Gibson vrs Fender?

[Fenderalltheway]

The ultimate question. im not gana ask wich is beter, cuz u cnt say, but i want your opinion, wich u like beter?a fender?or a gibson?in my opinion i like fenders, they have a great sound, they are classic electrics, and are good priced. what do you think?

[PonyOne]

Oh dear god above, not again!

Well personally, I've gravitated more towards Fenders. Which is funny, because when I started playing I swore I'd never buy a Fender, that I'd get an SG and an ES335 and that they were the best guitars for me. I don't think there's any single brand that does it all for me. Ideally I'd like guitars by Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Parker, DiPinto, D'Angelico, Benedetto, Jackson, Aria, Yamaha, and Rickenbacker, among others, plus numerous customs.

That said I own two Fenders and I love them. I could have got Gibsons instead but I went with what sounded and felt right to me. If I were in the market for a Gibson I'd probably look custom instead, since most of the models I'd be interested in would be over $2k...

But overall I'll say neither. Different instruments, different people... and there are dozens of companies that do it as well if not better.

[Fenderalltheway]

ur right i just like 2 c wat people think,but i think gibsons are way overpriced...

[alucard0941]

you know guys, there are many more better guitars than Fender and Gibsons

...(GASP!!! OMG I CANT BELIVE HE JUST SAID THERE ARE BETTER GUITARS THAN FENDER AND GIBSON!!! THAT CANNOT BE!!!!!! BUT NO!!!!!) I know in all the guitar books out there, the only guitars they mention are Fender and Gibsons, well for all you people who think those are the only quality guitars out there listen up:

May I add that Stratocasters and Telecasters, and Les Pauls are not even as close in quality as what they used to be at their birth. Now you can find many more guitars better than those companies, but no one choosed them cause you gotta have the the name brand... ;)

I belive if your gonna shell out 2000 bucks on a gibson thats mass produced, made in a factory and comes in box from the local guitar center, you might aswell slap yourself in the face if you were going to buy that guitar for the sound. You should take in some consideration into handmade guitars about the same price. They will offer much more in a guitar with precise details in qualitly.
You guys should visit some local guitar stores that are run privatly and see what they have to offer. Usually, they dont carry big name brands and only carry the stuff you cant find at the Guitar Center, and the really rare handmade guitars priced to compete with big name brands.

http://www.infinityguitars.com/Heritageguitars/Her_antqbrst.jpg

this is a Heritage guitar. They built this Les Paul copy that can mop the floors with any Gibson. Its handmade and costs $1199.99 while a Gibson Les Paul can cost in the same price range but is made in factory my machines.

[SPL]

I'd go for a nice Fender Telecaster.

That said, I think it would be the last guitar I'd buy to complete my collection.

[ren]

Just get one of each.... I wouldn't be without my tele or my SG....

Don't buy a new gibbo though - the quality control is crap.

[sigment frued]

i like fenders, they have a great sound, they are classic electrics, and are good priced.


hence your name............

[gogogo]

For what I play Fender gives me the versatility. But I would rather go with a prs

[jk_647]

Yeh man Wht is it always with the whole gibson vs fender thing man there are way better makes out there and i think on my personal prefrence if your gunna be shelling out alot of money for a guitar go for a prs or something. Now they are buetiful handmade guitars and worth every penny!!!! But guitar are always down to the individual but as the whole thread is for gibson cough overpirced cough cough vs fender i would have to go for fender at the moment as i like the shape the feel and the sound!!! :D

[aschleman]

The reason its always Fender vs Gibson is because they're histroically the big two when it comes to guitars. For as long as electrics guitars have been around... since the early 50's... everyone has to make this choice. You were one or the other... Now there are many other manufacturers out there to choose from. With the explosion of metal in the 80's Gibson and Fender found themselves out of their niche... Gibsons... more specifically Les Pauls, are historically known as better rock guitars... and Fenders... specifically Stratocasters, are known to be blues guitars with the versatility to play any type of music. I have been raised into Fenders... and its all I know. But Niether is neccessarily better than the other... I like Fenders AND Gibsons because both guitars carry so much history. Where as PRS, Ibanez, ESP, Jackson, and so on don't carry the weight that the big two carry. I would die for any one of my Stratocasters... so I guess you could say I'm a Fender man.

[Blues_Man]

Fender, Fender, Fender....

