by misterstomach » Tue Jul 21, 2015 6:09 pm
i've meant to chime in on this thread, but haven't really had a chance. i've owned two gibsons and like most folks, have played countless others. the two that i owned were towards the lower, but not the lowest range of gibson prices and fanciness. i had a gothic sg and a smartwood Les Paul. no one knows about the smart woods, but it was basically a nice studio, made with a fancy pants "sustainable" hardwood top. both guitars were fantastic instruments. i've played and worked on and seen some gibbons that really were pieces of shit, but these were both great, and i would say far and away bearer than most $300 chinese knockoffs out there, though those can be made into quite serviceable instruments.
however, when you start getting into the higher end gibsons, i just don't quite get what you're paying for. i've never played one that seemed worth 3k to me. as far as i understand, the customs had pretty consistently decent production quality throughout the norlin era, as they were made in the custom shop and not on the production floor, but in general if you're birth year is in the late 70's or early 80's i might be a little wary of a birth year gibson, as that was the absolute worst era of the company and the time period when norlin almost drove them into the ground with shitty production and quality control. the early 90's seems like about the best period the company has had since 1970, though there's always been great guitars here and there coming off their line, so you just never know until you play one.
however, if i were looking for a dream les paul and had a decent budget, maybe up to $1500-2000, i would certainly turn my eyes eastward and look for vintage japanese stuff. at that price point you'll find some absolutely gorgeous instruments that are on par with the late 50's gibson as far as craftsmanship, quality, playability and longevity. dollar for dollar, you will not ever come close to matching the value you get. made with wood that you wouldn't even want them to use now from an environmental perspective. dense old growth mahogany and perfect ebony fretboards. and with the way prices have been going on that stuff the past few years, you can get an affordable guitar now that would be out of your range in a few years. from an appreciation standpoint, it's a no brainer. just know the factories and the time periods and be well researched before your purchase. read about the "lawsuit era" so you're well informed. people throw around that term inappropriately all the time. there wasn't even an actual "lawsuit", just a cease and desist letter, primarily over headstock shape. an actual "pre-lawsuit" guitar is more desirable from an investment standpoint, but not necessary for a quality instrument. i'd look in a time period from 75 or 76 to about 83 or 84, knowing that that '76-79 era is really the sweet spot. ignore anything with a bolt on neck or a pancake body. there's some great guitars with two or three piece pancake bodies, but if your spending sort of high dollar and want your dream LP, then you want a one piece body. all the bolt on neck stuff was budget shit. great for a $300 guitar but not more. for that era i'd probably look first to tokai, greco, burny, edwards and ibanez. though most of those guitars were made in the same two factories with different names applied to the headstocks and there's a hundred different "brands" floating around.
i kind of think they're more interesting just cause of the history and most of the time they're a better guitar for a lot cheaper.
ryan summit wrote:Damn these fuckin bullshit techherpes