Gibson Mustaine V: A Fearless Gear Review
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 тра 2024
- $2800 US is an awful lot to demand for a guitar. Especially for a guitar with as many flaws as this one. Here's the truth about the new Gibson Mustaine V.
#unsponsored
Work for a living? Tired of seeing corporate oligarchs make millions while you make jack? There's strength in numbers. Get help here: aflcio.org/about-us
0:00 Return Of Fearless Gear Reviews!
1:19 New Song!
1:54 A Shocking Surprise...
3:30 Specs
4:20 Pickup Problem
5:18 Fresh From The Factory...
6:25 You Take A Mortal Glenn
6:52 Quality Control Issues
11:03 Not All Terrible!
12:17 Holy Wars!
13:04 Tailored To Shred... Kinda
14:03 Playing Authentic
14:46 Bottom Line
15:26 Endscreen
About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!
I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.
Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!
Quality for the price is ridiculous. In my head, if I'm paying more than 2,000 for a guitar it better be perfect to the millimeter.
Absolutely. The only time I paid more than 2000 for a guitar was a balaguer semi custom that was built to my exact specifications. Can't imagine why someone would pay that much for a stock guitar.
Only time I think that's not the one and only rule is when it's going to hang on a wall or something.
I don't know how Gibson gets away with such bad QC on their flagship and custom gear.
@@ShidavTheVedmak Blues lawyer fanboys with money to burn and by hiring famous musicians like Mustaine or Hammett to entice their fans to buy the signature models?
@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 it's enough to make a grown man cry.
@@ShidavTheVedmak Because brand loyalists will keep buying them and then go out of pocket to get them in playable shape.
"Now that I'm playing authentic, I'm authentically disappointed". Fucking brilliant! No one could've said it better!
Yeah those flaws are unacceptable at that price point, especially with the paint cracking. Maybe if it was $900 new you could be like "meh" but for $2800 that thing better be absolute perfection.
you are goddamn right! I've seen a lot of gibsons that have really shitty paintjob around the binding too. they just can't get that binding show cleanly. Meanwhile some trash import brand can do that perfectly. The price tag for their products is just insane. (not to mention the tooling marks in the fretboard and binding due to those dumb nib things on the frets) Totally unacceptable
This isn't even right for 900 dude. When Im buying a brand new guitar, I want a brand new guitar lol IDC if it's 100 bucks, it shoudl be RIGHT
my harley benton got better finish than this thought, that neck joint is unacceptable and so are the paint drips which is just pure lazy and unprofessional
You buy a Gibson for the sound and this guy’s knit picking flaws are stupid considering guitar’s are meant to have wear and tear unless your a collector who cant play a lick and just hangs it up for house decoration like a grandma
My $900 ESP LTD’s are perfect
You’re VERY brave for doing the shirtless scene and that was piss funny!!! I honestly laughed out loud when you did that. Great work as always Glenn 🤘
yeah that was really brave 🤣
However, I 'd really like a warning or a disclaimer at the beginning, like, you know, "watch at your own risk", "viewer discretion is advised" etc....
@@dirtyharry1881 warning, risk of eye cancer
@@dirtyharry1881 DAD BOD ALERT
@@XlouietheflyX too late, dude. Too late
As someone that used to work for Rickenbacker and also Heritage Guitars, I can confirm, guitar paint booths are extremely close to automotive ones (some companies actually use converted automotive spray booths.) you’re also very correct, the fact that a paint job like that was passed by QC and released from the factory is a tad bit embarrassing.
Must be why Fender uses so many of the exact Dupont paints from cars.
Most of those ''flaws'' are due to wood movement and the fact that it was bare wood they just sprayed over (might as well be one of Dave's specs)
@@Masterfighterx also a possibility, which is why most of the time several layers of shader are sprayed over the wood first, and if the shader is a light color not intended to be transparent or translucent, a layer of primer over the sealer to hide wood patterns from showing through the overall finish.
Even a flaw in the wood shouldn’t be showing through.
One reason is because of the sealer, and even grain filler is used.
Another is because the wood being used should be checked/inspected for imperfections, knots etc. before being cut, sanded and prepped.
Sure, a common, and maybe forgivable oversight on a cheap, or budget guitar. But on a $2,800 guitar? They should be taking the time to make sure every piece is up to snuff.
Especially when metal flake/sparkle finishes cannot be repaired.
Silvertop, goldtop, pelham blue, etc. are finishes that cannot be touched up or repaired. If it gets damaged or messed up, the guitar has to be stripped and sanded back down to bare wood, and the process starts over from square 1.
Sure, it’s a time consuming process, and it costs money, but again, that guitar is nearly $3000. It can be done.
@@f3uibeghardt522 precisely! They aren’t the only ones who use car paint either. A lot of em actually do. But hell, if it looks good, it’s good! I dig the look when done right!
I used to paint i could go by the sound of it hitting what im painting as to get the right consistency and coverage it aint that difficult man !!
Heya Glenn, any chance of a "recording non-metal instruments for metal" type of video? Mandolins, strings, horns etc? Be interested to see your approach to that
yes!
Yes please!
That'd be sick!
I'll dust off the accordion and hammer dulcimer. (You WISH I was kidding).
My wife has an accordion. Unfortunately I am not joking
If Gibson had someone like you in their department, their guitars would be flawless.
lol no, he'd get fired
@@orionbekesi😂😂😂😂
Yup
Except for the fact that when he was reading the specs he said scale length of 25.5 when it's actually 24.75.
@@elcabrononwheelsnormally you’d be correct but Dave pays 25.5 guitars so they made an acceptation for him
I love that they still use nitro finishes, and I love all of their shapes, but you're spot on here man. If the fit and finish aren't mint, you can't be charging people over $1200 or so for crap like that.
$1200?
Imagine if it were $2800!
😵
Nitro finishes are more flimsy though
@@tylersmith7534But they wear with your playing. All three of my guitars are poly finishes. I ended up selling both of the Gibson LPs I've purchased but still, there's a thing to those finishes. They smell delightful too
I honestly feel like Glenn is describing my Dave Mustaine Signature (Dean VMNT Peace Sells) for the most part; except the fact that I paid 500 dollars for it (well, my parents did, it was a Christmas gift) and it’s the most used piece of gear in my studio.
Got a Dean VMNT silver 2014 korea today, It has none of these mistakes, and cost 5 times les,, 570€ used
I picked up a VMNT Peace Sells on Amazon a couple years ago and it's a really cool guitar! Totally worth the $500 US and I like the way it looks way better than the Gibson. I really wanted to like this guitar and buy one. After hear this and other reviews I think 3 Solar V's (6, 7, 8) are a better value. Wish they were a bit easier to get in the states
My Dean 5-String bass I bought in '92 is literally the best bass I've ever bought (including Ibanez, Rickenbacker, Fender Precision, and a Peavey I could have used to crack granite in a quarry it was so heavy, etc).
In fact, I've had guitarists pick it up when it was in Open C tuning (GCGCG) and say it was as easy to fret as a guitar - though they still couldn't get their hands to stretch enough to chord stuff like I did because their little spindly fingers couldn't stretch 6 frets my the bass.
