Re: Epiphone Les Paul 8 string..?
I too wish large corporations would build one off instruments that appeal to a minority of players
And would sell them at cost to me
So I could benefit from their loss
Gibson is in the business of producing what appeals to the mass consumer
They want to sell many units at a lower price point
Or few units at a higher price point
Their is no benefit in selling few products at bargain prices
It isn't for me exclusively. To be frank, if a company doesn't make what I want, I make it myself but, for those who just want to pick up their desired setup from their favourite brand, it should be done.
It's part of being a company. You give your customers what they want - even if it's a limited edition.
Please tell me what justifies the sale of a Les Paul for £8,000+ compared to one that sell for £750. I make a pain of myself in music stores spending hours playing each guitar trying to find the difference and (with 18 years playing experience) I find no difference that justifies that much of a price tag.
The same goes with Fender. Why would anybody buy a Relic..? Call me crazy but, I like my guitars to look pristine not look like they'd been dragged around the M25 and then, chucked in a skip.
If I did, I'd go to the nearest skip and simply take it out, freshen it up, put new strings on it and away I'd go - for free. Not pay £3,500 in a shop.
Gibson and Epiphone could do a lot worse than do a budget line to test the water. If it doesn't work out - they drop the model. if it does, bring out some higher level Korean models.
BC Rich are doing that now - we await the results of that.
'Gibson is in the business of producing what appeals to the mass consumer' - they are. They are producing reasons to buy Ibanez.
They've got to do something or go out of business. The same goes for Fender.
