Gibson Has Serious Quality Control Issues AGAIN !

[Wild Bill 212]

I accept guitars as is... they're all unique, and they're all going to have their own finish characteristics, and other quirks that might be nothing to some, and something to others.

 

I've hardly ever purchased a guitar off the wall of a guitar shop. It's not all that important. I order them online or over the phone, as the models I want are never ones that are kept in-stock. Plus, I don't want to buy a guitar that's already been played by potentially a dozen people or more during its time in the shop before I could get to it.

 

Does it play well... does it sound good? That's all any of us should be concerned with.

[/quote

 

 

OF course, the SOUND of the Guitar and the way it plays are all important, BUT that is FAR FROM THE ONLY THING I am concerned with when layin out BIG $$$$ for my new GIBSON. I do not want slipping Tuning Machines, bad paint jobs, faulty wiring, cracked pick up rings, bent tuning pegs etc etc.......there are sooo many things that go into making these guitars and CUSTOMERS are paying a PREMIUM PRICE for them that GIBSON should get it right or stick a '2' on it and sell it at a discount if its not up to snuff.

 

EXAMPLE. I bought a 2017 'SG' STANDARD in February 2017(I sent an HP back due to NECK-DIVE-itis, Guitar was unplayable!), I was waiting for the 2017 'SG' STANDARD guitar to be built, the right pickups (57's), colour, pickguard(Angel wing), rolled binding etc.....I have had a BLAST PLAYING IT and I thought it was FLAWLESS until I tried to put a BIGSBY B3 on it....it seems that there is a BAD Bass side STOP-TAIL Bolt INSERT in the body of the guitar as it is difficult to turn the Bolt. I originally thought that it was as difficult to turn as it is because I was adjusting the string height on the tune-o-matic bridge and clearing the bridge plate adjusting the STOP-TAIL with tension on the strings......I find out a year later while trying to put the BIGSBY on, that there is paint inside the thread of the STOP-TAIL Bolt and maybe it has dried inside the threads and thus is making it DIFFICULT to turn the bolt. MAYBE , MAYBE NOT, it may be a bad STOP-TAIL INSERT or BOLT (it doesn't look cross-threaded), IDK YET...but the fact remains that the bolt is very difficult to turn, and it should NOT BE. I should be able to turn it either way by hand with no string tension, but I can not.....THIS IS A BIG DEAL TO ME, and it has NOTHING to do with the way the Guitar sounds or plays.

 

This actually BUGS THE **** out of me.....and depending on what happens next string change, if the WD-40 that the retailer has suggested I spray on the INSERT THREADS is enough to get the bolt to turn easily inside the insert or NOT. IF NOT, it is going back to the retailer on a warranty repair.I have already contacted the retailer and they said it should be an easy fix if the WD-40 doesn't do the trick, BUT, make no mistake, IT WILL BE FIXED, sure, the guitar sounds great and plays even better, BUT being able to simply raise and lower the STOP-TAIL easily as it should be is definitely an issue of concern for me....as are many other things....and surely, I could leave the STOP-TAIL where it is now, and never touch it and it will be fine. The strings are clearing the bridge plate and the STOP-TAIL Treble side is touching the Guitar body and the Bass side is only up enough to clear the plate(1/4"+/-). AAMOF I have left it as it is and I put the Bigsby B3 on a Les Paul STANDARD, BUT I should have the option of putting the Bigsby on my 'SG' or not (the TENSION BAR needs to be raised and lowered) and a bad Bass side STOP-TAIL BOLT INSERT should NOT be able to stop me from doing it. I got a good deal on the Guitar, $1299 all-in, and up until I discovered this problem I thought it was flawless. And MNM, I LOVE MY 'SG' STANDARD, IT ROCKS ! But For my hard-earned $$$ it should NOT have this problem, and it will not have this problem much longer as it will be corrected. I also don't know if I like the way the B3 looks on the Les Paul, it so happens that this particular BIGSBY is interchangeable w/a Les Paul & 'SG' ! I did have to buy an ADAPTER PLATE for $30 from the guy that sold the Bigsby B3 to me, but it went right on the Les Paul and works great, BUT I want it on the 'SG' and it will get there...... in good time.

