nothing really matters..................

What does your 2021 Gibson Les Paul 50's Standard Gold Top allow you to do that your other six Gibsons did not allow you to do? Is the only issue that they required more setup before use? I know you've probably posted about all this, but I'm not recalling.

They all a had misplaced/mislocated frets/bridge/nut shelfs (which were later confirmed by Gibson through artist relations) and this caused tuning and intonation problems that could not be corrected.

One Les Paul had a huge hump in the fretboard and the action was set to .135" at the 12th to compensate. There's a thread in here about it with photos.

My 2016 SG had nearly 7° of neck angle (again, this was confirmed by Gibson) and the bridge posts had to be unscrewed almost all the way to get the action correct with only .009" relief.

Lastly were the constant tuning pro lems, as if the guitars were made of rubber.

But, TBTH, I was buying the entry level 50's Tribute Les Paul's and SG's (around $900 retail in 2016/2017) and the last one purchased was a 2017 Les Paul Studio, ($1,099.00 retail then) which also had similar issues with incorrect nut shelf placement and it was impossible for Gibson warranty tech to intonate.

The 2021 was a huge step up in quality in every respect, as one would expect for $3,000 out the door.

The 2021 reminds me of the Gibsons my friends bought back in the 1980's. They played perfectly right out of the case and needed nothing to take on stage.
 
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They all a had misplaced/mislocated frets/bridge/nut shelfs (which were later confirmed by Gibson through artist relations) and this caused tuning and intonation problems that could not be corrected.

One Les Paul had a huge hump in the fretboard and the action was set to .135" at the 12th to compensate. There's a thread in here about it with photos.

My 2016 SG had nearly 7° of neck angle (again, this was confirmed by Gibson) and the bridge posts had to be unscrewed almost all the way to get the action correct with only .009" relief.

Lastly were the constant tuning pro lems, as if the guitars were made of rubber.

But, TBTH, I was buying the entry level 50's Tribute Les Paul's and SG's (around $900 retail in 2016/2017) and the last one purchased was a 2017 Les Paul Studio, ($1,099.00 retail then) which also had similar issues with incorrect nut shelf placement and it was impossible for Gibson warranty tech to intonate.

The 2021 was a huge step up in quality in every respect, as one would expect for $3,000 out the door.

The 2021 reminds me of the Gibsons my friends bought back in the 1980's. They played perfectly right out of the case and needed nothing to take on stage.

Okay. So, yeah...all of that is kind of a problem!

No argument.
 
Oshawa, Ontario.
Yes, Don, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The plant is less than a 15 minute drive from my house. Bank in the heyday of General Motors, that facility had it's own Stamping Plant, Car 1 and Car 2, Truck Plant and a Battery Plant. Also in the north part of Oshawa was the North Plant (go figure!).

When GM announced the closure of the St Therese, Quebec plant in the early 2000's, the Camaro was moved to Oshawa to continue production. Back maybe 5 years ago, GM announced the closure of the Oshawa Assembly facility and the loss of approx. 4000 jobs. Not advertised were the approx. 15,000 associated jobs that were lost due to the closure of the feeder industries (Lear Seating, MCL Car Carriers, etc) along with the GM jobs.

Through pressure from the Canadian Gov't, who loaned GM :poo: tons of money when they faced bankruptcy years ago, and the auto worker's union, Unifor, GM decided to bring EV Battery production to Oshawa. Now they also have announced that the Chevy Silverado will also be built here and there is a call for more workers.

It looks like Oshawa isn't done for just yet!
 
Yes, Don, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The plant is less than a 15 minute drive from my house. Bank in the heyday of General Motors, that facility had it's own Stamping Plant, Car 1 and Car 2, Truck Plant and a Battery Plant. Also in the north part of Oshawa was the North Plant (go figure!).

When GM announced the closure of the St Therese, Quebec plant in the early 2000's, the Camaro was moved to Oshawa to continue production. Back maybe 5 years ago, GM announced the closure of the Oshawa Assembly facility and the loss of approx. 4000 jobs. Not advertised were the approx. 15,000 associated jobs that were lost due to the closure of the feeder industries (Lear Seating, MCL Car Carriers, etc) along with the GM jobs.

