Bring the LP Custom back into the USA line

[turboLp]

all good 2019 news aside, why can't Gibson bring lp custom into the core Gibson USA line in the 60's range? i mean, if you wants an lp custom, ya have to pay like 4 grand for it, and you still get cheese holes with short tennon and same usa electronics. why not offer more affordable non-custom-shop customs?
sure, Gibson might say "no one's actually interested in customs as it's more of a niche market, like granny porn". to which i'd say: "duh, of course no one's interested when they cost 4 grand!".
it's out of most players budget, and dealers, knowing that, don't want to even stock these guitars... and then players who actually are willing to pay that money can't really find them at dealers, which results in the lack of sales. it's a self-fulfilling prophecy if you will.

why not offer les paul customs in the Gibson USA line, just like they used to, for something like, i dunno, just above the core burst prices and see how it goes?

 

[Tobaccoburst83]

Yes, you are totally right!

I don't unterstand why a Custom is that much more expensive. It's just a prettier Standard if you ask me.

 

[anorton]

They did make Classic Customs. I bought a new one in 2012, and it’s a great guitar. 11 pounds with traditional weight relief, 57 pickups, chrome hardware, Grovers. The baked maple fretboard turned a lot of people off, but mine’s really dark. Looks like ebony. Anyway, they’re out there for around $1800, which was about the cost for a new one. They don’t have binding on the back of the body, though. From what I’ve read, they sold quickly wherever they were. I changed the knobs and added a Custom truss rod cover.

 

[ARandall]

You do know they were moved to the custom shop after many years of being part of the USA line.....with many years (decades) of sales data to back the decision up.

 

[scozz]

You do know they were moved to the custom shop after many years of being part of the USA line.....with many years (decades) of sales data to back the decision up.

I’ve always wondered what the thinking was behind the switch from regular production to the Custom Shop?

Was it the more attention to detail in the CS to justify the price? Yet a new Custom these days, (from the CS), are quite a bit less expensive than othe CS models.

 

[BigTim]

I do not really see it being different per say. It is still the same company but is the higher end of the bunch. It is still going to cost more than a standard or traditional style gibson anyways. Just look at the cost of the new traditional and standard les pauls. Traditional ones are pushing 2800 and the standard is like 3400 or something now. So if the current prices from the standard production line are this expensive currently, your les paul custom going back to the regular production factory is still going to cost better than 4000.00 whether it is made in the custom shop or not.

 

[JMB1984]

Gibson USA should bring back the Classic Custom.

Im fine with the regular non-historic custom and all of its variations being made by the Custom Shop though. It is common for variations of the custom to get figured tops and what not and the Custom Shop needs to be making more than just Historics all the time. Also for 2019 the regular non-Historic Custom now has a long neck tennon and it has returned to ebony fretboards.

 

[ARandall]

I’ve always wondered what the thinking was behind the switch from regular production to the Custom Shop?

Was it the more attention to detail in the CS to justify the price? Yet a new Custom these days, (from the CS), are quite a bit less expensive than othe CS models.

I bet it was freeing up the USA line to be more volume oriented. The Custom required a lot of specialist routing for binding and inlay.......the rest of the lines could be completed with a generic template for the most part. Also the extra manhours could be lost amongst the 'nominal' customshop prestige.

 

[XpensiveWino]

The Custom shop products are outstanding. The custom should be outstanding and the custom shop production is warranted IMO.

OTOH, you can buy used non CS customs all day for well under $2k. My current number one is a '77 Custom that I adore, and got well under the numbers cited in the OP.

YMMV

 

[GT1]

I agree with the OP.
The custom now is overpriced, especially with a Richlite board.

 

[XpensiveWino]

Richlite is gone for 2019.

 

[afjungemann]

you can buy used non CS customs all day for well under $2k.

Where are these sub $2K customs?! I have seen some dip below $2K every once in a while but those seem to be few and far between.

 

[Macronaut]

Where are these sub $2K customs?! I have seen some dip below $2K every once in a while but those seem to be few and far between.

What you quoted reads "non" CS....

 

[afjungemann]

What you quoted reads "non" CS....

For sure but I guess I took that to mean pre CS. If we are talking about custom lights, I can see that.

 

[Macronaut]

For sure but I guess I took that to mean pre CS. If we are talking about custom lights, I can see that.

 

[moreles]

Sure, the somewhat (not that much, really?) more expensive production could either be situated in an offshoot of the main production line, or in the Custom Shop. At the end of the day, it's sort of the same thing, isn't it? So a higher price is justified. My own feeling is that the price increase is excessive. But if the market will go for it, then that's how it goes; if it doesn't, then Gibson will moderate it. I'm sure this is all happening with a mind towards returning the company to solvency. It's not as though they can do that without a mind for profit.

 

[Frogfur]

Better yet. Bring it back in with an all Mahogany body, good top curve, binding and original type staple pickups with the correct size head stock as a 54 tribute or Traditional model.

 

[efstop]

How does one spot and remember head stock size? I know a Melody Maker has a narrow one, but I can't tell from a picture if a Trad/Standard/Custom head stock is different. I suppose there's a difference between my Tribute and my J-29 but I haven't put them side by side or measured them.

As far as Custom manufacture, would my long gone '74 Norlin ebony Fretless Wonder be closer to USA or custom shop?

 

[XpensiveWino]

Where are these sub $2K customs?! I have seen some dip below $2K every once in a while but those seem to be few and far between.

A search of 'les Paul custom Gibson' on eBay sold items shows at least ten that I could quickly spot under $2k that have sold that weren't fakes, custom classics, or custom lites.

I get your point, they aren't just growing on trees under $2k, but they're out there.

I can say with certainty in the past four months in the Jacksonville, FL market 2 have sold on CL for well under that number. One was missing original parts and case. The other was fully intact with all original parts.