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Gibson LP Standard Plus 2014 Issues


Cinchocaine

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Posted

Hello Forum,

 

I recently purchased a Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus 2014 model in brilliant red.

 

This is my first Gibson guitar but unfortunately I have some issues with it and I'd appreciate to get some insights/opinions from you:

 

1. The Volume knob looks strange (picture 1). There is some kind of air bubble in it. The two tone knobs have similar air bubbles but much smaler.

 

2. There is a ugly spot in the finish (picture 2). It small but since i have spend 400 € more for this guitar in comparison to the "normal" standard (wich already has the AAA top) to get the plus top (AAAA) I am disappointed. Is this normal for the AAAA top?

 

3. The rosewood fretboard looks very pale. I have 4 other rosewood fretboard guitars here and none of them looks close. It also smells strange.

 

4. Tuning stability. The strings seem to be jammed at the nut. So when I use the tuners, to get a string that is slightly out of tune into tune nothing happens. I have to pull that string. This problem can be demonstrated by pushing a string above the nut. The string gets out of tune by a quarter note. I have much cheaper guitars which do not have this problem.

 

Thank You in advance.

 

Raphael

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Posted

Hello Forum,

Howdy. Nice guitar.

 

1. The Volume knob looks strange (picture 1). There is some kind of air bubble in it. The two tone knobs have similar air bubbles but much smaler.

Bummer. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace. Looks like you got a crappy one or two.

 

2. There is a ugly spot in the finish (picture 2). It small but since i have spend 400 € more for this guitar in comparison to the "normal" standard (wich already has the AAA top) to get the plus top (AAAA) I am disappointed. Is this normal for the AAAA top?

Anyone can call anything AAA or AAAA. Anything. There is no objective guide as to what is AAAA.

 

3. The rosewood fretboard looks very pale. I have 4 other rosewood fretboard guitars here and none of them looks close. It also smells strange.

huh. Don't know about that. Rosewood varies, some light, some dark, some in between, some striped somewhat.

 

4. Tuning stability. The strings seem to be jammed at the nut. So when I use the tuners, to get a string that is slightly out of tune into tune nothing happens. I have to pull that string. This problem can be demonstrated by pushing a string above the nut. The string gets out of tune by a quarter note. I have much cheaper guitars which do not have this problem.

Nut is maybe poorly cut, or not so looked after maybe. Re-string it, run a pencil in the slots. If they look really deep to your eye, run a small file in the slot a few times, not much, just enough to take some off so the strings can move if they need to.

 

Gibsons are expensive, and they are imperfect. I'm not making excuses or apologies for it, I'm just used to it as are most people here. Unless the mark on the top bothers you that much, I wouldn't worry about any of it.

 

rct

Posted

I'll add that a new nut and "travel from factory" strings are a combination I escape by immediately putting on new strings.

 

Actually since it's so far to a guitar store, the last guitars I bought there came after a telephone conversation that requested they put on my strings of choice on instruments I had asked if they had on stock or expected. That way even messing with it made more sense. With the last two purchased there, I had asked for a call when an example or more of a given instrument arrived. They called, I told my strings of choice, they restrung and set up. I offered to pay for the strings if the guitar didn't "work." That's still a bargain.

 

Bottom line is a "no problem" try, and in both cases "buy."

 

m

Posted

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I take it you didn't inspect the guitar in-person before purchasing. Seems that's something you should've done - especially having an expectation about the figuring. The problem with going by the figuring grade is as rct mentioned - it's subjective, making for a fairly wide variance and overlap in what passes for each grade.

 

 

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Posted

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I take it you didn't inspect the guitar in-person before purchasing. Seems that's something you should've done - especially having an expectation about the figuring. The problem with going by the figuring grade is as rct mentioned - it's subjective, making for a fairly wide variance and overlap in what passes for each grade.

 

 

.

 

I bought it online, so that was not possible. I have no Gibson store near me.

 

Problems 1 and 2 are not so severe. The tuning problem is what drive me nuts. A guitar priced that high should not have these problems. Especially when much cheaper guitars (Fender AM Std Strat) do not have these. Or am I wrong? I don't think this is common to Les Pauls.

