I have sent my guitars to the “best” luthier in my town and they didn’t set it up right at all. Instead of paying anyone else again I learned to do it myself. My guitars are perfect for me.
I also have a Suhr Modern Pro 24 frets, a Gibson Les Paul Lemon Burst 1959, as well as a Fender Stratocaster Custom Shop, Ibanez Vai and 10 other guitars and the one I play and pick up 97% of the time is the Suhr. (that's how good it is).👌💯 I can even say I love all my guitars but I don't know why I always pick my Suhr.🤭
Finally someone telling it like it is! I can’t tell you how sick and tired I am of these private equity companies ruing great organizations, and dictating how a successful business should be run!
Been playing guitar and bass for over 50 years gigs, some session, lots of practice, and friends borrow my gear for sessions. I am so glad I never go into that whole what's it look like, is there a swirly on pick guard, go nuts of a piece of gear get a nick or scratch, instruments are meant to be played and if you play a lot stuff happens. To me it boils down to does it play well and sound well. Gibsons I have one some people cringe at because it is a Norlin era Gibson. It's a 335 but Norlin was "streamlining" and the center block is like a 345. I've had some mod's done to it over the years and I love it. I've had a famous Jazz player borrow it and when he gave it back said if you ever want to sell that guitar call me first. I've had quite a few Gibson over the years and in general the QC was okay, but I'm not picky about cosmetics. Except for my Gibson 175 my Jazz box I'm mainly a Fender Tele lover. I've seen a lot of variation in Fenders and QC over the year but for me all about playability. For quite awhile I've only bought Made In Mexico Fenders. They are made with the same CNC machines. I heard at one point all the Fenders were made at the US Corona factory and part of them were shipped to Mexico to be finished. That the main difference then and now between a US Fender and a Mexico Fender is the finish work and how much time they spend in doing the setup. In Mexico different laws so they can do nitro finishes in bulk where Fender US has to limit that to custom shop. As far as setup every guitar I buy I take it to my luthier who knows how I like my guitars so why pay extra for Fender US because they spend more time on setup. So for me all I care about is how good a guitar plays and sounds be it inexpensive nylon string or and expensive Jazz box.
The Older Vox valvetronix hybrid amps 2002 - 2010 with the real 12x7A tubes in them are the best and still are to this day I have a 2007 and 2009 and would never ever sell them very versatile love them both
I’ll tell you a tale about Gibson. I know a guy who had a contract with Gibson in the UK to fix new guitars from the shop etc. any issues they would send to him in my area. But, ANY Gibson costing less than £2,000 that had an issue, the policy was to remove hardware, pickups, and the wood was cut up and destroyed. He offered to buy the guitars but apparently they had to be destroyed. And I’m talking about sone guitars having VERY fixable small issues that many guitars have. Like Barry says, QC from the factory issues. I wonder how much that added to the overall cost of guitars.
Good video Barry. Agree with everything you said as I sat on my sofa twiddling on my Suhr Metallic limited 2020 beauty, and to my right leaning against the wall is a Les Paul Deluxe, probably £5k worth, I’ll take the Suhr to my grave. The Suhr quality is superb, plays very easy also. I will say though that I have a 90s USA FAT strat deluxe which I love, it’s got literally the same Suhr pickups in it, now my Fender does sound better than the Suhr, it’s got a thicker sound to it probably due to the woods used. And I’d keep the Fender because I love it although it’s harder to play, but my Suhr is the best guitar I’ve ever owned and when gigging it’s the go to guitar, I just wished it had the sound of my fender. I don’t really like playing Les Pauls as I prefer the sit of a fender Strat / Tele, but I have a couple of old ones. Ultimately they will hopefully be part of my pension pot when the time comes. Great video Barry, thanks for taking the time to make it. 👌
Very interesting video. I own two Gibson Vs. Both nuts needed filed to stay in tune. Bought both for under a grand. One for $400 because it had a nick on the horn. Love my Tele and Strats and my Vs. Thank God for guitars. Bring Happyness. Take care.
Re: nut & headstock fails, luthiers know of solutions so why Gibsun keeps it’s mistakes is charming and, bless them yet that is Gibson in other regards . . a very simple design to make excepting the carved top which, in stock and for sale sometimes have the surface irregularities of a paint spill yet still sound good. You could keep an ugly one or a pretty one.
