YouTuber takes on Gibson QC

[CB91710]

I hear 'ya, but.............. I am comparing my own first hand Gibson experiences to my first hand Epiphone experiences, including my recent search for a LP, and stand by my statement. Gibson QC/Quality in general compared to Epiphone is in the porcelain bowl....... peace.

And my personal experience is exactly the opposite.... with recent model Gibsons.
Gibson: 2019 Standard, 2019 Flying-V, 2020 SG, and a 2022 R4.
The only issue with any of them is the neck angle on the SG is a little over 4 degrees, so the bridge is jacked pretty high... but it doesn't seem that's a QC issue, it's just how they are being made right now.
Epiphone: 2014 Epiphone SG, 2020 Bonamassa LP Custom
The 2014 is my "problem child" The neck just isn't right, it seems to have some fallaway at the 5th fret. No matter how I adjust the truss rod, if the nut height is correct to have "cowboy chords" in tune, it buzzes badly on the 1st fret. If the nut is high enough to avoid buzz, it plays sharp on the first few frets.
The Bonamassa LPC is great for the most part, but the fret ends were not done properly. It was OK running your hand up and down along the neck, but wrapping your hand from back to front (such as shifting from a thumb-over grip to conventional) there were sharp edges at the fret/binding interface.

 

[jk60LPTH]

The 2014 is my "problem child" The neck just isn't right, it seems to have some fallaway at the 5th fret. No matter how I adjust the truss rod, if the nut height is correct to have "cowboy chords" in tune, it buzzes badly on the 1st fret. If the nut is high enough to avoid buzz, it plays sharp on the first few frets.

So, what does the board on the 2014 SG look like with a notched straight-edge? Or is the dip isolated to right where the 5th fret? I'm no luthier, just trying to wrap my mind around what would cause this.

 

[CB91710]

So, what does the board on the 2014 SG look like with a notched straight-edge? Or is the dip isolated to right where the 5th fret? I'm no luthier, just trying to wrap my mind around what would cause this.

It seems to be around the scarf joint.
I've heard of it being an occasional (but rare) issue with Epiphones.

Pisses me off... I bought it at Guitar Center. I played one on the wall and told them I wanted it.
They brought a box out, and I bought a gig bag. I assumed it was the same guitar.
It wasn't... they pulled a "new" one from the stockroom and put the one I played back on the wall. Didn't realize it until I got home with it, but I didn't immediately notice the neck issues.

Honestly, I've not bonded with it, and if I can get it reasonably playable, it'll probably end up being donated to a music school with my Harley Benton if I can find one locally that's worthy. Most of what's around are either chains like Art & Music, or fly-by-nighters running a side hustle for a few weeks.

Compared to the Epiphones that I bought in the 90s... the Les Paul and Sheraton were top-notch. I still have the Sheraton.

 

[Juan Wayne]

Lol, "worth the watch"? I guess there's an audience for everything, takes all kinds...

I found it entertaining, some people find baseball entertaining, others like getting rammed in the bunghole, it does indeed take all kinds.

 

[Juan Wayne]

He's not exactly unbiased when reviewing equipment that is also his competition.

He doesn't MAKE his own guitars... he may have come up with the basic designs, but like Ola Englund, they are produced by a larger company overseas that produces guitars for a number of names. Ola's Solar line is made for him by Washburn. I have no idea who makes Chapman's guitars.
But you don't see Ola doing critical reviews on Fender, Gibson, or any other guitars. He sticks to reviewing other equipment that he does not sell.

I was talking about the guy in OP's video talking about Rob Chapman, not Chapman himself.

 

[searswashere]

Surprised no one's posted these photos yet:

May be the issue here...

 

[donthewatcher]

a DNA 335 DNA Studio DNA goldtop DNA archtop you heard of starburst HairBurst
at gibson QC means quit complaning
gear 1977 Cream- gibson LP standard 57 classic/super 57 CTS orange drop grovers
1995 Black- Dean Vendetta slash alnico custom wiring rosewood
2011 Goldtop -Epi LP bonamassa BB's 2/3 Cts Malory Grovers rosewood
2013 Cherry gibson LPJ 490R/498T (emg) CTS bumble bee kluson rosewood
2014 Blk/Wht Squire 50's Strat fender noiseless custom shop wiring
2017 Blonde Sqiure Tele Dylan Flat 6 P/u CTS custom shop wiring
2018 Ebony Epi LP Custom coil tap seymor duncan P-Rails CTS mallory grovers rosewood
2020 Alpine Epi LP Custom Gold 490R/498T CTS mallory grovers ebony
2021 lemonburst Epi LP 1959 Lazarus BB's 2/3 CTS mallory epi Kluson indian laurel

 

[HRC-E.B.]

