Quailty of Guitars

[1BADVETTE]

I just wanted to post my feelings and experiences about the guitars I have purchased over the years. First things first.....I am an active player and guitar tech. I buy, repair, modify, and build my guitars as well as do work for customers. Now with all this said, I would like to talk about some of the bad experiences I have had with certain guitars. I recently purchased a Gibson LP Standard Premium. This guitar was $3400.00 and was beautiful but the playability of the guitar was something else. The first thing I did was play it and then I set it up like I always do with all my guitars. This LP buzzed on the first 5 frets right from the start. After checking everything, I found out the neck was flat and the action was much to low. I made my adjustments a little at a time setting the bow in the neck, action, and intonation. After getting everything correct, the guitar still had buzzing on the first 5 frets. I scratched my head and scoured the internet for answers. I read a lot of post on fret buzz and then the old light bulb came on. I hadn't checked the frets themselves. Well, much to my surprise and with the help of a magnifying glass, I noticed that ALL the frets were filed flat. Yes, I said flat. There were no crowns on any frets anywhere up and down the fret board. I looked at the binding on the side of the neck that overlaps the edges of the frets and it was all there from the factory. This told me that the frets were this way from the factory. If the frets had of been redressed, the edge binding on the edges of the frets would have been gone or some of them would have been at least been scuffed up in some way. I saw no signs of this upon closer inspection. Anyway, I came to the decision that I would take the guitar back and get a refund. I was not going to spend more of my money to correct what should have been done correctly the first time. Gibson has quality control issues and they need to solve them. Now I'm not just saying this because of one guitar that had problems, I'm saying this because I had a Blue Gibson LP Studio that had quality issues also. I purchased the LP Studio years ago and I sold it because it had a hump in the neck fret board. There was no way to adjust it and correct the problem. I sent it back to Gibson only to have them tell me that they had fixed it and they sent it back. It cost me $70.00 to ship it and when I got the Studio back, it still had the hump in the neck fret board. I sold the LP Studio. I said then that I would never purchase another Gibson guitar, but I couldn't pass up the Gibson LP Standard Premium in Desert Burst. I have always wanted one but you can only imagine my frustration when I got this guitar and it had problems too. I have purchased Squiers, Epiphones, Fenders, and Carvins. All of the fret work on these guitars I have purchased is really good. Nice crowned frets like they should be. I guess the one thing that really gets me is, I purchased a Epiphone Special with the Flame top and it only cost about $200.00 It has a better fret job than the $3400.00 Gibson LP Standard. That is what really gets me. Anyway, I know anyone can get good and bad guitars in any brand name ... but come on, $3400.00 of my hard earned cash and it should be right the first time. Well, I went back to Carvin because I have not ever had an issue with any of their work. I will also be sticking with my Epiphones, Squiers, and Fenders. I just got this Epiphone and it is modded with Vol/Tone push/pull pots and a Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded Humbucker Set. SH-2 Jazz model at the neck and SH-4 model at the bridge. After these mods and a proper setup, this guitar plays and sounds great. Thank you for listening.

 

[Pin]

Hi Advette,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

May I gently suggest that your post would be altogether more readable if it were paragraphed into shorter segments.

 

Your experience of Gibson's is different to mine. Every Gibson I have played has been set up perfectly but maybe I've just been lucky. The converse has been true re Epiphone where all my Epiphones apart from my 2004 Korean G400 has needed fretboard work.

[crust]

Seems like every guitar is different and none are the same. Some sour lemons in every batch. I have 2 Gibson Les Paul's and they are fine, same with my Epiphone's, Squier's, Gretsch...I've never actually seen a really bad Gibson guitar. I guess there's some out there. I hope you got it straightened out

[crust]

 

 

Beautiful finish on that, reminds me of mine (good opportunity to show it off, again...lol)

[1BADVETTE]

Beautiful finish on that, reminds me of mine (good opportunity to show it off, again...lol)

Glad you did. Great looking guitar.

[1BADVETTE]

I have a real good question. Why can't I upload bigger pics? The ones I upload are small.

[Not-Too-Late]

I have a real good question. Why can't I upload bigger pics? The ones I upload are small.

 

Sad to hear of your problems.

 

To post bigger pics, you have to first use a service like Photobucket.

[Rabs]

I have a real good question. Why can't I upload bigger pics? The ones I upload are small.

:)

 

Yup, that's usually one of the first questions asked on here...

 

Gibson only give you 500k of space... so what most of us do is use http://www.photobucket.com (its easy and free to join)... once you have uploaded your pictures on there, use the IMG link it gives you in your posts.. up to 10 per post..

 

like this :)

[milod]

Actually I've found that how and where I encounter a new guitar for me seems to have more than a little bit of influence on "playability."

 

Some folks like this or that, too. Some are bothered by this or that in a guitar, others find the same "flaws" meaningless.

 

Frankly I think playability and price tag are not at all measures of the same sorts of thing. In fact, they're only meaningful IMHO in terms of a given player.

 

I've found certain Epis among the most playable instruments I've had my hands on over the past 50+ years - and certainly they're found in far greater numbers than Gibsons. If I didn't find either "comfortable" for me and how I play, I'd not buy either.

