Are Gibson LP lovers snobs?

[moonpie]

Yes, I am a snob.
Let's see....right now, I own 5 (playable) Gibsons, 2 Alvarez Yairis, 6 Fenders, a Hagstrom, a Truetone, an Epiphone built in the good old USof A in 19 and 65.......and various other treasures.

Maybe it's because I couldn't afford a Gibson during my working years, but I find myself playing the Les Pauls more these days. When I get frustrated playing a Lester, I pick up something else and love it for a while, so I'm really worse than a snob. I'm nothing more than a whore :dang

 

[phil47uk]

When it comes to quality guitars like Gibson, Fender etc, most these days are built to a fairly high standard.

It's when you hear who's playing them, is when you can really hear what's shit and what isn't.

Problem is that some people actualy delude themselves into thinking it must be the fault of their guitar..............Pity !

Confucious say..... There are more shit players playing good guitars then there are good players playing shit guitars.

Confused by that statement?.................Yeah so am I, and I wrote it :hmm
:spin :spin


Personaly I'm not in the least impressed by how many, or what sort of guitars people own. It's how they play them that make the hairs on the back of my neck rise and for me to stand up and take notice.

Phil. :wha

 

[sinner]

Sinner,

I agree jealosy sometimes appears here. But usually by trolls that knock Gibson vs. the cheaper copy. I hate that!

No I don't think anyone is a snob for buying Gibson (I'm not a snob am I? :wha ). I just am surprised by the strong feelings that some have that there is no place for an entry level LP.

I think we on this board lose some less experienced players from the discussion that maybe can only affort low cost LP now, but could step up to buying a historic Gibson down the road (as we all have). How is this a bad thing?

Well then, perhaps if and when Gibson does offer an "entry level" LP, similiar in price to imported non-Gibsons, then there may be a reason and a place to discuss that on a forum dedicated to the LP, right? I mean, if it's truly a Gibson--but it wouldn't hurt if it were made in the USA. No offense (this is an international site) but America needs the work. But hey, there are the Standards, Studios, Juniors, Faded series--and guys who have those post here, right? When I was a kid just starting out, I would have been tickled to death to own one of those--I mean they say Gibson right on the headstock, what a rush that is!

 

[Birdy]

Man, I want the Gibson--it's been a part of my musical consciousness for too long, the longing, the history, the tone you hear your heroes play.QUOTE]

:dude :dude

There it is.....nothing else needs to be said, really. :ahem



le

 

[moonpie]

... There are more shit players playing good guitars then there are good players playing shit guitars.

.

I like this one:

A good mechanic doesn't blame his tools for his failure to fix the problem.

 

[Jeff_H]

I think for the most part the "general public" considers less premium lines like Epiphone (which has gibson written on it) to be a part of the Gibson line. Thus, they will usually start off trying to find additional information by going to a Gibson site or fourm.

 

[MichaelT]

It's just my little ol' opinion, but I tend to resent the Epi's being compared to a Gibson. Back in the day Gibson made Melody Maker and LP jr as entry level guitars. Now they have the Studio and the Classic. There's not really a need for Epi's. I think that Epi's are purely cash motivated. Maybe if they were marketed as a "different" guitar I would be happier with them. To me Gibson is a name that represents craftmanship, quality and history. So I may be a snob, but I feel the same about the import Fenders. There are really 2 issues here. There are some fine MIM's and Epi's. They play well and are crafted well, with excellent tone (tho they may have inferior parts). But they are still copies of the originals. And that's the thing to me... The original vs a copy. When I was younger I bought copies because it's all I could afford. Now I buy the original. I sold the copies... I keep the originals. I don't really see Epi's or MIM's as being a guitar that one would aspire to own or keep. MIAs and Gibsons are.

Hope that made sense!

.02

 

[JohnBoy]

What's Up Guy's ?
I am a new fellow on the LP Forum and I feel like I have already been figured out. HeHeHe I have to come clean. I think I may be the one with the good guitars and the bad playing. Oh well, I love good music and good guitars.
Is there such a thing as to much gear? I just can't help myself. HaHaHa
Hey moonpie, that is one cool looking dog.

 

[sinner]

I like that Michael, about the original vs. copy--but aren't they all copies? I mean they're trying to copy the guitar made in the 50s and 60s, right? Unless it's some brand new model and design, whether it's Gibson or Fender, they are trying to replicate those original breakthrough instruments that first came out decades ago.