[Jungel]

So, thanks for all your input guys. I appreciate everyone taking the time to share their opinions. In the end I couldn’t live with it and sent it back. https://www.reidys.com/ Reidys home of music was the store. I’m happy to tell you that because Richard there was brilliant. The first thing he said was I’m sorry you aren’t over the moon with your guitar and whatever is wrong we will fix it, you can have a refund, repair or pick something else, whatever makes you happy. He then arranged to have it picked up at their expense the next day.

He called me when it arrived and agreed the finish wasn’t nearly good enough. He also said the tone was being choked somehow and it didn’t sound at all like a J45 should. There were no J45’s in stock so would order a new one or he offered me a few more choices including a Songwriter Deluxe Studio for the same price which was an awesome deal and beautiful but I didn’t want natural colour and the gold and inlay too blingy for my personal taste. I was tempted though.

I ended up with a J45 Standard Cutaway and a Taylor GS Mini Mahogany. They’d given me £300 off the recommended retail on the first J45 then did me a J45 Cutaway AND the GS Mini for the same price! Then gave both guitars a free set up and sent them to me next day delivery free of charge. I offered to pay for delivery but he wouldn’t have it. Guitars have arrived and they are both great but holy ****, that J45 sings, not like the last one. It’s amazing sound and the finish is flawless. As soon as I played it I could feel the excitement building as I played it. Awesome and just what I’d hoped for the first time around.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/164629457@N06/with/42442352782/

 

[Jungel]

Moral of the story......, Gibson do make awesome guitars. Don’t settle for 2nd best.

[Eracer_Team]

98% of all the stuff I read about in 'quality' is

a) differences in wood.. so get a polly covered guitar and you'll never see a blemish in the wood

b ) buying guitar's sight unseen relying on "cheaper" mail order companies that ship a million guitars a month and expecting all million guitars a month to be 200% perfect instead of a 1% defect rate

 

yes I read.. "It's a 2hr drive to the guitar store.."

 

Guess what.. in a big city.. it takes more than 2hrs just to drive across it.. and it's less than 40miles wide.. yet guys in the countryside can cover 200miles in the same time frame.

 

Get your butt to a store; pick the guitar that talks to you.. play the finish off the guitar.

Edited June 2, 2018 by Eracer_Team

[Wild Bill 212]

98% of all the stuff I read about in 'quality' is

a) differences in wood.. so get a polly covered guitar and you'll never see a blemish in the wood

b ) buying guitar's sight unseen relying on "cheaper" mail order companies that ship a million guitars a month and expecting all million guitars a month to be 200% perfect instead of a 1% defect rate

 

yes I read.. "It's a 2hr drive to the guitar store.."

 

Guess what.. in a big city.. it takes more than 2hrs just to drive across it.. and it's less than 40miles wide.. yet guys in the countryside can cover 200miles in the same time frame.

 

Get your butt to a store; pick the guitar that talks to you.. play the finish off the guitar.

 

The idea of playing a Guitar before you buy it is the best way to buy a Guitar, of course. However, if you have wandered into any of the Brick and Mortar Retailers lately and want a GIBSON 'MEMPHIS' ES Model or anything that costs over $2,500. OR would like to have at least two or three models of lower priced Guitar so you can choose 'THE ONE' you are probably going to be disappointed as the B&M retailer's aren't stocking a large # of GIBSON Guitars any longer and you will most likely have to order it.... and then you get to PAY the SALES TAX ! Currently, most ON-LINE retailer's are not forced to charge sales tax, and on a $3,500 GIBSON 'MEMPHIS' (which, 9.5 times out of ten, is not going to be stocked in most Brick & Mortar retailer's) it can mean saving $300 and up !...and with the wait time in the Brick and Mortar store the Guitar will most likely be in my hands faster dealing with an ON-LINE Retailer, and no one is going to be picking it up and playing it, sliming/sneezing on it etc etc before I get the Guitar except the ON-LINE Retailer's techs that check the Guitar and do the set-up on it.

