I do agree but only for 25%. I have been in the GIBSON plant in Memphis, I saw the production process of hollow bodies. About quality: YES, they want to put on the market only the best. It looks a lot on throwing away money, because they "destroy" 25% of these guitars. I was a little bit angry when I heard about this, because they can bring them on the market, as a lot cheaper model, like B-GIBSON. I just know that you will find real good guitars, other brands in stead of the Holy Trinity GIBSON, FENDER, PRS. Gibson does have low(er) budget guitars, not using lacquer like a Gibson SG Faded. I compare these guitars with a car: BMW, MERCEDES, LEXUS, they are expensive too, it is maybe a stupid fact to compare a Gibson with a Mercedes, but they have one thing in common, producing a very good product. I have a lot of guitars, and I will only take the acoustics, you can't beat them. About the price, if you have seen what I saw, it is amazing, the quality of these hollow bodies. I have 1 hollow body: an Epiphone Sheraton. I am also asking why they are expensive. Just know that if you transfer the production to China, with a few US people to check the process, the price will drop, and Chinese People are delivering fantastic work. They work real hard and good, certainly compared to countries like India.
I am a PRS fan, and they are offering you a better choice: an expensive US model or a lot less expensive Korean model: PRS SE, have one, and the sound is marvellous.
If you look around on chordie, I worked very hard on some topics, like cheaper but decent guitars. The problem is indeed that you pay a lot of money, but it is even 100 times worse, if you see vintage prices, like a fender stratocaster 1964, going up more than 20.000$ and this just for a piece of wood with strings.
[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color] AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]