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Imagine pulling your Gibson holy Grail pickups out of their glass case and showing the fancy box to your friend, saying, "just listen to the sustain" (bends ear towards fancy box with pickups inside)... Your friend says, "I don't hear anything", And you explain: "Yes but you would, if you were playing, wouldn't you?" ... Then you put the box back in the glass case and pick out something else you've never played to show them 😂
Gibson has been "private equity" for decades back to Norlin era, and not only that but all the big retailers are "private equity" so your point is moot.
@@sole__doubt It is and also isn't, I bought a used '21 Custom for 3500e and I'm happy. When you look at other brands Gibson prices aren't that crazy really unless you go for stupid stuff like that KH Custom. Prices are crazy everywhere theses days, you see MIK Schecters for 2700e now FFS!
@@the_hippykiller22 You can get an EC-1000 for under $1500 brand new and its at least as good as a Gibson LP. On the used market you can get a Caparison, which are the best guitars made anywhere, for well under $2000.
I agree that Gibson is leaning hard into the collectors/luxury market. It’s been working. A lot of their market is older people with disposable income. My question is, what are they going to do to appeal to younger players once their current base ages out? I almost never see younger bands playing Gibson’s. Hell, their last big guitar hero was Slash. Most of their newer signature artists (Mustaine, Hammett, Adam Jones, Mark Morton) are from bands that have been around for 30 or 40 years. They really need to do something to attract the younger generation or they risk fading in popularity like they did in the 80s before Slash started playing Gibson’s.
Doesn't matter if they are leaning too hard, prs makes very good humbucker guitars that r even more versatile for less. Also it's acc really heard to hear the difference if u watch some of spectresoundstudios blind comparison ull realise that u acc can't the difference between a $1000 and $300 dollar guitar (or at least know which is which) If u are a super Gibson fan, then by all mean buy one know u are only buying it for the name (What I've seen online, the only young ppl buying Gibsons are kids who were rly influenced by Les Paul players or just love slash or whatever, or their parents got it for them) Also how many remakes of Kirk hammers guitar are we gonna get. I'm kinda curious of the number of sales for all these signature guitars Vs their modern lineup
@@yellownoiseclubdef agree, although probably 9/10 aren’t tracking in the studio which leaves feel and resonance as primary purchase drivers for many. And there’s absolutely a difference in feel/sound “in room” between a PRs and Gibson
@@yellownoiseclubBang on. I will end up buying an SG, because I just love them, but I acknowledge that it’s not a sensible buy by any stretch of the imagination. I mean, AU$3500 for an SG is just ridiculous, but I have to have one. Two SE’s and a great amp would be a better investment.
My first guitar back in 1976 was a Gibson LP standard $575 with hard shell case. Since the 90s prices have continually priced regular musicians out of the market.
I bought a brand new Gibson LP Special with a case in 2016 for 575. So yeah, don't crap yourself. This guy covers only luxury releases which there's a market for too
I live in Paris, near Le Bon Marché, a luxury mall (similar to Bloomingdale's) where Gibson opened a corner a few years ago which is still open. Before this, I never saw an instrument brand exposing products in this place dedicated to the most expensive clothes and jewelry brands. That is quite significant about the luxury direction Gibson has taken.
i love it. Gibson is the rolex of the guitar world. I hope they keep their status and dont downgrade to please the crowds. J'aime tellement gibson je sais pas ce que je ferais pour cette marque. Des guitares d'une qualité et d'une excellence inégalée, vive la laque nitrocellulose.
No professional is buying a Gibson to record or play live unless they’re realllly jacking that 70s-80s energy. Most of us play Ibanez or Fender from what I see in NY studio sessions nowadays
Me too. I got an Epiphone Inspired By Gibson 335 for $600. The Gibson ES 335 was priced at $3900. Who can afford one of those other than Larry Carlton?
@@amphibious4463 They all have the "Greenybucker" pickups, even the Epiphone. With this new pickup scam....I mean line....I now see why the Greenys are so expensive.
@@SteveSterlacciI’d be curious to see what the sales figures are on the EP greeny or even the Gibson USA. I can’t imagine what young person is buying those lol
@@amphibious4463spot on. I personally don't care about guitars that have been played by another player, but I understand that a lot of people do and in that case, the Greeny is a one off. As you say though, anything else is just a les paul.
I’ve been playing for the better part of 28 years now, and when I was a kid, I was enamored with the Les Paul Standard and the PRS Custom 24. In fact, my first “good” electric guitar was a used PRS CE 22 that I still have and gig to this day. In the years between, I’ve owned and flipped many USA Gibison’s including Les Paul DC Standard, Les Paul DC Pro, Les Paul Traditional, Les Paul Custom, and ES 339. When I bought my Les Paul Custom (brand new) around 2008, I paid the price of a current Les Paul Standard…and it was the full Gibson experience with shoddy solder joints, horrible tuning stability, and fairly high action from the factory. Currently I have only one Gibson in my collection, an Explorer that I bought about 15 years ago. I still have all three Core PRS guitars I’ve bought as well as an S2 PRS and an SE. The inconsistent QC I’ve experienced with Gibson guitars over the years at their price points relative to time are enough to totally turn me off to them. If I want an American made guitar at Gibson prices, I’ll stick with PRS. If I want to spend the money that Gibson wants for a Murphy Labs guitar, I’ll spring for a PRS Private Stock. At least I’ll be able to get exactly what I want as opposed to an overpriced production level guitar that I’m paying idiotic money for someone to pre-abuse for me.
I got a Murphy lab R9 for 5k, that is not private stock money. Private stock nowadays you’re talking 12-15k 🥲 I own PRS and Murphy lab, my ML eats my rosewood neck prs for breakfast imo 🤷♂️ you should try one ultra light aged (no dings) one time you may surprise yourself
@@marcwink4122 100%. A company has to earn Your business not the other way around. Your opinion is likely why Gibson just changed ownership again recently. Ultimately for me, I hate flipping and collecting. I wanted to do it Once, and it was just the best guitar for the money and type/sound of guitar I wanted, brand aside. Almost died from illness in 2022 and wanted an ES and an R9 so I bought them 10 days after surgery 😂 only live once.. I don’t regret it, now I have 2 life partners that I cherish and play Every single day. A good ultra light aged Murphy lab is unbeatable imo they really nailed it these last couple years, IF you can get used for a good price. Just a lot of discipline saving 😂
@@ScottsGuitar I see your perspective, I do. And I’m glad you’re on the mend. The issue for me comes down to, as you have observed, Gibson as a brand having lost my trust as a consumer. For me to think about going back and trying one of their guitars again in the form of an ultra light aged Murphy Labs 1959, that’s a really tough $7,000 pull to swallow when I know I can spend the same or less on a Fender Custom Shop 1957 NOS or Closet Classic Strat and not have the nagging voice of cynicism telling me to expect something to be wrong with the guitar. It makes it much easier to buy a guitar and enjoy it when it’s coming from a company that hasn’t given you fits in the past because of shoddy QC.
yaeh please, buy a guitar that fits your need. Don't ask gibson to downgrade their products and make them cheaper to please the crowd. You're doing the right thing. I like my gibson as it is: awesome, expensive, luxurious and gorgeous. Thank you.
Most of my gigging career I’ve played on a mim fender. Lately I’ve gone even cheaper. Played a tagima strat copy and low end squier with a decent setup you’re good to go. I bought a redid 335 copy last may that is wonderful. If it’s all about playing and not about the headstock then get some cheap and reliable.
Squires are pretty much Fender quality of 10 years ago good now. A LOT of people are going with inexpensive Squires and swearing they are better than the production Fenders today.
100%, been a life long lover of Gibson and Les Paul’s, but no longer just due to costs, I now build and play my own strats live, I can’t justify either buying more Gibsons in this economic climate or playing the ones I have from fear they’ll be stolen. I’m just really disappointed as to Gibson as a brand these days, IMO they don’t know how to cater for working musicians, the signatures are a joke, they’re just out to gouge as much as possible
It's always weird to me when guys who have 50 thousand dollar+ guitar collections complain about the price of a certain brand or model. This "working man" having an extensive high end guitar collection thing is a fairly new phenomenon. Back in the day you had *maybe* 3 or 4 really nice guitars and it took you 10 years or more to acquire them. You maybe had a nice strat, a nice Les Paul and a couple of other good instruments to flesh out your collection. And a lot of people got by just fine with smaller collections than that. You could afford a high end Les Paul with that approach.... and you played it to death because if you were a Les Paul guy it was your MAIN guitar. And not just part of some impersonal collection waiting to be sold or traded at a moments notice. All those iconic rockstars who you wish you were but clearly aren't had ONE nice guitar and a story to tell about how difficult it was to afford. And they played that guitar to death and if they made it THEN they acquired more guitars. This culture of being a regular guy and expecting to be able to afford 10 premium instruments is largely a social media and marketing construct. It's not normal.
@@adamimberti6948your philosophy is on-point here. It’s all marketing trying, and succeeding, to make us believe we deserve to constantly treat ourselves with the “best” of everything. When you were a kid, the shittiest guitar could suffice because it was what you had, which is really what your family could afford. We need to remember what it was like to pickup that first guitar, both metaphorically and literally lol
@WinterhouseRecords There's nothing wrong with owning expensive guitars of course but feeling like you should be able to afford one or more of the most expensive production guitars available on a "working mans" budget feels a little entitled to me.... It's like having a nice car and being offended that you can't afford a Ferrari.
Yes, this exactly. I have a MIJ Epiphone LP Custom. It sounds great. It feels great. For years I lusted for a Gibson, but I can’t see how it could be any better for my needs. FWIW, I’m just a hobbyist guitar player; I just noodle around, sometimes play along to records. I feel like Gibson is following the Harley Davidson model of business; and HD is offshoring.
Steve great points you made. If you watch the Andertons video with the Tom Murphy interview you will get some validation to what you’re saying. It’s all about the lawyer/doctor or collector who owns a vintage guitar but then wants to keep it at home and buy an aged replica that uses a rusty old belt buckle and keys, for ten grand, to take to their Sunday blues jam. A thousand bucks for pickups these same people will probably buy further proves this direction. I was hoping Cesar in CEO position would make some corrections to the ship course but that remains to be seen I guess.
Great vid man. I commented just last night about this. Gibsons should ship in frames. I wouldn’t take my 8k guitar to a gig even if I could afford it. They aren’t tools anymore, they’re “art.”
@@LucasJRice Eye of the beholder holds true I guess but, to me at least, nothing Gibson makes really stands out from the competition. These days I will take a PRS or Heritage over a Gibson at the same price point every time (talking new here). That is the problem, it shouldn't be down to luck past $1500.
2:50 “$1000 for pickups”, yea saw this & thought crazy. Totally agree man, the LP used to be a workhorse staple but they over the years struggled with quality & lost kudus. Post latest takeover it seems we got the quality back to what it should be as standard but now having to pay over the odds plus there’s the luxury over-the-top ranges they do now, like you say. I bought a Les paul studio new in 1991, an amazing workhorse of a guitar, I paid about $1000 for it at the time but nowadays that’s the price of a pickup😮😂 crazy! Hope you’re well
@@planzed.2 I hope no one is buying them as an investment. Pickup prices have gotten stupid. Maxon dry Z are selling for $2,000. There are a few brands selling for $1000.
I have two standards, and the first thing I had to do when I got 'em was whip out the soldering iron to rectify the wiring, and go online to order upgraded parts. Like you, I thought "what the hell! This is not a cheap guitar.. Why should I be doing this?" On your other point: if you can't take out a guitar to play it, then you may as well not buy it at all.
I have had many Gibsons and currently own 3, I have never had a problem with any of them. No QC issues, no required upgrades, etc. I see a lot of people making these comments and either I am insanely lucky or people are overly nitpicking their guitars. The only guitar that I bought that had a wiring problem right out of the box was a new American PRS McCarty 10 top that had to be re-soldered
I remember back in the 70s in the UK, the sales rep coming into the shop and saying, 'If you are thinking of buying any Gibsons, do it now because next week they are going to double the trade price!' Same guitars but twice the price.
