Silenced Fred Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 A lot of posts about new guitars are made and contain "Gibson's QC sucks or Gibson QC rocks because of the set up". IMO, with the weather changes and getting a guitar from a guitar center or whatever, the set up isn't really part of Gibson. The travel, unboxing, and being played by 2 billion people are what affects the set up right? Or am I full of ****? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Qc is a factory thing and the set up is also done at the factory. They're Plek'd so really should need no more work. You should be able to pick a Gibson up from a dealer in a sealed box. If I bought a new one I'd want to open the box. There are vids on You Tube of people opening them and being delighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I consider a bad set-up as more the issue of the store selling it than the guitar maker. Ex. Over two years ago, I played a $3500 Cherry Burst Les Paul Custom in GC. Beautiful guitar but the set-up and action was horrible! Some of the frets were totally dead. When I mentioned it to the sales guy, he just shrugged and made a comment about them coming from Gibson that way. The guitar is still hanging there today, probably with the same set-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 As far as I'm concerned, no guitar is properly set up when it arrives from the factory. If you buy at a local music store, the personnel at the music store should set it up, if you buy it mail or internet order, it's up to you to do it. Why? A couple of reasons. First of all, there is no universal setup. What is good for one person might not be good for the next. I like fairly low action, some like it even lower, some higher. One size doesn't fit all. Second of all shipping, especially in the winter can expose the guitar to sudden extremes of temperature. When I bought my new Parker last December, it arrived with a little wiggle in the neck. I called tech help and they told me to wait a few days before making any adjustments. Two days later, the neck straightened itself out without me making any adjustment at all. The truss rod must have contracted in the extreme cold and then in the relative warmth of my house it relaxed itself. Next, I decided to raise the neck pickup a bit. This is personal preference, as it sounds a little softer going through my direct/fx pedal and through the PA system. I suppose if I had a real amp, and depending on the amp and settings, I might have made some other adjustments. If you want your guitar to be set up for you, I suggest you get it from a ma and pa music store that has a good guitar tech on premises. That's just my $0.02 Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Tru dat, Notes. His $0.02 + my $0.02 = $0.04. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shnate McDuanus Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 The total's up to $0.06 now. Notes hit the nail on the head. I think it's a universal truth if we reach $1.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I think my first post couned as my .02 so we're up to .08 now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57classic Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 + $.02 You have to get it setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbreslauer Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 i'm in for .02c too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Set-ups are subjective.... Some like thier action high, while others like it low. Others like the frets tall, while others like them low and flat. I personally like the way Gibson is currently producing most of thier frets and fret-boards, as oppose to 77-81. The frets were low and flat and you couldn't do anything with them, other than re-fretting. Today, Gibson leaves a ton of meat on thier frets so that you can get them dressed that suits your playing technique. All the newer Gibsons I have purchased over the last three years have been very solid out of the box. All they needed was some fret-dressing to suit my playing style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 As far as I'm concerned, no guitar is properly set up when it arrives from the factory. If you buy at a local music store, the personnel at the music store should set it up, if you buy it mail or internet order, it's up to you to do it. Why? A couple of reasons. First of all, there is no universal setup. What is good for one person might not be good for the next. I like fairly low action, some like it even lower, some higher. One size doesn't fit all. Second of all shipping, especially in the winter can expose the guitar to sudden extremes of temperature. When I bought my new Parker last December, it arrived with a little wiggle in the neck. I called tech help and they told me to wait a few days before making any adjustments. Two days later, the neck straightened itself out without me making any adjustment at all. The truss rod must have contracted in the extreme cold and then in the relative warmth of my house it relaxed itself. Next, I decided to raise the neck pickup a bit. This is personal preference, as it sounds a little softer going through my direct/fx pedal and through the PA system. I suppose if I had a real amp, and depending on the amp and settings, I might have made some other adjustments. If you want your guitar to be set up for you, I suggest you get it from a ma and pa music store that has a good guitar tech on premises. That's just my $0.02 Notes ♫ x2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I'll throw my .02 cents in as well. Many factors can 'tweak' a guitar from point A to point B. Extreme temerature changes, being jarred around in the back of 2 or 3 trucks, rough handling by employees, etc. As long as its only a setup issue, I wouldnt worry too much about it. IMO, setting it up is part of the fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 so how much now? totally agree here. gibson has has certain issues with cs and qc, but on the one hand has made efforts. but i think there are 2 things about this i would say personally: the mail order trend is troubling to me, as well as the trend to take