Would you still buy a Gibson?

Cirrus

I have to be honest, I was a bit taken aback when I went into Guitar Guitar a few weeks back just to have a look around. I think that because for me a guitar is a thing you play, take to gigs in pubs, basically a tool that you use, I can't really work out why there were so many Les Pauls on the wall for such high prices. The custom shops look like they start at £3.5k, but most were between £4 & £5.5k. That's... a lot of money.

Or you go for a non custom shop version, where you spend approx. £2k for one, unless you want to be "cheap" and spend more than a grand on something without binding, thinner finish etc. I did that a few years ago with one of the tribute series - a goldtop P90. It was a nice guitar, but I tried a couple in one shop and 3 side-by-side in guitar guitar to find that one great sounding one.

As a player, and as evidenced in this thread, I know that some of the cheaper ones are excellent guitars. And that leads me to be very confused about the whole thing.


Where does the value come from? Is it in the playing experience? I'm happy with the idea that a beautifully crafted guitar is worth a lot of money. But as a player trying to make a value judgement on an investment in a tool, albeit a beautiful tool, how do I justify £5K for a guitar? Companies can turn out incredible sub- £1K guitars, but if a company is focusing its range £1.5k+, it's difficult not to infer that they cut extra corners on the lower end in what is still an expensive instrument. If they don't, where's the justification in asking consumers to spend the extra pounds?


This ramble was brought to you by a hungover Cirrus.

zepp76

I’d definitely buy a new Gibson if I had the money especially a 60th anniversary ‘59 Les Paul. I’m unashamedly a Gibson fan boy and I just put blinkers on when it comes to their daft antics, am I in the wrong for doing so? Don’t really care!

Jalapeno

If a cheapish faded cherry LP BFG came my way I'd grab it - need to be cheap as I'd have to sand-back the log-like neck a bit.

Also a cherry sunburst ES225 woulld address an itch.

RonnieHotdogs

Creed_Clicks said:

RonnieHotdogs said:

I'm sure if you delved deep enough into any guitar company's staff you'd find a reason not to buy anything , Danelectro anyone? 
.  

Tell me more. I have two!  

the owner of the company funded efforts to pass Proposition 8 in California (banning gay marriage)

Creed_Clicks

RonnieHotdogs said:

Creed_Clicks said:

RonnieHotdogs said:

I'm sure if you delved deep enough into any guitar company's staff you'd find a reason not to buy anything , Danelectro anyone? 
.  

Tell me more. I have two!  

the owner of the company funded efforts to pass Proposition 8 in California (banning gay marriage)

So now I ask myself, should I keep them or sell them...

Rich31k

RonnieHotdogs said:

Creed_Clicks said:

RonnieHotdogs said:

I'm sure if you delved deep enough into any guitar company's staff you'd find a reason not to buy anything , Danelectro anyone? 
.  

Tell me more. I have two!  

the owner of the company funded efforts to pass Proposition 8 in California (banning gay marriage)

Damn - didn't know that. This will stop me buying Danelectro (having just last week bought a used 56 Pro, same model and colour as my first guitar - at least it wasn't new). 

Creed_Clicks

@Rich31k me neither. Both Danos I have are used. 

proggy

I bought one last year, a Les Paul P90 Gold top. No build quality issues, it just feels like it weighs about Half a ton.

Philly_Q

Creed_Clicks said:

RonnieHotdogs said:

Creed_Clicks said:

RonnieHotdogs said:

I'm sure if you delved deep enough into any guitar company's staff you'd find a reason not to buy anything , Danelectro anyone? 
.  

Tell me more. I have two!  

the owner of the company funded efforts to pass Proposition 8 in California (banning gay marriage)

So now I ask myself, should I keep them or sell them...

Have them "marry" each other and send a photo to Danelectro.

Blueingreen

I go back and fore on Gibsons.