Yeah, I had a similar conversation with a salesman in my guitar shop years ago over An American standard Telecaster. I was griping over the price increase(I think they went from like $699 to $899?) and he just shrugged and said they're only gonna keep going up lol.
There are three trends in play here. The first is that there are amateur players who have made big bux in occupations that have nothing whatever to do with music. These people love their guitars, but since they never did (and never will) gig for money, they make up for it by buying all this boutique high-end stuff. There are enough of them for Gibson to make money selling to them. The second trend is that there are way fewer working guitar players compared to the Fifties through the Seventies. The reason for that state of affairs is that most working guitar players made their living playing six nights a week in the bars. At one point the country bars had shifts on the weekends. The first band from 9 to 1:30 for the day shift, a second from 2:00 to 6:30 AM for swing shift. Plus off-night bands. You could work every night for as long as you could stand it. Pay was MUCH better, too. There were a great many folks making a good living just playing locally. It's absolutely true that live music and the sale of liquor by the drink was a match made in Heaven and a license to print money, but it all came to a hard stop when greedy municipalities and a greedier legal profession passed Draconian DUI laws. Bars stopped being places to socialize, have fun, and make new opposite-gender friends, and became one's last stop on the way to bankruptcy at best, and prison if you weren't really lucky.So people stopped going to bars ,live music dried up and most of the working players had to find day jobs. It's been like that for 40 years. A third trend is that while there are some very wealthy people, most Americans earn substantially less than previous generations. The result of that for musicians is that while the adjusted-for-inflation prices for Gibson and Fender USA production instruments are actually less than during Da Golden Age, they're more out of reach than for those earlier players. Today's players do NOT like being poorer than their parents and grandparents,
I care about good music first and last. The gear, what it looks like, and what it costs is only of passing interest. The talent and creativity of the musicians is where the real value exists.
Regardless of cost, the instrument has to feel right, and sound good to the player. That's all that matters. The big brands pay musicians to play their instruments on stage. If you're not famous it works the other way. The way to get exactly what you want is to commission a build, or build it yourself. I have respect for players that ignore branding.
If be interested to see the break down of what the costs in materials/employee time/brand name were split as now vs different periods. Most guitars arent 100% hand built now, but QC and other things are different. Does a guitar take half the time to make now? Do yoy need as skilled a worker? Is the instrument even as good?
I solidly agree with you. I don’t collect guitars, I play with my band in shitty clubs and my main concern is not to be robbed of my gear. I owned Gibson in the past, actually a ‘92 SG Special for 15 years. Today I go for MIM Fender models. My go to is a Vintera Telly Deluxe with a pair of CuNiFe WRHB. Half the price of a US model but exact same tone. I wouldn’t leave the house with such expensive guitars.
What I don't understand is, why when other brands make 24.75" scale length guitars with dual humbuckers, they never come with the two tones two volume? does gibson hold a patent on that control scheme or something?
Maybe on a Gibson knock-off. Remember the "lawsuit" guitars made in Japan? Otherwise, I'm sure they don't. I have a 1997 Guild X-175 hollow body. It has a 24.75 scale with 2 humbuckers 2 volume and 2 tone knobs. I checked their website a minute ago and they have the same configuration.
100%, Steve. You’re right. Happening everywhere too. Bought a fridge by same maker as my dead 9-year old fridge. They took all the options off new one 😊 and now sell the “better one” for 3x the price.
Great video, Gibson has also just released the 'modern custom light' or something at $1500us, so I think they are still selling to the working musician - just not the way we're all hoping. The cost of a LP standard is too much. Its a legacy model 'because' of its association with working musicians and that legacy is now fixed in time, it costs too much to fulfil its purpose in the modern era.
I have owned 10 sgs in my life so far (off and on and currently have 3 in rotation) The used market has very affordable Gibsons still in my opinion and they can be great players. It’s just a quest to find them sometimes and to me that’s part of the fun but the QC has been out of control for a while and I don’t know if that’s an issue that has been fixed yet. You can def find a used standard for a grand to 1200 easily and a special for around 800
I agree. Here in Australia, a regular LP Standard is AU$5700. Way too much. I ended up getting an Eastman, which is better built, for $2300. Less than half.
@@user-ql1pc7pi9x That's right. The Eastman guitars are completely handmade, mostly with hand tools. Here are a few advantages of say an SB59 over a LP Standard 50s: 1. One piece mahogany neck (Gibson uses three pieces to save wood) 2. Hand carved neck and carved top (Gibson uses a CNC machine, then a bit of finish sanding) 3. Long neck tennon join (Gibson uses the short tenon on the standard) 4. Generally, SB59s are lighter than Standard LPs. Mine weighs 3.6kg (8lb). The only 8lb LPs I've touched are from the custom shop. 5. Eastman fit and finish is way better.
Like yourself I am an avid Gibson fan and I agree with everything you have said. I had this conversation with my main guitar guy at a local store when I tried the new Greeny standard. While the guitars are nice they don't have the same feel and fit and finish of the custom shop guitars. This greeny had a high e string where the nut was cut too low and the string buzzed open. I asked him literally the same question. "I love Gibson and always will, but are they making it so I have to spend 4000+ to get something with no issues? I have no issue with them making luxury guitars, but they should still have a affordable models that aren't cost cut specials for working musicians. All brands seem to be heading this way it seems from a lot of the newer guitars I have played in stores, but Gibson as usual is leading the charge this way. Great video buddy!
Good point. I watched several “factory tours” on YT. According to the people who work there, virtually all the Gibson guitars start out almost the same, same attention to the body, the neck, the frets, the routing, it’s only the custom inlays, the paints, and the hardware that differentiate these guitars…they could be putting out a $1500 model that plays really really well but they don’t…Pity.
I am also fan of Gibson guitars but like PRS the really nice pieces are priced out of the regular joe's range. And now even the lower level guitars are gettting over priced. Whoever thought we would see 1500 dollar epis and SE's.
Budget option - iron gear blues engine , using maple spacers as well . Using maple spacers (at least the 2018 version i own ) Usa option - the new accurately built paf 57 A2 . You're welcome
Absolutely spot on Steve, on all the points you made. Guitars purchased by investment bankers, doctors, lawyers, etc. Blazing away in pentatonic scale glory. These are the same type of people who own Gibson and are not seeing their expected financial returns. Is this why Gibson Corp. is for sale?
I’m a 20+ year working musician and use my SJ200 at gigs all the time. I waited 20 years to get it, though. They are not typically for the average income younger guys. I do think it’s a shame. I always wanted these things back when I was younger. Luckily there are lots of good options for those who don’t want to pay those prices. It’s totally understandable if they don’t.
Yup. 100%. As a casual enthusiast, I'm a fan, and I've bought a few Gibsons for reasonable money. But in the last 2-3 years it's gone bonkers. Basic Epiphones now costing more than I paid for a Gibson Les Paul Studio is nuts. The new modern lites & studios look like unfinished kit guitars, and are still stupid money.
Made in Mexico fenders are costing as much as new studios guitar prices in general are out of hand it’s just easy click bait to go Gibson bad and expensive.
Have epiphone raised their standards and gone up market? When I was more into guitars they were a budget item with inferior parts and pickups to Gibson, at least in the estimation of players I knew. But the prices they are nowadays, it seems they have rather distanced themselves as the Gibson budget brand into more of their own thing with budget and premium models?
I recently bought a new PRS SE 594's single cut when they were clearing them out and swapped in a set of Pearly Gates and new wiring. Plays excellent and sounds incredible for around $1K investment! I was so happy with it that I bought a used SE 594 standard and will be swapping in some Burstbuckers.
Prices keep going up on the “normal” tier and then everything else from custom, Demo shop and ML is aimed to collectors and ppl that can buy +$6k axes… IMO that’s mental! Just wait… Other brands are way better in value for actual players. 😊 Even Epiphone prices are getting ridiculous 😅
Hi Steve, I'm trying to buy my dream guitar Gibson Les Paul custom in ebony and just about to pull the trigger it went up by $700. Not to mention QC issues and paint flows etc. I feel getting ripped off. Maybe I should stick with my '97 Gibson Les Paul standard and forget about the custom. I prefer to only buy new guitars. What would you do in my situation? Thanks
I just ordered a Chibson. If you research who you’re buying from, and don’t mind swapping pickups/tuners/a bridge, you can get a really nicely optioned Les Paul for like $250-400 shipped from a seller who goes the extra mile to ensure good QC. Chinese guitars have improved dramatically in quality. Some people say “buy a Harley Benton” and I’m sure they’re super nice but I want something that looks just like a Gibson with a Gibson headstock, logo etc. Even if it’s not real, it’s just for my own aesthetic enjoyment and it’s not like I have anyone to impress with my bedroom rocking. I can buy several Chibsons and customize them however I want for the price of one Gibson that arguably is not worth the extra money, especially when I am capable of my own mods/fretwork. I already bought an Epiphone Trad Pro II - super nice. When I went to the store for that one, I was prepared to buy a Gibson and none of them I picked up felt or sounded as nice as the $400 Chinese Epiphone lol
I just did exactly that. Swap the pickups for some decent PAF copies, decent hardware, and switch and pots and a some attention to details with the neck and one can easily have an affordable guitar that plays BETTER and stays in tune=BY FAR better than a Gibson. And if it gets nicked???? Well, youre out 1k instead of 14k!
Try getting your hands on a vintage V100, if you can get the original from around 15 years ago you'll be really happy, but they have a reissued version.
I do the same! And I love my guitar. I change a bridge to a little bit bigger, change pickups and pots and I have a coil split option. Pickups from China too. They are waxed. All together about 350$. I love the sound, feelings, color and Gibson sign on the neck) perfect guitar for me. I understand you and happy for you)
I think you absolutely have a point. Look at the Thunderbird Bass. Currently the "standard" bass is being discontinued, but they're still pushing the Rex Brown and Gene Simmons version that's 25% more expensive. Had a look through their site and a lot of their cheaper guitar's like the tribute are being discontinued.
My 2013 Tribute was under 600 euro back in 2015 when I bought it new. Got 50 off. Converted to 2023 USD it should be around 935,- compared to over 1200 in 2023. (1450 Euro here) If I remember correctly there were a few reasonable priced Gibsons around ‘13. The price of that new lite is crazy as cheapest guitar they sell. The price of those pickups are on another level. I see people keep them as collectors items. I let it go to own a nice full spec Gibson. What future does Gibson have when younger players cant afford them.
I'm 61 and when I was a teenager learning to play all I wanted was to be able to get a Gibson guitar one day. But these days there are some other really good alternative brands that probably play and sound as good or better, they just don't have the history that Gibson does. But there are people out there who are quite happy to pay for the name and that's fine .
I think buying a brand for superficial reasons is stupid. Pro's play them because they're paid to. The most important thing about an Instrument is how it sounds, and feels. What validates a player is how good they are. I do care about quality but show me the quality in a production Gibson.
I still have my 1968 Les Paul Custom . . . love it. Back in the '70s I was a guitar salesman for a while in NZ and because the store I worked for sold a LOT of Gibsons, Fenders, Rick etc. we always got first look at any new batches coming into the agent - I think they were happy to me as a sort of 'QC' guy because none of them actually played guitars. I would usuall tell them to send one or two back to the US - banana necks and other faults. Those couple of years gave me a memorable lesson in evaluating guitars be they 'famous' or 'relative unknown' brand. Gibson: Iconic brand, yes, but 'human'. That hasn't changed. Frankly when I saw Tom Murphy enthusing over his box of chisels and metal implements I felt sick to my stomach, particularly when the price from Light Aged up to Heavy Aged is measured in hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Laughing all the way to bank. Call me old fashioned but a guitar is a musical instrument and IMHO should be delivered in pristine condition . . . if you like the relic thing then fine, no judgement, it's your money, your choice. I visit the Gibson / Epiphone flagship here in HK every few weeks and there are some lovely guitars from both brands and, some Gibsons that strike me as ridiculously overpriced for what they are but 'c'est la vie' . . .