That suhr is full on 24/7 ,, currently thinking about selling my custom shop Gibson to buy some kind of super strat It is a hard choice lol As for the fret metal debate Personally I don't hear the discernable difference in fret material and I have a very light touch so I've never had to change any frets so I'm fine with steel or nickle
I love suhr. Picked up an Eastman LP style recently. I've got to say, unbelievable guitar. Is it as good as the Suhr I own? Not quite, but it is really on that same level. Anyone thinking about a Gibson, I cannot recommend trying Eastman strongly enough. On the whole I think they are superior guitars, for significantly less money.
Got a Strat, a 93 Custom 24, and a 2001 Les Paul. If I have to keep one, it's the Les Paul. The Customer 24 got the best workmanship, but that LP sound, nothing comes close.
- You can’t compare a 5k Suhr with a LPS. - I do agree that you have to go through 5 LP’s until you find the right one . - I do agree that the whole custom shop deal is overrated and over priced. - I love my LPS, and SUHR classic SSS (I didn’t want a crappy fender) It plays so great that it actually makes me a better guitar player .
My Les Paul Standard Slash VIctoria came from the factory perfect. It never falls out of tune, I love that thing. I do want to get a Suhr now. I just need to cough up another $4,000 first lol 😂 but it will totally be worth it.
Only thing about Suhr guitars is the Pick-ups . I would like to be able to switch out the pick-ups as I am more used to Seymour Duncan and Lolar pickups. Alos about Gibson , Buy a Custom shop Les Paul and still have to change out the volume pots !
Suhrs are gorgeous, but I’ve tried a few and never connected with them. Same with Tom Anderson. For that style of guitar, the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder is the one to beat, if you ask me. The setup on them is out of this world.
You know the problem with Gibson why take a chance. Last one I got (R8) it had red dye bled into the binding. Back it went last chance for Gibson to many good guitar makers. The one thing I notice on my Suhr (Thorn II) is how well the neck was set up. Lots of attention to detail was given to the neck setup. Also no time for their management either. I don't think you need to ask which one goes back.
unfortunately some brands tend to believe that brand name sells good enough..and a lot of it is true. In the long long run that attitude would bite them in the ass.
IMO the customer shop…as meant to actual pros that make a living with a 6 string tool..isn’t so much about marketing as it is about consistency. A mostly un-revolving door of the company’s best employees. -2 cents
When people make the blanket statement that company A makes better products than company B without taking into account the intricacies of the various models that each company has in its lineup, then I don't take what they have to say seriously at all. Makes absolutely zero sense. Especially when it comes to products with the intricacy and detailing inherent in musical instruments.
@@Joe-mz6dc thanks for the long winded reply Joe, but I simply stated that I currently own 3 Suhr's and 0 Gibson's but that I was open to buying a Gibson. maybe next time reply to the video itself instead of a comment that has damn little to do with the point you had hoped to make.
Apples and oranges. No guitar sounds like a les paul. As like no guitar sounds like a suhr or prs, or a fender strat with singles, or a tele. Each of these companies has established a tonal identity you can't replace with another brand.
even hypothetically its a dumb decision. keep the prototype suhr . and the les paul. but you could get a lp again. my paula says maybach on the headstock, amber pickups, big 58 neck, blew all the ca gibbys from the wall. 1500€ used. check em out.,maybe do a vid on better then gibson guitars cloning em.
Man, i've been enjoying all of these videos. I have a 1998 USA Standard and a 2013 Custom Shop R9 and I have to say they are two totally different guitars. All of the attention to detail things you mention were not there as part of my R9. It was flawless and has been an amazing guitar. On the other hand, I had a similar experience with my 1998 Standard. The two guitars might as well be from two different companies as they sound and play COMPLETELY different, which probably has more to do with the pickups in them than anything if I'm being honest. My standard is almost identical to yours, but now that I've seen yours close up...I think I am going to have to go buy me some double cream pickups now! haha! THANKS BARRY! :P :P :P What pickups are those btw?
I walked into a guitar shop to buy a brand new Gibson Les Paul Standard '60 and walked out with a 1999 Gibson Les Paul Classic. There’s nothing more to add...
I once owned a Gibson ES Les Paul. It was a very good guitar but I sold it. Today I'd pick a Suhr over a Gibson but to be honest, dollar-for-dollar, there are much better choices than Gibson or Suhr.
