What would you like to see Gibson make?

[Ryan H]

The only thing I will say about all this is while I hear what you are saying, without those corporate people Gibson may have shut down, like in the 80s..

 

As much as I agree that id like to see the love again (without paying 3k plus), I don't think the quality is that bad.. maybe not what we want but they have had worse periods like I believe in the mid to late 90s (and the less said about the 70s the better :P :))

 

The quality isn't terrible, but the quality of the product compared to the quality of the 1950's/1960's product when you factor advancements in quality control is pretty terrible. All relative.

 

-Ryan

[quapman]

What I wanna know is how all you young guys get your hands on all these guitars from the 50s and 60s???

 

I'm 53. I have owned one 69 Les Paul in my life. In recent years I have never seen anything much older than a 70s' guitar.

 

Maybe I need to get out more.

They just don't show up around here.

[Ryan H]

What I wanna know is how all you young guys get your hands on all these guitars from the 50s and 60s???

 

I'm 53. I have owned one 69 Les Paul in my life. In recent years I have never seen anything much older than a 70s' guitar.

 

Maybe I need to get out more.

They just don't show up around here.

 

We get a 50's/60's Gibson or Fender in the local guitar store every 2 months or so on average. Sometimes some stuff like Danelectros and such too. Just depends on the population. The store is on a major road with a very large elderly population.

 

-Ryan

[milod]

And the poorer pieces don't show up at all. They're gone.

 

I've noted elsewhere that my mid-50s Harmony electric upper-end archtop sounds fine, but is a bear to play due to the baseball neck. Etc., etc. Prior owners "upgraded' the thing with bridges (as I did), Grovers and tailpiece, but it's luck that it's even playable by any criteria.

 

The guitar companies after WWII were alike all other companies recovering from a a horrid economic depression followed by a huge wartime economy and changes in technology. I've a theory that without the surplus radio tubes and factory capacity to make them during the war, the electric guitar would have been 20 years or more in development to anything we saw circa 1959 forward.

 

"We" entered a bursting economy hungry for goods at all levels that had not been there for decades, and with technologies that hadn't existed in quantity prior to the war. That's what brought the burst of Gibsons and Epis and Fenders and Martins and - frankly they weren't necessarily all that good.

 

But we're comparing also apples to oranges. Today's world is not what it was in '55. Today's consumer demands are different as a whole, and various regulations have added to the changes as well. Any corporation must take into account - and accounting - the world in which they live.

 

Greed? Or is it simply an effort to keep a specialty consumer-oriented manufacturing company alive out of as much pride as well as pragmatism? Even a "Ma and Pa" anything small business had best figure ways to gather up sufficient capital either to expand or to weather economic difficulties, to move operations for dozens of reasons or to survive various sorts of disasters.

 

Is that "greed?" I've seen too many would-be businesses open with all sorts of good intention and "social responsibility" ignore those imperatives and go bankrupt, usually leaving employees and small communities worse off than before.

 

Hey, I'd love to see real ivory, tortoise-shell, ebony, longtime aged mahoganies and such as in the old days of yet more hand craftsmanship. But it ain't gonna happen for a number of reasons.

 

As for price... Let's see, when Gibson came up with the ES175, it went for $175. That was around six weeks of an average rural skilled worker's paycheck before taxes. At $4,000 today it's roughly the same. Close enough for folk music, anyway.

 

As for old Gibbies and Fenders... ain't seen any for sale around here, but then there ain't many people given the population density.

 

m

[Riffster]

I admire the cut of yer jib, Caroline.

 

rct

 

Joking?

[charlie brown]

A Gibson USA SG "Les Paul" Junior, and Special, both with P-90's!

In "Cherry," White, and Black!

 

Also, with the current trend back to early '60's bevels, and horn tapering!

 

CB

[kaleb]

70s-early 80s reissue Les Pauls. But then again, that would be stupid because you can get a real one for the same price.

 

I would like to see Vs with the late 70s specs, as well as a vibrato option (Vibrola, Floyd, Kahler, Bigsby, what have you).

 

I would like to see them offer after-market pickups.

 

And Ripper and Grabber basses in more colors as well as more accurate to the old ones.

[jaxson50]

Telecasters!

[rct]

Joking?

 

Not at all. It is an old maritime greeting from when the only way sailors in ports filled with sailors from all over the world could know the origins of others, the shape of the jib, the forward most sail, was generally different from country to region, and became moreso as a form of identity.

 

rct

[Cú Chulainn]

mayve an affordable Byrdland? Then I might look into getting one :) maybe ...

[Riffster]

Not at all. It is an old maritime greeting from when the only way sailors in ports filled with sailors from all over the world could know the origins of others, the shape of the jib, the forward most sail, was generally different from country to region, and became moreso as a form of identity.

 

rct

 

Nah, just surprised you suscribe to that romantic idealization of 50's Gibsons.

 

Last year is the first year I ever see a '59 LP and there were 3 of them, one in pristine condition, there was also a '58 and they really did not not look all that different than a reissue today. If I was to claim Gibsons of today are not at par with those of the 50's my comment would be limited to the Flying V and Explorer models for obvious reasons.

[rct]

Nah, just surprised you suscribe to that romantic idealization of 50's Gibsons.

 

Last year is the first year I ever see a '59 LP and there were 3 of them, one in pristine condition, there was also a '58 and they really did not not look all that different than a reissue today. If I was to claim Gibsons of today are not at par with those of the 50's my comment would be limited to the Flying V and Explorer models for obvious reasons.

 

I don't. I played lots of crummy vintage guitars when I was a kid. I would not ever advise anyone to buy a vintage guitar because it is "better", it usually isn't. But I do know that some folks hold them above the rest, and I'm fine with that. I do think that if Gibson would just make decent guitars that people want, we'd all be happier, and those old guitars would probably make everyone happy. But, as in my first answer to this thread, it isn't all that hard to knock off run of the mill Gibsons from 1957, it really isn't. The only one that has trouble doing it economically for everyone is Gibson themselves. Perhaps if they focused on doing that instead of the next <think of something to> Tribute Les Paul...

 

rct

[Sailjunkie]

The Gibson Les Paul "Signature" How many of you know what THAT looks like?

The Gibson L5S!!!

[SteveFord]

Bring this back into the line up.

 

 

 

 

 

I had one years ago and it was cheap, light, easy to play and just a great guitar.

 

And make it a good one, please.

 

 

[DiamondJig]

P90 models that have the body/necks bevels binding ect.. of the 2013 a Jr with the same and if you like add the vibrola like the 2013 original

[jaxson50]

A chambered body LP with a Varitone control on it.

[crust]

A chambered body LP with a Varitone control on it.

 

yes

[duane v]

A run of Les Paul Traditional with Kahler trems

[RS1976]

Buckethead Les Paul with regular scale. same Pickup Configuration, paint, kill switches, etc... but regular size.

[btoth76]

Hello!

 

Another run of Les Paul Classic Custom with 3 pickups in tobacco, wine-red, black, and silverburts colors.

 

And a run of 3 PU SG Classic Customs too.

 

Cheers... Bence