Gibson FAIL - the story of four new SGs

[twitchylizard]

2 Grand!?

Quit buying the "cheap" ones!

I couldve went higher, but i took the 2 grand from John's story of him buying the 61 sg reissue

 

[johnfv]

I knew this would become an emotional topic. I wanted to believe in Gibson so much that I charged nearly $3000 on my credit card to gather these facts ("the next one HAS to be good"...) and I'm trying to let the facts speak for themselves. Let me add a couple of points:
- These were sealed Gibson boxes, you can't blame Musician's Friend. As I mentioned I have bought several guitars via mail (multiple Fenders, multiple Epiphones, an Ibanez and now an ESP) and have never had anything other than minor setup work to do. I thought if anything Gibson would be better.
- Guitar setup IS subjective. I'll bet there are some Gibson customers that wouldn't realize that the binding and the neck are supposed to be flush. What is totally unacceptable to me might look great on some lawyers wall. I expect MF will sell my returns as "mint condition" used.
- I did talk to Gibson after the first 2 guitars and they were polite. They said I could send a guitar to them and they would review, but why would I want to go through that hassle?

Anyone else willing to break out the credit card to gather some facts? I'm not talking about letting a dealer weed out the bad ones first, I'm saying take 4 random guitars like I did - whatever Gibson puts in the box. Then we can discuss Gibson QC.

 

[Lespaulnmarshall]

honestly i bought 3 les pauls over the course of a year, one was a standard and all were lacking.

the studios were all newer 2000's models and all had poor fret dresses,sharp edges,frets not completely seated in the board etc. the les paul standard had pain everywhere,everything was very noticebly uneven like the binding....god that was so bad and the nut was chipped THEN smoothed over in several spots. there were scuffs out of the box and the frets were green on arrival.

I've gone through a bunch of SG's too and i sold one i regret and have the best sounding one out of the group i've owned but, every Gibson i've owend or played that's newer really hasn't been that impressive other than this SG (which still looks a little cheap but, sounds and plays great) and the goth i sold were all average at best where my $500 Korean guitars smoke them in every regard except collectibility.

That said i still like Gibson.

I love 335's,SG's,Firebirds and the 90's LP studio deluxe with ebony fretboard. I think as with most big names right now their quality's just on a decline. It happens to all of them once they start getting a taste of real money.

Sory to hear you have a bad experiance with Gibson. Personally I have never played a real bad Gibson. Some of them were just good, others were great, some of them were excellend and some were stunning (like my #1)*
Mine has some cosmetical imperfections, like the binding on the body) but really, it sounds and plays really really well.

 

[stax]

What is truely sad is that what you describe is binding shrink and checking, both that have nothing to do with Gibson, as they have no control of the enviroments that their guitars are kept in or the climent they are shipped thru after they leave their factory.

It's just a fact of nitro guitars and where you live and where it's shipped from. Same goes for fret sprout that I always hear people blaming Gibson for. It sucks for sure, but has nothing to do with QC.

 

[diesect20022000]

Sory to hear you have a bad experiance with Gibson. Personally I have never played a real bad Gibson. Some of them were just good, others were great, some of them were excellend and some were stunning (like my #1)*

Mine has some cosmetical imperfections, like the binding on the body) but really, it sounds and plays really really well.

Don't get me wrong i've had good experiences as well it's just about 50/50 it seems. which isn't really as it is with others for me. I've still got my SG which is my number 1 for all but, the most extreme metal. I just think they could be doing better for their prices but, i think most could.

 

[johnfv]

What is truely sad is that what you describe is binding shrink and checking, both that have nothing to do with Gibson, as they have no control of the enviroments that their guitars are kept in or the climent they are shipped thru after they leave their factory.

It's just a fact of nitro guitars and where you live and where it's shipped from. Same goes for fret sprout that I always hear people blaming Gibson for. It sucks for sure, but has nothing to do with QC.