Fenders can be even worse than Gibson when it comes to a bad setup and a few years ago most of the Mexican guitars suffered from bad fret sprout. More and more I enjoy my epiphone les Paul paying 5 to 10 times the price for a Gibson les Paul is ridiculous
Their QC is definitely better than Gibson, but almost every Epiphone I pick up, has a really large shouldered, almost D shape neck, that I just hate the profile of. I wish they'd move to a more standard C shape. If they did that, I'd be all in on them.
I wanted to buy a Gibson Murphy Lab but I've always been afraid of Gibson's finishes. Honestly, the way they finish their guitars is pathetic. After watching your video, I've been convinced that I'll buy a high-end Tokai, since Tokai has finishes that are a thousand times better than Gibson's... thanks for your videos.
We all watched Hee- Haw back in the day. Gibson quality has gone down as you say. In high end guitars you should expect attenion to detail. Most of us are lucky to be able to buy one in our life time. Barry can you do a video on tracking sometime? Microphone placement is not taught on youtube at all. It seems to be about mixing and not about getting good recordings in the first place.
Quality control at Gibson is a joke. A custom Suhr on the other hand, will be nearly perfect in every way. Suhr necks are perhaps the most playable in the industry and obviously, it's not just about the plek machine (to include how it's utilized) - but about hand finishing by experienced luthiers who spend an appropriate amount of time on each instrument. I've owned 13 custom Suhrs and each one was simply incredible. Gibsons - not so much. Why should I spend $5-8K (or more) on an instrument and then still have to put a lot of work into setting it up/fixing flaws? Gibson has the history and brand recognition (psychology). Once I got over that piece there was no turning back. Suhr all day - every day.
I dont understand why Gibson dont put bone nut to their guitars. Having 3 Gibsons (bought inside 1 year) each with more or less nut issues. Got bone nut made for one and its perfect. Tuning is butter smooth and stays in tune. Other two guitar quite good stay in tune, but tuning isnt butter smooth. Will change bone nut to other two sooner or later.
Of course the Suhr is a better made guitar. At Suhr, their focus is on pleasing their customers, and at Gibson, their focus is on pleasing their shareholders.
Gibsons are inconsistent but if you trust your hands and ears, they’re capable of ‘10s.’ PRS will give you a 9 every time, but zero tens. Never order a guitar regardless. I’ve never liked Suhr in-hand. I have Collings acoustics but their electrics are also stellar…but you pay for it.
The problem with Les Pauls from the last 3 years is the frets suck. They are so low and the fret board has so much friction that it’s impossible to play them well. Who wants a $3k guitar that needs a re-fret from the factory? Gibson needs to get their H out of their A
I don’t understand how more people aren’t complaining about this. The frets are almost non-existent to the point you would immediately have to get it re-fretted once you start getting wear.
That's where the rubber hits the road. I have multiple guitars and a couple of them are Gibsons. I have played great Gibsons and I have played Gibsons that are pieces of shit. And guess what, I can apply that logic in my own experience to other guitar manufacturers as well. I have never played guitars that were made by a particular guitar company wherein every single model in their lineup is excellent. They've all got their mojo kings and they've all got their duds. When you start factoring in the price points, things get even more complicated. This trend of shitting all over Gibson has got to be the dumbest thing I've seen in my entire life as a musician and I've been playing guitar for 50 years. And I'm just going to call it out as I see it.
No need to spend a fortune on what are often at best average guitars. There are any number of manufacturers producing superior and cheaper products. I recently bought an ESP Edwards guitar. Its specs match anything you’d get in the high end market yet it’s sub $2000 by a large margin. The days of a name like Gibson automatically equating to quality and playability are long gone.
BARRY: Let’s decide between this 1982 Honda Civic and the 2008 Ferrari Testarossa. Either way, yes, they’re different but I definitely think you should buy from Sweetwater. Hit those links below. Did I mention Sweetwater? You know, the guys that are likely thinking about ditching out on free shipping and the same guys that have NOT been getting your orders to you as quickly as they used to. Sweetwater! Did I say Sweetwater? Great. What were we talking about? Oh, yeah - SWEETWATER!
@@BarryJohns I don't know what it's going to take for you YouToob guys to call that place out. Many of us out here - that are not sponsored by them - have grown remarkably tired of their garbage QC (have a story from a friend about a new Fender he just purchased that he was told went through their "famous" 55 point inspection...and the guitar had major league issues...stuff that if an actual inspection was really done would have lead Sweetwater to send that guitar right back to Corona, CA) and lackadaisical handling of shipping out of their warehouse. I live in Boston. I used to get my gear in two days. Now I get notices that it may not be here for 7 to 9. Absolutely unacceptable. As you've noted time and time again, private equity money destroys everything it wraps its greedy hands around. Sweetwater is no different. They have gone so far downhill in the last 6 years. There is just no excuse to conduct business like that and especially with long-time customers that have spent a pretty penny with them over the years. But you do you. As long as that 'sweet' money is coming in, doesn't matter, right?
