GraceToo
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Posts posted by GraceToo
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15 hours ago, mihcmac said:
Since the management reorganized and limited the product line in 2020, Epiphone has been very slowly introducing some variation and a few discontinued models. They seem to be trying to be careful with what is produced. It could be a while before more colors are available for each model.
Hopefully it wonât be too long until we see more variety⌠I will never buy an ebony Explorer with a rosewood fretboard (Iâd make an exception for an ebony body plus ebony fretboard combo, or a custom with binding and gold hardware, but thatâs it). Natural and white are both classic body colours for the Explorer and the V, and it would be awesome to see those variations added to the inspired by Gibson line. It would also be great to see a standard production Epiphone Explorer modelled after the â70s design, rather than the rounder â58 design. Most of the artist Epiphone Explorers are done in the more angular â70s style, but I canât think of any regular production Epi Explorers produced in the past couple decades based on that design.
I know the LP is a more popular and therefore more marketable guitar overall, but it just seems a little unfortunate to me that weâre severely limited by what we can buy in the designer series, when we can buy Epiphone LPs in most of the classic Gibson finishes with period-specific variations and custom models. I might just have to wait for a new artist model Explorer.
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On 8/8/2021 at 5:48 PM, Mr. Gibson said:
My rosewood tele was crackling  every time I touched the pick guard, grabbed  a dryer sheet and rubbed the pick guard all over and it actually worked. Who said I was wasting my time here sure was wrong. Lol.
Dryer sheets usually work for static on plastic pickguards. They frequently don't work for static on the finish on the back of the guitar body/neck (and if they do work for that problem, they don't work for long).Â
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As the new owner of a 2020 Epiphone Les Paul, I just have to say that I am really impressed with the step up in Epiphone's quality over the past few years. I'd love to get one of the new Explorers as well, but there's just one problem: I loathe ebony finishes when they're combined with rosewood fretboards. More finish options would be much appreciated! An Epiphone Explorer in an aged natural or walnut finish would be an instant purchase for me, as would one in white. I know there may be another artist run or limited edition run at some point, but I think there would definitely be a market for greater variety in the standard production finishes in the designer series. The V and Firebird both only have one finish to choose from as well.
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I bought a new Epiphone LP gold top last week, and it is phenomenal. It is currently being serviced for a possible high fret, but honestly, one high fret is a small price to pay for an otherwise excellent guitar. It sounds so much better than my older Epi gold top (which had alnico classics), and it looks more like a gold top is supposed to look. I had originally intended to go home with a Gibson LP Studio, but the Studio had bad static crackle on the back of the guitar. The other Gibsons I tried in the store had static crackle too. More importantly: they didn't feel or sound any better than the Epiphone.
Epiphone have really knocked it out the park with this latest run. Now, if they could only release some more finish options for the Explorer, I'd be golden. đ
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2 hours ago, Eracer_Team said:
Electrostatic applications has been employed across multiple segments of industries that need to apply a even level of paint/clear coat.Â
Not all Guitars exhibit the static is it really how the finish is applied?
Probably how it interacts with clothes, think all anyone needs to do is regular namptha cleaning and watch what one wears
Btw GraceToo no one from Gibson will read this forum, the moderator barely shows here.
Torches and pitchforks won't help change an industryÂ
Well, when people are calling Gibson about this problem and Gibson are telling them directly that itâs because of the electrostatic finish application⌠I guess itâs safe to assume that itâs really how the finish is applied. It obviously doesnât affect all of the guitars that go through the electrostat line, but there are enough complaints out there about static Gibsons to suggest Gibson needs to examine the issue closer. This has never happened before on any other guitar Iâve ever owned in over twenty years of playing, and Iâve owned a lot.
Since no Gibson representatives read their official forum (I wasnât aware), I guess Iâll stop responding, even though problem was not truly âresolved.â I wouldnât really call having to give up the dream guitar youâve wanted for years a âresolution.â Iâd call it a disappointment.
