Gibson USA Guitars: Quality Control 2024
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2024
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How many returns will it take to get a good one? Only time will tell! Come along on our journey trying to buy a Gibson Les Paul Standard without too many issues in 2024. So far we have bought and returned one guitar, received the replacement, and then had to return that guitar as well. Hopefully third time will be the charm, but who knows?! Join us in looking at some actual Gibson Les paul details and quality control issues in modern 2024 Gibson USA guitars. 
Хобби
I worked for Gibson Montana Division back I the early 90's. I was in QA for a very short time, I was removed from that position after about a week. I didn't pass any guitars in the binding scraping area because none of the binding was properly scraped. Lots of spots, gaps, etc. I was at fault for not letting them go through. I was punished by moving me to the binding dept. That was a great move for me.
I ended up doing all the white wood repair and eventually moved to the custom shop where I was the body build guy and did all the banjo resonators.
"You're terrible at quality control! How about a new position improving our quality?" - Gibson
Yup. Unfortunately a very REAL aspect of QA for a lot of companies (not including food manufacturing) is letting a pretty alarming amount of sub-par quality products pass inspection to meet demand. Gibson and the Epiphone of recent have been letting a lot of poor QC out the door. You'd think they'd implement some sort of a continuous QA process since they run it like an assembly line where they have carvers, people who focus on finishing, electronics, binding, etc. But it seems the QC related issues can be found at every step.
I'd not buy a Gibson now, after reading/ seeing this ...
A Les Paul Standard should be flawless. Their QC is atrocious.
It's the higher cost of doing business in the USA, labor, regulations, etc... The competition fierce now. If I paid $3,000 for a guitar, it had better be perfect. Otherwise I would return it. Today you can get a lot of guitar for $1,200 such as an ESP LTD EC-1000. However, it's made in Indonesia not USA. You can get a Harley Benton SC-550 II PAF for $375 with shipping.
@@Cypherdude1 you're completely wrong. It's the fact that they are pumping out 170,000+ guitars a year from a single factory. They are quantity over quality. There's no defense for it besides corporate greed and little respect for the Gibson name by the new controlling owners.
This what happens whenever venture capital owns a business, decline wages leading to a younger less experienced workforce, pressure to speed up production with consequent drop in attention to detail and quality control, decline in quality of materials and increase in price
We’re definitely in late-stage capitalism. After a while, it just doesn’t work anymore. Might be the best thing for the 99%, but it’s going to be painful for a while.
EXACTLY!
@@davidwilkins5932I think you mean best thing for the 1%
Gibson sell DIY winter projects.
At least the USA division.
No way a slam on Gibson?Myfriend, Fibson slammed itself with that piece of absolute horseshit.
😂 fair enough
Good ol' Fibson
Get your money back and buy a heritage guitar, you will have none of these issues.
I believe that PRS wouldn't exist as a major manufacturer if Gibson had decent quality control. Stores were getting on the act of poor Gibson quality by offering $150 setups for new guitars. The stores wouldn't actually name Gibson, but it's hard to find another brand that needs that much work.
or epiphone
@@tomashornak5759 true im shocked i have a 2010 epi dot and 2009 ibanez sz both had no issues with the finish or frets made in china shouldnt be a bad thing anymore
No not at all. Especially since we'll be completely under their control by decades end. Might as well start bowing down now. @@nikolabakich9709
went with Heritage, Eastman 59V and a PRS core 594 rosewood neck! All great fit and finish.
Every time you lay down that guitar on top of the case leaning on back of headstock I get vomit reflex.
If that's how you feel about this guitar, don't buy a gibson, you'll be paranoid for the rest of your life. If I lay my Tele down like that, I can prolly stand on it mid neck without breakage...😂
@@ErickvdK You obviously dont know how fragile and notorious Gibson headstocks are for breaking. Tele is nothing compared.
Its not about Gibson or Fender or whichever brand. I have Gibson LP standard too.. point is that any guitar shouldnt be laying like that leaning on headstock, especially 3k$ angled headstock guitar. Cheers
Definitely bout had a panic attack 🫣
@@AD-jd8isthe point is there are numerous flaws with Gibson's designs that they haven't fixed, but still find it acceptable to sell basic poorly designed hardtail guitars for twice what they're worth to the morons still dumb enough to buy them. I actually broke off a headstock but not from what you're complaining about, I do that all the time even with the one I repaired (which was super easy to fix).... I guess some people spend more time worrying about something very unlikely to happen than it actually takes to repair the damage from it happening.
Love when uninformed people state, “But THIS one’s been Plek’d”. I’m a luthier. I know what goes into a good setup, and what a Plek is capable of correcting. Short story?…a lousy tech doing a lousy setup, and then tossing the guitar into a Plek machine will essentially RUIN that guitar in one swoop.
How does it ruin the guitar? You mean, like permanently?
@@pandaman1968 you can't turn shit into shinola! LOL it starts off with frets not seated then the plek shaves most of the usable thickness off to make up for the uneven fret install which critically shortens the life of the refret capability. And you don't want to pay for a proper refret and keep the binding nibs on an expensive Gibson! I have refretted a few and had to redo the binding and finish as well.
Plek is crap. Gibson is a using a higher nut string groove cut so there is less chance for string buzz. This of course makes for horrible feel and action like a cheap acoustic
Basically...😅keep away from the venture capitol gain era..
