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Location: south east Michigan | Guy at work says.. "Brad.. I bought my kid an electric guitar. Would you do a set up for him?"
"Sure... I'd be glad to. What kind of guitar?"
"A Gibson"
"Where'd ya get it?"
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"Best Buy"
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I said I'd look at it but asked him to talk to me next time he's looking to buy a guitar.
Wish me luck.... I'll need it. |
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Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | I know the Gibson bashing is a big thing around here, but I have owned a few really good examples. Give it a go Brad, a guitar is a guitar as far as setup goes. Just a series of mechanical operations to make it right. |
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Location: south east Michigan | I dunno TJ.
I'm afraid the only thing that makes it any kind of a Gibson is the name on the headstock. This is the deluxe special made only for *ahem* ... Best Buy model. Just imagine the cut Henry wants right off the top for use of the name.
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If he had talked to me first I might have steered him to a Danlectro. |
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Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Be careful. The tuners on those things are so fragile you can break them by just looking at them. One of my students got one for Christmas and it is THE very worst piece of junk I have ever seen. I mean, this is the Esteban of electric guitars. No, actually, it's even WORSE than an Esteban!! |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Be careful, Brad! If the kid can't play it, it'll be your fault 'cause of the set-up. ;) |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Sorry I didn't know it was "one of those". That's what pisses me off. Most manufacturers will sell their souls (in the form of a brand name) for a little extra cash. What ever happened to integrity? :mad:
Tell him to return it and buy something REAL! |
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Posts: 46
Location: Michigan | There oughta be a law. I've been giving lessons to the son of a friend. He's got a collection of some of the worst...well, he just won't listen when I advise him that he could have one really good guitar for the cost of his next two or three junkers.
Sheesh.. |
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Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Brad,
The best way to set it up would be to carefully bag it up, get the receipt and return it. Take him to Motor City Guitar. They have tons of those electric things. |
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Posts: 1456
Location: Texas | Originally posted by Slipkid:
If he had talked to me first I might have steered him to a Danlectro. I assume that was sarcastic? I recently played a few current Dan-e-lectro's at Gutter Center and was underwhelmed.
Enquiring minds want to know… ;)
I don't know what he paid for that BBGibson, but, IMHO, Hamer offers some great bang-for-the-buck imports for someone looking for a relatively inexpensive electric. I'd have directed him to contact Al to see if he can get new ones or check out the upgraded one MWoody's currently got for sale… |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Brad,
We can rescue this poor kid... |
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Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by Dano48:
There oughta be a law. Nah. We got enough lawmakers AND lawyers already.
Cheap guitars are like cheap sunglasses ... they are perfect for some people and some people are perfect for them.
Every manufacturer has low end guitars at Best Buy - including Taylor, Takamine, Martin, Ovation, Fender, Yamaha, Epiphone and so on. The disposable models ... specially for the market.
My Danelectro is pretty cool and plays real well. I have a '59 DC in Daddy-O Yellow with a white seal pickguard. It's got a certain something. Maybe it's the plastic body thing again. |
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Location: south east Michigan |
If he had talked to me first I might have steered him to a Danlectro.
I assume that was sarcastic? Nope. I had a blue one for a while. It looked cool. It sounded good enough. It stayed in tune. But most of all, it played very nicely. A perfect beginner guitar. All for about $175. |
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Location: WNC-God's Country | Manufacturer's will set anybody up.....GE is tryng to put appliances in the BP station next to my appliance store... |
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Posts: 1456
Location: Texas | Originally posted by Slipkid:
If he had talked to me first I might have steered him to a Danlectro.
I assume that was sarcastic? Nope. I had a blue one for a while. It looked cool. It sounded good enough. It stayed in tune. But most of all, it played very nicely. A perfect beginner guitar. All for about $175. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Originally posted by MWoody:
Brad,
We can rescue this poor kid... I'm sure we could but I think that will have to wait for the next purchase. The kids first guitar (also a new cheapee) lasted a little over a year. I don't expect this "Gibson" to last much longer than that.