LMAOOooooo
Deans are a lot of bang for the buck. Hell, I bought a Schecter C-6 Platinum series on a whim (about $600) and I couldn't possibly be happier with it. Some minor wiring issues (input could have been soldered a little better) but it's just such a complete guitar at a fraction of the cost.
I have a £600 esp and I still use a £100 Dean as my main guitar
For me personally, $1,000 is my max. There are some exceptions, there are a few $1,500 guitars out there that I’d seriously consider buying. But thanks to Glen opening my eyes to the myths about guitars that people foolishly believe, I see no reason to spend more then $1,000 on a guitar.
It doesn't sound like a 3000 guitar
My 2 cents, Dear Glenn, first off yes for 2800 bucks you should have gotten locking grover tuners, and the good nut and a stellar picture perfect paint job... Totally agree. And the action should have been nice and playable out of the box, maybe need a tiny bit adjustment for personal preferences. But it shouldn't have been high as a kite. Now then, most of the money you are paying for is Wood from Africa, ebony fretboard, doesn't get more rare and expensive, same with the mahogany if im not mistaken. You genuinely get a different smoother distortion from mahogany than something like Ash which is much harder wood and gives off more volume and harsh distorted sound. I've tested it out and watched others test the different woods out, it is a substantial real difference. Now then, I don't think you hit those pinch harmonics anywhere near Zakk Wylde on No More Tears because, it didn't sound like it, and the pickups are very different. Zakk used Emg 81 in the bridge position and an Emg 85 in the neck position. He used hot-rodded Marshal JCM 800 heads to get that sound. I don't know the eq settings for that album, but he uses bass 10 or 9, mid at -3, and treble at 7 or 6.5, then tone maxxed volume nearly maxxed on guitar using bridge pickup, set of tens for the high strings and super thick for the lows, don't think they make them anymore because they were my go to strings for years and I couldn't find them anymore, now I use the Jazz 11s chromed, ultra smooth and I usually jam in drop b or c or c#. And I hit them Zakk Wylde pinch harmonics pretty tight. It's one of my favorite sounds. Something where you can't just push a pedal, no you gotta make it happen with your hands. You do need a fat amount of gain. Feel it out, max it and dial it back slowly to find your sweet spot. From painting cars with my Dad, I'm pretty sure the wrinkles in the paint on the side of the pickups is because they hung it vertically and then turned it on its side before the paint was dry. Seen people do it with fenders, doors, accidentally happens on bumpers if you lay the paint too thick. In my heart, the paint problems alone warrant returning it and demanding excellence for a $2800 guitar. If money were no object, Id call up the custom department, get the dual emg 81's in a mahogany SG symmetrical headstock, grover locking tuners, rickenbacker whammy bar, dark red finish so you can still see the wood grain. No pick guard. A comfy metal monster that is very able to make very diverse sounds with the rickenbacker whammy bar. 24 frets. I have a floyd rose and didn't know very much about how it worked before I spent a grand on it when I was 15. Im 38 and ended up blocking the bridge off simply because I love those Ibanez pickups...
Seriously. The only reason I'd ever buy a vintage Gibson or Fender would be mainly for historical value.
Only time I’m going over 1000$ for a guitar is if it’s a solar cuz even though it’s mainly cuz of the brand sponsorships *glares intensely at ola* .
I think for the most part you are right 1000$ is all you need to spend for a good guitar I've played my 1000 $ surf green Strat almost exclusively for 8 years it was all I needed. But I think spending money on a dream guitar is never bad when you got the money I wouldn't trade my orange custom shop Strat for anything, it cost a lot of money but I don't regret it at all. that being said I don't think im going to be spending that much on another guitar anytime soon.
No joke, I came across a used low end Dean VMNT at a Sam Ash for $200 in that same Metallic silver finish and it had a better paint job and neck joint than the $2,800 Gibson one.
I have one of those low end deans. And I love it, it has a decently slim and wide d shaped neck, which suits me way more than those chunky as hell Gibson necks. It sounds great, and is a way better deal than this
Bro Fr I have a Dean VX ($400 new) that I’ve modded and the only reason it has a paint defect is cause my drummer was tryna bounce his drum stick off the floor and hit it straight onto my guitar lmao
Aint it the truth.
At 6:30 your cover for symphony for destruction made me absolutely bust out laughing 😂 “you take a mortal man, you give him a Flying V, watch him turn into a snob.🤣 dude your personality is killer 🤘🏽
When it comes to QC, a very large US retailer has 9 Slash Anaconda Burst guitars that didn't meet this retailers standard and are now being sold on Reverb as demo. That's insane for a $3000 MSRP guitar. Then again, as long as people keep the resale values high, I doubt Gibson even cares.
I'm not brave enough to go check how much are those...
I’ve played a few of the new “inspired by Gibson” Epiphone Les Paul’s and the modern V and explorer at my local long and mcquade and they were setup properly. They also did not have any cosmetic flaws. Epiphone has sure stepped up there game with these new line of guitars. Then picked up a Gibson double cutaway modern that had a neck so bowed I could have used it for archery.
I agree ☝️ the Epiphone guitars I’ve played in the last couple years are absolutely fantastic.
and I`ve never played any epiphone`s that didnt have to had some work done to them , some more than others . now , the new epiphones are very good , but they are not better than whatever "expensive " brand you put them up against . some of the flaws in gibsons isnt even flaws
Long and mcqade sets them up I've talked to a few of the employees and they say they're good but not great out of box but that being said most of the new epiphones looks killer and sounds great too
@@vainestlamb5917 ah ok. My understanding was if you bought a guitar from L&M they send it for a free setup that’s included in your purchase. At least that’s how the location in Surrey British Columbia explained it to me.
My Brent Hinds Flying V destroys the quality on this. Jesus that sucks for 2800.
Being a Dave Mustaine fan and a Gibson fan, I feel very dissapointed with the quality of the guitars. When I noticed that DM and Gibson were colaborating for a signature V, I was very excited. Now I don't know what to think. Thanks a lot for telling the truth and show what real things are done today.
Same. Here's the kicker: I went to Megadeth show yesterday in Montreal (May 17, 2022) and saw up-close the Gibson that Mustaine played must be a 5,000$ guitar. It has a flamed Maple top with a white binding. It is a completely different animal. A true Signature guitar.
Bro. You need to go and check one out for yourself.
Who knows if this is a one off subpar finish or if Glenn is playing attention to stuff you wouldn't.
Setup... you first need to check if that action that was too high was typical Gibson spec. Meaning... he likes a lower action, but many people are fine with it.
Thank you for telling it like it is! In my opinion, even a single flaw is unacceptable on a "premium" instrument. Especially from a major brand like Gibson. It's a shame.
right?! and the inspection card checked off was the cherry on top
Life is about loving things with those warts. Learn it!
This sounds a lot like me trying out Gibsons in general. I go in with low expectations, get surprised by the minimal requirements like staying in tune or being reasonably playable, and at the end of the day realize it would be perfectly passable if the price was halved or less.
I agree. I used to own a Les Paul. It was great for rhythm playing, but as soon as I joined a band where I had to play leads, I could not keep the G string in tune. I ended up selling it, and replacing it with MIJ Ibanez guitars, and I haven't looked back. In the same spirit as this video, I think people pay way too much for Solar and Chapman guitars, as well. I have never had a guitar built in the FujiGen factory come back with flaws like I see with Gibson, Solar, and Chapman guitars.