I bought that same guitar two years ago. I went through five returns/replacements. All had QC issues like yours in one way or another. The last one still had QC issues, but much less... EXTERNALLY! Inside the control cavity, the ground solder joint had broken free, and someone wasn't accurate with their soldering iron because one of the volume pot wires had been slightly singed, but it still worked. I called my sales rep and told him enoughs enough, something's gotta give, and he understood. I ended up keeping that sixth guitar with those QC issues, but in order to do so, I asked for considerable compensation to make up for the giant hassle. We settled on a $550 Blackstar HT5R-MKII tube como amp I'd been thinking about buying, along with an MXR EQ pedal and three packs of strings, FREE OF CHARGE! I soldered the ground wire back in place and left the slightly singed wire alone. So, at the end of the day, I was given nearly $700 worth of gear to keep the guitar. Most people think it was a wise move, myself included, while others think I should have just returned the guitar entirely. There's some cosmetic issues with the headstock wings not being perfectly semantical, but that's virtually unnoticeable, and a common flaw with old Les Paul's. The internal wiring issue can be fixed cheaply if it ever shorts out, and ironically, the guitar was made on Oct 12, my birthday, and weighs just under 9 lbs. So it's got some neat stuff going for it. Plus, I got a great amp, a pedal, and a few packs of strings for free out for the deal. I definitely feel your pain, though. The QC issues are off the charts. I tried six guitars, and this was the best. That's pretty sad. To be fair, I have a Gibson SG Special that I bought a few months prior, and it's fantastic! The only issue it had was an improperly cut nut, but I always get bone nuts put on my guitars anyway, so that was a non-issue for me. The 50s goldtop ordeal was a complete nightmare, and I'm glad it's over. Due to the compensation I received, I don't have any buyers remorse, but I still think it was a ridiculous ordeal to have to go through for a guitar at that price... and they've gone up about $400-500 since then! To see that still going on is insane. I've since named the guitar "the unicorn." 😅 Cheers! 👍
What a lot of bullshit. They're not giving you $6-800 worth of free shit.
Unfortuantely this has been going on for some time now. It's no longer a QC, it is a production problem. Gibson's workforce is younger and less skilled and my guess is they are getting pushed. At this point i'm ok with Gibson going bust, I am done defending them.
We'll see what the second replacement is like when it gets here... but I'm not far behind you at this point.
Labour quality has severely declined during the past 10 years or so. The present generation lacks work ethic and the immigrants simply don’t understand anything. As a society, we’ve allowed this to happen. This is true in most industries and most occupations. Gibson is but one of the victims.
@@guitarman3968They aren't a victim, if anything they are offenders. Work ethic isn't defined by national borders, it's mostly a consequence of corporate culture.
@@adrianguggisberg3656 Not at all.
@@guitarman3968Gibson has done this all on its own. First they hire a car salesman for ceo, they do away the old experienced people, they become a "lifestyle brand", now they act like a law firm. Self inflicted stupidity, my friend.
I went through 3 Blueberry Burst Standards 2024, with binding neck issues. Ended up not getting anything. Gibson QC is a major concern.
I purchased my Les Paul Supreme from Sweetwater and it is perfect. Sweetwater do a quality inspection and I am pretty sure they would have rejected it and sent it back to Gibson if it had these kinds of issues. Just an additional peace of mind.
Its jut f'd up you need a middle man when you're buying a US made Gibson LP. This guy went through at least 10 Gold Top Les Paul's and couldn't find ONE worth buying. That speaks volumes about Gibson.
@@libertinemeHe said in the video he went to one. A Gibson license dealer and tried all their goldtops. Apparently they all had the same issues
Sadly from what I’ve seen, Sweetwater is no guarantee because people do receive faulty instruments from there as well. It all depends on who it goes through and how lazy they are. Either way I’d much rather buy from Sweetwater than GC. I feel like through GC, it’s simply pure luck. If your instrument is a quality example, it just happened to be. Still, can’t beat GC financing selection so unfortunately they get my business.
You can get a Tokai from Japan that won't have the same issues, and will be less expensive even with shipping and import duties...They still have the open-book headstock, nitro or poly finish depending on what series you get (premium is nitro, vintage is poly). It won't have fret nibs, but...the quality is there. Certainly worth a look.
Yes ,they are really good. But getting one is very difficult. Notice, nobody in America who has one will sell it.
@@MarkTurner-vs7uc it’s not that difficult at all, they’re for sale on ebay from Japan all the time and the last time I ordered one it took 3 days to get to my house
Sadly, you are totally right. Japanese guitars are flawless.
T-totally agree…. Tokai rocks!
@helio1055 where did you buy it from? And you didn't have any problems?
Would be interesting to see this under a black light.
... eewww... lol
Good call.
Horror - simply too much production, too much is exported from the factory, too many guitars are made too quickly and the result is catastrophic for a Gibson and that price range. Only money and money, no more good old quality!
I can’t tell people enough to buy new guitars from Sweetwater.
They have excellent pictures and list the weight of every Gibson they sell. I have 4 guitars/basses from them, including a ‘64 ES-335 reissue and they were all PERFECT. Excellent inspection/setups on every instrument in this price range(I believe $400 and up gets the treatment).
