People wonder why I say these guys are out of line.....

[CowboyFromHell]

Funny you state it like that Lefty, but someone bought those albums and I'm betting it wasn't JB fans. The man was good enough to be Ozzy's guitarist. Everyone's entitled to their opinions, but Zakk didn't get the gig with Ozzy being a no-talent hack.

[bucketbrian45]

Seriously how can you bash him after listening to Ozzy's No More Tears album?

[leftykingv2]

Funny you state it like that Lefty, but someone bought those albums and I'm betting it wasn't JB fans. The man was good enough to be Ozzy's guitarist. Everyone's entitled to their opinions, but Zakk didn't get the gig with Ozzy being a no-talent hack.

I never said he wasn't talented. I was a huge fan of most of his work with Ozzy but after "No more tears" I honestly lost interest in everything he did especially since I've never been a fan of anything Black Label.

[leftykingv2]

Seriously how can you bash him after listening to Ozzy's No More Tears album?

I never bashed his talent... I just bashed his hygiene and the fact that he squeals way too much.

[leftykingv2]

damn.. sure wish i could unsee that..

that is beyond ugly BUT some youngster will buy it ...because it has ZW name on it and they will think it will be worth more as time goes on..

question: has ZW play a guitar like that or is that just something with his name on it?

Everyone who has seen that guitar wishes they could erase the part of their memory that it's in. Who knows but he let them put his name on it. Guilt by association... Also guys this thread is about price gouging not Zakk Wylde. I can just see the thread getting high jacked and all the Zakk fans calling for my head

[Sephiroth]

I know I am chiming in late, but the one thing Gibson has made clear is they're not a working-class musician's guitar company. What few Gibsons I see in local bands are those fuggin studios with fuck-awful necks. Studios would be passable for me if they'd at least put binding on the fretboard and thin down the neck.

And the ZW model is ridiculous. I admit I love the antique ivory finish, but that price for something that's essentially a regular LP with EMGs dropped in it is ridiculous. Dare I say it, but as someone who's not a fan of soul-sucking actives, I liked the earlier Epihone versions with the passsives in them more because it actually retains somme actual LP tones

I never bashed his talent... I just bashed his hygiene

It's perfectly normal to look like a cross between a hillbilly and a klingon where he comes from I guess. I don't know what he smells like. That's a good thing I am sure.

[BLOOD SPLATTER]

I find the prices ridiculous too. However, I don't think it applies to Gibson only. The Gibson Les Paul Custom is a Custom Shop guitar. What are people paying for Jackson Custom Shop guitars - with 23 frets and misaligned bridges and pickups? I would assume right around the same price. And how about the Fender or Charvel custom shop guitars. They are bolt on necks with basically CNC'd bodies. Where is the custom work and what are those prices? I believe, and it is my personal opinion, a pieced together Warmoth strat has the potential to rival any Custom shop Fender or Charvel guitar depending on who assembles and fine tunes it.
On a final note, I have never played a Carvin guitar, but all of the reviews I read state they are great guitars. They are custom hand built in the USA. How come they can build a custom guitar from scratch without any quality problems, deliver in less than 4 months, and be less than $2000.00?
Relics? One of the best marketing ideas is years. Drop a guitar while moving and ding up the body - move it to the relic bin. Gibson does it, so does Fender and Jackson - remember the Randy Rhoads? 12K complete with a duct taped back?
As I stated earlier, the prices are ridiculous, but Gibson is far from the only company doing it.

Exactly....pricing from ALL guitar manufacturers is ridiculous nowadays IMO....Gibson Fender etc....fuck buying new - buy used!!

[leftykingv2]

Exactly....pricing from ALL guitar manufacturers is ridiculous nowadays IMO....Gibson Fender etc....fuck buying new - buy used!!

+1 to both of you guys but like I said earlier in the post. I know everybody's doing it but I think Gibson is among the worst offenders. You can buy 2 USA Selects (and I put a link proving it in a previous post) and three Fender USA strats for the price of one Les Paul. To me that's just insane.