Through pressure from the Canadian Gov't, who loaned GM :poo: tons of money when they faced bankruptcy years ago, and the auto worker's union, Unifor, GM decided to bring EV Battery production to Oshawa. Now they also have announced that the Chevy Silverado will also be built here and there is a call for more workers.

It looks like Oshawa isn't done for just yet!
I’ve been pleased with the quality of my 2010 Camaro. Just passed 56,000 miles and putting maybe 1 to 2k miles a year on it, it will last my lifetime. Glad to hear people are back to work there.
 
I have Several Entry Level Gibbos that are excellent
2015 Les Paul Jr (no issues once the robotuners were replaced)
LPJ
SGJ
SG-1 All American
Firebird Studio
all hold tune intonate and function perfectly

that said I have a GIANT PILE of USA MADE PEAVEY guitars -- with less $ invested than the 5 Gibsons...... and they too all
work 100% intonate hold tune and function correctly....... :unsure:
 
Okay. So, yeah...all of that is kind of a problem!

No argument.

Gibson did have some quality control issues a few years back and i believe these guitars are a reflection of that period.

Even if one fret is off by only .002", if you multiply that by 15 or 20 frets, you've got an error that's beyond the bridges ability to compensate.

Im super nit-picky about intonation, because i hear it, but in all fairness, most players wouldn't notice - or care- that the intonation was off.
 
I have Several Entry Level Gibbos that are excellent
2015 Les Paul Jr (no issues once the robotuners were replaced)
LPJ
SGJ
SG-1 All American
Firebird Studio
all hold tune intonate and function perfectly

that said I have a GIANT PILE of USA MADE PEAVEY guitars -- with less $ invested than the 5 Gibsons...... and they too all
work 100% intonate hold tune and function correctly....... :unsure:

That's awesome!!!!

I wasn't so lucky with the lower-end $800 to $1,200 models, but the difference in quality, finish, workmanship and setup on a top level Gibson didn't disappoint me.

TBTH, I think you really do get what you're willing to pay for.

The industry standard for intonation accuracy is within 5 cents. I've performed setups on guitars for clients that I could not get within that range due to fret/nut/bridge placement anomalies.

It's more common than you think.

I've only seen a handful of guitars where the intonation is spot-on no matter where on the fretboard you check it.
 
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For the purists, some of the biggest fret placement anomalies I've seen are on the highly coveted Gibsons and Fenders from the 1950's.

I recall a certain Fender Broadcaster that was a house instrument at Buck's Chester Avenue studio in the 1970's.

The intonation was so far off, you could only play open chords on it, but it was regarded for its sound.

Not all vintage instruments were off-kilter. Some were amazing. But, some of those early, hand-produced instruments had a lot of flaws that were justified for the collector status.
 
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that said Ive also owned some STINKERS (regardless of name -- pedigree or price point) that goes for guitars and amps .... just because it cost more$ does NOT make it better --- it really doesn't

True, and ill agree to a degree, but i've seen far fewer issues with the higher end Gibsons than the 'Faded' and 'T Series' models.
 
**RANT** -- just go watch nightline if you cant handle it--**
true @Robert Herndon but sad -- when the issues of the LOW end (800.00 and up) gibsons are not seen (or seldom seen) in the 400-500.00 epiphones or the 250-300.00 Squires.......:unsure:

CNC machines and quality control should be AT LEAST as good across a brands range -- wouldnt you agree ??-- we arent COBBLING these things from fallen logs with rude tools and fire
its ALL computerized and CNC driven ....... the "care" comes after the build and in the little extras-- and low end gibbos are hit and miss while low end
well EVERY OTHER MAKER are rather good
case in point -- bought one of these brand new for roughly 250.00 ---

1651284335727.png

it is perfectly fine -- excellent build quality in fact great finish and fit-- good tones --great pups -- great frets... great build-- holds tune intonates plays works ..... surely if THOMAN can do that... for 250.00 ...............Gibson SHOULD be able to for ?? 500.00 -- 800.00 ... I mean come on ...