Posted

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Rosewood color varies. You might be able to darken it a bit by oiling it. That dark spot in the finish - hard to tell in the pic - but looks like it might be an artifact of the wood/grain/figuring. If you're not happy, return it.

 

You probably should've sought advice on an online retailer here on the forums before making a purchase. If your location makes buying in person impractical, you need an online retailer that will work with you over the phone, that shows well done pics of the actual guitar for sale (not stock advert pics like GC & MF), that checks the guitar over before shipping, and has a decent return policy. Here are some with good reps -

 

Sweetwater . (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

 

The Music Zoo . (Roslyn, New York)

 

Wildwood Guitars . (Louisville, Colorado)

 

Rainbow Guitars . (Tucson, Arizona)

 

 

Excellent rep -

Fullers Vintage Guitar - . (Houston, Texas) . can't advertise Gibsons online, but will work with you through email and phone.

 

.

Posted

...

The tuning problem is what drive me nuts. A guitar priced that high should not have these problems. Especially when much cheaper guitars (Fender AM Std Strat) do not have these. Or am I wrong? I don't think this is common to Les Pauls.

Hello Cinchocaine and welcome here.

 

Being a 2014 guitar, it should feature one of the praised "TekToid™" nuts making "friction fiction" as advertised. Seems to be reality still. [crying]

 

Most guitars "lag" when tuning. I have to get over this every day, getting acquainted to the behaviour of particular instruments. The TP-6 finetuners are the best accessory Gibson ever made, allowing for recording-grade tuning within seconds instead of minutes. However, nothing blows a Floyd Rose system with that, regardless of guitar brand.

 

In the past I had to have stock nuts of several brand-new Gibson guitars replaced on warranty.

Posted
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I bought it online, so that was not possible. I have no Gibson store near me.

 

Problems 1 and 2 are not so severe. The tuning problem is what drive me nuts. A guitar priced that high should not have these problems. Especially when much cheaper guitars (Fender AM Std Strat) do not have these. Or am I wrong? I don't think this is common to Les Pauls.

 

That is why you DONT buy based on online reputation..LP's are notorious for this tuning problem it's the BAD angle of the strings to the headstock...as the members said..pencil the nut. Yer good to go...lesson here; know what yer buying..and remember ...NOTHING IS PERFECT..enjoy yer LP. They are KILLER ..gits

Posted

Thanks so far.

 

I live in Germany and the online retailer is a very large and well known here. The guitar was still in its original packaging from gibson (sealed). I don't think they would have opened it. I have the right to send it pack within 14 days to get a full refund.

 

I have used a pencil but cannot make out a difference. I will have to test the LP of a friend to see if that's similar. If that's normal behavior for LPs OK. I just wonder because of the Grover Locking Tuners some people said this guitar is perfect in tuning etc.

 

I will have to use it for a week to see whether i can live with it or not. Unfortunately the prices for the 2015 models will go up by ~30%. That's to much for me.

Guest Farnsbarns
Posted

I guess it's Thomann? They'll replace it for you if you decide.

 

Locking tuners make no difference to tuning stability, just ease of changing strings.

 

I sounds like you might have a badly cut nut and I would return it rather than look to fix it.

Posted

Thanks so far.

 

The guitar was still in its original packaging from gibson (sealed). I don't think they would have opened it.

This is part of the problem. Evan though it is an online purchase, the dealer is still the one responsible for making sure you get what you paid for. They SHOULD have opened up the package and inspected the guitar.

 

The wood figuring and the fretboard color are purely subjective to you. These are not defects at all. Personally, from what little I can see in the pics, I think it is beautiful figuring of the top.

 

There is MUCH more to consider when it comes to what makes a guitar a good one, and if this is the particular guitar for you.

 

The nut and the knobs would be legitimate complaints, (and the nut really needs to be fixed, doesn't it?). But I would not let what amounts to 50+/- bucks in repairs be of consideration when deciding on a guitar that likely cost you over 2 grand.

