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Gibson Rant From Rich Petroni

Attention
Ed Roman-

I was in your store about 6 weeks ago and I was very impressed with your selection of custom guitars. I was not intending to buy anything, I had read some negative comments on that <"A hole" Gibson Forum> that had swayed me away from doing any business with you.

I live in Alabama, Here in Podunk Alabama the best guitars are Fender's & Gibson's.  I'll bet your surprised to hear that,  huh?  hee hee.

Most people around here are not well educated and have never been to the big city. I know people who are in their 50's and have never been outside of a 50 square mile area their whole lives! I should have known better, I've been to New York, LA & Vegas some of the farm boys around here have never even been to Mobile or Montgomery yet they act like they know all about guitars.

Your honest reporting and criticism on Gibson Geetars is not making you a lot of friends here in bible country! Yee Haw !

I understand now why these idiots don't like you. By your outspoken truth you are in effect de valuating their most valuable possession. I read your flamer rant page and now my awareness level has been heightened to a new level. Just as I have had my eyes opened recently, I want to do all of my guitar buying business with you from now on. I will do my best to spread the gospel according to Ed Roman !

BTW I own about 15 guitars, I'm sad to say many of them are Gibsons. I can absolutely guarantee I will never buy another one.

Anyway, I thought I had one of the best guitars money can buy. A 2006 V.O.S Les Paul because I had taken advice from some of my local redneck know nothing Gibson loving friends. The V.O.S, guitar is an abomination and a very overpriced abomination it is.

Vile Obscene Shit would be a better name!

The workmanship is so bad I almost can't believe it. I didn't notice the plastic inlay on the neck and the glue marks seeping out of the binding. The seam on the top of the guitar looks like it's spreading. The guitar weighs a ton and it digs into my right forearm when I play it.

Your salesman Stephan really opened my eyes, I played your Maximus model and I must say the difference was astounding, I really liked the Rick Turner Model one but the Maximus is so much lighter and more comfortable. Stephan also told me that actually you are a nice guy, He said you don't compromise your feelings and your bark is worse than your bite.

At this point I deeply hate all my Gibson Les Pauls ! I want to trade them in towards a Maximus a Quicksilver and an Avanti. After I looked at the comparisons on these guitars I was totally sold. I realize I am going to lose money on these Gibson's but I don't care, I want what I want !!!!

I will be flying into Vegas Dec 10 and I will be in town for 4 days, I would like to come out to the custom shop and see the guitars being made, I really want to make sure you are going to be around, because I want you to sign all three guitars. Stephan told me that you would handle my sale personally and I would like to make sure you are going to be around.

Richard R. Petroni Esq.

Monroeville. Alabama

Some People Never Learn They Just Keep Buying Gibson's !!!
How many times do you have to get hit on the head, before you finally figure out who's hitting you.

Gibson rant true story
 
Dear Ed – et.al.; Gibson’s have been a truly hit-or-miss affair for some time now.
True story: In 1997-8 I had an absolutely beautiful 335 copy with a harp-shaped headstock (forgot the actual name on the headstock) that researched?? to be from the Fuji Gen-Gakki factory in Japan and, one of the best guitars (100+ and counting) I have ever owned.

 

Anyway, as I don’t play well or much I decided to turn the Guitar at the local (Portman’s) music store. Every time I deal with them I tend to feel like I’m dealing for a cheap used car but, I let them go just to see how far they’ll take things. They told me that my guitar had no value but they could give me $100.00 for it if I traded-up (ha ha) to a high-end Gibson.
 
So I looked at a $3000.00 Country Gentleman, a $3800.00 Barney Kessel, (Turdlands!) and a couple of $2000.00 Les Pauls and let me tell you; they were all absolute dogs; the Country Gentleman and Les Pauls in particular. My Gen-Gakki??? would play and sound circles around them. Detail was exceptionally horrible. I acted interested to see what they’d say about them and when I brought up some real glaring construction issues I was told that they were totally hand made and these were the quirks that made a “hand-made” instrument so valuable.

