Guitar slinger Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Fisrt of all, Welcome to the Gibson forums, Bluesoull =) I'm sure you'll find this place very amusing to share experiences and to hang around with some good and funny fellas. Be at home! Again' date=' totally subjective. I find a Strat to be the most tonally diverse guitar yet a Strat will never sound like a Les Paul nor will a Les Paul ever sound like a Strat. I own both Fender and Gibson guitars and I choose the right tool for the job as none of them excels at everything. [/quote'] Well, Rich... I'll bite too. I wonder why that even has to be told yet these days. Different guitars for different purposes. As far as I'm concerned, you can play anything with any guitar - it took me a while to realize that, but here I am. I've seen Fenders used to play Metal, Jazz, Rock, Indie, Blues, Country, Soul, Funk and all sorts of stuff. And I've seen Gibsons used in any music genre as well. You see, a lot of player use a wide range of guitars through their careers (including Fender and Gibsons) and I can guarantee that it has nothing to do with big brands paying people to use guitars. I bet you. Funny thing that a few days ago I saw Buddy Guy performing live at grammy awards with a beautiful goldtop LP and I found that amazing. But I can guarantee to you that Eric Clapton has not changed to Fender because he was bought. And neither was Buddy guy switching over to Lesters because he was bought. I really wish that people could stop comparing Fenders with Gibsons and PRS's and Iron Maiden with Metallica and all that stuff. "Who is the best player in your opinion?" It gets me tired every time I read that sentence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesoull Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Fisrt of all' date=' Welcome to the Gibson forums, Bluesoull =) I'm sure you'll find this place very amusing to share experiences and to hang around with some good and funny fellas. Be at home! Well, Rich... I'll bite too. I wonder why that even has to be told yet these days. Different guitars for different purposes. As far as I'm concerned, you can play anything with any guitar - it took me a while to realize that, but here I am. I've seen Fenders used to play Metal, Jazz, Rock, Indie, Blues, Country, Soul, Funk and all sorts of stuff. And I've seen Gibsons used in any music genre as well. You see, a lot of player use a wide range of guitars through their careers (including Fender and Gibsons) and I can guarantee that it has nothing to do with big brands paying people to use guitars. I bet you. Funny thing that a few days ago I saw Buddy Guy performing live at grammy awards with a beautiful goldtop LP and I found that amazing. But I can guarantee to you that Eric Clapton has not changed to Fender because he was bought. And neither was Buddy guy switching over to Lesters because he was bought. I really wish that people could stop comparing Fenders with Gibsons and PRS's and Iron Maiden with Metallica and all that stuff. "Who is the best player in your opinion?" It gets me tired every time I read that sentence.[/quote'] Thanks man, I feel at home already! Well. I really didn't mean to make this into a Gibson - Fender ***** fight, but let's not allow it to. I just wanted to know why Gibson doesn't just sell as the consumers demand. It's much better in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshole Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 To be an authorised Gibson retailer you must stock a minimum value of guitars (Dont know how much) and you must also stock the range of models which Gibson chooses... (So I have been told) That would make things a little awkward for some.. Flight959 I talk to my local store, they said they need to have at least 80,000 USD worth of Gibson stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar slinger Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Bluesoull About the internet buying thing. I've been playing for only 10 years but I've had many instruments over the times. I'm a guitar shop rat who can spend whole afternoons trying out gear or just talking chatting with the sales people. So in this brie years I've tried a lot of gear - and there are the guitars of my friends that i've played as well. And I remember almost every guitar I've played hehehhe Now as you can see I live in Brazil and we are not so blessed as our american friends when it comes to guitar shops, so every now and then the ONLY way to buy certain stuff is the internet. Right now the two guitars I love most (the Richie Kotzen telecaster that is only avaiable in japan and my historic SG) were both bought overseas (using ebay and online shops) and I have never had the chance to play them untill they were home. It's a dangerous bet, but can be very rewarding. And it's really a pity not to be able to play your cherished guitars around the stores. I know what you mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesoull Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Bluesoull About the internet buying thing. I've been playing for only 10 years but I've had many instruments over the times. I'm a guitar shop rat who can spend whole afternoons trying out gear or just talking