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re: Starter Guitar
Posted on 11/15/17 at 2:32 pm to Ace Midnight
Posted on 11/15/17 at 2:32 pm to Ace Midnight
Epiphone makes good guitars for the asking price. I have plenty of gigging clients who have Epis that are solid guitars that we hot-rodded in somewhat deficient areas case-by-case and made their guitars viable, road-worthy tools. The used dollar goes especially far with Epis too because the used market is ripe and robust, used Epis are all over CL, eBay, Reverb.com. Because many of them are abandoned starter guitars, you can find some serious deals - sellers who have no use for them and want to move them asap in a flooded used market. Great scenario for buyers.
As for Gibson, I could write an essay on my love/hate relationship with them. I love good examples of their guitars, I adore them actually, but their QC and consistency in recent times is horridly askew for the asking price. I fix more FFFs (factory f#ck ups) from Gibson than every other manufacturer's screw-ups combined. I am not exaggerating. Nor am I talking about just "faded" or "studio" series guitars - even the higher dollar Gibsons suffer to varying degrees from inconsistency among units. Common issues are poorly cut nuts (I just finished unbotching a factory nut on a LP Studio as I type this), wiring snafus, mediocre fretwork and horridly hasty factory set-ups. Yes, the issues one would expect to see on their Chinese-made import line (Epiphone) is actually more common on the upper echelon iconic Gibson USA brand, at least based on what crosses my repair bench and what I hear from my peers nationwide. It's really sad.
As for Gibson, I could write an essay on my love/hate relationship with them. I love good examples of their guitars, I adore them actually, but their QC and consistency in recent times is horridly askew for the asking price. I fix more FFFs (factory f#ck ups) from Gibson than every other manufacturer's screw-ups combined. I am not exaggerating. Nor am I talking about just "faded" or "studio" series guitars - even the higher dollar Gibsons suffer to varying degrees from inconsistency among units. Common issues are poorly cut nuts (I just finished unbotching a factory nut on a LP Studio as I type this), wiring snafus, mediocre fretwork and horridly hasty factory set-ups. Yes, the issues one would expect to see on their Chinese-made import line (Epiphone) is actually more common on the upper echelon iconic Gibson USA brand, at least based on what crosses my repair bench and what I hear from my peers nationwide. It's really sad.
1
Posted on 11/15/17 at 2:48 pm to KingBeingking
ovation 1111. USA made 1111 balladeers from the late 70s - early 80s for less than $300 if you watch for them.
Posted on 11/15/17 at 2:50 pm to TheFretShack
quote:
I love good examples of their guitars, I adore them actually, but their QC and consistency in recent times is horridly askew for the asking price.
Yeah - for example - that Ibanez ($300 job - mainly because electronics and country of origin - China) had better fit and finish, felt better in every way, every control except the fretboard than ANY Gibson I've ever picked up in a music store. The first Les Paul I ever played was a standard in a Guiter Center (I think Lafayette). The thing needed fret dressing (which I don't think is all that bad), there were no bad spots on the top, but there was some visibly, "feelable" epoxy or resin in several places on the hardware - mainly the bridge, but the saddle had some, too. The nut and headstock were pretty cherry, but still - for a guitar that was going for $2 large (maybe $2500) back then and is probably $3k or more now, frick that.
My Fender Deluxe American was flawless from Musicians Friend - absolutely flawless. No fret dressing required. The action was ready to play out of the box. Everything was tight. No spots. Now, I've always thought Fender had better QC overall - you can see their industrial methods work with the fit and finish of the MIM (we now have decades of those to look at). In addition, being a 50th Anniversary Strat (
), maybe they paid a little more attention. But, when I look at other Fender brands, Jackson for example, there is just that feel that - Fender is charging you less (generally) and you're getting a more finished product. Gibson is charging you for the name.
Again, just my $0.02. What do I know? I play Guild and Ovation acoustics. I haven't drunk the Taylor/Martin Kool Aid (and likely never will).
This post was edited on 11/15/17 at 2:52 pm
Posted on 11/15/17 at 3:22 pm to Ace Midnight
quote:
My Fender Deluxe American was flawless from Musicians Friend
I bought my 2017 Fender American Profesional Strat in olive green from Guitar Center. I played 12 of them before I found the one I wanted, but it's the best sounding guitar I've ever owned.
Posted on 11/15/17 at 3:41 pm to Breesus
I have never bought a terrible Fender product,and I spend a lot of money on their stuff. Their quality control,should be an example for the world.
Posted on 11/16/17 at 6:15 am to TheFretShack
I stand corrected - thanks for long post. 
Must admit my electric guitar experience is rather limited; mostly picking up other peoples and whipping off something, where they've already been playing. And these have either been loud (on) or thin (and off). In the same vein, they seemed to expose your weakness's rather fast, at least mine were more pronounced after electrifying my first acoustic. Made or rather forced me into playing way-mo cleaner, once forced into listening from somewhere other than behind the box, which was good.
Must admit my electric guitar experience is rather limited; mostly picking up other peoples and whipping off something, where they've already been playing. And these have either been loud (on) or thin (and off). In the same vein, they seemed to expose your weakness's rather fast, at least mine were more pronounced after electrifying my first acoustic. Made or rather forced me into playing way-mo cleaner, once forced into listening from somewhere other than behind the box, which was good.
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