I've offered him my help for next time. It will be up to him if he wants it. |
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Location: Michigan | my 2 cents worth is you are going to get a guitar that is a peice of sh#@ and if your luck is like mine you will have something break on it that is totaly not your fault because the quality of the guitar is crap and then you will be the bad guy who offered to do a good deed and it backfired.
brad do not try to make chicken salad out of chicken shit ,, it will never taste good . GWB |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Okay... in a round-a-bout, non-confrontational manner, I've convinced the guy to take it back to Best Buy.
If he had kept it he would have had about $350 invested in two crap guitars.
I'm on the hunt for him. The Danlectros are selling for about $290.
Allison ... I read your opinion to him verbatum. If he didn't beleive me, he beleived you.
I don't think this guy wants to go much more that $300. I'll do some reasearch. I told him if I can't come up with something that fits he can always go back and pick up another at Best Buy.
Man... of he could / would just get into the $500 or $600 range he could get a really nice, non-professional grade guitar.
And I think I was off on the price I paid for my Danlectro... It was about TWO-seventy-five. |
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Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Get him a used Ibanez or something. Take him to all the pawn shops around and you'll find something decent. Explain to him that, just like buying cars, you can spend a lot on a new "economy" car, or spend the same amount on a used car and get something so much better. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | My Parkers both play well for Indonesian imports. (P-36 & PM20)
They don't make them any longer so they were blowing-out the P-series.
(They were selling them cheap and now the prices have gone up cuz they are discontinued! :rolleyes: )
One is a poor-man's Tele with a piezo bridge.
The other is a poor-man's LP with coil-taps.
But there are still Parkers out there for less than $300 if you shop around.
To continue the Alison's analogy... Buying a Gibson or a Fender is like buying a Harley.
You are paying for the name.
There are many better guitars out there for less money. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | If he doesn't have to have a new one and likes a strat style, find him an Ultra GS. If he's stuck on a Les Paul style, I don't have a suggestion other than Alison's. Ibanez makes some pretty good electrics, maybe better than similar Epiphones. |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Yeah, Epiphones are OK if you get the ones that have "Gibson" on the truss rod cover. The newer ones have the flimsy tuners and cheaper pickups. Ibanez is better. You might even be able to find him an LTD, but then you have to hassle with the Floyd Rose. Another option is Peavey. They are solid, and still made in the USA. |
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Location: Corpus Christi, TX | Being partial to Peavey's I would suggest the US made Predator - a nice strat copy that can be bought used for in some cases a lot less than $200. There are a lot of you tube videos of people playing and bragging about their Predators
I just rescued one from a pawn shop for $55 out the door, in great shape but needs cosmetics such as pickguard, knobs, pup covers which I have spent about $60 on. I plays real well as is so I'm in no hrry to take it apart.
Anyway I think the US made Predator is worth a look. |
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Location: south east Michigan | I've printed out some reviews on the Peavey for him.
He's going to go Guitar Center first, then over to Huber-Breese. If Huber can't hook him up he'll go back to GC.
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My job done. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | posted May 25, 2010 08:36 PM
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Sorry I didn't know it was "one of those". That's what pisses me off. Most manufacturers will sell their souls (in the form of a brand name) for a little extra cash. What ever happened to integrity?
Henry doesn't have any, soul or integrity. |
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Location: Carle Place, NY | I agree with the Peavey Predator. There are some on eBay every day, in great shape, and some go for around $150. None are over $200. Just make sure it's a USA and not International Series.
I own three Peavey USA electrics. They are fabulous and VERY under-rated. Look at this one: Black USA Predator
This seller really knows how to post nice photos on eBay. |
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Posts: 152
Location: Corpus Christi, TX | That Predator is exactly like mine, from the serial number it appears to be a 1991. Looks in great shape. Has no tremolo bar but they can be purchased at all parts, the thread is 10-32
By the way those maple necks are really nice and play well. |
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Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Originally posted by Beal:
posted May 25, 2010 08:36 PM
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Sorry I didn't know it was "one of those". That's what pisses me off. Most manufacturers will sell their souls (in the form of a brand name) for a little extra cash. What ever happened to integrity?
