came with 57 classics but I replaced with Wizz Pick ups
Sounds and plays really really good

Also replaced with martin six strings customs wiring harness bumblebee caps
 
Nothing beats the one beside it though its a Bartlett 59 replica that is the grail
can't really count as a gibson though but it's better than any gibson and it should be it was not cheap lol
 
I had a fret-buzz problem with the LP Custom pictured in my previous post. Seems I was getting a noticeable buzz playing the high F# 1st fret; so I took it to my
guitar mech, who took it home, heated up and reshaped the the bridge piece and put it back together. Problem solved. Didn't do anything to the truss rod.
He said it was a case of old age sag. So he gave it a lift. One never knows...
 
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