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Bought a new Les Paul Standard 50s - is this acceptable for QC?


lithdoc

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On 7/8/2021 at 5:38 AM, LPRich said:

It’s all good. 
 

Now the static charge? That is another issue. Did you get that on your guitar, because I did. I would rather have another tiny blemish than “The Gibson Static”!

we all have had it to one degree or another.  I have 5 USA Gibby electrics, so I just did the grin and bear it thing..

 as the finish ages, the static pops will slowly become much less noticeable until one day you realize, it's just gone.

it's the nitro, really strange stuff..

 

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5 hours ago, kidblast said:

we all have had it to one degree or another.  I have 5 USA Gibby electrics, so I just did the grin and bear it thing..

 as the finish ages, the static pops will slowly become much less noticeable until one day you realize, it's just gone.

it's the nitro, really strange stuff..

 

I doubt it’s the nitro itself, but rather the fact that Gibson literally applies an electrostatic charge to the guitar during the finish application process to reduce waste. 

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13 hours ago, LPRich said:

That is correct. It’s an electrostatic charge which helps the nitrocellulose adhere to the guitar. Of course, it also helps the guitar hold a static charge. So annoying!

Annoying ain't what I expect from an expensive instrument, which is why I won't buy a new Gibson unless the store has an ironclad return policy. 😊 Who wants a guitar that crackles and pops when you make a chord change? Not me! I don't care how aesthetically pleasing it is, or how rare the wood is; if I can't record with it, it's useless.

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Its funny, we all hate it when we get that first scratch, or ding on our new guitar - but Gibson actually charges you more money for a beat up looking guitar..  LOL    For us to put on some "light damage" only $7,000 bucks...   To really mess it up, I am talking - your guitar got into a fight with a belt sander (and lost)  only 9,000 bucks.  And here we are talking about scratches you need a magnifying glass to see.....  

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1 hour ago, mrichard27 said:

Its funny, we all hate it when we get that first scratch, or ding on our new guitar - but Gibson actually charges you more money for a beat up looking guitar..  LOL    For us to put on some "light damage" only $7,000 bucks...   To really mess it up, I am talking - your guitar got into a fight with a belt sander (and lost)  only 9,000 bucks.  And here we are talking about scratches you need a magnifying glass to see.....  

And we DO break out those magnifying glasses. Like, literally. 

I have no idea if it's the same with fans of other brands, and I'm sure part of it has to do with the fact that Gibsons are generally pricy, but it's a characteristic seemingly peculiar to Gibson players. 

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I used to complain when others complain about Gibson guitars, but I get it when you want to get what you pay for - which imho is sort of subjective. Hence if someone feels like they didn’t get the quality they believe they paid for, I have no issue when someone wants to turn it back in. I’ve learned you need to be happy with what you buy because a buck doesn’t come easy in this world. Some people are more picky than others though… I have had a lot of Gibsons and I have ran into more good ones than bad. Maybe I’m lucky, I don’t know…

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It’s all about principal I guess. And it shouldn’t matter if it’s a very expensive item or not. It’s relative. You pay your hard earned cash for something and it should be perfect. If you ding it getting it out of the box that’s different. But from the store or factory it SHOULD  be blemish free. 
Now “should” was uppercase because anything that is actually hand made will have a higher chance of tiny imperfections than something machine made. To me that is almost a mark of proof that it was in fact made by human hands. So a imperfection which is not terribly unsightly, or does not effect the function is acceptable (to me) if not even expected.
I’ve read that some feel the more expensive Epiphone models will have less chance of a defect because there are less human hands involved in its manufacture. This might be true, my Epi Tribute Plus certainly was text book perfect. And I’m talking “fit and finish” , not actual build quality and tonality. That’s an argument for another thread. ( Although it is pretty damn good!!!)

Anyway, yes we are a picky lot. But I feel we are allowed to be. It is incumbent on ourselves to decide if the “blemish” is worthy of a return or not, and that line will be drawn in a different place in the sand for everyone.

I broke out the loupe with the purchase of my Gibson Standard. $4000.00 Canadian after taxes, for sure it’s getting a good looking over. What I found was as close to perfection as I would expect. My fret board looks the same, I think….if what I see in OP’s photos is what I think it is. For me that’s a keeper. 

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IME, that is standard Gibson quality (i.e. "they're all like that").   Exchanging for another one would be a crap shoot as to better or worse than what you have.  You  just have to personally inspect every square inch of any new Gibson before handing any money over.  The days of consistent good quality from Gibson are unfortunately long gone.

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7 hours ago, bobalu said:

IME, that is standard Gibson quality (i.e. "they're all like that").   Exchanging for another one would be a crap shoot as to better or worse than what you have.  You  just have to personally inspect every square inch of any new Gibson before handing any money over.  The days of consistent good quality from Gibson are unfortunately long gone.

Look before you buy! I could never buy something that expensive on line. No way. I’m going to hold it in my hands and inspect it before handing my cash over, even if I have to drive for two hours to get it.

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3 hours ago, LPRich said:

Look before you buy! I could never buy something that expensive on line. No way. I’m going to hold it in my hands and inspect it before handing my cash over, even if I have to drive for two hours to get it.

Well you’re gonna have a hard time getting a Gibson then. I’ve bought several Custom Shop guitars online and had zero issues. That’s the way it’s done - or you’re going to have to wait for your local shop to get something you like in. If you shut down the online option then your selection is drastically diminished. I agree that it would be great to get everything in-person but that’s not as feasible today. Just buy from some place that does returns if you aren’t happy with it. That’s about the best you can do. You might miss out on some fine guitars if you totally eliminate the online option is my main point. 

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I do see your point and understand completely. It’s just me. Don’t want to deal with the hassle of repackaging and shipping back.
A hundred bucks or so, no problem. But thousands? It’s just not me. If it’s out of stock at my local shop I’ll have them order it so I can still inspect it before paying.

I don’t buy a lot of guitars and it was easy to find what I really was happy with. Maybe it makes more sense if your buying a lot of guitars or really something specific. Then I understand.

 

Edited by LPRich
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@LPRich you got to do what you got to do. I just know if I didn’t get guitars online, I would have a difficult time coming across guitars that I did get online that I really appreciate. It took me a little bit to get used to it and of course had some troubles here and there. But overall I have had more positive experiences getting a guitar online. 

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On 7/11/2021 at 5:16 PM, Big Bill said:

If someone is looking for flaws, they will find them.

Bullseye!

Little flaws are tolerated on cheap Asian instruments.

Phil McKnight says that everyone has a 'mental' price limit. It is an emotional/imaginary limit that has little to do with how you can actually afford. Savvy retailers understand this and don't like to sell above a customers limit because they will be back in the store to b1tch about every little detail thereafter. 

Edited by merciful-evans
censorship
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