iluvcrap2000 Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 So gots a email from andertons ( Don't know why as I'm in the US) but anyway. https://blog.andertons.co.uk/guitars/gibson-2017?utm_campaign=160902-SPE-Gibson2017&utm_source=emarsysemail&utm_medium=email&sc_src=email_645361&sc_lid=23178366&sc_uid=ISDutEUOyb&sc_llid=67322&sc_eh=a707c51454c466e31 New guitars, Some I'm going wth? are they going cheaper? and kicking some higher(like the Firebird T) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1all's Pub Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Yep, the 2017s are out. Interesting... kind of a mixed bag of things. The new Trad has BurstBucker 1 & 2 in it... which I'm not a fan of particularly. The ABR-1 bridge is cool, but wish it wasn't the wired version (which can be rattle prone). "Rolled binding" has me wondering if Gibson's binding will now look & feel more like how Epiphone does their binding? I hope not. Also, it looks like nibs could be gone (or at least much smaller and pushed to the edges because of the "rolling"???...bummer. ). Some will celebrate the non-weight relief returning to the Trad, but not me... I am not a fan of overly heavy LPs and I like the bit of weight relief in my 2016 Trad. It's a full pound lighter than my 2014 Trad with no weight relief... and my neck and back really feel the difference. And no poker chips on the 3-way switch to be found in the entire lineup???? An easy and cheap fix, but still, why????? Color choices (at least so far) are pretty limited too. Trad only has 3 (Cherry, Honey and Antique) and the Standard only as 4 (Cherry, Honey, Bourbon (which looks more like Root Beer) and Blueberry???). The Ocean Green Burst on the Classic is stunning though. Very cool. IDK... not sure sure I'm sold on the T Line LPs this year. And the HPs, yikes... they put chrome pickup rings on them and a chrome TRC and chrome knobs... so UGLY! I think I am really glad I got my 2016 Trad... may pick up another after seeing what 2017 has to offer. (The Firebird 0 though is very cool. Well played on that one Gibson. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvcrap2000 Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 Yeah I dunno Either. Seems like they are going backwards to 2015 again, Changing pickup choices, going wacky on body shapes, trying to steal thunder from Epiphone(why go cheaper for?, just upgrade their epi line to better products). Seems like they are upping prices by $100-300 across the board and downgrading to a cheaper class to make the sale. Really hope the poker chip and pickguard is included in the case this year. If the Bourbon Burst is done this year, DO IT GOOD, Don't be cheap on the Maple tops grades! in 2016 I've seen some Really poor a$$ choices on tops. I wanna see what Epi comes out with in 2017. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 I'm in UK and just got an email from dv247 (massive UK dealer) about sale deals on the 2015 line - e.g. LP 'Less' plus for £799 (GBP) - has wider board, metal zero fret, G-force, hologram etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 And no poker chips on the 3-way switch to be found in the entire lineup???? An easy and cheap fix, but still, why????? To show the most of the beautiful top as possible I would guess.. And I think all the coloured ones like the blue and green look way better like that (and I know what the switch does, don't need a chip to tell me :)) BUT I think that maybe on the traditional burst colours that the chip just should be there cos that's what a LP looks like :) But I guess in the big scheme of things its not an issue either way really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG player Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Gibson ABR-1 bridge is back, very good idea . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 nothing at all on their website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 ...we have...focused on creating an utterly new "Classic" rather than staying mired in the past.... Do they never learn? I......just got an email from dv247...about sale deals on the 2015 line - e.g. LP 'Less' plus for £799 (GBP) - has wider board, metal zero fret, G-force, hologram etc... Henry did fantastic things 20 years (or so) ago to save the company but Gibson is going to go belly-up if things carry on in the current vein. It's very simple; People will buy a (solid-bodied) Les Paul Standard until the cows come home. Given the opportunity. Don't call it a 'Traditional'; call it a Standard. Give it a pair of '57 Classics and wire it up as per 1958. Klusons in place of Robots. Job Done. Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Pip: couldn't agree more. If I had the $ and was looking to buy, I'd buy used. And manufactured before all this G-Force-let's-widen-the-fretboard-let's-thisnthat bollocks. Chances are good it'll be another year when guitar stores are forced to sell at what must be almost a loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ess Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 And the HPs, yikes... they put chrome pickup rings on them and a chrome TRC and chrome knobs... so UGLY! Have you got a link to the HPs? I can't seem to find anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1all's Pub Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Gibson ABR-1 bridge is back, very good idea . And the lightweight aluminum tailpiece. Both great upgrades, but I REALLY wish they'd have gone with the non-wired version of the ABR-1. Wired have a reputation for rattling. Were I to get a 2017 I'd probably upgrade this eventually to a CreamTone non-wired one. The wired one might be sellable though to recoup costs of the non-wired. Do they never learn? Henry did fantastic things 20 years (or so) ago to save the company but Gibson is going to go belly-up if things carry on in the current vein. It's very simple; People