Let's Talk About Gibson Prices! Real Guitar Talk

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[newgunguy]

I've never had a problem with Gibson's prices, actually. It's the QC. There's always something wrong. Blemishes, cracks in finish, orange peel, etc.... None of these things are part of the design. They're selling factory seconds at regular prices. No excuse. Period.

[KRAZEEIZATION]

Gibson being expensive is one thing but some Epiphone’s are off the chart.

[RobotShlomo]

Gibson has become a convenient target for the ills of the industry, because they're the biggest brand. Rickenbacker doesn't nearly get the same amount of hate, and their guitars are just as expensive.

[johnperiard]

Huge Gibson fan and I'm and amateur guitarist. An American icon. Long live Gibson!

[deshawn]

Gibson are overpriced. 3 grand for a standard Les Paul too much. 4000 grand for a regular semi hollow too much

[JimMorrisonsBathtub]

I entirely agree with everything you said here. The Custom Shop and Murphy Lab stuff are ridiculously expensive but most guitars Gibson makes have a version in the roughly $1000-$1500 price range and those guitars will be as far as I can tell as good as a guitar can get so I don't really care that Gibson makes $8000 versions of guitars for people who would spend that kind of money for some reason. My problem with Gibson is exactly what you mentioned in that they don't have Firebirds or hollow bodies in that reasonable price range and I do not understand why at all. I really wanted a Gibson hollow body with a P-90 so I had to scour the internet for a long time and the best I could come up with was an ES-225 that was stripped of everything that wasn't glued on for over $1000. I still haven't found a decent Firebird I could afford and I'm not sure if I ever will. That's my only serious complaint with Gibson prices.

[Santaheckler]

This is just my personal viewpoint: In today’s economy, if you are buying brand new Gibson (maybe even higher end Epiphones), then complaining about the costs of that luxury is a bit silly. It’s like someone complaining about the cost of the Tesla Cybertruck or about the cost a Fiji vacation…
In other words, buy used guitars. I see Gibson LP Standards for around $1500. I see SG standards for $1000. 335’s for $2500 all day long. Buy it and go play in the cover band for free beer and pizza. Enjoy! 😎👍

[braddietzmusic]

I’ve done popular music for about 30 years. I see less and less Gibsons out on stages where local band or even regional bands play. The last show I saw where I saw a Gibson was where there was a wine red Les Paul Studio. It was a Gibson, but a decidedly less-expensive variant. Before that, some guy with a Gibson ES-335 but I know he bought it back in the 1970s, and who knows what price.

Musicians wages continue to stagnate. As a result, those gig dollars buy less and less of a guitar. As a result of both the stagnating wages and ever-increasing Gibson prices, those instruments increasingly unattainable by normal gigging folks who have some discretionary “gig play money” and especially those that to shy degree supplement their other income with gigs to help pay the bills.

I understand that there has always been a bit of aspirational pricing relative to the buying power of a dollar in whatever year.

Yet… the dollars gigging musicians earn seems to be stagnant so by default, many increasingly see these as “Lawyer and Doctor’s guitars” and there is some real logic behind this, even as broad and sweeping statement as it is. And that…makes Gibson less relevant in the marketplace.

For average folks like myself who gig a fair bit, but aren’t lawyers or doctors, finding a good but used market Gibson that is affordable is for all intents and purposes is our aspiration zone. A new Gibson ES-335 is simply unobtainium baring some major life economic event.

[jt]

My issue is that quality control isn't great for the price. QC isn't really solid until you get to custom shop, which just isn't cool at all. But custom shop pricing is insane.

Fender custom shop has also increased some stuff to a pretty crazy amount too, but they do still offer some CS models around 3.5k, which isn't bad.

[JohnWhite-xcmd]

I paid $2499 for a new '50s LP standard w/cherry burst new in 2019. For an American made instrument, I thought it was very fair. Especially compaired to some of the Ibanez, ESP, etc. Also, it looks like Jimmy Page's LP!

[allanflippin]

Jack,
I get your point about Fender price hikes being proportionally worse than Gibson. One thing to consider is that Fender has put more effort into modernizing their products than Gibson has. Fender price increases are perceived as more justifiable than Gibson. That being said, I have several electric guitars and none of them are either Fender or Gibson. For me, those two are not the best brands presently for "bang per buck".