For the next person who inevitably ends up with this problem and stumbles across this thread while looking for solutions: I hope youâre able to get your money back easily, and I hope you manage to get a suitable, non-crackling replacement without hassle.Â
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6 hours ago, NighthawkChris said:
You did one thing right, got rid of the guitar and got something that makes you happy. The next thing you need to do is stop discussing this static thing for ages. It's been since June and again, guitar is gone - out of your life. You're not going to continue on this conversation to convince me to sell all my 14 Gibson guitars that have NO STATIC. Even if they do, I don't hear it. Never been booed off the stage for static pops coming out of my Gibson.Â
Calling Bono... Bono anyone? I tend to post frightful images of him. Last time I had nightmares of what I saw!Â
What on earth are you going on about? Iâm not trying to convince anyone to sell their Gibsons, particularly if they DONâT have static problems related to the finishing process. What I would like to see is Gibson making an effort to ensure that expensive guitars are not leaving their factory with this problem. People keep responding to the thread, which is the only reason why I myself keep responding.
ÂLPRich, if itâs not a problem, why did you respond to this thread four weeks after the last post to say your new LP has this âdreadedâ static issue? Why did you say you considered returning the guitar because of it? Clearly it IS at least somewhat of a problem for you, because why say anything weeks later after the original discussion ended, why say you considered returning it, if it wasnât a problem?
Maybe Gibson would do right by their customers and finally fix this issue if more people held them accountable. If some guitars are leaving the factory with crackling finishes secondary to the finishing process, then thatâs a QC issue that needs to be addressed.
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On 7/28/2021 at 2:27 PM, LPRich said:
My new 50âs LP also has the dreaded Gibson crackle. Oh well! Itâs a freaking awesome guitar so itâs a keeper. But I understand the OP returning it. Crossed my mind for about a minute and a half.Â
A call in to Gibson confirmed that itâs the electrostatic part of the finishing procedure. No shielding in the universe will fix it. For those that did get results may very well have had a different issue. But if itâs coming from the back of the neck and body, itâs the finish itself.Dryer sheets works fine for me. Iâll only use it on the neck when recording. Just playing, I donât even notice it anymore.
It will go away in time.
A brand new 50's LP sets you back a cool $3,200 in Canada before tax. Having to rub dryer sheets on a brand new $3,200 guitar for an indeterminate amount of time would be a fairly major deal breaker for me. It was certainly a deal breaker for me on a $1,300 used guitar that was first purchased 2.5-3 years ago, back in 2018. đ How long does a person have to wait, exactly, for a Gibson guitar affected by this issue to stop being a crackling mess? How many years of gumming up the finish with dryer sheets, how many years of having to re-record takes thanks to annoying finish-related crackles if you just so happen to move the guitar slightly against your body?
Not sure why they continue to insist on applying an electrostatic charge to their guitars when they know it causes this problem...
P.S. I spent the money I got back for the Explorer on a brand new American Performer Telecaster. No static problems whatsoever, not even from the pickguard. Killer guitar, and I don't have to re-record perfect takes multiple times due to annoying crackling while sliding my hand up the neck.
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13 hours ago, LPRich said:
That is correct. Itâs an electrostatic charge which helps the nitrocellulose adhere to the guitar. Of course, it also helps the guitar hold a static charge. So annoying!
Annoying ain't what I expect from an expensive instrument, which is why I won't buy a new Gibson unless the store has an ironclad return policy. đ Who wants a guitar that crackles and pops when you make a chord change? Not me! I don't care how aesthetically pleasing it is, or how rare the wood is; if I can't record with it, it's useless.
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5 hours ago, kidblast said:
we all have had it to one degree or another. I have 5 USA Gibby electrics, so I just did the grin and bear it thing..
 as the finish ages, the static pops will slowly become much less noticeable until one day you realize, it's just gone.
it's the nitro, really strange stuff..
Â
I doubt itâs the nitro itself, but rather the fact that Gibson literally applies an electrostatic charge to the guitar during the finish application process to reduce waste.Â
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4 hours ago, LPRich said:
My brand new Standard does it. I contacted Gibson who told me it is 100% normal. Itâs the electrostatic charge they use to help the nitro adhere to the guitar.
It may or may not go away with use.
And no, shielding does bugger all!Â
Itâs pretty sad that this is considered ânormalâ by Gibson, and it guarantees that I wonât be purchasing a new Gibson any time soon. Why spend multiple thousands on a guitar that you canât even record with? Seems like itâs just the luck of the draw as to whether or not you get one with static problemsâŚÂ Iâd be curious to know when they started using this electrostatic finishing process â if only to ensure that any used Gibson I purchase was manufactured BEFORE its implementation.