Dont believe me ? PM @Hackmaster ...he has fondled this HB ... and he OWNS a REAL BESPOKE PRS.... he was FLOORED by the quality for $

That ISNT harley BEnton/THomans fault ...... the fact these arguments and comparisons happen ISNT because the cheap stuff is SOOO GOOD .... its flat out simply because
and I quote "people are getting tired of getting screwed by buying a "brand" that claims quality and doesnt DELIVER."
ive said it a MILLION times
IF GIBSON WANTS TO BE THE PREMIER BEST AWESOME "THE poop" BOSS KILLER AMERICAN BRAND ........................then they should .... DELIVER it ... not just MARKET it .

they claim "big dog on campus" status with their prices ... but in many cases they arent at all... they are overpriced and half assed -- they WERE "the poop" -- but you can only milk the 50s/60's so long and I think Rhett and his video are showing that the youth (and future guitarists) of this era ....arent falling for "playing authentic" they are playing WHAT WORKS AND SOUNDS GOOD .... NOW ... not when LEs Paul was on broadcast TV .....that people received with RABBIT EARS for free while drinking Ovaltine ..... and saying AW SHUCKS PAW .......

and Im bored..... argue amongst yourselves...... but deep down even the ones who will post how WONDERFUL ALL GIBSON ARE AND THEY ARE INFALABLE -- (as they show pics of vintage ones... or custom copies they had or have built) -know Im right -- a new gibson is about a 60/40 gamble when you buy period
if your not KNOWLEDGEABLE or KNOW a good gutiar when you play it -- you MIGHT GET SCREWED .... thats the reality

Your ods of getting a GOOD playable guitar for the same $ (or less) are better with Fender Squire Charvel Schecter Harley BEnton Yamaha -- Godin -- etc etc etc at worst those are a 40/60 gamble and from what Ive seen more like 20/80 bad to good .....

so ... yep there ya go Friday Rant .....
 
**RANT** -- just go watch nightline if you cant handle it--**
true @Robert Herndon but sad -- when the issues of the LOW end (800.00 and up) gibsons are not seen (or seldom seen) in the 400-500.00 epiphones or the 250-300.00 Squires.......:unsure:

CNC machines and quality control should be AT LEAST as good across a brands range -- wouldnt you agree ??-- we arent COBBLING these things from fallen logs with rude tools and fire
its ALL computerized and CNC driven ....... the "care" comes after the build and in the little extras-- and low end gibbos are hit and miss while low end
well EVERY OTHER MAKER are rather good
case in point -- bought one of these brand new for roughly 250.00 ---

View attachment 83403

it is perfectly fine -- excellent build quality in fact great finish and fit-- good tones --great pups -- great frets... great build-- holds tune intonates plays works ..... surely if THOMAN can do that... for 250.00 ...............Gibson SHOULD be able to for ?? 500.00 -- 800.00 ... I mean come on ...

Dont believe me ? PM @Hackmaster ...he has fondled this HB ... and he OWNS a REAL BESPOKE PRS.... he was FLOORED by the quality for $

That ISNT harley BEnton/THomans fault ...... the fact these arguments and comparisons happen ISNT because the cheap stuff is SOOO GOOD .... its flat out simply because
and I quote "people are getting tired of getting screwed by buying a "brand" that claims quality and doesnt DELIVER."
ive said it a MILLION times
IF GIBSON WANTS TO BE THE PREMIER BEST AWESOME "THE poop" BOSS KILLER AMERICAN BRAND ........................then they should .... DELIVER it ... not just MARKET it .

they claim "big dog on campus" status with their prices ... but in many cases they arent at all... they are overpriced and half assed -- they WERE "the poop" -- but you can only milk the 50s/60's so long and I think Rhett and his video are showing that the youth (and future guitarists) of this era ....arent falling for "playing authentic" they are playing WHAT WORKS AND SOUNDS GOOD .... NOW ... not when LEs Paul was on broadcast TV .....that people received with RABBIT EARS for free while drinking Ovaltine ..... and saying AW SHUCKS PAW .......

and Im bored..... argue amongst yourselves...... but deep down even the ones who will post how WONDERFUL ALL GIBSON ARE AND THEY ARE INFALABLE -- (as they show pics of vintage ones... or custom copies they had or have built) -know Im right -- a new gibson is about a 60/40 gamble when you buy period
if your not KNOWLEDGEABLE or KNOW a good gutiar when you play it -- you MIGHT GET SCREWED .... thats the reality

Your ods of getting a GOOD playable guitar for the same $ (or less) are better with Fender Squire Charvel Schecter Harley BEnton Yamaha -- Godin -- etc etc etc at worst those are a 40/60 gamble and from what Ive seen more like 20/80 bad to good .....

so ... yep there ya go Friday Rant .....