I have owned and played a LOT of nitro guitars over the years. I have seen loose and/or shrunken binding on very old guitars but honestly don't recall seeing ANY guitar with the sort of bad fit that these two '61 reissues had. I don't see how a 10 or 20 or 30 year old nitro guitar can still be smooth at the binding but a month old one is not. I don't think the binding could shrink that much that fast. I think it is quality control: getting the binding and neck flush and smooth is not a high priority for them. They do get it right on occasion, as I mentioned my nitro Firebird is excellent...

 

[trobdcso]

Sorry for your bad experience, I will say however, that I have not played a bad Gibson. Some are better than others, but none are bad. I have played entry level guitars that need to be hydrated, and have been finger fucked to all hell, but that's not Gibson's issue.

 

[trobdcso]

Have you ever heard the comment "don't buy a car made on Monday or Friday?" maybe those SG's were made on a Monday or Friday. Just sayin...

 

[jvm210guy]

I knew this would become an emotional topic. I wanted to believe in Gibson so much that I charged nearly $3000 on my credit card to gather these facts ("the next one HAS to be good"...) and I'm trying to let the facts speak for themselves. Let me add a couple of points:
- These were sealed Gibson boxes, you can't blame Musician's Friend. As I mentioned I have bought several guitars via mail (multiple Fenders, multiple Epiphones, an Ibanez and now an ESP) and have never had anything other than minor setup work to do. I thought if anything Gibson would be better.
- Guitar setup IS subjective. I'll bet there are some Gibson customers that wouldn't realize that the binding and the neck are supposed to be flush. What is totally unacceptable to me might look great on some lawyers wall. I expect MF will sell my returns as "mint condition" used.
- I did talk to Gibson after the first 2 guitars and they were polite. They said I could send a guitar to them and they would review, but why would I want to go through that hassle?

Anyone else willing to break out the credit card to gather some facts? I'm not talking about letting a dealer weed out the bad ones first, I'm saying take 4 random guitars like I did - whatever Gibson puts in the box. Then we can discuss Gibson QC.

Well, I posted a pic of a perfect new Gibson SG with absolutely no flaws, and I stated that I returned because I did not like the tone (that's subjective). My Fender FSR strat was also sent "sealed", but it has some pretty strange blemishes. I did not want to do this but I will send pics, gimmie 10 minutes...

 

[jvm210guy]

Here's a pic of my 2010 FSR Fender Standard Strat. I love this fucking guitar. as you can see the paint sort of smears around the pickgaurd. It looks like maybe the pickgaurd was installed before the paint dried? That's just an assumption though, and I'm going with the idea that, who the hell knows.

This one is a bit harder to see, but same problem. Just so you know it also came in a Fender box, and it was sealed.

I think I'm just trying to make a point that things can happend to any guitar brand between the factory and a warehouse.

This one came in perfect, and it was my first try with a NEW Gibson. I imagine that since it was a 2011 there was not much warehouse time.

look at this thing man!

I wish I had money to blow on guitars I don't really like, because I would have kept it, and just waited for the wood to "break in"...

 

[jvm210guy]

Oh a bit more backstory on the strat. This is the last FSR strat in that color that I can find anywhere otherwise I would have considered returning it for a different one. Also I don't think I have ever heard a better sounding strat, I mean I've played with it everyday non-stop since I've had it. I DID get an additional one hundred dollar discount today from the guitar over the phone from a GC customer service rep after I told him of the blemishes, which is freaking awesome considering the holiday sale. Also I could be wrong but I think the warranty covers this type of damage, so I can go to the nearest fender service center (about only 30 mins from where I live), and get it touched up.

 

[sccloser]

Those are tone pores. That's where the tone oozes out. You fix it, and you change the sound, man...lol!

I wouldn't worry about it. But hey, you got an extra $100 off, which is awesome, and if you can get a service center to fix it for free, then go for it. I think I would not even worry about it.

 

[jvm210guy]

I'm not worried about it at all. I was just trying to make a point about how guitars can get messed up between the factory and a warehouse..

