Will modern Gibsons become collectors items?

[FFTT]

If you just have your heart set on a Gibson, and older well seasoned and proven
guitar like the 2000 Historics & Custom Shops will generally be a stronger, long term investment.

That being said as my personal preference, we also have to look at some pretty good deals if you find the right guitar because GC, one of Gibson's top retailers, is in pretty
serious financial trouble.

It is clearly a buyer's market on any new guitar.

[kennybro]

I love the Ibanez hollow bodies, thin ones and thicker jazzers too; all very nice guitars. Beat the hell out of anything Gibson's offering, when you consider price.

[nuthinupmysleeve]

I'm a big fan of my godin 5th ave cutaway with dial p90 pickups. Sweet guitar.

[kennybro]

Originally Posted by nuthinupmysleeve

I'm a big fan of my godin 5th ave cutaway with dial p90 pickups. Sweet guitar.

Yes! My friend recently sold one at a show. We had a booth together, and he had this 5th Ave. I was playing the thing all day, seriously thinking about telling him to put it aside. Went to pee and some guy bought it. Probably better that way. I don't need more guitars

[FFTT]

You look at the Ibanez AF105NT thinking it's going to be a jazz guitar, but it rocks hard
like the best of the hollow body Gretsch guitars. You can sweeten it up going to flats,
but for now I'm running plain old D' Addario XL 10-46's

[noah330]

Originally Posted by nuthinupmysleeve

Depends on the criteria. My $600 epiphone masterbilt all solid wood acoustic sounds to me as good as any sub $2k assembly line guitar I've played, including older/classic models.

I would enjoy seeing someone like you do a double blind test and try to pick out a classic solidbody electric vs. a new one. I might learn you can indeed pick it out! Or... you might not. Either way, it would be a fun test.

It would be pretty easy to do. The Epis have a poly finish and different neck profiles. So while even if you liked the Epi better I think you would be able to tell them apart.

I know I have a few old Les Pauls (50s) and I can tell them apart from each other, as all have different necks on them.

[noah330]

Originally Posted by kennybro

I love the Ibanez hollow bodies, thin ones and thicker jazzers too; all very nice guitars. Beat the hell out of anything Gibson's offering, when you consider price.

A lot of us don't consider the price so much, we just want the better guitar.

I prefer my 1957 Gretsch 6120 over a new Ibanez Artcore. You may like the sound, feel, playability of the Ibanez better, I don't.

Now my Gretsch was a lot more money but one great (IMHO) guitar is better then the 20 mediocre ones I could have bought for the same money.

YMMV

[kennybro]

Originally Posted by noah330

A lot of us don't consider the price so much, we just want the better guitar.

I prefer my 1957 Gretsch 6120 over a new Ibanez Artcore. You may like the sound, feel, playability of the Ibanez better, I don't.

Now my Gretsch was a lot more money but one great (IMHO) guitar is better then the 20 mediocre ones I could have bought for the same money.

YMMV

Yet, a great many people do consider price point to be a valid aspect, and often a better fit instrument for a particular player can be had for less money.

Probably like yourself, I've got a house bulging with guitars from the 30's to current manufacture. In 2005, I probably had close to $200k in vintage and new standing around the house, and I've downsized to about $60k since then.

My main gig guitar is a '59 slab Tele, but I'll just as happily play the MIJ Jazzmaster, a 60's SG or a 2006 Paul. My standard BU is a recent Samick Greg Bennett Ultramatic that I got for $300. It plays like silk and has one of the finest sounding stock bridge humbuckers I've ever heard, and I'll often switch off between the Samick and the Tele for variety. One thing I've learned from gigging and recording with a semiload of guitars over nearly a half-century is that guitars are guitars.

I don't necessarily prefer an Ibanez over a 50's Gretsch, but I might in a situation. I'd have to play them both and then consider the need. I sold my two 50's 6120's, and kept only my double cut 64; but I might grab my Silvertone 1454, my '59 Guild Aristocrat a more recent Heritage or even a cheap Michael Kelly. Maybe even an Artcore, if it fit the gig and my feel that day. For the record, I've played plenty of crap 50's Gretsches. and very temporarily owned a few. I recently sold a dead mint 56 Goldtop that I'd never been able to connect with.

