Opinions on the cheaper Gibsons

Paul7926

Hi all

When I joined earlier today I promised noob questions but I'll start by asking for opinions.

What do people think of the cheaper end of the Gibson line? I mean things like the SG faded which I believe can be had for about £600.

I've got this desire to own a genuine Gibson but figured I never would given the price of the standard versions. Now they dangle the carrot slightly more within reach.  However to do that have they cut too many corners? Is it still a proper Gibson? Obviously you don't get the same specification for the lower price but is the lower spec worth the money? 

I've not asked the question very well but put it this way.  If you had the price of the faded would you?

Stick with say the epi sg g400 pro 
Go with the Gibson sg faded
Hang on longer and buy a higher spec Gibson (which one)

I know it's mostly personal choice and so much depends on playing the thing yourself but I'd still love to hear people's thoughts. 

Rabs

Tributes and Faded Gibsons are frikken great..

Id say its a VERY good way to start with Gibson..  They are made in the same place by the same people who make all the higher end USA models..  Gibson pickups and electronics... They save money on the binding and the very thin finish, no posh inlays and no hard case.

I have had a 60s Tribute since 2011 and love it as much as I do my Classic and Standard...

As it goes also I don't usually like SGs much but the nicest one I have played (to me) was an SG Faded...  REALLY good guitars for the money.

This is my one

https://i.imgur.com/GenDvu0.jpg

thegummy

I bought a Les Paul Tribute for £850.

It had pretty terrible quality issues. On the neck there was like a small chunk out of the wood as if the grain in the wood was slightly knotted or something. Even worse, there was a big score mark going right the way down the top of the neck and on the nut.

The first makes me feel that they use pieces of wood disregarded from their higher priced models on their lower priced ones and the second makes me think that the quality control people are told to let through just about anything at that price point (which is just an assumption, it might just be that the particular one who checked mine is incompetent).

I've since taken it to a repairman who did a job I didn't think would be possible; the score line is gone completely and the "divit" or whatever it was in the wood grain is barely noticeable now.

I've also got a PRS SE Bernie Marsden which is a Les Paul clone with a normal price the same as the Gibson but I got it for much cheaper on sale. The quality on that is immaculate - if there's any way it's not better, or at least equal, to the Gibson, I couldn't name it.

If I had to go back and buy again (and if the Bernie Marsden wasn't available) I'd go with an Epiphone over a low-end Gibson. I really get the impression that, because the standard Gibson price is so high, they treat these as bargain basement bangers when in fact they sell for the same price other companies sell very high quality guitars for.

breakstuff

I've got a 2006 SG faded.Bought it off a guy who gigged it for years so it's well worn in with the odd battle scar and looks all the better for it.Sounds bloody epic.I paid £350 for it about three years ago and it's well worth the money

Here's mine.

 

Also have a Les Paul LPJ (not junior) goldtop which was ripe for modding.Really good as standard,but I'd got the bug by then and couldn't resist a few tweaks.

Here's a thread I made on the mods I did.(Sorry for the photobucket  links,it was a while ago.)

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/5136/my-modded-les-paul-lpj#latest

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/40379/faux-binding-on-my-les-paul-lpj-goldtop-latest-update-now-with-polished-top#latest

darthed1981

Rabs said:

Tributes and Faded Gibsons are frikken great..

Yup, this.

I've got a LP Faded Studio T from 2016 and it's just excellent, same pickups as an LP Standard.  I've tried an SG Faded and it was an excellent guitar.

The Epi Pro pickups are very nice though, so I'd try to audition both the Epi and the SG Faded.  The SG Faded I tried sounded great, but had a really wide neck, so it's about what suits you as well.

With the best will in the world, the Gib costs twice what the Epi does as well...

