So...Why do People Hate on Gibson and Fender Again?

[RagtimeDandy]

As far as the price points go, it really depends on the guitar. I own a Gibson LP Studio, and the playability and quality is the same as any PRS SE I've tried. I've also bought an Ibanez RGA8 for about the same price and returned it because the frets were protruding out and was just a shoddy build. Ultimately you get what you pay for. I've never played a $2500+ Gibson, but I'm sure they beat the shit out of my $500 2008 Studio. I feel like many people judge the brand exclusively on their lower end models (lets face it, anyone on this forum with $3000 to blow is going for a custom shop, a super high end Ibanez or Jackson, or something less "mainstream", and arguably more carefully constructed).

 

[sear]

Fenders are cool, but don't really do it for me. Not a fan of their neck profiles and I don't play too much clean. Nice to have around, but I don't really go crazy for them. If I wanted a Strat-style guitar I would pick any infinite number of other options over Fender. G&L, for one, do the whole Fender thing way better than Fender has in decades.

Gibson... while I admit they do make some awesome-sounding and well-built guitars sometimes, I have played way too many Gibsons with obvious problems. Bad fretwork, check. Fucked up neck angle, check. Stupid-high action out of the factory, check. Badly cut nut slots that cause strings to keep popping out, check. The hilarious thing is that if you check the factory tag (usually removed by the store) they often are fully aware of these defects and mark the guitars as "fail" in those categories, yet they still go out to shops. Uh? Okay.

If you can find a Gibson that really is perfect, then it'll probably be a dream to play (though personally I can't stand Les Pauls, they're just heavy and uncomfortable). My brother got himself a Flying V Faded and it's a great instrument for the money, huge tone and well built. But personally I think other brands have FAR better QC and finish/build quality for the money, and unless you just have to have a Gibson, you're better off going elsewhere.

Outside of certain CS and Reissue stuff, both Gibson and Fender pricing is amazingly fair.

You can grab an honest to goodness, USA made, fully spec'd SG for $600 shipped. Gibson SGJ (Chocolate) | Sweetwater.com

Even Les Pauls aren't that expensive. Gibson Les Paul LPJ (Rubbed Goldtop dark back Satin) | Sweetwater.com

I dunno about that. Those models just came out recently and feature absolute basics in terms of finish options, and probably inferior build quality/QC compared to more expensive Gibsons. "American made" is not code for "awesome." You can get Korean guitars with finishes and build quality better than most $1500 Gibsons for $700 these days. That sounds like "overpriced" to me.

 

[goldsteinat0r]

Everything is preference. I love my strat mainly because I've had it for so long. If I'm honest it plays like crap but it sounds great and feels like an old friend, even if it has a rusted bridge, high-ish action, and needs a fret job like yesterday.

My les pauls, to me, deliver that fat, warm, punchy, woody, saturated deliciousness (THATS WHAT SHE SAID) that I have not heard from any other type of guitar no matter what the setup. Just what I prefer. Obviously most of us on here don't and thats great. I mean thats why there are like a bajillion guitars out there.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I dunno about that. Those models just came out recently and feature absolute basics in terms of finish options, and probably inferior build quality/QC compared to more expensive Gibsons. "American made" is not code for "awesome." You can get Korean guitars with finishes and build quality better than most $1500 Gibsons for $700 these days. That sounds like "overpriced" to me.

I'm not guessing here. My local GC has about half dozen of each of the new J series models and they're actually all solid instruments. Nothing amazing, but surely equal to anything else on the market from a build perspective, in the same price range of course.

Most of them even have two piece, center joined bodies.

Gibson is offering the LPJ and SGJ in four different finishes each, and all available left handed. How is that bad? We're lucky these days if Ibanez or Schecter give us two finish options.

Most of the cheaper ($500 to $900) Gibson stuff I've played, as in actually put my hands on, has been incredibly solid. Much better that Faded series that originally gave lower end Gibsons a pretty bad reputation some years ago.

Of course MIA doesn't instantly equal a certain level of quality, but it doesn't instantly mean overpriced either.

 

[RagtimeDandy]

Another thing I noticed too is that my enjoyment of Fender and Gibson wasn't until more recently (and by enjoyment, I mean I picked them up and was actually surprised at how much I didn't hate them anymore). When I was younger I got an Epiphone LP Classic, quilt top yellow, so I could look like Billie Joe in Green Day. Still have the guitar actually, I swapped out the PUPs with my PRS HFS/Bass combo and it sounds monstrous. Then I got into shreddy stuff like Satch, and I thought anything Les Paul related sucked and Ibanez was the greatest band ever. Then I got into Mastodon (many years later) and I started playing my Epiphone again and dug it, even ended up buying the aforementioned Gibson Studio LP. Then I started hating Ibanez again
Then I got into BTBAM and other stuff like that and got my Custom 24, and thought that was the greatest thing ever (still do ). Then I got into 7 strings and got my Agile Septor and thought "Why get anything other than a 7 string?!"