 

In a changing business world, The 'ON-LINE' Retailer's can be a great way to go, saving SALES TAX (for the time being!) and, conversely, you can get screwed.....so choose the 'ON-LINE' retailer very carefully, and INSPECT that BAD-BOY as soon as you get it !!! I DO. I have found SWEETWATER to be completely reliable, after having purcahsed 3 GIBSON's from them its thumbs up with them. They have even taken an 'SG' HP model back due to NECK DIVE-itis. While I agree with the PLAY first idea, in this day and age...it is really not even possible any longer to do that in most places unless you're purchasing an 'SG' Faded or similar non-expensive model that is IN-STOCK and usually only one is available. With SWEETWATER's WEB-SITE you can usually pick from several Guitars they have in stock, most importantly the weight of the Guitar is listed as well as the serial#. Granted pictures are NOT the same as playing, BUT you will know which Guitar you are buying........the world of business has changed. AND even in a big City like New York, 47TH Street has a number of Guitar shoppes that stock most GIBSON's and if one store doesn't have what you want, the guy next door does, but even this is changing.........AND with GIBSON's insistance on retailer's purchasing 'X' # of guitars etc etc a lot of B & M Retailer's are no longer stocking GIBSON Guitars.

 

Regardless of where I end up buying a Guitar, I am going to have to do a set-up on it as soon as I get the Guitar anyway. So do I want one that has been sneezed on and played by 100 people? or do I buy one before playing it ? HAVING DONE BOTH, I have found that an ON-LINE purchase has not been an issue ! Saving sales tax on a $3K Axe is a definite incentive as well.

Edited June 2, 2018 by Wild Bill 212

[mihcmac]

The idea of playing a Guitar before you buy it is the best way to buy a Guitar, of course. However, if you have wandered into any of the Brick and Mortar Retailers lately and want a GIBSON 'MEMPHIS' ES Model or anything that costs over $2,500. OR would like to have at least two or three models of lower priced Guitar so you can choose 'THE ONE' you are probably going to be disappointed as the B&M retailer's aren't stocking a large # of GIBSON Guitars any longer and you will most likely have to order it.... and then you get to PAY the SALES TAX ! Currently, most ON-LINE retailer's are not forced to charge sales tax, and on a $3,500 GIBSON 'MEMPHIS' (which, 9.5 times out of ten, is not going to be stocked in most Brick & Mortar retailer's) it can mean saving $300 and up !...and with the wait time in the Brick and Mortar store the Guitar will most likely be in my hands faster dealing with an ON-LINE Retailer, and no one is going to be picking it up and playing it, sliming/sneezing on it etc etc before I get the Guitar except the ON-LINE Retailer's techs that check the Guitar and do the set-up on it.

 

In a changing business world, The 'ON-LINE' Retailer's can be a great way to go, saving SALES TAX (for the time being!) and, conversely, you can get screwed.....so choose the 'ON-LINE' retailer very carefully, and INSPECT that BAD-BOY as soon as you get it !!! I DO. I have found SWEETWATER to be completely reliable, after having purcahsed 3 GIBSON's from them its thumbs up with them. They have even taken an 'SG' HP model back due to NECK DIVE-itis. While I agree with the PLAY first idea, in this day and age...it is really not even possible any longer to do that in most places unless you're purchasing an 'SG' Faded or similar non-expensive model that is IN-STOCK and usually only one is available. With SWEETWATER's WEB-SITE you can usually pick from several Guitars they have in stock, most importantly the weight of the Guitar is listed as well as the serial#. Granted pictures are NOT the same as playing, BUT you will know which Guitar you are buying........the world of business has changed. AND even in a big City like New York, 47TH Street has a number of Guitar shoppes that stock most GIBSON's and if one store doesn't have what you want, the guy next door does, but even this is changing.........AND with GIBSON's insistance on retailer's purchasing 'X' # of guitars etc etc a lot of B & M Retailer's are no longer stocking GIBSON Guitars.

 

Regardless of where I end up buying a Guitar, I am going to have to do a set-up on it as soon as I get the Guitar anyway. So do I want one that has been sneezed on and played by 100 people? or do I buy one before playing it ? HAVING DONE BOTH, I have found that an ON-LINE purchase has not been an issue ! Saving sales tax on a $3K Axe is a definite incentive as well.

I feel your pain.... I live on an Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The people here are very musical and it seems everyone owns guitars. The music stores that are here lean towards Fender style guitars.. There are few Gibson's here, I only use P-90.s, so this severely limits my selection.. 99% of my guitar purchases are online. Most of the time the Gibson's I acquire need very little setup, while Epiphone's neck adjustments are about 50-50 requiring more tweaking over a longer period of time. I prefer to buy higher end Epi's that have been on display in a store and already had the bugs worked out. Epi's polyurethane finish is not effected by the humidity, where Gibson's nitrocellulose finish reaction is pretty severe when it starts checking. Note that Gibson's "faded finishes" seem to hold up much better in the high humidity.

