The Official Gear thread !!

NicDots · Post by **NicDots** » Tue May 26, 2009 12:33 am

Man, if I had 3,000 to blow on a guitar, I think it would be a Gibson Les Paul Standard, with a 60s neck, in trans amber.

I love the 60s neck. Much thinner than the 50s neck, for my small, skinny hands.

wareagle · Post by **wareagle** » Tue May 26, 2009 12:04 pm

NicDots · Post by **NicDots** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:10 pm

Good on you for working two summers for your guitar.

Makes you love it that much more.

My parents got me a Gibson SG Special for my birthday/Christmas (I have one of those birthdays that's right by Christmas, so it was a gift for both) after I had been playing for nearly 2 years on a really crappy Fender Squire. Someone was over at the house while I was playing and told them I was really good. They decided they'd upgrade for me.

You know, one thing that I don't like about Gibson is that they definitely make Lemons. Sometimes one Standard can be AMAZINGLY set up and just be a dream to play. Others, not so much! I really liked the Gibson Les Paul Classic, which I think has been discontinued. The next best thing is the 60s Standard.

Wow, I am rambling!

Anyway, congrats on your hot new guitar, Elliot dear!

Ritchie · Post by **Ritchie** » Tue May 26, 2009 3:21 pm

Always use a poorly set up guitar in a store to your advantage IE discount or otherwise , quite often the bad playing guitar can and is a real beauty once set up by a pro tech .. i understand it makes it harder to like a bad playing instrument when in the store and you're there to make a choice , but it is totally acceptable to use it to your advantage .

Gibsons Quality control is definatley substandard .. i have had instruments where on the check list it gives a check to the Nut , Action , Neck etc .. and these have clearly not been adjusted to spec ! .. but with that being said it happens to a lot of instruments from the major companies ..

Paul Wolfe · Post by **Paul Wolfe** » Tue May 26, 2009 6:24 pm

I think every guitar player should learn to do their own setups. Paying someone to do it for you is a waste of money. Like paying someone to do basic car repair!

This DVD set by Dan Erlewine is invaluable for learning to sett up your own guitar. It can save you hundreds of dollars over the years.

Ritchie · Post by **Ritchie** » Tue May 26, 2009 6:46 pm

In a perfect world Paul yes i agree , there are many people that just don't have the confidence with hand tools , or even for the plain fact that they don't want to and would prefer to take it to the shop and have an experienced tech work on it .. but essentially yes , it is very worthwhile for somebody to learn how to set-up their own instrument to their own liking and preferences .

NicDots · Post by **NicDots** » Tue May 26, 2009 7:02 pm

Agreed.
But shit, for $3,800, my brand new Gibson Les Paul better be set up nicely. I'd actually say that 9/10 Gibson guitars have clearly had no attention in that department.

wareagle · Post by **wareagle** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:36 pm

yeh def, but mine was acctually, but then again it wasnt new, im glad it was used from 2002.

Paul Wolfe · Post by **Paul Wolfe** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:03 am

The thing is, at the factory they have no idea what each individual considers a 'perfect' setup. For instance, I like really low action, some outrageously talented players prefer higher action - so who should Gibson cater to? As long as all the connections are good (my faded Les Paul's pickup selector didn't isolate the rear pickup as it should have), one should be happy. Setting up action and trems is very much an individual taste sort of thing, which is why I feel every guitar player should learn how to do it. So many guitarists talk about getting a specific tone, but shy away from learning how to adjust their guitars for themselves.

EVH learned how to adjust a stock Fender trem to stay in tune by doing things like making sure the strings didn't twist (rotate) while he was tuning... Ed is the epitome of a guitarist because he played like no one before him, AND he forced innovations in guitar manufacturing because he was so picky about what he wanted. He even went so far as to saw a Bigsby trem in half so he could dive-bomb the high strings without the low going out of tune - that is genius!

Ultimately, I recommend everyone at least look for the bit-torrent of the above DVDs and learn a little about set ups. It will make you a more well rounded person in the long run!

(This post was influenced by 2 shots of 101 Wild Turkey 1 shot of American Honey and 24 oz of Coors)

NicDots · Post by **NicDots** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:22 am

Actually, the action isn't what I was really thinking of...I was thinking of fret buzz! I don't know what it is about Gibsons and that fret buzz. At least the ones I try out anyway!

And Paul, your typing is still remarkably good after alcohol intake!

LordThurisaz · Post by **LordThurisaz** » Wed May 27, 2009 7:33 pm

Hmmm... I guess if you break your stone's you get whipped cream.

Paul Wolfe · Post by **Paul Wolfe** » Wed May 27, 2009 9:24 pm

I've encountered fret buzz on a few of my guitars, Nic, but not once have I gotten the frets dressed. I've found (at least on my guitars) that all the fret buzz issues could be controlled by adjusting the action and or truss rod.

As I said, even if you want to go the pirate route to view these DVDs, they are worth their weight in gold for working on guitars. Fret buzz is one of many issues addressed that can be remedied fairly easily, with a little effort.

Enough ranting, though, I must be off to work...

wareagle · Post by **wareagle** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:22 pm

my gibson has 0 fretbuzz and the action is perfect for me...i love it

Tommy · Post by **Tommy** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 6:48 pm

Who the hell buys a $3800 Gibson when you can get a $2200 Suhr that plays soooo much better?

That's what a guitar should be like!