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12 hours ago, SteveFord said:
I'd be pissed, too, but I never encountered that with any of them unless it was a bad input jack or a scratchy control. There's probably been 40 or 50 that I've owned over the years, everything from current to early 60s production.Â
Occasionally a new or seldom played guitar will have a sticky feeling neck but that eventually goes away.
Â
I hope you never encounter the issue! Itâs really frustrating, and really surprising to see just how many people have encountered it over the past several years.
3 hours ago, NighthawkChris said:@GraceToo I came here to attempt to provide insight about your situation and understood your reasoning why you did not keep it after all. No issues with what you did - just a âthingâ thereâs plenty more of out there to buy. Hope you find a good Gibson one day because Iâve played a Gibson for nearly 30 years and the business set aside, they do make some great guitars - IMHO. Maybe that guitar you got wasnât the oneâŚ
I hope I do find a good one at some point. Iâm in no hurry to keep looking, though.  This experience certainly has eliminated some of that Gibson GAS for me. It blows my mind a little that getting a âgoodâ Gibson these days is a gambleâŚ
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29 minutes ago, NighthawkChris said:
This static thing is a real thing - seen firsthand. But it does get better over time. I must have low standards compared to others apparently. Lol you know which guitar you have I like! If that thing was a static mess, well I just wouldnât care. Absolute beaut!
I guess it depends on what youâre doing with the instrument. If I was jamming along to some backing tracks for my own enjoyment or playing in a bar band, I probably wouldnât care about a bit of static. When Iâm recording, though, those fizzles and pops get picked up very easily, and itâs frustrating to either re-do a part that was played perfectly the first time or try to edit it out. Itâs totally unacceptable for recording purposes, IMO.Â
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1 hour ago, Lungimsam said:
I donât know why most electric guitar makers put a ungrounded small strip of shielding buy the parts under the pick guard or spray the cavity with Shielding paint and then they donât bother to ground it and they donât even bother to completely shield the instrument. All this partial shielding they do doesnât help anything at all.
To be fair, though, Iâve never experienced static electricity problems on any other guitar Iâve ever played (including cheap, unshielded copies). The only other type of guitar that seems prone to the issue is Telecasters, and only with regards to the pickguard. Modern Gibsons are literally the only brand of guitar Iâve ever heard of that can develop problems with static on the neck and on the back of the guitar. Pickguards are understandable, because theyâre plastic and plastic is prone to generating static. The actual BODY of the guitar, though? That should NEVER happen. Shielding the guitar might just be putting a bandaid over the real issue: an electrically charged finish that takes WAY too long to lose its charge, all in the interests of saving some money on paint.
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1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said:
It has been brought up here many times as stated. I never had it happen to me (I've owned about 20 Gibson's in my lifetime, but only one was new and the rest were used), but no longer own any Gibson's, but there are people who buy that brand because it says Gibson on the headstock and defend them to the death because of it and Gibson knows people will buy their product due to the very same reason.
My advice buy an acoustic and it won't do that.
Yep. I used to be dazzled by the headstock and the legacy. Actually owning a Gibson has cured that for me. Maybe getting an acoustic is in fact the way to go, haha.
Â
40 minutes ago, mihcmac said:Gibson has always used Nitrocellulose Lacquer or some type of Lacquer, inexpensive guitars use different types of Poly so they are not effected by the same static noise.
I know theyâve always used nitro. Iâm talking more so about the electrostatic charge they apply to get the finish to adhere to the guitar with less waste.Â
Skip to 3:20.
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1 hour ago, Lungimsam said:
Like I said, copper shielding 100% cure on my 2019 LPDC Tribute bass. No more static noise. The static noise was extremely loud crackling and pops when I touched the neck or while walking on carpeted floor, etc..  Now it is all gone.
If you can hear it in your speakers then it is an electrical problem and the noise should be able to be sent to ground with proper shielding. Yes it is good practice to run a jumper wire from the closest location of copper shielding to the ground lug on your output Jack, or to one of the pot casings. You can strip one end of the shielding on the jumper wire  and copper seal tape it to the copper shielding. But you will have to Solder the other end to the ground lug of your Output Jack. Oddly it made no difference if I did it with a jumper or not ( I experimented) I still got the same results with 100% removal of static noise. This may be because The pick guard shielding touches the lock washers of the pot casings when installed and the pots are wired to ground from factory.
