Ed Roman,  What Customers Are Saying

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What Customers Are Saying

 

Hi Ed -

After reading your wonderful site I have to say thanks for answering (sort of) a question no one would/could answer.
I have a 1990 PRS custom - custom ordered it from them, wanted nickel hardware, got gold . . . but I did order a Tune-o-matic as I hate trems.
Have contacted PRS quite a few times over the years and whilst they've been nice to deal with, there was no answer to my 'how rare are these' question.
Well you say they're desirable, so that will do for me! It's a bog-standard Custom, 10 top, whale blue and birds. Actually a pretty nice instrument, and has weathered quite well, oh and he signed the control cover too.
I must also congratulate you on your rants -

I find myself agreeing with what I'm reading, and thinking to myself this guy should be in government' ;0)
The overpriced thing hit the mark - I am now sort of hunting around for a nice mid-level instrument for my AC/DC loving son - he wants an SG, I say NO! how about a Tokai . .
Over here (Britain) old honest instruments are now considered Vintage . . .even the worst that Fender and Gibson did back in the early 70's are vastly overpriced; someone is on ebay selling a Vox Clubman bass for £450! the bodies on these are made from plywood and there's no truss rod!! I know, I've got the 6 string version . . ..
I blame the collectors, but also the sheer lack of sense and research on behalf of the buying public - you're right, they buy something old and expect it will make them sound great. I can sound like me on my son's £100 Peavey tele copy, and on my 2 Fenders (Lead II [picking along at about £700 in today's market] and 1985 Esprit Elite {£1500 or not for sale, again based on what I've seen recently] sure they're nice instruments, but they're not THAT great . . . ) The guitar world has gone mad.
Anyway, could talk all day but won't (bet you're glad). It's great to see someone not afraid to walk around with their balls on show (well not literally, but you know what I mean!)
Take care
Phil Rogers

 

 

 

Ed

 

Finally, someone with real knowledge…The Gibson neck has never ever been a stable component, aside from the breaking problem.

I’m 62, been living guitars for over 40 of those years, and I have NEVER come across a Gibson (LP or SG in particular) that had a neck I could actually trust: Both new or vintage, 5 piece of not, in makes NO difference, the design / shape / dimensions materials / geometry / engineering are just ALL wrong. So wrong that tuning stability was absent, and simply moving the guitar while playing it is enough to flatten/sharpen the whole guitar…frightening… Like a bolt on with some bolts missing..
It was as if the weight of the headstock was enough of a mass to actually bend the neck, under even moderate movement. I realized the guitar had to be kept perfectly STILL to avoid de-tuning problems while on stage.

I really thought it was just me. Why is everyone nuts about a Les Paul?? I could never find one (and I looked for many years) that didn’t have this neck weakness problem (not to mention the “bump” where the neck joins the body, another really common and really bad thing).. Fact is they are fraught with problems, any one of which make the guitar unreliable at best, or totally unplayable.

It was many years ago that I stopped looking for a “stable Gibson” and gave up the chase, I’ll never own another one, and I can’t help but feel that, Anyone that does own them either don’t play them, or can’t hear the pitch shifting, or stands perfectly still while playing them.
Even while fretting the damn thing, one needs to be careful not to push forward or pull back in the slightest, especially at the first position, unless you want an inappropriate vibrato effect, a ½ tone shift was easily accomplished without even trying.

I’ve seen Les Paul in person I shook his hand & spoke with him, his hand is the most delicate thing I ever held, evidently he designed the most delicate instrument to match his playing style, and no on warned the general public of the eminent danger of musical instability and total catastrophic failure of the neck itself…..

Then there's always the idiot “musicians” who pride themselves on how many guitars they’ve broken in their “careers”…

I know you’re busy, I just came across your Gibson neck weakness article, and wanted to add my own 40+ years of similar disappointment bordering on distain for the entire Gibson fallacy. Everything you’ve said, I have experienced.

So at 60 years old, the “bolt on – set neck” battle rages full tilt in my head, Maybe I’ll try a set neck JET??

The Ozone Ranger



Response from Ed Roman
I usually don't print letters from people who don't sign their names, But I am in total agreement on this and it was well written and articulate.  The public does need to know this.