I used to think this until my last guitar purchase. $1500+ guitar came with scratches on the back of the maple neck and an almost unplayable setup. I said something immediately and wasn’t treated the best for coming to them with issues. I try to support my local shops now
I second that experience.
I bought a 2022 Les Paul Standard 60s new from Sweetwater and it is flawless.
This...If I order from Sweetwater I know I'm getting a new guitar that has been thoroughly inspected. When I buy from GC I know it's gonna be a hit or miss on what I receive. Could be new, could be something that's been on the wall for a year.
Purchased a Heritage H150 Custom Core from Sweetwater, plugged it in, sounded terrible, after trouble shooting, found a cold solder joint grounded to one of the pots from the factory, both Heritage and Sweetwater missed that, pretty shotty if you ask me for a custom shop guitar.
That guitar was frozen, I doubt Gibson would store them in freezing but likely got on a delivery truck and left in a UPS warehouse or truck overnight or in transit in a semi trailer and froze. The timeline you mention seems about right. That would cause the wood to move as wood does retain some small amount of moisture. It would explain the finish cracking, the frets raising up Wood, metal frets, and lacquer all expand and contract at different rates in extreme temps. If you send this back mention it to them.. you dont want a frozen one. Spring is here so hopefully you luck out.
Great point. Significant temperature changes will wreck any fret job and damage the finish.
Can you elaborate on the process because I'm a little confused - if you bought from a store, why/how did you go direct to Gibson for a replacement when they usually operate through the authorised retailer i.e. the store?
You can do either, but I chose to send it directly back to Gibson because the store isn't that local, it's about an hour and a half drive each way from my house. Instead of burning half a day, Gibson sent a return label and I took the easier route
@@linnykenneyleather I've heard of dealing direct with Gibson when they're the retailer (i.e. an online purchase or Gibson Garage), otherwise I've always been told the dealer is the liaison with Gibson and that's where the exchange will be sent. To buy a guitar from a retailer and then bypass them to deal with directly with Gibson is a new one for me - not saying it isn't possible, but I've always heard Gibson keeps within those channels.
He just told ya what happened!
Yeah, I don't have remotely as many issues with my 50s Standard, but rough-ish toolmarks on the neckbinding - check, areas with crap under the clearcoat - check. Had the guitar professionally setup and love it even though it's on the heavier side.
Having said that.... bought a Maybach Lester 59 and holy smokes. That should be the benchmark for Gibson USA! Spotless LP, 3.2 kg -aged, Plek'd, beautiful craftsmanship. Same, even a little lower price to a Gibson USA Standard.
I like the picture of you with the beard and long hair in the background, why did you shave??
Thats funny stuff
Lololol 😂😂😂
I ordered a lefty Harley Benton double cut away Gibson knock off for 260USD and prepared to have a big laugh and then ship it right back. I was stunned. It is set up perfectly and plays perfectly, and there are no flaws that I can find. Gibson should be ashamed.
My HB TE-62 was bad. Some of it was workmanship, some hardware, some design. I've thrown some money and time at it and it's pretty good now.
All my FujiGen Les Pauls are flawless.
Japan made are stunning. Better then USA production
I picked up an Epi Elitist LP white custom which were all made there. It was a factory 2nd and the reason was the binding was yellowed. The rest of the guitar is flawless and I love it. Of all my guitars and all the ones I've played, that one has that "mojo".
Just bought a Gibson slash appetite burst. It landed at my house. opened it up and all the volume controls were smashed. Not marks on the case noting. so I don't know what happened.
Probably just upside down in the back of a UPS truck and got bounced around. Sorry that happened, what a bummer. Nice guitar!
@@linnykenneyleather Oh im not bothered these can easily be replaced. I had a good look at the guitar and I got to say it pretty faultless. Arrived two weeks ago and it's a year 23. The sound is quality is awesome. big difference between my Gibson Studio.
A few years ago my salesman at my local shop told me "If you find a good one, buy it and hang on to it for life" he was referring to Gibson and their QC that never seems to change. I can't buy any of their USA line anymore, always an issue. Spend a little more and get a custom shop, all of those never seem to have issues in my experience. I'll be hanging to those ones for as long as possible. These days, I tend to only buy PRS as they are always perfect.
Not true, I’ve played several Custom Shop LP’s that were dogs and major tuning stability issues. A perfectly cut nut should eliminate a majority of that.
exactly +1 on PRS's Always perfect!!
Spend a little less and get an Eastman SB
I bought mine about 2 weeks ago from Sweetwater, the guitar has some painting issues but not a deal breaker. It has a buzzing sound that it might need a professional setup.
I am a luthier and have had a few Gibson LP's 2000, 2001 and 1992 Classic's also a 1990 standard. My first one the 2001 Classic was the best one I ever had. The fret work, hardware placement general build quality is ridiculous now! Its because the way the frets are put in with no glue before the fret board is even placed on the guitar. My 2000 had huge gaps at the ends like yours with colored wood putty shoved in under them that I had to dig out with a razor blade and re seat all of the frets. As a luthier / repair person, I learned that most guitars I receive have lifted frets especially low end guitars. I always fix most of the unevenness by going over every fret and re seating and gluing them. I glue ALL of my frets in no matter what it is! It is stupid to not do this as the wood expands and contracts these things MOVE! Now back to Gibson I have seen epiphones with better fret jobs and hardware placement than expensive LP's. This really pisses me off! People pay out the ass for this crap. It is a shame these massive companies have wasted so much good wood that is hard to even get now to just make Crap like this!! Gibson Slow down and do the work properly!!! You guys suck!!! Now It's all about the money not quality! What a shame!!!