will buy a (solid-bodied) Les Paul Standard until the cows come home. Given the opportunity. Don't call it a 'Traditional'; call it a Standard. Give it a pair of '57 Classics and wire it up as per 1958. Klusons in place of Robots. Job Done. Pip. Sage advice here... but Gibson has proved time and again to *not* be able to take such advice. They are always trying to re-invent the wheel when there is no need. In fact, instead of helping their cause they continually hurt it by doing some of the strangest head-shaking crap and making people think, "Is there anybody at the wheel there?" So far I am not real impressed with what we are seeing for 2017. It's not a trainwreck like 2015 was, and their are some advances, but some definite steps back IMO as well. 2016 is looking more an more like Gibson marketing had it right. ;) And while "Best Year Ever" is a bit of an overstatement :) it's certainly looking to be the best of the last 5 years. Have you got a link to the HPs? I can't seem to find anything. http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GIB-HLPS17-LIST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 And while "Best Year Ever" is a bit of an overstatement :) it's certainly looking to be the best of the last 5 years. Yes it should be 1959 Best Year EVER.... Now all we can do is try and copy it.... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1all's Pub Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Yes it should be 1959 Best Year EVER.... Now all we can do is try and copy it.... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 ... And while "Best Year Ever" is a bit of an overstatement :) it's certainly looking to be the best of the last 5 years. ... Well, let's hope that better years than 2016 still have to come for Gibson. When about the past five years, they made nice instruments in 2011, 2012 and 2013. There are some around me proving that! OK, when I have to assume 2016 as past, I will have to count out those made in 2011... On the other hand, just one of them is already more than five years old today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Well, let's hope that better years than 2016 still have to come for Gibson. When about the past five years, they made nice instruments in 2011, 2012 and 2013. There are some around me proving that! OK, when I have to assume 2016 as past, I will have to count out those made in 2011... On the other hand, just one of them is already more than five years old today! Lol... it is of course true... they have had many good years... And if the changes are good or not well it doesn't really matter.... There are always good guitars to be had you just have to go find them.... To me the HP line is not something im interested in anyway so I really don't care what they do, all that chrome though, man they took that way too far, I think they should have used uncovered pups, that would look way better... They surely must have sales figures of the 2015s and 2016 HPs.. and im sure if they were a total failure then they wouldn't be making more cos the shops wont take them.... As long as they are giving choice which I think they are (with the T line).. you cant really complain too much.. And then theres always the Custom shop if you want something really special (and can afford it ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1all's Pub Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Well, let's hope that better years than 2016 still have to come for Gibson. When about the past five years, they made nice instruments in 2011, 2012 and 2013. There are some around me proving that! OK, when I have to assume 2016 as past, I will have to count out those made in 2011... On the other hand, just one of them is already more than five years old today! Yep, hope so too... but with Gibson it's always a crap shoot. Let's go ahead and include the 2011s for purposes of this discussion. ;) To me that was the best year prior to 2016. Nice dark (pre-raid) rosewood, solid build quality, etc. 2011 is a year I like to keep an eye out for personally (used to have a 2011 Trad in Iced Tea... miss it!). 2012s with their 2-piece lamimate boards (and some 2013s as well have 2-piece boards, I've seen them) will always make some folks look upon them with a jaundiced eye. I had a 2012 Trad and its board was not only 2-piece, but very light colored and really not an "A" grade of rosewood at all AND (no kidding) smelled like fresh cut hay! Really... it was crazy. :) (I never bonded with that guitar.) 2013s seemed to be a good year (except for the aforementioned potential of 2-piece boards). 2013 Trads in particular had nice fat necks and no weight relief (I know some really think no weight relief is a big deal, I'm not one of them... I actually prefer Trads with 9-Swiss cheese holes... I appreciate the weight savings and it doesn't tonally affect the guitar at all as far as I can tell, and I've owned Trads both with and without weight relief... so win-win!!!). 2014s were good as well, but a lot of folks had real heartburn with the 120th Anny 12th fret logo and the robot tuners started showing up en masse in 2014. 2015, self-explanatory! ;) In 2016 (the T line) was really a return to the 2011 build style and that's one reason I am so fond of them. Gibson got the ship righted and offered "normal" LPs again, but also offered the HP line for those looking for something different. If they'd have done that in 2015 they'd have saved themselves a ton of heartache (and money!). Anyway, this is why I regard the 2016s so highly. 2017 (at least so far, we probably don't have all the actual details/colors/options yet) looks like a mixed bag to me personally. I am SERIOUSLY considering picking up another 2016 Trad T (probably in Iced Tea to replace the 2011 Iced Tea Trad I used to have) when the price breaks on the 2016s as the 2017s roll out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Yep, hope so too... but with Gibson it's always a crap shoot. Let's go ahead an include the 2011s. To me that was the best year prior to 2016. Nice dark (pre-raid) rosewood, solid build quality, etc. 2011 is a year I like to keep an eye out for personally (used to have a 2011 Trad in Iced Tea... miss it!). 