I have become tremendously unpopular among many Les Paul lovers, they bash me on the internet constantly because I am taking the unpopular stance.

I'm not running for public office so I don't care!!!!  No one ever has challenged the physics or truthfulness of my articles. They just call me names. (Sticks and Stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.

THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW !!!!!!!!)

 

See The Nicest Affordable Gibson Les Pauls Anywhere
 

Ryan to me
show details Aug 31 (1 day ago) Reply

Hey Ed<

 I was recently on a Les Paul forum and I noticed this hateful assed post about "why does Ed Roman hate Les Pauls?"...I hate Les Pauls too.. matter of fact...my review of a Les Paul could be summed up in two words: "shit sandwich"...anyway...they go on and on about how terrible of a human being you are but not one.. I repeat NOT ONE could respond, or even bring up, the facts you state about Les Paul necks, headstock angle, cheap wood, foreign construction that claims to be from the U.S.  You've deprogrammed me...and seeing these people bitch and bitch about you and they like Les Pauls "just because" and "they rock" and "Ace Frehley plays them" isn't good enough in my book...  I come from Missouri.. the show me state..&  I've been shown your guitars.. I've been in your shop...and I've also seen Les Paul's..  played them..

Hell my father has an original 52 without a serial number he bought at a pawn shop in 1964 that's been sitting in a case and sees the light of day once every 5 years when he gets it out..  Its a 50 something year old piece of shit...oh it gets a tone, sure...but hey if I eat at a Mexican restaurant my asshole will produce a tone too.. big deal !!

peace on the hill brother!!!
Ryan
Missouri.

Thanks for your kind letter and your support,  I appreciate it.    People are people!!!
Forgive them father for they know not what they are talking about. Ha Ha 
What were you doing on that stupid forum anyway ???
I can convert that 52 to a 58 or 59,  I can make it playable anyway !!!!!
Some vintage geek will buy it on Ebay, because he thinks the mojo will rub off on him. 
I've done it before !!!!  And I'll do it again,  that should piss off those retards on the forum.

Thanks Again
Ed

 

 

LETTER FROM A DIEHARD GIBSON MAN

 

Hi Ed, I hope you get this.

    
I just read your opinion on gibson guitars. I agree and disagree with you and the responses. I personally own seven gibsons and love them all, but I can see your point. I have owned good and bad, its a crap shoot.

Quality control is out the window, but there are some good ones, here is what I own: '57 Les Paul jr, 63 Melody Maker, 67 SG jr, 73 Les Paul Custom, 77 RD Artist, 2001 Pete Townsend SG, 2004 '56 Reissue Les Paul......The worst is the reissue, I agree with all of your comments.

But on the other hand, the best is the RD because it is all maple, including the neck...and it has a volute which "lessens" the chance of breakage. I once owned a 73 SG custom, worst guitar ever. It had a horrible skinny neck, and like another gentleman mentioned, wouldn't hold tune even if you swayed back and forth.

Absolutely horrible, so I got rid of it. My 67 SG jr is my main guitar, it has a good thick neck that doesn't wander. I will make a long story short because I have a hard time typing. Yes there are some shitty gibsons, but there are also some good ones, you just have to look hard.

For my one good 67, I bet there are 20 that are unplayable by now...."wall art". I respect your opinion, and understand what you are saying, because it is the truth. But I am still die hard gibson, its like a treasure hunt....buy and sell, buy and sell till you find the right one.
 

Cheers,
My bands website is www.thefrank.ca and we are headed down to California in May, so maybe we will stop by and see you.
Thanks for the great eye opener,
Denver Swainson

 

This Guy seems to agree with me but still loves Gibson !!!!

How hard do you have to hit someone for them to figure out who is hitting them !!!!!
Ed

 

Letter From A Consumer

 

Ed, I have spent an hour or so reading thru your web site dialogue with respect to American vs non-American made guitars..............first thanks for your honesty....there are probably a few folks that are not your best friend for your comments, but so what....

I'm 57, and have had many LP's Strats and the like over the last 40 years......but I am just a fan/aficionado of the instrument now, as my playing is for my own amusement and psychological well-being.....