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

I don't know, I love my gibson... but, I kinda want to buy a fender too.

btw... gibsons are half made by machine, and half hand built. certain things (like cutting out the body shape) are better done by machine, whereas others (like fret filing) are better done by hand... gibsons are like a hybrid of the two, and the results are nice (for me anyway, maybe I just got lucky)

yes, there may be better brands out there, I just haven't played any yet.

[platinum321]

The only reason anyone spends the kind of money they do on a Gibson is so that the guitar says Gibson.

It is certainly not because they are getting a better guitar. It's a label thing or a marketing gimick if you like.

One of the most astounding bits O marketing I have seen in a long time is the Charvel they had Eddie VanHalen tape up. Insane!!!!! It amazes me what people buy into just because of a name.

Fender though pricey for what you get is still a bit more level than the Gibson.

But cripes you can spend three hundred bux and get a guitar that plays as well and sounds as nice as any Fender or Gibson.

What was it Barnam said? Oh yea.. "There is a sucker born every "friggin" minute" I added the friggin part for color.

Anyway kids keep jamin no matter what you play.

Platinum321

[PonyOne]

just to set a couple things straight...

-Strats are generally considered to be classic rock guitars. Telecasters are generally considered to be blues guitars; even Fender's marketing pushes it this way... thouh in reality, both are good at both...

-PRS' are not handmade; like Gibsons, bodies and routings are CNC machined, and then some of the littler touches that are best done by hand are done by hand. Once upon a time, all PRS' were handmade; now, only the most expensive of them are, and IMHO, the prices of those instruments are grossly inflated versus what one can get from a skilled luthier. Again... YOU'RE PAYING FOR THE NAME!!! PRS is just as bad if not worse than Gibson and Fender in this respect...

[bigbuda]

Schecter is making a nice mahogony body guitar now with actual Seymour Duncans *not duncan design, arggg* or you can get the EMG 81/85 set. Either way, they are under a grand and I know a guy who owns both gibson LP, and a shecter blackjack, he like the blackjack better. I own a jackson with the 81/85 set myself but the next guitar I buy will be a shecter c-1, maybe a classic or maybe the hellraiser.

[Polera]

I like fender strats and teles, but i also grab a les paul quite often...why cant we just get along... :)

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

I like fender strats and teles, but i also grab a les paul quite often...why cant we just get along... :)
I agree, I love my gibson SG, but the next guitar I buy will probably be a tele! (or a tele copy) enough of the age old dispute between gibson or fender, the question should really be making out with 2 chicks at once vrs. getting a new guitar

me? I'll take the 2 chicks at once so long as I get to pick which 2 chicks it is..

[Lordathestrings]

... the question should really be making out with 2 chicks at once vrs. getting a new guitar ...Y'mean I can't do both?? :confused:

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

Y'mean I can't do both?? :confused:
I think that was actually a bad question... cause you get a new guitar, then go play live and nail an awesome solo, which is what ALLOWS you to make out with 2 chicks at once.

[Fenderalltheway]

i mean, i love fenders....duh, but gibsons r stil cool....but ya, fender is the clasical rock guitar,so well...ya

[Fenderalltheway]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cryptic Excretions]

I own a Fender Strat and a Gibson SG and I enjoy the company that both provide. However, I do tend to play my Strat more and do react in a biased manner towards it, but that is partially a senority-based view since I've had my Strat for a longer period of time and hold more memories with it. On the other hand, I bought it used, not that that's bad, but I worked my ass off and saved my money up for my SG and bought it brand new so that I could imbed my own personality unto it. It took me a long time to get it and I got it because it was the one I wanted and that alone earns a notable place in my history book since it's actually the first brand new instrument in my collection... well, that I paid for anyway. So both have earned a great deal of respect to me and since I grew up with both Fenders and Gibsons, I don't think I could choose one over the other... maybe. Besides, why compare Fender and Gibson? They're completely different. Why not Gibson and ESP? In that case, Gibson over ESP.

[guitardude99]

les pauls rock

[aschleman]

-Strats are generally considered to be classic rock guitars. Telecasters are generally considered to be blues guitars; even Fender's marketing pushes it this way... thouh in reality, both are good at both...



I more closely associate the Telecaster as a country/bluegrass guitar... not a blues guitar... Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, and Jeff Beck... just to name a few of the blues players that play strats............. just because Fender wants to market it as a rock guitar doesn't make it more of a rock guitar than a blues guitar... I don't like the constant twang of Teles... I like to run the full spectrum of tone that Strats have. But you're right they're both great guitars for many different styles.

