Gibson vs. Fender

[Cheesehead]

Have a nice Strat and Tele but been GASing for a Gibson lately. Recently A/B'd a bunch of Les Pauls and SGs vs. Strats and Teles at Guitar Center.

The Gibson I really like, an LP Standard, is out of my budget. I like the sound and feel of the Gibsons although I did come away with a new appreciation for my Fenders. And I really liked the AV57RI Strat and SRV Strat I demoed.

Bottom line - it did cure my GAS a little (although now I have GAS for the AV57RI) for a Gibbie. Just too much money and I don't really like the faded lower end models I could afford.

Thoughts or impressions about Gibson vs. Fender?

[Grin'n'pick]

I'm in the same boat. Got a lovely strat and a great tele, and have had nice ones in the past, but I've never actually owned a LP and think it might be time (had an SG and old Ibanez Artist, which was killer). Trouble is Lesters are so expensive and I know it would get much less play than the Fenders which I will always prefer. I borrowed a Custom Shop LP for several months and it didn't get played that much, but when you need that sound they are glorious and it was a beautiful instrument.

[dconeill]

Originally Posted by Cheesehead

Thoughts or impressions about Gibson vs. Fender?

They're different. They're built different, they feel different, they sound different. There's a surprise, eh?

Seriously, Gibsons are just a different take on how to build a guitar. They're well-suited for some things, not so well suited for others, and at bottom it's the player that makes the difference anyway.

I have a Tele and a Gibson ES-335. I like them both, about equally. But sometimes I need to use a ball peen hammer, sometimes I need to use a claw hammer.

I'll say this, though: the electronics on a Fender are worlds easier to work on than are the electronics on the ES-335.

[Donnie55]

Does have to be a Gibson? Or do ya just have the humbucker bug. There are a lot of good LP copies out there. Epi`s and Dillion `s come to mind.

[bingy]

Fender vs. Gibson
Apples vs. Oranges

[Donnie55]

Originally Posted by bingy

Fender vs. Gibson
Apples vs. Oranges

Yep, like bringing a knife to a gun fight. Completely two different weapons.

[Cheesehead]

Bingy and Donnie, when do you like to use which?

[twangstick]

Why not just put humbuckers in a Tele?
They're as thick as Les Pauls and won't sound far off when using distortion/overdrive. Clean, you'll tell the difference; a lot brighter with more definition and not too muddy like Les Pauls.

[twangstick]

Tele's are also built like brick walls. And with fender, if you break the neck you can get a new one. With Gibson you can break the neck like once, get it repaired then if it happens again you've had it.

[Donnie55]

I tend to use LP type guitar when I want a lot of sustain and distortion. I tend to play fenders on the cleaner stuff. I know this sounds like a shameless plug. Not intended to be. But if you to my myspace page below. The first song,, About A King ,, thats the sustain thing. Then listen A minor Affair thats the clean thing. Pay no attention to the playing It aint that great. But you will get the idea about the tone thing.

[stxrus]

if you can't afford a higher end LP then consider a SG Classic (P-90s) or a SG Special. i'd go for the Classic used for around $700.

there are some very nice LP clones/copies out there. sorry, but an Epi is NOT a Gibson by a long shot. save your money and get what you will be happy with

there is a difference between inexpensive and cheap

steve

[Cheesehead]

Originally Posted by twangstick

Why not just put humbuckers in a Tele?
They're as thick as Les Pauls and won't sound far off when using distortion/overdrive. Clean, you'll tell the difference; a lot brighter with more definition and not too muddy like Les Pauls.

I put a Seymour Duncan JB Jr. minibucker in the bridge position of my Strat, which I never used. Use it all the time now!

[castpolymer]

I played my double humbucker mahogany Tele as part of my Angus Young halloween costume and it sounded just fine ( as a replacement for an SG ).

[ADK Teleman]

I will be honest...when I was younger and into the hard stuff I played a Gibson LP Black beauty...great guitar for that genre of music. As I have aged(lol...I'm not getting older) I have mellowed in my playing and I now find that Fenders...primarily Teles fit my style and taste. The debate between the two is so subjective...I would say it is personal preference...am I right or wrong...who cares...just my preference.