I own about 15 electrics, and except for a PRS I acquired VERY cheaply, all my guitars were made in Japan, Korea, and Indonesia and China.....I am a Tokai freak, and I have one Tokai Strat from 77 or so that is a keeper....

but I have 3 LP's, a 335, a V and and Explorer....all Tokai's.....average cost to me about $400 or so.....I have modified some pickup combinations, but the main comment from anyone and everyone that has seen these guitars (including dealers) is just what great guitars they are...
 

And why not? what is the culture that disdains a well made guitar from a foreign land? since I can't pay $20 grand for a 65 Strat.....am I crazy? I used to buy the same guitars by the handfuls for $150 each....in today's market I guess I would be a rich man...oh well, too bad, so sad...

Thanks for your comments.....what a nice breath of air......

Rick Johnson 

 

Ed Roman's Response

Rick
I have played many copy Gibsons that are every bit the same or better quality than what Gibson peddles.

My issues with Gibson are the fact that the designs are primarily incorrect. The pickups are misplaced the headstock is too big.

The headstock angle is wrong, The necks break like tissue paper,

The weight is incorrectly distributed, The Guitars are muddy sounding, They weigh far too much, The necks are too short, The neck joint prevents sound from transmitting to the pickups, The pickups are floating, The inlays are plastic, I could go on but what's the point. 

The guitars you own could easily be better than Gibson but they still have the same design flaws because they are copies.  (Although I've never seen a broken copy)
 

Ed Roman

 

 

Dear Ed
Thank you VERY much for ripping on Gibson. As a former employee of Gibson I know first hand at the lack of quality & craftsmanship. There are so many corners cut at that factory it's disgusting, particularly for a product that costs on the average about as much as a decent used car. We need to spread the word about this shady company. And you're right, most people are misinformed about Gibson and just want the "vanity" of having one. Thanks once again and let's get more rants about Gibson.
Benjamin Unwin

P.S. they treat their employees like shit too.

Response From Ed

I worked for Gibson as a consultant, artist relations & sales training in 1990 & 1991. They treated me extremely well when I worked there, I could never ever complain about what they paid me, In fact they gave me six $2,000.00 guitars & 6 weeks extra pay when they were done with me. We parted ways extremely well !!! Which I have been told many times is very rare)

In fact I went on to sell many hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Gibson's at East Coast Music Mall. I thought the future looked pretty bright for me and Gibson doing lots of business.

They even paid me $2,000.00 to clean out the entire Steinberger factory 3 or 4 months after I had left their employ.  The factory had all the original molds, tooling, jigs and potentially over $300.000.00 worth of Steinberger parts and accessories that they did not want !!!   (I guess that makes me the worlds biggest dumpster diver because I loaded up an 8 car garage with all that gear) 

Today I am the only person in the world that supplies the old parts to the Steinberger market.

Gibson likes to sue their ex employees, Gibson doesn't like it, when an employee leaves then uses some of the contacts they made while in their employ to further his own business enterprise.

Their strategy is very good, Apparently they frivolously and maliciously sue the ex employee and force him to expend huge sums of money to defend his case in court. Many of these guys cannot afford to spend $35,000.00 to $1,000.000.00 on a lawyer who will 9 times out of 10 drag the case on and on to drive up his fees.

Gibson doesn't care who wins the case, Their plan is to bleed the person they are suing so much that they will give up and settle. Gibson has the last laugh when the poor guy is curled up in a little ball with blood streaming from his backside.

That's why I advise ex Gibson employees to get an insurance policy to cover this situation, That's what I did, and I saved myself more than most people make in a lifetime !!!!

Incidentally, many people who get sued already have this type of insurance in their standard comprehensive business policy.  The problem is they just don't realize they are covered so they don't even bother to check it out. Too Bad !!!!  (Sometimes you actually have to get your attorney to push the issue with your insurance company because insurance companies are not known for their forthrightness.)

The only minor complaint I ever had when I was at Gibson, was that I had too small an expense account, It was near impossible to function because I could never get a check to pay even the smallest bill to further my research or make a contact, set up a demo etc etc.

I actually spent several thousand dollars of my own money to pay photographers for publicity shots & transport costs that by rights should have been paid by Gibson. I didn't really mind that one bit though, They paid me very well !!!   I was able to write most of it off and as I said they paid me extremely well.