[geoffreycarter]

I don't necessarily think their pricing is way too much in general. They are a luxury good and you pay for the privilege to own them, however, resale value is good (especially if you buy used, your money is safe). They often have deals/demos and things which means you can shop smart and avoid full MSRP. I think the custom shop is RIDICULOUS and no one needs that. Play, modify, and wear out the USA line. That is what all the vintage guitars we worship were when they were new. I think EPIPHONE is also sickeningly expensive and I don't like how they are merging/blurring the lines between the US made and import stuff which I have no interest in. Sure they are great guitars, but people want the heritage and legacy that comes with their special US made guitars. I love the fact that if is says Gibson on the headstock it comes with a Nitro finish and is made in the US and is a guitar you can own and love for your whole life - and ages like a fine wine. It's the last of the great marques that you can say that about.

[RSBurgener]

I'm probably years away from buying anything over $250. But just knowing myself, I'd rather get a guitar I like the look of and just upgrade it with my own hands. I don't pay other people for work I am capable of doing, and brand names hold no mystique for me.

[Lee-cvb]

What's really disgusting is five thousand dollars for a Gibson hummingbird anyone that thinks Gibson prices are not that bad is delusional that bad

[YW-deyz]

Overpricing of high-end Epiphone models has been crazy in the last 2 years.
For instance, up to around 2021-2022, the Epiphone Bonamassa models were
kind of an „insider tip“ for (very) reasonably priced copies of very valuable vintage
Gibsons. Then, in 2022 with the Bonamassa 335, these were becoming expensive.
I own the Bonamassa 335 and still think it is an amazing guitar, but then the year
after that they came around with the Bonamassa SG which, for what it was, was
ridiculously overpriced. Same with the Epiphone „Greeny“ model. So yeah, the
Epiphone „insider tip“-years took place from 2018 to around 2022, and are pretty
much over now. This is really a shame …

[qgkilgs]

Save up some cash, be patient shop various marketplaces for a good used Gibson… they’re out there.

[MinsanSauers]

As a previous fan of Opcode and Cakewalk, I have little goodwill towards Gibson.

[randrothify]

Forget about Gibson. Epiphone prices are outrageous! Sorry, but Epiphone is not equivalent to Mexican Fenders. For one thing, Mexican Fenders are made in a North American factory and just the proximity of the Mexican factory to the Corona factory means that QC is likely to be better because it’s easier to keep tabs on the factory. Also, Mexican Fenders carry the parent brand including the same aesthetics. Not so for Epiphone. And yes, some Epiphones have custom shop touches but so too have Mexican Fenders. And the Epiphones in theory are lower tier brand and more akin to Squier than Fender Mexico. But a lot of Epiphones are just as expensive as Mexican Fenders, and even some American Fenders. Epiphone can’t even compare price-wise to Squier and are no better quality-wise, or on a value-for-money basis. And again, at least a Squier will look identical to its Fender siblings aside from the decal on the headstock. But even if Fender is not your jam, Gretsch, PRS SE, G&L Tribute, Music Man Sterling, and Guild make much better and more faithful imports than Epiphone. As a consumer I don’t care that Gibson hasn’t increased prices as much as Fender, what they have done is undermined accessibility to people who look to Epiphone as entry point into the Gibson family in a way that Fender had not with its Squier brand. That’s dumb and I say that out of love because I want Gibson to succeed and grow. But they won’t do that if they treat the next generation of potential Gibson players with contempt.

[red]

Adjusted for inflation, Gibson has not raised the price on the Les Paul Standard since its inception.

[TommySG]

Hi Jack,
Regarding your point on the Firebird models, you’re spot on. I love Gibsons, I own a few SG’s and two LP’s as well here and I wanted to try out a Firebird but didn’t want to go into the 5k or more range for a Murphy ( Which is a whole other story and very overpriced as well in short ). So I ordered me a Firechicken Epi, I needed to do a lengthy setup on it as well ( a few frets were a bit high or low etc…. I also swapped out the hardware and went with a Faber bridge kit ) all and all it plays ‘fine’ now and sounds pretty good with their ‘upgraded pickups’ they’ve been putting in some of them but in the end, I’m sure if Gibson would make a ‘standard’ level Firebird it would indeed be worth looking into 🤙