Big agree. I actually really like a lot of Gibsons I've played, they're just not worth $2.5k or whatever they fuck they're getting for them. That's why I tell people go find a used Studio that plays well for around $1k or less. Same feel and feature set, with a MUCH more appropriate price tag.
Ah yes, the “tuning issue”.
User error I’m afraid.
@@jimherleva4541 If by user you mean luthier, then I agree. When the only guitar I've ever owned in the last 20 years that has a tuning issue is a Gibson, then the issue was the guitar. If a guitar that costs over $1000 needs modification to stay in tune, then that is a design flaw. I'm not shitting on Gibson either, I love Gibsons. I like the way they feel and the way they sound. However, I chose to sell mine because my Ibanez guitars required far less modification out of the box.
@@jimherleva4541 somehow I don't have such "user error" with other guitars.
Works out to about £2,250 over here in the UK. Got to say if I had that much to drop on a guitar, it'd be custom made from a decent luthier every time!
I would rather use a portion of that money to upgrade the guitars I already own.
Yep, that's what I have been saying for years...until my last luthier passed away. Finding a new one (with the bandwidth to make one for your) is so difficult now.
Loved the honest review. I tried so many V's before being satisfied with a Solar V. Got a Solar Explorer soon after because of how much fun it was to play.
You know, the fact that I haven’t spent over $500 on a guitar once in my life (and the only time I ever bought a piece of gear that was more than that was a Hiwatt DR 103 from 1971 for the same exact price you got for that guitar) makes me realize I make consciously good decisions with my gear spending for the most part.
I've bought all of my guitars online with mixed results. So the other day I tried something unusual - I went down to my local guitar store and started trying out instruments. I left 45 minutes later with a great guitar. It's from a virtually unknown brand, there are no youtube demos of the model I got, but it looks great, sounds great, and is setup by a guy who spent the last 30 years fixing guitars.
Guys, stop buying unseen, unheard. The only reason the companies can get away with selling junk is because we keep buying from warehouses 800 km away from us, based on a youtube review and a 30 dollar price difference. Doing that is literaly begging to get ripped off.
Good luck doing that when you’re a lefty though.
What's the brand and model name of the guitar?
What kind of guitar???
We do a shop setup on every guitar we ship, and any shop-sold guitar if the customer wants it. If the setup is crap from the factory, we'll fix it before we hang the guitar. And, oh yeah - If it's a lefty, we'll hang it in "Lefty Alley" with the other dozen
@@millardbrown4769 I guess you’re in the us though, there’s barely anywhere near me that you can go in and try a lefty and they’re usually either cheap squiers or the odd overpriced Gibson, I just get mine built from a local luthier now.
As a former Gibson authorized service technician, and a guy with 3 Gibsons, I watched this with amusement. Yeah, they're selling a name. They're not offering a value. It's almost unfair to ever ask if any new Gibson is worth the price. They rarely are. But, we keep buying them, lol. And after we're done setting them up and modifying them to play decently, we then have the right name on the headstock to impress the kiddies. And we know the real guitarists are more interested in how we got it to play well than the guitar itself, lol!
Ive never own a Gibson, but Im shocked to see so many QC issues, specially with painting, all those cracks over the finish, and the finferboard and binding always with tooling marks. I see Troglys reviews and he thinks its ok, its part of Gibson aura, Im just shocked.
@@papasmamas1 What they have is a roster of heroes. We hear great playing and great tone, and we want the tools they used. I've seen Gibson corporate make the worst decisions in this industry. But, since there is always some plucky fan with a couple grand ready to buy into the dream, Gibson keeps making sales.
They say they care about QC, but lets be real. QC costs money. Gibson would rather keep that money than increase their quality.
It's been this way for decades. I don't imagine they'll ever change. Why should they?
@@stevesrecordingtips7247 if you want to sound the best you have to play the best
@@bikeman1x11 So, i should get a PRS? 8)
@@stevesrecordingtips7247 they are great- even the korean se's can be quite good- my tremonti se is awesome
I'm truly glad that we have people like Glenn
To get a low pinch right; make sure to apply a bit of vibrato at the same time and put a bit more pressure on to fretting finger (aggressively apply the vibrato). I find it to be also much easier with the middle or ring finger. I think that wiggling the string with the fretting finger helps sustain the pinch a little better and produce that deep wallop you're after lol. Then again I could be completely wrong, but I do LOVE my low pinchies 🤟!
That’s the way you do it, let the man do his thing. I’m sure he’s going to change his style cause of you. You people are annoying af
Two things Glenn, One you're playing has come a long way practice is paying off keep it up! Two thanks for this fearless gear review Gibson has just fallen off so profoundly its crazy. Keep up the good work, cheers from Milwaukee.
Do you know this from first hand experience or are you simply trusting "influencers" for this information? I've played several new Gibsons over the past few years that were fantastic. A friend of mine bought a Les Paul traditional a few years back. That guitar is lovely, stays in tune, sounds awesome, and did NOT require an additional set-up. It was great from day 1 straight out of the factory. The paint was also perfect (not that I care).
@@davidreynolds6718 bro, it is hilarious. You are calling him out for trusting the review from multiple people, yet you are saying that the opposite is the case and you know because of your own (single and maybe two person) experience...
@@davidreynolds6718 all the Gibsons I've been fortunate enough to play have always been poorly potted just alot of feedback, also alot of tuning issues(5 ish i know its a small sample size). But that could be the setups at the store. Other brands present at the same store seemed to not have that problem(at a lower price point mind you).I dont have alot money so i try to be little quicker to rule of expensive guitars and Gibson at the end of the day are just beyond my price point.They have alot of QC issues and this much variance between all their guitars makes them a risky investment at best and that is simply unacceptable for guitars at this price point. In my opinion. Granted take it with a grain of salt I'm no one and have had limited experience with Gibson as a whole.
@@linnickschlanter4712 I just think it's odd that UA-cam influencers associated with Glenn all turned on Gibson at he same time. Something seems off to me.
@@davidreynolds6718 Maybe Gibson stopped giving them free 💩?
GLENN. Thank you. THIS is why I watch your videos... Truly comprehensive..full of spot on information and riddled with excellent brevity and absolutely relatable hilariousness... dont change a thing! Fan forever!
Oh and by the way - Jezuz, you goddam SHRED.
Mike Leporati-
Los Angeles based musician and artist
It's really funny that MegaDave went to Dean and then Gibson and made them change their distinctive headstocks to basically be a Jackson King V.
I'm glad Gibson is finally getting called out on this stuff. For years all I would ever hear anybody say about their gear was about how great it was and every time I picked one up I just didn't understand why anybody would spend that kind of cash on a guitar brand that felt okay at best. Soooooooooo many gear snobs. lol
Gibson have been getting called out for this for years and years - probably decades.
All ive heard is how shit they are. Reality is, all brands except maybe a few boutique ones make duds. I've seen some absolutely terrible asian made ones despite the overall quality hike the past decades.
Their previous effort to ripoff people resulted in bankruptcy, this new revival has not changed anything... "Made in USA" is a joke these days when Korean and even Indonesian made guitars beat the crap out of these overpriced "US made" pieces of wood.
@@fredriksvard2603 for me it was revolutionary!
