Sgt. Pepper Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 23 hours ago, kidblast said: Nice guitars are getting expensive. That's from any of the companies doing this. I'm not sure why no one talks about the prices the "other" guys are placing on their upper end line ups. As a Martin guy I can assure you their prices are stupid high too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 (edited) 1 hour ago, PrairieDog said: Congrats! For the new guitar, and having a great boss! Yeah, thanks PrairieDog! A one off payment needed a one off guitar, I thought! The search was tough..... The Ramirez from the pawn shop feels a bit like I have pulled Excalibur from the stone, perfect for the time - I had my sister’s 1972 Takamine school classical that she gave me, missing a bridge, repaired a while back and have enjoyed playing the nylon strings and was thinking how to upgrade without spending a bundle.....and there it was at a pawn shop, my Ramirez! Right place, right time. Not for everybody I guess, but I love the old patina. (I do keep an eye on this shop online - I have found some beauties over the years that needed my luthier to bring up, including my 2002 Gibson J50 and 2005 Gibson cherry burst Dove! Also my 2006 Martin 000-28EC and a 1952 Gibson ES125. They all needed lots of work but are now gems! So yes, I keep an eye on that pawn shop, some could say a rabid grin...... BluesKing777. Edited February 12 by BluesKing777 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 22 hours ago, BluesKing777 said: So yes, I keep an eye on that pawn shop, some could say a rabid grin... I've all but given up on pawn shops around here. I don't know why, they just keep the junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 38 minutes ago, Murph said: I've all but given up on pawn shops around here. I don't know why, they just keep the junk. Yes, this one has lots and lots of junk and most guitarists would play the ones I bought and had fixed would run as fast as they can.......but I have my incredible luthier who has a bad of magic dust he sprinkles with a setup/repair and...lookout! BUT I should point out that. I check the pawn shop online list as I have my morning coffee, limited to what I like : acoustic guitar, just IN! And my last buy/find was about 4 years ago. So, a long while between successes..... If you go in the physical shop, you would see.......lots of junk! Dust, dirt on guitars. Ancient strings. Busted cases. AND...it is in the worst inner city location to get a car park/parking ticket/someone dent your car etc... so last purchase, I broke all my rules and...yep....hit the buy online button, express delivery that was the slowest ever - checking the tracking, checking the tracking, Better Half saying numerous times: ‘You could have driven in there, picked it up!’ Hmmm. Thought I had better point out a few nays and yeahs, not all smooth sailing. BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomG76 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 I think a key question is whether they're expensive because Gibson can charge extra for their logo or if it's other factors. They're partly expensive in the UK because of tariffs. But they're also expensive because they're superior: hand-made, solid back and sides, fantastic craftsmanship, etc etc. Not much, if anything, stays priced artificially high for long. We save up for them for a reason. I think it's nice to have to wait a few years. My J-50 is all the more special to me for that reason. But I'm also still fond of my cheaper guitars. Thankfully, they are more affordable than a Stradivarius or a Steinway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 With Just about all the Gibson and Martins hanging in stores these days are like going into a music store full of Yamahas and Fender acoustics. So at what point are they luxury items ? When these reach 10k and go up from there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, TomG76 said: I think a key question is whether they're expensive because Gibson can charge extra for their logo or if it's other factors. They're partly expensive in the UK because of tariffs. But they're also expensive because they're superior: hand-made, solid back and sides, fantastic craftsmanship, etc etc. Not much, if anything, stays priced artificially high for long. We save up for them for a reason. I think it's nice to have to wait a few years. My J-50 is all the more special to me for that reason. But I'm also still fond of my cheaper guitars. Thankfully, they are more affordable than a Stradivarius or a Steinway! Stop believing your Gibson is carved by Cherubs that came down from Heaven. Every maker uses CNC machines, even G I B S O N. None of the big 6 (Fender, Martin, Gibson, Guild, Taylor, Gretsch or the others) are made by H A N D. Some is, but 100% is not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 16 minutes ago, slimt said: With Just about all the Gibson and Martins hanging in stores these days are like going into a music store full of Yamahas and Fender acoustics. So at what point are they luxury items ? When these reach 10k and go up from there? What is a luxury to some is a drop in the bucket for others. Some can buy 10k guitars without blinking an eye. Hot dogs are relatively cheap, but to someone who is homeless with no money they just might be a luxury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 5 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said: What is a luxury to some is a drop in the bucket for others. Some can buy 10k guitars without blinking an eye. Hot dogs are relatively cheap, but to someone who is homeless with no money they just might be a luxury. True enough . I see it daily as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 I dunno…. From the perspective of somebody who is retired, I think most guitars out there are “luxury” and I’ve accepted that my days of buying high-end instruments are over. (Unless I win the lottery, then I might splurge on a “‘34 Special” dread by Pre-War Guitars. But I don’t play the lottery.) I’m not sure I’m out much, though, because a) you can only play one guitar at a time and b) you can buy some very good instruments for not a lot of money these days. i currently have four guitars: a ‘16 J-35, a D-18 clone built for me in 2011 by Minneapolis luthier Kevin Schwab, a Farida OT-22 and a 1949 Stella H929. (The Stella is currently in the shop, being converted from a floating bridge to a pinned bridge.) I love the J-35 and the Schwab dearly, but when I’m honest, the OT-22 and the Stella are at present more fun to play. I bought the Farida from Elderly in 2019 for $423. When plugged in (I use a Baggs M1) it sounds great. Sounds really nice unplugged, too. It is well-built (in China) and hasn’t given me a moment’s trouble. Is it an LG-2? Nope. I just checked Sweetwater’s website and the cheapest LG-2 is $2,599. There is the consideration of buying American-made guitars, and three of mine fit that