Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to...

Australian · 05-30-2012, 12:33 AM

...get their act together and are on the up and up or is their quality failing.

Through personal experience, are there any particular models or year brackets to avoid?

diesect20022000 · 05-30-2012, 01:19 AM

I found the 2002 and up les paul standards are uniformly not great and the faded series post 2004 are what you'd expect. PRE 04 they're great for the money. any of the 2000-2001 goth series are exceptional and cheap. 06 seem to be decent for the money as well. My 06 SG special's light but great and all the others i've played are nice as well.

brp · 05-30-2012, 01:27 AM

I dunno about the whole year but my '07 Studio LP's control cavity looks like it was carved out by a chimp's teeth. It plays great though and sounds great too. Love the ebony board and holds tune fine, upgraded bone nut though.
Although the finish seems a little substandard.

jvm210guy · 05-30-2012, 01:29 AM

My current lp is giving a lot of issues right now... I'm trying to work through them though... So, you just got to go play some...

diesect20022000 · 05-30-2012, 01:36 AM

so not really

jvm210guy · 05-30-2012, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diesect20022000

so not really

Basically I don't see the Asian invasion doing any good for Gibson quality. I mean I don't think they're worse off know than before, but I mean there's always gonna be some shit even in the greenest grass....

Australian · 05-30-2012, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jvm210guy

Basically I don't see the Asian invasion doing any good for Gibson quality. I mean I don't think they're worse off know than before, but I mean there's always gonna be some shit even in the greenest grass....

Using the 80's as a yardstick:
I play my post 2000 Gibson Studio and say to myself its good, but am still not getting that warmth and man made feel where you become one with the guitar and say to yourself "that is a great instrument".
When I finish playing my "Jackson SL1 post 2000" I think-"this is a nice instrument", I'm somewhat impressed by the post 2000 SL1's. It's more than 'just good'.

I think that what I expect firstly, is that a Gibson shouldnt make you put yout attention on any faults. It shouldnt have any. And one main thing is that the frets should feel soft enough so that the player doesnt feel them and have attention that a string is pressed onto steel..

Holme · 05-30-2012, 04:41 AM

Took me 3 attempts to get a mint Gibson SG Standard earlier this year!

It is f@@kin ace though!
Saying that i know theres a few Ibanez haters on here & I still say to this day my Jem is one of THE best guitars i've ever played! (& i used to get lessons from the owner of a music shop whom let me pick any guitar i wanted for the lesson as i went straight from school so i've played plenty!)
Although i fully understand the 'Marie Barone' look isn't everyones cup of tea!

Australian · 05-30-2012, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diesect20022000

I found the 2002 and up les paul standards are uniformly not great and the faded series post 2004 are what you'd expect. PRE 04 they're great for the money. any of the 2000-2001 goth series are exceptional and cheap. 06 seem to be decent for the money as well. My 06 SG special's light but great and all the others i've played are nice as well.

Yeah I feel the same about a Gibson Studio I have. Nice Ebony neck. Very good, but I expect more from Gibson.
In the 80's when you picked up a Gibson in a shop it was more common to find a gem and you'd never forget how good it sounded and played.
In other words -you got much more of a professional unique instrument for the money that you paid.

Australian · 05-30-2012, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holme

Took me 3 attempts to get a mint Gibson SG Standard earlier this year!

It is f@@kin ace though!
Saying that i know theres a few Ibanez haters on here & I still say to this day my Jem is one of THE best guitars i've ever played! (& i used to get lessons from the owner of a music shop whom let me pick any guitar i wanted for the lesson as i went straight from school so i've played plenty!)
Although i fully understand the 'Marie Barone' look isn't everyones cup of tea!

With the price tag they have on their guitars, every one should be perfect.
I'll take that Jem any day. Very nice guitars.

Holme · 05-30-2012, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Australian

With the price tag they have on their guitars, every one should be perfect.
I'll take that Jem any day. Very nice guitars.

Are you SURE you can live with finish!

EDIT:If you're reading this CROSSROADS i hope you can see the image you've burned into my mind!

anitoli · 05-30-2012, 09:34 AM

Yeah dont get me wrong guys, i have a few Gibbos myself (which ironically have serious quality issues) but i really think if you look at the price points and what you will actually get in return there are way better guitars out there. Fender, G&L, PRS, Hamer, just to name off a few. Gibson ****ed themselves when they started to demand that dealers must move a certain ammount of product or risk losing the dealership they PAID to have.
They killed the small shops now all you get is the large profit drivers and what usually goes first in the chase for cash.....quality.