 

The bottom line, that I am saying here, is that I feel buying Gibson's online is pretty safe because the quality level of the instrument is very high compared to other brands.

Edited June 3, 2018 by mihcmac

[Eracer_Team]

At least you feel you can save sales tax in USA.

 

In Canada you dont get out of the tax ever, online or retail.

 

Dealer can offer a "save the tax event", which just means they pay the tax 13% off the item.

That means they pay the tax

Edited June 3, 2018 by Eracer_Team

[sparquelito]

I have been lucky.

 

Every single Gibson I own (or have ever owned) has been rock-solid.

 

Current Gibsons:

2018 Gibson Les Paul Faded in Worn Bourbon

2013 Gibson Les Paul Sully Erna Signature

 

Past Gibsons:

1971 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe gold-top

1996 Gibson Les Paul Studio

 

 

Wonderful, full of tone, and nearly flawless.

All of them.

 

Just today we had a band practice, and I played the Sully Erna Signature on all the rock/distorted songs.

So crisp, so good!!

Everyone present remarked on it, how good-looking and great-sounding that guitar was.

 

I count myself lucky, and very happy.

:)

 

 

[cdeelstra]

I have a 2013 Signature T with binding issues, a gouge under the pick guard, and intonation issues. That is after returning 3 other guitars that were worse. This was the "last replacement they were sending". I had to deal with it. Bad business. My 1990 Studio was built better.

[mihcmac]

I have a 2013 Signature T with binding issues, a gouge under the pick guard, and intonation issues. That is after returning 3 other guitars that were worse. This was the "last replacement they were sending". I had to deal with it. Bad business. My 1990 Studio was built better.

Did you purchase these new or from an authorized Gibson reseller? If you didn't there would be no Gibson warranty on them, usually first owner only. The last new Gibson I bought, was in 2006, it is a 2004 Faded Les Paul Special Double Cut, that felt like the fingerboard and frets were faded as well. After I smoothed them out every thing was perfect.

 

In the last year I have I purchased on line a Gibson 97 BluesHawk, Gibson 04 Melody Maker Les Paul and a Gibson 06 SG Standard without any serious problems.

 

Not to mention a few Epiphone purchases.

Edited June 5, 2018 by mihcmac

[pippy]

I have a 2013 Signature T with binding issues, a gouge under the pick guard, and intonation issues...

Clarify all of the above statements, please, and tell us if you bought this guitar New-In-Sealed-Box or pre-played.

 

Thanks.

 

Pip.

[Les537]

Quality control you say?

 

My 2018 SG Special in natural finish with mini-humbuckers came almost perfect from an online order except for these little things :

 

- The holly on the head stock is 1/4 off center toward the bass strings.... ok. We can probably stop here with enough evidence of gibson hiring unskilled, pathetic workers to make premium guitars, but let's continue for fun!

 

 

- The block inlays are 1/8 inch too high toward the bass strings.

- 2 of the 6 gibson 'deluxe' tuners came DOA. The #@*($& tuners don't work right out of the box. They bind and the pole wobbles back and forth. I had to buy new tuners on day 1 for my BRAND NEW guitar.

- The satin finish is very uneven. It's nice on about 75% of the guitar then some areas look like the sprayer maybe zoned out for a minute and just left the gun running in a few spots until it was twice as thick as others. Nice work!

- 1 of the 4 screws that hold on the service plate is half the size of the other 3 and does not catch threads. Good job, champ!

- The moronic PCB electronics that gibson uses in an attempt to hire even less skilled workers to make guitars was useless from day one. When you plug in the guitar the input jack contacts the service plate and pushes it out in one corner about 1/8 inch.... just seriously... how long have gibson been making SGs and they can't even make the #$*()& input jack work. Yes - i had to rip that junk out and put in normal pots and in input jack that actual functions without making snaps and pops from contacting things when you rub against the back plate while playing.

- There is a big knot in the wood. This body should have been paint grade - not natural finish grade.

- Huge dent on the side of the body in the leg cut, like a hammer hit.

 

Other than that it's great!

 

The pickups it came with are mini buckers - modern minis. They sound like absolute trash unless you want a bridge pickup with 26,000 output resistance for some strange reason. I had to swap them out for p90s to make it sound nice, but the pickups did function, so they got that going for them.