(Note From Ed)
I am sure you were looking at the short lived Gibson version of the Country Gentleman because the Gretsch one is actually a real nice guitar)


Well after leaving the store and wiping the grime off, I went to their competitor and just happened to luck into Ken Carr; Ray Charles’ guitarist who was playing that night in Savannah. He asked about my guitar, played it for about a minute and asked me if I’d trade him even for a custom Moon guitar he had just commissioned in Japan. Done deal of course and that night there he was backing Mr. Soul himself with my $100.00 ??? guitar. I’ve never felt so vindicated in my life.


Research P.B.S. After discovering your website and your stance on Gibson I went to (gulp) Harmony Central and went through nearly every review on Les Pauls. Findings: Aside from the obvious “trying-to-convince-myself-that-I-own-the-best-guitar-on-the-planet” reviews and the occasional reference to Les Pauls being hand-made, nearly 20% (or more) of the reviews revealed what %&*#$!^!@# they actually are; and this is from people willing to admit their mistake.

 My guess is the number would be closer to 50% all things told. Actually makes Harley Davidson motorcycles look like well built machines in comparison; a lot of parallels between those two but then, that’s a whole ‘nother “rant” of mine.


Some People Never Learn They Just Keep Buying Gibson's !!!
How many times do you have to get hit on the head, before you finally figure out who's hitting you.

Matt Molter to me
show details May 26 (11 days ago) 

I just wanted to let you know that I bought a Gibson Les Paul Standard that was supposedly 100% American made a few months ago at the local Guitar Center. The piece of $hit was maybe 20% made in America, probably just assembled. I took off the tuners because they were locking up and wouldn't even tighten or loosen the string with 30 full turns to swap them with an old SG Reissue. I got the SG's off and they felt much heavier than the LPs (that happened to be glued on) and (here's the surprise) they were made in Asia. For a supposedly quality USA made instrument I would expect much better. To make it even worse, the SG's tuners wouldn't even fit in the holes drilled in the LP. They even had the nerve to put Gibson Deluxe on the back of the crappy import tuners. To make the Les Paul worse, the fingerboard is very crappily sanded down, the bridge pickup went dead after a few weeks and the strap button near the neck fell out of the hole. I did not expect this since I had such a good experience with my SG.
To top it all off, when I called the Gibson Warranty Claims office, they basically told me to f**k off. They acted like I had done something wrong and when I hung up on them, I realized that I had. That mistake was that I bought a Gibson from Guitar Center. From the point I got the Les Paul, the only thing I ever bought at GC was a bulk pack of strings. Both Gibson and Guitar Center have lost a customer who has spent thousands of dollars at each company and possibly would have spent several thousand more if his experience had been better. Just thought you might like to hear some support for what you're doing and you could add this to a rant about brand loyalty or the $hitiness of Gibson. Keep doing what you're doing,

Matt Molter

 

Hi Stephan & Ed:

I had wanted to contact you sooner, but really only got to spend some time with JET #261 this past weekend.
 In short, the thing is absolutely amazing. It looks like it’s on fire!  Until I visited your shop last June and played a JET, I was convinced I owned the greatest guitar in the world: My PRS Signature #197.  I had been looking for a single cutaway, solid body archtop for a long, long time that would give me a fuller sound than my PRS Signature, but I was completely unprepared for just how amazing the JET was.  I had been lusting over one ever since.  Simply put, I have never played anything like it in my 22 years since first picking up the guitar.  In addition to being one of the most visually stunning instruments I have ever laid my eyes upon, the sound and playability of the JET are just unreal.  It is EXACTLY what I had been searching for: A better player (amazing compound radius neck with satin finish) with an extended bottom and top end from what the PRS offers.

It makes a typical $5,000.00 Gibson Les Paul ’59 Reissue sound dead and dull by comparison (not to mention 5 pounds lighter),  The coil tap option provides versatility that the Gibson can’t touch.  I think the single coil sounds are even truer than the PRS. 
 

