So What Is The Dang Difference Really?

[ricksconnected]

I can't reiterate how true this is. None of the Gibsons we are buying or have bought in the last 30 years are going to be worth what the early 57-59's are fetching. Even those aren't pulling what they used to. There are no more "investment " guitars. Unless of course you have a half million laying around along with 20-30 more years to sit on it. Even then there are no guarantees you'll even get your original purchase price back.
I've had this argument with guys about buying Gibson. They'll argue about how their guitar will be worth 6 digits in 20 years. I hate to burst their bubble but nothing Gibson or Fender puts out is going to be worth that ever again.

it does seem to be a argument that only Gibson and fender guys believe to be true.
not all of them mind you but a great many. I like both guitar companies and think they
make some nice stuff, but you don't find investors suggesting you stock up on guitars.
hell even guitar collectors will not tell you that. thing is though, that's what Gibson and fender want
you to believe, that their stuff gets more valuable with time. if that was the case, why the hell don't they
hold onto them themselves lol.

 

[ricksconnected]

The consistency of quality on the Epis and Squires isnt up to their usa counterparts. Ive come across some crappy us made guitars but far more asian junkers are allowed out the door..much more hit and miss.

I agree, BUT, they are getting better as the yrs go by.
it took fender and Gibson many yrs to "perfect" their
product. now it seems they both are going down hill
equally as fast these days.

 

[Gunner64]

I like to find older quality gear for good prices, instead of buying new. ( not that I dont do that as well) if I get something at a good price I know itll go up in value, or at the very least be able to get my money back out of it...its like a sub-hobby.

 

[ricksconnected]

Never implied that Rick, matter of fact I think you are missing my point completely. What I meant to imply is that an American Gibson Les Paul will hold value better than a Korean ESP Eclipse & vice versa. Obviously you won't make money buying guitars but buying brands with Coca Cola images & you probably won't lose much either. The CD60 was a shit example so I take the blame for any confusion.

I like to say that they don't drop in value as quickly as other guitars will.
I think that's a fair statement between both of our posts yes?
or to say that they hold their value longer than most others?

 

[ricksconnected]

gunner64
same here. the thrill of the hunt is almost better than the thrill of ownership.
love bringing back to life a old "clunker" that somebody just forgot about or
didn't know what they had or the possibilities there of.

 

[MexicanMike]

I like to say that they don't drop in value as quickly as other guitars will.
I think that's a fair statement between both of our posts yes?
or to say that they hold their value longer than most others?

I think you take a burn right away with Gibson & Martin also Fender to a degree but over time, if you keep it as close to stock as possible, 20-30 years from now you might make a little bit of money because Gibson, Martin & Fender have name brand Coca Cola image, highly collectible matter of fact, if you buy them used you will not lose a single penny if you are smart about it.

 

[MexicanMike]

I agree, BUT, they are getting better as the yrs go by.
it took fender and Gibson many yrs to "perfect" their
product. now it seems they both are going down hill
equally as fast these days.

Well, we all know what happened with Gibson. They tried forcing the HP guitars down our throats & it pissed us all off. With that said, I own a 2016 & 2017 Les Paul & I was blown away. Henry gets the nod from me, he tried something new, it failed but he fixed the problem, respect given.

With Fender, who knows? They are discontinuing the American Standard, why, why, why? Then we have the Mexican Standard which has been wildly successful for the last what? 20 years? A certain somebody just took office & there is a chance Fender gets penalized for moving jobs to foreign countries but maybe we can take this to PMs we can't talk politics here.

 

[Gunner64]

gunner64
same here. the thrill of the hunt is almost better than the thrill of ownership.
love bringing back to life a old "clunker" that somebody just forgot about or
didn't know what they had or the possibilities there of.

Yea I spend a bit of time searching pawnshops and music stores for bargans. Sometimes I wish I would just stop and focus more on playing but the hunt is too much fun.

 

[ricksconnected]

ive found a few that were MAJOR finds bro. keep looking. I will cause a 9 car pile up
when we pass a pawnshop I havent seen before lol.

 

[ricksconnected]

I think you take a burn right away with Gibson & Martin also Fender to a degree but over time, if you keep it as close to stock as possible, 20-30 years from now you might make a little bit of money because Gibson, Martin & Fender have name brand Coca Cola image, highly collectible matter of fact, if you buy them used you will not lose a single penny if you are smart about it.

I can agree here a good bit depending on what you paid.
don't get me wrong, I like Gibson and fender, but I try to keep it real and
not get caught up in the Kool-Aid that they market to the public.
a lot of people buy into it and swear by it. that's on them and Gibson and fender
love these folks dearly.

