Why does everyone hate 2015 Gibson Les Pauls so much ??

mli3

Is it just the robotic tuners ? These can easily be swapped for grovers.... ?

Brize

The tuners, the nut width, the hologram, the logo...

mart

Yes, ok, but apart from the tuners, the nut width, the hologram and the logo, what did Gibson ever got wrong with their 2015 models?

mli3

come on.. hologram and logo.. ?? That's just superficial, but I guess its important to some. Nut width I get is a personal preference. 
there are still some cracking deals out there on virtually brand new LP standards from 2015 - i guess from when amazon were giving them away !

ESBlonde

mli3 said:

come on.. hologram and logo.. ?? That's just superficial, but I guess its important to some. Nut width I get is a personal preference. 
there are still some cracking deals out there on virtually brand new LP standards from 2015 - i guess from when amazon were giving them away !

The fact that they had to be given away in 2015 and are still being given away now tells you something. But remember that Originally Gibson stopped LP, Explorer and firebird production because they just didn't sell at the time. It could be in 50 years they 2015 models are the most sought after!

p90fool

They were well made, generally regarded as a positive turnaround in quality terms, but that neck...

The cosmetic stuff I don't care about, but the neck really is huge. I have big hands and find them very playable, but it makes swapping between it and conventional guitars a challenge.  

If you've played one and like it there's nothing wrong with them, but if you haven't played one you might be in for a shock. 
It's not just a chunky neck, I have plenty of those, it's not really like a conventional neck at all.  

WezV

p90fool said:

They were well made, generally regarded as a positive turnaround in quality terms, but that neck...

The cosmetic stuff I don't care about, but the neck really is huge. I have big hands and find them very playable, but it makes swapping between it and conventional guitars a challenge.  

If you've played one and like it there's nothing wrong with them, but if you haven't played one you might be in for a shock. 
It's not just a chunky neck, I have plenty of those, it's not really like a conventional neck at all.  

I think that’s fair.  I didn’t mind the neck, but it’s oddness was highlighted when switching between guitars.

tuners were fun but ultimately a bit unreliable.  I didn’t trust them.

i liked the adjustable nut idea. It allows anyone to dial in a perfect setup, but the longevity of the brass was not good and there was a slight tonal impact.

overall, they will always be a good deal for those that can handle the neck

johnl

Also let's not forget that at the time they came out all of those added (and not particularly desirable) features there was also a steep price increase. 

not_the_dj

The neck width wipes these out for me. I have other Gibson guitars and I'm very comfortable with those, every time I've tried a 2015 spec it just feels too wide. If it was my only Gibson I'm sure I'd get used to it and it would become the norm, but for that reason and that reason alone I wouldn't consider one.

JerkMoans

I picked up one of the double cut specials for a decent price recently and really rather like it. I’m not really fussed about holograms and logos, and the wide neck is compensated for by being quite slim front to back so it works for me, even though my hands aren’t particularly big.

The tronical tuners do bug the crap out of me and I’ve scored a set of Grovers to go on just as soon as I get round to it, and plan to swap out the brass but for the titanium replacement at the same time. 

With those jobs done I’ll be left with a v serviceable American made Gibson at a very keen price. What’s not to like?

ICBM

mart said:

Yes, ok, but apart from the tuners, the nut width, the hologram and the logo, what did Gibson ever got wrong with their 2015 models?

The case .

I don't actually mind the hologram - but the neck width is the deal breaker. The others can be fixed, including the logo if you really want to.

The problem with the neck is not just that it's wide - it's not 'fat', it's just wider side to side to accommodate the clunky nut - it's that the string spacing is still normal, so it feels really odd. If you like a wider neck, you can replace the nut with a conventional one to give the correct string spacing - but the tuners have to go first, since they're the reason the nut was fitted.

I also detest the models where one of the knobs is replaced with a mini-switch, but that's easily fixed as well.

I know some people do like the case too. For me, it's overly large and ugly, while not actually being as strong as it looks.

Jack_

The headstock scribble, it's just so bad.

flying_pie

mart said:

Yes, ok, but apart from the tuners, the nut width, the hologram and the logo, what did Gibson ever got wrong with their 2015 models?

The aqueduct. And irrigation... 

impmann

I just couldn't get on with the neck and the feel/string spacing etc.

Oh and those Robot Tuners were rubbish.

guitars4you

Brize said:

The tuners, the nut width, the hologram, the logo...

apart from that what have 'the Roman's done for us' ??

guitars4you

I always worry about anyone wishing to trade one in - looking at some existing new prices that are still out there it ensures very low used prices - 

Sync

Honestly, if they had kept the logo the same, as normal, most could have lived with all the other changes but for that signature. 

On top of all the unpopular changes the logo was one step too far. The idea behind the signature homage was nice and it could have worked wonders on a limited run LP at £6k which no doubt would have sold out. 

My only other real complaints with the 2015s were the usual LP QC issues of most years like weight and awkwardness, earth hum/buzz, usual finishing imperfections etc  etc. 

But man that fresh nitro LP smell when you opened the case was still great.

All things aside, the DC Special with P90s from 2015 was a fantastic guitar at rrp and more so especially after Amazon cleared them @ £300ish. 

bgmartinsbridge

So, I had a brand new 2015 Traditional.

The neck was horrendous, neck edge was sharp, as were the frets. Binding looked badly made too. 

OK - tuners are a discussion on their own but I thought hey were dreadful to use.
Could have been changed. 

Hardware and pups were fine. 

Just the build quality and general feel were really, really bad.. 

WezV

On the junior I had the build quality and finish were pretty flawless.  Better than expected

The wood was obviously a lower grade, but it did have a one piece body.

Rabs

I think the reason for the hate was the fact they tried to shove it down our throats...   That year they made those changes to EVERY guitar in the 2015 USA line up so your choice if you wanted a new Gibson that year was put up with the changes or buy a custom shop...  Thats what got everyone so worked up I think..

Plus the wider necks...  Also known as the runway neck    I tried a few and past the 12th fret it felt more like an old acoustic guitar than a Gibson. And for me at least its the neck profiles that was always one of the things that made a Gibson a Gibson.. Introducing all those sweeping changes across the whole USA line was always going to piss people off. Then there was the really bad soft brass zero fret nuts that weren't fit for purpose which they had to replace in the end with a titanium version.

Legionreturns

A signature that looks like it was scribbled by an epileptic paraplegic octopus with a gold crayon. 

Just can't get past it...