I abandoned most of my preconceptions regarding vintage vs. new and expensive vs. cheap in the dusts decades ago.

Of course, that's my take. Everyone has their own experiences and concepts.

[noah330]

Originally Posted by kennybro

Probably like yourself, I've got a house bulging with guitars from the 30's to current manufacture. In 2005, I probably had close to $200k in vintage and new standing around the house, and I've downsized to about $60k since then.

To be honest most of my good stuff is in my house. The rest is either in storage (my large amps and touring stuff and the cool stuff I don't use).

I'm thinking you didn't sell much if your collection went from 200k to 60k since 2005. The way the market has been you probably added a bunch of stuff!

[kennybro]

Originally Posted by noah330

I'm thinking you didn't sell much if your collection went from 200k to 60k since 2005. The way the market has been you probably added a bunch of stuff!

Yeah, I've added a few things, but I sold off most everything, except a few higher dollar items in 2005/2006, at the Indy show. The slightly higher dollar stuff (Goldtop and a few old Fenders) went more recently. I waited a bit too long on the Goldtop, but I bought it through a local shop, directly out from under the original owner's bed for 5K, many years ago, so I'm not complaining

What I unloaded was stuff like an L5S, some 50's LP Jr's, Res-O-Glass stuff, an old Rick, a few Gretsches, etc.. lots of 2k to 8k stuff. Nothing like a '59 Burst or minty early custom color Strat in the group.

Downsized feels good. Been adding a few things like Lakland basses and custom build nylons but not much. Never gonna sell the Tele. It's too comfy.

[noah330]

I've just been emptying two storage lockers - one in Massachusetts and one in Maryland and selling everything.

I figure if it's in storage for 5+ years chances are I'm not going to miss it. There have been a few things I decided to keep but a lot of what I considered 'used' gear is now 'vintage' gear (70s Fender or SF amps, etc...) so all of that has been going. I've found for every 5 or 6 guitars I sell I'm maybe buying one with the goal being having a better collection of stuff I actually use.

That being said, I hear all kinds of horror stories about Gibson but honestly have not seen them myself and I have gotten four new Gibson guitars in the mail in the past 12 months - Moderne, Firebird Tribute, double cut Junior, Firebird X - none have had any issues.

Of course, I know how to set up a guitar.

The lower end Gibson stuff is nice and I commend Henry J for keeping it an American company and not making a Chinese Gibson Les Paul like FMIC seems to have done with their name(s).

The Historic and CS Gibson products are fantastic. As I said, I have quite a few old Gibson guitars and the Historic models are really, really nice.

[kennybro]

Originally Posted by noah330

...I hear all kinds of horror stories about Gibson but honestly have not seen them myself and I have gotten four new Gibson guitars in the mail in the past 12 months - Moderne, Firebird Tribute, double cut Junior, Firebird X - none have had any issues.

Mostly good news with newer Gibson stuff here also, but I was shocked by an SG bass the other day.

I've been looking for a short scale, and it's going to be a USA Lakland Decade Shorty when I find the right one. But I thought I'd look at a few options, so I stopped into GC, where they had a new SG hanging.

Overall nice bass, but the finish was horrid. Looked like the worn/faded model that goes for 8 bills, but those only come in brown and black. This was a Heritage Cherry SG, @ $1399.

Looked exactly like the wood sealer guy was having a coffee break when that one went by. How it got past inspection, I'll never know. I've had a lot of 50's and 60's second stamped Gibsons, and this thing wouldn't be close to passing that test. Maybe the inspector thought, "No prob. GC will take it."

And a friend just got a brand new Les Paul traditional that's got a sunken finish all under the knobs. And guess where he bought it... Yeah. I told him to return it, but it doesn't bother him. It plays and sounds excellent, but for that kind of money, I expect at least as nice a finish as I can apply here in the garage.

Totally agree that the Historic and CS stuff is top shelf. Lots of care taken with those. Got my eye on a 4 year old Historic lemonburst right now that got me drooling.