My entire youth i had NO access to instruments and didn't know anyone who owned one.....and I always dreamt of having Gibsons and Fenders someday.
BUT WHEN I FINALLY TRIED THEM IN MY LATE TEENS........
...they felt wrong in EVERY way!!!
(GIBSON AND FENDER = DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS. BOTH a bunch of assholes and crooks and fraudsters!)
Then, I tried brands i HATED (Peavey!) (Ibanez!).....and their shit played like BUTTER and I was stunned.
I can find you a million $180 Ibanez MIKROS that are better than ANY GIBSON OR FENDER OF ANY PRICE.
gibsons have metaphysical and ideological value. thats how many 'non snobs' fall for them.
I've had this dilemma for a while now: What should I spend my money on, a vintage coffee table guitar, or a fancy sports-guitar ?
What is attractive to you about the vintage guitar? Honestly I'm curious, not trolling at all. I admit I like them as collectors items and investments..... but I haven't played my Gibson explorer in decades. Yet it is probably the most valuable guitar I own (out of waaay too many) lol
@@mad7stringer Other than the finish? Nothing. I'm not even going to play it. It's going to sit in its case, just like my 1954 Rolls Royce sits in the garage, never to be driven.
@@mad7stringer Because, unfortunately, Gibson no longer manufactures the Corvus.
I have a 2018 Jackson king v I got for 1200 dollars that's made in Indonesia pro series, the finish was amazing the pickups were good (JB in the bridge changed it to a custom custom for preference). the frets were actually not poking through, its sad seeing a 2800 guitar have so many silly flaws that can be easily avoided if quality control was better. awesome video glenn !
Great review. Gibson is the Harley Davidson of guitars. A clothing company that also sells products to layers and dentists that haven't improved since the 60s and expects the good reputation earned by people who are long gone to carry them forever.
Really brought it home at the end with your correct statements about labor and unions. Hell yes.
2:17
Your wish has been already granted in the 80's! Aldo Nova had a signature Les Paul that had the Explorer headstock (in fact there was an entire series of different shaped guitars with the Explorer headstock back then).
These guitars are really collectable nowadays and I wish someone made a modern equivalent
Here is Trogly's Guitars' documentation and review of said instrument:
ua-cam.com/video/0wq7_s6mYQo/v-deo.html
I was just about to make the same Aldo nova comment.
Werent kramer assaults basically les pauls with hockey headstocks?
I'd reckon that the Epiphone stuff and the endless onslaught of '59 LP remakes, remixes, and reissues are the only things keeping Gibson alive at this point. To put out such a bad guitar at such a high price point is beyond pathetic; as if someone is deliberately trying to destroy the Gibson brand and legacy.
Remember the time when buying a Gibson meant something. I have an old Epiphone SG that I got for pocket change. It was new but the neck had seperated from the body during shipping. Got it glued and changed the kind of dull pickups for some old Dimarzios I had. Super guitar, I could say that it's as good as a real Gibson from the same time!
Yeah .... that describes like every "legacy" brand in the US the last 10 years
Gibson is just cashing in as hard as they possibly can before the Boomers and Gen X dad-rockers finally all die off and nobody gives a crap about their "lifestyle brand" at all anymore.
From what I see players under 40 mostly just don't care about the Gibson name, and I don't blame them. They have no reason to cling to a brand out of nostalgia, which is really all Gibson has going for it now.
love the videos, thanks for the honesty!
It's only $2800 because it has 3 titles: Gibson, Flying V, and Mustaine.
It's really a $300 guitar... and I feel like that's a fucking stretch, because nowadays $300 will get you a really good guitar that doesn't have fucked up paint.
Shirtless Glenn!! Goes to show that the Keto results have come a long way, keep up the great work!
TY Jake!
@@SpectreSoundStudios I came here to say this also! Great work glenn, lookin good!
3rd, and came to say the same! Keep up the great work Glenn!
@@SpectreSoundStudios Glen if I send you some Resistance Bands, Will you Use Them? You can Use them Seated as Well and they are Great for Stress Relief ; ) You are practically using them Right Now , They are just not in your Hands 😁
@@SpectreSoundStudios I MUST DISAGREE WITH ALL OF YOU:
HAD GLEN PUT BABY OIL ALL OVER HIS TORSO FIRST.....then it would've been right on!
I’m really glad someone else is addressing quality control issues. I had to go through 3 50s Goldtops until one was “right”.
There were even strings the wrong way round and not even in the bridge.
After all my issues I contacted Gibson, they just didn’t care.
I'm so sorry to hear that I hope you find a guitar that's just right for you man
Thank you for saying this man. If you’re referring to the 2021 models, I was actually looking at those a few weeks ago and really liked the sound of the 50s version. Interesting to know that there are still quality control issues going on. A lot of the press has been saying Gibson is coming back! Seems like they’ve still got a ways to go.
Good review I have looked at a few of these and they were all flawed! I used to be a huge Gibson fan and collector but over the years their QC has just dropped off the map. I have seen guitars that were sold that were so bad they should have been branded seconds! I bought a Les Paul Double Cutaway many years ago and could not figure out why it was never able to be tuned properly. I finally gave up brought it to a luthier and he called me and had me come by. He showed me the frets were off all down the neck. Luckily I had it less than a month and the guitar shop took it back and told me the other one they had was also defective. After that I started really giving them a good once over found far too many issues to pay top dollar for a guitar that these days are more hype than anything else. I have a huge collection and only one Gibson a 90s Explorer that I got new for a great deal and even for a few small flaws that were easily addressed the deal was sooooo good $495.00 with the HSC I could not pass it up. Since then I have not found a new Gibson I would buy especially when there are so many better less expensive guitars out there.
well done, fella. more honest reviews like this need to hit hard and hit high.
Hi Glenn, I really enjoy watching your videos. I have severe chronic lower back and neck pain. Most nights I can't sleep because of my chronic pain. I binge watch your videos when I can't sleep. Watching your videos helps me forget about my chronic pain. Thank you for making your videos.
❤❤
Mustaine playing a Jackson printed on the back of his signature Gibson😂
Your channel’s a breath of fresh air, brother. Keep up the awesome work!
Great review, love the content. I'm no sound man and I suck at playing guitar but I don't own a Gibson or a Line Sux amp so that should count for something right? Anyway you earned yourself a sub. On a side note I'd like to see you review one of the new versions of the Peavey Vypyr amps, I'm curious to see how it would stand up to one of your fearless reviews.
As someone who works at a music store, pretty much every Gibson and Epiphone always needs a setup right out of the box. Usually they just need the action dropped at the bridge but sometimes it gets a little harrier. I find Fender is usually a lot better on the setup side of things but for whatever reason is usually way worse when it comes to fret sprout issues.
OH WOW.
Edit: I recently bought an Epiphone Alex Lifeson LP Axcess - and the QC and finish is astonishing for a sub-£1000 guitar. The fretwork is some of the best I've ever come across irrespective of price - and for a mass produced instrument I had very little ground to improve on in terms of setup.
Which, should make big brother Gibson very embarrassed indeed.
I got an Epiphone Thunderhorse, and I was amazed with the quality. It was pristine!
The newer Epiphones are great guitars.