[leftykingv2]

I know I am chiming in late, but the one thing Gibson has made clear is they're not a working-class musician's guitar company. What few Gibsons I see in local bands are those fuggin studios with fuck-awful necks. Studios would be passable for me if they'd at least put binding on the fretboard and thin down the neck.

And the ZW model is ridiculous. I admit I love the antique ivory finish, but that price for something that's essentially a regular LP with EMGs dropped in it is ridiculous. Dare I say it, but as someone who's not a fan of soul-sucking actives, I liked the earlier Epihone versions with the passsives in them more because it actually retains somme actual LP tones





It's perfectly normal to look like a cross between a hillbilly and a klingon where he comes from I guess. I don't know what he smells like. That's a good thing I am sure.

I'm not bagging on his looks. Just how he brags about not bathing like it's what all the cool kids are doing.

[BLOOD SPLATTER]

+1 to both of you guys but like I said earlier in the post. I know everybody's doing it but I think Gibson is among the worst offenders. You can buy 2 USA Selects (and I put a link proving it in a previous post) and three Fender USA strats for the price of one Les Paul. To me that's just insane.

Yet you could also buy 2 Gibson Flying Vs for the price of your USA Select....comparing Custom Shop pricing to USA Select pricing is not a fair comparison....Gibsons Standard line pricing is similar to USA Select....we get it dude: you hate Gibson....it's ALL manufacturers not just Gibson....pricing is ridiculous nowadays!!

[leftykingv2]

Yet you could also buy 2 Gibson Flying Vs for the price of your USA Select....comparing Custom Shop pricing to USA Select pricing is not a fair comparison....Gibsons Standard line pricing is similar to USA Select....we get it dude: you hate Gibson....it's ALL manufacturers not just Gibson....pricing is ridiculous nowadays!!

I fail to see how a Les Paul custom is a custom shop guitar. They all have the same specs. The only difference I see is a raw maple neck, some paint and pick ups. The only thing "Custom" about those guitars is the price tag. As for buying two flying V's good luck finding a left handed one.

[BLOOD SPLATTER]

& I agree....it is a LPC w/a bullseye graphic shaved neck & EMGs to me too but....whether you fail to see it or not that is a Gibson Custom Shop guitar no?? Comparing CS pricing to USA Select pricing is not a fair comparison!!


& ALL pricing (CS or not) is nuts....IMO!!

[leftykingv2]

& I agree....it is a LPC w/a bullseye graphic shaved neck & EMGs to me too but....whether you fail to see it or not that is a Gibson Custom Shop guitar no?? Comparing CS pricing to USA Select pricing is not a fair comparison!!


& ALL pricing (CS or not) is nuts....IMO!!

Fair enough and well said.

[Brandenburg]

Exactly....pricing from ALL guitar manufacturers is ridiculous nowadays IMO....Gibson Fender etc....fuck buying new - buy used!!

+1.. I always buy used when I actually have money to do so.. good gear for a fraction of the price

[Chad]

I fail to see how a Les Paul custom is a custom shop guitar. They all have the same specs. The only difference I see is a raw maple neck, some paint and pick ups. The only thing "Custom" about those guitars is the price tag. As for buying two flying V's good luck finding a left handed one.

I don't keep up with Gibson like I used to, but this is the way it used to be (may still be the same): Les Paul Custom is just a model name. It's been that way since they came out in the 50s. In the modern market, there are Les Pauls made on the regular production line (Gibson USA) and Les Pauls made in the Custom/Historic division. Those are totally different factories with different production techniques. Going by the Musician's Friend link in the first post in this thread, it looks like this guitar comes out of the Custom/Historic division. That does warrant an upcharge.

With that said, I agree with other posters: nearly all new guitars are overpriced these days. Gibson isn't the only offender, though they are a standout. More specifically, Les Pauls. Some of their guitars are priced fairly reasonable: SG Standard, Explorer, Flying Vee, etc.