[eljayski]

hey, cheese (et al.),

long ago (the '70s) i was strictly a fender guy. strats ruled.

since then, i've broadened my horizons to include gibsons--and as i write, still don't have a tele (!) but that will change soon.

i'm not enough of a guitar player to be inconvenienced by physical differences between f & g. different scale lengths, etc.

i do know that the "mellow gibson sound" is a thing of beauty, even when "I" play. dirtied up, humbuckers are pretty awesome.

the chase: get the gibbie you want, when you can, and i bet you'll never look back.

"free" advice that may cost you $$

regards, eljayski

[castpolymer]

I personally like Gibsons ( especially SG's ). I just can't get past the price point.

[tpaul]

I've had a couple melody makers and liked 'em. I would probably like an SG ok. I've never been able to bond with LPs.

[bingy]

I no longer carry a Gibson style guitar.
Humbucker in the neck position of the Tele takes care of all my Santana/Albert King needs.

[stantheman]

Can you say used Epiphone Les Paul Custom Plus??
One of the greatest Solid Body STEALS out there today.
One of my Friends is checking out a Tobacco Burst for $425.
With The Case!!!

What's making me crazy is I don't want to buy it "from under him" but he's not experienced - and if You snooze You LOSE.
Those are seriously choice pieces.

[stantheman]

FWIW - and I've screamed it from the rooftops for so long I'm HOARSE.
The SG Classic w/P90's is the BEST PRODUCTION GIBSON IN DECADES.

[brokenjoe]

There is no debate. There is no 'Fender vs. Gibson.'

If you think there is, you're doing something wrong.

I play teles only, these days, but I'd be a fool to say that it's a better guitar than a good Gibson. There are advantages to both. I just happen to prefer the tele advantage.

[tboy]

All of my Gibs (even the SG's) feel like well-made luxury cars. Not really built for speed or fast movement, but solid and stately.
The Fenders feel like sports cars. Agile, speedy, cut-through traffic, light.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and they make me approach a song with different attitudes. Not so much live, as the gig mood takes over, but big effect for recording.

[BuddyLee]

I never liked the feel or sound of Gibsons... dunno.

If you want one get it. It will be like some refreshing Beano for your GAS.

[StratDal]

It's okay to have a Gibson around the house. That way your C list friends have something to play when they come over.

Everyone needs something around the house to keep the riff-raff busy when they come to visit. Just make sure you got some ear plugs handy... for yourself of course!

[hannigan]

ford vs chevy
smackdown vs raw
Dem vs Rep
Cat vs dog
boys vs girls
up vs down
white(scratch plate) vsBlack
My brain hurts, but its all good.

[studio1087]

I have 5 Gibson guitars. Fender is closest to my heart but a Gibson humbucker gives a thick clear clean that I love for jazz and it gives a rock sound like a chainsaw. Fender guitars have a different style. It's nice to have variety.

Playing a classic jazz CD and playing along with a clean Les Paul is big fun for me.

Melody Makers sound like Teles on steroids.

Gibson P-90's sound like a Melody Maker on steroids.

Fender guitars have a thousand thinner but powerful sounds in between.

It's all good.

Gibson makes great pickups. Great organic sounding pickups. When guys tear the pickups out of older Les Pauls and install DiMarzio stuff it makes me want to cry. Don't mess with the real deal. Tear apart your Ibanez.....leave the Lester alone!

[imsilly]

I think if you are really into guitars and love playing lots of styles of music there is room for both.

I have to admit I feel both Fender and Gibson make really excellent guitars. They also both make some rubbish. There is just too much variation in design and quality between the two to make generalisations.

If I had to make some specific coments on both companies I'd say that If I could only ever own two guitars it would be a 50s Telecaster and a 50s Les Paul Junior. I don't think I'd be happy without both. Maybe I'd have a 50s Gibson ES-350 T hiding under the bed secretly aswell.

I find it strange most of the plaudits towards these two companies goes on Stratocasters and Les Paul Standards (with buckers and bursts) when they just aren't the most exciting, magical, special instruments they make. This debate should be more along the lines of, "Which is the best Fender Model, or which is the best Gibson Model?" Comparing two companies with different ideas on instrument making is a bit facile, but comparing models within each company makes much more sense.

[wazupwiopiii]

I own an Epiphone G-400 (is epi's version of an SG). I have played my Dad's Kramer strat alot too. I like them both. The body styles are both good, while I like the sound of the SG better, the trem is a useful tool on the strat. So for me, the perfect guitar is something with 2-3 humbuckers and a trem. I wanna custom build a dual humbucker strat for christmas, we'll see how it works out.

