Let's Talk About The Quality Control of Fender & Gibson Guitars
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2022
- Quality control is a hot topic in the guitar community, especially when discussing the two arguably biggest brands in the business: Fender and Gibson. The latter has caught a lot of flack for its QC the past decade, complaints about Fender are less common. But is this rightfully so? In this video I want to talk about my experience, and I would like to hear/read yours in the comments!
I'm glad somebody finally made a video discussing this. I was hesitant to buy Gibson guitars for years based on the things I had read online. I was in the market for a dual humbucker guitar about a year ago and tried out the Gibson Les Paul Standard 60's at a store, and it was immaculate. Sure, there are imperfections in the areas where there is touch labor by the workers, especially in the neck binding. But all that matters to me is that it plays well, and everything that matters is near perfect - the bridge, the pickups, the electronics, the neck, the nut, and the quality of the fretwork. I only recently learned that Gibson USA runs every single guitar through a plek machine. I've since bought a Gibson SG Standard as well and it's just as well.
I set up all of my guitars to the exactly same specifications (standard tuning, 0.010" neck relief, 0.060" string height), and both of my Gibson guitars play perfectly. This falls apart with every Fender guitar I've bought over the past three years. I've bought and either returned or sold a total of six Fender Ultra Stratocasters over the past three years. Each and every time the fretwork was lazily done, the electronics are miswired, the pickup pole pieces don't line up with the strings, it needs a shim from the factory, or the neck was installed at an angle. My standard setup specs are not achievable on any Fender Ultra Stratocaster I've purchased without an unplayable amount of fret buzz and notes choking out. And this is on the Fender Ultra series... their flagship product line.
All this to say - I've stopped listening to what people have to say about guitars online. The prevailing opinions about which companies are good and bad at quality control are baseless.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one with that kind of experience. Don't get me wrong, I think Fenders are great. But the issues I've found on many Fenders impact the sound, tuning stability and playability. Most of the issues I hear people have with Gibson are minor esthetics that wouldn't bother me.
i bought a custom shop tele in uk SN date 2019 bad cts vol pot and fret choke usual 12th fret on e & b strings. sent it back to fender to be repaired. returned fixed and was happy. Next fender custom shop SN date 2021 heavy relic 63 Stratocaster. same dodgy vol pot, trem arm bent soon with no heavy dive bombs, just light use and even worse fret choke yet again above the 12th frets more so than with my Tele. Thinking i might even have a neck hump issue?. So sent Strat also back to uk fender to be repaired it came back with new trem arm different shape ( my old one was not returned inside case which would of been nice to get correct shape i wanted ie buy a new one ) vol pot still had same issue and believe they never bothered. Also they needed to redress frets but imho simply done a truss rod adjustment as choking frets still making guitar lead bends unplayable.. This should never happen with high end guitars no excuses for not remedying the fret choking. Don't get me wrong i do love them both but come on guys this is just plain unacceptable on over £3, 800 guitars. Both had a 9.5 radius also.I would love to know if anyone else has had these problems on fender CS guitars made in these time periods or even still today 2022-2023??? Thanks @ Steven Anthony for being honest enough to take this on with true honesty.
I’ve had the very similar experience. Returned two ultra telecasters. Same issues as you and one of them had the lumpiest back of the neck. Never experienced that before.
Anyways, settled on an Epiphone Les Paul 60’s standard from their inspired by Gibson line. The build on that is leagues ahead of both of those ultra fenders. It’ll be a while before I buy another new fender
Absolutely @@marcosbarrera5570 my tele was fixed but has the stiffest most uncomfortable playing feel, like playing cheese wire out of all my 12 guitars inc the ones before them , quartersawn or not stringed & its with 9's . Strats vol pot's still bad /scratchy & cuts out at 10. also have nines on it also and still chokes out from 12-14th frets on top e & b. raised action med/high same problem. I can see no evidence of any fret leveling after its return only a slight relief adjustment. thats obviously good enough for fenders workshops qc.Also the guy talking about us obsessed us about going over guitars a microscope has no clue, thats misleading and plain wrong and stupid. so please don't listen to bs like that, just go play one at a shop yourself. I once picked up a squire classic vibe and found no issues at all with fretwork and payability??? .no offence intended Mr microscope but i was talking about two £4000 custom shops and now have a complete refret and fingerboard leveling, because of a a hump in neck to sort out. i live in south england. ive build 4 guitars myself in past by hand from complete scratch and not cheating by slapping together partscasters etc. As i live in the south of england not alaska or florida and so no major humidity issues here to speak of and made/still have many guitars none with problems like the new Cs fenders.