I don’t associate Kirk Hammett with Gibson at all , in fact it seems like you only see a picture of him holding one from the last ten years or so Guess it would be hard to flog a fifty thousand dollar ESP
I’ll be sticking to imports for now. I’ve got a epi SG I’m gonna put 57 classics in, a MIM Strat that I wouldn’t change a thing about, and might get a vintage Epi Sheraton to fill the 335 shaped hole in my heart.
I tend to agree with you to some degree. I have two Les Pauls that I bought primarily because of the Gibson heritage (Jimmy Page etc) and also because I feel like they will be a good value over time. Not that I intend on selling them but when I'm gone the kids can sell them (if they want) and get a decent buck. Either way - it all comes down to supply and demand - if people are willing to pay crazy prices for the special edition models then good for them!
When Page played with Led Zeppelin he was seen on stage mostly with Les Pauls. I am 62 and had the pleasure to see Led Zeppelin live in the late seventys. - yeah what a great mystical experience you may think - reality was a bunch of stoned drunk guys producing incredible Noise. Page could have used a tinbucket instead of a guitar. Otherwise you hear, that most of the Studio recordings where done with a Telecaster.
In the days when a cover-band could get work 3-5 nights a week, the price of a Gibson could be justified. A pro could get-it to pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time. Now, when a million streams nets you $50, and live-music venues vanishing in many places, only your dentist can justify owning one to hang on his wall & hopefully sell to another dentist at double the price in 5-years. I switched to Fenders in the early-80’s & made the right call.
totally agree, I have a Gibson Les Paul tribute because I always wanted a Les Paul and it was what I could afford but I planned to get a standard someday when I could afford it (60 years old now so not sure when that’ll be 😂) but I was proud of the one I got but of course I had to take it to a guitar tech so he could fix the fret ends, to say they were sharp would be a gross understatement but I was still proud, then one day I bought a new schecter and when I got it out of the box my first words (not joking) were “damn, Gibson should be embarrassed “ not wow this is a nice guitar, but damn the frets are magnificent on this guitar, it was night and day difference between the two, but I still liked Gibson, just embarrassed for them, then I was their website one day looking for a Gibson T-shirt and I saw one that was pretty cool, the price $68 , are you kidding 70 bucks for a T-shirt WTF, now $1000 pickups, hell I want to be a Gibson guy, my favorite guitarist all play Gibsons (mostly) but they have left people like me behind, my Schecter and my Les Paul tribute were both priced about the same but the quality difference is astounding, and for the record I like some of the new epiphone guitars but I don’t like the fretboard material on them, for $1000 to 1500 for epi les Paul it should have a rosewood (or ebony) fingerboard,
one of the best workingman guitaars out there in my opinion is the Gibson LP special , right price for the astounding quality, and its yet "affordable"
I have recently been digging PRS. Better guitar. Plays in tune all over the neck. The quality is apparent. Their import models are better than US Gibsons.
I have a PRS McCarty 10 top that I bought new over 20 years ago (same price as a Les Paul standard at the time) and it is perfectly built in every way and the top is absolutely gorgeous. Zero flaws. The problem is it has no mojo and it doesn't feel "cool" to play. It feels clinical and sterile. It hangs on the wall like all of my other nicer guitars do but when I play I'm grabbing one of my Gibsons 99% of the time and my telecaster the other 1% of the time
There are 21 new or mint Gibson for sale on reverb right now that cost less than $999 asking. Even direct from Gibson there are low cost models, maybe with one pickup and a thin finish, but good tools for the working musician, and they can be nice and light and very resonant. And there’s Epiphone. Have an open mind to what’s out there. Don’t get hung up on specific colors or specs. And if you go for the true used market, there are tons of Les Paul Standards out there now for decent prices. It’s looking a little more like a buyer’s market.
As another Gibson lover I feel the same. After suing all the other manufacturers that make affordable guitars they release one that are out of reach for 90% of the guitarists out there. My theory is that Epiphone has become the working man and club player's guitar. My newer Epiphones run side by side in quality, feel and tone as my Gibson guitars. I wonder if the new "PAF" pickups have been potted with fairy wax in an atmosphere of unicorn farts. Now those I would buy. 😁
I think the recent release of the new PRS SE guitars is going to be a game changer. For well under a grand they have released quite a few models of guitars every bit as good as their American made counterparts from Fender and Gibson. While Fender is releasing the newest limited series Adam Vinateri telecaster with a reverse headstock and a combo newly invented P90/humbucker pup, PRS is quietly selling SE’s that have the quality and feel as good as some of Fender’s Custom Shops
I couldn’t agree more, last week I picked up a new PRS SE Paul’s guitar for well under a grand. It looks, plays and sounds as good as any Gibson, Fender I have ever played and I have been playing for about 60 years. When it comes to acoustic guitars that’s another story Gibson still makes some great acoustic guitars but you have to hunt to find the right one. It took me over a year to find my J45 I played a lot of them before I found “the one”. Companies like Furch are making consistently great acoustic guitars for very reasonable prices.
I have 4 other electrics that all have their uses, but since I bought my SAS SE, I can't seem to put it down. It is easier to play than any of my others, and also has some very distinctive sounding options. I love it.@@jimross9429
Gibson fan here. I have Les Pauls and SGs and I enjoy them BUT if I have a (rare) gig I bring my Telecaster instead. Easy to carry. Easy to fix it. Easy to repair or if its stolen or damaged easy to replace.
Hi Steve. Im a 64 guitar player from Buffalo, NY. Ive benn playing for about 53 years. This is the first video I have watched of yours. This has to be the most honest, to the point guitar video I have ever seen. I agree with you 100 percent. There is no way Im going to spend 3000 on a LP and gig at a local bar. Its really a shame. My Dad bought be a 1974 Black LP custom that i play to this day. I still have the reciept. $530.00. Well whats that in todays dollars? I get it but a LP isnt worth 3000 ormore in todays dollars. If you are ever in Buffalo wings are on me. Just to let you know Steve.Chicken wings aroung 1980 wre 10 cents each. So maybe Gibson has a point....
Hello and welcome! Thanks for sharing your story. I get the inflation prices and conversion to todays dollars. But, when you think of a les paul then, you were getting an absolute top of the instrument that is the most sought after thing 60 years later. The "standards" of today, are nowhere near that. I hope to be touring through Buffalo soon and see ya at a show
Go Buffalo ! Great town, and I hope it still has a vibrant music scene. Many warm (if a little fuzzy) memories from the mid 70s, when I first dreamed of owning an LP. Have one now but maybe a lot of these guys (and why do they always seem to be guys) have a point, i.e. when we boomers are gone, there might be lots of used Gibsons being sold by our kids ...
It's a pretty major shift in the topography of the "everyday" picker. I have been in and out of music stores and even worked for one for several years. I've had an original 1956 Gold Top Les Paul in my hands... What a treat! What I remember was people going into the store and they could essentially pick between a pretty solid Fender or few a hundred more a decent Les Paul. Now... That's not the case. What will happen is people like me who has built Fender Strats for years, will start building Gibson guitars instead. As I sit here, I have 12 kits coming. I have diagrams and specs for the 57-59 Les Paul. They're just encouraging a new generation of Luthiers.
Started playing when I was 8. I'm 60 now and still playing. I am the "Working guitar player" you speak of. I have NEVER been able to afford a Gibson. I thank my lucky stars for the likes of Ibanez, Epiphone, Schecter, etc. Without them, I would have never been able to play on a quality instrument. That's the biggest reason I got away from the "Name Game". I now play what feels good to me, what sounds good and, what is in my price range. I figured out that if the "Poor Musician" plays the "Name Game" he will remain just that.... Poor.
I’ve been playing out live off and on for 20 years and what’s crazy is I don’t remember any of the musicians in the other bands playing a Gibson… Good luck to Gibson when their current customers pass away… When I was younger I always thought maybe I’d get one someday, but honestly I’d rather play the cheaper guitars I’ve been playing and modified to my taste.
Luxury market is so true! You are 100% correct. Not many can afford a LP today and the models that are slightly more budget priced are not, honestly, that good.Ive noticed the prices jump in increments of $300 over a few months...at least, here in Canada And really, they concentrate on p'ups but Gibson have never really addressed the issue of soft ,small frets that wear out in months and a weak area in thd headstock. Once that headstock goes, and it doesn't take much for it to snap, the $10,000 Murphy guitar is GONE. I love LPs too but I go for an Ibanez AZS model.
My guess is that some analyst spotted a trend in the more expensive products were selling significantly better than expected. Good coverage of this topic! I have a Les Paul Special (which I purchased new in 2022) that doesn't look as fancy but it plays and sounds very good. My son has a R6 that is the nicest feeling, playing and sounding guitar I ever played. I have a Custom 22 PRS that feels like the R6 but sounds very different. I just play at home and with friends and it's very hard to justify spending more than $2000 on an instrument.
Tbh part of the problem here is inflation. If they have increased costs and want to maintain profit, prices go up. Part of the reason people can’t afford their prices is obviously your wages aren’t keeping pace with their profit margin… aka corporate greed. I come from an era where American Strats were $1k for a Deluxe, a little less for a standard, and now MIM Strats are over a grand. I bought my first Custom 24 for $2200 after working for a summer in high school and saving for that guitar. Now I couldn’t afford to buy a PRS Core even on an engineering PMs salary. Not sure if these prices are long term sustainable.
Original 50’s PAFS were very inconsistent due to winding. Someone wound more than others and when you have two wound bobbins that can be a varying mix. Some were more single coil like others were darker, some were pretty hot others not so much. It was the inconsistencies that is were a lot of the personality and magic came from when it comes to old electrics. This goes for old amps as well.
At 7:13 you can see that the pickup mounts are already bent and crooked on a 1k set of pickups. My first Les Paul was 650€ back in 2011 !!! They totally lost the plot at this point in time.
Not to discount anybody’s bad experiences with Gibson, but I bought a Les Paul Special Tribute Humbucker model, the cheapest model they offered at the time, and it is an amazing guitar. I did pay for a setup from a real tech, which I do for all guitars, but now it even stays in tune.
I just bought my first Gibson just to add to my collection. It is a 2023 Les Paul Modern that I paid $2050 delivered at my door. Mind you this is a $3000 guitar that otherwise I would have never bought new. I got it in excellent condition. I am still debating to keep it because I find it awkward to play in standing position. A Fender Telecaster with a belly cut is so much comfortable to play. I mostly gig with a double humbucker tele but I am gonna take my Gibson to a gig this weekend and see how I like it.
i think you're right about gibson chasing the luxury market. lots of other consumer products have done the same because that's where the big money lies. i bought myself an SG a few years ago and love that guitar however i don't think i'll ever buy a les paul or 335 with the prices being the way they are.
I understand that Gibson has been dropping the ball alot but I must tell you about my experience with ordering a left handed Les Paul from them. my Les Paul is totally awesome and I only paid $1999.00 for it. it doesn't have the bells and whistles alot of them have that makes them high dollar range but never the less it is a solid guitar.
i just purchased my first gibson les paul standard 50s....I had to hurry before the price went up any more....my thoughts on gibson is it doesn't make sense to have those kind of prices
An excellent review Steve. For years I've been wondering what the hell has been going on in the Gibson board room. I own three Gibson guitars (Les Paul DC Standard, Les Paul Studio Pro, Firebird Studio T) and I have to admit I bought them mainly for the name on the headstock. Last year I bought an Epiphone ES 339. It's almost a direct copy of the Gibson 339 but cost a fraction of the Gibson's price. A Gibson 339 will knock you back around £2,500 here in the UK. My Epiphone was pre-owned but nonetheless immaculate and I paid £340 for it (list price of a new one is around £460). The guitar is excellent in all respects. Ok, so it's made in the far east and not the USA but, because Epiphone is owned by Gibson, they are allowed to make direct copies of Gibson models and do so at a fraction of the cost and price to the consumer. Despite serious management changes and a file for bankruptcy I really do think Gibson has lost the plot completely. In my opinion they lost the plot a long time ago.