Yup. My experience as well with my Tribute Plus Epiphone. Fantastic guitar for around 1000 USD.
epi's been styling on gibson in both quality and innovation for years now...
i got a epiphone brent hinds v and everything was perfect finish action intonation everything
First video I've seen of him and I like it. Subcribed!
Also can't wait to see his review of the Epiphone and Kramer Mustaine models once they're out, should he choose to make them in the first place.
Great to see someone call out Gibson. They really do get by on their name and I feel the quality is way below the price range. I feel my Indo made guitars destroy my old USA Gibson SG.
Finally! A Gibson that plays like an Epiphone. Took em long enough.
Hahaha! Even though I disagree with your point that's an awesome comment, here's a Like for you Good Sir. You've earned it!
Hate to admit it but that's true. Ive got a Gibson Les Paul and it makes me regret selling my 1999 Epiphone Les Paul Quilt Top and Epiphone "1984" Explorer. My Gibson does not play like those 2 Epiphones and I wish I could reverse those decisions quite badly.
@@visionop8 Bummer. Gibson USA definitely had some shitty years. They looked and seemed like they were getting way better again but this video makes me wonder. He could have gotten that one out of 1000 really bad one or maybe the vast majority of them suck, lol
@@PatPosse Gibson really did have some better years. I bought my Les Paul from memories of playing a friend's dad's Les Paul Custom and I couldn't put it down. What I got wasn't that. I think maybe we missed the good years.
Yeah, the price is still "Authentic"
Your playing is sounding better yet, Glenn. Nicely done, sir. Your fearless gear reviews are appreciated as always.
Well I'm really happy with my custom made guitar from a boutique guitar builder. I know no tone wood, but my guitars looks amazing and plays like heaven with no flaw at all. My Gibson sg is now just my backup axe when I teach.
Those Zakk bends are insane. Took me years of building my hand strength to pull off properly. That being said, the guitar sounds good, issues aside. Oddly, my '09 LP Studio, never goes out of tune. It's always a surprise to open the case and it's still exactly as I left it.
When a headstock straight up cracked and nearly separated on a Les Paul I was preparing to purchase, as I was playing it - that was the last Gibson I ever played and have no desire to pick up one again. Every time I’ve been tempted, all the problems you have detailed in this video are consistently present on gibsons.
i always thought I'd own Fenders & Gibsons.
But when I played either at a guitar shop.....both felt....WRONG.
Then I played IBANEZ guitars and it was night vs day!
I never pay more than $200 for a guitar, and they're all better than Fenders or Gibsons!
your story hurts.
ex:
I once bought a $1200 MACBOOK "PRO"......and BEFORE I LEFT THE APPLE STORE...it had COMPLETELY CRASHED when I tried their email program!!
"JUST A FLUKE!" the lying liars said.
I've owned FIVE expensive Apples.
ALL FIVE WERE GARBAGE OUT OF THE BOX, but only in literally EVERY CATEGORY.
Bc POLICE WILL NOT ENFORCE LAWS against Consumer Fraud.
Baseball bat neck and an ebony fretboard is probably the reason it stays in tune better than most other Gibson's. I had a 76' Les Paul that was exceptionally stable...but it had a thicker maple neck.
Compare that to a friend of mine that used to do dive bombs by bending the mahogany neck of his 64' SG.
As much as I hate baseball bat necks, you're probably right.
Should i say some thing blasphemous? I just got a cheap chinese lespaul shaped guitar without locking tuners and its exceptionally stable. Hours of trash type riffing wont effect it. It was one year old guitar the guy sold me for what he got it for. I bought it for 18000 rs. Roughly equals to 100$
More likely the headstock shape and the nut.
I think you're onto something. My '79 Les Paul is stays in tune like a dream. So does my '95 SG. Never have issues with either guitar
Turns out it was a typo the whole time. It's not tone wood, it's tune wood
I tested out a silver Mustaine Gibson v yesterday at the local guitar store. I really wanted to like it. You're getting a high quality hardcase at least unlike Jackson who gives you a throw away soft case with the new American series soloists for about the same MSRP as this Gibson. Pickups sounded great, I'm a fan of the signature thrash factors. MOP teeth inlays looked really cool and the fretboard was very well done, nice dark ebony. Likely dyed to get it that black, but didn't notice any staining on finger tips after playing either unlike many other manufacturers. Stayed in tune perfectly.
On the not so great side, the back of the neck felt gritty/sticky and definitely not fast. The thickness of the neck was also off-putting as I was hoping for something closer to his Jackson King V in terms of feel. Action was setup sky high from the factory which also didn't inspire fast riffing. Didn't notice any runs in the paint, but there was a bit of sloppiness around the neck joint close to the binding. The neck joint was also bulky and again, not what I expected for a fast playing metal machine.
That said, we are in a new world of made in USA guitar pricing. Compared to what Jackson is charging for their select series instruments ($4000 + USD) this is a deal for whatever that's worth. Overall I'd give this a solid 7/10. Hopefully they do a little more in terms of speeding up the neck etc on the rumored Kramer Mustaine models.
Thanks for this awesome review 🤘🔥🎸 I was trying to get the Green rust in peace version of this. There was only 3 of them released in Canada 😂 the paint and cracking look unacceptable for a $2800 US made guitar. I recently got an LTD Ironcross, LTD KH602 , and Jackson Brandon Ellis green crackle (Chinese made) and the paint job was really fucking good for all three. Also the action and playibility was perfect out of the box. My only quam with the Ironcross is the cheap plastic molded nut. Ordered the GraphTech nut and saddles. Awesome review 👍 probably will hold off on the Gibson. Looking and an LTD arrow 1000 instead. Open to suggestions!!!!
Damn it, Glenn! I've been missing Fearless Gear Reviews, good to have them back! This one was quite a bit longer than the previous ones, but the fact that you paid attention to the little details (as opposed to Gibson) made it really interesting. Good job, man!
Also, do you think you could do a Fearless Gear Review on the Orange Super Crush 100 head? Most of the UA-camrs said it sound great and really close to a tube head, but I wanna hear THE TRUTH.
A few years back I bought a Harley Benton LP clone for around $120 that played like a dream out of the box. Slapped on some Grover tuners and Seymour Duncan pickups I had laying around, and I have a guitar that I practice on and gig with over any of my Gibsons or higher-end Ibanezes that cost 10x+ more. Paint job is a mediocre tobacco sunburst, but it is good enough for me.
I got two cheap Harley Bentons, one of them being a snow white LP clone. Swapped the pickups, left everything else as it is. Plays absolutely fine! The other one is an Explorer that already came with Grover locking tuners and a Graph Tech nut and I once again only changed the pickups. Absolutely nothing wrong with that thing.
@@honigdachs. I think the tuners on mine were lemons, I basically had to tune them every song or two. Granted I do some pretty aggressive string bends, but it holds up much better now after the upgrade.
For $2500 the guitar has to be perfect. I have a gibson les paul that I bought used, it lived in the case for the longest time because the g and b strings would never stay in tune. After a lot of research and experimentation (change of tuners and bridge) I learned the strings were getting stuck on the nut, used sandpaper to fix it and it worked, now is one of my favorite guitars but sheeeeesh! Should not have taken so much effort!
Wow! A lot of comments here. I’m sure this will get buried but here goes. A HUGE thank you for talking about Unionization at the end of the video. I’m a 15 year union pipe insulator by trade and spent the first three years of my career nonunion and I can tell you that you are 100% correct.
