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Originally Posted by Donplaysguitar
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09-15-2021 02:13 PM
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Whatever, they haven't stopped.
It's understandable that people assume that they are discontinued given that one can't see them online in the "lineup", but as those links show you can order one from Musicians Friend or Guitar Center and Gibson will make it. (Granted, the maple figuring ain't what it used to be under Henry, so there is that).
Vinny1K had the same point a few years ago, and it was resolved to the same point (no offense to Vinny1K). A forum member who knew someone at Gibson posted a brand spankin' new Super 400 in natural with a floater, sitting in the middle of the factory floor, with the Gibson person quoted as saying "we're making them every day".
Cheers.
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Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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Originally Posted by Midnight Blues
I really welcome the prospect of seeing L5s with P90s and Alnico V staple pickups. And an all acoustic L5 Premier with a thinner top. But if Gibson will try to induce GAS by telling me that my L5 CES is all wrong and therefore I need to buy one of the new historic range, I'll quickly turn my back.
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Originally Posted by Drifter
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MidBlue
Which other forum are you referring to? Is it the lespaulforum?
I would like to see these Matt quotes in their context.
ty!
jk
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Originally Posted by Drifter
I bought a late 1969 production L5CN brand new. It had a splice in the binding, bare wood on the top under the Cupid’s bow, multiple minor blemishes, and a disappointing sound & feel that led me to return it with days. I later bought a new 2 pup LP custom in 1973. Along with a truly ugly top (which was the better of the two at my dealer), it had multiple blems and was not a second. The binding came off the treble side of the neck despite proper humidification and storage. That was the last new Gibson I ever bought.
It was heartbreaking to me. My first good guitar was a new 1957 LG1. That was followed by a ‘59 or ‘60 345 and a ‘60 175, which I sold to buy that L5 and couldn’t get back.
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I'm more than happy to watch what all comes out of this, and maybe get a chance to play one of these thinner topped L5s someday, but I'm on Mark Campellone's list now and that's all I'm looking forward to in a new guitar.
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Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
Gibson archtops began to be built heavier in the 70's partly because old wood supplies were gone and the newer woods were heavier, and partly because music was being played louder and more feedback resistance was demanded by the marketplace. There is a difference between the older lightly built archtops and the modern heavier built ones. Neither is better and the difference is a matter of taste.
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Originally Posted by jazzkritter
Yup, that’s the one. I copied the questions that were posed to him and then copied his responses to post here.
Here’s the Thread:
Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA | The Les Paul Forum
See posts# 130 (question), 134 (Mat’s response), 146 (question) and 167 (Mat’s response).
Naturally, most of the questions relate to LPs of course and I think it’s cool that he’s taking the time to answer them. IMHO, it’s been pretty informative.
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=Midnight Blues;1146712]I initiated the thread and I'm referring to your post, which I quoted and re-quote here for your reference:
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Originally Posted by Midnight Blues
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Originally Posted by jim777
I love my Gibson archtops but my Campellone's are just better in every way. Cheaper too.
A total win-win IMO.
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Just as Harley is an image, not a motorcycle, Gibson has become an image, not a guitar.
In response to stringswinger..
(I lived in Pacific Grove for 40 years and Aptos for 3)
My fifth or 6th motorcycle was a 1971 Norton Commando drum breaker bought new. I have owned 53 motorcycles and co-founded (with Jim Brewer of Ducati 900SS fame R.I.P.) the Monterey Bay European Motorcycle Club in 1982.
Norlin built their guitars with a very specific focus of warranty costs in mind.. and the very reason that the majority of their flat-top guitars went to .125 thou tops and double bracing.. and those goofy tone killer bridges. They occasionally screwed up and built a flawless guitar with excellent tone and playability.
In my opinion Gibson is not alone. The current regime at Martin guitar is now producing image rather than substance at obscene prices. I have owned at least 15 since 1961.
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Originally Posted by bohemian46
For guys like you that don't like Harleys, Gibsons or Martins, my advice is simple: Don't buy one!
PS: The traffic on Highway 1 south is so bad these days that I only go through Aptos or down to PG if I have a very high dollar gig. How long have you been gone and where did you move to?
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I truly appreciate your input and opinion, and I don't mean this to be a rant. But there are still major lessons to be learned in what Norlin did to Gibson. I hope you're correct and that this is just sour grapes from a disappointed customer. After 5 great Gibsons bought from dealers and a '34 L5 I bought from a college classmate, I never imagined that I'd play anything but Gibsons for the rest of my life.
