Jack6849 Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 Perhaps the answer to this question is obvious, but I'll ask it anyway. Would you say that the consistency of Gibson acoustic guitars ordered through the Custom Shop in Bozeman would be better than that of the regular production guitars built there? I have a "J-200 Jr." on special order from the Custom Shop right now, and I guess I just figured that by specifying (and paying for) higher grades of tonewoods for both the Adirondack Spruce top and the AAA-grade Maple sides and back on this special order, (combined with the assumption that probably some of Gibson's best craftsmen do the work on their Custom Shop stuff), consistency would be somewhat less of an issue than on a "regular production" guitar. However, after reading some of the concerns expressed here, in another Forum thread about consistency which is currently running, i.e. "Only a Gibson is good enough, but are they consistent enough?", I now wonder what your thoughts might be about the consistency of Gibson's "Custom Shop" guitars. I currently have two 000-sized acoustics that I've ordered from Martin's Custom Shop over the years, and although their delivery times were rather long, (almost 24 months in one case, and a little over 15 months in the other) when I did finally receive those guitars, they were both fantastic instruments, and I consider them to have been worth their high prices and their long waits. So, what can you tell me about the consistency and quality of special order Custom Shop Gibsons? Are they worth the time, trouble and extra money? Of course, I hope so, but this is my first time for a special order Custom Shop Gibson. Since you obviously don't get to try out a special order Gibson before before buying it, I'm hoping that the factors I've mentioned above (better materials and the company's best craftsmanship) will result in the process being at least a little less of a crap shoot than buying a "regular production" acoustic guitar that you've never played. In fact, I probably wouldn't do that, so this Gibson special order is a major leap of faith for me. Anyway, I'd be interested in your thoughts and your first-hand experiences with Gibson Custom Shop special order acoustic guitars. I'd appreciate your insight and input, even though I expect this question to be answered for me by Gibson in the near future. Last week their Gibson Rep told my dealer, (Dave's Guitars in La Crosse, Wisconsin), that the Custom Shop expected to begin spraying my J-200 Jr.'s finish on Thursday. Guess I'm just getting nervous. Thanks, Jack6849 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 i have played many of these. some are one-offs and some are very limited runs (10 or 20). i have been blown away by all of them. they CLEARLY are a different beast than the regular production stuff. they have all been the closest you can get to an old Gibson. put your mind at ease, and let us know when the new baby comes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 However' date=' after reading some of the concerns expressed here, in another Forum thread about consistency which is currently running, i.e. "Only a Gibson is good enough, but are they consistent enough?", I now wonder what your thoughts might be about the consistency of Gibson's "Custom Shop" guitars. ....Last week their Gibson Rep told my dealer, (Dave's Guitars in La Crosse, Wisconsin), that the Custom Shop expected to begin spraying my J-200 Jr.'s finish on Thursday. Guess I'm just getting nervous. [/quote'] Your custom order should have the features that you asked for-- so if you requested a certain type of wood on the top, or grade of b/s, that will be there. And any other features. But all guitars are pretty much built on the same line-- the entire factory is really one big custom shop. The last I heard, about half of the guitars built are built to spec, with some type of special feature(s) added. The thread that has you concerned shouldn't-- if anything, the product from Bozeman is getting rave reviews from anyone who's actually seen and played the guitars. There is just a lot of misinformation and some of it seems to originate from dealers..(Such as your Gibson rep implying there is a special spray booth for custom orders!!! ) I know that the custom shop grabs some of the better looking wood for use in special orders, but otherwise everything is built out on the floor. I actually have a guitar ordered from the custom shop and couldn't be happier. (Even after comparing it side by side with several vintage examples--the custom shop guitar is better balanced IMO with the same sound. And a lot less $$$) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack6849 Posted May 31, 2010 Author Share Posted May 31, 2010 Thanks for the first two replies, Hoss and modoc_333. I appreciate your kind words. Hoss, I think I wasn't clear in my post about the spraying. The Gibson Rep just said he had talked to what he called the "Custom Shop" about the timing of the spraying and they said they'd be doing it on Thursday. I don't think that he meant to imply that it would be done in a separate "Custom Shop" spray booth. Sorry if I was unclear about that. I found both of the posts answering my concerns about Custom Shop consistency to be very reassuring, and I thank you, (and anyone else with an observation), for taking the time to reply. Thanks, Jack6849 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J185-4Me Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 I'm sure you'll like yours just fine. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigshot Posted May 31, 2010 Share Posted May 31, 2010 My 2005 custom shop J200 quilt maple is a humdinger, and it keeps getting better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanC Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I have a Custom shop '59 ES 335. Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drellis Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 It is my opinion that you should not buy ANY Gibson without playing it first, not even from their Custom Shop. If you have already ordered it, I guess its a moot point anyway. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigshot Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I bought my J200 custom shop on ebay sight unseen and it was even better than I was expecting it to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Rondack Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 My Western Classic is beyond expectations... adi top and hog neck... turns heads and ears every time I take it out of the case. I've bought plenty of Gibsons (and others) prior to playing them, and my experience overall is excellent with the Gibsons. I can only think of 1 that I thought was a bit of a lemon... Interestingly, Collings stands out to me as one that I think is a risk to buy before playing... I've had to return 2 out of 2 and probably won't try them again... but maybe that's just me. I presently just own the 1 custom but have another on order (AJ with adirondack). My one time experience (so far) is that the custom shop work is on a par with anything I've ever played (and that's a bunch). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack6849 Posted June 1, 2010 Author Share Posted June 1, 2010 Hey, thanks for all the responses so far to my question about the consistency of special order acoustic guitars from Bozeman's Custom Shop operation. As I mentioned, that other Forum thread on "consistency" just gave me a momentary blast of panic, but I feel fine now. And Fred (J1854Me), when I get too worried about MY Custom Shop J-200 Jr special order, I like to look back at the pictures of the beautiful J-200 Jr. that Bozeman built for YOU. Even just the photo of the back of your headstock (which is included in this thread) was reassuring to me. Such a great looking flamey Maple neck! Incidentally, it turned out that my special order was too far along to change the finish from my originally specified "Vintage Sunburst" to a color like yours, but that's okay with me. I originally special-ordered this "J-200 Jr." to be a scaled-down version of my 2010 "Vintage Sunburst" SJ-200 TV and that's exactly what I think I've got coming now, so I am currently stoked, booted up, and "programmed to receive". I guess now I should learn how to post photos on the Forum so I can show my new (and hopefully) favorite guitar to everyone here when it arrives. Maybe I can figure out the photo posting process, (or have one of my "technical advisors" show me on Father's Day, right after they finally let me open my ToneRite). All your encouragement has been helpful, Thank you Jack6849 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honky Dog Posted June 1, 2010 Share Posted June 1, 2010 I have a 2009 custom J-45 with flamed maple back and sides. The fit and finish are perfect as far as I can tell, but I haven't taken it into the lab yet for inspection. Not that it matters, but it plays and sounds fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsc Posted June 2, 2010 Share Posted June 2, 2010 I've got 2005 custom shop AJ (short scale, with 1 3/4 nut). Mail ordered, & better than I could have imagined!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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