"yes please, i'll take that guitar in Walmart sunburst.

Those little "Harleys" were made in Italy by Aermacchi, which previously made Italian warplanes. And the first 125 was a copy of a German DKW.

Those little "Harleys" were made in Italy by Aermacchi, which previously made Italian warplanes. And the first 125 was a copy of a German DKW.

Yep. Exactly. The one I had was garbage. HD should be (and probably is) ashamed that they ever let their name go on such a machine.

Likewise, I have to believe that Gibson will be very cautious with what amounts to one of their most valuable assets....their name. If some Gibson executive is playing fast and loose with the Gibson name for the sake of short-term profits, the company will come to regret it in the long run.

Hi all,

Most aspects of the music business long ago passed out of the hands of dedicated enthusiasts and into the relams of big business.

Most popular music from the big record labels is mass produced to a formula and presided over by people who wouldn't know a melody from a melon.

Same with the big guitar makers. They'll use their brand names in whatever way they think best suits the agenda of the company as a whole, as a business. They'll slap it on Cheapie ranges, Medium lines, "Quality" ranges and whatever they think the public will buy, at whatever "price point" they think will sell.

Almost all guitars have elements sub-contracted out all round the world, whether it's the design, the component manufacture, the assembly or whatever.

This isn't all bad. We all like the cheaper prices that mass production allows, and we can't all afford hand made instruments.

But it's been years since you could buy a guitar on name alone (if indeed you ever could). So this doesn't change anything. It's still a matter of play before you buy.

Ok folks - I've seen the guitars!

I was at Best Buy to get a few things, and there they were: a Gibson "Signature" SG (about $170), a "Signature" Les Paul (about $200) and a Fender "Starcaster" (about $180)

First impressions...

they suck

Yep, it's been a long time since I've seen guitars this poor. I have one student who owns an Estaban, and it's easily worth two of these puppies.

First off, to allay the fears of Gibson watering down their brand, the name Gibson does not appear on the signature guitars. Fender's name does appear on the Starcaster (in smaller type below "Starcaster" it says "by Fender"). The Gibson name only appears in small type on the product cards on the wall behind the guitars.

Now the specifics:

Finish is poor - and in the case of the LP, there was a dime-sized piece of finish missing on the headstock. So they probably aren't packing them well for shipping. The SG looked like it hadn't been sealed and sanded before being finished - rough end grain on the horns.

Tuners were bad on all three - very tight.

Action was a joke on all three. The SG's nut slots easily sit 3/16" above the fretboard - ok, the frets are big, but not that big. I have played very few guitars that took this much hand strength to play, and I've tried out a lot of nasty axes over the years.

Oh yeah, none of them had more than four strings. And the ones they had on were tuned about a fourth too high (now I know that's the store's fault, not the manufacturers - guitars are always shipped with slack strings)

Nothing to plug into, so I couldn't judge the electronics.

The no-name guitars I last saw at Wal-mart were infinately better - although not great instruments by a long stretch - and $50-70 less expensive. The Wal-Mart ones could actually be useful to a beginner.

On the plus side, with a few modifications they might make good cricket bats.

On the plus side, with a few modifications they might make good cricket bats.

Ok, now that's funny. :lol:

I can attest to the First Act brand that is sold at Wal-Mart.

I picked one up one on clearance for $65 because it's smaller size is easy for my 10 year old to handle but still has a big enough sound so it doesnt sound like a uke.

It has a pretty decent tone with a good set of strings on it. The action is pretty good too. I only have a little bit of buzz around the 14th fret and only on one of the strings. The intonation is right on. The tuners hold very well. We check the tuning every time its picked up to play and it is typically right on. (Even with my son trying to do the Pete Townsend spinning arm technique LOL) It does lack in the finish department but it isnt horrible. Even the frets were relatively smooth on the ends. (Masking tape and a light filing took care of the few sharp ones)

Now don't get me wrong it is definately a beginner guitar, but it is good enough so that a beginner would not get discouraged. Overall I was pretty impressed for the price that I payed.

Ok folks - I've seen the guitars!

I was at Best Buy to get a few things, and there they were: a Gibson "Signature" SG (about $170), a "Signature" Les Paul (about $200) and a Fender "Starcaster" (about $180)

First impressions...

they suck

Ditto -- though the local Best Buy actually had an amp powered and ready to audition the guitars.

-G

The Sam's Club here has a whole mess of those Starcasters with an amp displayed. i make it my duty to walk by the display everytime i'm in there to ward off kids oggling the "Fender" lable on the headstock. :roll:

There is a phrase - YGWYPF

Simple and 50 $ is no exception !

There is a phrase - YGWYPF

Simple and 50 $ is no exception !

You got that right :!: :D