Had a nice long talk with the Gibson Rep at GC Dallas.

discofishing · February 16th, 2010, 01:49 AM

Wound up at GC in Dallas yesterday with a friend. Noticed a Gibson Representative was there so I decided to engage in conversation with the guy. I didn't waste any time and went straight into Gibson bashing. I mentioned many faults I found with Gibson guitars just hanging on the wall right next to us like; fret ends sticking out of the neck (guitars without binding), poor finish work, buzzing on B and G strings (poor nut slot depth), poor binding work, visible neck joints on solid finishes. He didn't really give me a firm answer as to why any of this stuff happens. He just acted like all those discrepancies were not a big deal and it was too hard to get all that stuff right. He mentioned that if I wanted "real" quality that I needed to get something from the Custom Shop. So he picked up a $5000 Les Paul 59' Reissue from the top row. He handed it to me and told me that the Custom Shop is hand made with better attention to detail than the standard Gibson models. So I examined it in detail. When strummed It buzzed; the finished looked dull and milky; the frets were filed way way too low; and the worst thing of all was that the binding was cracked at almost every fret end. Guitar was hardly worth $5000. His defense for that was that every Gibson is unique and you just have to find the right one that suits you. He then proceeded to bash PRS and the CNC machines they use. I wonder if he knew his own company used CNC machines. I walked away from GC that day with the feeling that Gibson has lost all concept of quality and consistency.

noname · February 16th, 2010, 08:04 AM

Wow. That is disappointing. This guy has the entirely wrong attitude--as if they are doing us a favor by giving us a chance to buy their guitar. Especially in these hard economic times, cash is hard to come by, and if someone is scraping together $2-3k to buy a given product, that company ought to be honored.

I hope this was just one rep having a bad day and not a prevailing corporate mindset.

indianation66 · February 16th, 2010, 08:51 AM

Mr. Fishing,
Which GC was it, 635 or Central Expressway? I frequent the Central store regularly. When you first got wind of the Gibson cat did an agenda pop up in your head? I see Gibson getting bashed regularly; obviously, of the guitars you've seen, Gibson deserves it. I've only purchased one Gibson back in '95 and had no complaints. I bet if I had a better eye I probably could have found some. Good stuff and I say it must have been nice to see someone out in the field. You did a service, because he will undoubtedly report back to corporate. His excuses were nothing but bad excuses. I'm sure it just felt the need to scramble for answers.

...wisdom

discofishing · February 16th, 2010, 11:14 PM

It was at the store on central. I don't remember the name, but the guy had glasses and slicked back hair. He was nice and didn't seem pissed off. Yes I had an agenda, but I also agreed with him on some points. Gibson caters to the people on a budget a lot better than PRS and some other companies do. Look at the PRS Mira and a Gibson SG. They are both dual humbucker guitars made of mahogany with set necks and rosewood fret boards. The Gibson costs about a grand while the PRS costs $1500 on up. Gibson even makes a faded SG Special and LP Studio that are both well under a grand. There are Mexi Strats, Korean Schecters, LTDs, Ibanez, Jacksons, and so forth that cost more than a USA Gibson. These Gibson guitars made for the working class are awesome deals and they sound and play great. Gibson also has more options than Fender and other such companies. If you want a PRS with an ebony fret board and binding, prepare to pay at least $10,000. I only bash Gibson when they deserve it. I have 7 Gibson Les Pauls and 1 Gibson SG. That should at least say that I do like Gibson (most of the time).

I think my bashing started when my brother worked at that central Dallas Guitar Center. He was their guitar/bass tech for around a year. He told me horror stories of the kind of crap Gibson would send them. I also got to see first hand the repairs he had to make to Gibson guitars as well. Needless to say I was kind of shock by what I heard and saw. Gibson is more than just a name and a guitar company. Gibson is part of American history. They sell more than just guitars, they sell a piece of America. What they produce needs to be top notch. Every other major USA guitar company can do it. Why can't they? If it says "Made in USA" it needs to be top notch. It shouldn't just be "good enough".

tazzboy · February 17th, 2010, 12:02 AM

Just goes to show how out touch Gibson has really become.

discofishing · February 17th, 2010, 02:13 AM

The Gibson Rep said a lot of their ideas came from consumers. The new Les Paul Standard might support his claim. It has Grover Roto-Grip locking tuners for added tuning stability. It comes stock with a Tone Pros bridge and has a very unique electronics layout. The new Les Paul Traditional Pro has the same tuners as the new Standard, but also has coil taps, which makes it more versatile. This is stuff players have asked for and have modified their own Les Pauls with. On the other hand, when I look at the Dusk Tiger, Dark Fire, and SG Zuit Suit I can't help but wonder if Henry E. Juszkiewicz goes out on the factory floor after smoking a bag of assorted crack rocks and starts barking orders. I've heard he micromanages Gibson. Maybe that one dude is the reason Gibson is so out of touch with the market.

wolfman63 · February 17th, 2010, 08:56 AM

Disco, thanks for the pm heads up. I've been griping about the quality issue for a while. As a matter of fact, three weeks ago the band I work with played at a twelve band benefit for a cancer patient. I played my Epiphone 335 Dot and was told that the factory rep from Gibson was there, and wanted to take my picture with the Epi. I declined the picture, but I did chew on the rep for a while about the Gibson quality/price issues. Informed him that they have seen the last dime from me for Gibson guitars. He seemed ..........dis-interrested and a little evasive. Big surprise. I wouldn't have his job. He probably hears complaints on a regular and continuing basis. As I have stated in other posts, I believe the problem to be in the "front office" and not in the factories. Too much leadership by people who probably don't even play the instrument. Put in a CEO who KNOWS how a guitar is supposed to feel and sound! Quit fooling around with "Dork Stars" and "Dust Bunnys" and stick with the guitars that we've loved for years and just build them right. How about reviving some of the old design Gibson tube amps instead of comming up with new whiz bang crap guitars, that nobody wants anyway? Just a thought.

Boris Bubbanov · February 17th, 2010, 01:12 PM

There have been help wanted ads for Gibson positions for quite some time in Nashville, elsewhere and despite this shocking and unprecedented unemployment in Nashville, these spots just don't stay filled. I am convinced that Guitar Center and Best Buy and Sam Ash are the dumping ground for all the less than satisfactory examples. The guitars Paul Reed Smith might have bandsawed into pieces when times were better.

This rep is just doing what he can in a really cr8ppy set of circumstances, if you ask me.
I would not accept that job.

tazzboy · February 17th, 2010, 03:15 PM

Try a lot more paranoia remember what happen to Dave?

sevycat · February 17th, 2010, 04:18 PM

You know I don't think that this is just limited to Gibson, I have seen poor attention to detail on some fender guitars as well. Maybe, it's time to start looking at some smaller guitar builders and see how well their products are made.

Many of the people I hear from are going this way. Mainly, they want an instrument that they can play and enjoy. Sorry to hear that Gibson is putting out sub par guitars.