The main reason as to why Gibson Les Paul guitars come with such a hefty price tag is because they are made in the United States of America using only the very highest quality wood that is aged. In comparison, other guitar brands do not use such high quality materials in the manufacturing process of their instruments.
Another major reason as to why this brand of guitar is so expensive is because of the cost of some of the materials that are used to manufacture the instruments. To understand how these things impact upon the cost, we will now take a look at them in more detail.
Made In The USA
Where a product is made in the USA rather than in a country where the labour costs are much cheaper, such as China or Mexico, then it can only be expected that the cost of the product being made is going to be more expensive. However, with that comes a better quality finished product, as generally, more skilled workers are used in the manufacturing process.
High Quality Wood
The vast majority of Gibson guitars are made from either mahogany, ebony, maple, or rosewood. These are all very high quality types of wood, but unfortunately are getting rarer and rarer nowadays, which may explain why using them is so costly. Even where this wood is available, Gibson only uses the very finest cuts.
The Best Electronics
The sound that is produced from Gibson guitars comes solely from the electronics that are inside of them. The company’s products have a very particular sound that is unique to them – it is both robust and full, whilst in no way at all being weak or thin. This is because Gibson only uses the very best quality electronics that are all made in the USA in their guitars. In addition to this, the pickups in them are wired in by hand, ensuring the best possible sound quality.
Quality Control
Prior to a Gibson guitar being made available for purchase, it must first be tested in a plek machine in order to pass all of the quality control checks that are in place. What this is, is a specialist machine that has been made to be able to test the quality of each and every guitar that comes off of the Gibson production line. It works by measuring the frets and the strings on the guitar. The level of accuracy that the machine has is to the millimetre, so even the tiniest of defects can be picked up by it.
The Brand Name
Gibson is one of the founding names of the rock n roll scene, with some of the most famous names (e.g. Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry, and AC / DC) within the music industry having played their guitars over the years. The illustrious history that the brand has as a result of this, therefore, commands a significantly higher price than those instruments that do not come with such a good pedigree.
