FiveAces Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I'm somewhat new to Gibson guitars so I'm not that familiar with their product lines, but I happened to be looking for a used LP on Craigslist and ran across this...... http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/msg/1432008742.html and the specific link it points to.... http://www.gibson.com/en%2Dus/Divisions/Maestro/Electrics/Single%20Cutaway%20Carvetop/ I don't recall ever seeing any of this line at GC or other music shops. Are these "Maestro by Gibson" guitars equivilant to the"Squier by Fender" guitar line? ... kinda meant to reach the more affordable minded (cheap?) buyers. Obviously they can't be compared to the regular Gibson line in terms of quality, but, just like Fender Squiers, some models can be quite competitive as to how well made they are for the price. Are they worth it, or just wait and go straight for a real Gibson? Any comments or comparisons would be helpful. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobv Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 That Maestro and a Gibson have nothing in common except the use of Les Paul's name. Different types of woods let alone quality, different construction methods, wiring, pickups, hardware, finish. You get the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esch Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 +1 What else? Poplar/Maple top (they can't specify which?), die cast tuners, one piece wraparound bridge, bolt on neck (bolt on neck!!!). Good grief. I've seen one of these, in Costco I think. Came as a package with an amp and cord etc. The whole deal looked really crappy...like a toy or a prop to trash on stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 A pupil turned up the other week with a make called Signature by Gibson. Has anyone heard of these? Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 +1What else? Poplar/Maple top (they can't specify which?)' date=' die cast tuners, one piece wraparound bridge, bolt on neck (bolt on neck!!!). Good grief. I've seen one of these, in Costco I think. Came as a package with an amp and cord etc. The whole deal looked really crappy...like a toy or a prop to trash on stage. [/quote'] You got that right... I wish all of the guitar bashers would get cheap guitars like the Maestro to destroy rather than their nice LP's or even Strats. +1 to the "Toy Look" you get what you pay for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 These guitars are produced under the Gibson/Baldwin Music Education Program (or something to that effect). They're beginner-grade instruments. They're closer to the Starcaster by Fender line than the Squier line, which includes some rather nice guitars. They seem to be produced under two names - Maestro and Signature. I'm not sure why some are under one name and some are under another, but they seem to be identical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiveAces Posted October 22, 2009 Author Share Posted October 22, 2009 Yeah... after taking a little time to research these on the internet, I'm finding they kinda follow the Fender "Starcaster" series and usually include a cheap amp & accessories. Sounds like even the Squiers are way further up the "Quality" ladder! I know once in a while someone claims they found a real good one and are surprised the quality is almost par with the more professional line. I hear that in the Fender forums all the time. I'm not knocking Korean/India made guitars, cause you get what you pay for! But those that buy these cheapies, and then upgrade pu's and parts to make it a quality player may just as well start out with a good model and forget these "starter" guitars. It doesn't really pay in the long run. Thanks for your responses..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 A pupil turned up the other week with a make called Signature by Gibson. Has anyone heard of these? Matt They sell them in retail department stores here in the USA, some electronics stores carry them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar232007 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 These guitars are produced under the Gibson/Baldwin Music Education Program (or something to that effect). They're beginner-grade instruments.The funny thing is' date=' so were the '50s Juniors, where "Junior" = music studends/kids. [img']http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/2938/juniorap.jpg[/img] I'm not trying to compare the quality of an actual Gibson LP Junior to that of the Maestro series, but they were concieved from the SAME principle. But the fact of the matter is, most parents aren't willing to spend upwards of $1,000 for real GLPJ (especially for little kids), when they can get a guitar that [at least] looks like one for close to $700 less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobv Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I've been impressed with the Epiphone imports, but not these maestro things. One thing to keep in mind is that they're sold in department stores and discount stores where a kid, or parent, will not have a real guitar to compare it to. Cheapens the marque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter77890 Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 So have one of these Gibson Maestro this one is Made in China but I have to say it sounds dam good for what I paid for it. I tuned this up with a tuner and I was very surprised at how good it played and intonation was right on. Chords sound great . It even has adjustable tuners. I tell ya this it’s a lot better then the crap copies they use to sell in the seventies. This thing is a great beginner guitar and I’d play this thing all day long wouldn’t bother me a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 Adjustable tuners are on every guitar, those other things in Walmart are tennis rackets 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChaudCaliente Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 On 10/3/2020 at 7:01 PM, Scooter77890 said: It even has adjustable tuners. Isn't the whole purpose of tuners, "adjustability"??? What the hell would non-adjustable tuners even be? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fixerman Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 The LP Juniors that are sold under the Maestro name can be modified/improved to play really well. First, throw away the tuners and put some good ones on. Second, the wraparound bridge cants forward under pressure, so your intonation goes to hell. You can either put a thin half washer on the pickup side of the bridge to combat this, or get a fancier more adjustable bridge with moveable saddles. Also, the allen screws they give you for intonation adjustment are too short and too cheap (they strip out and fail), so get some longer black ones at your hardware store. Don't think they sell chrome ones. Doing those things will give you much more control over intonation and tone. Also, get a cheap set of miniature files to fix any sharp fret ends with a light touch. Maybe steel wool your frets and oil your fret board, and you'll have a much better guitar. If you want to go a little more, replace the nut with a gibson or tusq nut. You'll find you now have a gig-able guitar without spending more than a hundred. Upgrade the electronics if you like, but you'll get into spending more money there. Why do all this? LP Juniors are $1200 or more these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.