Gibson VS Fender!
 

Ok this isnt actually a competition I would just like to see everyones thought on the two company's products from a general standpoint. Aka this is not a humbucker vs Single Coil thread, it is simply comparing the two.

Personally I think any guitarist worth his weight should really be quite familiar with both styles to really know what he/she likes.

Now GO.

Ps: GB i have reserved a space here for any Gibson ranting you may have :)

Fender makes these, so to me, they are the clear winner.

http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1964_F...ter_L44080.jpg

I have never owned a P90 guitar, how does that feel on the Jazzmaster/Jag in comparison to singles?

:laughing: Lol I don't actually own one of those either. Just went on Google and found a picture of a Jazzmaster (this one happened to have P90's). I've just always liked their look and feel.

I thought I was different for liking the Jazzmaster, but yeah I'm more about the teles and the jazzies so Fender is my answer. I for one would love an ES-330 or maybe a vintage silverburst paul but, a good jazzmaster will cost thousands less than either of the two gibson models I just mentioned.

http://www.gbase.com/files/store_ima...x325eg1_ss.jpg
I mean dude, I would kill for a silverburst paul, see why?

I pick Fender because of the Fender p-bass... :D

I think Fender guitars and Gibson guitars both have their place, they both have distinctive tones and uses. For example, I guess if you play complicated jazz chords, you need a relatively short scale length, and the Gibson may suit this. Personally though I've always been more comfortable playing a Fender, I feel like I can get a great sound and play for ages without straining myself and getting a nice sound.

Pssh, you are generalizing a bit there as jags, mustangs, dou-sonics and a few other Fenders happen to be the same scale length if not shorter than gibson's standard 24.75 SL.

True, I am generalising... and thus your support my stance in which I prefer Fenders!

I love my Fender, but when I bought it I also tried out a Gibson Melody Maker which sounded good as well, over all I'd say Fender. Just because my Fender has been good to me.

Both have some SERIOUS downsides regarding their design, quality control, and pricing.

Pricing is the common issue betwee the two companies. Both charge way over the odds for what you're getting. Theres no way around that I'm afraid, its the truth. Cheaper guitars from elsewhere perform much, much better than most fenders or gibbies.

Quality control is gibsons bugbear. Its absolutely shocking how PLEK'd guitars that are supposed to be perfect from the factory can often be utterly, utterly screwed up, both in cosmetic ways and even in the hardware. People have recieved gibsons before with holes drilled in the wrong places, frets off from the scale, binding falling off, all sorts, and thats just recently, the last few years at most. It IS supposedly getting better, but lets just say that gibsons have always totally underwhelmed me for the price. The best LP i've ever played was an epiphone, that speaks volumes for me.

Fenders bugbear is design. THe jazzmaster is a great guitar, the jaguar too, but things like the microtilt neck (3 bolts) and the jaguar bridge NEEDING heavy guage strings to be stable, in addition to the utterly terrible 6 point strat tremolos, the fact that TO THIS DAY Telecasters can't be intonated correctly without replacement saddles, coupled with a general lack of care in the voicing and design of the guitars, means that unfortunately with fenders, already expensive guitars tend to need modifications direct from the factory in order to make them perform as well as they should.

This isn't to say gibson dont have their share of bad design ideas of course, the new historical Les Paul guitar for example, has a bridge that cannot possibly be intonated correctly, and their neck joints tend to be surprisingly weak particularly on SGs and so on. SGs also dont balance on the strap at all and never have.


Between the two, I have soft spots for both companies guitars in one way or another. The jaguar for example, is a glorious guitar when done right and strung with heavy strings. The strat has a charm to it that most copies dont have (Though of course for me, that benefit is outweighed by the terrible hardware. For me, strats are fun for blues, if I'm only BORROWING the guitar.

Gibson too, have their good points. I hate the TOM bridge, but they have a nice neck profile, and the sustain on some of their models is epic.

Ultimately though, neither company offers what I want. Ibanez come much closer, so as a mass builder they're my go to choice. Custom would be my ideal though.

i prefer the look of a les paul but the feel of a strat, so... both?

^ Yes, I agree. If there was a Les Paul with two single coils and a humbucker, and the weight of a strat. It would be great.

closest i've found was the ESP / LTD Eclipses. still double humbuckers though, most come loaded with EMGs but you can get some versions with Seymour Duncans which i believe offer a coil tap option for that bright tone when you need it. the body is super light though, the flat part is thinner than my strat but the arch top helps balance it out and not feel flimsy, the hip contour on the back is super nice too.