I own an army of epiphones and gibsons among many other guitars ive bought, some from $100 to $10K, I've been playing and collecting guitars I enjoy playing for just over thirty years and have almost 200 guitars. I'm no guitar snob, I'll play anything if it inspires me to not want to put it down. I'm especially defiant when it comes to brand name sales pitches, so when I went in to try out the gibson greeny I was adamant I was going to be over critical and not like it. It played so well and was so unique that after a minute I knew it was coming home with me. Sometimes you truly do get what you pay for. I own some epiphones that have played better than some gibsons too, it all comes down to what makes you happy, what inspires you and what makes you not want to put it down. Buy what you like, there's no right or wrong answer as the guitar you buy is as unique to your personal experience as your guitar style is. I don't get all the dick measuring and butthurt. The only one thing we can agree on is for once we are spoiled by quality choice.
I have a 1961 Les Paul jr and a 2016 les paul traditional and love them. Id never spend $10,000 on any guitar. Currently theres a shop with a few Custom Les Pauls in sparkle finishes for $6500 that id love to have. After taxes theyd cost $7200. Crazy money that most workin musicians like myself don't want to spend. Even slowly saving money up for such a purchase its hard to fork over that money
That's a good point, today I bought mine after a long long wait for a guitar that I really like, I was tempted to buy ltds and maybe a regular Gibson flying V but I just choose to keep saving the money for something I would really appreciate, I know myself and I know that for a very long time I've been interested in a gibson custom and nothing else would make me happy . I mean I am 30yrs already I will maybe will be able to enjoy it another 30 or less , I will not wait until my 50s to buy my dream guitar (personal opinion) , I'm not rich I'm also a working man but instead of buying 5 or more 2k guitars like others (perfectly understandable) I choose to get THE ONE (for me) , this is my 2nd guitar the other one is a gibson slash appetite.
Yeah former working musician and now a hobbyist. I've owned two Gibsons and one was used off eBay and the other I had to finance through AMS. Those were both years ago and they were still absurdly priced. Things have gone up tremendously with no ceiling in sight and that sucks because they make my favorite guitar. But those new inspired by Gibson Epiphone 335s are pretty sweet. Wonder if those will keep improving
I was in love with Les Pauls, got one in 2007. It had significant QC issues I had to fix, which is unacceptable for that amount of money. I've since switched to other brands, they lost me as a customer.
I have dreamed of owning a Gibson Les Paul since Childhood, I started playing guitar at age 5 with a first act acoustic. At age 7 I got a Peavy Raptor, then at Age 10 a Epiphone Les Paul 100, since I’ve owned multiple Epiphone les paul’s, in 2013 I worked and saved all summer to get my first Standard and currently I own a 2021 Slash Standard and a 2020 (made in 2023 according to serial number) Les Paul Custom in Ebony finish. I always owned at least one Epiphone les Paul since 2010 so I have gotten to experience the change in quality over the last nearly 14 years, and as much as I have always wanted a Gibson Les Paul, I feel that you are right that Gibson is now a luxury product. I think based on the huge boost in quality and component choices that came with the 2020 revamp of Epiphone and the the new “Inspired by Gibson” line up that in this current Era Gibson did this because Epiphone is now the working mans option for Gibson guitars, no longer is Epiphone purely the budget option for beginners, students, or musicians of intermediate and advanced levels who are on a tight budget. Epiphone is now all of that on the lower end and up through the Stsndards, but once we get into Epiphones High end, from Les Paul Custom, to Artist models and the Custom Shop collabs…this high end of the Epiphone product line is now the where Gibson seeks to supply instruments to the working man. And if the working man wants a Gibson that says Gibson in the headstock the Studio and Tribute are and maybe up to say the Gibson Les Paul Classic are the available options, but they lack features that may push many to just buy a high end Epiphone that has certain appointments, hence why I have two high end Epiphones when I had the money to buy a Les Paul Classic. Even the Gibson LP classics have plastic perloid inlays and not genuine MOP aside from country of origin and pickups the rest of the specs my Epis are matched in Gibsons affordable offerings with appointments I couldn’t get unless I stepped up to the $3k price range. I say all this to say, I feel Gibson Revamped Epiphone, priced out the appointments that make Gibsons bottom end worth saving for over an Epiphone, ehile boosting Epiphone’s quality to push the working man towards Epiphone, while the hype beast, and individuals who seek to buy luxury products, and collectors are who Gibson is now seeking to market to. So we are now in an Era where if you simply want a good guitar, to practice, perform or record in the studio with…why buy a Gibson? Of you want the prestige of owning a Gibson that is now why you buy a Gibson.
Working musician's guitar in their brand hierarchy are the higher end Epiphones, which are priced just below the lowest end Gibsons. In terms of quality control pretty much on par. The profits on their high-end guitars make them one of the most profitable guitar manufacturers out there. The high end market puts a halo effect on the lower end, as well - decoy pricing.
I am not a pro player. I am a home office and the band player. I got my first Gibson less Paul 30 years after I started playing guitar. It was a gift for myself for my 45th birthday. Picked up a less Paul standard for 2500 bucks brand new. This was in 2018. I’m happy with it but that will probably be the last Gibson I buy. Epic phones have come along way and I think that the working man’s guitar is definitely an epic. You don’t even have to change the pick ups anymore, but could if you wanted to. They look cool, sound cool, and pretty easy to purchase for anyone. 🤘🏼
Forgot to mention the new Falcon amps that are getting terrible reviews by amp techs for being poorly built and overpriced. $1800 for a 12 watt amp? With tubes mounted directly to PCB lmao
If they would actually fix the QC on their models in the 2k-3k range it wouldn't be such a problem. No shot im buying a Gibson with the way they build their instruments now and with the offerings you can get from PRS, ESP, Ibanez or Godin. Yes Gibson has it's sound but for me it isn't worth it anymore unless you can get a great deal used.
I looked a prices and they seem to be between 1500 and 3000 on a website today. If the brand does not work for you, try another brand. If you are putting pedals on as well you may not need a specific model.
i bought a used burny for $400 because i wanted the open book headstock the thing plays great and my only issue is i want hotter pickups in it which i’ll be changing out soon
they've definitely priced themselves out of my collection. I've previously owned and sold one, but I don't really feel I can afford or justify it over a nice made copy spec'd the same. Right now I'm just finishing up a kit LP style guitar, going with handwound pickups. Figure it's going to be more sentimental than having to grind to buy one... if I'm going to grind, I'd rather do the work and make it mine.. otherwise, other places are doing great things for a lot cheaper.
I mean gibson is upping their game even on the epis, epiphones are getting expensive aswell , if you check out the greeny model it is the most expensive model so far , i mean a gibson les paul studio is at the same price range as some epiphones , but is there really a big difference between a greeny model and a custom from epi besides from the headsrock shape and the artist name? You can easily swap the pups and other things on a custom and it will be as good as or even better than a stock greeny
Glad I bought my Gibsons pre 2019. Positively cheap compared to todays prices.....I have a couple of sets of pickups too - which are also supposed to be PAF built. You can only do so much to wood and metal.
I think that there’s two Gibson brands. The custom shop is where things are going nuts like what you’re talking about. But the USA line is priced similarly to other brands and companies. Give or take…
I think you're right. In the UK, a typical monthly salary is £1700-2500. Maybe you'll have £3-400 disposable after essential bills. So if you saved hard and bought a guitar that cost a full month's salary, you want something awesome. You could get a Fender American Ultra. But with Gibson youre looking at double that for their standard top of the line and a month salary will only buy you something basic, like a Studio.
I play a ‘79 Les Paul pro, heavy as a cement wall, original p90s and true Gibson. Custom gear is just that, trying to sound true at a premium price point. I guess if you have the money, it’s fine. But I know what I have can’t be bettered, just others may be different. I enjoy your posts.
Long time Gibson owner here, since 1976.... my most recent experience: I bought a brand new LP Junior from MF for Christmas. Felt great, played great....but, it had an obvious fretboard repair/filler at the 15th fret, with leftover tool marks from, what, the fret install? This guitar should have been, would have been, back in the day, a factory second with an appropriate discount....which would have been cool. But, full price for this? Back it went. Thank you God, for such a wonderful wife who heard my sorrows, and freed up the funds for a 1983 LP Custom Black Beauty with a Kahler bridge, instead! Wow. I'll never have an original 57, but I'll love this Shaw equipped Norlin until the end. What is the current Gibson strategy? Hey, we're back and we hear you....a few years of improved quality control, then.... this money grab. Sad. If you're going to pay this kind of money for reissues, etc, just source out the best deals you can find on the used market! Naturally relic'd, too!
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Imagine pulling your Gibson holy Grail pickups out of their glass case and showing the fancy box to your friend, saying, "just listen to the sustain" (bends ear towards fancy box with pickups inside)... Your friend says, "I don't hear anything", And you explain: "Yes but you would, if you were playing, wouldn't you?" ... Then you put the box back in the glass case and pick out something else you've never played to show them 😂
This made me laugh! :P
@@SteveSterlacci You got the reference, right?
exactly 😅
Don't touch it, don't point even 😂😂
@@BillySoundFarm of course!
This is what happens when you are backed by a Private Equity group seeking to capitalize on a historic brand.
Gibson has been "private equity" for decades back to Norlin era, and not only that but all the big retailers are "private equity" so your point is moot.
Doesnt Blackrock, State Steet, and Vangaurd own everything?
@@cuda426hemi You don't know what private equity means so your point is moot.
@@JD-vj4go KKR - private equity; Norlin Ecuadoran Holding Co - who did/is doing a better job with Gibson, genius? 🎬
@@cuda426hemi Genius? Thanks! Appreciate the support.
They don't need a working man buying a $4000 Les Paul when they have morons buying $1000 pickups and $20000 Les Pauls
Exactly why I'm disappointed!
$4000 for an LP is insane. You can get a way better guitar that actually stays in tune for a fraction of the price.
@@sole__doubt It is and also isn't, I bought a used '21 Custom for 3500e and I'm happy. When you look at other brands Gibson prices aren't that crazy really unless you go for stupid stuff like that KH Custom. Prices are crazy everywhere theses days, you see MIK Schecters for 2700e now FFS!
@@the_hippykiller22 You can get an EC-1000 for under $1500 brand new and its at least as good as a Gibson LP. On the used market you can get a Caparison, which are the best guitars made anywhere, for well under $2000.
yeah but the pricey stuff does not keep a business open, not enough sales to the masses
I agree that Gibson is leaning hard into the collectors/luxury market. It’s been working. A lot of their market is older people with disposable income. My question is, what are they going to do to appeal to younger players once their current base ages out? I almost never see younger bands playing Gibson’s. Hell, their last big guitar hero was Slash. Most of their newer signature artists (Mustaine, Hammett, Adam Jones, Mark Morton) are from bands that have been around for 30 or 40 years. They really need to do something to attract the younger generation or they risk fading in popularity like they did in the 80s before Slash started playing Gibson’s.
The irony being that Slash's best album wasn't even recorded with a Gibson.
Doesn't matter if they are leaning too hard, prs makes very good humbucker guitars that r even more versatile for less.
Also it's acc really heard to hear the difference if u watch some of spectresoundstudios blind comparison ull realise that u acc can't the difference between a $1000 and $300 dollar guitar (or at least know which is which)
If u are a super Gibson fan, then by all mean buy one know u are only buying it for the name
(What I've seen online, the only young ppl buying Gibsons are kids who were rly influenced by Les Paul players or just love slash or whatever, or their parents got it for them)
Also how many remakes of Kirk hammers guitar are we gonna get. I'm kinda curious of the number of sales for all these signature guitars Vs their modern lineup
@@yellownoiseclubdef agree, although probably 9/10 aren’t tracking in the studio which leaves feel and resonance as primary purchase drivers for many. And there’s absolutely a difference in feel/sound “in room” between a PRs and Gibson
@@yellownoiseclubBang on. I will end up buying an SG, because I just love them, but I acknowledge that it’s not a sensible buy by any stretch of the imagination. I mean, AU$3500 for an SG is just ridiculous, but I have to have one. Two SE’s and a great amp would be a better investment.
