Gibson Quality These Days?

[TDavis]

My opinion of Gibson acoustic guitars and their QC has been tainted...probably needlessly, by looking at the first one I ever played. It was a brand new 2018 or so J45, and the dried glue blobs around the neck joint at the heel, the nicks in the binding and the general look of the finish disappointed me. Maybe a bad apple that got through the line with a lack of inspection...I don't know.

That said...I am very sure that they're wonderful guitars, and I probably should play a couple before I pass any judgement. I hope that the one that I saw was an exception rather than the rule.

[Boozehound]

I have a 2017 J-45 that I quite like. It sounds like a Gibson - warm, woody, and compressed. I have not noticed any quality issues to speak of, other than the fact that the Grover tuners are a bit big an clunky for my tastes. One of these days I'll get around to swapping them out.

[robroy]

IMG_0028.jpg

2019 Gibson J-45 Standard that sounds even better than it looks ! A very inspiring instrument to play.

[J Patrick]

Originally Posted by SkipII

If that finish works for you at it was their intent to do it that way to add to the "vintage vibe", that's great. I also have no opinion on Gibsons.

Nice guitar, replicates the look of one 50 years old. However, orange peel is orange peel. My Furch RedPlus also has a micro-thin finish and it is flawlessly smooth. Lacquer (not varnish) normally is applied with many coats, sanded in between, to create a final layer that is mirror smooth. My guess is that Gibson did not want to put in the work to prep that surface for the mere four coats of lacquer and were afraid of burning through the finish in doing the normal sanding and polishing to get to the right final surface.

.....I don’t see how orange peel in any way replicates an aged finish....it s just poor finish work to me....finishing is perhaps the most difficult phase of guitar construction and the reason why some top builders sub out the process to experts....speaking from experience it’s really tough to produce a flawless mirror finish on a guitar...I haven’t been able to pull it off yet and I’ve finished about a dozen guitars now.....I get close but nothing that would pass QC at most guitar manufacturers....

...that said I love Gibsons and accept their QC issues as part of the whole...I ain’t really all that picky about finish issues...

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Charles the 2020 Custom Shop Historic series doesn't come with a high-gloss finish - the whole guitar has that pebble-grained texture as a result of the 'thin finish Nitro - VOS' as listed in the specifications. https://www.gibson.com/Guitar/ACCMT3...ntage-Sunburst
I believe Gibson only give this series 4 coats of varnish compared to the usual 9.

Thanks for your response.

I wasn't aware that they did that purposely. Having been done purposely and people liking it done that way, it isn't a quality control issue, the subject of this thread.

[valleyguy]

Orange peel, or "pebble grain" is not as historic look, I doubt you'd see that on old Gibsons.

As was already said, it just shows that there was no light sanding done between coats, clearly a short cut. However, to some that is not important, it's the sound and playability that matters. I've bought a lot of used guitars, I never care how they look.

[Guitarplayer_PR]

I saw some Gibson acoustics two weeks ago at a local store. They were demo and had high action (then again, for some reason, every acoustic there had high action, even the Taylor ones). Having said that, they sounded pretty good, especially a J15, which was the second best sounding acoustic I played that day (thankfully, I bought myself the best one, a 322ce 12fret). It had THE thud Gibson lovers like.

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR

It had THE thud Gibson lovers like.

I thought it was a thump.

Interesting thread. I'm wondering whether other Historic 1957 SJ-200s have the same orange peel finish. Could it be a relic sort of thing? I would probably walk away from a guitar with finish like that, but I'm glad that Brucebubs at least got a better truss-rod cover.

[Wally Taylor]

That headstock plate makes me think that some parts are being made at the factory in China. I've never seen anything like it on Ren's Gibsons. I can see letting it slide, but I would have sent it back. And I'm. Gibson guy from the first one that I bought in 1966.

[TwangGang]

I've bought two in the past year and half. Both were excellent as to fit and finish no flaws or complaints. A SJ-200 just did not project much especially for such a large body guitar and it got traded.

The second was a Hummingbird original and it sounds great and again no workmanship problems.

[DanR]

I've played a bunch of new Gibson acoustics at my local enabler/dealer and have not noticed any build quality issues. The only new Gibson I bought was in 2013. It was an LG-2 American Eagle and it was a great sounding guitar with no quality issues.