I believe the pursuit of getting as close to the original as possible does not make one a snob. Depending on your budget, you try to get as close as possible--unless of course this does not matter to you at all. That being said, even the "copies" from Mexico & Korea (as you said) are attempts to copy the original and make available at a reduced price. Do you get what you pay for--many would agree the higher cost American made parts and craftmanship offer a closer copy of the original.

Perhaps a snob is one who blindly believes that higher cost equals better. Many threads here at the LPF argue over quality control issues all the time and many are quick to point out how wood is wood and no two guitars are ever equal--so I may conclude that there are no snobs at the LPF!

 

[songsj]

I own several Lesters but I also own some other guitars. My Lesters are my pride in overall quality and workmanship however beleive it or not my cheapies are my every day players. I've purchased some Music Yo Kramers [ their top of the line ] with USA electronics that I have found to be excellent guitars. They used to sell a Classic Duo Pro that was modeled after the Fender USA Power Telecaster. It has Semour Duncan
Nashville studio pups with an active Piezo bridge. I compared it to the USA Power tele and frankly think my Kramer is a better guitar at less than half the price. It is my understanding that these Kramers were not made by Samik. I also Own a Kramer Standard Pro which really is a DC pro knock off, again with USA electronics. Seymour Duncans with coil tapping. Flamed Maple [ Not Photo ] Dovetailed neck joint which is probably a long neck tenon. 475.00. I've cut records with both of these guitars and you would never know these tracks were cut on cheapies. No the overall quality is not a Lester but the quality of a Lester is not 5 times as good which is how much more expensive a good Lester is. All this being said if I was to take the stage tomorrow and play out on a regular basis, a Lester would still be my No. 1.. Might be a head game with me but I just feel more confident with a lester in my hands and for my liking I've never been able to get any guitar to set up [ action. intonation etc ] and stay as stable as a good Lester. Now a bad Lester? [ And I've played quite a few ] Well thats another story.

 

[D'Mule]

Maybe its just the ferocity with which we love our Lesters that makes us so loyal. Not really snobery then.

 

[GuitarDean]

We are fiercely devoted, and quite often that is equated as snobbery by others... :dude LOL, so colour me a snob

 

[aMo]

We're not snobs.. pffft..


We're elitist

 

[Frinky]

To me Gibson is a name that represents craftmanship, quality and history.

It's that attitude that has allowed Gibson's QC to sink so far, if you ask me.

 

[phil47uk]

Originally Posted by MichaelT
To me Gibson is a name that represents craftmanship, quality and history.

It's that attitude that has allowed Gibson's QC to sink so far, if you ask me.

:wha ...Oh Ohhhhhh

And in the red corner representing the United Kingdom we have 'Frinky the fearless'.
And over in the blue corner all the way from Texas U.S of A and weighing in at a mere 295 lbs we have 'MichaelT'.
Shake hands gentlemen and lets have a good clean fight........ :spin

Phil :bh

:4zone

 

[stoppinby]

One of the interesting places where I've noticed the snobbery is in that old LP Classic vs. LP Standard debate. I think the Classic gets a bad rap because it's a couple hundred bucks cheaper and has ceramic pickups. Now, if the Les Paul had originally been fitted with ceramics in 1957, I'm willing to bet that you'd have people here complaining about that "less bright" Alnico sound in the new-fangled Standards of today.
I have both a Standard and a Classic, and to tell you the truth, they sound very, very similar. In a blind comparison, I'd be willing to bet that very few would be able to tell which is which. But some people will always look down on the Classic simply because of the slightly cheaper price. They'll say it's because of the pickups, but I don't buy it. There's just not that big of a difference.

 

[sinner]

There is another view of snobery: from the opposite side of things, there are those who act like snobs because they only buy cheap guitars and fix them up with better parts, pickups etc. and are very proud of the fact that they only paid $200 for the guitar and did the improvements themselves. These kind of snobs look down on those who get good guitars simply by forking over the money, without any real effort.

Doesn't make sense, right--but that's how snobs think. (Just trying to show that snobery can live in the other camp as well.) Where is Rodney King when we need him?

 

[kink56]

THe early Classics are BETTER than the same period Standards (1990-1993)

 

[led zep fan]

The perceived snobbery usually arrises out of jealousy.

 

[D_rifter]

We're not snobs.. pffft..


We're elitist

Whoah .... cut out that epi talk ...