I've always liked the more punk rock/grunge like guitars. There's nothing like the feel of a cheap strat to me.
And i'm not just saying that because i'm broke.

the problem with cheap strats is that they come with even cheaper tremolo bridges. you could always block the bridge but a cheap ass LP clone avoids that situation entirely.

I hardly put much stress on my bridge anyway... I practically never use tremolo. So for me it works out alright. My biggest problem with cheap guitars of any kind (but especially strats) if neck warping. I like using heavy gauge strings and it can bend the neck real easy if I'm not careful.


EDIT: On second thought I guess using heavy gauge strings might be stressing the bridge, anyway.

Yes but a cheap strat to me is 200 or 300 bucks. I cheap strat to someone else may be 1000.

Who thinks 1000 is cheap?

I don't care who you are, once the price hits 4 digits its at least "pricey".

Vintage guitar collectors. A vintage guitar makes any stock factory guitar cheap. Or even strat collectors. For example a David Gilmore black strat is like 3 grand while an American Deluxe is 1500.

Fair enough. Now I feel like a guitar hobo.

And I quite liked my guitars...

You wanna talk hobo? My guitar cost 150 USD. That's like one blue-ray movie.

Nice...I feel much better now, thanks!

You shouldnt. Most of the people are collectors who dont actually play there instruments to the fullest. You better off owning something thats means something to you because it helped you get better.

Not to mention an expensive guitar doesnt mean a good guitar, it just means expensive.

Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't give up my mim strat for anything.

All i can say is I have played many mim strats that were far better than some mia's. not always the case, but definitely can be if you find a special one.

Yeah, we had a good strat talk before...I think I got really lucky with my strat. I got it for 300 bucks and this thing sounds flawless. It stays in tune forever, the neck is smooth, the action is perfect, and now that I think about it it actually sounds better than my friend's mia. I even named it.

Wow, now I really do feel better about it...I gotta play this thing now.

What am I? Chopped liver?

Nah man, I told you your hobo guitar made me feel better. You played your part.


But seriously...you make music, yeah? You gotta upgrade. 300 got me a beauty of a strat, but I'm sure 150 bucks won't cover much at any stretch.

I don't use my guitar much any more, other then for a few parts in recordings where I need it. I've got to save all my money for some acoustic sounding boards and a studio mic. That's probably going to cost me quite a bit.

On the other hand, my bass guitar is a pretty nice Ibanez.

gogogo post it in gear thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmm... you should name it Mia, get it?

I think if it comes down to Strat vs. Les Paul it can be a real conundrum for me. Les Pauls are very cumbersome as far as heaviness is concerned and the way the instrument hangs on my shoulder, but the tone can be amazing . Strats on the other hand are more comfortable across the body and in the hands, but there's no weight to em'. the tone is too thin, and its hard to get a satisfactory overdriven/distorted tone out of them without modding he pickups.
As with most cases I agree with GB, but it's complicated. I'd rather play a Joe Pass than a Strat any day, and I'd rather play a thinline than a Les Paul any day. Having said that, both companies are overpriced for the quality and build that they offer, and both companies have ridden the coat tails of their respective histories, which is likely why they're overpriced.
There are definitely guitar companies out there that are offering better and more consistent quality for less money.

What you said about each guitar is true in tone but there two very opposite guitars. One is basically the pinnacle of single coil guitars and the other is the most popular humbucker guitar.


For sure. These small companies are making guitars of equal or better quality for a fraction of the price. Even American based ones like Shecter produces amazing quality and great tone with the standard setup.

dude i have this red beater wannabe les paul called a 'capri'. 120 Canadian :p:

plays like a HD dvd hahaha

I think i'm the first to say it, but I prefer the SG model over most other guitars. I like the tone of the Pauls, but I can't stand playing them (especially on the lap, they just slide off), the neck feels to thick and round, and the body is very heavy. Plus i'm a double-cut fan, but I do like the tone they produce. I love some strats though, especially the neck pickups, they're really smooth and deep. The necks on some feel like they were built for my hand, best Fender I played (at least judging of the way it played/felt) was a squire tele.

I have to agree that LP's are not comfortable guitars in any way, shape or form.

I'm suprised that they havent made some sort of curve on the back to make it more so

I have a feeling he mainly means the weight of them. Which they have solved with chambered and semi hollow versions. I would crap my pants if I got to own a semi hollowed f holed paul.

They also have "weight relieved" LP bodies which have a bunch of holes drilled in different places on the body.

Holes all over? SEXY! COunt me in I want one.