Gibson Last straw...

[J Moose]

Re: Gibson Last straw...

Well... when Gibson was bought by Norlin, it wasn't a very big company. That's why it could be bought at that time... and because of the fact that it didn't grew at all, but the opposite, it was possible to be bought back by a bunch of small investors.

But if you look at it now, you'll see that it grew at least twenty-fold since then, and that's why it still can survive the market, 'cause when one of the companies have a bad year, the others' good year makes up for it.

I also like the efforts on innovation made by the Epiphone company, as you've described earlier, "Gibson's cash cow". It can allow itself to innovate because they're producing the cash. Otherwise they just can't!

Other cash cows from the same company are the piano companies (Baldwin, Wurlitzer, Chickering, Hamilton), the Wurlitzer Jukeboxes and vending machines (they're almost a monopoly, mind you) and the drum company Sligerland.

I don't see the Gibson company weak enough to be bought, not even a "hostile takeover" any time soon.

No. Not very likely they'll be taken over anytime soon... though it sure would be nice if they offered some of the other brands like Kramer & Slingerland into the local stores.

I'm tellin you guys... the whole big plan at Gibson is to open up a series of independent stores just like Harley Davidson. They've already told my long time local dealer that unless they buy at least $150,000 of instruments or some other crazy number they're getting cut off. If you've been to the Nashville Opry mall store that's exactly it.

BTW - who's seen Gibson & Epiphone commercials on the nightly news, like this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0W8dutouss&feature=related

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Gibson Last straw...

BTW - who's seen Gibson & Epiphone commercials on the nightly news, like this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0W8dutouss&feature=related

Not like Fender isn't trying to do the same thing. It's the recent trend: convince the average Joe that if he buys the right guitars and gear, he can rock out and live the rock star dream of chicks and beer. Lots of people are doing it. Heck, even the Guitar Hero guys are doing the same basic thing. Gibson's stereotypical guitar wet dreams are all over that game. I can't stand to play it, even if I was going to, because of all their stereotypes. Get over the cheesy and get creative. It doesn't take much imagination to program stereotypical looks, guitars, and "bosses" into a game. I could've thought of the idea in my sleep.

Gibson is the Harley of guitars and always will be. You can get better for cheaper, but it won't say "Gibson" on it.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Gibson Last straw...

Zhang, I think your being a little pedantic and I think you get the jist of what's being said !
I know how I buy a good guitar ( and I'll tell you. ) but please tell me how you buy a good guitar.

Wannie Boy, first I admit I don't know what pedantic means.

I do get the gist of what's being said, it's just being said over and over and over and over again as if it's supposed to be some kind of cathartic experience of receiving intense news to cinematically tear your robes and wear sackcloth and ashes over. Past a certain point there's just too much glee in these posts over stomping on Gibson to be healthy, like the Japanese at the Nanking Massacre.

Anyway, you asked: You know a great guitar when you play it. Even through crummy pickups, the sound of quality wood still comes through and it sings and you imagine how much better it will be with just the right pu's and electronics. Your hand and the neck and fretwork are a dream marriage, playing is light and easy, not laborious, like a pitcher with a live arm that produces 99mph fastballs so effortlessly that you think you could come back 12 hours later and the guy would still be throwing that hard, if not harder, even though he never left the mound even to take a leak.

Secondarily, the guitar visually has a vibe that makes you want to play it -- it may be a work of art or it may be plain and it's that plain-ness you dig (as in the case of my MIM 50's Strat).

It's a lot like when you know you really dig a girl. You can name this, that and the other factor as reasons why you like her, but the sum of those parts doesn't quite capture it. There's something else about her beyond all that, so you just do.

So those are my standards, how 'bout you?

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Gibson Last straw...

Zhang,

I agree with your post saying everyone puts out dogs. But, brand G charges so much, and if they are dogs, you better avoid it at the store.. With a Carvin, send it back so they can make it right. With a Gibson, somebody will buy it regardless cuz its a Gibson..

That's what I don't get. Why did you (the general "you") buy the dog in the first place? With Carvin I understand because they're all mail order if you don't live in SoCal. But you can walk up to a Gibson and play it anywhere in the USA and elsewhere.

Somebody who would walk out of the store with a crummy guitar just because of the name is beyond help.

 

[wanmei1]

Re: Gibson Last straw...

Wannie Boy, first I admit I don't know what pedantic means.

I do get the gist of what's being said, it's just being said over and over and over and over again as if it's supposed to be some kind of cathartic experience of receiving intense news to cinematically tear your robes and wear sackcloth and ashes over. Past a certain point there's just too much glee in these posts over stomping on Gibson to be healthy, like the Japanese at the Nanking Massacre.

Anyway, you asked: You know a great guitar when you play it. Even through crummy pickups, the sound of quality wood still comes through and it sings and you imagine how much better it will be with just the right pu's and electronics. Your hand and the neck and fretwork are a dream marriage, playing is light and easy, not laborious, like a pitcher with a live arm that produces 99mph fastballs so effortlessly that you think you could come back 12 hours later and the guy would still be throwing that hard, if not harder, even though he never left the mound even to take a leak.

Secondarily, the guitar visually has a vibe that makes you want to play it -- it may be a work of art or it may be plain and it's that plain-ness you dig (as in the case of my MIM 50's Strat).

It's a lot like when you know you really dig a girl. You can name this, that and the other factor as reasons why you like her, but the sum of those parts doesn't quite capture it. There's something else about her beyond all that, so you just do.

So those are my standards, how 'bout you?

Li Qun ,
Ni shi chou gou pi !
What a load of dribble !
I seem to recall in a recent post you mentioned you had a Gibson SG that you said was a bit of a dog.
How did you end up with a dog when you have such a marvellous procedure for weeding out the dogs !
Perhaps you need to re examine your selction criteria.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Gibson Last straw...

This is getting too personal.