I don't understand how those frets are so uneven if it's been plek'd. Even if it missed final setup, they should all be level.
Fact, a properly Plek'd guitar will never have uneven frets, ever. NOTE I said a PROPERLY Plek'd guitar. If the operator of the Plek machine isn't 100% up to snuff, it's quite easy to screw things up. Nothing I've ever played has a better fret job than a properly Plek'd guitar. It's so worth the money if you play your guitars a lot.
It looks like whatever mistake could be made on the frets, except missing frets, was made.
They definitely should.
The PLEK is not that great. A decent tech can match or beat it for half the cost.
@@MarkTurner-vs7uc This 👍
I've owned many Gibson Les Pauls and SGs over the years (still have four) and I have never seen so many issues with one guitar, man Gibson better start getting their act together. This is nuts!
As for your "lumpy tops" comment, I'm pretty sure that that is the actual shape that Gibson is shooting for and I actually like that scooped out shape but to all of your other points, yeah this is definately a dog and to think that Gibson sent you something like that as a replacement for the other dog, yikes!!!
I bought a Harley Benton SC550 and a TE-52 for under €300 each. Both absolutely flawless. What people are willing, or are expected to pay for a name on a headstock is nuts.
I left a comment above, but I was shocked at how well-made my Harley Benton is.
I also love Gold tops with P90s
I currently own a 1991 Les Paul Hall of Fame All Gold with P90s
it's one of the best Les Pauls I've ever played
3 years ago went thru 3 new Gibson Les Paul Tributes - kept none. First one shipped actually had a corner of the nut sliced off, but was sent out anyway. Blew my mind that something like that could be missed. I tried two more - both had fret /fretboard issues similiar to ones in this video - then I gave up..
I just got a brand new tribute, and it’s flawless. Maybe I was just lucky.
I bought a Nov 8 2019 LP GT it was MINT! I guess alot hav changed since then.
I bought a Eastman Gold Top , top quality great & half the price.
yeah but for some the shape is a deal breaker
I'm a Gibson fan been buying guitars for 50+ years got all the Gibson guitars LPs SG s Juniors etc but the Eastman guitar are real quality .I got a new LP junior plays good sounds good but the finishing is terrible you get better on a guitar at a third of the price.@@theuserthatishere
do you make a 4inch strap ? my 2021 standard Rocks I need a good strap
Hey thanks for the interest! We can make just about anything, shoot the boss (my wife) an email linny@linnykenney.com
@@linnykenneyleather lol cool a thin strap with a les paul doesn't feel comfortable so thank you I'll get some measurements
Quality control should be important. This is a real shame. Especially for a company that is so historic.
no gigging guitarist that i know talks about gibsons
As another data point, the last Gibson i bought new was a 2014 flying V and although it wasn’t perfect (factory installed 1 wrong pickup and a couple small parts of binding weren’t scraped perfectly) Fretwork was great out of the box and it plays amazing. Honestly, it’s only sounding better over the years of use. Keep going till you find one that feels right and speaks to you, even if it’s not perfect.
Yes you do see high Frets on fenders. I just set up an American Fender Strat....15 high frets.
Recently purchased a 2019 LP Special Tribute. The seller on Reverb is a longtime NYS guitar store, the listing said new and never used, you could call this guitar 5 years old or 5 years new. Rounded neck, wrap around bridge for just under 1k. Highly recommend this model if you can pick one up.
I have two Les Pauls a 72 Goldtop Deluxe and a 79 KM in CS. They are both great. My last 3 HB guitars have all been Heritages. Two 555s and an H157, their Custom. The Heritages are phenomenal. Glad I git them before there prices went way up!
If you want LP, I suggest looking for heritage guitars. G&L good choice for strat style.
If you are looking for quality guitars, made in Japan like Ibanez and Esp this is the way to go.
If you want to play authentic, 😅, then look for Gibson, and have a coffee at the Gibson stores to clear your head.
We aren't talking about a cheap or mid range electric guitar here. This is a Gibson. Supposedly one of the best electric guitars on the market. Will they be perfect? I don't think any electric guitar will be perfect from the Gibson production factory floor but it should go through a QC process that guarantees a minimum standard ensuring that the guitar will not be returned for warranty issues. Who is at fault? Ultimately Gibson for not ensuring this doesn't happen but also guitar shops and retailers for not checking the goods when they are delivered. If they did that, Gibson would get a lot more guitars returned to the factory and they would be forced to address the issue. I can understand retailers not putting out their best examples in the store where they can be played and handled by everyone but their warehouse stock should be ready to go and as perfect as possible. It shouldn't even be necessary for a retailer to set up the guitar with the exception of tweaking the trussrod to compensate for environmental changes. The world has changed immensely since Gibson started producing the Les Paul. Manufacturing methods and processes are completely different now. Even budget guitars have a relatively high standard compared to their counterparts from the 1960's onwards. This is an unacceptable state of affairs. There are many different manufacturers on the market and if Gibson doesn't up their game on QC they will loose. They should be ahead of their competitors in the QC department. There are lots of components that ultimately control the price of the end product. Materials, wages and production costs. You can't really control these factors but you can control the quality of the final product. Many companies have relied on the legacy of their name and reputation. They failed because that just isn't enough.