SmokeyDopey · 05-30-2012, 09:35 AM

lol "Asian Invasion"?

Didn't the company technically "invade" to reduce costs?

diesect20022000 · 05-30-2012, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Australian

With the price tag they have on their guitars, every one should be perfect.
I'll take that Jem any day. Very nice guitars.

I'm of this opinion as well. I've got many other guitars that far surpassed my Gibson's and i've gone through MANY Gibsons. a really good one's something to behold but those aren't common.

It's all personl preferance anyway though, i mean i still love Gibson and it's not like i'm forcing someone elses hand with their purchase.

I'm really interested in the new lines with baked maple boards honestly.

I'm really interested in a les paul classic custom and another SG but this time a standard since it can be had with maple boards

I plan on really shopping around though.

ultimately that's the only way to get a good one (and is the case anymore with about any big name guitar once it's hit assembly lines it's not what it should be). Basicaly just shop around and play a ton until "the one" pops out.

anitoli · 05-30-2012, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokeyDopey

lol "Asian Invasion"?

Didn't the company technically "invade" to reduce costs?

Yes.....for the company. As usual they went from .25 cents on the dollar to .75 and its still not good enough. Remember when Henry bought the ailing Gibson the first thing he did was double the prices as this gives the "appearance" of higher quality and remarkably the sales doubled.
You cant just blame gibson for some of this crap, by gobbling up overpriced low quality axes the consumers said we will take it and that is what Gibson is dishing out.

jvm210guy · 05-30-2012, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anitoli

Yes.....for the company. As usual they went from .25 cents on the dollar to .75 and its still not good enough. Remember when Henry bought the ailing Gibson the first thing he did was double the prices as this gives the "appearance" of higher quality and remarkably the sales doubled.
You cant just blame gibson for some of this crap, by gobbling up overpriced low quality axes the consumers said we will take it and that is what Gibson is dishing out.

Ya, you definitely vote with your dollars.. If you don't like it don't buy it.

Georgiatec · 05-30-2012, 10:04 AM

These are both my 2004 LP Classics (when I still had both). No.1 on the left has been fitted with Burstbucker pros and No.2 had the regular 498/500 combo. No.1 is perfect and will go with me to my grave. No.2 had issues (nothing major) and now resides elsewhere. These guitars were only 200 or so serial numbers apart., but were like chalk & cheese to play (regardless of the different pups). No.2 was much lighter, only 8lb 2oz, whereas No.1 is a 10 pounder. This could be it..denser wood = better guitar, I don't know, but No.2 just felt kinda cheaper, not as good.
I don't really know what I'm trying to say Oz. I've played a 76 custom that was awesome and a '79 standard that was hard work. I guess there are good and bad in every year of production and it's a case of keeping an open mind. If you find your perfect Gibson was made this year and not 30 years ago, does it matter?

anitoli · 05-30-2012, 10:27 AM

Seriously guys not trying to bash Gibson as they have made some awesome guitars. I didnt make this up about Henry J. and the pricing, i read it in an interview with him. My point is they know how to make guitars. This is obvious. But sometimes you really got to wonder how some of this stuff gets out of the factory without being stamped "second".

My EDS1275 is a Custom shop ax and its got issues with binding being narrower than the neck wood, the dot on the i in gibson being sprayed black, orange peel, ect..... the only reason i accepted these flaws is because i got it in a pawn shop for a realistic price. If new no way.

johnfv · 05-30-2012, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Georgiatec

...there are good and bad in every year of production...

IMO, buying a new Gibson is a real crap shoot but can be nice if you find a good one. The majority of recent models I've tried were very disappointing. I'm not talking about just finish flaws (of which there are plenty), I mean basic playability. In contrast, I recently bought an "inferior" Norlin era ES-347 (3 pc maple neck, big volute - even stamped "SECOND"); I did replace the pickups but it is absolutely outstanding in fit/finish and playability. Anyone heard of the Gibson ES-347?
My 2008 Firebird V is excellent as well (standard model, not custom shop) so there are some great recent models. My 60s tribute SG was rough in a number of areas but after a fret job and setup (and plenty of 0000 steel wool to smooth out the worst parts of the crap "worn" finish) it is a great player. The funny thing is, the best recent Gibson I have played is my single cut Melody Maker (which are now available for $299). Out of the box it played pretty damn well.