Fastforward roughly a year to now, where I've been recording and writing almost nonstop, and I've come to realize that every single one of those instruments is fantastic, regardless of brand. They each suit a specific purpose. My Les Pauls make awesome rhythm guitars and have great lead tones, any good Fender I've ever tried had clean tones that stand above the crowd, Ibanez are very playable and versatile, but tend to sound weak so they work best as shred/lead guitars (shocking, I know). Again I'm a PRS fanboy so I find PRS to just be the best all around guitar.

From what I can tell, anyone vehemently hating on a specific brand is either a younger person going through the same thing I did (brand/band bias), got too many lemon guitars (my experience with Ibanez in general), or just found their favorite brand and thinks everything else sucks. I think once people get into recording and tone chasing, they realize each individual guitar and each brand specializes in a certain sound, and you can stretch that sound quite a bit, but ultimately there is a core sound that these brands have. Fender are the best blues and clean tone guitars, but you can get a Gibson LP to sound great for those as well, but the distinction comes in the players tonal preference. Some people are just more opinionated in regards to their opinions. Hell, I was pretty opinionated on the matter up until recently. I used to actively HATE (understatement) on Fender, but I've come to realize they have a specific tonal focus, and that generally isn't what I'm going for, hence why I used to think they're useless. I'd love to have a Tele for clean tones in recordings, but I'm pretty content with what my PRS can dish out.

I guess my point, in summary, is that people need to be more open minded towards specific brands, and they need to realize that each brand has a target tone, demographic, image, etc. If the brand doesn't fall into their category, that doesn't mean it sucks, that just means it's not for you and you should look for the one that DOES fit your tastes. But don't hesitate the reinvestigate the brands you've shirked, you may be surprised to find they've grown on you.

 

[engage757]

Don't even get me started Kevin...

 

[Estilo]

I'm tempted to create a similar follow-up thread titled "So.. Why do people hate om EMG's again?" since most people who hate them probably have 3 or 4 of their 5 favourite albums recorded entirely with them .

But nope I'm not intoxicated nor that keen on starting a flame war. Will hold back for now.

 

[xHavokUndeadx]

All i have to say is, real musicians and men play PRS. Fenders and gibsons are great in there own right, but in all honesty you really can play anything with a prs, and they pretty much makes a guitar for just about anything. I had a se 24 toreo custom and it was honestly the nicest guitar ive ever played and it was only 1200.

 

[themike]

All i have to say is, real musicians and men play PRS. Fenders and gibsons are great in there own right, but in all honesty you really can play anything with a prs, and they pretty much makes a guitar for just about anything. I had a se 24 toreo custom and it was honestly the nicest guitar ive ever played and it was only 1200.

Even with my stance on PRS as a company I wouldnt go THAT far in saying that they are the only professional choice for musical instruments

I would however say that I would choose a majority of 2013 PRS guitars over 2013 Gibson and Fenders - but thats simply personal preference and not a written law of gear.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

The Toreros are only like... $1000. I think you were slightly ripped off.

 

[Basti]

Any thread entitled "Why do people hate..." is bound to be a real cracker

 

[elq]

By far the most "hate" I've seen for Gibson guitars comes from the hardcore Fender fans (and a few PRS folks) on TGP. By far most of the "hate" I've seen for Fender guitars comes from the hardcore Gibson fans (but oddly no PRS folks) on TGP.

And don't even get started on hate for modern "metal" guitars, it's something the old fogy Gibson and Fender haters agree on.


Which guitar is better comes down to taste as all tastes can be had in a wide range of price points and quality. Arguing about taste is either masterbation or the output of non-science academia.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

I'm fine with most Fender stuff, I just want 24 frets, humbuckers, and more strings.
But from a feel and tone, perspective Fender gels with me quite well.

Not so hot on Gibson: shorter scales, TOM bridges, but I don't "hate" them, just not my thing.
Gibsons (usually) tend to have tone that's a bit on the warmer side than fender cause of the shorter scale length.
There's nothing wrong with it, but it isn't my thing.

 

[flint757]

Why do people hate TOM bridges so much?

