Gibson Les Paul and the G-string problem

    Hello!


    I recently bought a Gibson Les Paul Classic 2019. Very nice guitar. I've now noticed the well known G-string problem. I pressed down the G-string behind the nut to achieve a little pitch effect and after this the string is way too sharp. If I pull the string a bit it's back in tune. The problem doesn't occur while I'm playing "normal" but nevertheless...imho it clearly indicates a not properly set up nut.

    Second thing is a tiny scratch on the binding on the low E-string side where the neck meets the body. I guess my question is: Do you find this acceptable for a 2k guitar or should I send it back? The tiny scratch alone would not bother me much but together with the G-string problem...hm. What do you think?

    I could have farted and it would have sounded good! (Brian Johnson)

    I don't have an LP, but recall that there was a thread on this some time ago here. Personally, I prefer the PRS SC245 which doesn't have that issue.

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

    The G-string problem will likely happen with all Gibson Les Pauls / SGs due to the angle of the string from nut to tuning post. PRS guitars don't have that issue because their tuning posts are in a different position, leading to a much lesser angle.


    The only remedy is to keep the nut slot on the fretboard side untouched but on the headstock side, add a little bit of angle in the string slot to help the string move. A guitar tech with the right tools should be able to fix this issue in 2 minutes. After this easy fix, a bit of nut sauce or similar lube will help further eliminate the issue. :)

    Hmmm... If you otherwise like the guitar and its playability, I'd probably not send it back on account of the scratch. This is entirely "hearsay" (I haven't shopped much for Les Pauls), but it seems like many people try A LOT of Les Pauls before they find one they bond with. This info could also be outdated, as I believe (again Hearsay) that the quality is much more consistent these days. You could always try to get a discount if you decide to keep it, though :)


    Regarding the binding g-string... As you say, that's a "well known problem". I don't know if a nut setup will fix that, it may have to do with the angle of the string between the nut and the tuner - which is not really easy to fix. As Zappledan alludes to, PRS guitars have a straight line from nut to tuner, which solves this problem. But it's a different guitar.


    It may be something you'll have to live with if you want a Gibson - it could simply be the nature of the beast. But maybe others have had luck with setup?


    For the record, the LP I had also had the g-string problem. And was in general difficult to tune properly. It was an older model, though.

    Thanks so far guys. I know there's the so called "String Butler" for LP's (or nut filing) which should help. My question is more if these issues are still acceptable nowadays for a guitar in this price range. Besides these issues I absolutely love this guitar so far (up to now I only had a few hours to play it). Maybe I'm going for a discount.


    More opinions are welcome!

    I could have farted and it would have sounded good! (Brian Johnson)

    Thanks Martin! I wonder why there's no issue with the D-string as the nut-tuner-angle looks the same. Maybe friction because the string is wound?

    I could have farted and it would have sounded good! (Brian Johnson)

    Quote from Kempermaniac

    I know there's the so called "String Butler" for LP's

    Oh yeah, that's true. I've heard they work well.

    Quote from Kempermaniac

    I wonder why there's no issue with the D-string as the nut-tuner-angle looks the same. Maybe friction because the string is wound?

    I think it also has to do with the amount of bends you do on G strings compared to the D string

    The angle has already been addressed. Besides this, the nut slots on Gibson guitars are often simple to narrow and / or not properly cut.


    Most of the times several things work together: Slightly to narrow, angle, stiffness of string (contact on both sides of the slot), roughness, not rounded nut slot, material (bone is self lubricating).


    Solution: Slightly (!) open up the slot in the right places with the right tools. For example (looking at picture above) on the complete left side and funnel-shaped on the back right. Then the bottom slightly sloping to the rear and everything cleaned up and polished smooth. In order to diminish friction using lubrication as mentioned above is recommendable.


    That angle also has benefits. Besides the headstock angle, this (string pressed to one side of the slot) in my experience can prevent other g-string problems like vibrating in the nut, ringing...