Nikc

If you have to have Gibson on the headstock then thats just how it is.
If you want value for money then the world is your oyster - you pay your money and you make a choice. I don't own a Gibson

stimpsonslostson

I had a 50s tribute SG. It was excellent. 
Felt great, sounded excellent... I'm not sure why I sold it! 

thegummy

Nikc said:

If you have to have Gibson on the headstock then thats just how it is.
If you want value for money then the world is your oyster - you pay your money and you make a choice. I don't own a Gibson

This is good advice.

If your desire to own a genuine Gibson literally means a guitar with Gibson on the headstock then there's no option really, I hope you have the experience of the other guys in the thread rather than mine.

If it's to get a guitar as good as a Gibson, at that price point there are other brands that offer more.

My Tribute and the PRS probably look equally like/unlike a standard Les Paul - the Tribute doesn't have binding on the body or neck or a glossy flame maple finish and the PRS has a different headstock and bridge and one less knob. They both sound very much like a Les Paul in my opinion.

Teyeplayer

There are the same quality control issues across the entire price range, so it is fair to say that when you get a good one, you get a good one, regardless of whether it’s a special, standard or custom. 

I’ve a 90s Les Paul Special, a 2011 non-reverse firebird studio, a 2015 non-reverse firebird and have just this week picked up a 2018 SG special. I wouldn’t think twice about taking any one of these out to gig, each is a great guitar in its own right.

Don’t be put off by the original price point, there are good guitars in every batch and definitely consider secondhand ones, there are some bargains to be had.

Musicman20

I have a 2017 LP Tribute with the reveal binding. I'm honestly shocked at how nice the grain is and how well it has been finished. It's lightweight and sounds great. I will never sell it now; I prefer it over an R8 I owned for a weekend!

 The 2017 LP Tribute was a particularly good spec year IMO.

Dan_Halen

Try before you buy as well if possible. If you were buying a PRS SE, LTD or such you could probably just go with the best price you can find and order it online. Gibsons seem to be less consistent (possibly even more so at the lower end of their range) so I'd totally have to play the actual guitar first and maybe some others in that price bracket. You can obviously return it if you did buy blind but that's a pain in the backside.

Otherwise, go for it and post some pictures once you've bought something!

JayGee

Happy LP Tribute Gold Top owner here. Great guitar with its own personality and vibe rather than just being a decontented version of it’s more exalted/expensive cousins further up the range - I genuinely like mine better than the examples of the Standard and Traditional I tried before getting it because it’s a bit lighter, brighter, and more “lively” sounding than either and the thin satin finish with no/minimal grain filling has a tactile quality which appeals to me more than brand new shiny nitro.

Only time will tell whether it will age as gracefully as instruments with more traditional finishes but for now it gets a “Hell Yeah!” from me...

Paul7926

Huge thanks to everyone that has responded.

I guess my biggest fear is that the irrational desire to have those 6 letters on the headstock would lead me down a path of not getting value for money.  That is totally dependant on what you pay for those 6 letters and what you get for the money.  If it's just a graphic then it's a poor financial decision but if you get the parts, build quality and sound that the logo is supposed to stand for then it's not.

There are plenty of horror stories of poor quality control from Gibson over recent years however if I'm buying new and there are obvious physical signs then it would either go straight back or I'd never walk out of the shop with it.  If those defects are not obvious then I'm not sure I'll notice in time which is a worry.  I also understand that the feel of a guitar is of huge importance.  If your holding something that doesn't 'feel right' then it doesn't matter much what it is or who has made it as it's not the guitar 'for you'.

Second hand is something I don't feel confident enough to try.  I'm sure there are good deals to be had especially for someone not in a huge rush and I don't mind the idea of getting something with a few cosmetic battle scars.  My issue really is that I don't know enough to not get ripped off.  

On a personal note I'm not really sure why it matters to me who has made it.  In other walks of life I can easily ignore what some people might refer to as 'brand snobbery' so why does it matter to me when buying a lump of wood with 6 metal strings attached?      