[zombywoof]

Gibson is not there is give a history lesson in how guitars were once built and they have their own ideas as to what sounds best. Granted I have only owned one Bozeman-made Gibson and in this case no QC issues whatsoever.

But I have to wonder what those of you who are underwhelmed with Bozeman QC would say if they looked at my old Gibsons. My 1942 J50 alone has one of its book matched top pieces flip flopped. And under the hood the bracing is more of a slight taper than scalloped and you can see every saw mark on it. On top of that it the bracing is not feathered so does not tuck underneath the kerfing. But the notes just leap off the strings and then quickly get out of the way while the low end has a timbre more akin to a standup bass than a guitar. There are only two kinds of guitars out there - those you like ad those you do not. And if I like the sound and feel I am not going sweat some glue globs.

[Aspiring]

It may also depend on the price point a lot too.

I recently checked out multiple j45s at guitar center ranging from a base studio to deluxe fancy extra special and the standards in between.

Price range of i think 1500 to approaching 4k.

The studio had what I considered really lousy quality sloppy fret work etc.

Still sounded and played decent go figure.

The nicer ones definitely stepped it up. And noticeably.

[pegleghowell]

I`ve seen some pretty sloppy vintage Gibsons.I`m not sure Gibson were ever all that picky over quality.They make a great playing and sounding guitar though.

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, sadly, I a not a gibson fan, but I've tried!

my first experience was as an upgrade to my Harmony in the '60s. I bought a used J50 with an adjustable saddle.
I'll freely admit that I knew little about guitars ten but try as I might, I simply couldn't get it to resonate. It sounded completely dead.
I can't remember where/ho it went but it didn't stay with me long.I think I may have replaced it with a Guild D40 which seemed a good step up.

I have met wondrous "vintage" Gibsons, and I have met two modern made ones that were exactly as they shod be - one, a nSJ100 owned by a woman that I worked as sideman for for a while, was immaculate ad looked and sounded lovely.
Another was a Koa(?) dreadnought with a cutaway which although not my style seemd perfectly fine.

Until I think about 2008, I had a friend who created a great specialist guitar dealership in the next town along.
He sold Gibsons by some special arrangement, and I once asked him about ordering an "L-o/L-1 -y'kow the fabled Robert Johnson style.
he warned me. "I'd rather not, as if I got eone for you , you would have to accept it as is, and frankly - buying a new gibson is always a gamble". I took his advice and didn't order.

When the Jackson Browne series came out , the not quite Roy Smeck types 12 fret jumbos, I went eagerly to two gibson carrynig stores both about fifty miles away from me - one due east, and the other due west.

The first place had a small "gibson room" They had the guitar I'd tavelled to see, plus a new AJ, and a bluesmaster al of which kinda intersted me.

The JB was unplayable. the strings were resting on the corroded frets, ad the binding was a sea of wavy lines. Obviosuly ot was not a saleable item ...to me.

I tried the AJ and the Blues master - similar fit and finish issues. I remember the sale s guy following me out of the store reducing the price with every step.

The second store was a far higher quality place and the JB was playable, but only mediocre in fit and finish, and frankly less than mediocre tonally. I passed.

In 2006 I resolved that I 2needed" an l-oo type guitar and the same high class dealer had a considerable selection. All instruments in this shop were set up before goig on display (if necessary) so I went to decided which one was to be mine. Everyone had something less than correct with the fit/finish, and none of them spoke to me tonally.

I came home with a Waterloo.

I have run my club from 2006 until last March and seen/heard many many folk with many different types of guitars.

The best jumbo J45 type guitar there was...a Blueridge!

Most high volume production builders seem to have upped their game with the advent of the "boutique" makers, and maybe it was the mood in Gibson during the Henry era, but they just don't seem to have learned.

I have also heard horror stories about the deal that shops need to commit to in order to sell Gibson products. There aren't many Gibsons for sale in my part of the world now, and why bother when you can buy Eastmans or Blueridge for hundreds, or go fancy and buy a Collings CJ?

Havnig said that, I'd kill for the '30s L-00 that afrnd rebuilt a couple of years ago - so light you had to hold it down!