Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

Gibson BRANDS is in the red.
Gibson GUITARS is making money in spite of Henry.
Yep, this is important to remember because there is a lot of emotion attached to this conversation-

If Gibson could magically sell of all of the ancillary investments, they would be profitable- A little ahead of Martin and PRS, but way behind Yamaha and Fender.

If they can get debt free, IMHO they will continue on a long glide down unless they make the kind of changes described in the articles- Or someone like Yamaha buys them-

But they aren't dead yet and there really is a good opportunity if clear heads come on board.
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

My question might be how much of the debt was used to prop up the Guitar company?

Gibson guitars might not actually be in the black either....or not for long without leeching the life out of a nebulous corporate network of debt.
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

]My question might be how much of the debt was used to prop up the Guitar company?

Gibson guitars might not actually be in the black either....or not for long without leeching the life out of a nebulous corporate network of debt.

OK, ******! I've had ENOUGH of the misinformation. If you read the business papers like I do for guitar industry news on a daily basis - you'd KNOW that Gibson Guitars is actually making a profit every year for the last couple years.
MEANWHILE - a number of the other corporations in the Gibson Brands family is losing money like crazy. If anything THEY are the ones leeching money from Gibson Guitars.

It is well known that Henry borrowed a buttload of money to buy this whacking bunch of companies just a few years ago - and that debt load is THE PROBLEM. Gibson Brands is on the hook for all of it, and frankly Gibson Guitars kept the wolves at bay for quite awhile.

So I advise you - STOP. DO A LITTLE RESEARCH before you open your yap and post something stupid. Would you PLEASE?
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

OK, ******! I've had ENOUGH of the misinformation. If you read the business papers like I do for guitar industry news on a daily basis - you'd KNOW that Gibson Guitars is actually making a profit every year for the last couple years.
MEANWHILE - a number of the other corporations in the Gibson Brands family is losing money like crazy. If anything THEY are the ones leeching money from Gibson Guitars.

It is well known that Henry borrowed a buttload of money to buy this whacking bunch of companies just a few years ago - and that debt load is THE PROBLEM. Gibson Brands is on the hook for all of it, and frankly Gibson Guitars kept the wolves at bay for quite awhile.

So I advise you - STOP. DO A LITTLE RESEARCH before you open your yap and post something stupid. Would you PLEASE?

CTFO dude.

I ASKED a reasonable question. Thank you for answering.
 
Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson😉

Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson😉

OK, ******! I've had ENOUGH of the misinformation. If you read the business papers like I do for guitar industry news on a daily basis - you'd KNOW that Gibson Guitars is actually making a profit every year for the last couple years.
MEANWHILE - a number of the other corporations in the Gibson Brands family is losing money like crazy. If anything THEY are the ones leeching money from Gibson Guitars.

It is well known that Henry borrowed a buttload of money to buy this whacking bunch of companies just a few years ago - and that debt load is THE PROBLEM. Gibson Brands is on the hook for all of it, and frankly Gibson Guitars kept the wolves at bay for quite awhile.

So I advise you - STOP. DO A LITTLE RESEARCH before you open your yap and post something stupid. Would you PLEASE?

I agree, however Henry has been focused on profits more than quality for a while now.

I’m a luthier that does repairs. I’ve seen some deplorable work come from Gibson. And it’s all based around taking less time on a guitar. I’ve seen file marks on the neck binding of a brand new Les Paul more than once. 4 minutes of sanding would have fixed it.

Or chatter marks left in the ebony fretboard on a Custom. They took it right from machining with no sanding.

Then we had the “Faded” series that didn’t require buffing the finish. And the ultimate time saver, the BFG! Someone got a big raise for that. Just take the guitar off the CNC. Minimal sanding, a little stain, and some rusty reject box hardware. Then charge more! Cha Ching!

They also introduced some of the tackiest, ugliest guitars ever.

So while the core business of building guitars that no one at the current company had anything to do with is profitable, they need to remove Henry now and get someone that has an interest in making great guitars and not obsessing on profit. And they need to hire some real designers before they introduce new models.

5339d76d0e0508fa7a0a07f992a786a8.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

They should make Slash CEO of Gibson...he has already been anointed "Ambassador of Gibson".;)



;>)/
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

Slash-costume-with-wig-and-top-hat.jpg



Slash could retire with Henry id id be fine, but i dont think the world of Top Hats would ever be the same.
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

OK, ******! I've had ENOUGH of the misinformation. If you read the business papers like I do for guitar industry news on a daily basis - you'd KNOW that Gibson Guitars is actually making a profit every year for the last couple years.
MEANWHILE - a number of the other corporations in the Gibson Brands family is losing money like crazy. If anything THEY are the ones leeching money from Gibson Guitars.

It is well known that Henry borrowed a buttload of money to buy this whacking bunch of companies just a few years ago - and that debt load is THE PROBLEM. Gibson Brands is on the hook for all of it, and frankly Gibson Guitars kept the wolves at bay for quite awhile.