You’re not alone, man. I had to return several ultras and ended up with an Epiphone Les Paul. The Epiphone just seams way better than all of the American fenders I’ve bought or even tested in store
That's too bad to hear! I think Fender should really step up its game in regards of QC. It keeps baffling me that everyone is still pissing on Gibson for this, while I've had much more issues with Fenders. Still doesn't make me stop loving Fenders, couldn't live without a telecaster. But Epiphone makes great guitars these days as well, you can't go wrong with their new guitars.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Exactly. Still on the haunt for “my” telecaster but I’m definitely gonna take my time and find the right one. It’ll give me an excuse to visit more guitar shops and try out some used tele’s 😊
Very happy owner of a 2020 Gibson L.P., and 2023 Epiphone Trad pro 4. They are both perfect 👍
Happy to hear I'm not alone 🙂👍
Had a wonderful 1996 SG which I loved except and a huge except the fret nibs where the fret meets the binding. Gaps I just couldn't stand. Now they lay the frets over the binding I understand. About time! I have a LP studio from 1998 and an SG jr from 2013 I think - both with no binding which are both great.
I don't know much about Fender quality control now (My '96 American Standard Strat had no issues). Been having a nightmare with Epiphone (LP Custom) though. First it was the pickups, then the jack and toggle. Both times sent back. Now the guitar tech can't lower the action because of uneven frets... Don't know if I've been unlucky, but have seen enough bad Gibson reviews to hold on to my savings. Thanks for the video.
In my experience, a lot of bad Gibson reviews come from people who don't even own a Gibson, but who are just repeating word of mouth from other people who don't like Gibsons. I wouldn't buy and own them if I had a lot of issues with them. But it's sad to hear you're having trouble with your Epiphone! I've been unlucky with Epiphones twice, but more often got a good guitar for the price.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar I can see how that would be true. My uncle has a Gibson Peter Frampton LP Custom, and I haven't heard anything bad. Have always been a Gibson fan, but I couldn't justify the price at my level. Thanks. I don't expect Epiphones to be as good as Gibsons, but this guitar has been a pain. Shame about the problems, because otherwise it is very good for the price. Thanks for the reply.
@@bravestarr8857 no problem! I've owned several Epiphones, currently two acoustics and a Firebird. But most guitars at that price point need at least some amount of work, whether it's Epiphone, Squier or other more affordable brands. Up to some degree I think that's okay, like a setup with a little fretwork, but the core built of the guitar should be okay nonetheless!
I own a Carvin Bolt model built by them which is above and beyond in terms of quality. One piece ash body. Birdseye fretboard and a blue clear metallic finish that is flawless. Go Carvin!
I own both... However a $700 Telecaster might need some minor work. But a $2-$5 thousand dollar Les Paul better be good to go in my opinion.
If I'm plopping down thousands instead of hundreds there better be a difference.
I agree. In my experience, I haven't had any real issues with Gibsons north of 2000 bucks, only with two Juniors which cost half of that. Still it shouldn't happen. But I had a lot more work with Squiers and Fenders over the past few years.
Yeah some claim that there are more QC complaints about Gibsons than Fenders. But then you have to consider that Fenders are lower quality guitars than Gibsons to begin with, so different expectations. Like you may hear some complaints about a little finish orange peeling on a Gibson headstock or a somewhat stiff tone pot if they're really nitpicking. Whereas if a Fender is missing a tuner or a pickup, no biggie. So take it all with a grain of salt.