 

I guess in a sense this is a good call to not buy a guitar you haven't had your hands on regardless of brand if it's above cash you're willing to drop for something you won't care for.

 

m

[1BADVETTE]

:)

 

Yup, that's usually one of the first questions asked on here...

 

Gibson only give you 500k of space... so what most of us do is use http://www.photobucket.com (its easy and free to join)... once you have uploaded your pictures on there, use the IMG link it gives you in your posts.. up to 10 per post..

 

like this :)

Thanks for the info.

[Not-Too-Late]

Thanks for the info.

 

If IMG doesn't work in Photobucket (it doesn't for me), use "Direct". I have success with that.

 

Cheers

Wayne

[1BADVETTE]

Actually I've found that how and where I encounter a new guitar for me seems to have more than a little bit of influence on "playability."

 

Some folks like this or that, too. Some are bothered by this or that in a guitar, others find the same "flaws" meaningless.

 

Frankly I think playability and price tag are not at all measures of the same sorts of thing. In fact, they're only meaningful IMHO in terms of a given player.

 

I've found certain Epis among the most playable instruments I've had my hands on over the past 50+ years - and certainly they're found in far greater numbers than Gibsons. If I didn't find either "comfortable" for me and how I play, I'd not buy either.

 

I guess in a sense this is a good call to not buy a guitar you haven't had your hands on regardless of brand if it's above cash you're willing to drop for something you won't care for.

 

m

I completely agree with you. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you buy a Cadillac, you should get a Cadillac not a Volkswagen. I have always thought that the customer should get what they pay for. I have several cheap, middle, and high end guitars. All of them play very well and have their own personalities. Nothing bothers me more than a company taking unnecessary short cuts. It hurts the company and the sales of their products.

[1BADVETTE]

:)

 

Yup, that's usually one of the first questions asked on here...

 

Gibson only give you 500k of space... so what most of us do is use http://www.photobucket.com (its easy and free to join)... once you have uploaded your pictures on there, use the IMG link it gives you in your posts.. up to 10 per post..

 

like this :)

Man that's a nice guitar! The red looks like you could sink your hand in it. Cool!

[Rabs]

Man that's a nice guitar! The red looks like you could sink your hand in it. Cool!

Thank you sir.. I do love her..

 

Shes a Gibby 2008 Standard :)

[1BADVETTE]

Thank you sir.. I do love her..

 

Shes a Gibby 2008 Standard :)

Here are mine.

I hope this posted. Let me know if it doesn't.

[Not-Too-Late]

Here are mine.

I hope this posted. Let me know if it doesn't.

 

I always have a problem with URL. Try "Direct". That should work.

[1BADVETTE]

I always have a problem with URL. Try "Direct". That should work.

Finally got it now.

This is the Epi I modded. Push pull pots and new pickups. I also added different knobs. I didn't like the speed knobs on this build. I wanted an old school look.

[Rabs]

Finally got it now.

Yup that got it...

 

Lovely looking stable you have there

[1BADVETTE]

Yup that got it...

 

Lovely looking stable you have there

Thanks. I have more but I just haven't had the time to finish my guitar room and place them all.

[crust]

Finally got it now.

This is the Epi I modded. Push pull pots and new pickups. I also added different knobs. I didn't like the speed knobs on this build. I wanted an old school look.

 

[crust]

Here are mine.

I hope this posted. Let me know if it doesn't.

 

[1BADVETTE]

This is my favorite of all my guitars my Epi P90. I installed a new bridge, CTS pots, wiring, switchcraft jack, locking tuners, and knob pointers. I let my boys draw on it and they made it into a Father's Day guitar. Set it all up and it plays great.

[Scott Marlowe]

This is my favorite of all my guitars my Epi P90. I installed a new bridge, CTS pots, wiring, switchcraft jack, locking tuners, and knob pointers. I let my boys draw on it and they made it into a Father's Day guitar. Set it all up and it plays great.

 

 

NICE! I also like the upgraded bridge. I just do NOT like the stock wrap around bridge Epiphone uses on that and their other guitars.

[burchster]

I bought the last version of the SG junior last year that Gibson did that came from the factory missing a pickguard screw...the hole wasnt even drilled for it. But my 2006 SG junior is by far the best playing guitar I have. I think its hit or miss on quality. I have not been impressed by any Gibson models they came out with this year on the under 1000$ range. No gloss finishes or pickguards. I would like to try a 335 but honestly I like my Sheratons...they just look better. Ill stick with Epiphone I just cant decide between another sherry or the riviera p3 :P

[Scott0]

There were no crowns on any frets anywhere up and down the fret board. I looked at the binding on the side of the neck that overlaps the edges of the frets and it was all there from the factory. This told me that the frets were this way from the factory.

 

Most of my guitars come with rounded/flat top frets, not crowned. All my Fenders are either round or flat on the top from the factory, 2 of 3 LPs and all my semi-hollows.

 

That doesn't mean that particular LP isn't supposed to have crowned frets, I don't know, but it's not out of the question that it's supposed to have flat top frets.