Gibsons and copies

[mapka]

I have an 06 Classic LP Goldtop. I love the guitar but for some reason the finish does not love me. It gets very cloudy where my arm lies over the body. Because of this I went looking for something that will give me the LP tone but I would not get alarmed if it gets nicked and scratched. I went the clone direction. I bought a Hagstrom with the tremolo on it. I love this guitar! Tone is right, neck is right, and the finish is superb. The only downfall I have found is the switches are kind of cheap, but so far they keep working. I must also add that the tremolo is outstanding. It keeps in tune all the time no matter how much you use it. Plus it stands out in the crowd!

[gordy_sg_no1]

I have an 06 Classic LP Goldtop. I love the guitar but for some reason the finish does not love me. It gets very cloudy where my arm lies over the body. Because of this I went looking for something that will give me the LP tone but I would not get alarmed if it gets nicked and scratched. I went the clone direction. I bought a Hagstrom with the tremolo on it. I love this guitar! Tone is right, neck is right, and the finish is superb. The only downfall I have found is the switches are kind of cheap, but so far they keep working. I must also add that the tremolo is outstanding. It keeps in tune all the time no matter how much you use it. Plus it stands out in the crowd!

nicely done quite like hagstroms myself, and in all reality switches are cheap enough to replace if it shuffles off. btw where the hell did you find it as im considering either a new bogner amp or another guitar.

[Brian Krashpad]

Wow, a jump from May to October! Thread excavated!

Somehow I didn't manage to get in on the first go-round, so here's my 3 cents. (Being a lawyer, I can never give just my two cents.)

Not to sound too nihilistic, but in the end none of this matters much. Now me, I'm a cheap b*stard, and frequently flat as a floogie, so here's Krashpad's Kriterion:

A deal is a deal is a deal.

If it ain't a deal, I won't buy it.

I don't have anything against guitars on either end of the spectrum. I have no-name parts guitars, but I also have Gibsons, a Ric, a USA Hamer, and USA Fenders.

How can this be?

They were all deals.

Now if all my guitars were the more expensive type, even getting deals, it's still true I'd have fewer. In the eyes of some, that's probably what I should do: sell all the cheapies and have fewer, so they'd all be "nice pieces" (as you might hear over at TGP, not there's anything wrong with that).

But srsly, f*ck that. Have any you seen me with a guitar onstage? I have been known to play with what might be called a certain small amount of reckless abandon. So any nice pieces I have (and I do have some) are not going to remain pristine very long. I'm proud to say I've never actually broken a guitar onstage (I did bust a tuning peg off once) and I never intentionally abuse a guitar, but the point is (assuming there's one lurking in here somewhere) if the cheapies are also getting the job done, why sell them off and end up with fewer?

I have to admit to having a chronic case of Nielsen Syndrome. It would be bosstastically rocktackular to have a roadie hand me a fresh guitar every 2 or 3 (or fewer!) songs when gigging, but that ain't gonna happen. But I can go play a show and not play the same guitar as last time, and not have any repeats in quite awhile (given that I don't gig a ton). I'll admit it's juvenile as all get out, but that appeals to me. Goofball? Guilty as charged.

Conversely, I could have even more guitars if I weeded out the Gibsons, Hamer USA, etc. However, as it is I'm basically out of space to store the beeyotches anyhow (currently: 20 electric guitars, 5 bass guitars, 3 acoustics, plus a few other stringed instruments), what would be the point of that? I like my Gibbies, Hamer, Ric, etc. And despite being, generally, more expensive than my imports (an exception being the Ric which I got for the equivalent of $250 in a trade), they were all good deals.

A deal is a deal is a deal.

If it's a deal and I like it (part of which is whether it adds something to the "collection"), I buy it.

What anybody else does or thinks don't really matter to me.

[FusedGrooves]

read it from OP to end.....good thread.....no scratch that, GREAT THREAD!

I wanted a genuine Gibson 335/355 style. Was prepared to spend big to get the 'dream' guitar, figured I'd have to wait for a big milestone (like hitting 40)...Thankfully I met and became good friends with a guitar collector at my work who has 70+ guitars - from that about 10-15 are not 'top of the range or collectors items' so he has like 50+ REALLY good guitars. I've never seen so many *differing* original Gibson LPs in one location he has them all, quite often several of the same too.

He started lending me different guitars for a few months at a time. During this time my education on guitars was just starting even though I'd been playing for 20+yrs. Had not had alot of $$ to spend on music so stuck with what I'd purchased. So when I mentioned I would buy my Gibson *one day* he said borrow this, borrow that and tried em all. Tried x 2 335s, a heritage, sheraton, x 2 Yammie SA2200s (one deluxe one standard) as well as Artcores and the list goes on....I am SO SO SO SO lucky to get this chance because after playing them all I settled on the Yamaha SA2200 and have not looked back.

No longer do I want (read need) a Gibson and most importantly I would now take the Yammie over the Gibson anyday. Quality/finish is P E R F E C T, Alnico V humbuckers with single coil tap and ebony fretboard which feels SOOOO f-ing good under my fingers......and half the price of the standard 335next to it at the shop......

I love this guitar like no other - no really....LOL
I really wish everyone could trial a SA2200 back to back with some of these other semi hollows....