😉
Noticed Fender has quality issues and epiphone not so much
I've had a few Epiphones with a few QC issues, but had those more often and more serious with Fender and Squier.
ik heb 4 gibson SG's en soms hebben ze aandacht nodig, de hals moet regelmatig gecheckt en afgesteld worden, puur omdat het van hout is en reageert op temperatuur en luchtvochtigheid, ook heb ik al een paar refrets laten doen en topkammen vervangen, maar dat is normaal bij intensief gebruik, pas geleden in mijn 69 standard nieuwe frets en topkam laten zetten, topkam was nog origineel en frets waren al een keer gedaan, er zit nu rvs in, woow wat speelt dat lekker soepel, maar issues, nee niet echt, kwestie van onderhoud en aandacht, ik heb meerdere gitaren bespeelt en voor mij is er maar één merk GIBSON
Het bijhouden is natuurlijk normaal. Maar goed om te horen dat ik niet de enige ben die geen serieuze klachten over de kwaliteitscontrole van Gibson heeft, want ik heb dus over het algemeen ook geen problemen.
Fenders don’t have as many issues as Gibsons because they are two pieces of wood bolted together for 2000 thousand dollars.
Still it seems they can make a lot of mistakes with that, as far as I have experienced lately 😜
All i can speak on is my 2022 Les Paul standard 60's which is flawless. Not a single issue of any kind despite what i had read and heard online?
What you read online has to be taken with a grain of salt. Many people shit on Gibson without good reason. I've been unlucky twice with the same model, all other Gibson I either own or owned have been great.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Yeah they were PROVED WRONG the moment i played the Les Paul. 😁 My 60's standard is my best guitar
made and playing guitar.
@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 some people look for different things in a guitar, some people might get a lemon sometimes and some people just don't like Gibson. Everyone's own judgement on a guitar is in the end the most important aspect. Glad you find love with a nice Les Paul! I know the feeling all too well 😉
I dunno man. I have tons of guitars. I have Harley Benton’s all the way to Gibson USA. ( no custom shop) I’ve 5 Fenders … 6 Gibson LPs and a bunch of cheaper ones. They all play great! This idea of going over guitars with a microscope… I dunno. I don’t know what everyone’s problem is with their guitars. Maybe I just got lucky… over and over and over and over….
I know what you're referring to and that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is issues that have an impact on the playability, sound, tuning and that kind of stuff. Not simply esthetically.
What was wrong with the neck on your Gibson?
Truss rod bending at the wrong place in the neck.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar what does that mean lol
@@thefam9179 that the truss rod started bending at the third fret, which it shouldn't, and thus so made proper intonation impossible.
Last few years fender quality is terrible
Fender has atrocious quality control these days
Also just to inconsistent. Sometimes you can get a great Squier or Fender without issues, that's great value for money. Other times it needs too much work for a brand new guitar.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar a guitar store guy I spoke to told me he once got an american fender strat delivered with the lacquer applied OVER THE FRETS lol. He couldn’t believe it. The custom shop stuff though is all good.
@@Hello_there_obi imagine paying Custom Shop prices and having to fix the frets. But it shouldn't even be necessary on more afforable guitars either.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar i know right! It’s crazy that they cant even polish frets properly. I don’t get how it’s so difficult. Why wouldn’t they have the fret wire to a mirror smooth finish for all guitars? Easiest way to make them instantly feel amazing
Gibson has horrible QC even with their models in the $2k range; grimy frets, uneven electronics, shoddy hardware.... it's kind of a crapshoot. If I were a buyer I would be prepared to send back anything that isn't the expected quality of the price point - or seek out alternatives; LTD/ESP or Schecter are fantastic.
So far, I haven't had that much issues with Gibson. Have you checked out a recent one? Of course, I do agree to send anything back that's not as expected!
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar sounds like you got a good one.
@@penoyer79 well, I currently own 5 and I have had more. The only Gibson I've had trouble with at had to send back on two occassions was their SG Junior. Might've been luck ofcourse.
That’s weird because I’ve bought two Gibsons recently and they had none of those problems. However I did purchase a Fender that did have issues.