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
It’s hard for me to imagine that they couldn’t make, inspect and deliver less than 4 dozen acoustic L5s a year with consistent quality deserving of their reputation. And the sales rate and market for electric L5s seems far too low for them to have made major changes in what were among the best jazz guitars in the world for decades just to reduce feedback a bit, especially as most of them went to jazz, studio, and commercial guitarists plus a few well heeled enthusiasts. I'm sure you're right about the more popular guitars that sold in the thousands every year, but I'm more than a bit skeptical that they changed the L5's woods primarily to reduce feedback.Last edited by nevershouldhavesoldit; 09-18-2021 at 03:58 PM.
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Nevershouldhavesoldit, I am truly sorry for your L-5 experience. That should never have happened. Big corporations have certainly done a disservice to many of America's iconic brands. My last Harley-Davidson purchase was worthy of a lawsuit, but I was too busy doing 200 gigs a year to be bothered (and I am still a licensed lawyer, so I could have taught them a lesson had I wanted to) so I just fixed the problem (that they would not) myself.
BTW, I was born and raised (to age 10) in Philly (West Philly, where my Mom was from, my Dad was from South Philly). I still miss the pretzels, water ices and cheesesteaks.
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Originally Posted by Stringswinger
I bought the L from Zapf’s on N 5th Street when another sideman at Music Associates (a big society and commercial office with 14 leaders and about 200 sidemen - my employer at the time) who taught there told me they’d just gotten a new L5CN, which was my dream guitar. I bought it the next day.
The other dealers were Music City, Cintioli’s, and Medley, none of whom had a new blonde L5 or 400 for me but all of whom had other models with problems. There were a few J200s, CESs, J45s, etc.
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Sorry if it hasn't been mentioned earlier, but how about a traditional ES-350, and then a 16" 24-3/4 version that looks that same.
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I have a few Gibson guitars. These days, any guitar I look at that has "Gibson" on the headstock doesn't get a second glance from me.
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All through this thread I have been remembering how gibson went in the toilet when they got taken over by Norlin, the crap that they were putting out. Rearing the stuff here that gibson is saying doesn’t sound encouraging to me at all.
All along reading the thread I’ve been thinking the same thing why not just buy a Mark Campellone Built guitar. even if it’s a used one it
is still going to give you that old 50s tone and impeccable workmanship and materials
God bless Mark Campellone
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Heres a question nobody has really mentioned or asked. How many, if any, of you would actually buy a new Gibson archtop or even desire a brand new one as opposed to a similarly priced, excellent conditioned, played-in model from let's say late 90's or 2000s?
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DM: I seriously doubt I'll ever buy new. I've owned a few G's. The only guitar I bought new was the Kingpin. Newness doesn't matter to me at all.
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Originally Posted by Drifter
Here's Mat's response:
"Oh man. A lot to unpack here. Why did Gibson products change over time (and they ALL did...even year to year sometimes)? A combination of supply chain, engineering changes, a rapid life cycle philosophy, and a lot of things that were considered improvements for the player and/or for the construction of the instruments. The sales team dictated a lot of the product changes (the switch to the thin nut width in '65 for instance). But with regards to archtops, as I mentioned previously, what we are building now and the instruments in the 1970s are fantastic instruments. Truly. I have no doubt about that. And if we are going to create a Historic Reissue archtop collection to fit in the rest of our current product architecture, which is my intention, I'm going to choose to reissue the most collectible and valuable era. I'm not a marketer. If it sounds like I am trying to convince you that your guitar is bad or inferior to anything new, I'm not. My goal is to provide options, namely the ownership experience of owning one of the most valuable and collectible vintage instruments. There are NO late 1950s L-5CES models listed for sale currently even if you wanted to buy an original...so more reason to create Historic Reissues of them. Thanks for the note."
LMK if you have any follow-up questions:
MB
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I sense a disturbance in the force price lists.
I'm going to choose to reissue the most collectible and valuable era.
and…
There are NO late 1950s L-5CES models listed for sale currently even if you wanted to buy an original...so more reason to create Historic Reissues of them.
I dunno about you but his words even sound expensive.
jk
Transcriber wanted
Today, 04:35 PM in Improvisation