High end electric? Help me understand.

[Bob Womack]

Back to the OP's question: here's is a film shwing the inside of Gibson USA's factory. After the backgrounder we get to see a couple of things: while the top carve machine is definitely a machine, there is an amazing amount of handwork still done, and handwork means cost. Also, at 4:48 we find that Gibson only uses Honduras Mahogany, swietenia macrophilia, certified and plantation-grown, and talks about sourcing. At 7:25 he gets down to the basics of cost.



Bob

PS. I tried another video approach.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Back to the OP's question: here's is a film shwing the inside of Gibson USA's factory. After the backgrounder we get to see a couple of things: while the top carve machine is definitely a machine, there is an amazing amount of handwork still done, and handwork means cost. Also, at 4:48 we find that Gibson only uses Honduras Mahogany, swietenia macrophilia, certified and plantation-grown, and talks about sourcing. At 7:25 he gets down to the basics of cost.



Bob

Bob video is blacked out with error message are you clicking "Share" and then pasting with But deleting everything in the address from and including the backslash (be/) to the left ?

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Bob video is blacked out with error message are you clicking "Share" and then pasting with But deleting everything in the address from and including the backslash (be/) to the left ?

I tried another approach. See if it works now.

Bob

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I tried another approach. See if it works now.

Bob

[Otterhound]

Did someone mention the word simple ? Simple = Fender Esquire .
I have even built 2 with the single pickup wired directly to the jack . Doesn't get more simple than that .

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Otterhound

Did someone mention the word simple ? Simple = Fender Esquire .
I have even built 2 with the single pickup wired directly to the jack . Doesn't get more simple than that .

I'm a big fan of 1 pickup, 1 knob Charvels....

[Otterhound]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

I'm a big fan of 1 pickup, 1 knob Charvels....

We don't need no stinking knobs .
Volume pedal , if you must .
This body is cut for controls , but I decided not to go that way .
This is 1 of 2 that made the trip to Afghanistan at FOB Bullard .

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Otterhound

We don't need no stinking knobs .
Volume pedal , if you must .
This body is cut for controls , but I decided not to go that way .
This is 1 of 2 that made the trip to Afghanistan at FOB Bullard .

Great back story...

Volume pedal is great, but 250K pot is a lot cheaper... and the only way to play "Cathedral" though I butcher it.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

Great back story...

Volume pedal is great

... and mandates two cables, thus two more bits to carry. I get minimalist, but sometimes functionality trumps it.

[Otterhound]

My preference is to play quietly when necessary .
1 cable and a Champ .

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by Otterhound

My preference is to play quietly when necessary .
1 cable and a Champ .

A volume control, whether in the guitar, or on the floor, provides an override for the irrational exuberance many of us feel while playing a good electric guitar through a fine amp - not to mention a convenient means of changing tone on the fly and adding expression.

To each, his own.

[Nama Ensou]

Anyway, most high end electrics will come equipped with a volume control, not to mention impeccable fret finishing.

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Nama Ensou

Anyway, most high end electrics will come equipped with a volume control, not to mention impeccable fret finishing.

Aye, which would be the spirit of the question of the OP as to why high end electrics cost so much. And to a point I would agree that for the large manufacturers, except for maybe selection in woods and better setup, maybe the line is more blurred.

That said, there are many boutique builders who do take the extra effort in every aspect of the guitar, not just take a fancier wood and throw it in the CNC. Costs of woods have risen dramatically and it's not uncommon to pay upwards of $300/bf and more for that amazing piece of quilt. The big players know all the suppliers and pay top dollar to get the good stuff in raw form, whereas the smaller independent builders have to pay by the billet and it's costly - and that's a domestic (US/Canada) hardwood.

[imwjl]

Yes to it's not being a relic with USA labor that make some more expensive.

Some of the Gibson's are very nice but Collings makes humbucker guitars with that sort of vibe but quality that's in a whole other league. PRS also has quality that's great but not the vintage or basic vibe people know in Gibsons and Fenders.

I came to electrics late. My quality lesson after owning a Squire and trying a bunch of crappy made Epiphones was amps are indeed an important part of the equation.

[ParisStarlight]

I feel like this is approximately the same as asking the difference between an Epiphone Masterbilt and a Gibson Hummingbird. Both may sound good and feel great, but there will be differences is workmanship and quality. Don’t get me wrong, I love a well made, affordable guitar, but they will never be quite the same as a high end instrument.

Having owned electrics all over the price spectrum, more expensive electrics often have better components (especially pickups), and do tend to last longer (IMO). My Rickenbacker has a much nicer paint job than any $200 guitar, but I also paid a premium for that. It is a very noticeable difference, even at a glance. It has very high quality pickups, wiring, tuners and the works. It also came with a good hard case. It’s also the same as with acoustics. In general you get much higher quality wood in a more costly instrument.