Gibson Custom quality and support

[robertoedwards]

After years of wanting one, I was finally able to buy an ES-175. Right at the store I saw a problem - the area directly undeneath the elevated fretboard has very little paint and no lacquer. Hard to understand how that got by quality control, but there it is. The store took enough off to get it repaired by my Gibson-authorized shop and top-notch luthier so I took it home.

 

Of course, the guitar needed a setup (totally expected), so I took it to said shop.He confirmed he could take care of the finish issue and the discount would come close to covering it, so I'm still feeling good about the purchase.

 

The next day I get a call from the shop, and found out that the truss rod has a problem and cannot be tightened. Loosening is not a problem, but tightening is a no-go! He tells me that for this kind of issue, Gibson wants the guitar back, so I called Gibson. After playing phone tag, I finally speak to a human (maybe that's what they mean when they talk about 24/7 support - you get to leave a message or send email 24/7) and am promply informed that yes, I have to send the guitar back, and expected to a) procure my own shipping materials and cover shipping costs. So, I buy a guitar on a Monday, find out on a Thursday it has to go back and have to pay for the shipping myself.

 

Personally, I am stunned. Is THIS representative of Gibson quality and service on their top-of-the-line instruments? If so, they have fallen a long way. The website and paperwork included with the guitar go on and on about the pride with which the instrument is built, etc. - pride that is less than evident based on what was allowed to go out the door and the service policies I have seen so far.

 

This is not resolved yet, and I now have a direct contact into the warrantee department, someone my luthier has been dealing with for years, but to say the least, I am not a happy camper right now.

 

My expectation was that that Gibson would IMMEDIATELY send out a shipping container with a prepaid label, and high priority turnaround.

[ralphthedog]

From my experiences and discussions with retailers, it would seem that the entire notion of the "Custom Shop" is to lower the quality bar for regular Gibson instruments. Now if you want the best guitar you don't buy a "Gibson" but instead you must buy a "Gibson Custom". This strategy also has the added benefit to the organization of a reason to charge more money.

 

Now for this Harvard Business school marketing scheme to actually work over the long term would require that the Custom Shop models ARE ACTUALLY HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS. Because just as the bar has been lowered for Gibson quality, it has been raised for Gibson Custom.

 

If too many buyers pay the premium for the implied top of the line offered by the Gibson organization end up telling stories like the last contributor, then no number of Harvard Business Grads will be able to re-establish Gibson's solid reputation of quality.

 

And while Gibson plays these marketing games and allows blems to slide past quality control, and then drops the ball again with their customer service, there is a whole generation of new players that didn't grow up in an era where Gibson and Fender were the only serious guitars. They didn't grow up with Jimmy Page struttung his Les Paul so their brand loyalty must be earned based on real quality.

 

Because there are many new talented and hungry manufacturers utiliizing modern manufacturing technology to make some fine quality product at a fraction of the price of Gibsons. And these new manufacturers are ready to pounce on the young new generation that don't share the same awe of owning a real American Gibson (or Fender) that their father did.

 

At some point the older baby boomers with the disposable income to pay these obscene amounts on their lost dreams of being a rock star (manifested by owning the guitar their idols played) - at some point owning that $7,000 guitar will be less of a priority to that sector of buyers. And then where does Gibson plan to find the loyal populace that have the kind of disposable cash required to play the game when the Gibson name no longer represents the best quality? Gibson's current direction may work for awhile but In the end its still simple - reputation must earned and if they continue depending on their older loyal target market to fork over the big bucks, they may find the old loyal Gibson die hards are trading their axes for golf clubs. While the younger, less well heeled generation buys less expensive guitars based on the reputations that the new manufacturers are earning even as you read this. But only time will tell.

[LerxstLee]

+1 Ralpth Could not agree more.

 

Robert this is the reality of the quality of instruments I have for the most part seen lately. I have owned, bought, and played Gibsons for over thirty

years, yet in 2008, I ended up getting an instrument for my B'day and that will be the last Gibson I will ever buy. Getting any help to solve the problems with this guitar was difficult to say the least. I do hope you post your experience with the end results. I do hope they fix your guitar properly. You could waste your time scouring the forums but just go to your nearest Gibson dealer and look at other "custom shop" instruments and

you will start to wonder how some of the other guitars got past "quality control".

Just a tip, when buying an instrument get the return policy in writing, and look for a place that gives you ten days or more with a complete refund.

Some issues you just don't see in the store, or for days , yet all of a sudden you may realize , something is very wrong and it is alot better to return it then to have it fixed. Just my opinion and I hope you are treated well.

 

/cheers