 

[Gunner64]

Yea I do pretty well too. My buddys the king.He just found a mint, almost unplayed usa made Prs ce22 in cherry burst for $475. The seller ( a music store) thought it was korean. Not a 59 lp for $1000 but a $1200 guitar all day long. I offered him $700 for it...he's thinking about it.2 bargans on the same guitar..fun stuff.

 

[ricksconnected]

I want a CE so bad lol.
hope he sells it to you. a nice come up right there bro.

 

[Easton55]

Ultimately, my advice to ANYONE considering a new or used guitar is to simply judge that instrument based on it's own merits, certainly NOT where it was made. Leave your preconceptions AT HOME...forget what your buddy or your brother or father or teacher might have told you, because YOU are the one who's gonna be playing the instrument. Know the difference between a setup and a poor quality instrument. KNOW what a good guitar should feel and sound like. Then just ignore what it says on the headstock or the sticker...just close your eyes, feel and listen to the instrument you're playing - you may end up quite surprised IF you can approach this with a truly open mind.

As I've said sooooooo often before, it's NOT the guitar, the amp, the pedals or anything else - it's all about the person playing it. At the end of the day, $20,000 worth of the most expensive, top shelf gear on the planet will NOT let you play like a "rock star"...only you can do that. On the other hand, I've seen guys playing the rattiest gear you can imagine...little more than firewood with a rusty set of strings...who can bring tears to your eyes because they play THAT good.

Good read James, and the above two paragraphs hand over the most info needed. It is ok to be informed, and have opinions given by others, but be wise when using it all to decide on something.

 

[ricksconnected]

thing is, you still have people that believe that MIA is the best anywhere.
you see how that thinking took hold of the auto market and most of the electronics world
right?

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

I have a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster® Custom. Got it a few years back before prices started to edge upward on these. I'd have to say it's one of the nicest and certainly "best bang for the buck" guitars I own.

 

[Söulcaster]

My preference is for the USA strats,,,,,I'm very particular about my strats, I tried at least 50 strats before I bought my last one. I do have an 80's Jap strat that is pretty good though, has a very nice feel to it. Wouldn't mind throwing some lace pups in it, or some Sliders to improve the tone.....

Peace

 

[ricksconnected]

I have a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster® Custom. Got it a few years back before prices started to edge upward on these. I'd have to say it's one of the nicest and certainly "best bang for the buck" guitars I own.

that's exactly what happened. I remember when store couldn't give them away, now folks want them like wild fire.
nice looking guitar. they play great for the $$ too.

 

[Gianni]

I can only offer my advice on the Gibson vs. Epiphone Les Paul debate.

Forget all those differences between them you can read about. Play yourself a Gibson Les Paul and an Epiphone one, with the same Gibson pickups.

If you can’t hear, feel, or see a difference, rejoice, as you won’t have to spend as much money as I did to be satisfied with your guitar.

 

[ricksconnected]

I usually like the epi's that guys have reworked a bit.
do the pepsi challenge and you wont know the difference
most likely.

 

[MexicanMike]

Ultimately, my advice to ANYONE considering a new or used guitar is to simply judge that instrument based on it's own merits, certainly NOT where it was made. Leave your preconceptions AT HOME...forget what your buddy or your brother or father or teacher might have told you, because YOU are the one who's gonna be playing the instrument. Know the difference between a setup and a poor quality instrument. KNOW what a good guitar should feel and sound like. Then just ignore what it says on the headstock or the sticker...just close your eyes, feel and listen to the instrument you're playing - you may end up quite surprised IF you can approach this with a truly open mind.

As I've said sooooooo often before, it's NOT the guitar, the amp, the pedals or anything else - it's all about the person playing it. At the end of the day, $20,000 worth of the most expensive, top shelf gear on the planet will NOT let you play like a "rock star"...only you can do that. On the other hand, I've seen guys playing the rattiest gear you can imagine...little more than firewood with a rusty set of strings...who can bring tears to your eyes because they play THAT good.

Good read James, and the above two paragraphs hand over the most info needed. It is ok to be informed, and have opinions given by others, but be wise when using it all to decide on something.

Gear can hold you back though. You have to understand where I am coming from. My dad has played guitar for 35 years, never owned a standard strat or les paul. At what point do you say you are worth it? You are worth the big house, the fancy car & the best guitars. Why deprive yourself? If you can afford a pristine guitar, why tell yourself no? If you got the bug & you know music is something you want to do, do not tell yourself no. If you wait until you are good enough to be a rockstar, you will never get to enjoy a stellar axe. Who knows? Maybe if you buy a shiny American guitar or an all tube British amp, it may inspire you to play more. Could a pro make a cheap guitar sound good? Yes. But would pro gear make him sound even better? You betcha. I have no problem with a novice playing pro gear if they know they will grow into it.