 

You might get the dealer to refund to you the cost of making these things right, or at least send you some new knobs. That's IF you decide this is a good guitar for you and meets all of your other expectations.

 

Besides, if you do keep this one, THIS is a guitar worthy of spending a little time or money getting it set up just right and such isn't it?

Posted

Howdy. Nice guitar.

 

 

 

 

Anyone can call anything AAA or AAAA. Anything. There is no objective guide as to what is AAAA.

 

 

 

rct

Not only is this true, but it doesn't it also seem that this has changed over the years?

 

It has always been the case that the dividing line between grades has been somewhat of a grey area. But it seems to me that what they USED to call a "AAA" is now considered "AAAA", and so on.

 

It seems to me that it used to be that "AAAA" grade would only be for only the top "super" flamed tops, such as on a PRS. And only the minority at that.

 

I wouldn't knock a "AAA", or even a "AA" at that.

Posted

Not only is this true, but it doesn't it also seem that this has changed over the years?

 

It has always been the case that the dividing line between grades has been somewhat of a grey area. But it seems to me that what they USED to call a "AAA" is now considered "AAAA", and so on.

 

It seems to me that it used to be that "AAAA" grade would only be for only the top "super" flamed tops, such as on a PRS. And only the minority at that.

 

I wouldn't knock a "AAA", or even a "AA" at that.

 

My recollection is "...that guitar has some nice figuring on the top...". That was the extent of it right up until Paul Reed started selling guitars by convincing guitar players that somehow the top made it better, and then the more As the top had the more betterer it was. And people being people, and not grasping the concepts of guitar playing but firmly grasping the concept of buying something better than everyone elses, they went for it.

 

Truth is, you plug it in and start playing. Nobody has ever heard the nuances of any top, any number of As. It's laughable except for the part about driving prices up all the time.

 

rct

Posted

Nice guitar!!

 

The tuning issue is not unusual, and it's not a problem. Gibson cuts the string slots a little tight. Use some graphite in the slots and stretch your strings a bunch of times while bringing the string up to tune. Start with the string flat and bring it up to pitch while stretching the string. Repeat stretching and bring up to tune until it stays stable. All my Gibsons have always had this "problem" and I've never had a problem dealing with it. It'll work fine. If you depress the strings behind the nut they will go out of tune and stay there until you stretch the string back out in front of the nut. No problem. I think your axe is fine!! It might just take some getting used to. [thumbup] [thumbup]

 

The pale fretboard - Get some fretboard oil and oil it up some and see if that helps.

Posted

@Farnsbarns: Yes, its Thomann.

 

I will ask Thomann for a replacement for the knob and see if the problem with the nut persists. Also, I will use a suitable fretboard oil. Maybe things look better then.

I know it is a great sounding guitar and optics have nothing to do with sound of it, but because of the high price and the advertised beauty of it i asked about the top, etc.

 

Thank you all for your help. It is much appreciated.

Posted

Having close tolerances on the nut for what Gibson determines is a standard string gauge for that guitar is actually a good thing. For example, firearms, especially hunting rifles, also are usually built with very close tolerances with the assumption that with use, they will "loosen up." That can be a problem when hunting in very cold climates, and why graphite also tends to be a lubricant of choice since it would not "gum up" the metal moving parts.

 

Bottom line on a guitar nut is that it has a number of roles to play. It must be cut to hold strings at a given level above the fingerboard, maintain separation and, perhaps most important, be a bearing for moving parts - the strings.

 

So it's not at all surprising to me that a new instrument might have tolerances to the point that it creates a bit of difficulty.

 

The comparison to Fender nut design... I note that it appears to me that the Fender design is not nearly as deep as most of those used on Gibsons. Then again, one might note that Fender guitars initially were designed as something different from traditional guitar designs and the shallower nut on violins, for example, may well have been a factor. With a longer scale, there also may likely be less general need for a deeper nut since strings are probably less likely to slip out under hard strumming. Gibson nuts tend to be cut deeper - as with more traditional guitar making. A shorter scale might also bring stronger leverage under hard strumming to pull strings from a shallow-cut nut.

 

m

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