Gibson's inferior QC strikes again

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

One wonders, one does.

Could it be a case of ....

Omg, don't do that. It brings me back to conversations with my baby mama when she was pissed off and stressing over work or friends drama.

 

[gmann]

Maybe Gibson’s just aren’t for you.

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Maybe Gibson’s just aren’t for you.

Maybe they are holding onto a grudge against him?

 

[Kutt]

Keep 'em coming!

 

[c_wester]

Ok I will give you my thought's.
If you find a very very very good sounding piece of Gibson Wood.
You hold on to it for dear life.

Of course if you have the ears and experience to know it.

A small blemish is a non issue if it is killer 50s sounding wood.

That`s my opinion.

Good sounding means bright, fat sounding no mudd in the neck pickup and no wolftone or deadspots.
The notes should grow when picked all over the fretboard.

 

[Kutt]

Ok I will give you my thought's.
If you find a very very very good sounding piece of Gibson Wood.
You hold on to it for dear life.

Of course if you have the ears and experience to know it.

A small blemish is a non issue if it is killer 50s sounding wood.

That`s my opinion.

Good sounding means bright, fat sounding no mudd in the neck pickup and no wolftone or deadspots.
The notes should grow when picked all over the fretboard.

Read what J45 and Big Al has written over the years on this forum.

Here are the tones of J45.
Just floors me every time I listen to it. There is a thread to accompany it .
Its the Seven Gibson Clips on a Supro.

I've been playing for a long long time and I agree with everything you wrote. If only the instrument I was trying to purchase had a small blemish rather than a continuous visible scrape running almost the entire length of the neck (I only posted pics of a couple sections). Many of my other Gibsons have small blemishes. After far too many instances like this one eventually says "fkuck it" and realizes it isn't worth going thru 3+ other ones just hoping to find a good one.

With all that I digress but encourage the continued mockery from others on the thread. It's amusing to see the apologists come out of the woodwork and point fingers in the wrong direction while turning a blind eye.

 

[garywright]

play it left handed ?

 

[Any Name You Wish]

"Anger! He smiles, towering in shiny metallic purple armor. Queen jealousy, envy waits behind him" - J.H.

When I bought my custom shop guitars I first and foremost played and listened to several and picked the best one, then I looked that one over carefully. They all have some small blemish. I've added much larger/worse blemishes over the years. I'm still happy.

 

[Strings Jr.]

Nice work on the binding. Continuous scrape marks all the way from the 2nd fret to the 17th fret. Over one hundred years to figure out how to QC a guitar and they still cannot do it. Hey @matkoehler - there is a blind, deaf, mute kid somewhere that needs a job. Surely he could do better work than your Quality No-Control employees. You have the audacity to charge the prices you do then pump out these steamy dog piles?


I agree that the binding on your guitar should not have left the plant like that. But I disagree with your statement about "how to QC a guitar". Most people don't realize how close Gibson came to being nothing but a memory in the mid 80's. The only thing that saved them was the fact that they had a dedicated, quality minded, workforce that knew how to build top quality instruments. 34 years ago, I was the Final Inspector at Gibson. The reason I was selected for that job is because of the many years that I spent doing top quality work, and I knew when something wasn't right. Again, I'm not apologizing for your guitar, but I did come out of the woodwork, the Gibson woodwork. And that's why I disagree with your statement.

 

[charliechitlins]

Sorry to be such a pessimist...I thought it would never happen to me, but...
Gibsons still have a lit of hand work performed by people; and people are getting lamer and lamer.

 

[Vics53]

I have an honest question so don't take this as being mean spirited in tone or attitude.

I have two LP's and an SG and they all had/have the same issue. The "sitar" effect on the G strings was real bad especially when you add gain to the sound. The issue has been fixed on my two LP's and I have yet to have it fixed on my SG. The tech who can fix it is a bit of a drive from me and it's just a matter of me having the time to get it to him.

Turns out the problem was the way the nut slots were cut. Probably the same thing with my SG.

