WTF GIBSON???

[callen3615]

Hey guys. I have been looking at les pauls for about 2 months now. I have a epiphone les paul standard plus. I want a Gibson les paul standard plus. I got my epi used for 300, it retails for something like 650. The Gibson retails for something like 2700. Is the Gibson 4 times better than my epiphone??? I would hope so. The thing is I cannot justify spending more than my car is worth on a guitar. I guess you pay alot for the logo. So...is it worth it to get the Gibson???

[Rotti]

Thats what it costs. If you have the cash and want the guitar it is worth it. Is it 4 times better than your Epiphone? Probably not but it's definately more than just the logo. Many people are willing to pay a premium for just the right guitar.

[jemaholic]

Callen,

There are alot of reasons for the Gibson's pricing:
1) The resale value stays high so you get your money back when you sell it.
2) Because people are willing to pay that price.
3) Because Gibsons actually INCREASE in value over time.
4) Because they are very popular

Consider this question:

Is a new Corvette worth $70,000.00?
Guess what - Chevy sells every one they make.

~j

[HDS]

I just bought a 1971 Gibson Les Paul custom for $1500, should be here Friday. There are deals out there, just gotta hunt them down.

[funkdubious]

I guess if you want a Gibson Standard Plus,that's what you want, but have considered the LP Studio? It's more affordable and is a brilliant guitar,much preferred it to my old Gibbo ZW LP Custom

[Ibanized]

not again

[jim777]

(hijack alert)

Originally Posted by jemaholic

Is a new Corvette worth $70,000.00?
Guess what - Chevy sells every one they make.

~j

Man, I miss my Corvette That thing was so much fun, and worth every penny paid for it!

[jemaholic]

Originally Posted by jim777

(hijack alert)



Man, I miss my Corvette That thing was so much fun, and worth every penny paid for it!

Me too.....I just found 33-year-old pix of my 1976 in British Racing Green with duck- **S and T-Tops. Might have to post 'em....

[callen3615]

I like the studio, i also like the custom

[DEADTUNES666]

Originally Posted by jemaholic

Callen,

There are alot of reasons for the Gibson's pricing:
1) The resale value stays high so you get your money back when you sell it.
2) Because people are willing to pay that price.
3) Because Gibsons actually INCREASE in value over time.
4) Because they are very popular

Consider this question:

Is a new Corvette worth $70,000.00?
Guess what - Chevy sells every one they make.

~j

Also it is American made. They have more monetary overhead in America than elsewhere. US employees make more than some of their overseas counterparts.

In the 80's I bought an Alpine White Gibson Les Paul Custom for around $780.00, right after that, Guns N' Roses exploded and those same Gibsons were selling for $1600.00 It's all about the demand.

I wish Vai would screw up up and do something stupid so his JEM guitar value goes way down and I can buy a few more...

[jemaholic]

Unlikely.

~j

[brain21]

Gibson Les Pauls are, in my opinion, way overpriced these days. Even a lot of Gibson Les Paul owners think so. Just read through the forums at mylespaul. com or "The Les Paul Forum" (I think just lespaulforums. com or something like that).

Personally, I would not buy a current Les Paul. If I were to really buy a Gibson, I would go used. For used, at a good price, you are probably talking about a Norlin-era instrument, or possibly just after. Norlin-era Les Pauls have a bad rep, but there are quite often a few real gems that sneak through. Therefore, if I were to buy a Norlin-era Les Paul I think I would definitely have to do it in person and not the fleabay or online classifieds, etc.

But really, I would instead go for something completely different, unless you just HAVE to have the name on the headstock. The Epiphone Elite series are literally on par with, and sometimes BETTER than their American counter parts. Quality Control in asia seems to be better these days than it is at Gibson unless you are talking about the custom shop. The Epiphone Elites are less than half the cost of the USA Gibson Les Pauls.

I would seriously look into import models as well. ESP makes a line of Les Paul copies under the "Edwards" brand name. These are not sold in the USA for legal reasons and are only sold in Japan. However, you can find them on fleabay and in classifieds pretty regularly. For around $800 these are probably the single most consistently made (in terms of quality, etc.) LP copies around right now, and in terms of feel, quality, tone, construction, etc. they are easily on par with the current Gibson Les Paul standards, etc.

You can also search fleabay for used "Orville" and "Orville by Gibson" guitars. Both were made by Gibson in Japan. The "Orville by Gibson" brand is a little higher end than the plain "Orville" brand. The "Orville by Gibson" are essentially the Epiphone Elites before they existed, but were intended only for the Japanese market.

Older Tokais, Burnys, and a few others are (and they each vary from instrument to instrument) all high quality instruments, many often far better quality and tone than what Gibson is making today, for 1/2 the price as well.

If you want to go high-end, Navigator is a brand that is essentially the ESP Custom Shop, and their LP copies are right up there with the Gibson Custom Shop instruments. They cost it though. New Navigators are in the $4k range. You can get really nice used ones for around $2k though. Not too shabby, a Gibson Custom Shop, handmade instrument for $2k? About 1/3 the cost of a Gibby Custom Shop? There is the brand "History" as well. They have low end, and they have very high-end. The high-end use Timeless Timbers (wood up to around 400 years old), are individually hand-made, pretty rare, and cost around the same as the Navigators, sometimes close to Gibby Custom Shop prices for top of the line, exotic wood handmade instruments. Bacchus is another brand. Their upper-end instruments are hand-made as well, but they are often no-frills and therefore reasonably affordable. You just can't beat $1200-$1500 for a brand new handmade Les Paul copy. The Duke series use a simple oil rubbing finish. THis means that if you want to refinish the guitar it's really easy to do so, and you can get a real Nitro finish done on it rather than a poly if you want.

Many of the above mentioned have features that you just can't get from Gibson anymore unless you got for an R8 or R9, like long tenon neck joints, often 1-piece mahogany bodies, etc. Many of them come with nice pickups from the get go (like REAL Seymour Duncan JB and 59s in the Edwards, etc.). Some of the older (used) ones will not only have 1-piece bodies, but they will be REAL honduran mahogany, not african (Honduran is less dense and therefore more lightweight, and has far better tonal qualities), and many will have REAL brazillian rosewood fretboards. You simply can't get those woods from Gibson anymore w/o paying a nice chunk of change.

But, if you are really concerned with the name on the headstock, get the Gibson. It's the real thing, even if the real thing isn't what it used to be.

[Hikey Mikey]

Originally Posted by Ibanized

not again

It will never end, never.


To the OP: someone already recommended the Studio. I just played a regular Studio and the Studio in Vintage Mahogany, an unfinished guitar that is made in America, comes with a hardshell case, costs less than a grand, and . . . the best part . . it sounds great. I liked it better than the regular Studio and it costs less.

Many times, our buying decisions are irrational. We like what we like, want what we want, and that's that. If that's the case, start saving. But if you want a USA Les Paul with nice rock n' roll tone, you have other, cheaper, options.

Peace

Mike

[voodoo_child]

Originally Posted by callen3615

So...is it worth it to get the Gibson???

If you don't need the Gibson logo on the headstock, I would recommend you have a look at some Japanese guitars, like Edwards or (especially) Bacchus.

[Doink]

I'll agree with most of what brain21 said. In addition to the brands that he mentioned, I'd also like add that Collings, Hamer, and Carvin all make a better Gibson than Gibson. Plus you're not paying an extra $1000 for the name.

And, even though it's blasphemous to mention his name here, Ed Roman's in house brands are very high quality as well.