dear vs cheap----
- Thread starter eSGEe
- Start date
I think there are a lot of variables, TBTH. Not all USA made guitars are stellar and some entry level models can be surprisingly good.
I'll tell you this...
I recently played several of the $1,299.00 Gibson Les Paul Tributes. These are the ones without neck binding.
I found all the usual "lower end" issues, from sharp, uneven frets, huge variations in neck angle, crooked tuners and minor (but noticeable) finish anomalies.
TBTH, I played several premium Epiphone Les Paul's (a 1959 Standard and a Les Paul Custom BlackBack) that looked better and played better than their $1,200.00 Gibson counterparts.
Interestingly, these aforementioned issues were absent when I started playing the Les Paul Classic at $2,299.00 and the finish was much, much better too, with only minor imperfections a person with OCD would notice.
When I stepped up to the 2021 Gibson Les Paul 50's Standard - at $2,699.00 - I couldn't find a single flaw, blemish or anomaly with any of them all the way up to the $5,000.00 Les Paul Custom.
Taking this a step further, I think there are good guitars in the lower price ranges, but I'm finding fewer "bad apples" in the higher priced Gibsons anyways.
The difference between a British made JVM410C at $3,499.00 and a Vietnamese Origin 50H at $499.00 (in build quality) is a night and day difference.
The difference between a British made JVM410C at $3,499.00 and a Vietnamese Origin 50H at $499.00 (in build quality) is a night and day difference.
I also feel it's fair to say that all the problems I encountered with 5 new Gibson purchases were ALL entry level 2016/2017 Fadeds, T Series, 50's Tributes and one 2016 Les Paul Studio T, ranging in price from $749.00 to around $949.00...FWIW
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All I can say about my LP Tribute is I could not find a single thing wrong with it. And here I go in another thread wanting to monkey with it.
I've never taken the covers off my Les Paul.
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Fenders, ah. They're freaking widgets to me - designed from day one to be as simple as possible for unskilled hourly workers to slap together as quick as they can using the most basic and standard assembly methods. They could be a piece of furniture.
I've owned Mexican ones, Japanese ones, old and new regular USA ones and Custom Shop USA ones. Any difference between them is minute at best and non-existent at worst. I would never spend anything more than Mexican money on a Fender again.
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Session 5
Ambassador of Strings & Wings
$2,699.00-$5,000.00 for a Les Paul, it shouldn't have any flaws, for those kind of dollars, I can find flawless guitars new for $800-$1,700. I would have put in my own personal picture , but due to the new sizing issues , I have not been able to do so, not blaming anyone . I have tried and tried to resize, nothing works. I do own this guitar it is flawless, and didn't pay anywhere near $2,000 dollars. I can tell you , I will never sell this guitar, why because it is flawless.
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$2,699.00-$5,000.00 for a Les Paul, it shouldn't have any flaws, for those kind of dollars, I can find flawless guitars new for $800-$1,700. I would have put in my own personal picture , but due to the new sizing issues , I have not been able to do so, not blaming anyone . I have tried and tried to resize, nothing works. I do own this guitar it is flawless, and didn't pay anywhere near $2,000 dollars. I can tell you , I will never sell this guitar, why because it is flawless.
"Flaw" I would define as a few visible file marks adjacent to the frets, or visible sanding scratches under the finish....I can find those on ANY guitar under magnification.
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
To me, "flaw" is a relative thing when you are talking about a nitro finish. It's relatively easy to make something "flawless" when it's encased in a layer of plastic, not so simple a trick with nitro. I personally love the "flaws" that come with that type of finish and the handwork of neck binding and would choose them every time.
Agree 100%
This guitar is not 100% finish perfect...but the anomalies are so miniscule that you struggle to see them and they are only visible under flourescent lighting.
jtcnj
Ambassador of the Crossroad
Love you Godins, Norm!I have tried and tried to resize, nothing works
ms paint - (if you are not using MAC) works great.
Right click your image and select "edit", then pick Paint if it is not default.
Use Save As if you want to keep the original.
I usually change the 100 to 30 or 40 and they are plenty big.
when you change the first box the 2nd will follow.
Session 5
Ambassador of Strings & Wings
Hey thanks Jtcnj for your kind words! And also thankyou for the help with sizing pictures. I will try this out..