I am NOT a RUclips guy, I’m simply another guy like you. Really is that simple. I have yet to have a single issue with them. I ordered something last week and none of what you are talking about happened on that order. Oh and sweet money you “think” I make via RUclips, is less than minimum wage! I do it because I feel I can help people. Try not to be so judgmental please.
I just can't deal with these guitar companies that end up selling out to these investment firms. Gibson owned by KKR and Suhr owned by Avalanche International, Corp. cause I am done with supporting these parasites who buy up companies. I would buy a used Gibson and a used Suhr and that is far as I am gonna take it.
My criticism of Suhr (and Collings, Duesenberg, several others) is the premium price being charged and then using cheap looking dot fret markers. $3K should get me something fancier than a dot. $1K should also. I'm sitting here playing a wonderful $600 Chinese Gretsch Electromatic with big, fancy looking fret markers. It also has a fully bound neck and headstock. Dots are not a premium appointment. Just a pet peeve. Carry on......
"boomers want it like old times" oh really? Did you read somewhere that this is their company policy? Give your head a shake dude. Who cares about the fucking headstock. It's a headstock. Frankly it looks cool. It looks better than most headstocks out there. If you don't like it buy something else. But there really isn't much of a reason for them to change their headstock. If they change their headstock would you run out and buy one of the guitars? Not sure what you're saying here.
You got to be careful with Sweetwater right now they are adding an up front 2% fee if you use zero % financing. It is in very small writing. What they say is zero % it is not. They tack on 2% fee.
I absolutely agree. Barry... Elon musk used to be my greatest hero now I think he's damaging if not destroying the hard-fought image of Tesla... Tesla still makes the greatest cars in the world. I own a model y and full self-driving just blows my mind every time I get in my dragon. However I can no longer stand the psychopathic zero empathy fascistic wannabe leader of that company.
I have sent my guitars to the “best” luthier in my town and they didn’t set it up right at all. Instead of paying anyone else again I learned to do it myself. My guitars are perfect for me.
That Suhr is a beauty.
I also have a Suhr Modern Pro 24 frets, a Gibson Les Paul Lemon Burst 1959, as well as a Fender Stratocaster Custom Shop, Ibanez Vai and 10 other guitars and the one I play and pick up 97% of the time is the Suhr. (that's how good it is).👌💯
I can even say I love all my guitars but I don't know why I always pick my Suhr.🤭
Finally someone telling it like it is! I can’t tell you how sick and tired I am of these private equity companies ruing great organizations, and dictating how a successful business should be run!
Love your channel Barry. Love your insight and experience. Bring much to the YT platform.
Been playing guitar and bass for over 50 years gigs, some session, lots of practice, and friends borrow my gear for sessions. I am so glad I never go into that whole what's it look like, is there a swirly on pick guard, go nuts of a piece of gear get a nick or scratch, instruments are meant to be played and if you play a lot stuff happens. To me it boils down to does it play well and sound well. Gibsons I have one some people cringe at because it is a Norlin era Gibson. It's a 335 but Norlin was "streamlining" and the center block is like a 345. I've had some mod's done to it over the years and I love it. I've had a famous Jazz player borrow it and when he gave it back said if you ever want to sell that guitar call me first. I've had quite a few Gibson over the years and in general the QC was okay, but I'm not picky about cosmetics. Except for my Gibson 175 my Jazz box I'm mainly a Fender Tele lover. I've seen a lot of variation in Fenders and QC over the year but for me all about playability. For quite awhile I've only bought Made In Mexico Fenders. They are made with the same CNC machines. I heard at one point all the Fenders were made at the US Corona factory and part of them were shipped to Mexico to be finished. That the main difference then and now between a US Fender and a Mexico Fender is the finish work and how much time they spend in doing the setup. In Mexico different laws so they can do nitro finishes in bulk where Fender US has to limit that to custom shop. As far as setup every guitar I buy I take it to my luthier who knows how I like my guitars so why pay extra for Fender US because they spend more time on setup. So for me all I care about is how good a guitar plays and sounds be it inexpensive nylon string or and expensive Jazz box.
