buying a gibson les paul need advice

[clifffclaven]

Yeah, we've established that...like 5 or 6 posts ago, and your "anecdotal experience" doesn't cover all guitars made by all companies, either. Just so you know...

LOL. somehow id take his "anecdotal evidence" over yours...

And just so you know, comin on here posting opinion as fact and generally acting like a douchebag to other members is generally frowned on. Just sayin.

[J_A / 540s]

Well, I guess we're the only two people here who have noticed major paint flaws on $2200 Gibsons!

Ive seen that stuff from all the manufacturers..

One thing to keep in mind is flaws & problems get posted much more than good things so youre going to hear about them a lot. Who bitches all over the internet when everything is a-ok? Of course theres Gibsons with finish flaws just like every other brand. However also some people dont know what theyre looking at too.. Ive seen planty of posts in Gibson forums regarding "flaws" on historic models that were intentional period correct details etc.



For instance.. My custom shop 30th 1st 5 Mike Shannon built RR I bought from Matt's arrived to me needing a complete fret job, had several cracks in the clear coat, a floyd rose with 2 stripped fine tuners & was smashed into a King V case with the wrong hang tag & hardware bag opened & misc items floating around the case during shipping. Are they better or worse than Gibson? Do all or most Jacksons suck because of it?


Lastly i recommend everyone spending all this time bitching & arguing about flaws in guitars they dont own, will never buy or maybe not even ever see outside of pictures on the web should take 75% of that time & use it for something more rewarding.. like playin whatever friggin guitar ya already own

[kramer]

For instance.. My custom shop 30th 1st 5 Mike Shannon built RR I bought from Matt's arrived to me needing a complete fret job, had several cracks in the clear coat, a floyd rose with 2 stripped fine tuners & was smashed into a King V case with the wrong hang tag & hardware bag opened & misc items floating around the case during shipping. Are they better or worse than Gibson? Do all or most Jacksons suck because of it?

No shit!! Are you sure it was not A fake?
Any custom shop, especialy A mike Shannon built..should not have the probs you describe.
You sent it back...I hope?
Man...needing A complete fret job? They check that stuff like three times...And the custom shop does it right the first time!
Are you sure you know WTF your talkin' about?

[J_A / 540s]

They check that stuff like three times...And the custom shop does it right the first time!
Are you sure you know WTF your talkin' about?

LOL Im quite sure ! which custom shop are ya talkin about? It surely isnt Jacksons

[MikeSVO]

Well I stopped reading when the flamethrowers got fired up (around page 2 somewhere), but to try and add something that the original poster can use...

I currently own 3 Gibsons: an early 90's LP Studio Lite, an Explorer and a Faded V.

The Studio Lite is a really nice guitar, but not a good example of a Les Paul, IMO. It's got EMGs, so while it does sound cool, it doesn't sound like an LP (to me). It's got an ebony fretboard with the trapezoid inlays, and the build quality seems to be quite good. It cost me $775, and is the most I've ever paid for a guitar.

The Explorer is an '05, I think, and is bone stock. I was in a band a while back and the other guitar player was checking it out, and said, "Oh...it's been repainted..." It wasn't, but the finish on it really isn't that good. In fact, when people say Gibsons are hit or miss, this one is a miss (hate to say). The sound is good, but the nut wasn't cut properly, I think, so the action is way high on the low frets and it just feels like crap because of it. Again, it DOES sound nice - like a Gibson - and of course, it looks cool. And it was $600, which helps.

The Faded V really surprised the crap out of me. I picked it up on Craigslist recently while I was on a business trip. It's in borderline mint condition, and it sounds awesome (to me). It's the most comfortable guitar for me to play, and makes me wish I'd tried a V-shaped guitar many, many years ago. The finish of the wood parts is really pretty excellent, to my eye, and it plays quite well - I never felt a need to even tweak it. The pickguard is kinda wavy and cheapish-looking, but I don't care since everything else is spot-on, for me. Plus, it was $450.

In my experiences, yes, they are hit or miss. But I don't think the misses are so bad that you can't get them back in the ballpark. When it comes to price, yes I think Gibsons are disgustingly overpriced. I aim to pay about 50% of whatever Guitar Center is charging for any Gibson, and would never, ever pay more than $1500 for ANY Gibson.

[clifffclaven]

Lol.

[MarkTheMuscleShark]

Flamethrowers? Cool, I always said, Mom, when I grow up, I want to be a flamethrower. I rather like that title