Seems odd that all three of my Gibsons have this issue. Has anyone else had this issue with their Gibsons? Don't know if this is a QC issue or an oversight on Gibsons part. One LP is a 2002, the other a 2004 and the SG is from 2020 that I bought in October of 2022.

Again, just asking, not bashing.

 

[ch willie]

I have an SG Special with thin lines cut perfectly straight at every fret, and they go around the neck. Wtf?. These lines are under the top coat of finish so I don’t feel them. . It’s not checking. It’s a QC issue. But I love the guitar. It is a beautiful Pelham blue. It sounds great and plays great. I don’t care. I love it.

 

[Dave P]

Go spend $400k for a burst, you are going to see many of the same issues. I was inside a '60 burst that never had the tailpiece grounding wire installed. Played a vintage GT that had no binding dots past the 12th fret. I think the main issue is that many companies have raised the bar for quality in the last 35 years, and Gibson hasn't kept up with the competition.

 

[brandtkronholm]

I have an honest question so don't take this as being mean spirited in tone or attitude.

I have two LP's and an SG and they all had/have the same issue. The "sitar" effect on the G strings was real bad especially when you add gain to the sound. The issue has been fixed on my two LP's and I have yet to have it fixed on my SG. The tech who can fix it is a bit of a drive from me and it's just a matter of me having the time to get it to him.

Turns out the problem was the way the nut slots were cut. Probably the same thing with my SG.

Seems odd that all three of my Gibsons have this issue. Has anyone else had this issue with their Gibsons? Don't know if this is a QC issue or an oversight on Gibsons part. One LP is a 2002, the other a 2004 and the SG is from 2020 that I bought in October of 2022.

Again, just asking, not bashing.

It's a thing that happens on all guitars - really, the "sitar" sound can happen on pretty much any kind of guitar.
It usually is an issue with the bridge, sometimes a fret, but rarely is it an issue with the nut. If it's the nut, then it should disappear when that particular string is fretted.
It's never happened on any of my Gibsons.
Possible cause on your Gibsons: Do you use a string gauge that is dramatically different than what Gibson initially put on the guitar? Sometimes that'll do it.

 

[Vics53]

It's a thing that happens on all guitars - really, the "sitar" sound can happen on pretty much any kind of guitar.
It usually is an issue with the bridge, sometimes a fret, but rarely is it an issue with the nut. If it's the nut, then it should disappear when that particular string is fretted.
It's never happened on any of my Gibsons.
Possible cause on your Gibsons: Do you use a string gauge that is dramatically different than what Gibson initially put on the guitar? Sometimes that'll do it.

Thanks for replying.

I use the same string gauge that came on the guitars. My SG is a Special model and I know it's not the bridge because I replaced the stock bridge with one from Music City Bridge. The sitar effect was still there after the bridge replacement.

My two PRS guitars don't have that problem. Nor does my Strat or my Wolfgang.

 

[Kutt]

Thanks for replying.

I use the same string gauge that came on the guitars. My SG is a Special model and I know it's not the bridge because I replaced the stock bridge with one from Music City Bridge. The sitar effect was still there after the bridge replacement.

My two PRS guitars don't have that problem. Nor does my Strat or my Wolfgang.

My first thought is that it's a saddle slot(s) but yes it could still very well be the nut slot. The same thing happened to me once, but you said you outright replaced the bridge. Perhaps consider double checking the saddle slots regardless. Be sure the stings are sitting solidly in them.

After that, as a quick test, stick a strip of electrical tape perpendicular across all 6 strings between the bridge and tailpiece to mute any overtones. Strum and see if the sitar effect continues. If it stops then the issue is likely occurring in that area. If possible you can try lowering the tailpiece to create a more aggressive break angle up towards the bridge.

You could also test the electrical tape trick just past the nut where the strings break towards the tuning posts. It will mute overtones there too, allowing you to troubleshoot further.

 

[Vics53]

My first thought is that it's a saddle slot(s) but yes it could still very well be the nut slot. The same thing happened to me once, but you said you outright replaced the bridge. Perhaps consider double checking the saddle slots regardless. Be sure the stings are sitting solidly in them.