2012s with their 2-piece lamimate boards (and some 2013s as well have 2-piece boards, I've seen them) will always make some folks look upon them with a jaundiced eye. I had a 2012 Trad and its board was not only 2-piece, but very light colored and really not an "A" grade of rosewood at all AND (no kidding) smelled like fresh cut hay! Really... it was crazy. :) (I never bonded with that guitar.) 2013s seemed to be a good year (except for the aforementioned potential of 2-piece boards). 2013 Trads in particular had nice fat necks and no weight relief (I know some really think no weight relief is a big deal, I'm not one of them... I actually prefer Trads with 9-Swiss cheese holes... I appreciate the weight savings and it doesn't tonally affect the guitar at all as far as I can tell, and I've owned Trads both with and without weight relief... so win-win!!!). ... My early 2011 SG Bass has a nice, rather dark rosewood board, too. A 2011 Limited LP of mine has a Coração de Negro fretboard that is dearly awesome, and then there are a finished maple and a baked maple board each on my 2011 L6S guitars, both very nice. One 2012 Custom Shop LP of mine has a fine rosewood board, and it's one-piece as seen when she needed a new nut. My second 2012 Custom Shop LP, an Alex Lifeson Axcess, came with a laminated board without notice - see the photos below. I was annoyed when I found out long after the return period had ended while replacing the poor stock locking nut with a Schaller part. Like with your former 2012 Trad, the top layer looks very bright, rather light ochre than brown. :unsure: The bottom layer is much darker. Another 2012 LP of mine has a nice, dark rosewood board, and I don't know up to now if it's laminated or not. The four of my 2013 Gibson rosewood boards are nice, no complaints. This includes the "Government Board" of the Explorer shown as my avatar. Anyway, I have to say that the four 2011 and the two 2012 Fender Mexico rosewood boards are extraordinarily fine. I'm not exaggerating, they are as nice as can be. The pores are so small and the texture is so fine that it's close to unbelievable, in particular at these price points. Their view and feel beats all other rosewood boards of all other brands in my arsenal although that of my 2011 SG Bass comes close. By the way, Fender Mexico used Schaller locking nuts stock on all four of my Floyd Rose Strats (one of them has a maple board). That Gibson Custom used a cheap knock-off beyond all size tolerances is simply crazy... <_< Here's the top layer of my Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess board, probably Brazilian tulipwood: This picture taken with the locking nut removed clearly shows the lamination: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Sorry, uploading pics for illustrating my previous post took me some time - I'm beyond my high-speed flatrate data content and will have poor web performance now until overtomorrow morning... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1all's Pub Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 My 2012 Trad's board was every bit as light as your Axcess (maybe even lighter). I maybe could've lived with the color, but that hay smell was very off-putting. I got rid of it to get my 2016 Honey Burst trad (which has a very nice and very dark "hay-free" board). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentar Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Yes it should be 1959 Best Year EVER.... Now all we can do is try and copy it.... :) People have lost their minds over the 59. Everything is 59 this and 59 that. I'm getting tired of hearing about the 59. All the Standards made with 60s profile necks are superior to the 59 excepting the too heavy Norlins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ess Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GIB-HLPS17-LIST Wow... well I am impressed with the new 2017 HPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GIB-HLPS17-LIST Wow... well I am impressed with the new 2017 HPs. Pretty paint job and lots of features for sure - but 40% off with 12 months interest free 4 months before 2017 even arrives strikes me as bizarre - I mean, that now pretty much becomes top dollar anyone will be willing to pay from here on!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1all's Pub Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 that 40% off is a straw man and bogus. $3199 is the normal price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvcrap2000 Posted September 5, 2016 Author Share Posted September 5, 2016 Yeah seems like most of them Don't have the poker chip and pickguard(hope it's in the case). I'm still disappointed about the price raise on some models and the cheap route their going on others. Firebird T raising it $400 but adding a hard case, Justified? I don't think so(Not for $400 Extra, $150 yes). The Firebird studios are rather lame, Regular tuners, Humbuckers, hard to go on those. Like the Green of the LP Classic, Where are all the other colors for the LP range? The Bourbon Burst looks good, hopefully they will give it good tops to match. No Full Pickguard SG Standard?? the only thing That changed this year that's significant is the rolled binding/frets and probably the aluminum bridge(Why not Titanium or Steel?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 ... and probably the aluminum bridge(Why not Titanium or Steel?). Perhaps because aluminum provides the highest speed of sound of the given materials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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