M
Member 37136
I know I'm going to be accused of being a Gibson-basher, but I assure you that this isn't the case. My first "real" electric was an ES-330 I bought used in 1976. I traded it for a brand-new 1979 Les Paul Custom when I was 19. I've owned two Les Paul Melody Maker P-90s, an ES-339, and a J-45. I LIKE GIBSONS!
But I just sold my last ones and I probably won't be back, unless I find something used that really speaks to me, like an older LP Junior. Here's why:
The ES339 cost me $1799. It came with a certificate of authenticity from the "Custom Shop" in Memphis. Turns out, there really isn't a custom shop in Memphis, it's just the part of the production line they devote to semi-hollows. No big deal, but still - I thought this was coming from the "real" Custom Shop in Nashville, and none of their literature or advertising indicated otherwise. My fault for not researching, I guess.
The guitar had a dead spot on the 12th fret of the G-string that could not be fixed by fretwork. It was just a resonance issue, but being located right in the middle of the fretboard on a neck position I use a LOT, it was frustrating. I learned to work around it, but why should I have to?
One day I took out the neck pickup to have a look-see inside, and found a neck tenon joint that looked like my 11-year-old son had made it. The tab was cut too short and was undercut. Very little wood-to-wood contact there. Filled in around this nub was a mix of sawdust and glue to fill most of the void. A small piece of wood was glued to the top of the pickup route, as though it had been cut too big and shimmed. Re-installing the pickup, I noticed that the fretboard on the 20th - 22nd fret had visible file marks. Mind you, these issues didn't affect playability, but along with the dead G, it really left a bad taste in my mouth. This is "custom shop" quality?
On to the J-45 -- a sweet-sounding, great looking acoustic if ever there was one. This was also a Custom Shop guitar, with an Adirondack top and Honduran mahogany back and sides. Post-honeymoon, I noticed the blobs of glue on two of the braces, the finish flaws where the fretboard meets the top, the dodgy endpin jack, and the nut with the too-shallow slots. Again, nothing that really affected playability, but I was disappointed that this $2300 "Custom Shop" guitar had any issues. Maybe my expectations were too high, I don't know. Maybe I was just transferring my frustrations with the 339 to this one.
I ignored all this stuff for a couple of months, but they kept eating at me. It just didn't sit right, and I began to focus on the imperfections more and more, as well as any other tiny flaw that caught my eye. What started as merely an irritation eventually festered into full-blown dissatisfaction.
So they're both gone now, and I kind of miss having a Gibson in the house. I replaced the ES-339 with a nice Telecaster, and the sale of the J-45 made room (and paid) for a wonderful Taylor Limited Edition. I ended up making money on the deal, and I'm happy to say that both of my new guitars are nearly flawless, and great players.
So what's my point - that Gibson sucks? No. It's that they aren't as I remember them, and that's sort of a shame. I know they still make perfect guitars; I just didn't get one of them, even though I paid the same as someone who did.
But moreover, if Taylor and Fender can bring their high-quality, made-in-America guitars to market for LESS, and without these sorts of issues, why can't Gibson? It saddens me that they can't or won't address these relatively simple matters of sloppy construction. I really like Gibsons; a good-looking Les Paul, SJ-200, or 335 will turn my head every time, but I can't really support them anymore.
Oh, well. Things change...
End rant, flamesuit on.
But I just sold my last ones and I probably won't be back, unless I find something used that really speaks to me, like an older LP Junior. Here's why:
The ES339 cost me $1799. It came with a certificate of authenticity from the "Custom Shop" in Memphis. Turns out, there really isn't a custom shop in Memphis, it's just the part of the production line they devote to semi-hollows. No big deal, but still - I thought this was coming from the "real" Custom Shop in Nashville, and none of their literature or advertising indicated otherwise. My fault for not researching, I guess.
The guitar had a dead spot on the 12th fret of the G-string that could not be fixed by fretwork. It was just a resonance issue, but being located right in the middle of the fretboard on a neck position I use a LOT, it was frustrating. I learned to work around it, but why should I have to?
One day I took out the neck pickup to have a look-see inside, and found a neck tenon joint that looked like my 11-year-old son had made it. The tab was cut too short and was undercut. Very little wood-to-wood contact there. Filled in around this nub was a mix of sawdust and glue to fill most of the void. A small piece of wood was glued to the top of the pickup route, as though it had been cut too big and shimmed. Re-installing the pickup, I noticed that the fretboard on the 20th - 22nd fret had visible file marks. Mind you, these issues didn't affect playability, but along with the dead G, it really left a bad taste in my mouth. This is "custom shop" quality?
On to the J-45 -- a sweet-sounding, great looking acoustic if ever there was one. This was also a Custom Shop guitar, with an Adirondack top and Honduran mahogany back and sides. Post-honeymoon, I noticed the blobs of glue on two of the braces, the finish flaws where the fretboard meets the top, the dodgy endpin jack, and the nut with the too-shallow slots. Again, nothing that really affected playability, but I was disappointed that this $2300 "Custom Shop" guitar had any issues. Maybe my expectations were too high, I don't know. Maybe I was just transferring my frustrations with the 339 to this one.
I ignored all this stuff for a couple of months, but they kept eating at me. It just didn't sit right, and I began to focus on the imperfections more and more, as well as any other tiny flaw that caught my eye. What started as merely an irritation eventually festered into full-blown dissatisfaction.
So they're both gone now, and I kind of miss having a Gibson in the house. I replaced the ES-339 with a nice Telecaster, and the sale of the J-45 made room (and paid) for a wonderful Taylor Limited Edition. I ended up making money on the deal, and I'm happy to say that both of my new guitars are nearly flawless, and great players.
So what's my point - that Gibson sucks? No. It's that they aren't as I remember them, and that's sort of a shame. I know they still make perfect guitars; I just didn't get one of them, even though I paid the same as someone who did.
But moreover, if Taylor and Fender can bring their high-quality, made-in-America guitars to market for LESS, and without these sorts of issues, why can't Gibson? It saddens me that they can't or won't address these relatively simple matters of sloppy construction. I really like Gibsons; a good-looking Les Paul, SJ-200, or 335 will turn my head every time, but I can't really support them anymore.
Oh, well. Things change...
End rant, flamesuit on.