So I advise you - STOP. DO A LITTLE RESEARCH before you open your yap and post something stupid. Would you PLEASE?

You're saying they make money but are in debt.

And to that i say you're either in debt or you're not.

The only thing Henry can "Advise" about at this point is how to Bankrupt a Company and come up with really stupid ideas for guitars.

Gibson wont make any progress until they Excise Henry & cut the cord forever.

Its kinda like letting someone from NYC with 11 Bankruptcies be in charge of the US Treasury & hoping for the best.
 
Last edited:
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

Gibson wont make any progress until they Excise Henry & cut the cord forever.

Its kinda like letting someone from NYC with 11 Bankruptcies be in charge of the US Treasury & hoping for the best.

Lol!
I hope we've been clear in the articles that we're not taking sides or picking on Henry... Just would like Gibson to turn on the thinking cap... Good for everyone.

But your analogy does slay me;)



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

You're saying they make money but are in debt.

And to that i say you're either in debt or you're not.

The only thing Henry can "Advise" about at this point is how to Bankrupt a Company and come up with really stupid ideas for guitars.

Gibson wont make any progress until they Excise Henry & cut the cord forever.

Its kinda like letting someone from NYC with 11 Bankruptcies be in charge of the US Treasury & hoping for the best.

He is being specific though, he's saying the Gibson guitar building division is profitable however the company as a whole is not. It's an important point to make regarding the viability of Gibson Guitars. To your point, the blame still lands on Henry's shoulders. You're both right.

Gibson management should read the book "How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In" by Jim Collins. It details the stages a company goes through and the problem they face as they start to decline. It all so give case studies on those that righted the ship.
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

Oh, great sidebar!

Same question... Could you do the same with low density mahogany to avoid weight relief?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

What Mahogany do they use? I mean, are they using Sapele or African "Mahogany" in their standard lines and using "Honduran" in the custom shop models? And when I say "Honduran", I dont necessarily mean old growth. I know that growers are growing whatever species the original Honduran mahogany encompassed in different areas of the world so that there are sources for it. Even though it's reportedly not the same qualities of the old growth wood. Obviously Gibson cannot be building all their Mahogany guitars with old wood. Since Gibson hasn't been very forthcoming on what they use I'm going to assume that they are using African or Sapele or some other "mahogany", at least in the cheaper instruments. But I really don't know.
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

Gibson management should read the book "How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In" by Jim Collins.

+1

Must read if you like business analysis.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 
Re: Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson;)

What Mahogany do they use? I mean, are they using Sapele or African "Mahogany" in their standard lines and using "Honduran" in the custom shop models? And when I say "Honduran", I dont necessarily mean old growth. I know that growers are growing whatever species the original Honduran mahogany encompassed in different areas of the world so that there are sources for it. Even though it's reportedly not the same qualities of the old growth wood. Obviously Gibson cannot be building all their Mahogany guitars with old wood. Since Gibson hasn't been very forthcoming on what they use I'm going to assume that they are using African or Sapele or some other "mahogany", at least in the cheaper instruments. But I really don't know.
Yeah I was trying to sidestep that and get your professional opinion happy face. Thanks 4 good input and will let you know if I end up with that amount of money sitting around happy face

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 
Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson😉

Bonamassa isn't buying Gibson😉

What Mahogany do they use? I mean, are they using Sapele or African "Mahogany" in their standard lines and using "Honduran" in the custom shop models? And when I say "Honduran", I dont necessarily mean old growth. I know that growers are growing whatever species the original Honduran mahogany encompassed in different areas of the world so that there are sources for it. Even though it's reportedly not the same qualities of the old growth wood. Obviously Gibson cannot be building all their Mahogany guitars with old wood. Since Gibson hasn't been very forthcoming on what they use I'm going to assume that they are using African or Sapele or some other "mahogany", at least in the cheaper instruments. But I really don't know.

That’s the thing. Les Pauls were always heavy. If you pick up some old guitars though they have gotten lighter over time. This is one reason for the trend in using torrefied (i.e., baked) wood.

Also once upon a time a company like Gibson could afford to reject heavier pieces. But their volume is too high.

But small builders can get lighter blanks. Also other woods work just as well.

Honduran mahogany is also known as “big-leaf” mahogany (swietenia macrophylla). It grows from Mexico to Brazil. This is the only true mahogany commercially grown today.

There’s also Cuban mahogany (s. mahagoni)

There are other woods called mahogany which aren’t, such as African (Khaya) or Philippine mahogany.

Many woods are suitable for guitars. If the weights and densities are similar the tone will be too.

Here’s a guitar a friend of my mine made when we shared a workshop. It’s fairly non traditional woods... the body is white limba (korina), the top is curly oak, and the neck is poplar. The guitar sounds great! Has a very vocal tone.

94e8ecb7f698c1d8ee03d5e2d5c065f9.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top