I don't mean to make my 1st post here too controversial, but after 40 years of strictly acoustic playing (out of 55 total playing) I'm looking to go electric again. Of course, I'm thinking LP as my last lamented electric was a gold top Standard from around '69. So, go to Guitar Center to check out the lineup. After a quick session with the defibrillator after seeing the prices, I had the quite helpful young lady pull a couple of axes off the wall so I could check them out. Looked at a Tribute ($1100), and a couple of others in the $1500 range. Quite honestly, I was stunned by the lack of apparent quality and the evident manufacturing defects in all 3 - the best being the cheapest, if $1100 is cheap. I own several relatively high end Asian built acoustics and they stand head and shoulders above the Gibsons in terms of fit and finish. All 3 had frets sticking out with sharp edges, flaws in the neck binding, screws on the pickups semi-stripped, and obvious finish flaws. My electric technique is too rudimentary at this juncture, and coupled with my unfamiliarity with the Marshall amp I was plugged into sort of precluded from really testing out the tones available - I can only assume that they were lovely - but I just couldn't stomach the idea of spending that kind of money on goods of such poor apparent quality. Dejected, I wandered around the store, and on the advice of a friend picked up a PRS singlecut from Indonesia and was blown away! Perfect fit and finish, fabulous action, seemingly similar tones to the Gibsons, and half the price. Did I just pick the wrong 3 guitars off the wall? Was this symptomatic of a bad week at the factory? Or is American manufacturing just too expensive to devote the time and effort to properly finishing the job correctly. The clerk opined that to really get the quality guitars one had to get up into the $2500 range. So, $1500 is chicken feed? I didn't buy anything today, but I have to say that in every empirical criterion that I was able to judge the 2 brands the PRS came out on top.
Someone please tell me I'm wrong about this - I have a huge history with Gibson (1st guitar - L7!) and really wanted a Les Paul, but I'd have to take the 3 I played today apart and rebuild them to really enjoy them. Am I just too cheap to throw the kind of money Gibson wants to get something really sweet? Probably...
Someone please tell me I'm wrong about this - I have a huge history with Gibson (1st guitar - L7!) and really wanted a Les Paul, but I'd have to take the 3 I played today apart and rebuild them to really enjoy them. Am I just too cheap to throw the kind of money Gibson wants to get something really sweet? Probably...