I oscillate between thinking that certain other makers (notably PRS but also various boutique makers) just make better guitars and it makes more sense to buy one of those;  and thinking that the downsides of Gibsons are either minor and can be lived with, or fixable by modding, and it's worth putting up with them to get the iconic shape, badge etc.

Sometimes I think caring about the badge is silly and shallow, especially since about 98% of the audience don't know the difference: other times I think a modded Gibson sounds and plays about as well as any guitar so you may as well have the extra cool points even if only a few people notice.

(I've no interest in getting into an argument about it but what I've never believed for one second is that Gibsons have some kind of sonic mojo that makes them sound better than similar guitars from other manufacturers: I think that's utter baloney).

I've just bought a very nice PRS and its obvious refinements compared to even my very good Gibsons has me purring, so I'm in a bit of an anti-Gibson phase at the moment, but it may not last.  It doesn't have anything to do with Gibson's recent behaviour which in the grand scheme of corporate immorality seems very small beer indeed: if I were to boycott every company that's behaved as badly or worse shopping would be an obstacle course.  But I do think prices of their "better" new guitars are now silly.

Fretwired

Strangefan said:

I wouldn't buy a new one... But then again I wouldn't buy any new guitar, 

^^

This. Get a good second hand one that's been played and had any problems or issues ironed out.

My two Strats are second hand - great guitars.

TINMAN82

Fretwired said:

Strangefan said:

I wouldn't buy a new one... But then again I wouldn't buy any new guitar, 

^^

This. Get a good second hand one that's been played and had any problems or issues ironed out.

My two Strats are second hand - great guitars.

Don't quite understand this oft quoted line of thinking. It seems to me a lot of used gear isn't sold with the problems ironed out, but sold because the problems irritated the seller to the point he's willing to lose money.

ICBM

TINMAN82 said:

Don't quite understand this oft quoted line of thinking. It seems to me a lot of used gear isn't sold with the problems ironed out, but sold because the problems irritated the seller to the point he's willing to lose money.

Or new ones introduced by the owner/well-meaning techs...

All variations are possible, in fact common.

MagicPigDetective

Yes I would and I have; recently bought a new Standard 60's. It's superb. 

Somebody has to buy new to fuel the second hand market (not that I plan on selling) 

jeztone2

Thing is, corporations are corporations. I get angry at Yamaha more because they simply have ignored their heritage and I think they make a brilliant product. But who wilfully ignores their most iconic products. Well, them and Marshall with the Guv’nor pedal. 

TTony

crunchman said:

RonnieHotdogs said:

or just buy last years model, still new, at a reduced price from a shop 

Gibson are saying that they have stopped the whole model year thing.  We might need to wait a year or to be certain that they are sticking to that though.

That was last year.

Next year they’ll launch the 2021 range.

Then the no-model-year guitars will spike in value because everyone knows they were “great wood” years.  




Or or some other BS.

NelsonP

Funkfingers said:

Be selective.

Be objective.

Keefy

I try to buy used where possible and that’s how I got my two Gibsons (both CS models fwiw).

I looked for several years for a decent LP Junior but never found a new Gibson that cut the mustard. Consequently my other ‘Gibson’ is an @IvisonGuitars ;

MagicPigDetective

The fretboard is coldy analytical and healthily cynical about these things, and rightly so of course. Of course Gibson use marketing techniques to shift units, same as all businesses. But, can. I be the one to say it.......... Gibsons....fucking rock. 

randella

jeztone2 said:

Thing is, corporations are corporations. I get angry at Yamaha more because they simply have ignored their heritage and I think they make a brilliant product. But who wilfully ignores their most iconic products. Well, them and Marshall with the Guv’nor pedal. 

@jeztone2 - man, I've been banging that drum for a long time.  Someone lent me one once - I used it with my JCM900 and it was perfect.  I have the II version which isn't as bad as is made out, but if Marshall made a reissue so I didn't have to pay £250 for a unit that looks like it toured with a heavy-footed metal band for 20 years I'd be all over it.

Anyway, back to Gibson...