Current Gibson quality?

Gibson went back to the dealer today. I just wasn't up to the quality of a real 335. I owned an ES-340 for many years (basically a 335 with odd wiring) and the current one didn't come anywhere close to the quality of that old axe. I really hope Gibson can recover the magic, but I'm not going to that well again.

My cousin is a Gibson fan. He recently bought a 2017 LP traditional. It's a pretty nice guitar, but as you noticed, there were imperfections here and there. I have a higher end epiphone LP and I feel that the overall quality is only slightly less than my cousin's gibson LP that cost 4x the price. Similar issues between both, fret ends weren't polished well, small pocks in the finish, fret levelling needed, etc.

My inner cynic is speaking, but I just feel that's how things are these days.

Michael - sorry you had that experience. You'd think for the money you're paying for a Gibson over a Fender that simple things like nitro finish or fret filing/finishing would be a given - but I guess management would rather chase lawsuits than focus on quality control...

Best Gibson electrics were in the 1981-1987 era. With 1982 being the peak, IMHO. I own 14 Gibson Electric guitars from 1957-1996, presently. And have had a dozen others. Those guitars are consistently AMAZING.

Does the quality problem extend to their acoustics as well?

That’s good. I’ve been eyeballing a couple of models.

Why do you think the problem is only with the EGs and not the AGs?

I had a Gibson Midtown (a cheaper version of the 335) about 10 years ago. There were hairs from a buffer brush I presume stuck under the finish and inside the binding. The electronics also sounded like there was a blanket over the entire guitar. That was the last Gibson I bought. Years before that I impulse bought a beautiful Custom Historic 58 Les Paul. It would not stay in tune no matter what I did to it. One day I was changing strings and the entire neck went haywire. When I put the new strings on they were literally just laying on the fretboard. My tech at the time said it was just the weather and my truss rod just needed adjustments, but I have never had that much of an adjustment on a guitar ever. Been tempted to buy an SG at some point. I have a friend who has a great one, but I just can't bring myself to get another Gibson. Picked up a Heritage last year and that plays and feels better than any Gibson. YMMV

I found the answer--at least for me: buy a Heritage. I'll write it up a bit in the newly-acquired thread when I've got some time.

Thanks G-man. I’ve been eyeballing the the hummingbird.

Sad to hear they are still the same: custom shop prize with drunken QC.

> I love my Custom Shop Heritage Gibsons, and I have 3, I believe made between 2018-2020. They're phenomenal guitars...but even at the custom shop level, the factory setups are not spectacular...find a great luthier who can do some fretwork, cut the nut properly, etc. Totally worth an extra $200 or so.

This isn't acceptable.

I wish there existed the Gibson equivalent of what G&L is to Fender. In my view, there's little reason to buy a Fender because G&L outclasses them at every price point. And they just sound better.

My lowly $1k Les Paul should really be about $200.

Something to consider, back in the day when you would purchase a guitar from a music store, you would get the chance to hold it in your hands and feel the guitar before purchasing. These days with online purchases its luck of the draw. There are good Gibsons, bad Gibsons and everything in between. I own 3 Les Pauls of varying expense from the last decade and they all needed something addressed. Regardless, they are all excellent guitars.

To add complications, I am a left handed player, so my choices are meager to put it lightly. Sometimes you have to make compromises.

I also dabble in lutherie, not something everyone has access to or time for. I purchased a 2018 LP Studio recently (that smokehouse burst just called to me). I got it on a close out deal with case so the price was fantastic. This LP studio was one of the few that had binding on the neck which really gave the guitar a nice look and feel. When I got it though, I was underwhelmed. The fretboard was rough, the bushings for the bridge would pop right out if pulled on too hard and the finish was imperfect.

I replaced the bridge with faber parts and some screw in bridge posts, scraped the fretboard smooth, rounded the fretboard edges and polished (very tedious), then buffed the finish. All this to say, this is not something I should have to do with a new guitar, but ultimately it is now one of my favorites.

Had friend recently who needed to purchase a new guitar and we settled on a LP Tribute, the only problem it had was fret sprout. We were able to work a deal and ended up purchasing it for a great price. I knew I just needed to file some of the fret ends down and polish it, everything worked out great.

I have tried Epiphones in the past, and while they might (emphasis on might) have better QC, they always feel off or a little bit like a toy version of a Gibson. I can rarely get the action as low without a fret level on Epiphones, even after a fret level its not the same, although I have a Casino that has incredible action so its not a rule per se. I do have to say the current crop of 2017 Epi's with the new headstocks are fantastic.

Of course its very fashionable at the moment to bash on Gibson due to the astronomical prices, and yes you can find better/comparable guitars from custom builders. Still, there is just something about a great Gibson guitar. Just seems like lately all the Gibbys I have seen do indeed need something to take them to that "great" level.