After that, as a quick test, stick a strip of electrical tape perpendicular across all 6 strings between the bridge and tailpiece to mute any overtones. Strum and see if the sitar effect continues. If it stops then the issue is likely occurring in that area. If possible you can try lowering the tailpiece to create a more aggressive break angle up towards the bridge.

You could also test the electrical tape trick just past the nut where the strings break towards the tuning posts. It will mute overtones there too, allowing you to troubleshoot further.

Hi Kutt! The bridge I'm using is a compensated wrap around style bridge from Music City called the Savvy, so there's no saddles.

I did try your suggestion of putting a strip of tape across the strings past the nut towards the tuning posts. When using gain the open G string still has that waver to it. Maybe I shouldn't complain but it's only on the open G. But still, when I lay down good money for a guitar I've wanted for a long time well, it shouldn't do that. As said, I'm 99.9% sure it's in the nut slot because my two LP's had the exact same issue. I'm going to have to contact a tech I know who can take care of this for me. I've been meaning to but this summer has been pretty busy for me and it's a bit of a cruise to get there. Hopefully I'll contact him this or next week. Gotta wrap some other things up first.

Thanks again! Much appreciated!

 

[Kutt]

Hi Kutt! The bridge I'm using is a compensated wrap around style bridge from Music City called the Savvy, so there's no saddles.

I did try your suggestion of putting a strip of tape across the strings past the nut towards the tuning posts. When using gain the open G string still has that waver to it. Maybe I shouldn't complain but it's only on the open G. But still, when I lay down good money for a guitar I've wanted for a long time well, it shouldn't do that. As said, I'm 99.9% sure it's in the nut slot because my two LP's had the exact same issue. I'm going to have to contact a tech I know who can take care of this for me. I've been meaning to but this summer has been pretty busy for me and it's a bit of a cruise to get there. Hopefully I'll contact him this or next week. Gotta wrap some other things up first.

Thanks again! Much appreciated!

I agree, probably something with the nut or the string break angle past the nut. You could also try slowly applying pressure to the G string past the nut with one hand (making the string go sharp) while plucking it to see if the problem changes, just to help identify where the problem is coming from. Also, next time you restring it, add extra wraps around the tuning post and keep the first wrap as low on the post as possible to create as much of a break angle as possible.

Best of luck!

 

[Vics53]

I agree, probably something with the nut or the string break angle past the nut. You could also try slowly applying pressure to the G string past the nut with one hand (making the string go sharp) while plucking it to see if the problem changes, just to help identify where the problem is coming from. Also, next time you restring it, add extra wraps around the tuning post and keep the first wrap as low on the post as possible to create as much of a break angle as possible.

Best of luck!

Hello again Kutt. Well, I just tried bending the G string sharp past the nut and that waver is still there. Once I released the pressure the pitch of the string also stayed sharp by about two. So it's also binding up and needs some work by a pro for sure. I'll tell ya, it's hard finding a tech who knows how to cut nut slots correctly. I took this guitar to two other techs and neither could get it. Should have taken it to the tech I mentioned right from the get go and saved myself some money and aggrevation.

 

[Kutt]

Hello again Kutt. Well, I just tried bending the G string sharp past the nut and that waver is still there. Once I released the pressure the pitch of the string also stayed sharp by about two. So it's also binding up and needs some work by a pro for sure. I'll tell ya, it's hard finding a tech who knows how to cut nut slots correctly. I took this guitar to two other techs and neither could get it. Should have taken it to the tech I mentioned right from the get go and saved myself some money and aggrevation.

It really is difficult to find a good tech! I know there is a technique used on 6+6 headstocks like Gibson where they ever so slightly widen (or "fan") the end of the slot facing the tuning pegs to aide in string movement thru the slots and prevent binding. It's because of how the strings break away at an angle past the nut with the 6+6 style. I'm sure you'll get it straightened out eventually.