Henry doesn't have any, soul or integrity. But does have lots of busy lawyers and unhappy workers. |
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Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Before you go bashing Gibson for selling at Best Buy, be aware that Ovation does the very same thing ...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Ovation+-+Celebrity+6-String+Cutaway+Ac... |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | It's not so much THAT they're selling at best buy, but WHAT they're selling. I'd be willing to bet the Celebrity is playable and TUNABLE. Those Gibsons are not. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | it's not Ovation that's doing it, it's Fender |
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Posts: 629
Location: Houston, Texas | I don't know whether this will sound blasphemous to some or not. But, where there is a big market, somebody will fill it, and I find it hard to blame manufacturers for taking advantage of it.
Yeah, there are some real pieces of crap being sold at major big box variety stores by a lot of different major manufacturers, but mostly they are bought as gifts for someone who has never owned or even played a guitar but has expressed an interest in it.
I think that a good instrument is a big asset to someone just starting to learn how to play, but if everyone thinks back to when they first started to learn, most would say they started with a lousy cheap guitar. Most of us here who are moderately accomplished players, (I'm not sure if I even fit into that group), would say that that cheap lousy guitar didn't squash their desire to learn how to play, but when they reached a certain point, they wanted a decent one, and when they got that it was a boost to their learning.
Most of those who start to learn and then give up, what percentage I don't know, but I would guess about 85 to 90%, would give up anyway even if they had a really playable guitar.
It seems easy, most of the time, to take for granted what most of us have accomplished in being able to play to some level, and we can certainly tell the difference between a playable and a non-playable guitar, but think about the time and pain involved in getting the fingers to do what they can do now. Until you reach a certain point, the fingers and mind can't take advantage of a decent guitar anyway. Even a beginner sounds like crap on a first class instrument.
Ultimately, it's the player that will figure out when its the guitar that's holding him back and seek a decent one, until then even a cheap lousy guitar is a guitar. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Thank You, Rick...
The first guitar that I bought was a $97 cheapie.
(Since it came with an amp, strap, bag and all that, the actual guitar probably cost $50 New)
I still have it, but I haven't played it in Years (literally).
But last time I checked it was still in tune! (open G)
Every-so-often a really nice cheapie guitar will stumble off of the assembly line, by accident.
(Kinda like "Christine" coming off of the Plymouth line)
The Lyon is actually a nice guitar...
But once I bought that 4861 it was relegated to it's bag. :(
So I went on to more expensive guitars, which don't make me play any better...
But I still keep the Lyon for sentimental reasons.
It did it's job! :cool:
So there are Celebrity's, Epiphone's, Squire's and such for people with little funds...
Would you give a thousand dollar guitar to your kid when he is first starting?
Yeah, it might teach him respect and responsibility...
But does he have to learn that lesson by ruining an expensive guitar? |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I have nothing against Celebritys, Epiphones, and SOME Squires. Heck, I have nothing against old Silvertones (my first guitar). But the Gibson in question really IS the worst guitar I have ever seen. If a kid tries to tune it, the tuning keys will break off in his hand. And there is no way to adjust the intonation so that it sounds even SLIGHTLY in tune. |
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Posts: 379
Location: Alagoas, Brazil | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
I have nothing against Celebritys, Epiphones, and SOME Squires. Heck, I have nothing against old Silvertones (my first guitar). But the Gibson in question really IS the worst guitar I have ever seen. If a kid tries to tune it, the tuning keys will break off in his hand. And there is no way to adjust the intonation so that it sounds even SLIGHTLY in tune. So Gibson will loose market by doing this. A kid whose first guitar comes apart the first time they play it will never spend his money on the same stuff.
If I were in Marketing, I would try to sell a GOOD product as cheap as possible so it would become a reference for future purchases. Even if that meant selling it under their real value. |
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Posts: 364
Location: Bellevue, Washington | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
If he doesn't have to have a new one and likes a strat style, find him an Ultra GS. +1 to that suggestion! The Ultra GS is easy to play, easy to tune and keep in tune, nice Kahler bridge and decent pickups. Miles had a couple at the Seattle Vintage Guitar show a few weeks back, maybe he's still got one? |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Okay... just to wrap this up... He went to guitar center and picked up a very playable, nice looking, made in China, B. Rich.
He paid only $99.00 for it.
He brought it in to work today to show me. Very passable for a beginner. |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Yeah, BC Rich starter guitars are very playable and well made for the price. Good choice. Now I hope he learns to love playing. |
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Set-up from Hell