I have owned 12 Gibson Les Pauls over the past 35 years. Seven Standards, three Studios and two Juniors. I have sold them all except one. It is a 96 Les Paul Studio. It is Les Paul perfection as far as I am concerned and I will never sell it. Build quality is flawless, 50's neck, one piece mahogany body and outstanding tone with incredibly dynamic pickups. I have tried to love modern Les Pauls but they just don't have that wow factor.
The Custom Shop guitars are top-of-the-line but expensive.
They didn’t send you a brand new one? If Im paying that much for anything that’s an instant deal breaker. Some people may be okay with that but Im not. If Im paying for something new, Im getting something NEW, especially a quality instrument like a Gibson.
I think the return count and not sending out a new one says all that needs saying about quality *_"like Gibson."_*
Quality? Gibson? .No. Expensive doesn't mean quality.
@@MarkTurner-vs7uc I get all the quality control problems, but you can’t tell me you’ve watched the process of making a gibson at the factory and say its not quality. The only difference is they’re stupid enough to let the guitars leave the factory without fixing the shit that should have not been there when it left
@@helio1055there are a million guitars of choose before I’d waste my money on a USA Gibson. As someone who owns 2 incredible Murphy labs, however, I can’t find another brand in the price range that plays better. Moral of the story, buy Heritage or something similar if your budget is 3k, Gibson doesn’t give its USA line employees enough time to do it right that’s why so much can be missed. These ppl aren’t idiots they’re just under the gun without regard to whether the instrument is done right or not. If you’re shrewd you can get a good custom shop for 4K, Very much worth the extra 1k to get a proper example.
That’s what I’ve been saying…the employees are pushed so hard to meet numbers, things have to slide…and that’s a management problem
Thanks for the video. I was considering a faded 50’s coz it looks so Slash but after your video I’ll avoid the hassle and stay with my HS Telecaster. 😎👍
I want a Gibson les paul but my first one will probably be used, but i will get one eventually, this video is very informative
I’m so lucky in that I can go to my local Mom & Pop Gibson & Fender retailer and buy the guitar from them. If they don’t have what I want they order it and call me when it’s in. They have found me more great guitars than I can count. They also sell on consignment. As a result I’ve purchased multiple Gibson guitars from them.
Weird - I've just bought a new SG standard 61 and it is almost flawless, I checked it with a fret rocker in the store and the frets were perfect - it clearly had been PLEKed.
I decided to get a demo guitar when I bought my SG modern, reasoning that they wouldn't have used a bad guitar as a demo. I'm very happy with it -- I can't find any flaws at all, and it was a little cheaper than it would have been otherwise. YMMV, of course. Parenthetically, I'd also mention that I more recently bought a Squier Toronado. I love my SG, but for me at least, the Toro is also a fantastic instrument and cost an order of magnitude less.
A lot of people think younger players aren't playing Gibsons because they're not cool anymore... personally I think it has a lot more to do with these issues. Millennials and Gen Z players are just not going to put up with it when you can get a Squier that's flawless and plays great for ~$500. The boomers will put up with the issues because Pete Townshend or Peter Green or Gary Moore or someone else used to play one back in the '70s when times were good and everyone drove muscle cars and hated communists
I'm sorry your 40th birthday has been such a hassle to get your beautiful guitar. You gained a new subscriber I just subscribed 😊
Thanks Zack!
it took me 3 orders to get a somewhat playable Les Paul and I still had to send it to Gibson to get the frets leveled. The whole process all said and done with ordering, waiting, returning, ordering, waiting etc. took from the beginning of October to mid-January. Also, Gibson tried to have me pay to ship it back to them even though I'd had the guitar for less than two weeks and it's under warranty. I had to put up a fight to get them to send me a return authorization and shipping label.
side note: the 2nd Les Paul I received was 11.5 lbs. The one I kept is 8.9 lbs. HUGE difference. The 2nd one was so heavy the knobs were cracked upon arrival, they probably cracked under the weight of the guitar if it was laying face down when shipping. The top strap button was coming out, and it left me with terrible neck and shoulder pain after playing it.
Holy smokes! 11.5 lb is the new record for the heaviest I've heard of on a current LP
@@linnykenneyleather I thought perhaps it bypassed the weight relief stage of production but Gibson said it was most likely just a very heavy piece of mahogany paired with a very heavy maple top. Most of the weight was at the heal so I really felt it even with a decent strap.
@@JohnSpo shameless plug, if you ever need another strap take a look at our site linnykenney.com/guitar-straps-2-1 we can always do something custom if you don't see exactly what you like 👍
@@linnykenneyleather woah, those straps are beautiful
Just got a tokai gold top. Fit and finish are flawless
About the high frets, aren't they all supposed to be "Plek'ed" at the factory?!
Exactly
Wood moves, it pry got stuck in shipping somewhere overnight in subzero weather.. that will make wood move and crack the finish and mess up the frets.
