Bought my first ever Gibson

[Littlewyan]

Bought my first ever Gibson Les Paul last week. I've been looking at the Gibson models and didn't like any of the 2015 models but really liked the look of the 2014 Traditional Les Paul. Anyway due to an op I had just before xmas I can't drive very far and thus can't get to a music shop to look at one so I looked online. Obviously being a 2014 model it won't be sold for too much longer so couldn't wait too long to buy it, so I ordered one on the understanding that I could send it back if I didn't like it.

Now as soon as I ordered the guitar I got a call to say that it was an ex display model and there are a few marks where the guitar stand has eaten the Nitro finish. However they were going to get their Luther to try and get the marks out. 5 days later I received the guitar and found that it has marks all the way up the neck where every tom, dick and harry has played it and most of the marks they showed me in the photographs are still there. Spoke to the guy and was straight with him, said it looks like a second hand guitar so he agreed to give me £200 off the £1800 asking price.

So now I'm stuck. I can still send the guitar back (got 7 days to decide) and order one from elsewhere that will be brand new still in the box. Or I can keep this one and save £200. It seems to play ok although there is some fret buzz on the low e and a strings. Has a very different sound to my Epiphone unplugged, the Epiphone is louder and has more bass. The Gibson is quiet and sweet sounding.

What do you all think?

[Reeltarded]

I am not sure of your local pricing, but you can buy someone's unplayed guitar for WAAAAAYYY less than that here.

I have seen virtually new ones on the world's worst forum (MLP) for around $1500-1800.

[Bob S]

^ That's the "My Little Pony" forum in case you're not familiar.
Bummer - send it back.

[Littlewyan]

I live in England though and all of the guitars I looked at on that forum are in America. I'm going to ask if they can send a new one out, if they can't I found it for sale elsewhere. As its my first Gibson I want it to be brand new never been played.

[Cantplay]

Depending on where the buzz is, bridge needs to be a little higher, or back off a little on truss rod.

John

[Reeltarded]

people on the my littleles paul forum just buy the guitars and never do anything but take pictures. They are brand new.

gibson is about to fold up like origami right along with guitar center

shit's about'a get cheeeeep

[telentubes]

I'd only keep it if it was an exceptional sounding guitar, then live with the dents. Doesn't sound like it is. I'd send it back. Like Reel said, used LPs that are virtually unplayed are common, and there are pages of them in the want ads. Trouble is, you have to play a lot of them to find a good one. Model and pricing have little to nothing to do with whether it's going to be a good guitar or not, meaning that the LP Junior may sound way better than the $9K R9. You just never know.

[johnnyreece]

Sorry to hear of your woes. My LP is a studio that I got years ago at Mars Music. It was in pristine condition, considering it was essentially a floor model.

On a side note, when did they stop doing the nibs on the fret ends?

[Reeltarded]

Recently, or historically?

When they stopped using all hand processes, most recently. They actually have new models that are more expensive than their 27 other lines called "hand polished" or some such nonsense.

[johnnyreece]

It's a little sad what they seem to have turned into. There are so many models, and they all have friggin' robo-technology. That's cool and all, but why can't it be an upgrade, rather than having everyone pay for it? Sorry for getting off on a tangent here. I think there's a reason I roll my own guitars and amps anymore...

[rp]

gibson is about to fold up like origami right along with guitar center

In a business world desperate for "authenticity" to sell their crap these super brands with a past greatness firmly rooted in our minds are too valuable to die. Gibson will restructure or a new bunch of venture capitalist will take it down a new equally dark road making souless guitars of middling quality, exaggerated prices, and hype to turn your head inside out. People are lining up to pay 300 million for a Gauguin and 100 mil NYC apts are becomeing routine, the world's awash with filthy lucre. Gibson will be fine, you and I won't.

phew - got that rant out!

[Reeltarded]

It's unaffordable as a brand. If VC comes to buy Gibson, it will be Chinese, or purely the "dumb money" the guy writes about in the articles.

There isn't much dumb money left.

Fender is so far down they couldn't recover in 200 years with a day job.

[Teleguy61]

gibson is about to fold up like origami right along with guitar center

In a business world desperate for "authenticity" to sell their crap these super brands with a past greatness firmly rooted in our minds are too valuable to die. Gibson will restructure or a new bunch of venture capitalist will take it down a new equally dark road making souless guitars of middling quality, exaggerated prices, and hype to turn your head inside out. People are lining up to pay 300 million for a Gauguin and 100 mil NYC apts are becomeing routine, the world's awash with filthy lucre. Gibson will be fine, you and I won't.

phew - got that rant out!

To my mind, more than ever in the history of man, form rules over function.
People have become so shallow and unthinking that the brand sells, not the product.

phew-got that rant out (Is there an echo in here?)

[Littlewyan]

I sent the guitar back and bought a brand new one from elsewhere. I confirmed with the guy on the phone that this one is actually brand new still in the box. Obviously as telentubes said the guitar may not necessarily be good, so it'll be interesting to see what the new one is like compared to the one I just sent back. Hopefully it'll be a cut above it but you never know. I did get offered £300 off of the marked guitar in the end but even at a lower price it wasn't worth it as I'll always see the marks and be unhappy with them.

Anyway if the new guitar isn't any good then I'll have to wait for a decent 2nd hand Gibson to pop up as I don't like the new 2015 line. All come with the G Force tuning crap and special adjustable nut, neither of which I want. I just want a guitar that doesn't come with the fancy tuning crap or a special nut or special switches, push pull pots etc and the 2014 Traditional is that guitar. Not to mention the 2015 models are all £200 more than the 2014 models.

One thing I will say is I plugged the guitar into my TW Express real quick before boxing it up and it sounded terrible. No clarity at all the guitar sounded dead through the amp. Unplugged it sounded very sweet compared to the Epiphone Les Paul Std which seemed to have more bass and more volume (Just to be clear neither of these guitars sound bad). I put it down to the pickup pole pieces not being adjusted (they come from the factory looking nice all in line, not sounding nice) but didn't want to adjust them as the guitar was going back. Also the bridge pickup was VERY close to the strings.

Anyway my new guitar should arrive tomorrow so tomorrow night I will set it up with 10s (comes with 9 - 46), will adjust the pole pieces and we shall see. Stay tuned!

[johnnyreece]

I think you'll be happier this way. Good luck with your new axe!

You know, as much as I've bashed Gibson, I still am enough of a fan that I named my son after them. Still my favorite mass-produced guitars on the planet.