 

Did I send it back? NO WAY. The neck is absolutely awesome. The robots cut a fine fret board and saved the guitar despite the workers best efforts to produce a pile of garbage.

 

This is my 3rd gibson. My first was an early 90s Les Paul studio that had no faults at all other than weighing about 20 lbs. My second guitar, which became my main guitar for the last 20 years is a late 90s Les Paul Special and this one has many little flaws, like tuning machines screwed on at 6 completely different angels and a real hack job on the rolled binding, but I love that guitar.

 

 

I'll buy more gibsons, probably, but NEVER online and blind. Gibson CQ is nonexistent in my experience.

 

My favorite part of my new SG is the 'We worry about the details!" QC card inside. LOLOLOL. Enjoy your bankruptcy, Gibson.

Edited June 6, 2018 by Les537

[NighthawkChris]

The irony of it all is that Gibson didn't go bankrupt making guitars - QC aside, guitar making really had nothing to do with financial distress from what I was reading up on... They went bankrupt for bad business ventures, but now that they are going bankrupt, it seems that people aren't as thrilled about their guitars - especially their newer ones prices absurdly high - from them because their going bankrupt. But I don't see their books, so I can't speak too much for how their guitar sales are going. I guess once they get this "Lifestyle company" crap out of the way, there might be some hope for the future... I'm sorry, but if I liked the LP Special, I am not going to go all Custom Shop and spend nearly $4.5k for one... Just me, but I would tend to agree that products like this won't warrant a successful business model in the long run. That's why I have found the best Gibsons used... Learn a little bit about guitar setups and what you are in the market for, and you can do better than what a new Gibson will give you. I know because I have bought an expensive brand new LP and bought used Gibsons too. You feel better about the used find - trust me!

[kidblast]

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...

Edited June 7, 2018 by kidblast

[Eracer_Team]

Yes hand inserted inlays off center by a millimeter or two is poor quality control

[Big Bill]

Yes hand inserted inlays off center by a millimeter or two is poor quality control

 

and bad math skills

Edited June 8, 2018 by Big Bill

[Eracer_Team]

and bad math skills

 

Yeah sure, I'm sure they need math skills to calculate the center of an object.

 

Highly doubt they would do a math calculation.

[Jungel]

1528587235[/url]' post='1939576']

Yeah sure, I'm sure they need math skills to calculate the center of an object.

 

Highly doubt they would do a math calculation.

 

Haha. I’m pretty sure that width x 0.5 = is a maths calculation.

[R0Z]

Not trying to be condescending or in any way critical, but it is pretty obvious by reading some of the comments that there is a knowledge deficit on how the guitars are made. So here is a link to a YT video of a Gibson factory tour. If people are going to complain, they might as well know when to complain about what ;-)

 

[Wild Bill 212]

From my experiences, I find that GIBSON USA surely has some QC issue's that could be improved but they are no worse than the Auto-Maker's and any other Corporations/Companies that are mass producing for sale to the Global Customer. GIBSON 'MEMPHIS', from my more limited experience, is a bit better in regards to shipping 100% Quality Guitars. IDK how much of the process of the building of my 2018 ES-335 TRADITIONAL was done by hand, but GIBSON 'MEMPHIS' NAILED IT, WOW , they built me a PERFECT 2018 ES-335 Traditional they did !!! I also find most of the stuff really minor(loose Tuning Machine Nut is nothing to complain about, they are hand tight for a reason) and that one of the more IMPORTANT things in the entire purchase process of the Guitar is that the RETAILER and/or MANUFACTURER is willing to stand by the Guitar/Product they sold me and fix whatever may need to be fixed/made right.This has been been the case with both GIBSON 'USA' and SWEETWATER/Sam Ash/Guitar Center. GIBSON even sent me an INPUT JACK for a 2016 Les Paul Studio Faded that was two months past the warranty expiration, which I thought was outsanding of them.

 

Until a brand that has been as outstanding to me as GIBSON (and HONDA, PIONEER, TOSHIBA ) has been, does something really egregious like refusing to fix what is a warranty repair, or some such similar outrage, I will continue to do business with them, buying always with a Credit-Card that can extend the warranty period and also protect me if a sale is deficient in any way detrimental to me.

 

Me and GIBSON are definitely COOL !