I have a hard time understanding the quest for «perfect». A guitar is a product of many hands and to expect perfection is like wanting the world to be sterile. How entertaining/interesting is that?
We all live in a dynamic world and should be happy with the luxury it is to even have access to an instrument at all. I am as guilty as anyone in obsessing over details such as cracking, knobs, patina and what have you. What we should do is open our minds up, lift our heads and acknowledge how fortunate we are. After all, it is a materialistic issue. If Gibson fails now and then I am sure it is not intentional.
Chill…we will all be ok in the end.

I have a hard time understanding a comment like this when, in fact, most don’t look for « perfection » but, simply, for « getting their money’s worth ».

What’s so hard to understand about that?

 

[Adoran]

Surprised no one's posted these photos yet:

May be the issue here...

I used to make fireplaces (in the last millennium, the before times lol) and the guy doing the spraying on the wood surrounds would go in his booth without respirator if he wanted to get a buzz on. I guess they got rid of the VOCs so not as much of a buzz on these days. Or are these dudes just sky fuckin high?

 

[Wrench66]

I used to make fireplaces (in the last millennium, the before times lol) and the guy doing the spraying on the wood surrounds would go in his booth without respirator if he wanted to get a buzz on. I guess they got rid of the VOCs so not as much of a buzz on these days. Or are these dudes just sky fuckin high?

I’m not a painter, but they have paint rooms where I work with amazing ventilation that replaces all the air in the room each second. So unless your spraying the paint directly in your face, you can’t breath it in.

 

[dspelman]

I used to make fireplaces (in the last millennium, the before times lol) and the guy doing the spraying on the wood surrounds would go in his booth without respirator if he wanted to get a buzz on. I guess they got rid of the VOCs so not as much of a buzz on these days. Or are these dudes just sky fuckin high?

They didn't get rid of the VOC's. It still takes the same solvents to thin the lacquer.
Those VOC's cause nervous system damage, etc. so these guys are likely beyond caring.

 

[Adoran]

They didn't get rid of the VOC's. It still takes the same solvents to thin the lacquer.
Those VOC's cause nervous system damage, etc. so these guys are likely beyond caring.

Ya. Lacquer was the fave and that was diluted and put on a few coats. The thinners was the shit. I was at uni, summer job. That dude already had 2 kids. Younger than me.

 

[cortland1977]

why do i feel like im watching real life beavis and butt head here. huh huh huh huh. pube. huh huh huh

 

[dspelman]

Sometimes i wonder, about those who are so much into the quality of the guitars.

How many of the same guitars do they actually go through to get a real picture about the quality?

And if they are so "anal" about it quality and QC, i hope they don't eat mass produced foods, those foods actually have an allowance for animal and human "left overs" and hairs and so on in the food.

Those guys would never be able to eat at all.

Production defects is of course something you always should return, there is no argument about that. But if you need to inspect something for 1-3 hours to get hold of a very tiny thing, that doesn't even affect 1% of the guitar, that i can't understand.

I can't tell you about "those guys," but I've got Gibsons that start in 1949, run through the mid-50's and early '60's, and my most recent *new* Gibson is an Axcess Custom that was about $4K in 2009. I sold them in a music store back in the early '70's and I've been through a few hundred new ones in stores since then.

I've got an annoying eye for detail, but I'm not anal about small issues. 15 years ago I began to notice surprisingly frequent lapses in finish and fretwork, and it became obvious that Gibson was attempting to cover the fretwork issues by promoting the tonal benefits of "medium-high" action. They eventually bought PLEK machines in an attempt to ride PLEK's coattails for precision and quality fretwork. Finish errors were passed off as "vintage" inspired, and Gibson began to promote satin finishes and lack of grain filler aggressively as "stripped down rock and roll."

At the same time, I noticed that other, sometimes less expensive brands, were doing a pretty good job with the same issues. I own Carvin guitars that were built from about 1986 to about 2006 (some were purchased used, some new), and aside from one notorious period during which they'd lost their chief painter, finishing was excellent. Fretwork was outstanding. Wood choices were amazing. Again, my last Carvin was purchased in 2006, so I can't speak for them since then. About 13-15 years ago, I was introduced to Agile guitars, which were Korean-made and *much* cheaper, and I now have about 13 of those. At that price you shouldn't expect perfection, but I found they were damned good.

Along the way I glommed onto the occasional Nik Huber, Moonstones and several other smaller brands with higher-end price tags (beyond most Gibson MSRPs), and I have custom-built guitars.

I backpack, I grew up around farms and farm animals, I've hunted and I've eaten things that might surprise you. I've never needed 1-3 hours to find issues if they're present. I can usually do that within the first five minutes.

 

[RRfireblade]

Surprised no one's posted these photos yet:





May be the issue here...

Prob cause they are in the video posted.

 

[RRfireblade]

Question, that's a 3 year old guitar, is it not?

Was it just bought NOS or do we/they know that it came from Gibson like that?