At any rate, I’m glad to finally be a paying customer of Ed Roman Guitars and can’t wait to come in and shop for another fine instrument next time I am in Vegas.
Adam M. Zaiger

 

 
Grouping Of Gibson Acoustic & Jazz Guitars
Mostly Trade Up's

See The Nicest Affordable Gibson Les Pauls Anywhere
 


We Sell Gibsons because here in Vegas We get a lot of foreign customers
In Europe & Asia, Gibson guitars sell for more than twice as much as they do in the USA.

Hi Ed,

 Love the site (Especially the "Rants")

I'm surprised not to see any mention of the intonation problems associated with USA made Gibson guitars.

 
On most Gibson electrics the scale length from the nut to 12th fret is 24.562"

No problem with that...but the scale length above the 12th fret is 24.75.

That means OK intonation from the nut to 12th fret (especially with Buzz Feiten Tuning System or similar), but really BAD intonation above the 12th fret.
 

At the 22nd fret, the error is about 0.04".    About half the width of the fret)

Copies (including Epiphone) don't have this fault.
 
What do you think?
Regards,
Phil Hartley

 

Hello Phil...

I'm not much of a Gibson Fan myself, In fact I could go on about that for a long rant !!!! 
The reason I haven't said anything about this in my rants is. Basically I didn't know about it. 

After I read your letter, I do concur with your findings !!!!

I don't like the short stubby necks, I don't like the fret size, I don't like rosewood fretboards with plastic inlays (on supposedly American Guitars)
I never even got in as deep as the tuning problem !!!

Ed

Based in Bolton, near Manchester, in the Northwest of England, owner Phil Hartley is a well respected guitar repairer and technician with many years of experience. During this time the services of Phil Hartley Guitar Repairs have been used by music shops throughout England.

As a former head of large retail guitar department and through his many years as a guitar teacher, Phil Hartley has gained first hand knowledge of the problems encountered by guitarists of all abilities and budgets.

Whether your beginners’ guitar has developed a tuning problem or you’ve worn away the frets on your guitar, you can rest assured that each will receive the same level of care and attention to make your guitar the best it can be.

All repairs are carried out by Phil Hartley. Work is never subcontracted out nor is it ever assigned to a trainee or apprentice.

Phil Hartley is an approved retrofitter of the Buzz Feiten Tuning System.   See the new Buzz Feiten page for details of this revolutionary intonation system

Just Because !!!

Just because I think they are overpriced and don't stand up to many other brands.
Just because I think the new ones all have very low resale value.
Just because the necks break like toothpicks.
Just because I don't like the neck joint design
Doesn't mean I don't sell them.

It just so happens, We keep the shop real busy Repairing Gibson Guitars.

Ed Roman

If you want to hear it from others

Read What Gibson Employees Are Saying About Gibson  (Click Here)
If You Are A Gibson Employee Go To This Website & Tell The World What The World Needs To Know
 

This of course is the primary reason I get bashed on the internet
I tell it like it is and I don't take prisoners !!!!
Ed Roman

 

Hey Ed,
This is Manny Pavone from Connecticut. No doubt you remember me from the years when you had East Coast Music Mall and even before that when you had the place one block up from the Music Guild.

I just wanted to tell you that I finally have to agree with you about Gibson.

They ought to be freakin' ashamed of themselves for putting out the Bull fertilizer they have been lately. I recently went to a music store which will remain nameless and tried out a couple of the new ES 335s.

One was a satin finished one and the other was a tobacco sunburst dot neck. The satin finish one literally felt like a piece of pressure treated 2X4 from Home Depot. I mean the neck was square on the back!!!!!!! They wanted almost $2,000.00 for it. I was totally disgusted with that so called guitar, so I tried out the $4,800.00 sunburst It felt like a piece of 2X4 with a finish on it.

I was completely appalled that Gibson would put out such garbage !!!!

Here's the kicker I then tried out an Ibanez 335 copy that was selling for $299 and it was 1000 times better. It felt like the Old Gibsons used to feel and sounded incredible as well. Thanks for telling us the truth about Gibson back in the day as much as some of us hate to admit it.
Good Luck From CT,
Manny Pavone

Even More Deprogramming From Ed Roman
Please read what I have written below with an open mind 

There Are 2 Major Cliché's That Are No Longer True In The Guitar Business

1. You Get What You Pay For!!!!

It's painfully obvious to me or to anyone who is not intellectually challenged, today many large corporations, use this tired old cliché to their financial advantage. They are constantly pricing guitars at extremely high prices, so that consumers will think they are actually handmade well built instruments.

