My New 2021 Goldtop sucks…

[TB85Custom]

So I bought a new 2021 Goldtop 50s Standard. Its nothing like my 2020 50s standard. Its oversanded around the pickup cavaties, theres a gouge around the 17th inlay. Marks all down the treble side of the neck binding. The frets are sanded super low and flat. And lastly it does not smell sweet like vanilla. Its smells like chemicals and gives me a headache. And its really sticky. The brown case is also completely different. My 2020 was heavy and resonant. Great frets. Great tone. But it had a few cosmetic flaws…. This new one feels like and plays like shit. Why does it smell so bad? Anyone?

 

[integra evan]

So return it.
The smell is from the case. Different case manufacturer using stinky glue.

 

[Uncle Vinnie]

I'm guessing you bought online?

I'd send it back. The production flaws you mention are enough to justify a refund.

 

[Nintari]

Sorry to hear this. As someone who's gotten screwed via online purchasing more often than not, I can really sympathize. It's one of the reasons why, if I buy another high-end guitar, I'm driving to the dealer and trying them out first. Wasted gas money is a fair trade-off (IMO) for the headache that is getting your hopes dashed when a guitar that you thought would be amazing arrives at your door and ends up being a complete let down.

 

[E.T.]

Patchy Gibson QC, it's A Thing now, sadly.

 

[TB85Custom]

Requested to Return. It seems I go through a few to find a good one… I just read somewhere else that the new cases smell really bad. Im guessing thats what im getting from the guitar. Ill try one more. Otherwise I agree that going in person is best. Just trying to take advantage of payment/financing options. Sucks becuse the binding on this one was nicely done. No lips. But theres alot going against it. My 2020 smelled great, played great and sounded great. I should held on. It was gone a few days before I bought the Goldy. If they send me another flop, I think Ill just drive to Nashville to find a good one.

 

[Injector]

Nah it's not the cases. Every 2019 and 2020 Gibson USA guitar I've owned has stunk of chemicals. That's two LP Standards, a LP Traditional, a LP Special and an ES335. All had different cases from three different manufacturers and besides that the guitars spent months out of their cases and they still stunk the joint out.

It's the formulation of nitro they use on the USA production guitars. No sweet vanilla smell, no cookie dough smell, just nasty and obnoxious solvents. My 2020 Custom Shop LP smells of sweet vanilla.

 

[TB85Custom]

I always thought right up to selling it the other day that my 2020 seemed alot nicer than any GibsonUSA products Ive ever seen or played. It did have a couple things that bugged me. The top was killer and it just felt and sounded way better. It came from Wildwood Guitars. Maybe it was a return or reject of a nicer LP because it smelled so fuckin good too!

 

[LCW]

Why did you sell the 2020?

 

[Rogueaverage616]

My Gibson USA 2016 Honey burst les paul Standard, smells like Vanilla

my 2018 Gibson Custom Shop les paul R0 and 2019 R9 both smell like Baby wipes

My 2016 Gibson Custom shop SG Standard Historic , smells like Vanilla, many its a 2016 thing?

 

[Wuuthrad]

Nah it's not the cases. Every 2019 and 2020 Gibson USA guitar I've owned has stunk of chemicals. That's two LP Standards, a LP Traditional, a LP Special and an ES335. All had different cases from three different manufacturers and besides that the guitars spent months out of their cases and they still stunk the joint out.

It's the formulation of nitro they use on the USA production guitars. No sweet vanilla smell, no cookie dough smell, just nasty and obnoxious solvents. My 2020 Custom Shop LP smells of sweet vanilla.

It is the cases.

 

[Injector]

It is the cases.

100% not in my experience.
One of my cases was faulty from new and Gibson sent me a brand new case. It didn't smell at all. The guitars make the cases smell, not the other way round.

