Thinking of Buying a Gibson

Go to Reverb.com or Ebay and find a used Gibson from the early 2000's or beyond. The "new" Gibson's aren't terrible guitars but they don't hold a candle to the older generations. Nothing wrong with an Epiphone either. You can buy three for that price.

I honestly wouldn't recommend ordering a Gibson online. I've owned several Gibsons over the years, two Les Paul's and an SG. While Gibson CAN make great guitars, you really need to play them in person because Gibson's QC is lacking big time. I haven't purchased from Gibson in a few years, so I can't really say how their QC is now, but it was pretty bad when I was last shopping. It didn't really matter whether it was a top line model or a budget model, they all suffered the same inconsistency in build quality (sharp fret edges, nut slots that weren't cut properly, messed up binding, misaligned bridges, faulty finishes, etc.) You will need to play the guitar to make sure all of these things are good. If you are going to drop big $$$$ on a Gibson, better check it out first or you will likely be dealing with Gibson's less than stellar customer service who will probably do whatever they can to avoid fixing it (I have experience with this first hand). I CAN say that I have never had a QC issue with Fender. I've ordered many Fender instruments online and they have all been excellent. I love both companies, but Fender has way better QC.

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I switched over to PRS

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Here's your answer

The stuff Gibson has been putting out following last year's reorganizational bankruptcy that has crossed my bench has been pretty good. I'm just seeing routine setups, not nut issues, fret issues, finish issues, twisty neck issues like I was seeing in recent pre-reorg years. Gibson is really trying to change both the way they do business and product perception and they're doing a good job of that on the production floor. If you like new guitars and have wanted to buy a brand new Gibson, I'd say now is a great time to roll the dice because the odds are better than in decades. I have too many cool guitars at my fingertips daily and I actually been tempted to buy something cool, anything cool really, solely for that reason.

As to the try before you buy, if you cannot do that, use the current brick-and-mortarless online consumer environ to your advantage. All the major online outlets offer 30-day or more money back guarantees for whatever reason you are not pleased. Even Mom and Pops don't let you return it for buyer's remorse, for example, or because you are subjectively critical to its tone or resonance.

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Also, Paul Reed Smith kept his whole crew paid during the crisis. Serious props. Great guitars.

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A friend of mine that plays in a band you have all heard of said this about PRS guitars....."they make them the way Gibson used to make them."

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Well that's a pretty depressing state of affairs from a company that is "supposed" to be a top of the line American made product.

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They've sued Heritage, Dean, Ibanez, Luna, and Kiesel all within the past two or three years.

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sustain are without comparison

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Probably because they weigh 20 lbs.

I've never understood the infatuation with sustain. How many songs do you play that require you to ring a note out for 30 seconds?

To the OP, if you've always wanted a Les Paul, go for it. But if you are just as happy with a Les Paul style, there are a world of alternatives.

From someone who had played the guitar for over 30 years and have owned a GLP I wouldn’t even buy one again. It’s just a waste of money. Unless you are making music for a living (which few people actually are) there’s much better places to spend your money. Hell, if you want to spend it on guitars you can get 4 quality axes for that amount of money. I’d rather have a variety. Electric, acoustic, 12 string, baritone, banjo, frick it. The ideas are endless. But go ahead and blow your wad on one guitar if you want to

I'll probably never own another Gibson again strictly on principle. They've sold overrated shitty guitars for four times the money they're really worth for so long they should be giving them away by now. I have a MIJ Burny LP that beats all three Gibson LPs I've owned and discarded over the years by a long shot.