@@brendanfoster5320 finally! Some one who sees sense 😅
My first guitar back in 1976 was a Gibson LP standard $575 with hard shell case. Since the 90s prices have continually priced regular musicians out of the market.
Yeah. But that’s over 3k in today’s dollars. And standards are less than 3k off the production line.
not about the money, quality sucks nowadays. @@jshearer94
I bought a brand new Gibson LP Special with a case in 2016 for 575. So yeah, don't crap yourself. This guy covers only luxury releases which there's a market for too
@@amsluna gibson is ridiculously over priced. Other brands out spec Gibson and doesn’t sell them for 3k plus
In Australia the Les Paul standard goes from $4200 up to $9000 forget custom shop. No way would I take a guitar so excited to a gig 😮
I live in Paris, near Le Bon Marché, a luxury mall (similar to Bloomingdale's) where Gibson opened a corner a few years ago which is still open. Before this, I never saw an instrument brand exposing products in this place dedicated to the most expensive clothes and jewelry brands. That is quite significant about the luxury direction Gibson has taken.
i love it. Gibson is the rolex of the guitar world. I hope they keep their status and dont downgrade to please the crowds. J'aime tellement gibson je sais pas ce que je ferais pour cette marque. Des guitares d'une qualité et d'une excellence inégalée, vive la laque nitrocellulose.
Makes me glad that, as a hobbyist, I'm fine with cheap guitars.
No professional is buying a Gibson to record or play live unless they’re realllly jacking that 70s-80s energy. Most of us play Ibanez or Fender from what I see in NY studio sessions nowadays
I proudly play a Squier baritone for my metal band. Great tone and didn't cost a fortune.
Me too. I got an Epiphone Inspired By Gibson 335 for $600. The Gibson ES 335 was priced at $3900. Who can afford one of those other than Larry Carlton?
A 50k Greeny is something I can shrug away. That's a collector's item. The 1k pickup set is also too much for me. WTF.
Yes! The FIRST one. Now there is a new 20k standard run, plus a new unrelic model, and an epiphone all at premium prices
The only one that's a collectors item is Greeny. Guitars that look like it are just another LP.
@@amphibious4463 They all have the "Greenybucker" pickups, even the Epiphone. With this new pickup scam....I mean line....I now see why the Greenys are so expensive.
@@SteveSterlacciI’d be curious to see what the sales figures are on the EP greeny or even the Gibson USA. I can’t imagine what young person is buying those lol
@@amphibious4463spot on. I personally don't care about guitars that have been played by another player, but I understand that a lot of people do and in that case, the Greeny is a one off. As you say though, anything else is just a les paul.
I’ve been playing for the better part of 28 years now, and when I was a kid, I was enamored with the Les Paul Standard and the PRS Custom 24. In fact, my first “good” electric guitar was a used PRS CE 22 that I still have and gig to this day. In the years between, I’ve owned and flipped many USA Gibison’s including Les Paul DC Standard, Les Paul DC Pro, Les Paul Traditional, Les Paul Custom, and ES 339. When I bought my Les Paul Custom (brand new) around 2008, I paid the price of a current Les Paul Standard…and it was the full Gibson experience with shoddy solder joints, horrible tuning stability, and fairly high action from the factory. Currently I have only one Gibson in my collection, an Explorer that I bought about 15 years ago. I still have all three Core PRS guitars I’ve bought as well as an S2 PRS and an SE. The inconsistent QC I’ve experienced with Gibson guitars over the years at their price points relative to time are enough to totally turn me off to them. If I want an American made guitar at Gibson prices, I’ll stick with PRS. If I want to spend the money that Gibson wants for a Murphy Labs guitar, I’ll spring for a PRS Private Stock. At least I’ll be able to get exactly what I want as opposed to an overpriced production level guitar that I’m paying idiotic money for someone to pre-abuse for me.
Hey now, those are magic tone keys they use at the lab.....magic...tone...keys....
EDIT: That Explorer isn't a gothic from 1999 or 2000 from MI is it?
I got a Murphy lab R9 for 5k, that is not private stock money. Private stock nowadays you’re talking 12-15k 🥲 I own PRS and Murphy lab, my ML eats my rosewood neck prs for breakfast imo 🤷♂️ you should try one ultra light aged (no dings) one time you may surprise yourself
I may do that at some point, but given the the past experiences that I've had wtih Gibson, It's just left a sour taste in my mouth.
@@ScottsGuitar
@@marcwink4122 100%. A company has to earn Your business not the other way around. Your opinion is likely why Gibson just changed ownership again recently.
Ultimately for me, I hate flipping and collecting. I wanted to do it Once, and it was just the best guitar for the money and type/sound of guitar I wanted, brand aside. Almost died from illness in 2022 and wanted an ES and an R9 so I bought them 10 days after surgery 😂 only live once.. I don’t regret it, now I have 2 life partners that I cherish and play Every single day.
A good ultra light aged Murphy lab is unbeatable imo they really nailed it these last couple years, IF you can get used for a good price. Just a lot of discipline saving 😂
@@ScottsGuitar I see your perspective, I do. And I’m glad you’re on the mend. The issue for me comes down to, as you have observed, Gibson as a brand having lost my trust as a consumer. For me to think about going back and trying one of their guitars again in the form of an ultra light aged Murphy Labs 1959, that’s a really tough $7,000 pull to swallow when I know I can spend the same or less on a Fender Custom Shop 1957 NOS or Closet Classic Strat and not have the nagging voice of cynicism telling me to expect something to be wrong with the guitar. It makes it much easier to buy a guitar and enjoy it when it’s coming from a company that hasn’t given you fits in the past because of shoddy QC.
This explains the WILD price hikes on 70s & 80's les paul custom black beauties.
There are so many great brands out there, leaving Gibson off my shopping list isn't difficult.
You can still get a good high end epiphone and their tribute is solid.
yaeh please, buy a guitar that fits your need. Don't ask gibson to downgrade their products and make them cheaper to please the crowd. You're doing the right thing. I like my gibson as it is: awesome, expensive, luxurious and gorgeous. Thank you.
Most of my gigging career I’ve played on a mim fender. Lately I’ve gone even cheaper. Played a tagima strat copy and low end squier with a decent setup you’re good to go. I bought a redid 335 copy last may that is wonderful. If it’s all about playing and not about the headstock then get some cheap and reliable.
Squires are pretty much Fender quality of 10 years ago good now. A LOT of people are going with inexpensive Squires and swearing they are better than the production Fenders today.
Squier HH sonic Mustang - Fender construction, Gibbo sound, without the $$$
I gig with an Ibanez Gio I bought from Goodwill online for $42. No one in the crowd ever complains that it didn't cost $5000.
100%, been a life long lover of Gibson and Les Paul’s, but no longer just due to costs, I now build and play my own strats live, I can’t justify either buying more Gibsons in this economic climate or playing the ones I have from fear they’ll be stolen. I’m just really disappointed as to Gibson as a brand these days, IMO they don’t know how to cater for working musicians, the signatures are a joke, they’re just out to gouge as much as possible
They’ve always been a luxury brand to me growing up £2500 for a les Paul standard
It's always weird to me when guys who have 50 thousand dollar+ guitar collections complain about the price of a certain brand or model.
This "working man" having an extensive high end guitar collection thing is a fairly new phenomenon. Back in the day you had *maybe* 3 or 4 really nice guitars and it took you 10 years or more to acquire them. You maybe had a nice strat, a nice Les Paul and a couple of other good instruments to flesh out your collection. And a lot of people got by just fine with smaller collections than that.
You could afford a high end Les Paul with that approach.... and you played it to death because if you were a Les Paul guy it was your MAIN guitar. And not just part of some impersonal collection waiting to be sold or traded at a moments notice.
All those iconic rockstars who you wish you were but clearly aren't had ONE nice guitar and a story to tell about how difficult it was to afford.
And they played that guitar to death and if they made it THEN they acquired more guitars.
This culture of being a regular guy and expecting to be able to afford 10 premium instruments is largely a social media and marketing construct. It's not normal.
@@adamimberti6948your philosophy is on-point here. It’s all marketing trying, and succeeding, to make us believe we deserve to constantly treat ourselves with the “best” of everything. When you were a kid, the shittiest guitar could suffice because it was what you had, which is really what your family could afford. We need to remember what it was like to pickup that first guitar, both metaphorically and literally lol
@WinterhouseRecords There's nothing wrong with owning expensive guitars of course but feeling like you should be able to afford one or more of the most expensive production guitars available on a "working mans" budget feels a little entitled to me.... It's like having a nice car and being offended that you can't afford a Ferrari.
@@adamimberti6948 A Gibson is not a Ferrari. It's a glorified C-class.
@@theostragonidis7548 That's probably a better analogy. But my point still stands.... most "working men" can't afford a C-Class.
I’ve always wanted a standard “Dream guitar” type thing. But, it’s turning into a don’t meet your hero type thing.
Yes, this exactly. I have a MIJ Epiphone LP Custom. It sounds great. It feels great. For years I lusted for a Gibson, but I can’t see how it could be any better for my needs. FWIW, I’m just a hobbyist guitar player; I just noodle around, sometimes play along to records. I feel like Gibson is following the Harley Davidson model of business; and HD is offshoring.
Steve great points you made. If you watch the Andertons video with the Tom Murphy interview you will get some validation to what you’re saying. It’s all about the lawyer/doctor or collector who owns a vintage guitar but then wants to keep it at home and buy an aged replica that uses a rusty old belt buckle and keys, for ten grand, to take to their Sunday blues jam. A thousand bucks for pickups these same people will probably buy further proves this direction. I was hoping Cesar in CEO position would make some corrections to the ship course but that remains to be seen I guess.
Great vid man. I commented just last night about this. Gibsons should ship in frames. I wouldn’t take my 8k guitar to a gig even if I could afford it. They aren’t tools anymore, they’re “art.”
Except they are not "art", Gibson is just trying to sell them as such ;)
Sure they are. Sorry you’d had bad luck.
@@LucasJRice Eye of the beholder holds true I guess but, to me at least, nothing Gibson makes really stands out from the competition. These days I will take a PRS or Heritage over a Gibson at the same price point every time (talking new here). That is the problem, it shouldn't be down to luck past $1500.
@@Xaltar_art is subjective.
I gave up on Gibson years ago. Now I find as many Dean Vs and explorers and put “fuck Gibson” stickers on them.
2:50 “$1000 for pickups”, yea saw this & thought crazy. Totally agree man, the LP used to be a workhorse staple but they over the years struggled with quality & lost kudus. Post latest takeover it seems we got the quality back to what it should be as standard but now having to pay over the odds plus there’s the luxury over-the-top ranges they do now, like you say.
I bought a Les paul studio new in 1991, an amazing workhorse of a guitar, I paid about $1000 for it at the time but nowadays that’s the price of a pickup😮😂 crazy!
Hope you’re well
Inflation has doubled since then though. $1000 doesn't buy as much today.
@@qua7771 yea you’re right but a grand for 2 pickups is a lot man
@@planzed.2 I hope no one is buying them as an investment. Pickup prices have gotten stupid. Maxon dry Z are selling for $2,000. There are a few brands selling for $1000.
You can get custom shop Duncans or Bare knuckle for a fraction of that....
I have two standards, and the first thing I had to do when I got 'em was whip out the soldering iron to rectify the wiring, and go online to order upgraded parts. Like you, I thought "what the hell! This is not a cheap guitar.. Why should I be doing this?"
On your other point: if you can't take out a guitar to play it, then you may as well not buy it at all.
