White Gibsons Made in Custom Shop?

[fatherjones.com]

A guy at Guitar Center - a salesman - said that the Gibson rep told him that: "All white Gibsons are now made in the custom shop."

Anybody heard this one before?

 

[jaevee14]

I'm pretty sure they make the LP Studio in white.

 

[AaeCee]

A guy at Guitar Center - a salesman - said that the Gibson rep told him that: "All white Gibsons are now made in the custom shop."

Anybody heard this one before?

Yeah....white Gibson 'Customs' are made in the CS. Bet that's where it stops. I call BS.

 

[gibson08]

Last time I took the tour at Memphis they said the white models were made there and I seen quite a few white ones there, dont know if thats still the case or not.

 

[Custom50]

Joan Jett sig, Flying V's, Explorers, etc.

pretty sure all these guitars still come in white.

 

[XKnight]

Sounds like a salesman who doesn't know what he's selling. Seems fairly common.

 

[rah3]

Come on!!! It takes tremendous skill (and balls) to take the ugliest grain in the wood pile and earmark it for the tops of solid color instruments, that's why the CS does it. Solid color instruments just say "Come on.....strip me, refinish me....". It's the job of the CS to make sure that you'll be really sorry if you do that.

-RAH3

 

[fatherjones.com]

To be clear - I wasn't wondering about whether or not various models were offered in white. I was saying that a Gibson rep told a salesman that ALL white Gibsons - whether a Studio, an Explorer, a Les Paul Standard, whatever - were not made by regular Gibson but by the Custom Shop division of Gibson. He said that they used to paint the white ones for Gibson, but that the decision was eventually made to just make all the guitars for Gibson that would be painted white.

Sounds absurd, but you never know.

 

[whitehall]

And you were there to buy a white guitar, right ?
ALL Gibson USA guitars are made at the USA facility(s) regardless of color.
And all custom shop guitars are made at the custom shop facility.

 

[Bob7point7]

I remember them talking about this when I took a tour of the Memphis Custom Shop. This is the story as I remember it: The Memphis shop only makes two solid body guitars - the Les Paul Custom in Antique White and the double neck SG (I forget the real name) in Antique White. Apparently the antique white needs a lacquer clearcoat to look right, so the Memphis shop does them since they're already spraying lacquer. There was no mention of any studio models, etc.

Hope this helps,
-Bobbie

 

[BadAssBill]

I've been in the custom shop a few times and have never seen anything other than custom shop guitars in there being made.

 

[XKnight]

I've been in the custom shop a few times and have never seen anything other than custom shop guitars in there being made.

That makes too much sense to be accurate.

 

[fatherjones.com]

No, I actually have a fireburst studio.

 

[jeffwith1f]

I was chatting in the local guitar store today and apparently this is true. The instruments are assembled in normal locations, but I believe the ones to be done in White go to (I believe) the Memphis factory where they are handled by a single individual who speciallizes in doing white finishes. Apparently doing White is extremely difficult. it is the least tollerant colour to specks showing up, as well, the white will pick up marks and other colours of paint from other previously sprayed instruments when you have it drying on racks that have had other instruments sitting on them. As such, they have this one dude (so I'm told) doing all the white.

crazy. never been a fan of white instruments, but I will not look at one the same way again.

 

[Roodyrocker]

I don't know about the other Gibsons but I know that White Les Paul Customs are indeed custom shops. I bought mine is 2002 new and it had no Custom Shop logo on it. A friend wanted one roughly a year or more later. We got it from the same store and his has the custom shop logo on it. I was told at that time that all white Les Paul Customs were now made in the custom shop. Crazy? yes but thats Gibson for you!

 

[Flinto2002]

all LP customs are NOW made in the custom shop. Not sure if that is true for the older ones, inlcuding your 2002.

 

[AaeCee]

all LP customs are NOW made in the custom shop. Not sure if that is true for the older ones, inlcuding your 2002.

It's true for those made from 2001 on AFAIK, maybe 2000.

 

[Boldkharma]

I know mine was! Just picked it up yesterday. My fingers hurt from the non-stop playing and I can't find a single flaw on it. 2008 LPC

 

[jeffwith1f]

I know mine was! Just picked it up yesterday. My fingers hurt from the non-stop playing and I can't find a single flaw on it. 2008 LPC

nice set! (although it could be argued that an HSS strat is a cop out as you have the humbucker edge covered)

 

[Boldkharma]

It could be but in my case, the only Strat I really ever bonded with is this 98' Lonestar. I never play the bridge position on a single coil Strat. Strats to me are all about the other positions especially the in between. Plus, the Duncan in the bridge on the Strat is very unique, it stands apart from the PRS and LP. I personally think a single coil bridge pickup sounds rather dull and lifeless for my purposes. YMMV.