I finally have enough money to purchase a high end guitar, and have been wondering if Gibsons are really worth the money or not.

This question is to people who own, or who have owned a Gibson. Are they good guitars for playing metal, and how are they at staying in tune? Seeing as they have a fixed bridge as opposed to a floating tremolo. I've always found dealing with Floyd Roses to be a bit of a pain, especially as I use different tunings frequently. So the idea of a fixed bridge is appealing, though I do worry about how well such guitars keep in tune.

So, are Gibsons good guitars, are they worth the money, and how good are they for playing metal? Answers from Gibson or former Gibson owners very much appreciated here!

My bandmate has a Gibson Faded Flying V, red in color. http://www.thomann.de/gb/gibson_flying_v_faded.htm I think that the low-end Gibsons are kinda the same as high-end Epiphone's, just with a different brand name on it.

It's a good guitar, but I don't know if it's worth all that cash. He plays it a lot and it detunes easily, but it has a great sound at least, and it's very easy to play for some reason. I heard bad stories about factory Gibson Flying V's coming with bad paint or other problems because of the cheap production.

I would aim for a Les Paul (if you can stand the weight and the difficulty playing the high frets), Explorer, or an SG if you don't want to play really heavy riffs.

Written by Valentin B on 26.12.2012 at 15:18

My bandmate has a Gibson Faded Flying V, red in color. http://www.thomann.de/gb/gibson_flying_v_faded.htm I think that the low-end Gibsons are kinda the same as high-end Epiphone's, just with a different brand name on it.

It's a good guitar, but I don't know if it's worth all that cash. He plays it a lot and it detunes easily, but it has a great sound at least, and it's very easy to play for some reason. I heard bad stories about factory Gibson Flying V's coming with bad paint or other problems because of the cheap production.

I would aim for a Les Paul (if you can stand the weight and the difficulty playing the high frets), Explorer, or an SG if you don't want to play really heavy riffs.

Thanx for the info.

I am surprised that you can get some Gibsons at a much lower price these days, although I did wonder whether that was because they weren't great quality. I'm not even sure if the more expensive Gibsons are worth the cash... the detuning easily and great sound is tempting to me though... The lack of a whammy bar is a concern, as every guitar Ive ever had previously has had one, and I'm used to having one there.

I have heard that Les Pauls are heavy (in weight) guitars, though I've never played one, so I'm not sure if I'd find it difficult to play one or not. It seems that there are pros and cons regarding Gibsons, I'm just trying to work out if they'd be right for me, and if they are value for money. I don't mind paying a lot for a guitar, but if I'm going to do that, I want to make sure it's a high quality instrument.

I think the guitar wouldn't detune as easily if he didn't abuse it that much.. right now he has 3 electric guitars and that's the only one he plays regularly. That particular Gibson I will say is value for the money, but it might be a lottery. If I ever buy a Gibson though, I would buy one of their 1000+ euro models as there's a slimmer chance it's gonna be some knockoff (and probably a Les Paul or V, I've had enough of SG's and I don't dig Explorers).

If you don't play technical high-fret solo's then I suggest you go for a Gibson Les Paul Studio or something, just my opinion as a former Epiphone owner and occasional Gibson player.

I've played a few (LP and an SG) and didn't understand why they're worth so much more. You're essentially buy the name.

My friend (a VERY experienced guitarist) runs a higher end Epiphone LP that cost him I think $1000 CAD (maybe have been 1200 I can't remember) and it is a very nice instrument, It has amazing tone too.


(not the best video, but you get the idea)

If you're ready to shuffle out the dough My personal recommendation is a high end Ibanez. For shredding they're unbeatable, the Wizard necks are insanely thin.

The Ibanez RG3521 is a great choice @ $1600 US.

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eg_page12.php?area_id=2&data_id=183&color=CL01&year=2012&cat_id=1&series_id=72

I know a lot of people aren't a fan of the RG body style though. This is all coming for a fairly novice palyer though, so everyting I just said is probably pretty null

Well you're gonna hear bad stories about gibson guitars and you're gonna hear good stories when you talk to a lot of different people, it's the same thing with everything in life...cars, computers, guitars...i'm a bass player myself but if the experience of friends and bandmates is of any help: Gibson is one of the most solid and reliable brands you can get, now of course as any other manufacturers their guitars have pros and cons as you said (especially in the low end models) and if by playing metal you mean just crank up the distortion, then it generally doesn't matter what kind of guitar you have if not, it depends on the exact tone you want to achieve as generally gibson are leaning more towards rock/blues, but can also be very versatile. Also as you mentioned the missing whammy and the weight is something that some people like, others don't, you'd have to pick one up at a store and try it out before making a final decision but long story short, if there's one thing you shouldn't be concerned about with a gibson, it's reliability

Written by Valentin B on 26.12.2012 at 20:19

I think the guitar wouldn't detune as easily if he didn't abuse it that much.. right now he has 3 electric guitars and that's the only one he plays regularly. That particular Gibson I will say is value for the money, but it might be a lottery. If I ever buy a Gibson though, I would buy one of their 1000+ euro models as there's a slimmer chance it's gonna be some knockoff (and probably a Les Paul or V, I've had enough of SG's and I don't dig Explorers).

If you don't play technical high-fret solo's then I suggest you go for a Gibson Les Paul Studio or something, just my opinion as a former Epiphone owner and occasional Gibson player.

If I do get a Gibson, it will be a Les Paul or a V, as I'm not really a fan of the SG or Explorer shape. Although Jackson Kelly's (which has a shape similar to the Explorer), I've always loved the look of!

I have heard stories of Gibson knock offs, and I really want to make sure if I do get one, that it's a good one. I think I'd rather buy a good Epiphone than a knock off Gibson.

I do play solos, but I'm not a hyper technical player... I'm more of a Michael Weikath than an Yngwie Malmsteen! haha

Written by Malphas on 26.12.2012 at 22:14

Well you're gonna hear bad stories about gibson guitars and you're gonna hear good stories when you talk to a lot of different people, it's the same thing with everything in life...cars, computers, guitars...i'm a bass player myself but if the experience of friends and bandmates is of any help: Gibson is one of the most solid and reliable brands you can get, now of course as any other manufacturers their guitars have pros and cons as you said (especially in the low end models) and if by playing metal you mean just crank up the distortion, then it generally doesn't matter what kind of guitar you have if not, it depends on the exact tone you want to achieve as generally gibson are leaning more towards rock/blues, but can also be very versatile. Also as you mentioned the missing whammy and the weight is something that some people like, others don't, you'd have to pick one up at a store and try it out before making a final decision but long story short, if there's one thing you shouldn't be concerned about with a gibson, it's reliability

I wouldn't get a low end Gibson... I think some Epiphones are likely better than low end Gibsons. I did mean the tone when I asked if they were good guitars for metal.

Thanks for mentioning the reliability. That's one of the main things I wanted to know regarding Gibsons. Like I said, I don't mind paying a bit more if I'm going to get a quality instrument.


@Boxcar Willy: I may end up getting an Ibanez, but right now, I'm considering getting a guitar with a fixed bridge. I regularly use different tunings, so any guitar with a Floyd Rose gives me a headache in that department.