Gibson Custom Shop Thoughts??

[quiksilver]

I'd go for Fender Custom Shop before Gibson.

[skorb]

Gibson Custom Shop makes amazing guitars. I got to play a Slash LP at the Gibson trailer at a guitar a few months back and WHAT A GUITAR. Be ready to finance a lot though...

first, let me say I love Gibson guitars. I don't love their smoke and mirrors pricing policies, or their blatant QC issues, but I love their guitars, other than the LP (just too basic a design for me - I love my Gibson V though and most of their other designs).

you are right about the CS quality, but you know what makes them amazing in terms of playability and feel? the PLEK job. all Gibson CS guitar get plek'd. the production models do not. right there is your huge difference. I'd venture to say there is no other mod or process that makes such a gigantic improvement in the playability of any guitar.

a computer controlled fret leveling process that retails for just over $200 if you walk in somewhere and have it done, is what makes these $5000+ guitars play like butter.

frankly, if you don't have thousands of dollars busting out of your wallet to hand over to Gibson, and don't have to have the cache of a Gibson CS guitar and all that, get a regular LP and have it PLEK'd and it will be pretty much the same killer playability of any CS.

[lefty]

Howdy -

I'm considering becoming a Gibson Custom Shop dealer and I'm curious what you guys think about these guitars. The buy in certainly isn't cheap, so I want to feel confident the guitars will move.

Any and all input is appreciated!

Matt

I don't know about Custom Shop, but the word out
there is that a lot of 'regular' Gibson dealers are
dropping the line. GC issues, pricing micromanagement,
etc. Don't they also make you buy a minimum of
'other' instruments, like banjos and mandolins and
acoustic gtrs that you might have trouble selling?

theo

[Joe_Steeler]

I'd go for Fender Custom Shop before Gibson.

+100!!

[shreddermon]

I'd go for Fender Custom Shop before Gibson.

+2. And, as strange as this might seem given they're under the same corporate "umbrella" as the J/C custom shop, I've heard that the buying experience and QC with the Fender CS is great. Big bucks either way, though.

[straycat]

I have worked on some new CS Gibson guitars and I was not impressed at the QC.Improperly cut nuts.Fret work unfinished, finish problems(dirt under the clearcoat)Cooked electronics very sloppy soldering.These were in the $4000 and up guitars.
Tom Murphy's relic work is not what I would call good.Very sloppy and unfinished looking.
I do own a late 2006 vintage mahogony LP studio and its a fine guitar but I had to finish all the frets and scrape the fingerboard down to remove all the glue residue from the inlay work.
Every RI long tenon I've seen has glue holding the neck in I don't know why he thinks they don't.
Loyal Gibson people are guitar snobs and VERY hard to please just keep that in mind.Hope you have lots of money the buy in aint cheap.

[mattsmusiccenter]

Fender CS isn't available to me because we've got a Fender dealer on the other side of town, otherwise that would be my first choice. Gibson's CS buy in is more like 25 pieces and they ain't cheap. I know they've got a reputation for being an insanely difficult company to deal with, but hey... they can't be that much worse than some of the companies I already carry.

If I end up doing this, there will be some deals to be had for you guys on the Gibby Customs we buy!

[blindmuddy]

My R4 oxblood (unofficial Jeff Beck reissue)is a killer guitar. When my hand got fucked up it was the last one I would consider unloading (I don't think they make it anymore but I'm not really sure). And I USED to think they were overpriced but look at what the other US companies are charging these days. My R4 cost me alot less than the new Deans or a PRS would. Hell I don't think I could get a new USA Jackson for what I paid for it.

[pjg]

My 1997 R0 is absolutely killer. Great feel and better tone. Effortless to play. If you pick up the dealership pencil me in for a lemonburst R0!

[markD]

excuse my ignorance but what are all these "R" numbered guitars? is it like levels of how "good" a les paul is?

[danastas]

excuse my ignorance but what are all these "R" numbered guitars? is it like levels of how "good" a les paul is?

R stands for Reissue.

R4 = Historic 1954.

There's R6, R7, R8, R9, R0 and 1968s (which I'm not sure how they are designated.)

Usually, the 1954s and 1957s are Goldtops, the 1958s are plaintops (some flame), many of the 1959s cost twice as much as the others since they are chosen by a builder, aged, and they have the best tops. 1960s are most often tobacco burst or 3 tone bursts, as are the 1968s.

The 57s have the fattest necks, I believe. They are also the cheapest model, and easiest to come by.

[markD]

okay cool. thanks!!

[Venomboy]

I played a Zakk LP a few weeks ago. What a hunk of shit. Uneven paint and binding, totally dead sounding. $4100? I don't think so. I played some other high end Gibsons at the same store and I couldn't believe the flaws these guitars had and their asking prices. Every one sounds and plays different (in a bad way). By contrast, I played some import Jacksons and Ibanez's at the same store and they were all very consistent for a fraction of the price.

[hippietim]

My R9 and R4 are amazing. I've had a couple other recent Gibson's and they've been great.

Where are all these crappy Gibson's? I just don't run into them. The ones at GC here are all very good guitars.

[skorb]

Where are all these crappy Gibson's? I just don't run into them. The ones at GC here are all very good guitars.

+1

the only Gibsons I've picked up that had issues was the faded V's, the fret ends were sticking out something awful.

however my 2002 white V is pretty much perfect, so that's all I can say.