@@green461not like that…I build guitars. This is just poor QC from Gibson while trying to charge very high prices
i think only custom shop
Mr Plek doesn't realize the frets are flexing and the employees don't care because they are underpaid, overworked and taken for granted.
I sent an LP "Tribute" back for a misaligned fretboard with a pronounced lip between the board and the neck wood. Not good enough. Had to spend extra for a Standard, other than a little tool marks on the fretboard it's pretty good. It's not MusicMan or Ibanez good, but it's good.
The Traveller checklist is traceable by signature to the individual who conducted whatever particular check; computer records will show the same. The issues with the neck & frets has me wondering has their Plek machine not recently been calibrated? With so many neck issues it has me wondering...
You correct are some of those things small sure. Can some of those things be easily corrected sure. But why ? For the price of that guitar it should be perfect end of story. There are so many great guitars in that price range that I have purchased and were perfect right out of the case. After a string change and a set up to my liking they were flawless. I feel for you send that back.
I was sick when I bought a studio les Paul... Sold it😮 I ordered (back ordered)a SIRE L-7 Black Beauty les PAUL, way better quality and design.😊
Learning to do your own setup can really change the experience of owning and playing guitars.
If you own multiple guitars you will save the cost of the tools in a short time.
I have bought many new and used guitars and my assumption is I will need a good setup on every one that comes to my hands.
I bought a new Gretsch Jet a few years ago at Capitol Guitar while traveling in MN. Beautiful MIJ G6128T in Sahara Mist Metallic. I had been looking for one and they were hard to find. They would have done setup at no charge but I had to leave town so took it as is. I looked it over, box was sealed until opened in my presence and it was flawless physically but action high. Plugged in and tested the electronics, all good. When I got home with it I let it sit in my home for a couple of weeks to acclimate, then did the setup. Only minor adjustments with string changes past 3 years.
Recently bought a new Alvarez acoustic baritone. Sealed box production dated 2022 from MF. 3 high frets leveled and recrowned, very high nut recut, truss rod adjusted, saddle removed, cut lower, intonation corrected by filing saddle, tighten loose tuning machines and new Martin strings. Now it plays beautifully with excellent intonation and low action. Well worth the $600. But paying someone to do all that might have cost another few hundred $. Now it should only need minor adjustments during it's time in my hands. Tools paid for for the 50th time.
I think I enjoy tinkering and setups more now than I do actually playing
in October of '23 I got a new Blueberry Burst LP 60's Standard and then last month I got a new Tobacco Burst LP Tribute and both of them were nearly perfect out of the box. Frets were in excellent shape. Binding looks beautiful (on the Standard, none on the Tribute). Paint is impeccable. No dings or dents. Fret boards were great, he Tribute was a bit "dry" but easy TLC fixed that and I'd have done that anyway. I bought the Standard via Sweetwater and the Tribute via Guitar Center. I did drop Duncan Customs in at the Bridge...but this is a personal preference change and not a slight on Gibson. My only slag is that the action was ridiculously high on both guitars
I guess I'm super lucky. I've bought four USA Gibsons since 2020 and they are all flawless.
I'm in shock !
Is laying it on the headstock why they are known for breaking? I've never done that.
Usually people lean them on an amp or something and they fall over. It's not going to break just laying there
@@linnykenneyleather Just because it's not going to break from sitting there, doesn't mean that it doesn't weaken it's integrity by constantly introducing it to unnecessary stress. I don't see the point in intentionally stressing it's weakest point. Then again, It's not mine to say.
I bought a new 2016 Les Paul Traditional with the Flame Maple top/Heritage Cherry Sunburst (built 10/23/16) and unfortunately it had every flaw imaginable, sent it back and got a 2017 (made on 1/6/17) in the exact same finish, Flame Maple top/Heritage Cherry Sunburst and the guitar was absolutely flawless, and one of the best guitars that I have ever owned. My point is that it wasn't the gap of two and a half months in production, or a different model, because they were otherwise identical brand new Les Pauls, but from my experience it is literally hit or miss, some of these are stunning, some should have never left the factory. I don't think that every experience is the same either, sometimes Gibson offers to fix any issues, which includes obviously sending the guitar back and playing the waiting game. The particular salesman that I dealt with said immediately to send it back for a different guitar. So many factors involved. I may have felt much different had the sales guy not immediately exchanged it. I do believe that the QC issues have gotten better, and I wouldn't hesitate on getting another (new) guitar through Gibson. I have had the replacement guitar for over seven years, it still looks, plays, and even smells new. I can only attribute the QC issues to the volume of mass produced instruments that these places are pumping out, although that isn't an excuse, but the likelihood exists nonetheless. Because the bulk of the QC items are not from the Custom Shop, Murphy Lab, VOS and signature models, although some problems do arise on the R8, R9 and R0 series guitars from time to time. Be patient, even though it definitely sucks when you're on the receiving end like in this video, my experience as well as others. If I could afford another Les Paul, or any Gibson for that matter, I wouldn't hesitate on buying one!