Australian · 05-30-2012, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokeyDopey

lol "Asian Invasion"?

Didn't the company technically "invade" to reduce costs?

What I had in mind when I wrote Asian Invasion was Greco, Tokai, Ibanez plus the current counterfeit market.
I remember the early days of Ibanez, they were producing copy Strats and Gibsons. Thats what put them on the map.
I think that that made Gibson want to build better and better guitars.
But these days it seems that their goal is to hover within acceptable quality, but not get better.

There is no way that one current on the shelf Les Paul Custom, SG, Firebird etc. is better than a 80's one. Why arent they better? Because Gibson have a name and can make guitars look preety so dont need to build outstanding instruments-they'll still sell.

The wood used is inferior to that used in the 70's and 80's and most importantly and sad to say, the luthiers that put their heart and soul into each Gibson arent at Gibson anymore.

These lightweight Gibsons are a farce. I'll take a solidly built 80's or 70's LP, Firebird, Explorer any day.

Led4thehed2 · 05-30-2012, 11:12 AM

Threads like this just remind me that my Explorer doesn't hold tuning worth a damn and it makes me sad. I've had it professionally set-up and intonated twice now (the last guy said he had to re-cut the G string slot on the nut to keep it in tune) and it still frets sharp as shit on the G string. I don't notice it all the time, but when I play a barre chords on the E string and you hear that root-third interval sound like garbage. Or, I can tune the G open slightly flat so when it's fretted it sounds spot on. Then I feel like playing something clean and playing a lot of chords with open G and it's shit again.

The thing's gorgeous, and a heavy metal beast, but it doesn't stay in tune. One day, it will be replaced. Mine's a 2006. I found the same was true for LP studios. They lacked the tuning stability of a LP Standard. Tone wasn't as rich, and it didn't stay in tune as well.

pedecamp · 05-30-2012, 11:26 AM

My 2005 faded SG was flawless when I got it. I was expecting the same quality with my 2007 57 RI goldtop but it had some finish flaws, but it plays and sounds great. I would have sent it back but this was the only one I could find in the country and Gibson wasnt taking any more orders for lefties at that time, not to mention also they werent making lefty goldtop standards at the time and my only choice was to upgrade to a custom shop 57 RI which is nice but cost alot more.

jvm210guy · 05-30-2012, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Led4thehed2

Threads like this just remind me that my Explorer doesn't hold tuning worth a damn and it makes me sad. I've had it professionally set-up and intonated twice now (the last guy said he had to re-cut the G string slot on the nut to keep it in tune) and it still frets sharp as shit on the G string. I don't notice it all the time, but when I play a barre chords on the E string and you hear that root-third interval sound like garbage. Or, I can tune the G open slightly flat so when it's fretted it sounds spot on. Then I feel like playing something clean and playing a lot of chords with open G and it's shit again.

The thing's gorgeous, and a heavy metal beast, but it doesn't stay in tune. One day, it will be replaced. Mine's a 2006. I found the same was true for LP studios. They lacked the tuning stability of a LP Standard. Tone wasn't as rich, and it didn't stay in tune as well.

Did you try a new nut entirely? Might help.

jvm210guy · 05-30-2012, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Australian

What I had in mind when I wrote Asian Invasion was Greco, Tokai, Ibanez plus the current counterfeit market.
I remember the early days of Ibanez, they were producing copy Strats and Gibsons. Thats what put them on the map.
I think that that made Gibson want to build better and better guitars.
But these days it seems that their goal is to hover within acceptable quality, but not get better.

There is no way that one current on the shelf Les Paul Custom, SG, Firebird etc. is better than a 80's one. Why arent they better? Because Gibson have a name and can make guitars look preety so dont need to build outstanding instruments-they'll still sell.

The wood used is inferior to that used in the 70's and 80's and most importantly and sad to say, the luthiers that put their heart and soul into each Gibson arent at Gibson anymore.

These lightweight Gibsons are a farce. I'll take a solidly built 80's or 70's LP, Firebird, Explorer any day.