Love the channel, great videos, keep up the awesome work. Can you do a video about soundproofing and room treatment soon? I’m building a studio in my basement and this topic is still somewhat confusing to me. Thanks brother!
Totally agreed. This price is overwhelming, more over with a dismal paint job over this metal machine
Damn, Glenn pulling a Lucretia. Wasn't expecting that. Probably the best Friedman solo often outplayed by tornado of souls (which is great too don't get me wrong).
Everyone talks about Tornado, but Lucretia has to be my favorite solo on that album. Some of the best soloing in all of thrash metal in my opinion.
@@nerfherder4444 i definitely agree with you there. It's probably my favorite Megadeth solo ever.
Don't sleep on 5 Magics
@@nerfherder4444 lucretia is actually my favorite Megadeth song. It's ridiculously underrated
Dude, I love the union pitch! Solidarity brother.
That was a brutal but honest review. Hopefully they'll stand behind they're guarantee for quality and fix it for you.
Doubt it. I heard their customer service is utter trash
My old Gibson explorer used to sometimes have issues with tuning stability, of course it was only later when I learned how to tune unwound strings.
(bottom to top, the opposite way to normally)
This changes the break angle at the nut and results in fewer mishaps)
The Gibson headstock angle is 15°. That was a useful angle in 1890 when the G was always a wound string. Today however, it's not necessary to place that much downforce on the strings leaving the nut to the tuner posts. Gibson will never evolve. No one else making guitars in that price range uses 15°, and their guitars stay in tune (PRS, Kiesel, Rickenbacker etc).
That’s because the angle isn’t a problem. User error on the other hand…
amazing playing Glenn! That practice is really paying off!
Whats you opinion on the tascam midistudio 688 . i recently have acquired one that was in perfect condition except for the belt that drives the tape deck which ive replaced with a nos tascam replacement and its in perfect working order and i want to make it a part of my old school recording project and i wanted your honest as always thought on this piece of gear. Being in the profession your in it crossed my mind that you may have some experience with it or at least have used one beforem
I love that guitar just not the price. I'd say it's a 1000 guitar bumped up because of the name attached to it. I wouldn't call it a bad guitar at all though. If I still played it would definitely be one of my go-to's for recording.
I worked for a Gibson dealer a while back- when the pickups are noisy like that, check the pots- I came to find that often the ins and outs on the pots were reversed- what Gibson refers to as ‘50s wiring’. The pickup should come in on the left lug and output in the middle. It takes just a few mins to switch them if they’re reversed and it makes a big difference in noise.
Edit: I never switched the 50s wiring on guitars that were spec’d for it, just the modern models for customers upon request.
I can see a problem for Gibson in the future. Younger players have grown up with a wider range of quality brands, and one result has been that they are less tolerant of the design flaws and erratic quality control that older players had to take for granted. They are absolutely going to ask why an instrument won't stay in tune, why its finish is not almost perfect, why its setup is poor, and so on. They are certainly going to question $2800 for what appears to be a basic, low-spec instrument.
Arguably, this guitar isn't really a Gibson anyway. Gibson have no real track record in modern or technical metal, and the Vs used in classic metal, with their relatively low-gain pickups and 24.75" scale, were very different beasts. What Gibson have produced is, ironically, a clone: it's a Dean or Jackson, given an Explorer headstock in a gesture at 'heritage'. That's fine: but then, reasonably enough, people will expect Dean or Jackson (or ESP or Schecter) prices and standards of quality control.
I got myself my first electric guitar recently, An Ibanez Gio (worth 293€) for which i paid 209€ and it was set up perfectly out of the box, stays in tune really well, plays great and the finish is also flawless. It's ridiculous how a guitar that costs roughly 10 times as much has so many flaws while my cheap guitar doesn't have any flaws.
My Schechter Omen Extreme 6, $300 brand new on ebay, was very playable out of the box, no fret edges, and the thing refuses to go out of time. Super impressed.
I use to think that a Gibson would make me a better guitar player but then I found the world or UA-cam and then I found you glen. Thank you for taking away that stupid mentality I had an convinced me to practice more on a cheap guitar like a squire. Keep up the good work.
Yep... save your money. Work on you first! :)
Those "cheap" guitars have come a long way. Squier has some perfectly fine guitars which I wouldn't even call cheap. Affordable but not cheap.
@@ratatatuff yeah low cost guitars are great. I have some expensive guitars myself and just picked up a purple Schecter C6 Elite for $270 (on sale but it's a $400 guitar) and the quality is great.
@@ratatatuff ALL the $200 IBANEZes or BABY DEANS are flawless.
NO REASON to ever pay more than $200 for a guitar.
A while back I had the chance to buy a really nice guitar and went with a Caparison Horus, best guitar I've ever played. The quality and details is so good.
Truly kudos to you for working on you playing. Huge difference 💪and really commendable. Even the Mustaine vocals were pretty killer. 🙂
So, I'm a big Epiphone fan. I have wanted to take the leap and maybe dive into a Gibson SG Standard or something, but I have always had concerns about the QC. Seeing this makes me glad I'm gravitating towards Paul Reed Smith lately. GOURGEOUS guitars, from the fit and finish to the playability to the sound. I've never played a PRS that I have disliked at any price range. I have played numerous Gibsons that were fucking trash. I'm disappointed, but not surprised, to see that Gibson couldn't get this right either.
PRS guitars are what Gibsons should be.
@@3vergiven 1000% facts
Couldn't have said it better myself.
I play an Epiphone Thunderbird bass and wanted a Gibson until I tried one. My £500 Epiphone played better and sounded better than the £1800 Gibson
If you can find a used Gibson Studio used for a good price that plays well, I would highly encourage you to jump on that. But beyond that yeah, a brand like PRS or Schecter (or hell if you like Epiphone, just get one of the new Inspired by Gibson Epiphones) is probably going to yield better return on your money. No reason to go throw down $2k on a new Gibson Standard when both they and other companies make guitars you can find that play just as well if not better for half the price.
I bought a LP Standard 50s... while I went over the pictures online I was nervous as hell waiting for it to arrive. Shockingly it was literally perfect and I actually had to raise the bridge a little but the relief as spot on, frets were perfect and the finish was perfect. Last Gibson I bought was about 5 years ago and I had to send the first one back it was so poor then my rep at a really sweet retailer went and hand picked my second, which was perfect but... hand picked. I really want one of these but every review I have seen has the same issues you note... I just can't see dropping almost 3K. Perhaps they will correct these issues in a couple of years. Excellent review, I LOVE the Holy Wars demo!!!!!
Yeah I feel like Gibson is something you'd have to handpick yourself and won't buy blindly.
I bought a 68 Les Paul Gold Top for $600.00 in 1985..still have still it, still have not played a better LP since
So happy with my Schecter V1 and my LTD ec 1000et both for what this costs and both are absolutely perfect !
Both also made in Korea 😳
Just discovered this video and I must say I spilled my coffee all over the place watching it 🤣 I laughed out loud so hard!!!! Glenn, you’re the best 🤣🤣🤣
Setup is a pretty personal thing, but there still needs to be some kind of standard where a guitar shows up in playable condition. I've done less setup on Harley Benton and Firefly guitars than I've seen a lot people do on their brand new Gibsons.