the dealer out of the loop. dealers have a place in society especially with guitars, because guitars are so individual. in a lot of ways a guitar isn't worth much if it doesn't suit the player, and the only way to know that is to have options, and to touch then, play them and hear them. that is worth money. in addition, the dealer gives the player support and help, at least that is the idea. and there are some things we cannot expect a guy in a building 2000 miles away to be able to do for us. we seem to also be losing sight of the fact that there is a chain of responsibility we have taken away from the dealers and put in the wrong place. when you buy an axe, you PAY the dealer, not the factory. the dealer, in that way, should be responsible for your happiness, as that is where the transaction happened, where the business occurred. it makes little sense to be paying a middle man to handle the good and then when it comes time to handle the bad the middle man slips back. having said that, i think there are certain issues we do NOT want the builder to be responsible for. setup is right there. i consider gibson to be a "premium" builder, and for what goes into making it, that is what i want to buy. i don't think we should want skilled craftsmen spending their time doing setups, and especially things i can do myself, or the dealer. we all pay for it in the end if we ask for such things, as we all should expect to be paid for our time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 You can be pretty sure that if it has come off the wall at GC, someone has already returned it. Most people have their own set-up preferences. I have never had a guitar that hasn't been set up differently from the way it was bought. Most have been set-up several times. My Carvin has been set-up by my friendly guitar tech/luthier three times since last November. The neck on a new guitar will change slightly after the first set-up, plus I like to play around with strings and gauges, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 It is the responsibility of the factory to set up the instrument as best they can before it leaves the factory. But the final set up is the job of your local shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 . Gibson's problems with the nuts on their electric guitars is well known. B) The accuracy of the nut slot depths from the factory are hit and miss - some good, some not good. If you don't know about it, you've missed the many posts about - "my new Gibson guitar won't tune" or "I tune the strings on my new Gibson they're perfect, but when I play a <insert chord name> chord, my <insert string name> string is not in tune". And the weather has nothing to do with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 When it comes to nut setup, they could change my name to RICHARD. I'm a TOTAL Richard. (think about it, it'll come) I don't mind spending a half hour with the needle files and modified coping saw blades if it makes it right for me. I would never expect Gibson (or anyone) to get an assembly line guitar nut to my own standards. Love, Richard Nut Fussysumbich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 ... I would never expect Gibson (or anyone) to get an assembly line guitar nut to my own standards. ... I'm the same way. But I'm not asking for high standards from the factory. Just ballpark it, so when you fret a chord in the first position, one string isn't so far out of tune it stands out like a sore thumb. I don't think that's asking too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Been sayin' the same things since I've been here... I do find very interesting Bob Norton's comment from the factory about letting his guitar sit a few days before getting concerned about the neck. Gibson, even more than most guitar brands, probably should do a factory setup that's as vanilla as possible because at that price range, most of "us" will want the action customized to our strings and playing style. That's an impossible target for a factory unless you're sitting there toward the end of the assembly line. Even if I were promised a total handmade $25,000 guitar to my own specs, I'd really like to be able to be there for final setup for reasons stated above. And weather/climate? I think personally that issue is far underrated as a basis for many, many problems. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 And weather/climate? I think personally that issue is far underrated as a basis for many, many problems. m Especially if you like low action and no fret buz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 And weather/climate? I think personally that issue is far underrated as a basis for many, many problems. m Especially if you like low action and no fret buzz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awel Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Like I told in another post, when I am complaining about QC, it is absolutely not about settings, we have all our own preferences. But having a difference of colour at the neck junction on a Custom Black Beauty or the binding not flat on a 61 SG, that is not set-up issue! take a look at some japanese brand (good quality ones, real made in japan, not indonesia) you will see that the level of details is really above Gibson QC. I like Gibson but as Fender they are too expensive and far away from zero default. rem: I have 3 gibsons and a Fender but some others brand too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Searcy... And that last describes exactly how I like mine set up. <grin> And add very light strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lungimsam Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I don't need no stinking factory set up. The first thing I do when I get an axe is put my style strings on it and set it up for my ergonomics. FFred is right too. Temp changes and millions of hands playing it at shops will throw the factory set up off anyway. Also, when that puppy is sitting in a truck overnight during delivery in Florida in July, or Buffalo in January- that set up is history baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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