I don't know, have you played every current Gibson and compared it with every Gibson from the 80s and 70s to tell if that statement is true? I'm just saying, it's not impossible to find a legendary axe currently made today, and it's not impossible to find a crappy Gibson from the 70's or 80's.

anitoli · 05-30-2012, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Led4thehed2

Threads like this just remind me that my Explorer doesn't hold tuning worth a damn and it makes me sad. I've had it professionally set-up and intonated twice now (the last guy said he had to re-cut the G string slot on the nut to keep it in tune) and it still frets sharp as shit on the G string. I don't notice it all the time, but when I play a barre chords on the E string and you hear that root-third interval sound like garbage. Or, I can tune the G open slightly flat so when it's fretted it sounds spot on. Then I feel like playing something clean and playing a lot of chords with open G and it's shit again.

The thing's gorgeous, and a heavy metal beast, but it doesn't stay in tune. One day, it will be replaced. Mine's a 2006. I found the same was true for LP studios. They lacked the tuning stability of a LP Standard. Tone wasn't as rich, and it didn't stay in tune as well.

Just curious ever try to swap the tuning keys and see if the instability follows?

pedecamp · 05-30-2012, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anitoli

Just curious ever try to swap the tuning keys and see if the instability follows?

All you need is a little liquid graphite on the nut slots and the tuning problem will be gone.

scat7s · 05-30-2012, 03:02 PM

doesnt a proper setup, fine tuned for the owner/player have everything to do with "perception of hard to play", tuning, general feel etc?

im not arguing there arent lemons out there, and finish flaws, and playability flaws, but ultimately, any guitar you pick up off the shelf new or used, is going to be a complete crapshoot as far as whether the setup will "agree with you" or not.

i cant recall ever picking up a guitar off the shelf that played like a dream.

dead strings, bowed neck/super high action, action too low, buzzy, intonation issues, fretwork required....etc etc etc (which you always wonder, is this the dead rusty strings? or a simple adjustment? or is this thing a pc of shit?)

i cant tell if a guitar is going to 'work' for me for weeks/months after bringing it home, and setting it up in a way that works for me (or not).

its kind of a shame, but for me, thats just how it is. you gamble.

bvoris · 05-30-2012, 03:09 PM

Asian Invasion... I have that porno...

scat7s · 05-30-2012, 03:09 PM

Quote:

and it still frets sharp as shit on the G string. I don't notice it all the time, but when I play a barre chords on the E string and you hear that root-third interval sound like garbage. Or, I can tune the G open slightly flat so when it's fretted it sounds spot on. Then I feel like playing something clean and playing a lot of chords with open G and it's shit again.

welcome to my world hahaha, every guitar i have ever owned does this to some degree.

re-intonate your G string to attempt to achieve a "happy medium". also, if your playing light guage strings, a heavier gauge might keep you from pulling chorded strings sharp, which could also be another seasoning in the soup.

if your more of a rhythm player than a leady kinda guy, a wound G can be very helpful to keep tuning temperment in a pleasing spot.

heavier strings will likely require a neck adjust and reintonation though.

SkinnyJ · 05-30-2012, 05:34 PM

I have a 1987 LP Standard that will go to the grave with me. I had a '99 and it was a nice guitar, but there is just something different about this one. I find it highly unlikely I'll pony up the current asking price for a new Gibson.

05-30-2012, 12:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
Australian Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 9,404	Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... ...get their act together and are on the up and up or is their quality failing. Through personal experience, are there any particular models or year brackets to avoid? __________________ .................... 1971-JMP 1959 1977- JMP 1959 1982-JCM800 2203 1989-JCM800 2205 Silver Jub 2550 30th Ann-6100 2007-JVM410 Super JTM/100JH 2008-1959RR .................... Soldano Hotrod 100+ Boogie Mark V Marshall cabs AHW+BHW; AX+BX; White A/GT75's+B/V30's; JCM800 A+B/preRolas; Hendrix A+B/G12C's; Classic/G12M's; Classic/G12h30's; JCM800 B/G12-65's; 1936/V30's; 1936/G1265's; 425B "Action is the antidote to despair"- Joan Baez