I'll take a Solar V over a Gibson any damn day. Looks better, sounds at least as good, costs 1/3 the price...
a chinese solar isnt near a USA gibson
@@bikeman1x11 Totally agree. Solar makes much better guitars for money than Gibson.
Of course Solar guitars are not made in China, they're made in Indonesia.
@@jamiebriggs8277 if you think an asian name guitar compares to the legend of gibson you are bonkers- the greatest musice played was played with les pauls the solars appeal to those who think guitar is a bass
@@bikeman1x11 I don't care about "legends" I care about quality instruments at reasonable prices without the long running problems of overpriced Gibsons to feed a CEO's bloated salary
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Other than that who knows wtf you're even saying
@@jamiebriggs8277 you can stick to playing chinese guitars that are just downtuned sludge- Ill play gibson
Just looked at my Dean that I bought for $400, fit and finish is perfect, stays in tune even with that headstock, and still has its headstock attached. Got a better instrument than a Gibson for 1/6 the price.
Got about $650 sunk into an 80s Charvel I got at a pawn shop. Plays as good as any guitar on the market.
???
I only buy 3/4 guitars (they are superior in EVERY SINGLE WAY)......so what do you need a $400 guitar for?
UMPTEEN $200 Ibanezes and Baby Deans are PERFECT.
That guitar is essentially a reissue of the 84'ish Gibson Flying V XPL. A Flying V body with an Explorer neck. I had one. Great guitar it was. As for tuning issues with Gibson......i have 2 Les Paul's, and Explorer, and an SG.....and have zero tuning issues with any of them. I love my Gibsons. As for guitars with similar aesthetics.....my new Wylde Audio Blood Eagle Mahogany Blackout is an exceptional musical instrument! I highly recommend them!
Damn, I love gibson but I appreciate that youre calling on them to try to unionize. That could definitely help with QC issues down the road!
Good to know that Gibson has finally upgraded their tuning to “pretty solid.” It sucks that it costs almost 3 thousand of my finest United States Dollars, because it’s an absolutely beautiful guitar. (If it was built properly!)
TOP SECRET:
when you buy HEADLESS guitars.......they almost never GO OUT OF TUNE, bc you've eliminated the TOP FLAW!
ANY TIME you bump your tuning pegs (or put it in a gig bag or case!) it goes OUT OF TUNE.
HEADLESS guitars totally eliminated this lifelong HEADACHE, see?
MY $150 HEADLESS FLYING V......will go SIX MONTHS without needing to be tuned even ONCE!!!
(I saved ENDLESS HOURS TUNING in the past 20 years!)
AND it has a cheap whammy bar....yetNEVER goes out of tune if I torture the whammy bar!!!
HOW can it go out of tune with a whammy....if you REMOVE the problem that causes whammys to go out of tune?? (That fucking headstock and nut!)
(IDIOTS have LOCKING NUTS. SMART musicians GOT RID OF THE ENTIRE NUT so it no longer is a problem!)
Great review Glen I really appreciate the honesty here, highlighting both the positives and the negatives and giving a very real overview. I'm a huge Ibanez fan and have 7 of them, even the cheaper ones in my collection are still pretty amazing to be honest. I couldn't imagine paying $2800 for a guitar! I have 3 archtop flamed finish RGs that were around $600 and $800 and I bet they would put that V to shame. I don't know what Gibson is thinking, even as far as legacy brands go Fender wipes the floor with them, my MIM Tele is pretty damn great, and American made Fenders that are only around 1200-1500 are amazing right out of the box. As a side note, when you worked for Chrysler did you work in the plant making Challengers? I know they were made in Canada, just not sure if that's your city or not. If so I bought mine new in 2009 and still love it just as much as the day I bought it. That car and my guitars are 2 of the things in my life that consistently bring me joy, and if you had a hand in making it I just wanted to say thank you very much sir! Cheers from western Canada!
my rule is NO GUITAR OVER $200......and the IBANEZ MIKROS ARE PERFECT, PERFECT, PERFECT.
The japanese are more honest than Muricans.
It’s so easy to solve the Gibson headstock tuning issue. I wind the G string going up the tuning peg rather than down and never have problems, undwound string and all. No tight break angle. I do it on all 3x3 headstocks and works every time.
Had bever even considered that. Not a gibson guy, but ive had break angle issues with the g on other guitars. Great tip.
@@xijinpingsfavoritehemorrho1328 👍 I don’t remember where I learned that, but it was probably a UA-cam video. ✌️
2 years ago when i was recording for my band's EP i borrowed a 2019 LP Traditionnal, it's stunning to look at, but it would have been decent only if it held tune. regardless i loved the sound despite having to redo takes so much times because of tuning.
But i can't afford a 3000$ Guitar, or at least i won't put that sort of money on a guitar that is not designed for my specific needs at a luthier's custom shop, so instead i went for an Epiphone Dot, i bought it used for about 350$, and it was in great shape. It rings like nothing i've played before, and boy it holds tune perfectly, been my main axe since last december.
I appreciate the honest review. My brother and I are huge megadeth fans and we’re both are in our 40’s and are more of collectors than live performers these days (wife and kids etc) but we like high end guitars. We both planned on getting these but will not until these issues are fixed.
You can find Y2KVs for around this pricetag. Everything Gibson wishes it was. If you're going to fork out big money for a Dave. Get the grail.
Yeah the Jacksons were better! I had Rhodes custom. It will cost if u find a used one. Wish i still had mine. It was like 1800. Now it wld cost 5000. U can get them made in Indonesia or Mexico. 1500. That is the joint or the Deans were going for 1200 back when I met Dave doing an in store signing
We just sold a USA king V we had for years and never played. I mostly play Les Pauls and my brother is a PRS nerd. But I’ve played so many Gibson that have just been shit. I have 6 Les Paul’s But I’ve probably played a couple hundred to find these. Most of my other guitars are “over seas” guitars and play just as good. (My warmoth parts guitars are my favorite)
@@lespaulnutz cool. Part of it is the name. Mahogany has gone up SO MUCH! The woods, etc. I got a LTD Viper( SG). Good gtr. Emg' s. I had the custom Rhoads best gtr I had. My brother had a Epiphone SG. It had problems but for the price, u know. Like he said there is a lot of competition
Good luck finding one under 4k now @@chrisreed1538
This is a good review. It's not "Gibson I hate you" and it's not "Gibson I love you", it's just honest criticism of things that weren't right that absolutely SHOULD be right, especially for the asking price.
As a guitar tutor the last excellent guitar I bought was a 90 quid squire affinity tele. Literally all you need for a solid guitar with no frills.
I absolutely love your review I to work in the automotive dentistry and I work in Ecoat paint shop. I’m also a union member. I love your review. It was awesome man. It was spot on. I was thinking about buying one and now I’m kind of thinking maybe I shouldn’t and I subscribe to you
I've actually worked for Gibson, and have been a QC. There's a lot of factors in play here. Namely, staffing: on a good day, we have 4-5 QC's for the entire factory, and a lot of them are experienced builders that had to be taken from their other departments and positions to fill the void. This is less than half of the amount of QC's we actually need to push good quality out the door. Another staffing problem is that the pandemic destroyed our pool of experienced builders and painters, via layoffs, quitting, or retirement. Gibson tries to make up for this, by lowering their requirements for employment, and hires people with little to no experience with guitar playing, let alone guitar building. I literally had to try to train someone that neither knew how to play nor speak english in full sentences. These factor into what ends up making it to the final assembly room, and then QC's are forced to make impossible decisions to satisfy the corporate need for numbers (sacrificing quality).