I met a lot of very high powered people in the music business in my capacity as Domestic Sales Manager & Artist Relations.  Plus I learned a lot from Henry Juszkiewicz, I had occasion to work with him one on one several times.  I personally would never have called him a jerk or a moron or even a psychotic loony megalomaniac with an ego the size of Texas.

I had been warned about him, but I never saw any thing that I thought was psychotic or megalomaniacal in my relationship with him. He was a bit of a "puddin head" but I actually liked his energy and tremendous drive to be the best.

Many of my celebrity customers are today my customers because of my initial dealings I had with them when I worked for them. I owe much of my success to Gibson for exposing me to the high end of the market. I don't think they like that very much.  Oh Well !!!!

When I started independently  reviewing guitars in 1992 I had my first ugly encounter with them!!  I always call them as I see them,  I published a comparison shootout between PRS & Gibson.  PRS won hands down and my review was strictly on the up and up. I just printed information directly from their brochures, This way there can be no accidents or repercussions.

I became the worlds largest PRS dealer a title I held for at least 3 years, I was selling 32 guitars a month from one location in a town of 52.000 population. Mostly mailorder, The entire Sam Ash Chain,  I think they had 9 stores back then was only selling 15 a month for the entire chain,  NYC, Long Island New Jersey  etc etc

I attribute my initial success with PRS to my straight to point no nonsense, no bullshit review of the PRS VS Gibson, 

People would call and want to speak to the Guru....  It was easy to sell them, because I believed in them and the margins were also pretty decent.  Remember this is before the internet so mailorder was a completely different animal.

 


Gibson guitars after Ed Roman has retopped them
See many more at this link
See The Nicest Affordable Gibson Les Pauls Anywhere
 

 Even One More Unhappy Gibson Guy

Hello Ed..;);)
   
   greetings from Norway..
been looking at your website for a few hours now and I am impressed, especially the rants section
as I have some bad experience myself with gibson guitars.
   first I owned a Les Paul studio that had several glips between the fretboard and neck, think they tried to paint over it or something, didn't work..;);)cost me 12000 kr.(1800 dollars) some 16 years ago ..a lot of money when you are 14..
now the reason for buying my Les Paul was of course slash of guns n roses, my hero..   (See Ghostbuilders,  Ed)
and your section on brand loyalty is also very interesting and very true, as I have been there myself, buying all of Gibsons B.S. about their "hand crafted" instruments.. I have found no such thing in my Gibsons..;);)
    my second guitar was an Explorer, brand new 2007 model, and the same damn thing was wrong with the
neck on this one as well. Only the glips was bigger, it looked like they hadn't even tried to fit the fretboard right.. it stood out a couple of millimeters from the neck all the way from 5.fret up to the 12.fret..
poor craftsmanship at best.. I mean even the cheapest of models from brands like Ibanez  etc. you will not find major flaws like this..
    how the hell can they go on making their crappy instr..??and people are still buying..??
I have now gotten rid of both my gibsons and be sure: there will never be one in my house again...ever!!!
I am now a proud owner of an Ibanez universe 7 string.. and it works and sounds better than I could ever imagine..
will not trade that one for any other guitar, the build is excellent and so far beyond gibson`s sad attempts..
   by the way.. any views up`s or down`s regarding Ibanez guitars..??just curious..;);)
oh and I have to mention the Les Paul slash signature model, here in Norway the list price is 65.000 kroner.
that should be about $9.500 !!!!!...what does Gibson do that can justify that kind of prices..??ghost build like you have mentioned..?? Slash probably gets his share I reckon..;);)
 
Well thats all from me, Use this if you can/want to on your website, be sure I will do my bit to convert people into thinking for and by themselves, not believing all the commercial stuff they read from major corps. like gibson..
   
 
     Hans E. Beddari
     Stjørdal.
     Norway.

 

Thanks Hans for your letter,  

Who knows, Maybe it might convince some other 14 year old not to make the mistake that you and I both made when we were young.

Could be, it's useless to try and fight the corporate machine that is Gibson !!!!!  I get lot's of negativity slung at me because I choose to call it the way I see it...