I personally love them. I'm the minority here, but I also prefer a non-locking trem as well.

 

[Church2224]

Which guitar is better comes down to taste as all tastes can be had in a wide range of price points and quality. Arguing about taste is either masterbation or the output of non-science academia.

 

[knifefightintheor]

All i have to say is, real musicians and men play PRS. Fenders and gibsons are great in there own right, but in all honesty you really can play anything with a prs, and they pretty much makes a guitar for just about anything. I had a se 24 toreo custom and it was honestly the nicest guitar ive ever played and it was only 1200.

You can really play anything with a Les Paul and a Strat too. Look at their nostalgia over the years.

I enjoy PRS and love my SC245, but to say that it's the only guitar real musicians should play is wrong. Not to be a dick, but there are guitars that are far better than your Torero. There are guitars far better than my SC245, and my Ibanez' and my Les Pauls.

A real musician or "man" plays whatever guitar feels good to him and gets the results desired, without giving a shit what other people have to say about it.

 

[InfinityCollision]

I'm tempted to create a similar follow-up thread titled "So.. Why do people hate om EMG's again?" since most people who hate them probably have 3 or 4 of their 5 favourite albums recorded entirely with them .

But nope I'm not intoxicated nor that keen on starting a flame war. Will hold back for now.

People prefer certain pieces of gear/certain tones over gear/tones used by a subset of the musicians they listen to? Preposterous!

 

[SpaseMoonkey]

A real musician or "man" plays whatever guitar feels good to him and gets the results desired, without giving a shit what other people have to say about it.

+1

I've owned a butt load of guitar brands, not even the cheapies. I feel each company has their +/- .

Gibson pisses me off due to both of the ones I owned the g-string never once stayed in tune after a bend. But I loved the tone it had, so rich and full compared to any other guitar I have owned.

Fender I've never played one, which they no longer make the one I do want to try.

PRS have to add this because I hear tons of people raving about them in here. I had a Custom 24, needless to say I don't have it anymore. It played everything beautifully and could cover any tone I would need. But the volume knob on mine would slowly lower on its own. Which I just took it off and didn't worry about it. But needless to say I don't have it anymore it just doesn't feel like "me".

Had a EBMM JPX-6 for a few months, another great tone guitar. Everyone of my friends that came over always grabbed it to jam but I never really used it. Not sure why, just never gave me that want to play feeling.

I have come to like Ibanez due to the necks. It doesn't even have to be a high end Jem, it can be the cheap S420, it just feels nice to me. The weight and neck are amazing in my hands. But the pickups have to go.

I try to respect all brands personally. They might not meet my needs or feel like an extension of myself, but without them we may never have had the greats before us who paved the path of music because of them.

 

[flexkill]

No hate here. A Les Paul and strat should be a mainstay in any guitar players arsenal IMHO.

 

[Eric Christian]

People don't really hate Gibson & Fenders. Wannabe elite metal misicians on a few forums do. These two companies still probably sell more guitars than *all* the other builders combined.

I guess some rant on them because, owning somethign else, they want:
-to appear like they made an educated choice.
-to give value to theur guitars
-Self justify the price they paid for another brand.

Fender and Gibson don't offer all specs, but the specs they offer are good and convenient for an awful lot of people. The Gibson and Fender artist roster isn't exactly small fry, either.


I'm extremely happy with my LP studio 60s goldtop reissue.

The reason the strat and LP are still there pretty much unmodified after 50 years is just that they were good designs to start with. It's a guitar, not a cello, you have a limited leeway in spec variation for it to still be a guitar.
I own a Gibson, two Fenders, ESPs, a custom pointy, two ibbies, and I like all of them.

The honest truth is, we could probably do with two solidbodies and be done with it, one with single coils and one with humbuckers. All the rest is nitpicking and self justification for GAS.

This is probably one of the most intelligent and insightful comments I've ever seen on sevenstring. American made Gibson and Fender guitars personify rock n' roll. Its all about nostalgia. Pretty much every classic rock song you can think of was composed with one. On the other hand, when you're having a house built who cares what brand or hammer the carpenters are using?

I think it really boils down to the personal relationship you have with the guitar whether its an old Matao strat or brand new VOS Les Paul. Watching videos of Jimi Hendrix wailing away on his Strat and tuning it while simultaneously smoking a cigarette and singing is simply amazing. Or watching Eddie Van Halen play his homebuilt Charvel. Right now there is some kid playing the crap out of his/her cheap Dean strat someday he/she is going to be the next superstar.