 

[Susihukkanen]

I have two Gibson SGs, one Standard manufactured in 2007 (red) and one 2011 (this black 50th Anniversary Std 24 -model). I have been very happy with my older SG, the quality is excellent in all respects. Even a guitar tech who I assume is quite competent in saying something about guitar quality said that this older SG is one of the best SGs he has ever seen. That SG was a mail order bride directly from Germany, from one of the largest sellers here in Europe.

Anyway, when I got the idea that I need also another SG and it must be this Anniversary model, so I went to a local shop. I tested it and I felt a bit confused. The feeling was surprisingly not that "guitar well done" I was used with my old SG. They had also another similar guitar there and I tested also that one - even worse... The first tested was a bit rough just on the area between the neck binding and the neck wood, just like johnfv explained in the first post of this thread. The other one was - I can't explain, it did not feel right. Maybe action or something else... Anyway I bought the first one. At home I studied why that binding area felt so rough and I noticed, that the laquer of neck had formed kind of uneven edge on the binding, just like if a painters tape would have leaked a bit and the seam is not perfectly straight. I scratched that extra laquer away with my fingernail and yes, it felt much better. There is still a very tiny edge on that area, but it does not bother me anymore. Now I feel that I got a guitar worth the money I spent ( and I just love the sound of those 57 classics..)

Between my SGs I have also bought an acoustic Martin D-28 and I must say that is qualitywise superior to even that earlier SG. In that Martin there is not even a single flaw and all bits and pieces are perfectly finished.

 

[SoloDallas]

John,
I know buddy.
That is why I haven't almost bought anything new in years. I almost buy exclusively used stuff, even broken instruments (must be CHEAP) then fix them.

Other than this... replicas. Luthier's replicas. There's quite a few young good luthiers out there who can make great replicas for the right price.

Must think about it

 

[telemarshall]

But the fact is, every 2000 dollar Gibson shouldnt feel like your'e throwing away your money..To be honest, two grand should get me something more than "pretty good"

Agree, but you can also get a good Gibson for a lot less than that. I got my SG Special Faded a couple of years ago for $600, and this axe (mine anyway) is a fantastic Gibson. I love this guitar. I did have it set up, and I put pickup covers on (cosmetic reasons only), but it plays and sounds great.

 

[dirtysteev]

It is truly a shame when companies quality control gets this bad, but is anyone surprised? Is there a single "big" guitar manufacturer who hasn't had their bad years and put out a ton of crap? (well, in fairness I have never seen a shoddy PRS) Make no mistake, when any product says "hand made" it can mean that those hands are just pulling levers on a machine on an assembly line, and if a product says "custom shop" it is marketing, there is no one magic custom shop making magic guitars.
Sorry about your SG fiasco, thats really poor work in your examples.

 

[mike mike]

Every gibson I've played has been pretty rough on fit and finish, and some have had worse issues. It's really a shame. The one I have is great, but It didn't start out that way.

 

[johnfv]

A quick update - I have decided to keep the 2nd '60s Tribute SG despite how rough it is because I think it has potential to be a great playing guitar. It will take quite a bit of work but buffing with 0000 steel wool has improved some of the rough spots and it goes to my tech tomorrow for a fret mill and setup (I did get some money back from MF to help cover the setup work). Trying to find a silver lining: the 4 piece body has a large block in the center so the neck and bridge connect to a single piece of wood - I think that might actually be a good thing. Still, I can't really provide much logical justification for tolerating such poor quality, it shows how much of an emotional attachment there is to that Gibson name on the headstock...

 

[Susihukkanen]

John,
I know buddy.
That is why I haven't almost bought anything new in years. I almost buy exclusively used stuff, even broken instruments (must be CHEAP) then fix them.

Other than this... replicas. Luthier's replicas. There's quite a few young good luthiers out there who can make great replicas for the right price.

Must think about it

How about you, SoloDallas, are you happy with the quality of your rather new #37, signed AY SG?