I have had many Gibsons and currently own 3, I have never had a problem with any of them. No QC issues, no required upgrades, etc. I see a lot of people making these comments and either I am insanely lucky or people are overly nitpicking their guitars. The only guitar that I bought that had a wiring problem right out of the box was a new American PRS McCarty 10 top that had to be re-soldered
You hit it out of the park Steve.. The good thing is, there are piles of great instruments out there at reasonable prices.
I remember back in the 70s in the UK, the sales rep coming into the shop and saying, 'If you are thinking of buying any Gibsons, do it now because next week they are going to double the trade price!' Same guitars but twice the price.
Yeah, I had a similar conversation with a salesman in my guitar shop years ago over An American standard Telecaster.
I was griping over the price increase(I think they went from like $699 to $899?) and he just shrugged and said they're only gonna keep going up lol.
There are three trends in play here. The first is that there are amateur players who have made big bux in occupations that have nothing whatever to do with music. These people love their guitars, but since they never did (and never will) gig for money, they make up for it by buying all this boutique high-end stuff. There are enough of them for Gibson to make money selling to them.
The second trend is that there are way fewer working guitar players compared to the Fifties through the Seventies. The reason for that state of affairs is that most working guitar players made their living playing six nights a week in the bars. At one point the country bars had shifts on the weekends. The first band from 9 to 1:30 for the day shift, a second from 2:00 to 6:30 AM for swing shift. Plus off-night bands. You could work every night for as long as you could stand it. Pay was MUCH better, too. There were a great many folks making a good living just playing locally. It's absolutely true that live music and the sale of liquor by the drink was a match made in Heaven and a license to print money, but it all came to a hard stop when greedy municipalities and a greedier legal profession passed Draconian DUI laws. Bars stopped being places to socialize, have fun, and make new opposite-gender friends, and became one's last stop on the way to bankruptcy at best, and prison if you weren't really lucky.So people stopped going to bars ,live music dried up and most of the working players had to find day jobs. It's been like that for 40 years.
A third trend is that while there are some very wealthy people, most Americans earn substantially less than previous generations. The result of that for musicians is that while the adjusted-for-inflation prices for Gibson and Fender USA production instruments are actually less than during Da Golden Age, they're more out of reach than for those earlier players. Today's players do NOT like being poorer than their parents and grandparents,
It started way before Greeny.. it started with the Adam Jones custom in the Covid era
I care about good music first and last. The gear, what it looks like, and what it costs is only of passing interest. The talent and creativity of the musicians is where the real value exists.
Regardless of cost, the instrument has to feel right, and sound good to the player. That's all that matters.
The big brands pay musicians to play their instruments on stage. If you're not famous it works the other way.
The way to get exactly what you want is to commission a build, or build it yourself.
I have respect for players that ignore branding.
If be interested to see the break down of what the costs in materials/employee time/brand name were split as now vs different periods.
Most guitars arent 100% hand built now, but QC and other things are different. Does a guitar take half the time to make now? Do yoy need as skilled a worker? Is the instrument even as good?
For $2000+ you can't even get stainless steel frets, a locking tremolo, or a volute. Gibson makes guitars for wealthy collectors, not players.
I solidly agree with you. I don’t collect guitars, I play with my band in shitty clubs and my main concern is not to be robbed of my gear. I owned Gibson in the past, actually a ‘92 SG Special for 15 years. Today I go for MIM Fender models. My go to is a Vintera Telly Deluxe with a pair of CuNiFe WRHB. Half the price of a US model but exact same tone. I wouldn’t leave the house with such expensive guitars.
Fair enough. A MIM HSS strat seems like a good balance to risk in public.
What I don't understand is, why when other brands make 24.75" scale length guitars with dual humbuckers, they never come with the two tones two volume? does gibson hold a patent on that control scheme or something?
Maybe on a Gibson knock-off. Remember the "lawsuit" guitars made in Japan? Otherwise, I'm sure they don't. I have a 1997 Guild X-175 hollow body. It has a 24.75 scale with 2 humbuckers 2 volume and 2 tone knobs. I checked their website a minute ago and they have the same configuration.
100%, Steve. You’re right. Happening everywhere too. Bought a fridge by same maker as my dead 9-year old fridge. They took all the options off new one 😊 and now sell the “better one” for 3x the price.
Great video, Gibson has also just released the 'modern custom light' or something at $1500us, so I think they are still selling to the working musician - just not the way we're all hoping. The cost of a LP standard is too much. Its a legacy model 'because' of its association with working musicians and that legacy is now fixed in time, it costs too much to fulfil its purpose in the modern era.
I bought a Les Paul Classic and paid $1800. They’re still attainable, you just have to know where to look
I have owned 10 sgs in my life so far (off and on and currently have 3 in rotation) The used market has very affordable Gibsons still in my opinion and they can be great players. It’s just a quest to find them sometimes and to me that’s part of the fun but the QC has been out of control for a while and I don’t know if that’s an issue that has been fixed yet. You can def find a used standard for a grand to 1200 easily and a special for around 800
I think a Standard in ‘59 was $450 with a case. That’s around $4000 in today’s dollars.
Heck some of the new epiphones (greeny cough cough) are following suit.
Can confirm. I paid $1100 brand new for an Epiphone Crestwood Custom reissue, it's a great guitar but it should have been priced lower.
I agree. Here in Australia, a regular LP Standard is AU$5700. Way too much. I ended up getting an Eastman, which is better built, for $2300. Less than half.
I did the same ref Eastman, better built, better components at half the price. Gibson's hubris will be its undoing.
@@davehossack7191Better build quality? Who are you trying to kid with your commie copy 😂
@user-ql1pc7pi9x bro you’re such an obvious corporate bot with a username like that lmao
@@user-ql1pc7pi9x That's right. The Eastman guitars are completely handmade, mostly with hand tools. Here are a few advantages of say an SB59 over a LP Standard 50s:
1. One piece mahogany neck (Gibson uses three pieces to save wood)
2. Hand carved neck and carved top (Gibson uses a CNC machine, then a bit of finish sanding)
3. Long neck tennon join (Gibson uses the short tenon on the standard)
4. Generally, SB59s are lighter than Standard LPs. Mine weighs 3.6kg (8lb). The only 8lb LPs I've touched are from the custom shop.
5. Eastman fit and finish is way better.
@matthewvalenti1348 "Bro" you're such an obvious plonker.
Like yourself I am an avid Gibson fan and I agree with everything you have said. I had this conversation with my main guitar guy at a local store when I tried the new Greeny standard. While the guitars are nice they don't have the same feel and fit and finish of the custom shop guitars. This greeny had a high e string where the nut was cut too low and the string buzzed open. I asked him literally the same question. "I love Gibson and always will, but are they making it so I have to spend 4000+ to get something with no issues? I have no issue with them making luxury guitars, but they should still have a affordable models that aren't cost cut specials for working musicians. All brands seem to be heading this way it seems from a lot of the newer guitars I have played in stores, but Gibson as usual is leading the charge this way. Great video buddy!
When you pulled up the tshirts I lost it bruh 😂
It's weird that grown adults are still saying "bruh" in 2024 😄
Good point. I watched several “factory tours” on YT. According to the people who work there, virtually all the Gibson guitars start out almost the same, same attention to the body, the neck, the frets, the routing, it’s only the custom inlays, the paints, and the hardware that differentiate these guitars…they could be putting out a $1500 model that plays really really well but they don’t…Pity.
I am also fan of Gibson guitars but like PRS the really nice pieces are priced out of the regular joe's range. And now even the lower level guitars are gettting over priced. Whoever thought we would see 1500 dollar epis and SE's.
Nah, I own a PRS SE 594 Zach Myers that cost $900 new and it is an absolutely fantastic instrument.
Budget option - iron gear blues engine , using maple spacers as well . Using maple spacers (at least the 2018 version i own )
Usa option - the new accurately built paf 57 A2 .
You're welcome
Absolutely spot on Steve, on all the points you made. Guitars purchased by investment bankers, doctors, lawyers, etc. Blazing away in pentatonic scale glory. These are the same type of people who own Gibson and are not seeing their expected financial returns. Is this why Gibson Corp. is for sale?
I’m a 20+ year working musician and use my SJ200 at gigs all the time. I waited 20 years to get it, though. They are not typically for the average income younger guys. I do think it’s a shame. I always wanted these things back when I was younger. Luckily there are lots of good options for those who don’t want to pay those prices. It’s totally understandable if they don’t.
Yup. 100%. As a casual enthusiast, I'm a fan, and I've bought a few Gibsons for reasonable money. But in the last 2-3 years it's gone bonkers. Basic Epiphones now costing more than I paid for a Gibson Les Paul Studio is nuts. The new modern lites & studios look like unfinished kit guitars, and are still stupid money.
Made in Mexico fenders are costing as much as new studios guitar prices in general are out of hand it’s just easy click bait to go Gibson bad and expensive.
Have epiphone raised their standards and gone up market?
When I was more into guitars they were a budget item with inferior parts and pickups to Gibson, at least in the estimation of players I knew.
But the prices they are nowadays, it seems they have rather distanced themselves as the Gibson budget brand into more of their own thing with budget and premium models?
I recently bought a new PRS SE 594's single cut when they were clearing them out and swapped in a set of Pearly Gates and new wiring. Plays excellent and sounds incredible for around $1K investment! I was so happy with it that I bought a used SE 594 standard and will be swapping in some Burstbuckers.
Prices keep going up on the “normal” tier and then everything else from custom, Demo shop and ML is aimed to collectors and ppl that can buy +$6k axes… IMO that’s mental! Just wait… Other brands are way better in value for actual players. 😊 Even Epiphone prices are getting ridiculous 😅
Hi Steve, I'm trying to buy my dream guitar Gibson Les Paul custom in ebony and just about to pull the trigger it went up by $700. Not to mention QC issues and paint flows etc. I feel getting ripped off. Maybe I should stick with my '97 Gibson Les Paul standard and forget about the custom. I prefer to only buy new guitars. What would you do in my situation? Thanks
I just ordered a Chibson. If you research who you’re buying from, and don’t mind swapping pickups/tuners/a bridge, you can get a really nicely optioned Les Paul for like $250-400 shipped from a seller who goes the extra mile to ensure good QC. Chinese guitars have improved dramatically in quality. Some people say “buy a Harley Benton” and I’m sure they’re super nice but I want something that looks just like a Gibson with a Gibson headstock, logo etc. Even if it’s not real, it’s just for my own aesthetic enjoyment and it’s not like I have anyone to impress with my bedroom rocking. I can buy several Chibsons and customize them however I want for the price of one Gibson that arguably is not worth the extra money, especially when I am capable of my own mods/fretwork.
I already bought an Epiphone Trad Pro II - super nice. When I went to the store for that one, I was prepared to buy a Gibson and none of them I picked up felt or sounded as nice as the $400 Chinese Epiphone lol
You're full of shit and it's ridiculous that you're supporting counterfeit products, you can rationalize it all you want.
I just did exactly that. Swap the pickups for some decent PAF copies, decent hardware, and switch and pots and a some attention to details with the neck and one can easily have an affordable guitar that plays BETTER and stays in tune=BY FAR better than a Gibson. And if it gets nicked???? Well, youre out 1k instead of 14k!
Try getting your hands on a vintage V100, if you can get the original from around 15 years ago you'll be really happy, but they have a reissued version.
I do the same! And I love my guitar. I change a bridge to a little bit bigger, change pickups and pots and I have a coil split option. Pickups from China too. They are waxed.
All together about 350$.
I love the sound, feelings, color and Gibson sign on the neck) perfect guitar for me.
I understand you and happy for you)
Don't buy counterfeits.
Nothing wrong with Chinese replicas, but don't put the name on it.
I think you absolutely have a point. Look at the Thunderbird Bass. Currently the "standard" bass is being discontinued, but they're still pushing the Rex Brown and Gene Simmons version that's 25% more expensive.
Had a look through their site and a lot of their cheaper guitar's like the tribute are being discontinued.
Never could justify the price, weight or detachable headstocks. Top of the line gear for 1956.
Most are COLLECTABLE guitars, not meant to be played at some shitty coffee shop.
