# Gibson Custom Shop (What a Joke!) AL68



## Evilmusician (Apr 13, 2007)

here's an email I sent to Gibson forum administrator ,didn't know where else to send it .

Just wanted to tell us guys ,that I've never been so disappointed with an instrument in my life,with all the anticipation ,of awaiting my new Custom Shop (what a joke there) AL68 ,to be kicked in the stomach,and have the thing fall apart right before my eyes ,a 4000 dollar guitar list 5000+ with a shotty fretboard/neck! (neck has started to separate from the ebony fretboard ,crack along the edge of the binding all the way towards the bridge on both sides of the neck ) I mean I looked past the volute issue ,the brown streaks in the ebony ,the fact that first when I bought it it wouldn't stay in tune ,plus the numerous problems and complaints on the forums from dissatisfied ES-AL owners ,All seemed to just disappear when I plugged it in and played the opening riff to A Passage to Bangkok , but the night I looked down a saw the damage that had befallen my precious guitar ,It almost made me cry .To me not having this guitar is like losing my best friend .Honestly I see all my guitars as my children (this was my favorite )

Ever since I first saw Alex using this on the Rush videos ,I knew some way ,some how I had to have one! So when I found out that Gibson had issued one I was beside myself ,and put in an order at my local music store .I searched the net for pics,info all I could find ,so the day I got mine I was like a kid at Christmas ! First opening the case pulling back the blanket was like that awwwwwwwwwww moment we all do when something impresses us ! Then only to be disappointed and disgusted by the so called quality and workmen ship that Gibson's Custom Shop claims they achieve ,well they dropped the ball on this model ,anyways I hoped to have this guitar for many years ,pass it on to my kids whatnot ,but looks like that won't happen now .I think it'll be a longggggggg time before I buy another Gibson if ever, let alone a Custom Shop one .Alex is my favorite guitarist and Rush my favorite band I'd like to think that he knows nothing of the problems of this run ,otherwise he might cease to be my guitar hero!

Former AL68 Owner


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

huh!..dude..calm down. Custom Shop does not mean 100% all the time. ANything can happen from the shop to your place. and second..just return the thing if it's damage, you have a 1 year warranty on all new guitars.

And when you bought it..U did'nt notice it?....NEVER buy an expensive axe without actually having it in your hands. All autorized Gibson dealers will order a CS axe without no down payment, so if you don't like it....you just don't take it.


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## Evilmusician (Apr 13, 2007)

I've had it 3 months wasn't like it when I bought it ,and for a 4000 dollar instrument it should be 100% all the time baring act of GOD!:frown:


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Evilmusician said:


> I've had it 3 months wasn't like it when I bought it ,and for a 4000 dollar instrument it should be 100% all the time baring act of GOD!:frown:


U have a year to return it...go back to the shop and show it to them.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

What is an AL68? Is that the "Gibson Alex Lifeson Sig ES- 355" in your signature? 

Wow, if so, thats pretty horrible. Did you return it? As the previous poster said, surely Gibson has to fix it under the warranty?


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

That is crappy, did you take it back to L&M? I assume you got it from there having to come from yorkville anyway.

PS) please don't hold this against my R4, is spectacular. I'll cry more when it leaves than the CU24. :smile:


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

I am terribly sorry to hear this. You were looking so forward to it too. Man ...I would be mad as hell. I say get your money back if you can and they can send it back to Gibson.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

Holy crap, that sucks. I remember how excited you were about that guitar when you ordered it.
For that kinda $$$$ you could get a real nice 335 too. There was a gorgeous 60s refin on 12th fret not long ago for $3k...I would have bought it if I had any kidneys left to sell.

12th fret has a couple of nice looking old semis, including an early 70s 335 for $2300 and a late 70s one for $1800.
http://12fret.com/used/#THINLINE & ARCHTOP
There's a few on elderly around that price: http://elderly.com/brand/40U_gibson.html


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

Any chance of you posting pics of these flaws ? It would be good to have these to show Gibson as well .

I would be getting in contact with the store you purchased it from and taking it from there . If your guitar has serious issues than Gibson should be making it right with you .

I've long felt the term "custom shop" has been abused by some guitar makers to justify premium pricing on guitars that are not much better than regular production . A fancy case , certificate and high price tag does not and exceptional guitar make . :confused-smiley-010


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

devnulljp said:


> ...I would have bought it if I had any kidneys left to sell.
> 
> *a late 70s one for $1800.*
> 
> http://12fret.com/used/#THINLINE & ARCHTOP


I have 2 (used) kidneys for sale.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

A really sad story! Hope you will fall in love after that experience! I'm all with you, how can they sold a guitar that price without quality! If it's a carrying problem I hope they will fix it!

