Wanna hear your opinion/info about Gibson bankruptcy... Will their QC get better?

[Kerbie]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

For anyone interested in a Gibson product, be your own judge.

I think that's the key, Rok. Some people have clearly experienced QC issues with Gibsons and some people have not. I don't think that's going to change and neither side can alter the experiences of the other. And it'll continue to be a topic of interest to a bunch of guitar nuts like us.

[davidd]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I bought into the myth that said you had to hunt for "a good one" until I started really looking at Gibson's. I did not find quality to be an issue.
I think Gibson has good QC in recent years and the negativity and bad experiences apply to other brands as much as Gibson. In fact, As this is my last post on this subject, I will state that for fit and finish, my J45 is better than my D18. The binding on my 2018 D18 is not flush. I have read multiple posts on here relating binding issues on the D18, past and present. One could certainly question Martin's QC based on that issue which apparently hasn't gone away.

For anyone interested in a Gibson product, be your own judge. I think they make great guitars.

Bingo....!

[Golffishny]

As a present or former owner of several each of the "Big Three" and others every guitar is different from others of the same model from each manufacturer. The problem often lies in our expectations of each guitar. Even in assembly lines each unit can't be exactly the same due to material differences and procedure tolerances. Sure, some lines are closer to each other, but even my Taylors and Martins had some small items that may have been overlooked. That in no way affected my enjoyment of each guitar. I've gravitated to the comfort and sound that I prefer, but have no problems with the guitars I've let go. Maybe we expect a Rolls Royce but settle on a Ford Pinto. The Pinto can be a good serviceable car, if our expectations are reasonable. I choose to focus on what I like about a guitar. If it doesn't fit me, I let it go without any regrets or grudges.

[D. Churchland]

I agree with what has been said and I feel as though I should preface what I said earlier.

Comparing the older gibson instruments to newer ones and it's pretty apparent that the guitars that they are building now are far higher in quality and consistency than the guitars they were building even in the 1930s. This I think is partially due to several changes made in production methods as well as a desire to try to make guitars for a newer (younger) generation of players.

Granted this is not limited to Gibson alone, every company does this or should at least try.

A good thing to consider is that the Gibson (or any brand) you buy today in 25 years will be considered vintage. And alot of the guitars I see come through my shop today will be absolute beasts after a decade or so of steady consistent playing.

[v32 finish]

Originally Posted by drbluegrass

Well, there you have it. Straight from a dealer. That adds a heck of a lot of cred to the issue. This pretty much convinces me...there is indeed a QC issue at Gibson. Whether I own one or not.

However, if a Youtube video is any indication, the one comparing the standard J45 and Vintage J45 is pretty impressive. I especially like the the sound of the vintage reissue. I could overlook some minor QC issues (a little extra glue here and there, etc.) for tone like that. Both are great sounding guitars, IMHO...as far as you can tell from a video. And I'm more of a boutique guitar guy.

Before I saw the video, if I was looking for a really good J45 I wouldn't have even considered a Gibson. Last one I tried sounded dead compared to other brands. But those two in that video have at least somewhat restored my faith in Gibson made "J" guitars. If I was looking for a "J" style guitar now Gibson would certainly be in the mix. But the competition is brutal and there are some killer boutique versions of the J45 (i.e. Kopp, Walker, Fairbanks, Prewar Guitars, etc.). But, at least I would now try a Gibson. And I'm guessing they would be pretty competitive. But, they would have to win the A/B test, or, no go.

Hey, can you (or anyone) please refer me to this video in question? I have been enamored with the new J45 Vintage model and actually have one on the way. I thought I'd seen all the reviews on youtube, but haven't seen one compared to a regular J45. I'd like to see this video!

I saw a young Tony P compare a J45 Standard to a **TV** ... but not a Vintage. Similarly, there have been some straight up reviews and other type videos, but...I'd love to get.more in depth with the J45 Vintage. Anyone who can help to that end, feel free to shoot me a PM or I'll try to check back here often in this thread.

Excited! Thanks everyone.

Also, re: the QC issue... I think there surely may have been issues in the past, surely I cant call people a liar who have seen such issues, but I DO think its overblown. I have owned 3 post-2015 Bozeman acoustics and they've all knocked my socks off. Superb sound and flawless fit & finish.

My experience at GC was the opposite of OPs... their employee basically just totally dogged on Gibson. Which was ironic because at the time I was interested in potentially buying a j15 or songwriter or SJ.. and this guy unleashed on Gibson .. in front of people too.. I didnt like it. When i asked what kind of issues he had seen or why he referred to them as "well yeah, of course, they're just Gibsons though".... as if that was the most dreadful thing in the world, he could only recall one issue with the binding on an ES-335 a year or 2 ago. "But yeah, they're basically known for that kind of stuff.".

Hmmmm... [emoji19]

Anyway. Just wanted to share my experience. I love other guitar builders too, but for me, Gibsons have been the ones lately to stick with me. My Wildwood AJ is one of the best guitars I've ever played, much less owned-- even among some upper end builders . All just depends what floats your boat!!

I agree that any QC changes wouldn't be noticed so quickly and would take time to implement. And likely they wont do anything as long as their guitar core is profitable.

Cheers! Goodnight to all..

[jfq722]

Originally Posted by hangil210

They really seem to be trying to go back to the basics, journeying back to their

Thanks! Teach me. Please share your thoughts and information with us all.

I'm confident Gibson will turn it around. Whether their production has started to reflect that yet I can't say since I'm not and never have been a Gibson guy. But I can tell you that Gibson had gone off the rails due to their CEO's insistence that it was his calling to innovate. Now, whether he was a true psychotic or just an old guy trying to act young is hard to say. But taking pictures of yourself with Slash is not quite enough of a business model in this day and age. Simply undoing everything ego-based move that Henry made is the best possible path Gibson could take - and they appear to be doing that.