My 2013 Tribute was under 600 euro back in 2015 when I bought it new. Got 50 off.
Converted to 2023 USD it should be around 935,- compared to over 1200 in 2023. (1450 Euro here)
If I remember correctly there were a few reasonable priced Gibsons around ‘13.
The price of that new lite is crazy as cheapest guitar they sell.
The price of those pickups are on another level. I see people keep them as collectors items.
I let it go to own a nice full spec Gibson.
What future does Gibson have when younger players cant afford them.
I'm 61 and when I was a teenager learning to play all I wanted was to be able to get a Gibson guitar one day. But these days there are some other really good alternative brands that probably play and sound as good or better, they just don't have the history that Gibson does. But there are people out there who are quite happy to pay for the name and that's fine .
I think buying a brand for superficial reasons is stupid. Pro's play them because they're paid to.
The most important thing about an Instrument is how it sounds, and feels. What validates a player is how good they are.
I do care about quality but show me the quality in a production Gibson.
I still have my 1968 Les Paul Custom . . . love it. Back in the '70s I was a guitar salesman for a while in NZ and because the store I worked for sold a LOT of Gibsons, Fenders, Rick etc. we always got first look at any new batches coming into the agent - I think they were happy to me as a sort of 'QC' guy because none of them actually played guitars. I would usuall tell them to send one or two back to the US - banana necks and other faults. Those couple of years gave me a memorable lesson in evaluating guitars be they 'famous' or 'relative unknown' brand. Gibson: Iconic brand, yes, but 'human'. That hasn't changed. Frankly when I saw Tom Murphy enthusing over his box of chisels and metal implements I felt sick to my stomach, particularly when the price from Light Aged up to Heavy Aged is measured in hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Laughing all the way to bank. Call me old fashioned but a guitar is a musical instrument and IMHO should be delivered in pristine condition . . . if you like the relic thing then fine, no judgement, it's your money, your choice. I visit the Gibson / Epiphone flagship here in HK every few weeks and there are some lovely guitars from both brands and, some Gibsons that strike me as ridiculously overpriced for what they are but 'c'est la vie' . . .
I don’t associate Kirk Hammett with Gibson at all , in fact it seems like you only see a picture of him holding one from the last ten years or so
Guess it would be hard to flog a fifty thousand dollar ESP
Thought the same exact thing. In my mind, Metallica = ESP.
I’ll be sticking to imports for now. I’ve got a epi SG I’m gonna put 57 classics in, a MIM Strat that I wouldn’t change a thing about, and might get a vintage Epi Sheraton to fill the 335 shaped hole in my heart.
I tend to agree with you to some degree. I have two Les Pauls that I bought primarily because of the Gibson heritage (Jimmy Page etc) and also because I feel like they will be a good value over time. Not that I intend on selling them but when I'm gone the kids can sell them (if they want) and get a decent buck. Either way - it all comes down to supply and demand - if people are willing to pay crazy prices for the special edition models then good for them!
I feel the same. If it makes sense for them to do and they can, i guess why not? I just unfortunately get left behind in it
When Page played with Led Zeppelin he was seen on stage mostly with Les Pauls. I am 62 and had the pleasure to see Led Zeppelin live in the late seventys. - yeah what a great mystical experience you may think - reality was a bunch of stoned drunk guys producing incredible Noise. Page could have used a tinbucket instead of a guitar. Otherwise you hear, that most of the Studio recordings where done with a Telecaster.
In the days when a cover-band could get work 3-5 nights a week, the price of a Gibson could be justified. A pro could get-it to pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time.
Now, when a million streams nets you $50, and live-music venues vanishing in many places, only your dentist can justify owning one to hang on his wall & hopefully sell to another dentist at double the price in 5-years.
I switched to Fenders in the early-80’s & made the right call.
totally agree, I have a Gibson Les Paul tribute because I always wanted a Les Paul and it was what I could afford but I planned to get a standard someday when I could afford it (60 years old now so not sure when that’ll be 😂) but I was proud of the one I got but of course I had to take it to a guitar tech so he could fix the fret ends, to say they were sharp would be a gross understatement but I was still proud, then one day I bought a new schecter and when I got it out of the box my first words (not joking) were “damn, Gibson should be embarrassed “ not wow this is a nice guitar, but damn the frets are magnificent on this guitar, it was night and day difference between the two, but I still liked Gibson, just embarrassed for them, then I was their website one day looking for a Gibson T-shirt and I saw one that was pretty cool, the price $68 , are you kidding 70 bucks for a T-shirt WTF, now $1000 pickups, hell I want to be a Gibson guy, my favorite guitarist all play Gibsons (mostly) but they have left people like me behind, my Schecter and my Les Paul tribute were both priced about the same but the quality difference is astounding, and for the record I like some of the new epiphone guitars but I don’t like the fretboard material on them, for $1000 to 1500 for epi les Paul it should have a rosewood (or ebony) fingerboard,
one of the best workingman guitaars out there in my opinion is the Gibson LP special , right price for the astounding quality, and its yet "affordable"
I have recently been digging PRS. Better guitar. Plays in tune all over the neck. The quality is apparent. Their import models are better than US Gibsons.
PRs is the Prius of guitars.
I have a PRS McCarty 10 top that I bought new over 20 years ago (same price as a Les Paul standard at the time) and it is perfectly built in every way and the top is absolutely gorgeous. Zero flaws. The problem is it has no mojo and it doesn't feel "cool" to play. It feels clinical and sterile. It hangs on the wall like all of my other nicer guitars do but when I play I'm grabbing one of my Gibsons 99% of the time and my telecaster the other 1% of the time
There are 21 new or mint Gibson for sale on reverb right now that cost less than $999 asking. Even direct from Gibson there are low cost models, maybe with one pickup and a thin finish, but good tools for the working musician, and they can be nice and light and very resonant. And there’s Epiphone. Have an open mind to what’s out there. Don’t get hung up on specific colors or specs. And if you go for the true used market, there are tons of Les Paul Standards out there now for decent prices. It’s looking a little more like a buyer’s market.
As another Gibson lover I feel the same. After suing all the other manufacturers that make affordable guitars they release one that are out of reach for 90% of the guitarists out there. My theory is that Epiphone has become the working man and club player's guitar. My newer Epiphones run side by side in quality, feel and tone as my Gibson guitars. I wonder if the new "PAF" pickups have been potted with fairy wax in an atmosphere of unicorn farts. Now those I would buy. 😁
that epis run with gibsons just means gibsons suck, not that epis are great
Epiphones are trash. Don’t lie to yourself
I think the recent release of the new PRS SE guitars is going to be a game changer. For well under a grand they have released quite a few models of guitars every bit as good as their American made counterparts from Fender and Gibson. While Fender is releasing the newest limited series Adam Vinateri telecaster with a reverse headstock and a combo newly invented P90/humbucker pup, PRS is quietly selling SE’s that have the quality and feel as good as some of Fender’s Custom Shops
I couldn’t agree more, last week I picked up a new PRS SE Paul’s guitar for well under a grand. It looks, plays and sounds as good as any Gibson, Fender I have ever played and I have been playing for about 60 years. When it comes to acoustic guitars that’s another story Gibson still makes some great acoustic guitars but you have to hunt to find the right one. It took me over a year to find my J45 I played a lot of them before I found “the one”. Companies like Furch are making consistently great acoustic guitars for very reasonable prices.
I have 4 other electrics that all have their uses, but since I bought my SAS SE, I can't seem to put it down. It is easier to play than any of my others, and also has some very distinctive sounding options. I love it.@@jimross9429
Gibson fan here. I have Les Pauls and SGs and I enjoy them BUT if I have a (rare) gig I bring my Telecaster instead.
Easy to carry. Easy to fix it. Easy to repair or if its stolen or damaged easy to replace.
Totally agree. But maybe for just one gig, you can bring the Gibson and also bring a friend who’s job is to baby sit the guitar and watch over it
I love my Gibsons more than any of my other guitars but there's no way I would risk them by bringing them out to a bar or club
Hi Steve. Im a 64 guitar player from Buffalo, NY. Ive benn playing for about 53 years. This is the first video I have watched of yours. This has to be the most honest, to the point guitar video I have ever seen. I agree with you 100 percent. There is no way Im going to spend 3000 on a LP and gig at a local bar. Its really a shame. My Dad bought be a 1974 Black LP custom that i play to this day. I still have the reciept. $530.00. Well whats that in todays dollars? I get it but a LP isnt worth 3000 ormore in todays dollars.
If you are ever in Buffalo wings are on me. Just to let you know Steve.Chicken wings aroung 1980 wre 10 cents each. So maybe Gibson has a point....
Hello and welcome! Thanks for sharing your story. I get the inflation prices and conversion to todays dollars. But, when you think of a les paul then, you were getting an absolute top of the instrument that is the most sought after thing 60 years later. The "standards" of today, are nowhere near that. I hope to be touring through Buffalo soon and see ya at a show
Go Buffalo ! Great town, and I hope it still has a vibrant music scene.
Many warm (if a little fuzzy) memories from the mid 70s, when I first dreamed of owning an LP. Have one now but maybe a lot of these guys (and why do they always seem to be guys) have a point, i.e. when we boomers are gone, there might be lots of used Gibsons being sold by our kids ...
Kirk Hammett fatigue is setting in right about now.
Right,!
Set in for me about 34 years ago.
It's a pretty major shift in the topography of the "everyday" picker. I have been in and out of music stores and even worked for one for several years. I've had an original 1956 Gold Top Les Paul in my hands... What a treat! What I remember was people going into the store and they could essentially pick between a pretty solid Fender or few a hundred more a decent Les Paul. Now... That's not the case. What will happen is people like me who has built Fender Strats for years, will start building Gibson guitars instead. As I sit here, I have 12 kits coming. I have diagrams and specs for the 57-59 Les Paul. They're just encouraging a new generation of Luthiers.
Schecter.
Started playing when I was 8. I'm 60 now and still playing. I am the "Working guitar player" you speak of. I have NEVER been able to afford a Gibson. I thank my lucky stars for the likes of Ibanez, Epiphone, Schecter, etc. Without them, I would have never been able to play on a quality instrument. That's the biggest reason I got away from the "Name Game". I now play what feels good to me, what sounds good and, what is in my price range. I figured out that if the "Poor Musician" plays the "Name Game" he will remain just that.... Poor.
It's been a brand for rich lawyers and dentists to play boomer bends, while sitting on their couch...for a LOOOONG time
someone's jelly...........
nah! I have a 2000 Les Paul Classic. It is purty... But now it's twice as expensive!! @@pedraw
Derek Trucks is neither a dentist, lawyer or Boomer.
@@lightningstrikes7314 well and those musicians too who have more money than us.
I’ve been playing out live off and on for 20 years and what’s crazy is I don’t remember any of the musicians in the other bands playing a Gibson… Good luck to Gibson when their current customers pass away… When I was younger I always thought maybe I’d get one someday, but honestly I’d rather play the cheaper guitars I’ve been playing and modified to my taste.
Luxury market is so true! You are 100% correct. Not many can afford a LP today and the models that are slightly more budget priced are not, honestly, that good.Ive noticed the prices jump in increments of $300 over a few months...at least, here in Canada And really, they concentrate on p'ups but Gibson have never really addressed the issue of soft ,small frets that wear out in months and a weak area in thd headstock. Once that headstock goes, and it doesn't take much for it to snap, the $10,000 Murphy guitar is GONE.
I love LPs too but I go for an Ibanez AZS model.
My guess is that some analyst spotted a trend in the more expensive products were selling significantly better than expected. Good coverage of this topic! I have a Les Paul Special (which I purchased new in 2022) that doesn't look as fancy but it plays and sounds very good. My son has a R6 that is the nicest feeling, playing and sounding guitar I ever played. I have a Custom 22 PRS that feels like the R6 but sounds very different. I just play at home and with friends and it's very hard to justify spending more than $2000 on an instrument.
