kidblast

tell ya what... Go find an Epiphone EJ200, then go play a Gibson SJ200 Standard. Then tell me if the name is the reason the SJ200 is 5k and the EJ200 is 500 bucks. I've been playing since I was about 10.. I'm 61... I've had hundreds of guitars pass thru my possession. There is no comparing a USA made Gibson to an Indonesian / Asian import. Never has been one, never will be. The imports ARE better than they were, 15/20 years ago, they were laughable. They are no longer joke, they're DECENT guitars and worth the money, but they are not on par with a USA made "like" model.

well that does it.. thread is dead.. move on ppl nothing to see here.

Les537, your post was a good read. I'm not kidding, It is a shame about the issues you had, and I don't doubt any of it (why would you state otherwise). I have had really good luck with Gibson personally. My oldest is a 95 lp standard that is really fantastic. I recently took my first Bozeman plunge and in 2016 bought a sj200. had some issues with the LR Baggs Element, which the retailer addressed for me, and I really don't find Gibson at fault for a defective 3rd party option. The guitar however was really nice. As was the second one I got when we sent the 1st one bag for the f-ed up pickup. That was a bit of a pita but again, I can't really fault Gibson, but if someone (factory or store) had done a complete inspection, they probably would have found this before it went to a customer. so there is that I suppose...

like that doug! 12 string sounds great.. looks like a taylor,, I've been eying one,, which one is that? I'm considering a 514-12..

my son has some of the newer Roland V-drums, (3 yrs or so), that kit sounds amazing. The "EVEN NEWER ONES" now even LOOK like drums... the Belmont gig sounds awesome.. Hope it all works out Ron.

Interesting! The volume is much more manageable for sure without acoustic drums, Electronic drums have come a long way,, but you still need someone to PLAY them. So did you have to program all the songs, or were canned beats good enough We've played to midi tracks in some cases, for our originals mostly where the orchestration is all supplied by tracks for the songs as we wrote/recorded them. But definitely no leeway tempo wise, none, zero, nada... Dave (our drummer) does a great job keeping the proper tempo when we use midi tracks. In bands other when I've tried a similar tricks before, abject failures. These were decent Drummers, but at the end of the day, could not maintain the right tempo. there's no, "take it around again cuz I forgot the 2nd verse". Nope.. that moment is gone, there isn't another bus to catch in 5 minutes.. Good luck on the next few "drummer in the can" gigs!

I would not go that extent with this one either. Routing a second pickup cavity is quite a bit of precision work that really needs to be done right, other wise, it'll be a hack job, and the guitar will then be worthless. So from here, a lot depends on your budget limits, and how much disposable income you can play around with. The biggest thing to consider is what you paid, verses what you can recover. These guitars new are like 450~500 from what I see online. Realistically, you need to at least assume that you're not going to recover more than 50% of your initial expense. you might do better, but I would assume at least that I was in that ball park on a resale. if you like it and for what it is, it kind a works for you despite the changes you want to try, is it worth selling to only recoup half of what you spend (figure on about $250)? If the answer is no, then I'd just consider keeping it, playing/using it as is, and when you can, look for something like a Gibson Tribute Les Paul, (around $1k) or even as someone suggests, look at an import (like Epiphone Les Paul Pro, or one of the other higher end Epiphone LPs, or even go another route, and check out the 339 pro (around what you paid for your CM), or even something like a Sheraton Pro II which are great guitars for around $800 w/case. OR go with a used one, where some one else will take the depreciation hit, and that will allow you some $room$ to add a bigsby, and some of the other mods you're looking for. Regarding Bigsby, look up Vibramate. This allows the installation of a bigsby with out any permanent mods. Unfortunately with your existing setup (bridge with no stop bar) these would not work. I've put a few on various guitars for people and have one installed on one of my Les Pauls. They work great and are very easy to install. and this was not a dumb question! There's quite a lot worth considering here. good luck..

the only one who it needs to please is the guy who paid for it. YOU.. The hunt continues.. Good luck

