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Why does everyone hate Gibsons ?

#41
I've owned several Fenders (as well as several other brands) and I can say without hesitation that my Thunderbird had the absolute worst setup I have even seen on a bass in over 20 years.
Can't blame it on a retailer because it was shipped to me directly from the Gibson factory. Neck relief was atrocious, it was missing 2 screws from the pickguard & the nut was cut SO badly that the 'A' string was literally unplayable.

Took $200 worth of work to get it up to speed.

And to think somebody actually initialed the inspection card in the case.

I think that they are overpriced, though I got a special deal on mine for $1000 brand new. While that price felt fair to me, I've seen setups on $200 basses that were far superior to the way the Gibby arrived.


That being said, it is one of my best sounding basses & the one several of the guys I play with ask for on a regular basis. I find it very comfortable with the exception of upper register access (I don't need to be up that high anyway!), aesthetically it IS a cool looking bass, & those TB Plus pickups combined with the mahogany sound fantastic to my ears.
 
#43
I just got an SG RI bass and am very happy with it. I do plan on getting new strings and taking it in to get it set up (lower the action). I was worrying about the finish and was happy to see that it looked great. I think the neck feels great but I do agree that the balance is an issue, although for me it's not a big issue.

It was a bit over priced considering a Rickenbacker is also made in the US and looks to have a much higher level of finish (binding, inlays, etc) but I'm just happy they starting making a short scale again and happy they didn't ship it off to Mexico or Asia for production.
 
#46
I can't say that I hate Gibson basses (in fact I rather like T-Birds), but I will say that I hate their business practices. Take a look at what they did to Tobias basses and Trace Elliot amps (before they came back). By that same rationale Fender has done similar things to companies like SWR, so its not isolated to JUST Gibson, but its definitely one of the reasons that makes me frown at them.
 
#47
I'm looking across the room at a 2005 Gibson Les Paul Standard bass in Cherry Sunburst. Thick chunky necK? The neck on this Les Paul bass is easier to play & more comfortable than the Sting Ray4 next to it. I've owned many Gibson guitars, Les Paul Standard, LP Classic Premium Plus, LP Florentine, LP Studio Gem, Gibson Montana Nick Lucas re-issue, & a Montana Hummingbird. I've never found a quality issue in any of them.
A bit more expensive, sure, but a set-neck takes a lot more in the construction process than a bolt-on or a neck through that just has the wings dowled & glued. A lacquer finish takes more time to bring out the shine than a poly finish does, but IMHO is well worth it. I've never played a SG bass, never really had the desire for a short scale bass so I won't make any judgements on something I'm not familiar with, but I own a Fender MIA Jazz 5, a Sting Ray 4H a Casady Sig & the Les Paul. The Ray & the Jazz sit in their cases in the closet. Bring on the Gibson bashers, I'm ready for ya.
 
#48
My local luthier (top notch guy, formally with PRS) said that he LOVES Gibson because they keep him in business. The fragile mahogany necks and headstocks combined with the horrible factory fret work, keeps him very busy. He said that at the prices Gibson charges, there really is no excuse for the bad fret work, but he's not going to call them and tell them as it would cut his income :smug: !
 
#50
I recently saw the band Kings of Leon on one of the late night TV shows here in the US. When their first album hit I remember reading that the bassist was a young kid who had just picked up the instrument. Well for this particular performance he was playing a Gibson Thunderbird with a pick and it sounded incredible. . . Percussive, but warm and fat.
 
#53

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#54
Why do I hate Gibson basses?
They are hideously ugly.
They play terribly.
The are ridiculously overpriced.
They are poorly made.
They sound absolutely terrible.
I abhor the Gibson brand.
Click to expand...
I'm sure they like you too (LOL)...

But I got to admit - the best Gibby I ever played was a Dark Starred one... :p
 
#55
I play a 74 gibson triumph.What a chunk of lumber...love it
I spent a full day at G C playing every bass I could.the new les pauls play and sounded good.
I bought a new schecter C4 diamond series. What a far cry from my short scale gibson.
All my basses are great friends but my gibson will always be #1
 
#58
Dr Stankface said:
Because they don't sound good?

That's just my opinion though.
Click to expand...

Which model? The maple body Ripper/Grabber/G3 and RD sound completely different from a mahogany Tbird, which sounds completely different from an EB, which sounds completely different from a LP Triumph. Their basses range from "muddy" to growly midrange to bright and trebly. Do you think all of them sound bad? Have you even heard all of them? How can you say "they" don't sound good when there is such variety of sound from the different models?

I have 3 - two '76 Tbirds and an '87 Gibson "IV" - and they all sound great.
 

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