Mickthemiller Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Simple question - I keep reading odd bits about Gibson quality falling off - is it true or just people with a grudge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Hello! Did these people ever played a Gibson? Yes, I hear this all the time. Always from guys who haven't even touched one. No, they are great - in general. Shipping damage, and such accidents can't be avoided, though. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cs orange widow Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 My first Les Paul custom (2012) has/had afew flaws, the black line in the binding wasn't straight around the bottom cut out and it drives me crazy every time I pick it up that's the only thing I notice haha, the strap button screw was completely stripped out and was basically just sitting in the body by the neck and every machine head was loose and crooked.. My next Les Paul custom (2014) was flawless!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 . Some myth, some reality. There's three complaints I notice - "cheaply made", "low quality materials" and "quality control". Now that Gibson offers value based models, customers complain about the cheapness of these models or the use of low quality materials. Crazy - they bought a value based instrument from Gibson but still expect top of the line methods and materials. I've seen some customers complain about the "faded" and "worn" finishes. Hey, they're using a thinner finish that's cheaper do. Then there's Q/C issues, and some of these complaints are deserved. Gibson ramped up production in the mid 2000's at the Nashville plant. So much so that they had to revise their serial system to nine digits to handle the increased production. IMO this ramped up production has lead to somewhat of Q/C hit from the Nashville plant. I think Memphis and Bozeman are still doing very well with Q/C. Some of these Q/C complaints come from online customers buying sight unseen, which is always a crap shoot no matter what manufacturer you're buying. Some online dealers don't inspect their stock upon arrival (as they should) and send them out in factory sealed boxes - so some shipping damage and factory flaws do get through to customers. There are some online dealers that ship from store fronts - these customers can end up with guitars that were on the sales floor for a while (sometimes a long while). Also there are some online dealers that restock returns without taking the time to make sure the guitar is in good order - one online dealer in particular comes to mind .. So some of these problems are beyond Gibson's control, but Gibson still ends up with the blame. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norton Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I keep reading odd bits about Gibson quality falling off - is it true I believe the wood finishing of Gibson's latest IS up to the Good Quality" Standard. However, there is no question that the new brass nut IS a real problem, Gibson chose a soft brass to employ that the strings dig in to and rapidly wear grooves. How can this be anything but very poor "planning", obviously not tested, before being sold to the public. Say what you will about the simply childish Les Paul signature on the headstock of the 2015 or the goofy hologram thing on the back, they don't effect playability, but the soft brass nut DOES, and that is unacceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 The last batch I looked at had really poorly finished frets - they were all just rough as could be at the ends. Say what you will about nibs but they did a real good job of covering up rough fret ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny V Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I bought a new Les Paul DC. July guitar of the month last year and it was in perfect condition. The other LP I bought new was also in perfect condition. Both were 2K plus. I was never a fan of quality of the lower costing Gibson's in general. BigKahune hit the nail on the head. Kenny V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cs orange widow Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 My 2012 was a gift, so it was bought an brought home to me.. In minutes i picked out the crap that was wrong!! With a $4700 price tag it should be flawless!!! I feel like I purchased a ford an got dodge quality haha.. It was minor fixes that I did myself,aside from the binding that drives me nuts, but non the less for that kind of money it should be flawless!!! Is it easy to complain about yeah!!!! Anything that costs a significant amount of money and has flaws is easy to complain about!! I could've got 3 American strats for the same price!!! But it plays and sounds absolutely incredible an I'll never part with it!! I think weather you order it online or go into a store an pick it up yourself you get what you pay for no matter what the product is. Gibson should have better qc especially on their higher end guitars!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I only have one Gibson, so I don’t have the experience of those here who must have a whole room full of them, but here is what I’ve found. I had to wait in the shop (Andertons UK) while the ES-339 I wanted was brought over from their warehouse. Over the next hour I played several higher end ES-339s (I have a Studio). I was generally disappointed in them. One in particular had the neck out of true to the bridge (not perpendicular) so the strings were positioned too close to the upper edge (low E end) and too far from the lower (high E end). That’s not an easy fix, and the guitar should never have passed QC. I was convinced I would be going home without a Gibson that day, but when the one I was waiting for arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. It was great. It was also ‘straight out of the box’ and one the cheaper ones too. So yes I see quality issues with Gibsons. I played a great many before & since that day, and I would estimate (based on personal experience only) that 1 in 3 are fine guitars. Those were all 2014 and 2015 models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 a lot of this depends on how anal the person is. Some people gripe about the silliest things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 a lot of this depends on how anal the person is. Some people gripe about the silliest things. Like me, Ray. Still, I haven't seen any of these horror stories in real life. Of course, I am from a small country. But back then, when we had shops with Gibsons on sale, they were not like that at all. And I also doubt they would have put a lemon on display, instead of sending it back immediately. It's not the 50s when they made like couple of hundred Les Pauls a year, they are made on much bigger scale these days with automated processes. Within such mass of instruments, I am sure some of them ends up being a scrap. But how much of all the instruments produced? 1%? 0.5%? It is the responsibility of the shops not to accept any faulty instruments from the manufacturer. These shouldn't reach to the public. I am sure QC doesn't lets out these either, but damage can occur anywhere during the instrument's long route to the stand of a guitar store. Some of the damage is not evident when it's on inspection at QC. The lacquer can crack, the binding can separate during shipping, especially when the instrument goes through different climate conditions. Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 My 2012 was a gift, so it was bought an brought home to me.. In minutes i picked out the crap that was wrong!! With a $4700 price tag it should be flawless!!! I feel like I purchased a ford an got dodge quality haha.. It was minor fixes that I did myself,aside from the binding that drives me nuts, but non the less for that kind of money it should be flawless!!! Is it easy to complain about yeah!!!! Anything that costs a significant amount of money and has flaws is easy to complain about!! I could've got 3 American strats for the same price!!! But it plays and sounds absolutely incredible an I'll never part with it!! I think weather you order it online or go into a store an pick it up yourself you get what you pay for no matter what the product is. Gibson should have better qc especially on their higher end guitars!! Two things, your car analogy sucks as I would consider ford and dodge to be of similar quality. Perhaps you could say you purchased a BMW and got Hyundai quality. Secondly, what was wrong with your guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvercrow Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I feel like the proverbial 'broken record' saying this, but it's just how I feel. I was a Fender guy all my life. (STILL love 'em, BTW). I just got 'introduced' to Gibson this year! (I'd always said previously that I love Gibsons...when someone else is playing them!) Fender has it's share of QC issues and it is a "mass produced" guitar as in the Ford manufacturing 'model'/ assembly line, etc. Componetized pieces, easy swap-outs in theory, anyway. Gibson on the other hand- ALL set neck guitars- our beloved LP models (except 'specials' and the SG type) have carved tops. Getting the set neck thing correct and the top carve, even though it's done mostly with CNC machines, is more labor-intensive and a more difficult process. More manufacturing "steps" = more potential for mistakes. And I think that often what we view as a 'flaw' or mistake actually falls within the realm of the human factor. Just my opinion. Big K said it best, I think- ramp up production that quickly and there are bound to be some QC issues. If you want / expect to have EVERYTHING perfect, "out of the case" so to speak, you buy a higher end PRS (not speaking of the SE or S2. Starla- although they are fine guitars IMO) or Collings. Much less production, much more personal attention to detail, much more expensive (generally speaking). Dollar for dollar, I'd put my humble Studio model LP up against any other guitar in the same price range. I'm a happy guy! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eracer_Team Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 . Some of these Q/C complaints come from online customers buying sight unseen, which is always a crap shoot no matter what manufacturer you're buying. Some online dealers don't inspect their stock upon arrival (as they should) and send them out in factory sealed boxes . I agree online sight unseen is a crap shoot. but Dealers should not be a QC process for the manufacturer.. that's what the QC department before shipping at the manufacturing plant is for. Dealer Prep is just that,, end consumer dealer prep. not QC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cs orange widow Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I don't think it should matter if you buy a high end guitar sight unseen, and or online especially if it's new!! I should be able to call any gibson dealer, order a standard or custom even a studio and it should be flawless when you recieve it.. Gibson set a standard for their guitars an probably 99.9% are met to that, it's unfortunate that the odd one slips through with some flaws.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I don't think it should matter if you buy a high end guitar sight unseen, and or online especially if it's new!! I should be able to call any gibson dealer, order a standard or custom even a studio and it should be flawless when you recieve it.. Gibson set a standard for their guitars an probably 99.9% are met to that, it's unfortunate that the odd one slips through with some flaws.. If 99.9% of Gibson's guitars were delivered to the customer (whether it be through online vendors or brick-and-mortar stores) in flawless condition, I would say that they are doing a pretty good job. The fact of the matter, as was mentioned before, is there are too many variables between the production line and delivery to the customer. There should not be a defective or flawed instrument that leaves the manufacturing facility, but it happens, and that's why there is a warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I only have one Gibson. My LP Trad Pro II. The only "quality issue" I have is the Rhythm/Treble switch was wired backward. The nut was secure so I have to assume it shipped this way. I should have noticed it in the store. I knew the sound of this guitar pretty well before I bought it as I had played a number of them used an new. Thing only ting I really assessed was how playable it was for me. That was my fault. So my issue clearly falls under the minor category. IMO if you look at quality trend line analyses I believe my issue would be lost in the noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I forgot about the string spacing like the high E string which was too close to the edge of the neck on my old SG Classic. Complaints about this issue resulted in the 2015 neck instead of simply taking a good look at how the spacing on the nut was being done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I've acquired eight new Gibson's in the last two years, and no issues to report.... See below for the list 2013 Gibson Trad 2013 Gibson Custom Lite 2014 Gibson LE 335 lemon Burst 2015 Custom Shop Figured Top LPC 2015 MidTown Custom 2014 J200 2015 Ebony Dove 2015 J45 Custom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brantobrien Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Quality control questions pop up every once and awhile on the forum here, but really when you think about the amount of guitars that come out of the Gibson factory, they are probably doing really well. Most of the QC issues I've seen on here are finish related that may not be situations where they weren't caught at the factory, but rather where they appeared after leaving the the factory. If they (LORD FORBID!!!) switched to a poly finish and a bolt on neck without binding, then you may see less of those finish issues. Really though, most of the generalized QC complaints I've heard are from people that don't even own a Gibson. What they are really trying to convince me of is why their particular guitar was a better purchase and why my Les Paul is apparently crap (until they pick it up ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 Thanks everyone. I am comforted that, mostly, the stories about Gibson quality seem to be myth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eracer_Team Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 usually those complaining about QC are the ones that had bought a $200 Chinese knockoff a number of years ago and decided to buy "a real Gibson". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 my LP has some very tiny flaws in the finish. but they don't bother me, like they seem to bother some folks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertAndersson Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I have bought two LP's in two years, they are both great. At both occations I have played a lot of other LP's, all looking and feeling good. I don't really see a major quality issue. Could it be that the very few disappointed make a lot more noise than the vast majority of satisfied? //Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jshort Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Don't believe the hate you read online about Gibson. Try out some Gibby's for yourself and make up your own mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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