Gibson Quality These Days?

[bunnyman]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

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


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!

Good grief. How about this- I have not been impressed with the QC of many newer Gibsons though I have played some great ones.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by 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.

In some cases to say Gibsons were rough hewn would be a kindness. Pretty much a part was finished when it looked close enough. But we will never see the likes of something like the 1930s L flattops again.

[hamburg325]

I played a recent J-45 and AJ, and both had the orange peel thing as well as other fit and finish issues that reminded me of a $600 Pac Rim guitar. Was not impressed.

Hope they get their QC house in order.

[SkipII]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

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.

The guitar, or the woman?

[TDavis]

Originally Posted by 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.

I totally get what you’re saying...but my only issue is cost vs. quality of QC. If I was buying a $500-600 guitar, these “glitches” would be acceptable...and even expected. But, if I’m paying $2000+ for an instrument...to my mind anyway, they are not acceptable, and they sure shouldn’t be expected. Gibson is a HUGE guitar company, and that shoddy craftsmanship is just OK with them while pricing their guitars like they do, great tone or what...that’s a shame.

My 2-cents, for what it’s worth.

[T Texas]

If you didn't have your own experience with Gibsons and read the AGF you'd wonder how in the world such a horrible company still exists.

Either I'm not as picky as many here or just lucky I guess. I haven't seen the horrid examples talked about ad nauseam around here.

[Humbuster]

Originally Posted by T Texas

If you didn't have your own experience with Gibsons and read the AGF you'd wonder how in the world such a horrible company still exists.

Yeppers.

Have owned and played Gibson acoustics since 1996 and never experienced any issues.

[Mark Stone]

The cool thing about this thread is that the forum is leaving Taylor alone for a minute or two and giving them a rest --

[Fireside_Guitar]

I've purchased three new Gibson's over the last few years. J-15, Hummingbird standard and SJ-200 standard. Fit and finish was excellent on all three. I also auditioned a whole bunch of new ones in that time and all were of the same high quality.

The biggest dissatisfaction I had with almost every new Gibson acoustic I played were the strings were dead making every model sound like a dead piece of poop. If these were the only Gibson acoustics a person ever played you would not have a good appreciation of the brand. I bring extra sets of strings with me to the shop or ask the shop to provide new strings on the guitar if Im serious about buying.

[TDavis]

Originally Posted by Mark Stone

The cool thing about this thread is that the forum is leaving Taylor alone for a minute or two and giving them a rest --

One thing about Taylor...like or dislike them, you’ll hardly ever find one with anything but a perfect build.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by T Texas

If you didn't have your own experience with Gibsons and read the AGF you'd wonder how in the world such a horrible company still exists.

Either I'm not as picky as many here or just lucky I guess. I haven't seen the horrid examples talked about ad nauseam around here.

I’m giving up the discussion about Gibson and their QC.
I choose not to believe most of these drastic comments. I have played and seen a ton of Gibsons and I too have not personally witnessed any of this horrific stuff...ever.
I have heard a lot of stories about Martin binding issues tho’ and neck resets out the wazoo.
Somehow that doesn’t seem to generate the same kind of highly negative commentary about their QC.
Whatever, folks.

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Originally Posted by bufflehead

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.

I always hear a thud

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I choose not to believe most of these drastic comments. I have played and seen a ton of Gibsons and I too have not personally witnessed any of this horrific stuff...ever.

You can choose to believe what you like, but doing so doesn't change the facts.

The fact is that Gibson's fit and finish quality has always been somewhat variable. That you haven't experienced it, doesn't alter that.

I have heard a lot of stories about Martin binding issues tho’ and neck resets out the wazoo.
Somehow that doesn’t seem to generate the same kind of highly negative commentary about their QC.

Martin has more than its fair share of quality control issues. Unlike Gibson, Martin's are more than just fit and finish issues: theirs extend to playability issues and "structural" issues.

Whatever, folks.

Indeed, each brand has its die-hard fans who remain loyal to their brand regardless of poor practices or quality issues. That's true of many consumer goods.

I have owned 7 Gibsons. No issues.

[hairpuller]

Couldn't be happier with my Historic Series LG-2!

scott