• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

I just ordered a new guitar from Rondo music

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
jemcam said:
Yeah, I know. I just bought guitar # 7 last weekend. I found a Mexican Tele for a deal too sweet to pass up. I never owned a tele before and I really like it.

My favorite guitar #1 guitar is my Reverend Roundhouse though. It gives Les Paul sounds for about half the price of one of the premium Gibsons and it has a nice flame maple top with a faded sunburst finish. Just slightly less than one of the worn mahogany LP's and the quality and finish of that instrument will stand up to (or exceed) Gibon's custom shop instruments.

If you or anyone are ever Jonesing for a new axe, check out Reverend. http://www.reverendguitars.com/
Click to expand...

My telecaster (nocaster) is my go-to guitar for just about everything aside from my Gibson ES339. I have no doubt the Rev is close to or equal to the Gibson standard stuff because their QC has gone to shit and has been for a long time. The Gibson custom historic stuff is its own thing though...very hard to match that.
 
Platypus said:
My telecaster (nocaster) is my go-to guitar for just about everything aside from my Gibson ES339. I have no doubt the Rev is close to or equal to the Gibson standard stuff because their QC has gone to shit and has been for a long time. The Gibson custom historic stuff is its own thing though...very hard to match that.
Click to expand...

A good friend of mine has a '59 custom shop historic LP that had the Tom Murphy aging done to it. It's good, but it's not significantly better than my Rev. Check one out next time you see them, they're phenomenal.

From what I've seen, the Gibson's are not that impressive. You're really just buying the name, but even then, the QC is very inconsistent. I'd love to have a gibson LP, but even if I had the money, I think I'd have to look at and play 20 of them to get a good one. I've got a great guitar that makes LP sounds. I also have a Gibson SG that's okay, but it's not as good as my Rev.

Fender's not much better. I have a '95 American standard strat that is good, but I've had the frets levelled and dressed. The only thing to make my Mexican Tele a great guitar is have the frets worked, but that's one of the big differences between the american and mexican fenders I hear. I actually like playing the tele a little bit better than my strat, it just plays easier for some reason, I can't explain it. It's not as purty as the strat, and it doesn't make strat sounds (I've been perfecting the solo to "Hotel California" right now, and it only sounds right with the strat) but it has a unique sound of it's own. I'm amazed at how well it sounds, I really expected it to sound really thin on the neck pickup, like playing a strat on the neck pickup, but it's not like that at all, it's almost humbucker sounding, very hot and thick which was totally unexpected for the stock pickups.
 
Last edited:
jemcam said:
A good friend of mine has a '59 custom shop historic LP that had the Tom Murphy aging done to it. It's good, but it's not significantly better than my Rev. Check one out next time you see them, they're phenomenal.
Click to expand...

I've played plenty, they're well built guitars but I don't care for the electronics at all. It's hard to beat a 57 classic PAF (or the over/under wound burstbucker depending on model) without going boutique. lol @ paying so much for the tom murphy aging though.
 
Platypus said:
I've played plenty, they're well built guitars but I don't care for the electronics at all. It's hard to beat a 57 classic PAF (or the over/under wound burstbucker depending on model) without going boutique. lol @ paying so much for the tom murphy aging though.
Click to expand...

He's got the money and he's a professional musician for a living. He's had two real 59 les pauls that he let go years ago and by buying the tom murphy he gets to relive the real thing he had way back when. That guitar really is a work of art though, it's not like he'll ever lose money on it.

I couldn't or wouldn't spend $5500 on a guitar either, (especially with his skills, he can make a hello kitty guitar sound like SRV) but it's a tool to him.
 
jemcam said:
He's got the money and he's a professional musician for a living. He's had two real 59 les pauls that he let go years ago and by buying the tom murphy he gets to relive the real thing he had way back when. That guitar really is a work of art though, it's not like he'll ever lose money on it.

I couldn't or wouldn't spend $5500 on a guitar either, (especially with his skills, he can make a hello kitty guitar sound like SRV) but it's a tool to him.
Click to expand...