[Lordathestrings]

... I don't like the constant twang of Teles... Roll off the Tone knob a bit - no more twang. :p

[aschleman]

Haha. Yeah, good point... I guess I've never been a fan of how they feel or how they look... not just the way they sound... Much like Les Pauls. Never really was a fan of the bulky necks and big bodies. I would buy one in a heartbeat if I had the extra 10 million dollars on me... (sarcastically) haha.

[arska007]

i really dont know which one is better and to me it doesn't matter because i choose a guitar by trying the sound and how it feels. :p

[Jolly McJollyson]

I more closely associate the Telecaster as a country/bluegrass guitar... not a blues guitar... Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, and Jeff Beck... just to name a few of the blues players that play strats............. just because Fender wants to market it as a rock guitar doesn't make it more of a rock guitar than a blues guitar... I don't like the constant twang of Teles... I like to run the full spectrum of tone that Strats have. But you're right they're both great guitars for many different styles.
Didn't Muddy Waters play a strat?

[Andrew Sa]

Ah Yes...Finally, a question that has NEVER EVER been asked before.


this is a Heritage guitar. They built this Les Paul copy that can mop the floors with any Gibson. Its handmade and costs $1199.99 while a Gibson Les Paul can cost in the same price range but is made in factory my machines.


I havent read the rest of the post, I am sure someone would have pointed it out, but I had to do it aswell>..

When it comes to a brand like Heritage, you can be assured of similar, if not superior quality to Gibsons...The brand was started by all the old Gibson staff that refused to relocate to Nashville from Kalamazoo.
The guitars are built in the same factory, by many of the same people who built pre-mid 80's Gibbos...they are Nice.

I own a Gibson Les Paul...it does sound amazing, and anyone who tells you otherwise should be shot! that said, the quality of Gibson products does fluctuate, and their construction is almost always not inkeeping with their price tags...

I find that alot of custom shops produce really great stuff as well...not only the guys like Tom Anderson, Don Grosh and John Suhr...but also the smaller guys like Nathan Sheppard (I love his guitars...wish I could buy one) Black Machine (see www.blackmachine.net and be blown away by these things) and John Procter...I am nt sure of too many Us luthiers...but their are some amazing Uk brands that just blow my mind...

having said that...there are also some Gibsons and Fenders that blow my mind...not to mention Prs.
Infact, I am about to buy a Fender tele (american,ash) which is amazing...just have to wait for my salesman to return from holliday next week (he gives me good prices)...but considering that all my other guitars are usually HH Mahogany types, this is a weird change...but it just feels right...


as for Gibson vs Fender....why do we have to choose?

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

Black Machine (see www.blackmachine.net and be blown away by these things)
hate the headstock, love the rest... I wonder how many people have to come back to him with a broken headstock cause it couldn't withstand the strain of the strings, especially on the 7 and 8 strings (btw, who really needs an 8 string???)

[Raskolnikov]

hate the headstock, love the rest... I wonder how many people have to come back to him with a broken headstock cause it couldn't withstand the strain of the strings, especially on the 7 and 8 strings (btw, who really needs an 8 string???)
This guy. (http://www.charliehunter.com/) 1235

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

This guy. (http://www.charliehunter.com/) 1235
I see, I didn't really think about using for a jazzy type of thing, I was just thinking of people like korn type of thing.

that guy was actually pretty cool (I thought it was kinda wierd that his frets were angled though...)

[alucard0941]

This guy. (http://www.charliehunter.com/) 1235
haha, that just made me think of Rusty Cooley

[Cryptic Excretions]

This guy. (http://www.charliehunter.com/) 1235
Is it just me or is there just not enough music of that quality in the world?

[Raskolnikov]

Is it just me or is there just not enough music of that quality in the world?
I really don't like Joe Satriani's music at all, but between Charlie Hunter and Larry LaLonde (both formerly his students), he's one of my all-time favorite people.

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

Is it just me or is there just not enough music of that quality in the world?
I agree

10 letters

[arska007]

Didn't Muddy Waters play a strat?
Muddy played a cherry red Telcaster which had Marshall amp's knobs.

[Fenderalltheway]

man, im gettin alot of posts...lol, but ya, umm, wat really annoys me are guitars that are like exactly the same as like a strat or les paul, but its sum stupid unknown company, it really annoys me.

