Filbert

So for the uninitiated amongst us, or maybe just the hard of thinking (i.e. me), what am I looking at exactly here?

Just because it happens doesn't make it right or acceptable. The reason we put up with crap like this in the Western world is partly the reason why we have ended up in a situation of conspicuous consumption and needless and avoidable waste. It's the reason why a small minority of the world's population end up consuming the vast bulk of its resources.

Businesses indeed do routinely destroy unsold inventory, especially perceived 'luxury' brands as noted in the above posts. However, those same businesses are usually scrupulously careful not to video it or release/leak said video because it often turns into a PR disaster. There was a recent case here in the UK of a fashion brand called Burberry who admitted to destroying unsold stock in order to keep the 'value' of the brand high but it turned into a PR nightmare for them when people found out. Gibson need to be careful that the same doesn't happen here because people will see the video without appreciating any of the underlying reasons and think it's a pretty low move for a company to make.

It's very similar. The Strat is a sunburst colour whilst the Firebird is in Tobacco Burst. Apart from the difference in nomenclature, the Firebird has a really lovely graduated colour tone on the back of the neck.

What a waste. Even if they have no intrinsic 'value' to the company, I refuse to believe they couldn't have been given away for free, if necessary or salvaged for parts/material.

I guess so but the fact that none of my other guitars make the same noise under exactly the same set-up and exactly the same conditions makes me wonder. I have several Strats, a Tele , 2 Les Pauls and an SG and none of them make any noise whatsoever. It's very odd. But as I said, unless I can find a pro to look at it, I'll probably have to live with it unless I am 100% certain of the issue - I am not that confident with guitar wiring to go faffing about inside it. Edit: also, my guitar room isn't carpeted - it's laminate flooring so it isn't static from the carpet causing the issue.

No idea. I wouldn't even know where to start looking to be honest, As I said, it's more of an minor annoyance than anything else but maybe something I will get a professional to look at, at some point.

Ha! Yes, I do - can you tell? 🙂 I bought the small one on a whim as it was on offer at a local store. It's quite good for such a small amp - only thing is, it distorts pretty quickly, even at low gain so you have to keep the guitar volume down low to keep it clean. Would like to get some sort of Vox too but I don't have the room for it right now.

Oh, one other thing I should mention is it is quite a noisy guitar though compared to all my others. If I don't have my hands on the strings or the bridge or my foot on my metal foot-pedals, I get a quite loud hum through the amp. tried different amps and leads, no difference and none of my other guitars have anywhere near the same level of noise on exactly the same rig. Not sure why this is; maybe it isn't grounded properly, maybe it is as designed? Either way, not a game-breaker but it is a minor annoyance.

Picked this up a couple of weeks ago and I have to say, very very happy with it - straight out of the box, the action is super low, pretty much the slinkiest guitar I have ever played. Johnny Winter (one of my guitar heros) used to play one of these; maybe some of that magic will rub off? Who knows but hopefully this means a return to form for Gibson! You don't see many people playing these (certainly not over here in the UK anyway - don't know if they are more popular in the States?) and that appealed to me - I like to stray from the beaten path. It was a toss-up for me between getting one of these or a Flying V but in the end, the Johnny Winter connection and the beuatiful tobacco burst finish, especially on the back of the neck, sealed the deal for me.

There's a bit of a difference but is not immediately eye-jarring. I think it is less to do with wear and more to do with sun fade on the finish. I have already given the guitar a good clean with Dunlop polish just to take some of the grime off and it has made a bit of a difference to the overall look. Edit: Pic with the pickguard off:

I might need to do that anyway - it has a crack right around where the top mounting screw is so it is extremely fragile.

Fair enough, thanks for the words of wisdom

I have a 1939 Gibson L-30 and let me say straight off the bat, it's a lovely guitar; I have it set for Delta slide and it sounds wonderful. The (potential) issue is that it is a little bit of a beater, even compared to others from the same era that I have seen. All I can say is, mine must have been played a lot in its life as it is well-loved. It looks every one of its 80 years that's for sure: What's more, the headstock is possibly the worst part - the logo is very faded: So my question to you is, should I get the guitar re-finished or leave it as it is? Is it even worth getting it refinished? How much (ballpark) does such a thing cost? Should I leave the body alone and just get the logo touched up? Part of me wants to leave the finish as it is - it wears its scars well. But part of me also thinks the whole guitar would benefit from a refresh.