05-30-2012, 01:19 AM	#2 (permalink)
diesect20022000 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 16,628	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... I found the 2002 and up les paul standards are uniformly not great and the faded series post 2004 are what you'd expect. PRE 04 they're great for the money. any of the 2000-2001 goth series are exceptional and cheap. 06 seem to be decent for the money as well. My 06 SG special's light but great and all the others i've played are nice as well. bvoris likes this. __________________ http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/p...ies_040213.pdf

05-30-2012, 01:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
brp Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 4,128	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... I dunno about the whole year but my '07 Studio LP's control cavity looks like it was carved out by a chimp's teeth. It plays great though and sounds great too. Love the ebony board and holds tune fine, upgraded bone nut though. Although the finish seems a little substandard. diesect20022000 likes this. __________________ Recommended: On Floor Audio mods by HOT TUBES 70, Martimus Maximus tubes from MartyStrat54, NOS tubes from RiverRatt -- My Studio -- "If we can't laugh at the dead, we have no business killing people"

05-30-2012, 01:29 AM	#4 (permalink)
jvm210guy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Chicago, home of the blues... Posts: 3,558	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... My current lp is giving a lot of issues right now... I'm trying to work through them though... So, you just got to go play some... __________________ THE SIG OF DEATH Tiny Terror Marshall Class Five JVM 210h 1960a Lead (v30's/g12-75's) 2008 American Standard Telecaster 2008 Gibson Traditional Les Paul Plus (cherry sunburst flametop)

05-30-2012, 01:36 AM	#5 (permalink)
diesect20022000 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 16,628	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... so not really jvm210guy likes this. __________________ http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/p...ies_040213.pdf

Today
Marshall Amps	Sponsored Links __________________ This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members. Register your free account today and become a member on Marshall Amp Forum

05-30-2012, 04:41 AM	#8 (permalink)
Holme Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: England Posts: 4,517	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... Took me 3 attempts to get a mint Gibson SG Standard earlier this year! It is f@@kin ace though! Saying that i know theres a few Ibanez haters on here & I still say to this day my Jem is one of THE best guitars i've ever played! (& i used to get lessons from the owner of a music shop whom let me pick any guitar i wanted for the lesson as i went straight from school so i've played plenty!) Although i fully understand the 'Marie Barone' look isn't everyones cup of tea! HeHasTheJazzHands likes this.

05-30-2012, 09:34 AM	#12 (permalink)
anitoli Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Lewiston, Maine U.S.A. Posts: 1,296	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... Yeah dont get me wrong guys, i have a few Gibbos myself (which ironically have serious quality issues) but i really think if you look at the price points and what you will actually get in return there are *way better* guitars out there. Fender, G&L, PRS, Hamer, just to name off a few. Gibson ****ed themselves when they started to demand that dealers must move a certain ammount of product or risk losing the dealership they PAID to have. They killed the small shops now all you get is the large profit drivers and what usually goes first in the chase for cash.....quality. diesect20022000 and scat7s like this. __________________ 6100 MIDI Support http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze1u14s...supportservice

05-30-2012, 09:35 AM	#13 (permalink)
SmokeyDopey Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Argentina Posts: 8,456	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... lol "Asian Invasion"? Didn't the company technically "invade" to reduce costs?

05-30-2012, 10:04 AM	#17 (permalink)
Georgiatec Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Macclesfield, UK Posts: 2,089	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... These are both my 2004 LP Classics (when I still had both). No.1 on the left has been fitted with Burstbucker pros and No.2 had the regular 498/500 combo. No.1 is perfect and will go with me to my grave. No.2 had issues (nothing major) and now resides elsewhere. These guitars were only 200 or so serial numbers apart., but were like chalk & cheese to play (regardless of the different pups). No.2 was much lighter, only 8lb 2oz, whereas No.1 is a 10 pounder. This could be it..denser wood = better guitar, I don't know, but No.2 just felt kinda cheaper, not as good. I don't really know what I'm trying to say Oz. I've played a 76 custom that was awesome and a '79 standard that was hard work. I guess there are good and bad in every year of production and it's a case of keeping an open mind. If you find your perfect Gibson was made this year and not 30 years ago, does it matter? __________________ JCM2000 DSL100 & 401 COMBO VINTAGE MODERN 2466 & 425A CAB 2061x JCM1H 1960B CAB MARSHALL 412, 1922 & 1912 CABS 1978 PEAVEY CLASSIC 212 COMBO '04 GIBSON LES PAUL CLASSIC '12 GIBSON LES PAUL TRADITIONAL STD PREMIUM '00 USA STANDARD TELECASTER FENDER MODERN PLAYER TELE+ '94 FENDER MIJ '62 RI FOTOFLAME STRATOCASTER EPIPHONE LP std+ (498T & 490R), VINTAGE VS6 (SG) & SA535 (335) COPIES. IF YOU CHANGE SHIT, THEN SHIT WILL CHANGE. IF YOU DO NOTHING YOU WILL GET THE SAME OLD SHIT.