Tbh part of the problem here is inflation. If they have increased costs and want to maintain profit, prices go up. Part of the reason people can’t afford their prices is obviously your wages aren’t keeping pace with their profit margin… aka corporate greed. I come from an era where American Strats were $1k for a Deluxe, a little less for a standard, and now MIM Strats are over a grand. I bought my first Custom 24 for $2200 after working for a summer in high school and saving for that guitar. Now I couldn’t afford to buy a PRS Core even on an engineering PMs salary. Not sure if these prices are long term sustainable.
Original 50’s PAFS were very inconsistent due to winding. Someone wound more than others and when you have two wound bobbins that can be a varying mix.
Some were more single coil like others were darker, some were pretty hot others not so much.
It was the inconsistencies that is were a lot of the personality and magic came from when it comes to old electrics. This goes for old amps as well.
At 7:13 you can see that the pickup mounts are already bent and crooked on a 1k set of pickups. My first Les Paul was 650€ back in 2011 !!! They totally lost the plot at this point in time.
Not to discount anybody’s bad experiences with Gibson, but I bought a Les Paul Special Tribute Humbucker model, the cheapest model they offered at the time, and it is an amazing guitar. I did pay for a setup from a real tech, which I do for all guitars, but now it even stays in tune.
I just bought my first Gibson just to add to my collection. It is a 2023 Les Paul Modern that I paid $2050 delivered at my door. Mind you this is a $3000 guitar that otherwise I would have never bought new. I got it in excellent condition. I am still debating to keep it because I find it awkward to play in standing position. A Fender Telecaster with a belly cut is so much comfortable to play. I mostly gig with a double humbucker tele but I am gonna take my Gibson to a gig this weekend and see how I like it.
i think you're right about gibson chasing the luxury market. lots of other consumer products have done the same because that's where the big money lies. i bought myself an SG a few years ago and love that guitar however i don't think i'll ever buy a les paul or 335 with the prices being the way they are.
I understand that Gibson has been dropping the ball alot but I must tell you about my experience with ordering a left handed Les Paul from them. my Les Paul is totally awesome and I only paid $1999.00 for it. it doesn't have the bells and whistles alot of them have that makes them high dollar range but never the less it is a solid guitar.
i just purchased my first gibson les paul standard 50s....I had to hurry before the price went up any more....my thoughts on gibson is it doesn't make sense to have those kind of prices
An excellent review Steve. For years I've been wondering what the hell has been going on in the Gibson board room. I own three Gibson guitars (Les Paul DC Standard, Les Paul Studio Pro, Firebird Studio T) and I have to admit I bought them mainly for the name on the headstock. Last year I bought an Epiphone ES 339. It's almost a direct copy of the Gibson 339 but cost a fraction of the Gibson's price. A Gibson 339 will knock you back around £2,500 here in the UK. My Epiphone was pre-owned but nonetheless immaculate and I paid £340 for it (list price of a new one is around £460). The guitar is excellent in all respects. Ok, so it's made in the far east and not the USA but, because Epiphone is owned by Gibson, they are allowed to make direct copies of Gibson models and do so at a fraction of the cost and price to the consumer. Despite serious management changes and a file for bankruptcy I really do think Gibson has lost the plot completely. In my opinion they lost the plot a long time ago.
I own an army of epiphones and gibsons among many other guitars ive bought, some from $100 to $10K, I've been playing and collecting guitars I enjoy playing for just over thirty years and have almost 200 guitars.
I'm no guitar snob, I'll play anything if it inspires me to not want to put it down.
I'm especially defiant when it comes to brand name sales pitches, so when I went in to try out the gibson greeny I was adamant I was going to be over critical and not like it.
It played so well and was so unique that after a minute I knew it was coming home with me.
Sometimes you truly do get what you pay for.
I own some epiphones that have played better than some gibsons too, it all comes down to what makes you happy, what inspires you and what makes you not want to put it down.
Buy what you like, there's no right or wrong answer as the guitar you buy is as unique to your personal experience as your guitar style is.
I don't get all the dick measuring and butthurt.
The only one thing we can agree on is for once we are spoiled by quality choice.
I have a 1961 Les Paul jr and a 2016 les paul traditional and love them. Id never spend $10,000 on any guitar. Currently theres a shop with a few Custom Les Pauls in sparkle finishes for $6500 that id love to have. After taxes theyd cost $7200. Crazy money that most workin musicians like myself don't want to spend. Even slowly saving money up for such a purchase its hard to fork over that money
That's a good point, today I bought mine after a long long wait for a guitar that I really like, I was tempted to buy ltds and maybe a regular Gibson flying V but I just choose to keep saving the money for something I would really appreciate, I know myself and I know that for a very long time I've been interested in a gibson custom and nothing else would make me happy . I mean I am 30yrs already I will maybe will be able to enjoy it another 30 or less , I will not wait until my 50s to buy my dream guitar (personal opinion) , I'm not rich I'm also a working man but instead of buying 5 or more 2k guitars like others (perfectly understandable) I choose to get THE ONE (for me) , this is my 2nd guitar the other one is a gibson slash appetite.
Yeah former working musician and now a hobbyist. I've owned two Gibsons and one was used off eBay and the other I had to finance through AMS. Those were both years ago and they were still absurdly priced. Things have gone up tremendously with no ceiling in sight and that sucks because they make my favorite guitar. But those new inspired by Gibson Epiphone 335s are pretty sweet. Wonder if those will keep improving
I was in love with Les Pauls, got one in 2007. It had significant QC issues I had to fix, which is unacceptable for that amount of money. I've since switched to other brands, they lost me as a customer.
I have dreamed of owning a Gibson Les Paul since Childhood, I started playing guitar at age 5 with a first act acoustic. At age 7 I got a Peavy Raptor, then at Age 10 a Epiphone Les Paul 100, since I’ve owned multiple Epiphone les paul’s, in 2013 I worked and saved all summer to get my first Standard and currently I own a 2021 Slash Standard and a 2020 (made in 2023 according to serial number) Les Paul Custom in Ebony finish.
I always owned at least one Epiphone les Paul since 2010 so I have gotten to experience the change in quality over the last nearly 14 years, and as much as I have always wanted a Gibson Les Paul, I feel that you are right that Gibson is now a luxury product.
I think based on the huge boost in quality and component choices that came with the 2020 revamp of Epiphone and the the new “Inspired by Gibson” line up that in this current Era Gibson did this because Epiphone is now the working mans option for Gibson guitars, no longer is Epiphone purely the budget option for beginners, students, or musicians of intermediate and advanced levels who are on a tight budget.
Epiphone is now all of that on the lower end and up through the Stsndards, but once we get into Epiphones High end, from Les Paul Custom, to Artist models and the Custom Shop collabs…this high end of the Epiphone product line is now the where Gibson seeks to supply instruments to the working man.
And if the working man wants a Gibson that says Gibson in the headstock the Studio and Tribute are and maybe up to say the Gibson Les Paul Classic are the available options, but they lack features that may push many to just buy a high end Epiphone that has certain appointments, hence why I have two high end Epiphones when I had the money to buy a Les Paul Classic. Even the Gibson LP classics have plastic perloid inlays and not genuine MOP aside from country of origin and pickups the rest of the specs my Epis are matched in Gibsons affordable offerings with appointments I couldn’t get unless I stepped up to the $3k price range.
I say all this to say, I feel Gibson Revamped Epiphone, priced out the appointments that make Gibsons bottom end worth saving for over an Epiphone, ehile boosting Epiphone’s quality to push the working man towards Epiphone, while the hype beast, and individuals who seek to buy luxury products, and collectors are who Gibson is now seeking to market to.
So we are now in an Era where if you simply want a good guitar, to practice, perform or record in the studio with…why buy a Gibson?
Of you want the prestige of owning a Gibson that is now why you buy a Gibson.
Working musician's guitar in their brand hierarchy are the higher end Epiphones, which are priced just below the lowest end Gibsons. In terms of quality control pretty much on par. The profits on their high-end guitars make them one of the most profitable guitar manufacturers out there. The high end market puts a halo effect on the lower end, as well - decoy pricing.
I am not a pro player. I am a home office and the band player. I got my first Gibson less Paul 30 years after I started playing guitar. It was a gift for myself for my 45th birthday. Picked up a less Paul standard for 2500 bucks brand new. This was in 2018. I’m happy with it but that will probably be the last Gibson I buy.
Epic phones have come along way and I think that the working man’s guitar is definitely an epic. You don’t even have to change the pick ups anymore, but could if you wanted to. They look cool, sound cool, and pretty easy to purchase for anyone.
🤘🏼
Forgot to mention the new Falcon amps that are getting terrible reviews by amp techs for being poorly built and overpriced. $1800 for a 12 watt amp? With tubes mounted directly to PCB lmao
And every youtuber that was sent one "absolutely loved it". Isnt that telling!
If they would actually fix the QC on their models in the 2k-3k range it wouldn't be such a problem. No shot im buying a Gibson with the way they build their instruments now and with the offerings you can get from PRS, ESP, Ibanez or Godin. Yes Gibson has it's sound but for me it isn't worth it anymore unless you can get a great deal used.
I looked a prices and they seem to be between 1500 and 3000 on a website today. If the brand does not work for you, try another brand. If you are putting pedals on as well you may not need a specific model.
Gibson seems to be positioning Epiphone as their working musician line now.
Exactly. The higher end epiphones are easily in the same tier as player series fender.
They aren't interested in players. They want to sell to well-heeled collectors.
i bought a used burny for $400 because i wanted the open book headstock the thing plays great and my only issue is i want hotter pickups in it which i’ll be changing out soon
they've definitely priced themselves out of my collection. I've previously owned and sold one, but I don't really feel I can afford or justify it over a nice made copy spec'd the same. Right now I'm just finishing up a kit LP style guitar, going with handwound pickups. Figure it's going to be more sentimental than having to grind to buy one... if I'm going to grind, I'd rather do the work and make it mine.. otherwise, other places are doing great things for a lot cheaper.
I mean gibson is upping their game even on the epis, epiphones are getting expensive aswell , if you check out the greeny model it is the most expensive model so far , i mean a gibson les paul studio is at the same price range as some epiphones , but is there really a big difference between a greeny model and a custom from epi besides from the headsrock shape and the artist name? You can easily swap the pups and other things on a custom and it will be as good as or even better than a stock greeny
Glad I bought my Gibsons pre 2019. Positively cheap compared to todays prices.....I have a couple of sets of pickups too - which are also supposed to be PAF built. You can only do so much to wood and metal.
I think that there’s two Gibson brands. The custom shop is where things are going nuts like what you’re talking about. But the USA line is priced similarly to other brands and companies. Give or take…
I think you're right. In the UK, a typical monthly salary is £1700-2500. Maybe you'll have £3-400 disposable after essential bills. So if you saved hard and bought a guitar that cost a full month's salary, you want something awesome. You could get a Fender American Ultra. But with Gibson youre looking at double that for their standard top of the line and a month salary will only buy you something basic, like a Studio.
I play a ‘79 Les Paul pro, heavy as a cement wall, original p90s and true Gibson. Custom gear is just that, trying to sound true at a premium price point. I guess if you have the money, it’s fine. But I know what I have can’t be bettered, just others may be different. I enjoy your posts.
Long time Gibson owner here, since 1976.... my most recent experience: I bought a brand new LP Junior from MF for Christmas. Felt great, played great....but, it had an obvious fretboard repair/filler at the 15th fret, with leftover tool marks from, what, the fret install? This guitar should have been, would have been, back in the day, a factory second with an appropriate discount....which would have been cool. But, full price for this? Back it went. Thank you God, for such a wonderful wife who heard my sorrows, and freed up the funds for a 1983 LP Custom Black Beauty with a Kahler bridge, instead! Wow. I'll never have an original 57, but I'll love this Shaw equipped Norlin until the end. What is the current Gibson strategy? Hey, we're back and we hear you....a few years of improved quality control, then.... this money grab. Sad. If you're going to pay this kind of money for reissues, etc, just source out the best deals you can find on the used market! Naturally relic'd, too!