[NighthawkChris]

I just noticed the other day that my 2015 Gibson Les Paul Custom that I spent a ton of cash for had the neck pickup's ground (i.e. that braid covering over the pickup wires) clean break from the solder joint made on the volume pot casing... I was wondering why when I played that I would get this intermittent on-off crap going on, and I open the rear cavity, and what do you know... I spent over $5k for that thing, and can't even get a solder joint right. Luckily, I know how to do this, but there were wire clippings in it too that were just "floating" around in there. A little distressing, and if I didn't know how to solder very well, it would be a bigger issue, but that is unacceptable for that kind of money too. Mind you bought this thing brand new from GC. Bottom line, the soldering job on this was sub-par. It involved me having to go inside the cavity and re-solder the thing. On a very minor note, the setup was absolutely AWFUL too out-the-box. All the saddles were in a straight line, fret buzz all over the place because the neck is straighter than an arrow... Honestly, just pathetic that this is what you get for spending that kind of money. Luckily I know how to address these issues, but someone who doesn't know how to do this stuff paying that kind of money is going to be pretty ticked understandably so.

 

So Gibson USA, Memphis, Custom Shop... They are all bad - sub-par quality for the money. Once you address these issues yourself, the guitar usually is playable and can enjoy it, but expecting any Gibson out-the-box to work is like asking to walk on water. Just sharing my experience. Oh, I won't even go into my 2018 Gibson Les Paul Classic goldtop... That was another mess, but after going through a couple, I finally got one that I could live with. I don't like to complain about Gibson, but when I found out about my LP Custom having a F'ed up solder job, it sort of let me down. I just learned that you can't pay enough to get a guitar 100% able to satisfy - from Gibson that is... And BTW, my LP Custom sits in my music room - never left since I bought it "brand new" from GC less than a year ago. That guitar has received absolutely NO stress that should have had that solder blob joint detach from the pickup's ground. Heck, the finish on it doesn't even have those swirls that inevitably occur just by touching it and playing it.

 

Looking back, I over spent on this guitar by a long shot, but I got it brand new - with quality issues that I had to address which luckily I could... If I ever buy another Gibson again, it's going to be used, at a discount price. Not that I have any plans to - been on the Telecaster train these days. Whatever with that... I suppose that if I were to say that I will spend $5k for a guitar, but you have to make sure that the manufacturer did their part and properly QC it. Do you like to have to open up your new LP Custom after you bought it brand new and have to touch up solder joints because someone over there doesn't care what they are making for you... Just think about it after you dole out $5k for it...

[Wild Bill 212]

LOL hey so WE require perfection, and clearly Gibson is for sure attempting to supply it and at every price point imaginable, but perfection is "relative" and then predicated on unique?

 

So let me ask a dumb question, how much difference does the aged wood matter and pick-ups in relation to perfection?

 

Hell we cant agree adjusting poles makes a difference, BUT you can hear the difference of aged wood? I would suggest the PAFS CAN be reproduced and so can the comparative relation to like wood tone.

 

This a LATE reply but one that will point out what you ask: Play a GIBSON Les Paul Studio FADED model, UNPLUGGED, and then play a Les Paul STANDARD, UNPLUGGED (or an 'SG' , EXPLORER, FLYIN' V, FIREBIRD )....You will hear a GREAT differerence in the sound of the two guitars, so much of a difference that you will begin to despise the POS 'FADED'. It may very well be GIBSON USA's greatest feat is getting a $900 Guitar, made from grade 'C' or worse woods, to sound ALMOST as good as a $3,000 Guitar when they are both plugged into the same AMP.......AHHH, BUT when un-plugged, it does become obviously apparent that the SIGNIFICANT difference's in the quality of the WOOD are severe....and that the difference is staggerring. Moving into the Semi-Hollow and CUSTOM series offerrings the difference gets even bigger....QUALITY DOES NOT COME CHEAPLY or from cheap woods.

[Wild Bill 212]

Quality control you say?

 

My 2018 SG Special in natural finish with mini-humbuckers came almost perfect from an online order except for these little things :

 

- The holly on the head stock is 1/4 off center toward the bass strings.... ok. We can probably stop here with enough evidence of gibson hiring unskilled, pathetic workers to make premium guitars, but let's continue for fun!

 

 

- The block inlays are 1/8 inch too high toward the bass strings.

- 2 of the 6 gibson 'deluxe' tuners came DOA. The #@*({:content:}amp; tuners don't work right out of the box. They bind and the pole wobbles back and forth. I had to buy new tuners on day 1 for my BRAND NEW guitar.