They are taking their sweet time getting another replacement in the mail, I just emailed the Gibson USA general manager and I'll keep going up the food chain as necessary... If you ever need anyone there you can find their positions and names online and then their email format is john.doe@gibson.com
Next time I buy a Gibson I'll be having a much closer look...many thanks for the heads up.
or not buy one
Is it me, or is the angle on the headstock for 50s necks more angled and pronounced? This one looks like it is. Probably just an illusion. Idk
Welp... guess I will check out not only Gibsons, but also Heritage, Eastman and Maybach (heard they are pretty good deals in Europe). Thanks for an unbiased and real-world review. Really happy I stumbled on your video.
Cheers,
Theo Perry
Get yourself a PRS 594 and you will not have to worry about any flaws! And they play incredibly well!
Was in the market for a LP Standard 60's. The one I sat down in the guitar shop with was riddled with fit and finish problems.
Makes my choice between Gibson and Godin very easy.
The cosmetic finishing issues wouldn't bother me, but the fretwork problems are really unacceptable, considering this is supposed to be getting a full PLEK process from the factory, which implies they should be putting some effort into the finishing process.
I first brought my guitar to local Gibson repair he hack my nut to try and make it not buzz anymore. I sent it to Gibson for fret dressing then they sent it back with the high e string laying on the first fret. Had to sent it back and have nut replaced. I couldn’t believe they sent the guitar back like that. All in all it’s like brand new condition and perfect now. That did right by me but man it’s not easy to get a good one.
Very interesting.. over the last 3 years have purchased 4 Epiphones. 3 59 Les Paul's with Gibson hardware & Inverness green Sg. All played great from factory. All I did was change strings & fret clean... Finish on all was perfect... Have never owned a Gibson. Often though about buying one . When paying top end price fit and finish should be better... especially when cheaper end manufacturers can do it
Kenny get an Eastman sb59 you'll love it half the price
Mine is great
You they did improve around 2020 50,s gold top i bought , now i went over it with a fine t ooth comb ,but one day i changed the strings for the first time and took off all the strings off and polished it and cleaned the finger board and noticed that the first inlay was sticking out on one end you couldn't feel it when strung and was playing it , but now that i kmow it ...its bugging the crap out of me becsuse i know its there..
I am thinking of taking it nashville and turn it in for repair it may very minor repair but with my ocd it is going to bug me until i do...but everthing else it p erfect that i can tell
Its my retirement dream guitar and i love it. My kids went in togeather bought it for me.
I have looked it over again and dont see anything else....
I think the better train the eye of the finial inspector to detect the little things and not let it go out the door .
Paul reed smith has gibson beat in QC
But i think if your going t o buy a brand new les paul it should be top not for the price it is a major investment for most musicians and you expect a perfect guitar.
No excuse.. on the standards and custom shop models..
I can see faults in the new Faded ones i see now days not only the finish with runs in the sraying some of them look like a 5 year old strayed them ,i under stand they cut corners to save money l but they are not supposed to be relics with bad paint jobs an rough binding not for the price they are asking for them ,they should be in the 1500 range at the most..,lot of people buying them and then realizing they are not worth it .
The standards will hold there value alot better.
New management is stepping it up but as much as the should the need fo focus more on better QC with trained eyes for detail and not let these blemish one slip by so much.
Just my opinion.
I second the buy a heritage vote. Great guitars, more ‘authentic’ in their quality and dedication to the customer
Both my 2006 LP classic and my 2008 LP standard silverburst have the checking on all the dots…so annoying. I like how guitars age but I hate cracked nitro. I was even careful with temperature changes…It’s such a bummer when these guitars are over $2000
That's really put me of getting a Gibson.
I was thinking about in the future to buy the slash November burst.
I had a 2019 epiphone LP standard in blueberry burst.
It was perfect no marks high frets or bad binding the best epiphone I have ever had.
What's going on with Gibson the money they ask for there guitars should be perfect.
I think I might go PRS way they have some lovely lp type guitars.
Dude! You're the rally driver on O'Neill too! How awesome can you get
Hahaha you're the only one that noticed
My experience was similar. I got a 2023 Les Paul Classic for a Good Price.
Fret Board was pretty poor even though it was Pleked.
Took it to a Guitar Tech and he fret dressed it.
Now it plays Awesome.
Inexpensive Fix,
But check it out First..
you mentioned that gibson plek their guitars , if that is the case then how could this happen , i live in the uk and the guitar dealers here offer a plek service for about £180 when you buy a new gibson , it wouldnt need doing twice so i assume that they dont pleck their guitars at the factory
I've been repairing instruments since 2004 & trust me... I know the problem with Gibson. Their priority is cranking out money, not making a quality product.
I just graduate from college and wanted to buy myself a gold top as a present but after watching this video I’m having doubts. I’ll just stick to my 78 Yamaha SG which plays like a beast
Worked for Gibson for a few years and they HATED me because I would stop so many guitars and send em back cause they had issues, they do not give a single shit about the guitars, only the money, they also treat their workers like we’re nothing
I bought this guitar new and it’s perfect. Sorry you got unlucky.
I bought a 2022 50's standard that was fine, I guess I was lucky. The frets needed attention though, they were rough and uneven. Plek doesn't guarantee perfect frets...
I would be looking for an older used model on second hand market, 90s etc.
I love a heavy les paul. I just like a guitar that screams I’m a beast. Maybe it’s because the first one I eve tried in the 80’s was a custom and made such an impression on me. I sent my classic back twice . They had to do a fret polish.