CNC imparts a very consistent level of quality to a given product. In this case, a guitar.

If you look at Schecter - made by World Musical Instruments of Korea - the consistency and build quality are just phenomenal.

Zakk contracted with WMI/Schecter to build his Wylde Audio guitars for this reason.

The greater the amount of hand fitting and assembly, the greater the chance for human error.

I agree with you that the "youth (and future guitarists) of this era" are very content with Fender or _______ and that's partially price, but also an progressively targeted marketing campaign.

But, this modern era is also no longer producing true "guitarists," but rather enthusiasts who grew up idolizing Nirvana, Green Day and Blink-182.

I believe that also has a lot to do with the state of things.

The Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang is a terrible instrument on so many levels - funky trems that wont stay in tune, anemic pickups, oddball controls - but it's a top seller because Cobain is still idolized.

I believe that there has been a huge change in Gibson's quality in recent years and I'm hoping that trend continues because the Gibson line has great potential.

For me, I really like the way a Les Paul feels and sounds. I prefer the shorter scale and reduced string tension. It's easier for me to bend strings and sling vibrato on a Gibson for these reasons.

My YelloStrat is a simple, rugged guitar. That's what I like about Leo's design. My Strat will lay in my trunk all day while im at work and go to rehearsal or a performance after work and its still in tune.

The Stratocaster is by far easier easier/faster to setup and it's very forgiving in terms of being knocked around or dropped.

But it sucks from almost every other standpoint.

It's much harder or me to play it. Let's say that I notice that I'm working harder playing the Stratocaster.

If I play 3-4 hours with a Les Paul, I don't feel worn out, but despite the Stratocaster weighing half as much as the Les Paul (my 2021 Gibson is 10.6 pounds) my hands and forearms are feeling a difference when I'm playing the Stratocaster.

The wider fret spacing and the increased string tension - from the longer scale length - make it a lot harder (for me) to impart the same level of intensity to my playing that just seems to flow out of me on a shorter scale guitar.

When I've put lighter strings on the Stratocaster, I break them in the middle of a show, so I'm sticking with .010's now and I'm getting zero breaks during a performance.

The Stratocaster - to me - is like the old boots that you don't care if they get scuffed up. It's a useful tool.

One of the reasons I decided to build this recent SG is that I know I can build a better SG than I can buy and with features I couldn't even get from Gibson's custom shop.

Second reason is to get Les Paul humbucker punch in a lighter weight package with a more 'user friendly' scale length.

True, there are some decent imported guitars out there and nobody should feel like they can't or shouldn't buy what they want, but I like my USA Gibson and I prefer a USA or UK made product over the import offerings in general, IMHO anyway.

I'm using UK made Celestion speakers too and there's just no comparison to their imported Celestions.

My Gibson is my only commercially made guitar. Everything else I have is custom and my pickiness is a huge part of that.
 
I think it's important to consider that the price of the guitar is a sum of the total cost of everything that goes into producing the final product. This seems like an obvious thing, but we often focus most of our attention on the final fit and finish. But, we often fail to consider what is required to get that fit and finish.

Which brings me to my point: the finish.

The Dreaded Poly versus Nitro Wars!

Regardless of what a person may think concerning the effect on tone, the simple, indisputable fact is that a nitrocellulose finish is orders of magnitude more time-consuming to apply and work to the final product than a poly finish. Add to that the greater environmental hurdles presented by nitro since it is a high VOC (volatile organic compound) finish and you have a finish that is significantly more expensive than a poly finish, even if due to nothing more than the labor required. Once you factor in the higher cost of labor in the US versus overseas labor, the final price differential becomes even more dramatic.

So, if you have a guitar that you are trying to market to a lower price point, but you still finish the guitar in nitro, you will have to try to reduce costs elsewhere - even if all that means is rushing things along, leaving the employees less time to do their jobs effectively. The result is that you could have a guitar that is structurally inferior to another, but still cost more simply because the finishing process is more expensive.

When you consider that even the Gibson Faded series was finished in nitro (though only a few layers), but Epiphones are normally finished in poly, you can begin to see part of the reason why you can get an inexpensive Epiphone that may actually be a better quality instrument than a comparably priced, or even slightly higher priced, Gibson.

Now, I don't mean to suggest this is the only reason a Gibson may be more expensive, while still lacking in quality in it's lower priced models. But, I do think it is a real cost driver.
 