Anyway thanks again everyone for your comments.  I think I'm convinced that, individual QC issues aside, the lower end of the range by price are still good instruments. I think the hardest part of my decision will be trying to figure out the real importance of the name to me.   

nick79

I've got a 2016 Les Paul Studio Faded, and its awesome. Its been gigged constantly since i got it, it's definitely a keeper. 
I've compared it to Epiphones, and whilst they are good they can't compare really. My next guitar will probably be an SG Faded, i don't want or need fancy binding and flame tops, just a good solid guitar that plays and sounds right. 
In my opinion they are good value for money - Or were, not sure what they sell for new now, mine was £600.

Dan_Halen

On a personal note I'm not really sure why it matters to me who has made it.  In other walks of life I can easily ignore what some people might refer to as 'brand snobbery' so why does it matter to me when buying a lump of wood with 6 metal strings attached?        

You're a guitarist - wanting to own a Fender Strat or a Gibson LP is fairly normal in my eyes. If you get something else, that desire to own the real deal might be suppressed for a while but it won't go away. Do it!

jimmyguitar

Look for a used studio. I can’t believe it’s taken me WEEKS to sell a brilliant gloss one with no issues for only £450!

fendergibson

Depends what you want out of it, versatility etc but I still think the Gibson Melody Maker is a great guitar for the dough.

Paul7926

Dan_Halen said:

On a personal note I'm not really sure why it matters to me who has made it.  In other walks of life I can easily ignore what some people might refer to as 'brand snobbery' so why does it matter to me when buying a lump of wood with 6 metal strings attached?        

You're a guitarist - wanting to own a Fender Strat or a Gibson LP is fairly normal in my eyes. If you get something else, that desire to own the real deal might be suppressed for a while but it won't go away. Do it!

This is exactly why I need to figure out how much it means to me.  If it is the case that only a Gibson will do then buying something else, however good, will end up being just an expense on the way to the Gibson.  Taking the Epi g400 pro as an example.  I could end up dropping about £300 on that and then £600 on the Gibson faded down the line.  If that is all that is going to happen then it makes more sense to go straight for the Gibson and 'save' £300 or spend £900 to move up the range.

Musicman20

I agree that a Bernie Marsden PRS SE would be a very good guitar for this price point. Sometimes they are in sales for £500+.

Paul7926

jimmyguitar said:

Look for a used studio. I can’t believe it’s taken me WEEKS to sell a brilliant gloss one with no issues for only £450!

I think that for some people and especially myself the second hand market is scary.  It might be an irrational fear but it's still there.  The possibility to end up with something that isn't what it's supposed to be with little or no comeback is real. 

Not that I'm suggesting the vast majority of private sellers are not totally genuine.  If things go bad then at least buying new you have the potential protection of having bought using a credit card and a company that you can take on legally.

I suppose the more experience you have the less risky it is.  I mean I would not buy a car privately because I'm no mechanic but plenty of people do and get good bargains.

Perhaps it's just me.

darthed1981

Paul7926 said:

Dan_Halen said:

On a personal note I'm not really sure why it matters to me who has made it.  In other walks of life I can easily ignore what some people might refer to as 'brand snobbery' so why does it matter to me when buying a lump of wood with 6 metal strings attached?        

You're a guitarist - wanting to own a Fender Strat or a Gibson LP is fairly normal in my eyes. If you get something else, that desire to own the real deal might be suppressed for a while but it won't go away. Do it!

This is exactly why I need to figure out how much it means to me.  If it is the case that only a Gibson will do then buying something else, however good, will end up being just an expense on the way to the Gibson.  Taking the Epi g400 pro as an example.  I could end up dropping about £300 on that and then £600 on the Gibson faded down the line.  If that is all that is going to happen then it makes more sense to go straight for the Gibson and 'save' £300 or spend £900 to move up the range.

Mate, seriously, try them and make your own choice.

It's such a personal thing

If you read a lot here remember a lot of posters are collectors as much as (or more than) players.

A lot of the regular giggers use Squiers and Epis and leave the Gibsons at home, for obvious reasons!