I first learned this fact back in 1991, I was employed by Gibson Guitars. The president of Gibson, Henry Juszkiewicz made this statement to me. "The higher the price the better the guitar" "or at least that will be the customers perception". 

This may have backfired a little on him, due to the fact that this artificial perception, that a production made guitar has to be so expensive, has made it possible for custom builders like, Myself, JET, Gledura,  Benedetto, McPherson, & Duesenberg to flourish. Simply because most intelligent people, would rather have a custom guitar. Especially if they could buy it for the same price or less than a machine made production instrument.

2.  It's Just Too Good To Be True!!!!

That's another Bulls&%t Cliché, "The Man" & all the large corporations want to instill in your mind.  (Don't you believe that for even one second !!!!!!!!)

A tribe isn't a tribe unless it has one Chief & many Indians. 

The Chief is nothing without Indians!!

The question you must ask yourself your whole life is "Am I A Chief,  Or Am I An Indian"

The Indian will believe the old "It's too good to be true" adage and go back to smoking his peace pipe. The Chief will just go for it  There lies the inherent difference.

Some people play original music, They are known as innovators, Some people play only cover tunes, In Vegas they are known as Lounge Bands.

Now that doesn't make these people bad people, But it doesn't make them Chief's either !!!!
Hell, I like to play cover music myself, I do it for fun !!!

Ed Roman

Monkey See  Monkey Do
The monkey will play the same guitar as all the other monkeys will

Speaking Of Monkeys
Some of the big box stores pay their employees Peanuts
That's why they attract Monkeys

 

A Grouping of 24 fret Gibson Double Cutaway Les Pauls
One of the few Gibsons that I personally liked.
Of course they had to discontinue this model, It was too good !!!!
I never saw one of these break !!!!
Ed Roman

   Ed Roman Recommends  Quicksilver Handmade Guitars For People Who Want The Best  

LES PAUL & SG COPIES

This is a collection of guitars that I have seen on the market that look like Les Pauls
These copies have been around since the 60's When Gibson actually discontinued the Les Paul for 8 or 9 years.
Bet you never saw a 1965 Les Paul.  That's right they discontinued them because they were not selling well.

Gibson & IBM
How many people do you know who own IBM Computers?
The first clones were weak but nowadays the clones are far better.
The Same Could Be Said For Gibson.

 

 I am not going to mention brand names.
Hell why should I make it easier for Gibson to try and sue someone.

 

 

It stands to reason that if you want to sell something to someone who is already brainwashed Into thinking the Les Paul is a wonderful guitar.

You are simply going to have to make a better  instrument. Otherwise what would be the point.

 

 

 


Vinnie Martell The Vanilla Fudge
 

Benedetto Benny Model

 

Group Of Heritage Brand Les Paul Clones or should I say "Originals"

 


Boris Dommenget Germany

 

This is an original Gibson Les Paul that was built back in the 80's in the USA.

We are refinishing this guitar, we are replacing the top with a gorgeous piece of quilt for a good customer who was not happy with the initial construction design of his instrument.

This will be the 4th one we are doing for him.


Contact Ed Roman's custom shop, We have done over 500 retops like this one in the past 20 years since we started doing this type of work.

There are several other shops that are doing retops these days. Ask them to show you pictures of how many they have actually done.

Ed Roman was doing Gibson retopping for 15 plus years before anybody attempted to copy us to our best knowledge.

702.875.4552

 

Paul Stanley Redesigns The Les Paul & Does A Better Job Than Gibson

Read What Gibson Employees are saying about Gibson  (Click Here)
If You Are A Gibson Employee Go to this website & Tell The World What The World Needs To Know
 http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Gibson-Guitar-Reviews-E6869.htm

 

 

 

 

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