Trust me, we see the flaws. We hate it just as much as you do. If you want a Gibson that was built/setup properly, get it from the Demo Shop. Everyone there has years of experience and spends the extra time to get it right the first time.
Also, a few other things:
1) Grovers don't do anything that Kluson's can't. If you wind the string around the post properly, and stretch the strings, it'll stay in tune. Easy.
2) The "streaks" in the finish on the Dave M is actually the grain of the wood. Mahogany has notoriously big open grain, that likes to soak up color that's painted on, depending on the grain filler.
3) The crack in the finish on the neck pocket is called an "open seam" where the lacquer was sinking into the glue joint as it was curing. Nitro isn't like Polyurethane that they paint on cars, it thins out as it cures, exposing flaws that you can't see as you apply the paint.
4) Not sure what you were referring to about the neck joint being done poorly, but unless it fell off, it was probably glued in properly. lol
2,3 and 4 - people won’t even care about the technicalities. It’ll be “at $3k it should be up at 5am making me pancakes and coffee”.
As for 1 - yes. Tuning stability is always user error, but try telling that to the UA-cam beatniks. Nothing is ever their fault as that requires them taking responsibility.
I have 9 Gibson Les Pauls and a Firebird spanning from the 70s to present day - including 2 Custom Shops - and all of them are amazing guitars.
Thanks to you and your colleagues for bringing me endless enjoyment.
how about the custom shop factory, i want to get a gibson custom
Still doesn't excuse the price for the quality. Gibson keeps pumping out dog shit, the prices should be slashed by 3/4. I have seen so many snapped headstocks and wiring failures in 3k Gibson shittars. I've only owned a single Gibson in my life and sold that shit within a month, never going back again.
@@musicmanxii cool story. I already said why the quality is down and I could care less if you own a Gibson. Prices are the way they are because they're made in the US, where the cost of labor is way higher than most, experienced builders or not.
Recently bought a Gibson Tribute Les Paul and couldn't be happier. Plek'd and set up low and fast, plays fucking beautiful and sounds killer! Why all the whining haters? Go play your favorite copy brand and enjoy. For every Gibson hater there are 3 people who absolutely love their Gibsons. 🤘
The one major thing that I think keeps everyone coming back to Glenn is the fact that even if he's predisposed to hating a brand or manufacturer, he's willing to give them credit for certain aspects. E.g. Line 6, Gibson, etc.
Oh yeah and the beautiful hair. I keep forgetting the hair.
Let's be fair, we all came here for the moment he took his shirt off :)
I'm a Fender guy, always have been. About 10 years ago my friend sold me a Les Paul style guitar made by one of Gibsons competitors. I love that guitar and became intrigued with Gibsons. So I went out and bought a Les Paul studio. After playing it for about a week and joining the Les Paul group on Facebook, I realized I like the Les Paul copy better for a number of reasons. I posted a picture of my Les Paul next to my Les Paul copy on the Les Paul group and said I like the copy better. People reacted to my post like I pissed on their God, then I was removed and blocked from the group.
That's why I like my Music Man, they asked me what setup I wanted before they sent it to me. Perfect.
Loved the review. Huge Megadeth fan here, but wouldn't touch this with a 9 foot pole! I've had plenty of the Dean guitars over the years and looks like they beat this pile out. Recently saved for years and forked my cash towards a Ernie Ball Music Man and its by far one of the nicest guitars man could ever play. Being a US production for their models, you *may* find some flaws but its not common. Setup out of the box was superb, haven't had to make any adjustments almost half a year later! Would appreciate seeing the channel check them out.
Seconded
One of the best guitars I ever owned - and the first "decent" guitar - was a '78 Gibson Explorer, in natural finish. It was about £450 second-hand somewhere on Tin Pan Alley in London.
It was SO good, I bought ANOTHER one - an Explorer II from '79 with a Kahler trem.
It was SOOOOO bassy, and boomy, with no top end at all - it was APPALLING.
But it looked sooooooo good (that was the 5-layer contoured natural oil finish version of the Explorer).
I sold the first to my lead guitarist eventually (Booooo!) and then the second to some guitar store (Yayyyy!)
In hindsight, I wish I'd kept the Explorer II and swapped the pickups with some really bright ones because I think that was the issue.
The Kahler was actually really, really good. It let you dive quite a bit, and stayed in tune well. But if you pulled up on it, it literally would let you pull so much the strings could snap if you were dumb enough - it went up several octaves!
But neither was more than £600 second-hand, and at the time they were both 25ish years old (and a hell of a lot older now!). The lesson being: new Gibsons almost always suck.
OLD Gibsons suck a LOT of the time and if you find a really decent one which stays in tune and isn't built like it's put together with PVA: KEEP THAT SUCKER!
Because most of them suck in a variety of ways - generally tuning or strange sound issues.
You'll pick one Gibson up, and it will feel like a paving slab with a neck, but sound AMAZING - you just have to make sure not to drop it on your foot, or you'll shatter every bone.
Then another one will weight much less... and sound just as good.
Then another heavy one will sound like it's stuffed with cotton. And another light one will sound like a donkey too.
REALLY inconsistent.
I've had similar issues with Jacksons - mainly sound-wise. But NOTHING at that scale, and nothing like the build quality issues.
If you get a cheap Jackson, it probably will have fret end issues, setup hell etc.
An expensive one almost never will.
But BOTH of them will have finishes that would put a mirror to shame.
Gibsons (or for that matter Fenders)...not so much.
I FUCKING DESPISE FLOYD ROSES for 20 reasons (like how STIFF it is).....
...and one day a pal had his guitar with a KAHLER whammy bar.....and when I played that it was like BUTTER!!
IT WAS HEAVEN!!!
(Too bad I cant afford to have my current guitars retrofitted etc.)
Lol my thing with why i always wanted a Gibson les Paul studio or lower end Gibson sg is cause I love the look and love how a nitro finish shows it’s patina as you play I love my schector solo 6 but aside from the pickup rings and scratches you wouldn’t be able to tell I’ve owned the guitar for 10 years I know some people love poly for that fact but personally I hate how poly just scratches instead of wear’s through
I actually just sent my antique natural back to Gibson today to fix the worst neck to body finishing I’ve ever seen on a guitar. I love how it sounds and plays but couldn’t live with the finish issue on the front. Hopefully the same one comes back in the quoted 4-6 weeks because the music store where I bought it gave it the perfect setup.
I just bought a '76 Explorer and it's the best sounding guitar I've ever played. Stays in tune and pretty good playability. I haven't touched my Les Paul's since. Gibson is always hit and miss. I played a 61 es-335 that honestly sounded and played bad. It had real PAFs and they were really tame. Even though some people in the vintage guitar community consider 59-64½ 335's the greatest guitar ever made.
I've heard about Gibson tuning problems for 40 years - thankfully it's never been a problem with my four Les Pauls.