I'm not saying that no cases smell. My Fender strat case stinks of cheap Chinese glue. The Gibson cases however smell of nitro (from the guitars). Bog-standard nitro and not the stuff with a vanilla scent. I can leave the guitars out of the cases for months and the smell in the case fades but the guitars still stimk bigtime.

 

[Wuuthrad]

100% not in my experience.
One of my cases was faulty from new and Gibson sent me a brand new case. It didn't smell at all. The guitars make the cases smell, not the other way round.

I'm not saying that no cases smell. My Fender strat case stinks of cheap Chinese glue. The Gibson cases however smell of nitro (from the guitars). Bog-standard nitro and not the stuff with a vanilla scent. I can leave the guitars out of the cases for months and the smell in the case fades but the guitars still stimk bigtime.

The vanilla smell is a case smell, kind of permeates the nitro. I can understand makers use it! Had some nasty smelling off gassing cases over the years.

Good thing is they all fade… and we can use whatever scent we like, should we need it.

You know what’s really weird? All the guitar picks I bought in the last year smell like Tiger Balm! Mentholated Picks! lol

 

[GibsonMarshallGuy]

I wouldn't worry about how it smells. As far as everything else, return it.

 

[Injector]

The vanilla smell is a case smell, kind of permeates the nitro. I can understand makers use it! Had some nasty smelling off gassing cases over the years.

Good thing is they all fade… and we can use whatever scent we like, should we need it.

You know what’s really weird? All the guitar picks I bought in the last year smell like Tiger Balm! Mentholated Picks! lol

Nitro stinks of solvents and offgasses for years. Gibson and Fender Custom Shops add a scent to the nitro to make it less offensive, usually said to smell of vanilla or cookie dough.

Gibson USA don't seem to be adding a scent to their nitro anymore. There's no way that a case scent could possibly overpower this smell of solvents. It literally stinks the joint out.

 

[TB85Custom]

Why did you sell the 2020?

Needed the Lump sum.

 

[Wuuthrad]

Nitro stinks of solvents and offgasses for years. Gibson and Fender Custom Shops add a scent to the nitro to make it less offensive, usually said to smell of vanilla or cookie dough.

Gibson USA don't seem to be adding a scent to their nitro anymore. There's no way that a case scent could possibly overpower this smell of solvents. It literally stinks the joint out.

Nope

 

[ARandall]

Nitro stinks of solvents and offgasses for years. Gibson and Fender Custom Shops add a scent to the nitro to make it less offensive, usually said to smell of vanilla or cookie dough.

Gibson USA don't seem to be adding a scent to their nitro anymore. There's no way that a case scent could possibly overpower this smell of solvents. It literally stinks the joint out.

Nitro might be offgassing for a while, but by the time you get to 6 weeks after spraying the fume intensity is so low that you need to press your nose right up against the guitar to smell anything. After that any curing is very minor, and the main symptom is very slight shrinkage. There is simply not physically enough of the material to smell so intensely after 6 weeks that it causes headaches or stinks the joint out, let alone many months.
And custom shop nitro is more 'pure' as in less additives.....not more.

 

[Injector]

Nitro might be offgassing for a while, but by the time you get to 6 weeks after spraying the fume intensity is so low that you need to press your nose right up against the guitar to smell anything. After that any curing is very minor, and the main symptom is very slight shrinkage. There is simply not physically enough of the material to smell so intensely after 6 weeks that it causes headaches or stinks the joint out, let alone many months.
And custom shop nitro is more 'pure' as in less additives.....not more.

Not my experience at all and I own lots of Gibsons.
Nitro actually offgasses for years and never fully cures. It also stinks to hell. The vanilla/cookie dough smell is an additive.

If you guys think that Original Series Gibson USA production guitars don't stink of solvents then we'll just agree to disagree. Nobody will convince me that it's the hardcase. I have plenty of odourless cases here and guitars that stink.

 

[JMP]

Return it and go to a dealer that has stock. That’s the only way to ensure it’s the right guitar for you.