    Edited once, last by Ibot39 ().

    Like 1

    Persoanlly....I don't think that type of thing is acceptable on a £2k guitar..Its been rumoured for a long time that Gibson suffers quality issues.


    Never had any desire to buy a genuine Les Paul, never found one I liked but as said before, if you like it then it can be fixed/improved relatively easily.


    Musicman, PRS Suhr, Tom Anderson....personally, OR custom made....I had a guitar custom made for my birthday...even better!!

    Quote from V8guitar

    Persoanlly....I don't think that type of thing is acceptable on a £2k guitar..Its been rumoured for a long time that Gibson suffers quality issues.


    Never had any desire to buy a genuine Les Paul, never found one I liked but as said before, if you like it then it can be fixed/improved relatively easily.


    Musicman, PRS Suhr, Tom Anderson....personally, OR custom made....I had a guitar custom made for my birthday...even better!!

    Yeah, it's kind of not acceptable. But the brands you mentioned all have their flaws. Look at this PRS Silver Sky. Is it acceptable, that the screws stand out at the bridge that much? https://www.gitarrebass.de/equ…sky-john-mayer-signature/

    A Squier would go back to the store for this!


    I love Musicman, but they have their flaws too. Their Schaller tuners they put on are mostly crap (I can post online video reviews; I had to change them on my guitar too). I have said it many times, the Musicman compensated nut for 25 1/2" scale lenght simply does not work. The first frets will always be flat. People don't care or don't believe it, until I "force" them to grab a precise tuner and actually try it. Then they hate me for it :D "But ALL the stars use the same guitar with this nut", they say. Yeah and they all sound flat or compensate with their playing (or weird adjustments). Most of the time they sound flat at the first frets. Could not be? I say to them: "Try again or at least grab a tuner and watch utube, if you still don't believe". Also look at other compensated nuts (for the same scale length) - they exeggerate a bit like Earvana, but are much more "correct". Musicman does it wrong - could not work for 25 1/2" scale guitars. Is this acceptable?


    Could write about other manufacturers too. But it would lead to nothing new.

    Edited once, last by Ibot39 ().

    On my side hundreds of Tokai LP/ES/SG, etc, and never experienced any G string tuning problems.


    Bone nut, nut slots cut correctly and at the correct angle to the tuner., and nut sauce.

    I recently bought a tube of Big Bend's Nut Sauce. Just changed the strings yesterday on my PRS and that was my first application, so I can't speak to its effectiveness yet.


    A couple of weeks ago I bought my first Les Paul since '76. I haven't noticed the problem thus far, but I haven't even logged an hour of playing time on it (PRS is the first call guitar). I'll be applying the Nut Sauce to all my guitars so I'll be curious to see if the LP exhibits any problems.


    It's pretty inexpensive, so perhaps before filing nuts and doing other physical things to the guitar it might be worth giving it a try.

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

    Like 1

    If anything else is fine, definitely don't send it back. If the nut has a problem or isn't well cut, just ask a tech/luthier to fix this. On top of having an antiquated design, Gibson has pretty weak quality control these days. They do have something unique though so have it setup right and get used to it and its limitations. I got an ES335 earlier this year and the nut also had an issue. Once I had it fixed, well set-up and got past the fact that it cost half of my car, I'm starting to dig it.

    Every guitar suffers from a g string issue, it’s just because if the gauge and lack of winding, and the tendency for guitarists to bend that one more frequently than others in standard tuning. Locking, carbon or rolling nuts can help, but there are also bridge issues. Once you notice and realize it’s everywhere, not just on Gibson’s but Fenders, Yamahas, PRS, Jackson and the list goes on to literally every guitar, even acoustics, it can change your focus and approach to tuning as well as adjust expectations with guitars and their flaws. To me it’s an inherently out of tune instrument, but that’s part of its charm and rock n roll.