Wouldn’t Suhr vs Fender be a better comparison, maybe Collings vs Gibson.
A Collin’s is on my future buy list for sure!!!!
Don Grosh for me..amazing!
But you can only compare Collings to Gibson Custom Shop. It makes zero sense comparing a $3k Production run guitar to a $6k Boutique.
Dollar comparison, no this is the right one.
The QC has been a major problems with Gibson guitars. Smaller guitar people know how to set up for guitar.
PRS has been producing some of the best set neck guitars ever made. I have owned Gibson and loved them, but PRS is superior in QC hands down.
PRS are the best made electrics made in America. When u pay 3k for a core you get 3k worth of design and QC.
@@25dbz-ot9br 100% true
I worked for Tom Anderson for 10 years. I'm eager to hear/see your comparison between Anderson and Gibson. Great video btw. Thank you
The first part of the video is absolutely my exact feeling. Just subbed based on that.
The Older Vox valvetronix hybrid amps 2002 - 2010 with the real 12x7A tubes in them are the best and still are to this day I have a 2007 and 2009 and would never ever sell them very versatile love them both
I’ll tell you a tale about Gibson. I know a guy who had a contract with Gibson in the UK to fix new guitars from the shop etc. any issues they would send to him in my area. But, ANY Gibson costing less than £2,000 that had an issue, the policy was to remove hardware, pickups, and the wood was cut up and destroyed. He offered to buy the guitars but apparently they had to be destroyed. And I’m talking about sone guitars having VERY fixable small issues that many guitars have. Like Barry says, QC from the factory issues.
I wonder how much that added to the overall cost of guitars.
I love both of those company's best products.
Love both. Fact is, no Suhr can replace a Gibson Les Paul.
I had an evertune bridge installed on my ES 137 about 6 years ago. It’s been a great guitar since then!
I love my two Suhr
very interesting Barry. Go get 'em.
My Suhr Classic T is my favorite guitar I’ve ever owned overall
Good video Barry. Agree with everything you said as I sat on my sofa twiddling on my Suhr Metallic limited 2020 beauty, and to my right leaning against the wall is a Les Paul Deluxe, probably £5k worth, I’ll take the Suhr to my grave.
The Suhr quality is superb, plays very easy also. I will say though that I have a 90s USA FAT strat deluxe which I love, it’s got literally the same Suhr pickups in it, now my Fender does sound better than the Suhr, it’s got a thicker sound to it probably due to the woods used. And I’d keep the Fender because I love it although it’s harder to play, but my Suhr is the best guitar I’ve ever owned and when gigging it’s the go to guitar, I just wished it had the sound of my fender.
I don’t really like playing Les Pauls as I prefer the sit of a fender Strat / Tele, but I have a couple of old ones. Ultimately they will hopefully be part of my pension pot when the time comes.
Great video Barry, thanks for taking the time to make it. 👌
PRS and Schecter wins again, amazing !
Very interesting video. I own two Gibson Vs. Both nuts needed filed to stay in tune. Bought both for under a grand. One for $400 because it had a nick on the horn. Love my Tele and Strats and my Vs. Thank God for guitars. Bring Happyness. Take care.
Re: nut & headstock fails, luthiers know of solutions so why Gibsun keeps it’s mistakes is charming and, bless them yet that is Gibson in other regards . . a very simple design to make excepting the carved top which, in stock and for sale sometimes have the surface irregularities of a paint spill yet still sound good. You could keep an ugly one or a pretty one.
That suhr is full on 24/7 ,, currently thinking about selling my custom shop Gibson to buy some kind of super strat
It is a hard choice lol
As for the fret metal debate
Personally I don't hear the discernable difference in fret material and I have a very light touch so I've never had to change any frets so I'm fine with steel or nickle
Inspired me to buy an Orange amp and support one of the last few real companies left!. 👍🏻
I love suhr. Picked up an Eastman LP style recently. I've got to say, unbelievable guitar. Is it as good as the Suhr I own? Not quite, but it is really on that same level. Anyone thinking about a Gibson, I cannot recommend trying Eastman strongly enough. On the whole I think they are superior guitars, for significantly less money.
Chinesse plank for silly kids….
@@paulholod9902 I'm genuinely curious, what are you trying to accomplish here?
Investment: Gibson/ Playability and Versatility: Suhr
Got a Strat, a 93 Custom 24, and a 2001 Les Paul. If I have to keep one, it's the Les Paul. The Customer 24 got the best workmanship, but that LP sound, nothing comes close.