:food-smiley-015: and a big hug!!!!


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## WEEZY (May 23, 2008)

I was at my local L&M this morning and saw a new AL68 and it was a MESS. It had a long piece of gold hardware sticking out of the bridge with a hole in it - I thought maybe it was for a whammy or something but apparantly not. When I asked what it was they just said 'that's what we would like to know, we're sending it back to Gibson this thing is whack'. Also, the trapeze was waay crooked and overall the guitar was in ugly condition - straight out of the case. Maybe a coincidence, but after reading your story, I wonder how many more of these are duds...


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

I've mentioned this before, but the dealer showed me a Custom Shop Les Paul that had finish and paint missing in a few places and several binding problems. This on a $4000 guitar! I was shocked, then the dealer told me it was the third one to arrive like this. The customer finally said screw Gibson and canceled his order. . . 

TG


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Evilmusician said:


> I've had it 3 months wasn't like it when I bought it ,and for a 4000 dollar instrument it should be 100% all the time baring act of GOD!:frown:


Yeah I agree 100%. For that kind of coin you should be able to expect very close to perfection and it should be set up very well. Heck I expect that level of quality for far less than $4000.

How Gibson reacts will speak volumes in my opinion.


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

Milkman said:


> Yeah I agree 100%. For that ind of coin you should be able to expect very close to perfection and it should be set up very well. Heck I expect that level of quality for far less than $4000.
> 
> How Gibson reacts will speak volumes in my opinion.


Yeah, can't wait to hear the end of THIS story!
-Mikey


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

You need to post this on as many forums as possible.


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

Actually he has a thread going on TGP in the guitar section too . 

He has returned the guitar to the store he purchased it from and they have refunded his money so we will not be hearing how Gibson resolves it . If you read the TGP thread there aqre some comments on other AL custom shop guitars that have issues . 
Hard to believe from a company like Gibson but I'll keep my Heritage H-535 thank you .


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

Check the f holes on Gibson's hi res promo shot

http://www.gibson.com/PRESS/custom/product/2008/Lifeson.jpg


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Wow--that's disappointing, to say the least.

And those f-holes are not nice.

Good thing the money's been refunded, but it will still be interesting to see if Gibson does reply & how.

I do have a question though--what do you mean by the volute comment?


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

The Lifeson's have a very big volute on the back of the neck near the headstock. Apparently, it's positioned so that you can't get your hand wrapped around the neck at fret 1 and maybe fret 2 depending how you hold. They screwed up and didn't put it far enough up into the headstock joint.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

keto said:


> The Lifeson's have a very big volute on the back of the neck near the headstock. Apparently, it's positioned so that you can't get your hand wrapped around the neck at fret 1 and maybe fret 2 depending how you hold. They screwed up and didn't put it far enough up into the headstock joint.


Thanks. I was wondering--as my Les Paul is an early 70's, it has a volute-(As does my Iceman)-but it's never been a problem--never been in the way. But a volute that's too low? That would suck.


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

bobb said:


> Check the f holes on Gibson's hi res promo shot
> 
> http://www.gibson.com/PRESS/custom/product/2008/Lifeson.jpg


Good god...those f holes look awful. There is no excuse for such shoddy workmanship....especially on such a high end guitar. I think I'll keep my PRSs'!


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## WarrenG (Feb 3, 2006)

zontar said:


> Wow--that's disappointing, to say the least.
> 
> And those f-holes are not nice.
> 
> ...


Here's the issue with the volute based on the template from the prototype: it should be just above, or slightly to the right of the nut in this photo:










As a luthier, this is a mistake. The volute reinforces the break angle of the neck at the nut. This does absolutely nothing positive...


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## rockinbluesfan (Mar 3, 2008)

No wonder the competition is benefiting from this scenerio, just recently got a tokai love rock LP copy and it is awesome- don't regret that descision at all! Gibson better get their act together because today's shopping world is about quality and price, both of which they lack!


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

rockinbluesfan said:


> No wonder the competition is benefiting from this scenerio, just recently got a tokai love rock LP copy and it is awesome- don't regret that descision at all! Gibson better get their act together because today's shopping world is about quality and price, both of which they lack!


I have a Japanese Love Rock and I doubt that any Les Paul I played are equal to it, even if mine is little beat up and old!


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

Unbelievable , how can they be that bad ?


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Saw that you posted this on TGP too.


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## Luke98 (Mar 4, 2007)

It looks alright til you get to the bridge pickup... then its just a ****ed up monstrosity.... Alex lifeson would be spinning in his grave. If he was dead.


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## elindso (Aug 29, 2006)

Ti-Ron said:


> I have a Japanese Love Rock and I doubt that any Les Paul I played are equal to it, even if mine is little beat up and old!


Mine is a 96 Goldtop Standard LE, I'd bet it's as nice as any of the forgeries.

Sad about them letting crap like that out of the factory. Really bad P.R. worse control.

Not all Gibson' coming out are garbage.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

elindso said:


> Mine is a 96 Goldtop Standard LE, I'd bet it's as nice as any of the forgeries.
> 
> Sad about them letting crap like that out of the factory. Really bad P.R. worse control.
> 
> Not all Gibson' coming out are garbage.


That's for sure. The point is that Gibson should treat the trust and respect they have with many musicians as an untouchable value.

The best Les Pauls (and sadly some of the worst) I have played have been Gibsons.

You should be able to buy a $4000 (or even a $1000) guitar sight unseen and be confident that when it arrives it will be nearly perfect or at least without fundamental and easily preventable defects.

I'll wager that your Gold top is much much better than the $4000. POS the OP ended up with. I can tell you that yours is among the best I've played.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

nitehawk55 said:


> Actually he has a thread going on TGP in the guitar section too .
> 
> He has returned the guitar to the store he purchased it from and they have refunded his money so we will not be hearing how Gibson resolves it . If you read the TGP thread there aqre some comments on other AL custom shop guitars that have issues .
> Hard to believe from a company like Gibson but I'll keep my Heritage H-535 thank you .


I have said it several times before. Heritage gets overlooked all the time. They are VERY well built guitars. My Gary Moore is the nicest "LP" I have ever played or held. (let's not mention the drop right now, I am still bumming), but the quality is outstanding. For the money, especially in the used category you cannot go wrong.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

this thread makes me glad that my $1550 LP Studio had one or two very minor flaws.


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

I'll post a pro-Gibson point of view. I have had incredible luck with their products. I dont still own all of these (the red Les Paul, Slash and SG are gone) but they are all examples of Gibson being a great maker.

$1300....(pretty much) flawless










$1900....flawless (though I flipped it)










$2300....flawless










$550....Flawless


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

$1900....flawless. Except for the headstock that I broke off and had to repair.










$600....flawless


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Do you guys know about http://www.wholesupplier.cn? 

Sounds to me like someone is selling thier copies as the real thing. Possible?


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

Lincoln said:


> Do you guys know about http://www.wholesupplier.cn?
> 
> Sounds to me like someone is selling thier copies are the real thing. Possible?


I have often wondered that myself when I hear of truly bad guitars such as this. I find it hard to believe L & M would jeopardize their distributorship that way but I would think you might find some of the smaller independent stores and private sellers doing just that. 

Regarding what happened to this guitar though, were there any big swings in humidity or temperature? Semi-hollows are particularly susceptible to environmental factors.


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

Lincoln said:


> Do you guys know about http://www.wholesupplier.cn?
> 
> Sounds to me like someone is selling thier copies are the real thing. Possible?


This has been the subject of a few threads here. It seems that a number of people have trouble telling the difference between real and fake Gibsons. With sites such as wholesupplier, the easiest guitars to check are Gretsch. For some reason, the counterfeiters seem to have trouble making a legit looking Gretsch.


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## Canadian Charlie (Apr 30, 2008)

Sorry to hear about the problems about your new Gibson, first off $4000 is alot to pay for a guitar and at that price you would expect to get a zero defect product that has gone through a 100% inspection. 

Who are the executives at Gibson hiring these days? Have they read about the complaints they are recieving on a daily basis? I have a Fender MIM Stratocaster which isn't made in the great ole USA but it doesn't have an issue that I worry about. I bought a Epiphone Les Paul a few months ago and it has fret buzz, I didn't pay the kind of money you did but I did expect to get it without a problem. 

The bottom line is that if you pay for a product with your hard earned cash it better not have a problem. As some of the members here have stated it should be returned and your music store better order you another one or give you your money back. I'm sure you want the guitar as you are a Rush/ Alex Lifeson fan. 


Good luck


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## rippinglickfest (Jan 1, 2006)

*Gibson*

Hence the old adage "try before you buy". THis is sometimes not an option but a 4k guitar with problems like that is just unforgiveable. I too have owned a few Gibsons but did spend time with them before purchasing, and as I mentioned in another thread..........I played a lot of shitty ones.


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