Hey Jungel. Sorry to hear you're having these issues. I think I'm sort of with the others, I am not sure much of what I see would kill the deal for me. (The buzzing, yea..) in fact one of the pics looks like bear claw, whichin the wood grain, maybe it's just the photo there, but not seemingly a finish flaw per-say. Luck of the draw with who ever selected the top. In the other photos, I also would have been ok with. Do you suppose the buzzing is probably setup? Acoustics definitely all need a proper setup when new.. perhaps there are some humidity control/regulation problem too? About the buzz tho.. is it fret noise, or sth else?? the reason I ask, and this could not be at all related, but it is strange how these noises can pop up where least expected. I bought a new Taylor 514 classical a few months ago and noticed this really annoying rattling sound when I hit certain notes. I took the battery out and it stopped. Using some electrician tape, I secured the battery to the holder and BOOM, annoying buzz/rattle gone. For a few minutes though I was starting to wonder what the heck was going on, it was very noticeable. I hope you get a solution you are happy with tho. Nothing is a quicker buzz kill than ordering a new axe, and it arrives with all kinds of issues you have to sort out. Even if it's an exchange, as long as the story has a happy ending. Let us know what happens next.

only have a j200 and a few taylors... there goes my fun... :) on the other hand, nice tab!

yea, not surprised, nitro is very malleable while it's curing. regarding the static, it's been most of our experiences that as the nitro cures, this will dissipate. Warmer and more humid weather is coming where I'm located (Boston area) and that makes a difference too.

I don't think so, (just my opine) because the guitar itself is spectacular.

they all do this, SGs Les Pauls, My es-135. I have 6 Gibsons, the only one that doesn't do it is my SJ200. I'm surprised the guys at the store have never noticed before. The only one I had to do something about was the 2002 standard, but once I had all the pots properly grounded, it vastly improved. It really has nothing to do with the QC @ Gibson. The Nitro finish is the culprit.

quite familiar with the problem. doesn't the classic have p90s? I have a 2002 standard that was relentless. I wound up having the pickup cavity re-grounded (Wire soldered to all pots, and then to the ground) which vastly improved it. In the dry winter months, it will still be noticeable once in a while. I don't know why some are worse than others, but they seem to be. my 95 Standard was not nearly as problematic as my 2002.

yep... that's the solution...

oh so it works then..?!

^-- yep! that's the conclusion I'm reaching after posting this thread and reading the responses so far.

it's where the pickguard comes to a TIP beneath the sound hole. I don't think I could even slip a piece of double sided tap in there cleanly enough to address it. So yea, it sounds like you had the same problem. About the PG, I would not remove it unless for some reason I had to. but once removed, I am really not sure I'd hassle with reapplying. you are right tho,, it is something that a J200 wouldn't look right without.

yea that's what I'm thinking too. This one is from 2016, I received it in March of the same year.

thanks guys!! Hall: yea.. I'm not thinking this lifting is something new and unusual.. I've read enough threads to assume this is a common nit. And this is my saame situation, press it back down, just to make sure nothing "grabs" it like a shirt sleeve or something.. never know?! Stu: if I take this thing off, and clean up the wood, I would probably not even reinstall it. unless the color fade was way too obvious. We'll see how this develops I guess, but by all means, any other advice or suggestions are quite welcome! /r

thanks Sal! Sort of one of the options I was thinking.. Another is remove it, and NOT reattach it. I'm not crazy about it anyway. not in a hurry to get this sorted, as at the moment, the lift area is quite small. so I have time on my side to get some ideas on where to go.

Hi guys, just looking for a bit of advice. I've noticed recently that one of the tips of the pick guard on my SJ200 lifts up a little. I just push it back into place, and it stays there for a while, but slowly lifts up again over a few days. Not lifting a lot, just one spot, lifting off the top, a very small amount. I'm wondering if, overtime, the lift area grows larger. any remedies? I would think the whole pick guard would need to be removed, some sort of safe adhesive reapplied. I know a service center close by that can probably do it, and I would almost have to think this would be a warranty claim? any advice? for now, I'm just leaving it be until it starts to be more of a concern.

My head hurts just reading this thread...

I was a frequent pest at a music store in the town I worked in back in the mid 90s. (bought a few guitars from this place, including my 95 LP Standard) the owner was very a meticulous guy, and quite the aficionado.. he was the one that pointed out the foto flamed fenders he had, and mentioned that Epiphone was doing it as well. I did see one Epi a co-worker had about a yea after, His kid had damaged the top, (put a gouge in somehow.) you could see what looked like paper was underneath the finish. he asked me if I thought it could be fixed,, I looked at and realized then, it was probably a foto flame top too. I could only suggest a few repair techs that maybe able to do something about. Not sure he ever got it fixed.. we parted ways soon after. Some argue Epiphone never did this foto falme thing, but that damaged EPI LP Standard sure looked like something was funky under that finish where the gouge was.

ha! he may have a point! That technique WAS used for a time, both by Fender, and Epi to name 2. but really, as long as I knew the details and made my own decision. In other words, I'd still buy it, foto flame or not! :)