Occasionally when someone tells me they didn't fall for the corporate BS,  I am elated,

Today in the USA most people are brainwashed and programmed before they are out of 3rd grade.  I guess we can thank the American Advertising Council for turning our country into a 3rd world. Of course all the wonderful American businessmen who only care about making money for themselves that sends all our wonderful designs to China so they can put all their employees out of work.

Don't those idiotic morons realize that no one can afford to buy anything if they don't have a job...  Duh !!!!

Maybe someday our American culture will mature enough to realize what is actually happening to us !!!!

I know that my customers in Norway are all doing quite well because I sell a lot of very expensive guitars there.

Thanks again for your letter !!!

Ed Roman

 

 

Hi there--I haven't purchased any of your guitars (doh!) but I found you site incredibly informative, and wanted to send you a heads-up if someone hadn't already.
You bashed Les Pauls (which I think was deserved--I started playing on a Les Paul and have owned quite a few) and it reminded me of a "Some Assembly Required" episode I saw on cable (the Discovery Channel). They show the process of making this and that, and they had an episode in the Gibson factory where they followed a Les Paul through the factory.


I've built my own electrics for decades . . . Not that I'm a super expert, but I know one end from the other. I was AMAZED watching this. Yeah, the host was building one and he did the usual "I don't know what I'm doing but I'm trying" job. But, the REAL guys putting them together . . . There was one shot where a guy was slamming unbent fret wire into the neck with a VERY big hammer (I suppose the hammer bent the fret to the fingerboard?) from one long piece of wire (I thought you prebent and precut?) and then nipping it off afterwards. He slammed them in like he was putting up drywall--fret down, bam bam, nip, fret down, bam, bam, nip . . . For something that everyone thinks is "the top guitar there is" it was truly horrible.
In the space of the ten minutes or so they were in the Gibson factory I saw at least six or eight things I would NEVER do to my own guitar . . . If you haven't already, you need to watch it for yourself. Amazing.
Anyway, I love your site, and just thought you might like to see this.
 

Don

Thanks Don

Gibson  has been getting with murder for years. They have a core audience of uninformed close minded people who simply don't get what is going on in the world today.
I am noticing it more and more that many people are starting to smarten up. I am encouraged by the amount of letters like yours that I get.  I should print them all but there just isn't room. Someone should start a website "Gibson Quality Issues .com or something stronger maybe.  I have hundreds of letters on file that I could send them.  If you know any one interested in putting up a site I will subsidize them !!!!

Ed 

 

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 !!!
Although I never met an SG that would hold tune without a lot of neck & fret work.....

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

 

 
Ryan to me
show details Aug 31 (1 day ago) Reply


Hey Ed<

 I was recently on a Les Paul forum and I noticed this hateful assed post about "why does Ed Roman hate Les Pauls?"...I hate Les Pauls too.. matter of fact...my review of a Les Paul could be summed up in two words: "shit sandwich"...anyway...they go on and on about how terrible of a human being you are but not one.. I repeat NOT ONE could respond, or even bring up, the facts you state about Les Paul necks, headstock angle, cheap wood, foreign construction that claims to be from the U.S.  You've deprogrammed me...and seeing these people bitch and bitch about you and they like Les Pauls "just because" and "they rock" and "Ace Frehley plays them" isn't good enough in my book...  I come from Missouri.. the show me state..&  I've been shown your guitars.. I've been in your shop...and I've also seen Les Paul's..  played them..

Hell my father has an original 52 without a serial number he bought at a pawn shop in 1964 that's been sitting in a case and sees the light of day once every 5 years when he gets it out..  Its a 50 something year old piece of shit...oh it gets a tone, sure...but hey if I eat at a Mexican restaurant my asshole will produce a tone too.. big deal !!


Peace On The Hill Brother!!!
Ryan
Missouri.

Thanks for your kind letter and your support,  I appreciate it. People are people!!!
Forgive them father for they know not what they are talking about. Ha Ha 
What were you doing on that stupid forum anyway ???
I can convert that 52 to a 58 or 59,  I can make it playable anyway !!!!!
Some vintage geek will buy it on Ebay, because he thinks the mojo will rub off on him. 
I've done it before !!!!  And I'll do it again,  that should piss off those retards on the forum.

Thanks Again
Ed

 

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