05-30-2012, 10:27 AM	#18 (permalink)
anitoli Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Lewiston, Maine U.S.A. Posts: 1,296	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... Seriously guys not trying to bash Gibson as they have made some awesome guitars. I didnt make this up about Henry J. and the pricing, i read it in an interview with him. My point is they know how to make guitars. This is obvious. But sometimes you really got to wonder how some of this stuff gets out of the factory without being stamped "second". My EDS1275 is a *Custom shop* ax and its got issues with binding being narrower than the neck wood, the dot on the i in gibson being sprayed black, orange peel, ect..... the only reason i accepted these flaws is because i got it in a pawn shop for a realistic price. If new no way. __________________ 6100 MIDI Support http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze1u14s...supportservice

05-30-2012, 11:12 AM	#21 (permalink)
Led4thehed2 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 140	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... Threads like this just remind me that my Explorer doesn't hold tuning worth a damn and it makes me sad. I've had it professionally set-up and intonated twice now (the last guy said he had to re-cut the G string slot on the nut to keep it in tune) and it still frets sharp as shit on the G string. I don't notice it all the time, but when I play a barre chords on the E string and you hear that root-third interval sound like garbage. Or, I can tune the G open slightly flat so when it's fretted it sounds spot on. Then I feel like playing something clean and playing a lot of chords with open G and it's shit again. The thing's gorgeous, and a heavy metal beast, but it doesn't stay in tune. One day, it will be replaced. Mine's a 2006. I found the same was true for LP studios. They lacked the tuning stability of a LP Standard. Tone wasn't as rich, and it didn't stay in tune as well. __________________ "If you don't play Gibson and Marshall you're a wanker!" -Ian St. Ian

05-30-2012, 11:26 AM	#22 (permalink)
pedecamp Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 2,523	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... My 2005 faded SG was flawless when I got it. I was expecting the same quality with my 2007 57 RI goldtop but it had some finish flaws, but it plays and sounds great. I would have sent it back but this was the only one I could find in the country and Gibson wasnt taking any more orders for lefties at that time, not to mention also they werent making lefty goldtop standards at the time and my only choice was to upgrade to a custom shop 57 RI which is nice but cost alot more. __________________ DSL50 Last edited by pedecamp; 05-30-2012 at 12:06 PM.

05-30-2012, 03:02 PM	#27 (permalink)
scat7s Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 7,951	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... doesnt a proper setup, fine tuned for the owner/player have everything to do with "perception of hard to play", tuning, general feel etc? im not arguing there arent lemons out there, and finish flaws, and playability flaws, but ultimately, any guitar you pick up off the shelf new or used, is going to be a complete crapshoot as far as whether the setup will "agree with you" or not. i cant recall ever picking up a guitar off the shelf that played like a dream. dead strings, bowed neck/super high action, action too low, buzzy, intonation issues, fretwork required....etc etc etc (which you always wonder, is this the dead rusty strings? or a simple adjustment? or is this thing a pc of shit?) i cant tell if a guitar is going to 'work' for me for weeks/months after bringing it home, and setting it up in a way that works for me (or not). its kind of a shame, but for me, thats just how it is. you gamble.

05-30-2012, 05:34 PM	#30 (permalink)
SkinnyJ Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 459	Re: Did the Asian invasion help Gibson to... I have a 1987 LP Standard that will go to the grave with me. I had a '99 and it was a nice guitar, but there is just something different about this one. I find it highly unlikely I'll pony up the current asking price for a new Gibson. jvm210guy and bvoris like this. __________________ '84 Marshall JCM800 4104 Marshall Class 5 ADA MP-1 (Version 1) 1987 Les Paul Standard 2009 American Standard Strat Takamine EG531SC Acoustic My Band: Fistful of Karma

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode