Gibson conversation

gush

Where is that speedo pic
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I thought this was funny.

I did some gear swapping on Sunday with a fella that I did not know. We got to talking about gear and music.

At one point I had asked him what he plays for guitars and he was a Gibson guy. Said he had a few older SGs and a couple LPs and he'd been playing those for several years.

He also mentioned that the newer Gibson stuff wasn't very good but this next comment about floored me.

He asked me " do you know what really killed Gibson?" I said no what and he said Paul Reed Smith!

I'm not hating on Gibson, I just thought this was a funny unsolicited comment from a Gibson guy.
 
I've probably only played maybe a dozen Gibsons but I've never played one I wouldn't be happy to own. I have 2013 LP standard and it's a great workhorse. Sounds great, plays great and I got it for a steal. It comes to every gig with me along with my CU24. I do wonder if their QC issues aren't overblown. I'm sure they're not as good as they could be, but I think if you go into any store and pick a random one off the rack it'll be just fine.
 
Mine was bought new, cost more than my Vela, I ordered it online because of the price, and I learned my lesson. The nut slots on the low E and A strings were cut too low and the high E was too close to the edge of the fretboard. The fret nib on the second fret had a gap between the binding and the end of the fret so when the string slipped off the edge of the board (because of the bad nut) it got stuck there, next was its magical ability to go out of tune after one song, and as it was a gigging guitar this was a huge problem, and yes I know how to correctly string a guitar.

I got a new nut cut, and put locking tuners on it, but ultimately I never had any confidence in it, on top of all that, it weighed a ton.

Bought the Vela, and its world apart, totally different buying and owning experience.
 
I only played one Gibson I could see myself bounding with - a Collector Classic series, big £, AFAIR 6g+ pound sterling mark. My jam partner is a massive Gibson guy, he dropped a couple at my place when I was considering new guitar - there was no love. I went with Custom 24 and I'm glad I did. PRS a Gibson killer? Maybe, but if I would be after a Gibson style guitar I still would go after Gibson, same with strats. I went with Custom 24 for its PRS DNA not for being an other brand substitute
 
I have one Gibson that's my pride and joy and I played it exclusively until about '88.

It was in '88 I found out about the history of this guitar and how valuable it was, so I retired it.

That's when I found out it was an early "Prototype" before the initial release of the very 1st "Historic Reissues" in '82.

This one is in the same league as my PRS guitars.

My '80 Gibson "Jimmy Wallace" '58RI "Prototype" LP Standard:

50017221813_c1e02223ba_b.jpg
 
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.....PRS a Gibson killer? Maybe, but if I would be after a Gibson style guitar I still would go after Gibson, same with strats. I went with Custom 24 for its PRS DNA not for being an other brand substitute

Apples and oranges.
My Gibsons feel and sound like Gibsons.
My S2s have their own feel and sound.
They are not supposed to be "Gibsonesque".
They are supposed to have their own sound.
They do. It's not the same thing at all.

and then there are my EBMMs...
 
I have one of them things. Granted it was made when Paul and I were in grade 1, so it’s a bit worn.

The strap hole was made by the previous owner, the wear is mostly some thousands of hours in my hands.
CK_108GhettoBassHornDetail.JPG

The break is also the previous owner. The finish is just what these things do.

CK_104GhettoBassNeckCrack.JPG

This ain’t no razor Holmes.
CK_111GhettoBassFrontFinish.JPG

I bought it while Paul and I were still in high school and have owned it since. I might finally be ready to upgrade, but this will stay in the family.
 
I have one of them things. Granted it was made when Paul and I were in grade 1, so it’s a bit worn.

The strap hole was made by the previous owner, the wear is mostly some thousands of hours in my hands.
CK_108GhettoBassHornDetail.JPG

The break is also the previous owner. The finish is just what these things do.

CK_104GhettoBassNeckCrack.JPG

This ain’t no razor Holmes.
CK_111GhettoBassFrontFinish.JPG

I bought it while Paul and I were still in high school and have owned it since. I might finally be ready to upgrade, but this will stay in the family.
Well let's see more pics of this thing already!!
 
Apples and oranges.
My Gibsons feel and sound like Gibsons.
My S2s have their own feel and sound.
They are not supposed to be "Gibsonesque".
They are supposed to have their own sound.
They do. It's not the same thing at all.

and then there are my EBMMs...

Yeah, totally

I used to be a big fan of EBMM when I was playing 7s predominantly. Not saying no to them either...
 
I was all Gibson from music school graduation till 2004. I could never keep them in tune, had my Les Paul refretted twice and the fingerboard leveled. My L7C was great sounding, but after having the fingerboard planed and refretted above the 12th fret, it still wouldn’t stay in tune. My EBO bass was much the same. I was taking these to the best luthiers I could find. I got an SE Singlecut P90 as a backup in 2004. I bought it used for Bupkis. (That means very little scratch). It smoked my Les Paul as far as intonation, playability and sound. It became my number one player. I still have it. All my Gibsons are gone now. I still try other peoples Lesters now and then, but the same old problems are there on all of them, and I’m happily knee deep in PRSi. I could go on, but there you have it.
 
All of my Gibsons are made in Japan and don't say Gibson at the top. I can't say that I've ever had tuning stability problems, though technically as they aren't actually Gibsons..... But still, they're fundamentally the same design using similar components. I did look into buying a proper Gibson Les Paul once, a R9, but it didn't give me enough difference to my Burny to justify spending the money.
I don't really think that PRS has anything to do with Gibsons downfall. There's no reason that PRS and Gibson couldn't successfully complete with each other. It's just been mismanagement at Gibson, they don't really know what they stand for. There's just not enough passion for guitars at the top management level of the company.
 
He also mentioned that the newer Gibson stuff wasn't very good but this next comment about floored me.

He’s wrong.
Gibson CUSTOM SHOP Les Pauls beginning 2013 on are best they’ve ever made. And, they are very consistent, too. I bought a 2015 M2M an hour ago.

Nobody’s a bigger fanboy of PRS than me, but to dis Gibson Custom is just wrong.
 
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He’s wrong.
Gibson CUSTOM SHOP Les Pauls beginning 2013 on are best they’ve ever made. And, they are very consistent, too. I bought a 2015 M2M an hour ago.

Nobody likes PRS better than me, but to dis Gibson Custom is just wrong.
Yeah to be fair, since 2013 the custom shop has a reputation for doing good work. It's not just 11top that sings their praises. I kind of view the custom shop as a different beast
 
He’s wrong.
Gibson CUSTOM SHOP Les Pauls beginning 2013 on are best they’ve ever made. And, they are very consistent, too. I bought a 2015 M2M an hour ago.

Nobody’s a bigger fanboy of PRS than me, but to dis Gibson Custom is just wrong.
I'm pretty sure he was referring to off the rack stuff only.
 
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