[griefwearsgray]

i have a strat and an sg and i dont think i could live without one or the other. i find the fender better for recording and try not to use it onstage because it doesnt really put out a very strong sound. i stay away from the sg in the studio because i found it to have less range, but the sg has more rocking power onstage. thats my opinion. bye.

[3fingeredblues]

you know guys, there are many more better guitars than Fender and Gibsons

...(GASP!!! OMG I CANT BELIVE HE JUST SAID THERE ARE BETTER GUITARS THAN FENDER AND GIBSON!!! THAT CANNOT BE!!!!!! BUT NO!!!!!) I know in all the guitar books out there, the only guitars they mention are Fender and Gibsons, well for all you people who think those are the only quality guitars out there listen up:

May I add that Stratocasters and Telecasters, and Les Pauls are not even as close in quality as what they used to be at their birth. Now you can find many more guitars better than those companies, but no one choosed them cause you gotta have the the name brand... ;)

I belive if your gonna shell out 2000 bucks on a gibson thats mass produced, made in a factory and comes in box from the local guitar center, you might aswell slap yourself in the face if you were going to buy that guitar for the sound. You should take in some consideration into handmade guitars about the same price. They will offer much more in a guitar with precise details in qualitly.
You guys should visit some local guitar stores that are run privatly and see what they have to offer. Usually, they dont carry big name brands and only carry the stuff you cant find at the Guitar Center, and the really rare handmade guitars priced to compete with big name brands.

http://www.infinityguitars.com/Heritageguitars/Her_antqbrst.jpg

this is a Heritage guitar. They built this Les Paul copy that can mop the floors with any Gibson. Its handmade and costs $1199.99 while a Gibson Les Paul can cost in the same price range but is made in factory my machines.


I couldn't agree more. Heritage guitars are also built in the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Mi. on the original machines, and was started by a group of original Gibson employees that didn't want to relocate to Nashville.

I think Fenders are more reasonably priced, but that is because of construction techniques. It is easier to produce a bolt on guitar with a flat top than a guitar with a glued in set dove tail neck joint. Also, it is more expensive to aquire the figured top woods that Gibson uses, and to carve them into an arch.

But for what Gibson charges, you think they could at least put on a METAL jack plate instead of the crummy PLASTIC plate that they commonly use....sheesh...I can't count how many times I have had to replace a cracked or broken jack plate for my customers that are Gibson owners. Another gripe would be the fragile headstocks. I've done inumerous repairs to Gibson headstocks. The reason being that they have an angle to the head stock, which does allow for the absence of string trees, but if it tips over backwards, the top of the headstock hits the ground before the rest of the guitar does and then SNAP! Another reason for the frail nature is that these necks have a glue joint near the headstock. The reason for that is to save money on construction because of how large a peice of wood you would need in order to produce the angle of the headstock. Fender does not have an angled headstock and make there necks from a single peice of wood. I have yet to ever see a broken headstock on a Fender. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but you would have to actually try to break the headstock on a fender...it isn't gonna break from just being knocked over.

For the price of most Gibsons or Fender Custom Shop guitars, I would rather go with a custom build for around the same price and control the specs myself. Independent luthiers are usually a real treat to work with, and give your instrument the individual attention that you deserve.

As for the original question, I prefer Fender. Gibsons just feel to "boxy" to me, and because of the shorter scale length I get all cramped up on the upper frets. I also don't like how high the strings are from the body or the angle they use in the neck pocket. Plus with the shorter scale, I would have to use a heavier gauge string to compensate for the "slack" feel of these guitars.

Phew....I'm outta breath :o

[3fingeredblues]

Yeh man Wht is it always with the whole gibson vs fender thing man there are way better makes out there and i think on my personal prefrence if your gunna be shelling out alot of money for a guitar go for a prs or something. Now they are buetiful handmade guitars and worth every penny!!!! But guitar are always down to the individual but as the whole thread is for gibson cough overpirced cough cough vs fender i would have to go for fender at the moment as i like the shape the feel and the sound!!! :D

PRS are not handmade guitars anymore, and haven't been for quite some time now. They use CNC, and to me they have a wimpy neck joint.

I like Bunker Guitars best. Very inovative. www.bunker-guitars.com

[Hammurabi]

I see it as a simple issue. If you want to play a guitar that sounds like a les paul then your best bet is a les paul or an acceptable knockoff. If you want to play a guitar that sounds like a tele or strat then your best bet is a tele or strat or an acceptable knockoff.

There is no better or worse between the two companies.