True, it's just unfortunate Gibson decided to try and bankroll their empire based on the desires of the baby boomer crowd trying to relive the music of their day and charging 3k too much for their guitars.

The issue is consistency.. with Fender and PRS for example, you're going to get a much more consistent build each time than with a Gibson. In that consistency however comes the fact that you have a bunch of decent sounding guitars but very few amazing ones. With the standard Gibson stuff, you either get a guitar with a lot of issues or one that's really good. Historic/custom you find the same consistency that you do with other makers but very few gems. Typically the quality is much higher on the historic stuff though I've seem some absolute disasters leave their factory.
 
I had to play 5 or 6 custom/historic LP's before I found my 58 but there's nothing like that guitar. I've played every LP clone imaginable and nothing touches that one particular guitar. It's unfortunate that Gibson sucks at capturing that magic on a consistent basis but there are a lot of factors involved and too many variables. That's just the nature of it.

There are real 59 bursts going for half a million bucks that sound like absolute shit because even back then the consistency wasn't there. The same can be said for pre-CBS fenders though, again, the consistency has always been better than Gibson.
 
Platypus said:
True, it's just unfortunate Gibson decided to try and bankroll their empire based on the desires of the baby boomer crowd trying to relive the music of their day and charging 3k too much for their guitars.

The issue is consistency.. with Fender and PRS for example, you're going to get a much more consistent build each time than with a Gibson. In that consistency however comes the fact that you have a bunch of decent sounding guitars but very few amazing ones. With the standard Gibson stuff, you either get a guitar with a lot of issues or one that's really good. Historic/custom you find the same consistency that you do with other makers but very few gems. Typically the quality is much higher on the historic stuff though I've seem some absolute disasters leave their factory.
Click to expand...

You wanna see poor quality control? Guitar Center was selling a 52 Tele Reissue....the body was 2 pieces. I shit you not. Granted, it could be someone at Guitar Center putting the wrong tag on it, but I am not sure that Fender makes another Tele that has specs close to the 52 reissue.
 
jemcam said:
A good friend of mine has a '59 custom shop historic LP that had the Tom Murphy aging done to it. It's good, but it's not significantly better than my Rev. Check one out next time you see them, they're phenomenal.

From what I've seen, the Gibson's are not that impressive. You're really just buying the name, but even then, the QC is very inconsistent. I'd love to have a gibson LP, but even if I had the money, I think I'd have to look at and play 20 of them to get a good one. I've got a great guitar that makes LP sounds. I also have a Gibson SG that's okay, but it's not as good as my Rev.

Fender's not much better. I have a '95 American standard strat that is good, but I've had the frets levelled and dressed. The only thing to make my Mexican Tele a great guitar is have the frets worked, but that's one of the big differences between the american and mexican fenders I hear. I actually like playing the tele a little bit better than my strat, it just plays easier for some reason, I can't explain it. It's not as purty as the strat, and it doesn't make strat sounds (I've been perfecting the solo to "Hotel California" right now, and it only sounds right with the strat) but it has a unique sound of it's own. I'm amazed at how well it sounds, I really expected it to sound really thin on the neck pickup, like playing a strat on the neck pickup, but it's not like that at all, it's almost humbucker sounding, very hot and thick which was totally unexpected for the stock pickups.
Click to expand...

Justify yourself much? 🙂

Gibson started using their Plek machine on their frets and all of their guitars are set up when leaving the factory sometime around 2004. Also, the Les Paul's include AA+ maple and mahogany in construction. People seem to think all real Les Pauls cost $3000 or something- the Standard is $2000 or less (I got mine for $1600 new). Burstbucker Pros are included in all newer models---a pair of those will set you back $300 alone. They also retain 75% or more of their value at resale.

You're not just paying for a name with Gibson guitars. After making embarrasing products in the 90's, they reinvented themselves and probably make the highest quality insturments out there today (well..maybe next to PRS). Gibson even backs up each of their guitars with a lifetime warranty. Neck warping? Wood crack? Bad electronics? Send it in and they'll fix it for you. Fender doesn't even do that anymore.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top