chatting with the sales people. So in this brie years I've tried a lot of gear - and there are the guitars of my friends that i've played as well. And I remember almost every guitar I've played hehehhe Now as you can see I live in Brazil and we are not so blessed as our american friends when it comes to guitar shops' date=' so every now and then the ONLY way to buy certain stuff is the internet. Right now the two guitars I love most (the Richie Kotzen telecaster that is only avaiable in japan and my historic SG) were both bought overseas (using ebay and online shops) and I have never had the chance to play them untill they were home. It's a dangerous bet, but can be very rewarding. And it's really a pity not to be able to play your cherished guitars around the stores. I know what you mean.[/quote'] Right on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I am not sure what Gibson is doing when choosing their dealers but the word here in town is that they are not hurting at all. A couple of Gibson employees told me they are as busy as they can be. A few months ago Gibson held a job fair, they were planning on hiring 200 people. This was only a few months ago, I am not sure if anything has changed. When choosing guitars I find it strange when people say you need to play 20 to know, I am no expert yet I can tell if a guitar is a keeper even if I try only one. When I bought my VM Les Paul it was the last one in stock. I was nervous but I played it, examined it and liked it all around. In the last 4 years I have grabbed and tested a lot of VMs and I have not liked one better than mine. When I bought my Explorer online: first one was a dog, went back since I knew it was not a keeper, second was good but it has a hairline crack on the neck, it went back. The third one was a keeper, very resonant guitar, well made. It does not have the best bookmatched wood but I don't need that. Buying online can be a hassle but with a solid return policy I can deal with the hassle. Gibsons have too many fancy appointments that make people want to choose between 20 guitars, most Fenders are not that fancy and this makes them more "consistent" the poly finish, the solid colors, the bolt on neck. I like both and I am not totally sure why people compare them as if the brands were even similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Well... I've had good friends/bandmates who preferred Fender. I've always cared very little for the necks and never owned one. Girl guitar players? When I was a kid the Hummingbird was THE girl's guitar but... well, I'm kinda old, too and all of the girl guitar players I knew were folkies 'stedda rockers. As for the UK being part of Europe, I have mixed emotions on that. Yes and now. I'd commend anyone to read Churchill's "History of the English Speaking People" to give the "nope, not Europe" perspective. But then too, I'm probably the only US citizen on the boards here who took English history in high school and once could recite all the kings from Alfred the Great and their reigns. The Channel until very recently in historic terms put the island UK into a bit different circumstance and there are good arguments that the UK and the US/Canada are far closer culturally than the UK is with the rest of Europe - at least until quite recently. Musically the US owes much to the UK, especially in various sorts and development of "roots" music and concepts seldom discussed outside of ethnomusicology classes. Not nearly so much so with other European nations, including other "northern European" countries whence came many immigrants early enough to affect our so-called "American" folk traditions. Consider too the cross-pollination of US and Brit rock. As for Gibson selling only through stores that make major purchases... well, that's their business model. So be it. On the other hand, it makes finding a Gibbie or Epi almost impossible for me to try out. America's outback... <grin> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesoull Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Well... I've had good friends/bandmates who preferred Fender. I've always cared very little for the necks and never owned one. Girl guitar players? When I was a kid the Hummingbird was THE girl's guitar but... well' date=' I'm kinda old, too and all of the girl guitar players I knew were folkies 'stedda rockers. As for the UK being part of Europe, I have mixed emotions on that. Yes and now. I'd commend anyone to read Churchill's "History of the English Speaking People" to give the "nope, not Europe" perspective. But then too, I'm probably the only US citizen on the boards here who took English history in high school and once could recite all the kings from Alfred the Great and their reigns. The Channel until very recently in historic terms put the island UK into a bit different circumstance and there are good arguments that the UK and the US/Canada are far closer culturally than the UK is with the rest of Europe - at least until quite recently. Musically the US owes much to the UK, especially in various sorts and development of "roots" music and concepts seldom discussed outside of ethnomusicology classes. Not nearly so much so with other European nations, including other "northern European" countries whence came many immigrants early enough to affect our so-called "American" folk traditions. Consider too the cross-pollination of US and Brit rock. As for Gibson selling only through stores that make major purchases... well, that's their business model. So be it. On the other hand, it makes finding a Gibbie or Epi almost impossible for me to try out. America's outback... <grin> [/quote'] GIRL... guitar players? Yeah, I had to do something to defy all you BOY guitar players..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homz Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Lez Zeppelin is an all girl band. They rock. I've seen them twice. Steph on guitar is awesome. My wife rocks too. Although it's on piano/keyboard. The one time she tried to play my bass she dropped it and broke the plug jack. I sure don't plan on putting my LP in her hands any time soon. Wow, I really drifted off the point there. Chicks rock too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesoull Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Lez Zeppelin is an all girl band. They rock. I've seen them twice. Steph on guitar is awesome. My wife rocks too. Although it's on piano/keyboard. The one time she tried to play my bass she dropped it and broke the plug jack. I sure don't plan on putting my LP in her hands any time soon. Wow' date=' I really drifted off the point there. Chicks rock too! [/quote'] LMAO! Thanks man! I live with my best friend, and he's a guy, and.. I would never let him so much as touch as any of my LP's... You know?... Rock on! Chicks and Dudes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar slinger Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Chicks and Dudes! The best thing ever said in this place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesoull Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 The best thing ever said in this place. AND I'M NEW HERE!!! GO FIGURE!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FennRx Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 take it off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Welcome to the forum! Down here we have 2 "gibson dealers" but none of them are really gibson dealers... they buy from what I think is the "zone dealer" (south A.) and so they get only what that dealer wants to give them... from what I know Gibson requires a shop to buy an insane quantity/amount of merchandise (price wise) to be a dealer (something about having 25K to 100K permanently in stock)... I think I remember reading a while ago Gibson quit having distributors/dealers for every country and started have them by zones (europe, south america, asia) hell, a friend told me a while ago that africa doesnt have a gibson dealer anymore, they have to order from europe or asia... So Gibsons in pop and mom shops and any small to medium sized store are either used or bought from the main dealer for the zone they are in... so they will be a lot more expensive than they are in the states and canada. Dont know if Im too late and hope this helped... And again, welcome to the forum! (did you post pics of your guitars already?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesoull Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 take it off! Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badjuju342 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I am not sure what Gibson is doing when choosing their dealers but the word here in town is that they are not hurting at all. A couple of Gibson employees told me they are as busy as they can be. A few months ago Gibson held a job fair' date=' they were planning on hiring 200 people. This was only a few months ago, I am not sure if anything has changed. [/quote'] They did hire over 200 people and are building up 2nd shift as we speak. Not that easy to get on at Gibson , either. They checked me out thoroughly and it was almost 2 months after applying that I got that magic phone call. And from day one , as an employee , you will hear this word alot: QUALITY. The two main things that will get you in trouble fast is poor attendance and poor workmanship.They do give pretty comprehensive training before they cut you loose on your own. And every QC guy there is pretty darn picky about what leaves their dept. I can't say too much about dealer policies as I am not involved in that aspect but they want the products right before they leave the plant. Being that the UK was brought up, a few years ago there was an issue with Gibsons coming in as the gov't didn't like lead based solders and we had to switch to lead free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 And from day one ' date=' as an employee , you will hear this word alot: QUALITY.[/quote'] Nice! ...now how about customers seeing a little of it (quality)??? Just kidding... you know... with all those GC and MF rants about gibson, made by people that "played one for 10 minutes"... (none of which I understand, really). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar slinger Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Welcome to the forum! Down here we have 2 "gibson dealers" but none of them are really gibson dealers... they buy from what I think is the "zone dealer" (south A.) and so they get only what that dealer wants to give them... from what I know Gibson requires a shop to buy an insane quantity/amount of merchandise (price wise) to be a dealer (something about having 25K to 100K permanently in stock)... I think I remember reading a while ago Gibson quit having distributors/dealers for every country and started have them by zones (europe' date=' south america, asia) hell, a friend told me a while ago that africa doesnt have a gibson dealer anymore, they have to order from europe or asia... So Gibsons in pop and mom shops and any small to medium sized store are either used or bought from the main dealer for the zone they are in... so they will be a lot more expensive than they are in the states and canada. Dont know if Im too late and hope this helped... And again, welcome to the forum! (did you post pics of your guitars already?)[/quote'] TG, that's kinda how it works in here. The authorized Gibson dealers (or a think they are) are the ones who buy guitars from our national Gibson dealer. A company named by Royal Music. So the guitar shops call Royal Music and ask for what's in stock and decides what they want to have. Around here there is 3 major companies that represents almost every brand that deals in Brazil. So these 3 "distribuidores" buy huge amounts of products from either Gibson Fender and whatsoever so the small shops can buy from them and them re-sell it to the paople. As you can see, it raises the price of the instruments, as each dealer has it's own gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 When choosing guitars I find it strange when people say you need to play 20 to know' date=' I am no expert yet I can tell if a guitar is a keeper even if I try only one. When I bought my VM Les Paul it was the last one in stock. I was nervous but I played it, examined it and liked it all around. In the last 4 years I have grabbed and tested a lot of VMs and I have not liked one better than mine. When I bought my Explorer online: first one was a dog, went back since I knew it was not a keeper, second was good but it has a hairline crack on the neck, it went back. The third one was a keeper, very resonant guitar, well made. It does not have the best bookmatched wood but I don't need that. Buying online can be a hassle but with a solid return policy I can deal with the hassle.[/quote'] That's what it really boils down to. When I bought my LP back in the early 90's, I was working at a music store at the time and could try out as many guitars as I wanted whenever I felt like it. I probably played over 50 of them, some for just a chord or two unplugged and others more extensively depending on how the guitar felt right away. When I finally got to the one I bought, I knew after the first couple of chords that it was a great one and played it for a while longer just to be sure it was the one I wanted. It's still an awesome guitar that I'll never part with. When I bought my Tele a few years ago, the sales guy brought it out from the stock room, I hit a couple of chords and knew it was a great guitar right then. I plugged it into an amp and noodled around for a few minutes then negotiated a price. All told, my hunt for a Tele took about 20 minutes including the store ringing up the sale on the register. With my SG Junior, I just plain got lucky. It was on clearance (again, back while working at the music store) and I bought it on a whim after it sat on the rack all day. I remarked about it to the sales manager and he said, "Want it? Two hundred and fifty bucks." I said, "Deal." It's a very cool guitar. Same thing with my 57 RI Strat - I bought it at a clearance sale for $800 and got lucky as it was the only one of it's model out there. So, you never know what's going to happen but I'll never settle immediately unless the guitar wows me right away and that doesn't happen very often. I know how I like guitars to react to my playing so that's the biggest hurdle but, after that, as long as pickups sound good, it's a done deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesoull Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 That's what it really boils down to. When I bought my LP back in the early 90's' date=' I was working at a music store at the time and could try out as many guitars as I wanted whenever I felt like it. I probably played over 50 of them, some for just a chord or two unplugged and others more extensively depending on how the guitar felt right away. When I finally got to the one I bought, I knew after the first couple of chords that it was a great one and played it for a while longer just to be sure it was the one I wanted. It's still an awesome guitar that I'll never part with. When I bought my Tele a few years ago, the sales guy brought it out from the stock room, I hit a couple of chords and knew it was a great guitar right then. I plugged it into an amp and noodled around for a few minutes then negotiated a price. All told, my hunt for a Tele took about 20 minutes including the store ringing up the sale on the register. With my SG Junior, I just plain got lucky. It was on clearance (again, back while working at the music store) and I bought it on a whim after it sat on the rack all day. I