First step in shielding is to shield the entire cavity and pick guard, making sure you have connectivity between all the pieces of tape you used.  Be sure to overlap the ends of the tape onto the top lip of the cavities so the pick guard shielding tape will contact the cavity tape when the pick guard is reinstalled. Reinstall pick guard. This makes a "box" of shielding around the electronics. See if that helps without the jumper to ground first.  No need to solder between pieces of tape if you used copper shielding tape with conductive backing like stewmac sells. Get the widest roll they sell. Also, when you first get the guitar,  you should touch one probe of your multimeter to one of the strings and then touch to the OutputJack casing to make sure that youâre grounding in your entire instrument has connectivity then you know at least that much is correct from factory. If you loved the guitar that much you could always buy another one and then do the copper shielding if you feel up to it.
I have copper shielded RF and static away on three of my basses successfully (even a semi-hollowbody bass). Add a hum bucker to get rid of the AC hum. If you want I will be glad to send pics so you can see what I did.
I donât doubt that shielding can help or even completely eliminate the problem: my point is that this really shouldnât be necessary with an expensive, premium instrument. If it happened to the guitar a year or two after I bought it, I would certainly be willing to spend time, money, and effort fixing the problem. I just bought it, though. This guitar was used, yes, but Iâm willing to bet it had this problem from day one, and thatâs why the original owner sold it.Â
Itâs puzzling that you hardly ever hear of other (often WAY cheaper) guitars from other companies having this issue. Did Gibson always apply an electrostatic finish to their guitars in the factory, or is this just a recent change? If itâs recent, that might explain why most of the guitars experiencing this problem were produced within the last decade.
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2 hours ago, mihcmac said:
The Gibson static problem has been reported for a very long time, but seems to get better as the Nitro cures.
Perhaps Gibson needs to rethink applying an electrostatic charge to their guitars during the finishing process â or, at the very least, improve their quality control if this process is responsible for the static issues some Gibson customers end up experiencing. You shouldnât have to wait months or even years for this problem to go away when youâre spending a large chunk of change on a supposedly premium instrument.
2 hours ago, Eracer_Team said:Some said it was the plastic covers on control panel.
But since you sent the guitar back, we can't recommend anything more
Like to try like take the control cover off
Believe me, it wasnât the control cavity cover. I tried taking it off. No improvement.
Even though I returned the guitar, I still welcome your suggestions and recommendations, so that the next poor schmuck who spends their hard-earned on a crackling Gibson has some options to try before getting their money back.
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33 minutes ago, merciful-evans said:
unfortunate, but at least its resolved now.
Really unfortunate. It felt amazing, it looked amazing, and it generally sounded amazing (you know, when it wasn't crackling and popping with the slightest amount of movement). A really bad first-time experience that has honestly soured me a little on the idea of owning a Gibson. I'll buy one again eventually, but I just feel so disappointed right now.Â
Â
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3 hours ago, badbluesplayer said:
The static buildup problem that you're experiencing is from a charge on the surface of the lacquer. It doesn't have to do with the electronics of the guitar. Shielding will not do anything to stop it. Low humidity makes it worse. If I had to guess, I'd say it's partly the composition of the lacquer and partly the curing process that causes some guitars to be worse than others. I had a 339 with that problem and it eventually went away as the neck wore in.Â
As the finish gets worn in and isn't so slick, it gets better. dryer sheets are the usual treatment. They help.
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2 hours ago, NighthawkChris said:Like @badbluesplayer said not electronic related in the sense that guitar is not wired up wrong.
What I believe goes on is when someone picks up the static charge built up on the nitro, then they come into contact with any metal part thatâs grounded afterwards, then that built up charge will have a path to ground. The âpopsâ we hear during a static discharge is the air breaking down electrically between the metal and your body - a spark albeit visibly tiny. Therefore I believe your guitar is electrically sound in the sense that yes, the external metal parts are grounded and doing what it is supposed to. Shielding is to protect from electrical waves being picked up from the air. I still have yet to see significant differences after shielding a guitar personally, but hey⌠what do I know. I digress, so if you are not getting radio stations or something with your guitar plugged into the amp with amp on just sitting there, donât think you need shielding to fix what youâre attuned to right now. Just play the guitar and donât think about this. You should eventually not care about this and should improve over time. Unfortunate but is what it is. No one ever really hears it when you play anyhow. Never had someone call me out on my LPâs static issues. I have them too but they get better over time. PatienceâŚ
Honestly guys, it's just not good enough. Humidity is not an issue. The guitar was originally purchased in 2018, so the finish should have hopefully cured by this point. Why spend so much money on a guitar that you can barely record with because you're getting electrostatic crackling and popping 95% of the time when you slide up the neck for a solo or some harmonics, or because your freaking leg happens to brush lightly against the back of the guitar? I shouldn't have to rub dryer sheets on a guitar that retails for CAD $2150 and wait months or even years for it to stop picking up huge amounts of static that are audible in recordings -- especially not when no other guitar I've ever played since 1999 has had this problem. I shouldn't have to be "patient" with something that is marketed as a superior, premium instrument.