- You can’t compare a 5k Suhr with a LPS.
- I do agree that you have to go through 5 LP’s until you find the right one .
- I do agree that the whole custom shop deal is overrated and over priced.
- I love my LPS, and SUHR classic SSS (I didn’t want a crappy fender) It plays so great that it actually makes me a better guitar player .
My Les Paul Standard Slash VIctoria came from the factory perfect. It never falls out of tune, I love that thing. I do want to get a Suhr now. I just need to cough up another $4,000 first lol 😂 but it will totally be worth it.
Stainless frets don’t sound different enough recorded for me to worry about it
Eastman v Gibson would be an interesting comparison 🤔.
Only thing about Suhr guitars is the Pick-ups . I would like to be able to switch out the pick-ups as I am more used to Seymour Duncan and Lolar pickups. Alos about Gibson , Buy a Custom shop Les Paul and still have to change out the volume pots !
Suhrs are gorgeous, but I’ve tried a few and never connected with them. Same with Tom Anderson. For that style of guitar, the Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder is the one to beat, if you ask me. The setup on them is out of this world.
Schecter are great guitars!
did you play it?
You know the problem with Gibson why take a chance. Last one I got (R8) it had red dye bled into the binding. Back it went last chance for Gibson to many good guitar makers. The one thing I notice on my Suhr (Thorn II) is how well the neck was set up. Lots of attention to detail was given to the neck setup. Also no time for their management either. I don't think you need to ask which one goes back.
If I was forced to keep only one of my guitars, it would be the Suhr Alt T with Thornbuckers....and I consider myself a "single coil" guy ...lol.
Hee Haw!!! I love my 1979 custom Les Paul, but I really like and would rather buy a Suhr.
unfortunately some brands tend to believe that brand name sells good enough..and a lot of it is true. In the long long run that attitude would bite them in the ass.
it would be nice if gibson could build a non-CS Axcess in the usa shop. something around $2k
IMO the customer shop…as meant to actual pros that make a living with a 6 string tool..isn’t so much about marketing as it is about consistency. A mostly un-revolving door of the company’s best employees. -2 cents
Your opening statement is correct.
Just Ask Harley Davidson!!!
Gibdons are great Guitars.
Theybare just being mismanaged.
I've got the same reissue sg
3 Suhr's 0 Gibson's. I won't say never though.
When people make the blanket statement that company A makes better products than company B without taking into account the intricacies of the various models that each company has in its lineup, then I don't take what they have to say seriously at all. Makes absolutely zero sense. Especially when it comes to products with the intricacy and detailing inherent in musical instruments.
@@Joe-mz6dc thanks for the long winded reply Joe, but I simply stated that I currently own 3 Suhr's and 0 Gibson's but that I was open to buying a Gibson. maybe next time reply to the video itself instead of a comment that has damn little to do with the point you had hoped to make.
Apples and oranges. No guitar sounds like a les paul. As like no guitar sounds like a suhr or prs, or a fender strat with singles, or a tele. Each of these companies has established a tonal identity you can't replace with another brand.
even hypothetically its a dumb decision. keep the prototype suhr . and the les paul. but you could get a lp again. my paula says maybach on the headstock, amber pickups, big 58 neck, blew all the ca gibbys from the wall. 1500€ used. check em out.,maybe do a vid on better then gibson guitars cloning em.
EBMM....please...CONSISTENTLY high-quality guitars. Always in tune
Man, i've been enjoying all of these videos. I have a 1998 USA Standard and a 2013 Custom Shop R9 and I have to say they are two totally different guitars. All of the attention to detail things you mention were not there as part of my R9. It was flawless and has been an amazing guitar. On the other hand, I had a similar experience with my 1998 Standard. The two guitars might as well be from two different companies as they sound and play COMPLETELY different, which probably has more to do with the pickups in them than anything if I'm being honest. My standard is almost identical to yours, but now that I've seen yours close up...I think I am going to have to go buy me some double cream pickups now! haha! THANKS BARRY! :P :P :P What pickups are those btw?
Duncan 59
I walked into a guitar shop to buy a brand new Gibson Les Paul Standard '60 and walked out with a 1999 Gibson Les Paul Classic. There’s nothing more to add...
Well, yes, there is one more thing to say, actually: the 1999 Classic was much cheaper.
The classics were awesome back then!!!!!
I once owned a Gibson ES Les Paul. It was a very good guitar but I sold it. Today I'd pick a Suhr over a Gibson but to be honest, dollar-for-dollar, there are much better choices than Gibson or Suhr.