bill. And I console myself that plenty of Americans were involved in the OT-22; folks at Elderly helped design it and I’m sure union longshoremen unloaded it from the boat and loaded it into trucks driven by American truckers to Michigan. It was sold to me by an American salesperson and shipped to me via an American carrier. Play what you got…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geezer1 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 On 2/11/2024 at 2:09 AM, Lars68 said: Some pretty good points made, and with some afterthought I was overreacting when I saw those PAFs. I guess as a whole Gibson is doing fine and my comment about acoustics was not justified. So with some hindsight and a slight adjustment of the target of my disappointment, selling PAF pickups for $1000 as a collectible, in their own version of a Cali case, offends me. https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Product/1959-Humbucker-Collectors-Edition-Series-1-Exclusive/PU59DCNC2-SET Lars It's ridiculous, especially considering they are REPLICAS!!! Are you kidding me? $1000 for " The most historically accurate Patent Applied For replicas". 😲 I can get a set of DiMarzio Vintage PAF's for about $300! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 12 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said: Stop believing your Gibson is carved by Cherubs that came down from Heaven. Every maker uses CNC machines, even G I B S O N. None of the big 6 (Fender, Martin, Gibson, Guild, Taylor, Gretsch or the others) are made by H A N D. Some is, but 100% is not. He can believe what he wants about his own guitar . He payed for it and not you . show some f’g respect for people’s opinions … JC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 13 hours ago, geezer1 said: It's ridiculous, especially considering they are REPLICAS!!! Are you kidding me? $1000 for " The most historically accurate Patent Applied For replicas". 😲 I can get a set of DiMarzio Vintage PAF's for about $300! Go with Lindy Fralin's - You will be glad you did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) 6 hours ago, JuanCarlosVejar said: He can believe what he wants about his own guitar . He payed for it and not you . show some f’g respect for people’s opinions … JC It doesn't matter what he believes. Some think the Earth is flat, but its not. It (a guitar and not the Earth) has some stuff cut out by a CNC Machine, and that is a F A CT. Most if not all of us here know that. Pull up some vids of Gibson tours and stuff they are doing in the plant, see if there are any big machines in there to do man's/woman's work. What about the PLEK machine is that doing it by hand? Here is this from the net. It could be a lie perpetrated by Martin. When did Gibson switch to CNC? I once read an article in a technical publication called Design News which said that Gibson started using a CNC router in the late 1980s which would jibe with what you recall Rar saying. The article also noted that Gibson has also been using a CNC machine for the past eight or so years. Edited February 14 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 All Gibson's are made in U.S.A. with American hands and tools. Speaking of tools....... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) 49 minutes ago, Murph said: All Gibson's are made in U.S.A. with American hands and tools. Speaking of tools....... Hmmmm, not so quick there Murph - tuners and timber and other bits for cases are from all over the place... Quote Wade Hampton from my google search: Sperzel tuners are made in the US, as are Waverly tuners. Grover switched production over to Taiwan in the mid-1980's, though Grovers are most likely in mainland China now. Schallers have always been made in Germany and Gotohs have always been made in Japan. Although Schertler is a Swiss company, the tuners they sell under the Schertler brand name are made for them in South Korea: (same here with my ‘all Australian Matons’....oh, oh, Grover tuners......) BluesKing777. Edited February 14 by BluesKing777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) 1 hour ago, Murph said: All Gibson's are made in U.S.A. with American hands and tools. Speaking of tools....... I would swear if I looked up who makes a PLEK machine (and every guitar gets a go through that machine) it would come up its made in Germany, now that is not really an American made thing now is it? Look at the names on the Plek team. Not really any Smith's or Jones's there now are there? And go down to the bottom of the web page below and see where you would call for service or help. Deutschland aka Germany. https://plek.com/about-plek/team/ Edited February 14 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I never said the tools were made in U.S.A. Or the tuners. I said the guitars are made in U.S.A. with American hands and tools. Buncha nit-pickers..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSoxBiker Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 On 2/11/2024 at 12:41 PM, kidblast said: yep, more than likely America loves it's cheap labor! Just look at what has happened to the IT industry. Offshoring has destroyed it. 'oy!!! I hear ya! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) 54 minutes ago, Murph said: I never said the tools were made in U.S.A. Or the tuners. I said the guitars are made in U.S.A. with American hands and tools. Buncha nit-pickers..... You most certainly did. And I quote you: "All Gibson's are made in U.S.A. with American hands and tools." Look 6 post up to what you typed. Or did you mean to say: "All Gibson's are made in U.S.A. with American hands and tools from where they are made." Edited February 14 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 And tools. "With" tools. "Along side tools" Like a cnc machine. Dialed in by hand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Freakin' nit-pickers..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomG76 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 If I'm to stop believing that my guitar was made by cherubs who came down from Heaven, I will first need to acquire that belief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) 41 minutes ago, TomG76 said: If I'm to stop believing that my guitar was made by cherubs who came down from Heaven, I will first need to acquire that belief. I think according the this book lots of people have read called the Bible, doesn't it state Lucifer was booked out of Heaven? Or is the Bible just a book with lots of scary stories in it? Edited February 14 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I know Gibsons are expensive, but prices are increasing on everything. Beyond that, I like Gibsons, and, if Gibson sold a $500 new guitar I’d probably wonder what shortcuts and concessions did they make. If someone wants or can only afford a low-mid range guitar, Yamaha ain’t bad at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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