[Guitar_Ninja]

Have you checked out any of the Agile LPs over at RondoMusic.com? They have higher end models in the $500 range which get rave reviews.

Here's a chambered model for $399.99:


http://www.rondomusic.com/product2896.html

[Mark Davis]

Play what you like and disreguard ones who say its no good.

You dont let other people tell you what food to eat or clothes to wear do ya? LOL

[TG]

I gig a lot and I either use a telecaster or one of my Gibson-style guitars...a Les Paul and an ES335.

Which way I go depends on the band, the venue and the amp I'm using. Sometime a Fender is absolutely perfect and I have a great night...but other times they're too thin and/or sharp sounding. Sometimes...like the gig I got back from an hour ago...one of the Gibson-style guitars is absolutely perfect. But somewhere else they may sound too thick and woolly and be a chore to use.

I'm glad I have both types and can choose. Last night I brought a tele and a les paul, and after swapping back and forth a few times (terrible venue for sound) I went with the les paul.

[smsuryan]

Originally Posted by Guitar_Ninja

Have you checked out any of the Agile LPs over at RondoMusic.com? They have higher end models in the $500 range which get rave reviews.

Here's a chambered model for $399.99:


http://www.rondomusic.com/product2896.html

+1...beat me to it...some of those agiles look nice!!

[brgminicooper]

I have owned multiple Agile LP clones and have enjoyed each of them. Ultimately, I have traded them all away, but only because I really like the feel of a Tele more. Nothing wrong with Agiles, per se.

In fact, I would definitely consider an Agile LP-style guitar again, though, because of my Tele preference, I would be more likely to buy an Agile TC model.

[cycler]

Give any thought to a used Heritage guitars?

[keithcc]

As companies, the modern Gibson and the modern Fender are both just a name and intellectual property package. There is no commonality anymore to the old ones.

You can't not love the old Gibson company and the great innovation and instruments they made. But a Fender is a hot rodder's guitar and a Gibson isn't. Gibsons have glued in or one piece necks, have neck angles and hardware derived from acoustic guitars, etc. Fenders are like a small block Chevy, infinite supply of aftermarket parts, compact, fits anywhere. Gibsons are like the engines in old Packards and Straight 8 Buicks and every other old big car.

On the other hand, Fender can't make anything but a solid body guitar and when they got away from the flush bridge model with the Jag and Jazzmaster they didn't do so well. There STILL isn't a wholly satisfactory bridge for Jags and Jazzmasters IMO (and no, a TOM isn't it either).

There's a place for both, but never forget-Jimmy Page sold a LOT of Les Pauls with his humbucker equipped Tele!

[imwjl]

You could do what I did if you can't settle it. Thought I wanted a Gibson and ended up with my PRS Hollow Body.

[keithcc]

Originally Posted by imwjl

You could do what I did if you can't settle it. Thought I wanted a Gibson and ended up with my PRS Hollow Body.

Not a huge PRS fan. Of course I wouldn't turn a free one down, but they leave me pretty cold....except the handmade early ones PRS himself made. They were really nice.

[beep.click]

Originally Posted by stantheman

FWIW - and I've screamed it from the rooftops for so long I'm HOARSE.
The SG Classic w/P90's is the BEST PRODUCTION GIBSON IN DECADES.

I agree; like mine a lot.

Get the right Gibson, you've got a fine instrument. I don't usually like the humbucker Les Pauls, myself, but a nice double-cutaway with P90s -- yeah. Some 335s are amazing; love the 330.

On the other hand, get the right Fender, and -- you've got a fine instrument. I hope the current trend continues, where you can actually find Jags and Jazzmasters and Thinlines, at least occasionally.

[sonserve]

I have bonded with one Gibson. An acoustic a friend has had forever. A buddy made me a rediculous deal on a dot reissue years back. I used it for a short time and went back to his store for my Tele. He thought I was nuts. I have thought the same thing many times, but if the 335 was in the music room I suspect it would be lonely.
I have wanted to check out a Hamer. Don't know why.
Shopping for a five string bass at the moment. New group! Man theses cats sounded great a few weeks ago!!!!!!!!!!!

[Targ]

Originally Posted by keithcc

never forget-Jimmy Page sold a LOT of Les Pauls with his humbucker equipped Tele!

Humbucker?