- The satin finish is very uneven. It's nice on about 75% of the guitar then some areas look like the sprayer maybe zoned out for a minute and just left the gun running in a few spots until it was twice as thick as others. Nice work!

- 1 of the 4 screws that hold on the service plate is half the size of the other 3 and does not catch threads. Good job, champ!

- The moronic PCB electronics that gibson uses in an attempt to hire even less skilled workers to make guitars was useless from day one. When you plug in the guitar the input jack contacts the service plate and pushes it out in one corner about 1/8 inch.... just seriously... how long have gibson been making SGs and they can't even make the #$*()& input jack work. Yes - i had to rip that junk out and put in normal pots and in input jack that actual functions without making snaps and pops from contacting things when you rub against the back plate while playing.

- There is a big knot in the wood. This body should have been paint grade - not natural finish grade.

- Huge dent on the side of the body in the leg cut, like a hammer hit.

 

Other than that it's great!

 

The pickups it came with are mini buckers - modern minis. They sound like absolute trash unless you want a bridge pickup with 26,000 output resistance for some strange reason. I had to swap them out for p90s to make it sound nice, but the pickups did function, so they got that going for them.

 

Did I send it back? NO WAY. The neck is absolutely awesome. The robots cut a fine fret board and saved the guitar despite the workers best efforts to produce a pile of garbage.

 

This is my 3rd gibson. My first was an early 90s Les Paul studio that had no faults at all other than weighing about 20 lbs. My second guitar, which became my main guitar for the last 20 years is a late 90s Les Paul Special and this one has many little flaws, like tuning machines screwed on at 6 completely different angels and a real hack job on the rolled binding, but I love that guitar.

 

 

I'll buy more gibsons, probably, but NEVER online and blind. Gibson CQ is nonexistent in my experience.

 

My favorite part of my new SG is the 'We worry about the details!" QC card inside. LOLOLOL. Enjoy your bankruptcy, Gibson.

 

I could not bring myself to buy one of the 2018 'SG' Specials though I did play one, and the Neck was exquisite ! IDK, an 'SG' with MINI-HUMBUCKER's turned me right away from it.

Edited June 14, 2018 by Wild Bill 212

[Derald]

Wild Bill, you could do what I’ve done before - get that SG with the mini humbuckers and swap the bridge for a P90!

[Wild Bill 212]

Wild Bill, you could do what I've done before - get that SG with the mini humbuckers and swap the bridge for a P90!

 

U kno, I did not realize that a P-90 has the same foot-print as a MINI-H-Bucker. I have never played a Guitar with a P-90 in it actually. That you had those problems SUCKS, AND that the retailer was even willing to accept delivery of that Guitar is suspect and says something about the retailer as well as GIBSON.

 

May I add:

I was sooo turned off, like everyone else, by the 2014-2015 Quality disasters and that GIBSON was trying to force people to play the Robo-tuner's that when I wanted to up-grade from my 1970's GIBSON's that I bought a couple of 2016 FADED's, an LP & SG, just to test the GIBSON quality. I got good deals on 'em and after playin 'em for a few months, with no issue's, NONE, and being really surprised at how good they sounded plugged-in I went and took the plunge and sold my 2 1970's GIBSON's as well as the 2 FADED's I had bought in 2016 and bought a 2017 'SG' STANDARD, a 2017 Les Paul STANDARD and a 2018 GIBSON 'MEMPHIS' ES-335.

 

So far, they have been what I had hoped to purchase,Good Quality, Solid GIBSON Guitars. The 'SG' had a minor issue that was resolved and so it is now FLAWLESS, the ES-335 is FLAWLESS and the LES PAUL is a Beauty with one minor issue, the retailer is willing to address and IDK if I shall even bother, so its close to FLAWLESS as it gets. IDK if I should consider myself lucky, but the three STANDARD GIBSON's I have purchased in the last 16 months have all been good solid purchase's. IF IF IF I should count myself lucky, THAT SUCKS, as people layin out their hard earned $$$ should get what they are paying for, nothing less (and nothing more either !) than a quality GIBSON Guitar. All I can say is if people know what they are doing, and the Guitar they purchase is not a good one, SEND IT BACK if its an ON-LINE retail purchase, and DON'T BUY IT if it is at a Guitar Brick & Mortar retailer.