I ended up returning the guitar this afternoon and got my money back. Salesperson at the store said another customer returned a new SG not too long ago for the exact same issue.
Maybe I'll buy another Gibson guitar if/when Gibson figures out how to apply nitro finish without rendering a certain percentage of their guitars unusable for recording purposes.
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5 hours ago, Lungimsam said:
1. electricity
2. Cuz Gibson for some reason wonât fully shield their instruments at factory I guess.
3. Easy DIY copper shielding entire cavity with slight overlay and copper shielding entire back of  pick  guard created a copper box of sorts when guard installed. It 100% fixed this problem on my 2019 LPDCTribute bass, silenced my 4003, too. Explorer a little diff but same principle. Pm me and Iâll send pics if needed. It is so easy to do it yourself. No need to unsolder anything. Just apply tape and check connectivity with a multimeter . Done. Where are you? In DMV? If so I could do it for you for fun.
Thanks for the reply. Today is my last day to return the guitar, and Iâm so close to doing thatâŚ
Youâre saying that I can shield the guitar and fix this problem with no soldering whatsoever? I donât have to ground the shielding material? I have zero experience working with guitar electronics, but if this is something I can do on my own without any soldering, Iâm willing to give it a go. I just donât understand why this doesnât happen to any of my other guitars, which also are not shielded.
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I am seriously bummed out right now. đ
Last week, I bought my first Gibson (used) from a local, reputable music store that sells gently used gear in addition to brand new gear. The guitar basically looks brand new, with the exception of a few little dings here and there in the finish. The salesperson told me the previous owner barely played the thing, was more a "collector" who had lots of guitars up on his walls. And I believe that -- it's in great condition. The price was right and it played great in the store, so I bought it. I was ecstatic.
Took it home and the following day, noticed something I haven't encountered once during over 20 years of playing multiple guitar brands of varying quality: a distinctive sound of static electricity crackling and popping when running my hand lightly up and down the neck, when my clothing rubs against the back of the guitar, when I rub my hand behind the control cavity, and when I rub my hand behind the switch cavity. I think the reason why I didn't notice it in the store was (1) because I only played it for about ten minutes, and (2) I was playing it sitting down and wasn't moving much. Lots and lots of research seems to suggest that a build up of electrostatic charge on the neck and on other parts of the body occurs quite frequently with new Gibsons, and is potentially related to the finish.Â
Threads get started, people offer suggestions based on what they think might be happening, and there's hardly ever any clear resolution. The OP disappears, and we never find out if they fixed their static problem. Some suggest rubbing the guitar with dryer sheets. Some suggest stuffing dryer sheets in the guitar's cavities. Some suggest shielding the cavities with copper tape or shielding paint. Some suggest re-doing the wiring entirely. Some suggest waiting it out, because it's "normal on Gibsons" (???) and "goes away with time."
I just want to know three things: (1) what the heck causes this problem, (2) why is it happening to a guitar worth over $2000, and (3) what definitively fixes this problem? I've already tried rubbing the guitar with dryer sheets, and that's a no go. Opened up the cavities, and everything looks appropriately soldered, including the bridge ground. Do I seriously need to spend money on getting a tech to shield and re-wire this thing?
I love this guitar. It's my dream guitar, the guitar I've wanted since I was a kid. I don't want to have to return it over STATIC ELECTRICITY, of all things. I haven't had to return any guitar at any point in my life due to major manufacturing flaws, and it's blowing my mind a little that the first time I'm considering it is on an instrument that's more than twice as expensive as the most expensive US-produced guitar I've owned up until now.
Who else wants more finish options for the Original Designer series?
in Epiphone Electrics
Posted
Yes, Iâm aware. đ Lots of finishes and styles to choose from if you want an LP or an SG. Hopefully it bodes well for future Explorers, Vs, and Firebirds.