sok66 Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 I scored a new '59 Reissue ES335 this past week. When it arrived it was, as expected, a beauty. (Gibson's current cases suck, but that's another topic.) Anyway, I gleefully tuned it up, plugged it in and started playing it & checking out the setup. After a few minutes I'm going "WTF? Who set this thing up?" The first fret string clearance was either as high as a cheeze slicer on the bass side, or buzzing the first fret on the first string. Nut wasn't even close to being cut correctly. Then I checked out spacing at the bridge and the radius, neither are even close to being right. In the end I had to completely replace the nut, and re-do the string slots at the bridge to get the radius to match the board. During the nut work I found that the frets are higher on the treble side than on the bass side by about .002"! Lastly, they didn't drill the holes for the bridge studs in at the correct angle, so the saddles can barely be adjusted back far enough to set the intonation. Look, Gibson, for this much green one expects you characters to spend enough time to set the basics right. Does someone need to come teach you guys how to do this, or are you just in too big a hurry to care? Either way, a $200 Korean import would show up better than this guy. Man!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanC Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I really love Gibsons but I don't expect the factory set ups to be any good. Knowing that the neck will need to be set up, the trick is to pick a guitar that can be set up by some one who knows what they are doing to improve the playability of the guitar. All of my Gibsons have needed work when I initially bought them and some of them have needed two goes by a high quality luthier before they play really well. I haven't noticed any change in the need to have new guitars professionally set up over the years. My '74 Les Paul Custom which I bought new and still own has a great neck but when I bought it, it had to be set up to be comfortable to play!! My new (purchased in 2008) J185 was initially terrible but is now great and so on! By the way really nice looking ES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sok66 Posted October 5, 2009 Author Share Posted October 5, 2009 Thanks! I've been around these things long enough to know how to put them right, I just don't expect to have to do the same amount of work (new NUT????) on a $5,000+ list price guitar as I do on a $50 pile of junk 0from Wal Mart. How in heaven's name they let something this bad out the door of the factory is an utter mystery to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Wow. I've never had an issue...... Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre S Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Wow. I've never had an issue...... Best of luck. I'm lucky, because, with my two guitars purchase online, Gibson Les Paul Studio and Martin OM-1, neither of them had any problems, when they came. In fact they seemed perfect out of the box, or rather case. However this could be because, before I was accustomed to a classical guitar, and their fingerboards are wide and flat, so that may be it, But I never had any cause to adjust my Gibson nor Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 The intonation was off on every new Gibson I bought. I know for a fact they do only a quick setup at the factory. Still, I'm sure that the intonation was fine when it left, but shipping may cause issues. Once I set the intonation, then the rest to me is just taste... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 The intonation was off on every new Gibson I bought. I know for a fact they do only a quick setup at the factory. Still' date=' I'm sure that the intonation was fine when it left, but shipping may cause issues. Once I set the intonation, then the rest to me is just taste... [/quote'] HA me to, I really don't expect a guy doing 30 setups a day to do them correct. I have been disappointed with almost every guitar that I purchased until I had them set up, with the exception of my PRS...it was perfect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artmaker Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I have to agree with Mark......every Gibson I own, (I love them all), had to be set up to play properly but my two PRS guitars, (a Singlecut 10 top and a McCarty w/ solid rosewood neck), have been perfect from day one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 My Gibson's were never badly setup, that I can remember, anyway. However, I have "tweaked" All of them, to My preferences. Some needed more, than others. But, none of them, needed a Lot, really. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamester Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Setups are such a personal thing, I'd never expect any guitar to play well for me right out the box. For example I prefer heavier strings and higher action than Gibson provides on their semi-hollows... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzGtr Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Sh_t happens! :- My spanking new, custom black beauty LP was delivered with some serious fret buzz to the point that Sam Ash could not fix. It was later replaced by PRS Santana III. Personally, I found that Gibson quality control does not exists. Whatever comes off the assembly lines gets shipped. I only wished PRS could make the Gibson hollowbodies. Jazz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max2343 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Why did you Keep it? You Have no Range Left on the Bridge Saddles and none of them are Foward. They are all in a Straight Line[-x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max2343 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Here is a Well Placed Axe. Everything turned out Nice. Length of the neck. Placement of the Frets with-in its Scale and Even the Nut was Good. It Plays Like a Dream. All the notes up and Down the neck are Real Close. Notice the Bridge Saddle Positions. For Some Reason if Everything is Good and intonation is Right on and it Plays and Sounds Good, they Always end up in this Position. They Should Kinda Look like 2 Groups. With the "Low E" & "G" strings Saddles Back and the "D" & high "E" Saddles foward with the others inbetween. I've Had Gibson's that the Saddles ended up being Straight and Way back and Got Rid of them because they never sounded right (no matter what was done to them) or as good as the ones that their Saddles ended up in the position in the Photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hows the sign comming MAX? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max2343 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 A lot of Things Came up All at Once and I Forgot about it. It Still would look Real Kool in my Shop Hang-in over by my Cuda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 I have been disappointed with almost every guitar that I purchased until I had them set up' date='with the exception of my PRS...it was perfect[/quote'] Well, PRS as well as Taylor are in a completely different world in terms of both setup and support... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sok66 Posted October 15, 2009 Author Share Posted October 15, 2009 Why did you Keep it? You Have no Range Left on the Bridge Saddles and none of them are Foward. They are all in a Straight Line[-x If you look closely they are in their proper stagger, but with almost no rearward travel left. The studs are drilled at the wrong angle, so they tilt forward slightly. (Nice to see Gibson bringing back a "vintage production defect" from the late 60s / early 70s!). The fix is to plug the holes, then re-drill at the proper angle as I had to do with my '06 Les Paul '59 RI VOS. Good to know Gibson is at least consistent in their FU's, because that one needed a new nut, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Well' date=' PRS as well as Taylor are in a completely different world in terms of both setup and support...[/quote'] Please explain, I was referring to my $500. PRS a Korean made model Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhstaab Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I have 5 guitars and only the two from Gibson had to go straight to the luthier before they could be played. PRS and Reverend seem to be best "out of the box". However I can't seem to put my Gibsons down once I start playing. Oh wait, that's because I can't get my hand free from the sticky necks. :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanC Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Its not just Gibson that need to be set up off the shelf or when new!! I've had a brand new Taylor that needed a lot of setting up because the neck kept moving. It seems to have settled now that its 3 years old. And I have owned PRS's and Martins that have needed to be set up. I guess for me every new guitar needs to be set up in a manner that suits me! The only real concern for me is if the neck is so bad that it can't be salvaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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