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buying a Custom, when you're outside US


marianeq

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Hi everyone, I have a couple of questions regarding pics of Custom Shop guitars that i can see on facebook (being posted on Gibson Custom LP and SG accounts). some of those LPs are so stunning that it leaves me all itching to burn some money them. Every time i see a uniquely painted and put together LP i cannot help but wonder... a) are they actually for sale? B) WHO sells them? c) HOW can i buy them (who to contact etc.), and d) where to find the details on the construction of these guitars.

I do realize that buying a Custom Shop Gibson of your choice, while you are in Europe, is NOT AN OPTION (European dealers themselves dont even know what they will/can get, and they always end up with boring duds). I really dont mind flying to US for a week, wander from shop to shop and buy one of them, then pay all the customs etc. and be endlessly happy about my purchase. I just wish these beauties were actually available to buy, somehow, in Europe....

 

I think i mentioned the idea of flying abroad to buy a guitar, somewhere.... Do you guys & girls think it's a good option/idea? the time wasted and extra costs are irrelevant.

 

cheers

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Hi everyone, I have a couple of questions regarding pics of Custom Shop guitars that i can see on facebook (being posted on Gibson Custom LP and SG accounts). some of those LPs are so stunning that it leaves me all itching to burn some money them. Every time i see a uniquely painted and put together LP i cannot help but wonder... a) are they actually for sale? B) WHO sells them? c) HOW can i buy them (who to contact etc.), and d) where to find the details on the construction of these guitars.

I do realize that buying a Custom Shop Gibson of your choice, while you are in Europe, is NOT AN OPTION (European dealers themselves dont even know what they will/can get, and they always end up with boring duds). I really dont mind flying to US for a week, wander from shop to shop and buy one of them, then pay all the customs etc. and be endlessly happy about my purchase. I just wish these beauties were actually available to buy, somehow, in Europe....

 

I think i mentioned the idea of flying abroad to buy a guitar, somewhere.... Do you guys & girls think it's a good option/idea? the time wasted and extra costs are irrelevant.

 

cheers

Well, it - is - possible to get great Custom Shop guitars from a store in Europe. You will just have to wait a very, very long time. I'm currently waiting for a Gibson EDS-1275 (double neck) from the Custom Shop. My local store in the Netherlands said they could get me one, but it would mean I would need to have patience. And the other bummer - as you pointed out - is the fact that even the store is completely in the dark. Gibson needs to sort this stuff out, especially when it comes to communication.

 

So, Gibson Custom Shop guitars can be of your choice...but you will have to stand in line, because you're not the only one probably. And your kind of guitar will probably be on some sort of list that all the Gibson dealers have. Mine wasn't even officially on such a list, because Gibson doesn't want to be spammed with orders for double necks. At least, that's what my local dealer told me.

 

Personally, I would not fly to the USA. Think about the money you'll spend extra on top of what your guitar costs. If I already had a vacation planned, I would totally do what you think about doing. So, maybe try to take some time off and enjoy the USA whilst you're at it. But to each their own. If you want the largest pool of guitars to choose from, and you're willing to make the trip, then by all means. It all comes down to how fast you want your guitar to be in your hands. If you fly to the USA, you could have your dream guitar in a few days; I'm waiting for months and months, maybe even a year.

 

What's also a factor, is where you're employed. See, I can't take days off right now. I'm really restricted in that regard, because I work at a university. I would have to wait for the next chance I have, which is in like half a year. Lol [thumbdn] So, again, you just have weigh your options here. The Custom Shop Gibsons are works of art, btw. I have had the honor of playing lots of them, and they're great guitars.

 

Anyway, I hope this post of mine helped a bit. I guess we share some of our frustrations regarding how stuff is organized for the Europe branch. However, you'll still get a great guitar should you choose to wait for it.

 

 

Good luck

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I work in high school so i have a few weeks in summer and a week in spring and autumn, then couple of weeks during xmas, so plenty of opportunities to have a trip abroad. plane tix these days are relatively cheap to US, so a 1-2 weeks of hols are within reach. I am really tempted to fly there and buy what i want from a pool of hundreds of CS Pauls and SGs, as opposed to choosing from a handful of totally random* guitars sent to dealers in EU. I drove from North Wales to Frankfurt to buy my custom les paul and i saw a few at Musik Schmidt, all of them shredded to death by staff and clients, because thats the only opportunity for many of them to see and try one out. they are still being sold as NEW, but when i asked the staff to show me ONE box with an intact seal, they had nothing to show me. Fvck that, I says. I am happy to spend 350£ on a plane to NY or wherever and shop around.