I think it's important to consider that the price of the guitar is a sum of the total cost of everything that goes into producing the final product. This seems like an obvious thing, but we often focus most of our attention on the final fit and finish. But, we often fail to consider what is required to get that fit and finish.

Which brings me to my point: the finish.

The Dreaded Poly versus Nitro Wars!

Regardless of what a person may think concerning the effect on tone, the simple, indisputable fact is that a nitrocellulose finish is orders of magnitude more time-consuming to apply and work to the final product than a poly finish. Add to that the greater environmental hurdles presented by nitro since it is a high VOC (volatile organic compound) finish and you have a finish that is significantly more expensive than a poly finish, even if due to nothing more than the labor required. Once you factor in the higher cost of labor in the US versus overseas labor, the final price differential becomes even more dramatic.

So, if you have a guitar that you are trying to market to a lower price point, but you still finish the guitar in nitro, you will have to try to reduce costs elsewhere - even if all that means is rushing things along, leaving the employees less time to do their jobs effectively. The result is that you could have a guitar that is structurally inferior to another, but still cost more simply because the finishing process is more expensive.

When you consider that even the Gibson Faded series was finished in nitro (though only a few layers), but Epiphones are normally finished in poly, you can begin to see part of the reason why you can get an inexpensive Epiphone that may actually be a better quality instrument than a comparably priced, or even slightly higher priced, Gibson.

Now, I don't mean to suggest this is the only reason a Gibson may be more expensive, while still lacking in quality in it's lower priced models. But, I do think it is a real cost driver.

Look at a video on the construction methodology of a les paul....
 
But that is the point-- the construction of a les paul at the US CNC machine -- SHOULD (you'd assume) be the same as the Chinese CNC machine at the Epi plant -- wouldnt you think?
Epi plant probably has MORE CNC machines and is cranking out MORE instruments per day --yes the woods may not be as "good" -- yes the nitro takes more time than poly
but -- the nitro/poly was not the main complaint Roberts finding of un tunable-- incorrect frets and intonation anomalies has 100% zero to do with cost or style of gloss finish. IT is BUILD oriented not finish oriented.

WHere these items are set/placed should be (honestly in 2022) a "no brainer" --- the machine does the calculating setting and layout -- and THERE is the rub
WHY ??? -- Are 1200.00 Gibsons showing up that cant be set up or have frets in the wrong place? -- almost like employees are intentionally sabotaging quality---
where on the other side of the planet the "cheap" imports just get better and better (yes some still suck-- but a 150.00 Grote that comes in with sharp frets or wont intonate you say "HEY I GOT WHAT I PAID FOR" ) -- when a 1500.00 Gibson wont intonate -- you feel SCREWED! -- and frankly you were!!!

Flat out Q.C. is a problem at Gibson --- and they need to get a handle on it not just make cutsie videos slogans and marketing schmeer.

and yet again NOT BASHING GIBSON --- PUSHING GIBSON to be ALL they can be because I really do LOVE a good Gibson ...... I just hate it takes SOO LONG to find one sometimes !!!
 
I suspect that Gibson is still doing hand layouts. I can see blue layout compound at the edges of the frets on my 2021 GibsonLesPaul50'sStandard. If it was CNC cut, there would be no layout dye.

Also, I've measured tuner placement on several Gibson guitars and the tuner placement variations tell me they are not being CNC'd.
 
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yes the nitro takes more time than poly
but -- the nitro/poly was not the main complaint Roberts finding of un tunable-- incorrect frets and intonation anomalies has 100% zero to do with cost or style of gloss finish.

Correct. Robert’s observations have not been finish related. My suggestion is that if a certain type of finish is used which is inherently more expensive AND if you’re still going to try to maintain some sort of lower price point, then it is reasonable to suspect that some compromises may be done elsewhere to compensate for the more expensive finish. It’s just a hypothesis.

Aside from any of this, the cost of finishing also helps explain why Gibsons are generally more expensive. It’s not the singular reason, but it is a real cost driver.
 
Now is Fender just being HONEST -- or following some new governed labeling protocol?
It's a new governed labeling protocol.

"According to the Federal Trade Commission, “Made in USA” means that “all or virtually all” the product has been made in America. That is, all significant parts, processing and labor that go into the product must be of U.S. origin."
 
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