Mike Postnov Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Dear Gentlemen, What would be your choice between these two fine guitars: 1982, Tim Shaw pickups in sunburst OR the newer 2001 in wine red with golden hardware (see attachment). I've heard a lot of scary stuff on Norlin's era gibbies (especially 175s, been made of wrong woods and off specs). I buy it online, so I can't have my hands on. I'd really go for the vintage one... Though I tried the red modern one in the local shop and She felt smooth and lovely. Really appreciate your opinions! Thank you! Oh yes, both are about the same price, $2500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeko Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Both of these seem a little different from what I'm used to seeing on this model. The red one has gold trim as opposed to the usual chrome. Special edition? The sunburst has a three piece maple neck. Might be the age of the guitar but I thought these only came with mahogany necks. I'm partial to the red for obvious reasons but both are fine looking guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Most of the anti-Norlin talk is junk. There are plenty of very fine Norlin's out there. The issue for you is the inability to test the older guitar before you buy. I'm a sunburst fan so I know what I'd do but you're the man with the choice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I never heard any of the anti-Norlin stuff until I joined this forum. I bought quite a few Gibsons from the 70s and 80s and never had any cause for complaints. If anything, I've noticed the quality to be poorer on many of today's models as I guess they're hurrying to meet production quotas: sharp fret ends, orange peel, problems with string spacing on the nut, splintered sections on routing jobs, sloppy things like that. Maybe I just got lucky but I NEVER encountered any of that stuff back in the Norlin days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny W. Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Most of the anti-Norlin talk is junk. There are plenty of very fine Norlin's out there. The issue for you is the inability to test the older guitar before you buy. I'm a sunburst fan so I know what I'd do but you're the man with the choice... Having owned many Norlin-era Gibsons, I disagree. Given the choice between a 1982 and 2001 sight unseen, I'd choose the 2001 every time. It's not that Gibson didn't make some nice guitars back then, it's that in general, they made better ones before and after. Workmanship and attention to detail was much poorer, especially between '75 and '84, and they didn't adequately maintain the tooling, leading to proportions that weren't quite right on some models. I currently still have one Norlin guita that's really nice, but it's a model they made only then--otherwise, I'd have been looking for a newer replacement. I never heard any of the anti-Norlin stuff until I joined this forum. I bought quite a few Gibsons from the 70s and 80s and never had any cause for complaints. If anything, I've noticed the quality to be poorer on many of today's models as I guess they're hurrying to meet production quotas: sharp fret ends, orange peel, problems with string spacing on the nut, splintered sections on routing jobs, sloppy things like that. Maybe I just got lucky but I NEVER encountered any of that stuff back in the Norlin days. Norlin quality issues are no myth--when Norlin sold to Henry the company went for bottom dollar and had almost disappeared. If you haven't heard of this outside this forum, you just haven't looked very hard. Take a close look at any of the Gibson catalogs from the late '70's and early '80's--you can see the problems in the photos. I replaced a large number of guitars from the '50's through the '80's with a smaller number of new models starting in 1994. None of my new guitars had any of the problems you describe. To be fair, all of mine came from the Custom Shop and would be considered high-end models. Danny W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I think the Custom Shop would be the difference in today's models, all right. My 25th Anniversary Les Paul was perfect, my 1980 Lucille Deluxe was perfect, no issues with my old 70s SG Standard, 335 or Les Paul Special that I can recall. It might just be dumb luck as I do recall giving some guy lessons and he had a bought a 70s SG because I had one and I remember that guitar being a real piece of crap. It was just wretched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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