 

 

* - they may seem random, but they are not. Just the fact that local dealers dont want to commit to a guitar with a bigsby or with a single 'bucker, is a limitation. they are a random batch of the most commonly sold and accessible guitars. getting a guitar with a koa or with two necks.... not a chance.

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I work in high school so i have a few weeks in summer and a week in spring and autumn, then couple of weeks during xmas, so plenty of opportunities to have a trip abroad. plane tix these days are relatively cheap to US, so a 1-2 weeks of hols are within reach. I am really tempted to fly there and buy what i want from a pool of hundreds of CS Pauls and SGs, as opposed to choosing from a handful of totally random* guitars sent to dealers in EU. I drove from North Wales to Frankfurt to buy my custom les paul and i saw a few at Musik Schmidt, all of them shredded to death by staff and clients, because thats the only opportunity for many of them to see and try one out. they are still being sold as NEW, but when i asked the staff to show me ONE box with an intact seal, they had nothing to show me. Fvck that, I says. I am happy to spend 350£ on a plane to NY or wherever and shop around.

 

 

* - they may seem random, but they are not. Just the fact that local dealers dont want to commit to a guitar with a bigsby or with a single 'bucker, is a limitation. they are a random batch of the most commonly sold and accessible guitars. getting a guitar with a koa or with two necks.... not a chance.

Wow, that story of you driving to Germany reminds me of my search for the EDS-1275. I went to Thomann in Germany; they had a white double neck over there, and I just didn't like the look of it in real life. Gold hardware? Please. That's why you should always see and play a guitar, before committing to it. Given there wasn't a store that had a Heritage Cherry EDS-1275 in stock, I just ordered one via my local store (http://www.dijkmansmuziek.nl/online-winkel/categorie/gitaar/electrisch/gibson).

 

If you do get to the States, I would go to Nashville or Memphis. The Gibson Custom Shops are there, and I heard they have tours there. For you, Nashville might be quite interesting. Gibson Memphis is a whole different kind of guitars. If I save up enough money and have the time off, I will make the trip too. For the time being, I will just wait for my double neck to arrive. You could also try to visit stores like Dave's Guitar Shop; they often have rare guitars over there.

 

Good luck, and have fun if you decide to make the trip.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Keep in mind that you might be obliged to pay duty or other taxes on a new instrument you import yourself. Additionally, the case the guitar comes in may not be adequately protective for air travel; you may find you need a proper flight case in addition to, or in lieu of, the case the instrument is ordinarily sold with.

 

The Music Zoo, on Long Island in New York, always has a large inventory of CS instruments.

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Keep in mind that you might be obliged to pay duty or other taxes on a new instrument you import yourself. Additionally, the case the guitar comes in may not be adequately protective for air travel; you may find you need a proper flight case in addition to, or in lieu of, the case the instrument is ordinarily sold with.

 

The Music Zoo, on Long Island in New York, always has a large inventory of CS instruments.

 

Customs fee come into play depending on the value of the instrument. There is typically a base value below which there is no fee. I got nailed here on Guam for my ES-355 coming from Arizona.

 

Also I've had two guitars shipped via FedEx. Both arrived in perfect condition in there original Gibson cases. Tho on the last shipment the shipper added some extra bubble wrap inside the case.

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Well, no dealer on Earth can have them all, and each guitar is an individual piece of materials and craftmanship. However, I experienced several times that here in Germany Thomann, Burgebrach, and Music Store Professional, Cologne, have very fine Gibson Custom guitars in stock. Except for aged or VOS ones which I dislike, they also are shiny and new.

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  • 6 years later...

I have to ask, after all is said and done, you travel to get a Gibson in the US and pay applicable taxes, will it be the same sturdy guitar? I've heard so many horror stories about people knocking them over and snapping the neck or just playing one and snapping the neck. 

After you pay all that money I would be hesitant to take it out in public for fear of damaging it especially one made for sale here in the US. 

Don't get me wrong, I love Gibson guitars! They sound fantastic. It just occurred to me that the ones for sale here aren't as good for some reason? After hearing so many stories. I don't know if this is actually true? It's just an observation from many rig rundown. 

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On 5/22/2021 at 4:42 PM, EricH said:

Don't get me wrong, I love Gibson guitars! They sound fantastic. It just occurred to me that the ones for sale here aren't as good for some reason? After hearing so many stories. I don't know if this is actually true? It's just an observation from many rig rundown. 

I don't know why that would be the case. I have not heard any such stories.

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