Too bad the headstocks are atrocious. Otherwise it’s a better value.
I now know who Minnie Pearl was!! cool woman !!
Anyone remember Minnie Pearl Chicken ? Bad management killed the chain before it had a chance. Great tasting bird.
@@woodybowen5362 not here in England
YES! NUT, needs to be dialed in for PItch & Width for Strings ( "G" String is always an Issue. ( LOL ) Not the onlew Guitar that has this Problem.
The Suhr is 22 frets I think.
Fenders can be even worse than Gibson when it comes to a bad setup and a few years ago most of the Mexican guitars suffered from bad fret sprout. More and more I enjoy my epiphone les Paul paying 5 to 10 times the price for a Gibson les Paul is ridiculous
Their QC is definitely better than Gibson, but almost every Epiphone I pick up, has a really large shouldered, almost D shape neck, that I just hate the profile of. I wish they'd move to a more standard C shape. If they did that, I'd be all in on them.
Gibson just can’t get behind the idea that a $3750 LP Custom should be perfect.
Keep the Suhr. Best guitars available in my humble opinion
Gibson died when they moved to Nashville to avoid paying and treating their workers properly
I wanted to buy a Gibson Murphy Lab but I've always been afraid of Gibson's finishes. Honestly, the way they finish their guitars is pathetic. After watching your video, I've been convinced that I'll buy a high-end Tokai, since Tokai has finishes that are a thousand times better than Gibson's... thanks for your videos.
The Heritage these days. Gibsons are trophies in a dk measuring contest.
We all watched Hee- Haw back in the day. Gibson quality has gone down as you say. In high end guitars you should expect attenion to detail. Most of us are lucky to be able to buy one in our life time. Barry can you do a video on tracking sometime? Microphone placement is not taught on youtube at all. It seems to be about mixing and not about getting good recordings in the first place.
What about PRS and Kiesel guitars?
Quality control at Gibson is a joke. A custom Suhr on the other hand, will be nearly perfect in every way. Suhr necks are perhaps the most playable in the industry and obviously, it's not just about the plek machine (to include how it's utilized) - but about hand finishing by experienced luthiers who spend an appropriate amount of time on each instrument. I've owned 13 custom Suhrs and each one was simply incredible. Gibsons - not so much. Why should I spend $5-8K (or more) on an instrument and then still have to put a lot of work into setting it up/fixing flaws? Gibson has the history and brand recognition (psychology). Once I got over that piece there was no turning back. Suhr all day - every day.
I dont understand why Gibson dont put bone nut to their guitars. Having 3 Gibsons (bought inside 1 year) each with more or less nut issues. Got bone nut made for one and its perfect. Tuning is butter smooth and stays in tune. Other two guitar quite good stay in tune, but tuning isnt butter smooth. Will change bone nut to other two sooner or later.
i only ever trade up my guitars, rarely send anything back unless there's a flaw, its not the bloke in the factorys fault his boss is a plonker
Either did you watch the video?
Maschine clip view
Of course the Suhr is a better made guitar. At Suhr, their focus is on pleasing their customers, and at Gibson, their focus is on pleasing their shareholders.
Gibsons are inconsistent but if you trust your hands and ears, they’re capable of ‘10s.’ PRS will give you a 9 every time, but zero tens. Never order a guitar regardless. I’ve never liked Suhr in-hand. I have Collings acoustics but their electrics are also stellar…but you pay for it.
A good Gibson all the way
PRS is my choice - Suhr is fine, but i personally know John Suhr and I am not a fan of his, so I avoid his guitars out of principle
The problem with Les Pauls from the last 3 years is the frets suck. They are so low and the fret board has so much friction that it’s impossible to play them well. Who wants a $3k guitar that needs a re-fret from the factory? Gibson needs to get their H out of their A
I don’t understand how more people aren’t complaining about this. The frets are almost non-existent to the point you would immediately have to get it re-fretted once you start getting wear.
Your comparing a $2000 Gibson to a $5000 Suhr. I have a Suhr Modern and Gibson is not even close.
That's where the rubber hits the road. I have multiple guitars and a couple of them are Gibsons. I have played great Gibsons and I have played Gibsons that are pieces of shit. And guess what, I can apply that logic in my own experience to other guitar manufacturers as well. I have never played guitars that were made by a particular guitar company wherein every single model in their lineup is excellent. They've all got their mojo kings and they've all got their duds. When you start factoring in the price points, things get even more complicated. This trend of shitting all over Gibson has got to be the dumbest thing I've seen in my entire life as a musician and I've been playing guitar for 50 years. And I'm just going to call it out as I see it.