I hope they watch this at Gibson. You’ve done them a favor. Thanks.
Bought a brand new ESP Eclipse, no issues, not my first and no issues before
ESP Guitars are top notch
I like oldschool fat necks but otherwise ESP would be high on my list
I've got an Edwards 59 LP knock off which has the fat neck. Got it 2nd hand for AUD 800. It's flawless. ce@@linnykenneyleather
So, Eastman SB59v it is then?
Mine is awesome
there's no way that this guitar left the factory in that condition with Gibson's in-depth QC. If anything, that looks more like a factory second.
A real shame, Gibson was a much better company many years ago. Sad to see them go down. I remember a guy who got a big high dollar Gibson jazz box back in the early 90's and it had a strand of log hair in the finish on the face of the guitar! True story back in Cambridge MA.
They still are. Things happen. I have bought numerous new Les Paul's between 2019 and 2024, I haven't had a single issue with a single one. Sometimes a bad one slips through the cracks and then we get a video like this. Gibson sells more guitars than any other brand, so by the numbers will have more guitars with qc issues seen by the public.
I see the new ownership abandoned QC already. I heard it had improved. My 2020 R0 is very nice, but that's custom shop, so it's a whole different assembly team and process.
I bought a brand new Gibson Les Paul Custom in 1977, at that time they were 700 bucks with tax, workmanship was perfect in every way. I recently bought a brand new Les Paul standard from China for 263 bucks including tax and shipping and to tell the honest truth I can't see much difference between the two guitars and I am totally satisfied with my purchase of the China made Les Paul, although the China made Les Paul does have a less desirable plastic nut and my American made came with an ivory nut most good guitar players could play both guitars equally as well and sound just as good on either guitar...{=O=}==# 😀
My 2018 came with similar Binding issues.
Never again.
Bought an s g last year, unbelievably fugged up, got the same guitar in Epiphone, no problems,
Great vid but very sad, I thought the new owners were going to sort these sort of problems, seems they haven't. Hope you have luck with the next attempt.
I bought a new Les Paul in the fall, and it’s perfect. But nobody who’s an actual musician cares about extremely minor cosmetic issues that you need a microscope to see. The only things that actually matter are issues that affect playability, which is all in the neck and fretboard. And most of those are fixed by a proper setup. The OCD of some hobbyists is insane. I mean, if it has a giant scratch on it or something, ok. But most of this stuff is literally microscopic. It seems that some people on the internet just have a weird obsession with trashing Gibson, and almost none of them can actually play beyond beginner level. And some of them claim to own like 30 guitars, which is insane. How about learning to play one of them?
The frets are sticking out of the fretboard, that's what sealed the deal that it was going back... you're right that the rest was pretty picky but you don't "need a microscope" and "literally microscopic" is obviously hyperbole on your part. These pics were all just taken with an iphone. And the thing is that nobody else is halfway this sloppy anywhere near this price point. If you look around and flip it over, you shouldn't find a half dozen messy little wood shop and paint shop mistakes here and there. This guitar gets an obvious F for the fretboard work and maybe a C- for overall finish. It should be an A for fretboard work and I'd live with a B for everything else. I'll keep sending them back at Gibson's expense until we get there!
@@linnykenneyleather I’ve never seen any of those issues with a Gibson, except maybe the binding being a little off. I chalk those things up to the fact that they’re largely hand made. So either you have really bad luck or you’ve got a dealer shifting you B-stock or something. If you paid full price for the first one and Gibson also gave you a rough one as a replacement, that is on them.
I’m about to go to fedex to pick up my new Les Paul, going in, I know that there will be flaws, it’s so sad that GIBSON can’t make a great instrument like quality grade like PRS, their stuff is perfect.
That's a super disappointment! I bought a new 30th anniversary goldtop 40 years ago. I noticed some notes fretting out. I took it to Dan Erlewine who had his shop in Big Rapids, MI (2 hours away). He found that it had a hump in the fingerboard. I had him take care of it, which required him pulling the frets and leveling the FB. It's been great ever since. I also sent a new 2019 SG to Gibson Repair and Restoration to take care of tooling marks on the binding and FB. They did a great job of fixing it, however, they were trying to get me to return it to the retailer and just get another one, but I told the guy that this was their responsibility, so he sent me a shipping label. I have other Gibsons that were great right out of the box, so I guess I got lucky with those. It's a shame that a USA product has issues common with Chibsons.
I bought a 2017 Firebird studio and I was having trouble dialing it in so I took it to my Guitar tech and he called me and said quality control was horrible the Fingerboard was too small for the neck. You could hardly see the serial number and USA on the back of the headstock like they stamped it into the paint not the wood. And it hadn’t been repainted. And the serial numbers are in different places on all the firebirds some just have USA or that’s all you can see and some say made in the USA in different places. Guitar tech is working on it trying to get it to play good, had dead notes around the 20th fret area.
There is no way I’d buy a Gibson at this point, especially when Eastman and Maybach are building absolutely killer and flawless Les Pauls for way less money that are closer to Custom Shop specs than the standard USS specs.
I think you should get yourself an ESP eclipse, ESP is the pinaccle of guitar quality in my experience and many others aswell. Edwards has a standard gold top for like a grand before import fees
“From the shop, straight to the Luthier” That’s Gibson!