remarked about it to the sales manager and he said, "Want it? Two hundred and fifty bucks." I said, "Deal." It's a very cool guitar. Same thing with my 57 RI Strat - I bought it at a clearance sale for $800 and got lucky as it was the only one of it's model out there. So, you never know what's going to happen but I'll never settle immediately unless the guitar wows me right away and that doesn't happen very often. I know how I like guitars to react to my playing so that's the biggest hurdle but, after that, as long as pickups sound good, it's a done deal. [/quote'] I love to read those stories about how people end up buying stuff like that. :-D Man, I'm so jeaulous at those people who work in music stores. I would like that too, in some big city somewhere, where you're bound to run into well known musicians, trying out stuff you've been jamming on the other day, while the store was having a quiet moment... lol. Actually, that happened with my bassist a few years ago, when I lived in Dublin. He bought a bass that Adam Clayton had tried out the day before. Pretty cool huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I love to read those stories about how people end up buying stuff like that. :-D Man' date=' I'm so jeaulous at those people who work in music stores. I would like that too, in some big city somewhere, where you're bound to run into well known musicians, trying out stuff you've been jamming on the other day, while the store was having a quiet moment... lol. Actually, that happened with my bassist a few years ago, when I lived in Dublin. He bought a bass that Adam Clayton had tried out the day before. Pretty cool huh?[/quote'] We didn't have many big names come in unannounced unless they happened to drop in on the way from New York to Philadelphia or vice versa when traveling between shows; usually, it was an in-store appearance. It was a pretty cool place to work thought but, when you get right down to it, it was still just a retail job - but selling really cool stuff! To me, the best part was getting to try out all the gear; they'd even let you take stuff home to use in the interest of having their staff be more knowledgeable about what they're selling which was also a really smart policy. This was back in the early 90's and there were these two metal guys who used to come in fairly frequently. One of my favorite shredder guitars in the store was a hot pink Peavey Vandenberg that had a really fast neck and great sounding pickups. One day while talking to the metal guys, I asked them to check out the Vandenberg and after some hesitation the one agreed (remember - it was hot pink) and, after playing for a few minutes he said, "Man! This thing has a nicer neck than my Jackson!" One-of-these-days, I'd like to pick up one of those original Vandenbergs but they're hard to get because they've become collector's items. If I knew then what I know now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesoull Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 If I knew then what I know now... I know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I've been playing guitar since 1974, and I have yet to play a Fender that I've wanted to buy..... They just don't feel right to me..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesoull Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 I've been playing guitar since 1974' date=' and I have yet to play a Fender that I've wanted to buy..... They just don't feel right to me.....[/quote'] I feel the same way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I've been playing guitar since 1974' date=' and I have yet to play a Fender that I've wanted to buy..... They just don't feel right to me.....[/quote'] That's the way I felt for the longest time (been playing since around 1981 or '82); every time I tried a Strat, they just felt weird and the middle pickup bugged me. Around five years ago, I attended the same annual clearance sale at the store where I used to work with the idea of picking up a MIM Strat for cheap just to at least give it a shot. Well, there weren't any of that model out in the sale but they did have the 57 RI out, which I managed to snag just before this other dude walked up to it, and got it for $800 with an Ibanez case. I had played my Les Paul almost exclusively for over 10 years prior and the Strat still felt weird to me but, after playing it for a few weeks, I finally got accustomed to it. Probably the hardest part of the whole thing was resigning myself to the fact that Strats sound absolutely nothing like Les Pauls and resisting the temptation to swap in much beefier sounding pickups. But, eventually, I came to appreciate the guitar for what it is - a Strat. I still swapped in a different set up pups later, but only to tweak the sound of it a little, not drastically change it. Since that Strat, I did end up picking up a MIM one to have as an extra (got that one at the next year's sale for $150 minus case - woo hoo!) as well as a 52 RI Tele. They all sound and feel different from each other as do the Gibsons but that's what I like about them - variety. By the way - VERY sweet Casino! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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