Gibson or Fender: Which do you prefer

To be quite honest, I prefer Gibson guitars(http://www.gibsondoubleneck.com/doubleneck-guitars/#respond), although the selection of Gibson basses is quite limited to spinoff guitar models, such as the SG bass and the Fire-and-Thunderbirds. Gibson's guitar models on the other hand, are fantastic things. Although the Flying V is very well known to guitarists and non-guitarists, the Les Paul is Gibson's gold card. All the many versions of the Les Paul are all beautiful, masterfully crafted guitars. The 3-pickup custom, with its beautiful gold hardware on a black body and eternal sustain, and the Les Paul junior, with its stripped down looks and bare-looking pickups, have become symbols of rock in movies such as This Is Spinal Tap and on the stage with renowned rock acts like Green Day.

Of course, one thing I often hear about Gibson guitars is that they are often so expensive as to be out of reach from most of the younger players like teenagers, the most popular demographic for guitar sales. Only the finer, more established musicians with money to invest are able to afford real, American Gibson beauty.

Once a Greek violin company, Epiphone was bought by Gibson when Gibson had become recognized as a fine name in guitars, but could not afford to make thier finely-crafted, hand made guitars cheaper. Since then, Epiphone has been outsourcing Gibson guitar models to places like Korea and Indonesia. Some also declare a lack of variety in Gibson guitars, but I strongly disagree with such an idea. For those that have ever attended the world-famous exhibition of all things musical, NAMM, in Anaheim, California, one could see that the Gibson tents and stands are perpetually indroducing new ideas into the world of guitars, and they are pioneering new sounds just as much as Ibanez or Schecter or Fender. And it is not just sound that Gibson pioneers. You guys know what I mean), an angular guitar with a sound

For those that have never attended NAMM, simply walk into your local Guitar Center or other guitar outlet. You will find that, despite high prices, Gibson guitars have their own distinguished area among the rest, and Gibson is also constantly gracing the cover of catalogues like the popular Musician's Friend and magazines such as the ever-growing Guitar World, unafraid to show prices in the $1200 range despite that any musician knows he or she can get a half-decent sounding Ibanez for half that price.

And finally, the factor that finally persuaded me: quality construction. In Gibson guitars, the neck runs through the body. It is constructed by the neck being built as the center piece, and then the body is attatched in two pieces, one being attached to either side of the neck using a method called a dovetail, which is just two interlocking pieces of wood that attach two or more pieces of wood together sturdily without having to use screws and bolts. This type of construction prevents the neck from pulled inward by the constant pulling of the strings. So all in all, Gibson is truly an American tradition, and although many love the bluesy-sounding bliss of a good ol' Strat.