No need to spend a fortune on what are often at best average guitars. There are any number of manufacturers producing superior and cheaper products. I recently bought an ESP Edwards guitar. Its specs match anything you’d get in the high end market yet it’s sub $2000 by a large margin. The days of a name like Gibson automatically equating to quality and playability are long gone.
Suhr all the way !
BARRY: Let’s decide between this 1982 Honda Civic and the 2008 Ferrari Testarossa. Either way, yes, they’re different but I definitely think you should buy from Sweetwater. Hit those links below. Did I mention Sweetwater? You know, the guys that are likely thinking about ditching out on free shipping and the same guys that have NOT been getting your orders to you as quickly as they used to. Sweetwater! Did I say Sweetwater? Great. What were we talking about? Oh, yeah - SWEETWATER!
Let’s wait and see.
@@BarryJohns I don't know what it's going to take for you YouToob guys to call that place out. Many of us out here - that are not sponsored by them - have grown remarkably tired of their garbage QC (have a story from a friend about a new Fender he just purchased that he was told went through their "famous" 55 point inspection...and the guitar had major league issues...stuff that if an actual inspection was really done would have lead Sweetwater to send that guitar right back to Corona, CA) and lackadaisical handling of shipping out of their warehouse. I live in Boston. I used to get my gear in two days. Now I get notices that it may not be here for 7 to 9. Absolutely unacceptable. As you've noted time and time again, private equity money destroys everything it wraps its greedy hands around. Sweetwater is no different. They have gone so far downhill in the last 6 years. There is just no excuse to conduct business like that and especially with long-time customers that have spent a pretty penny with them over the years. But you do you. As long as that 'sweet' money is coming in, doesn't matter, right?
I am NOT a RUclips guy, I’m simply another guy like you. Really is that simple. I have yet to have a single issue with them. I ordered something last week and none of what you are talking about happened on that order. Oh and sweet money you “think” I make via RUclips, is less than minimum wage! I do it because I feel I can help people. Try not to be so judgmental please.
I just can't deal with these guitar companies that end up selling out to these investment firms. Gibson owned by KKR and Suhr owned by Avalanche International, Corp. cause I am done with supporting these parasites who buy up companies. I would buy a used Gibson and a used Suhr and that is far as I am gonna take it.
If your paying more than a grand, on any guitar, your getting took
🤦♂️
Gibson.
Gibson just on general principle.
PRS is what Gibson would be if it wasn't sold to private equity firms.
Yep
Hee Haw....Howdieeeeee!!!!
My criticism of Suhr (and Collings, Duesenberg, several others) is the premium price being charged and then using cheap looking dot fret markers. $3K should get me something fancier than a dot. $1K should also. I'm sitting here playing a wonderful $600 Chinese Gretsch Electromatic with big, fancy looking fret markers. It also has a fully bound neck and headstock. Dots are not a premium appointment. Just a pet peeve. Carry on......
Just lame how Gibson refuses to uldate their headstock design because "boomers want it like old times"
"boomers want it like old times" oh really? Did you read somewhere that this is their company policy? Give your head a shake dude. Who cares about the fucking headstock. It's a headstock. Frankly it looks cool. It looks better than most headstocks out there. If you don't like it buy something else. But there really isn't much of a reason for them to change their headstock. If they change their headstock would you run out and buy one of the guitars? Not sure what you're saying here.
I would NEVER buy Gibson. Terrible company.
Fot me Gibson les Paul Standard Slash IS better
You got to be careful with Sweetwater right now they are adding an up front 2% fee if you use zero % financing. It is in very small writing. What they say is zero % it is not. They tack on 2% fee.
I'll never buy a Gibson or Fender. I just bought a Sire goldtop from Sweetwater for $600 and love it. Just sayin
Cuz it’s not a Gibson…
Old surh great new surh no no no don’t waste your money wait for a old closet queen and buy it
Trump vs Communist
I absolutely agree. Barry... Elon musk used to be my greatest hero now I think he's damaging if not destroying the hard-fought image of Tesla... Tesla still makes the greatest cars in the world. I own a model y and full self-driving just blows my mind every time I get in my dragon. However I can no longer stand the psychopathic zero empathy fascistic wannabe leader of that company.