Gibson facing bankruptcy

[AndyTravis]

3 minutes ago, 3below said:

I did not realise they came that large  A More Paul?

Made of Monogamy with a framed marple top. Got a glued in neck not one of the ones from Bolton. It’s a Gibson Les Denis, played through a Jim Davidson WakkaWakka pedal.

[3below]

12 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Made of Monogamy with a framed marple top. Got a glued in neck not one of the ones from Bolton. It’s a Gibson Les Denis, played through a Jim Davidson WakkaWakka pedal.

Extremely rare and highly valuable, much sought after. PMd with offer.

[AndyTravis]

2 minutes ago, 3below said:

Extremely rare and highly valuable, much sought after. PMd with offer.

Not listening to offers under £14k

its not one of those fake epiphanies made in Indiana 

Edited February 23, 2018 by AndyTravis

[3below]

6 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Not listening to offers under £14k

its not one of those fake epiphanies made in Indiana 

I realised it was a genuine epistemological model made in Indianapolis.  Clearly not a Gibofakir.  How does €14k sound?  Please ignore forum violation.

[AndyTravis]

1 minute ago, 3below said:

I realised it was a genuine epistemological model made in Indianapolis.  Clearly not a Gibofakir.  How does €14k sound?  Please ignore forum violation.

The epidermis models are fair guitars - just not got that ultra rare quality. L@@k - I think I’ve changed my mind. £15,000, no less. Plays like buttah this - first to see will buy.

[skankdelvar]

Because I'm a sad bastard with time on my hands:

Source: Guitar HQ / Gibson

Interesting thing here is that the Standard had been on the slide as early as 1955. Also, that Gibson production of all Les Paul derived models dropped by nearly 1/3 between '59 and '60 - the main bulk of the drop being not the Standard but the Junior.

[NancyJohnson]

10 hours ago, skankdelvar said:

Because I'm a sad bastard with time on my hands:

Source: Guitar HQ / Gibson

Interesting thing here is that the Standard had been on the slide as early as 1955. Also, that Gibson production of all Les Paul derived models dropped by nearly 1/3 between '59 and '60 - the main bulk of the drop being not the Standard but the Junior.

I'd take that with a pinch of salt.

I read a cracker of a quote recently.  It went along the lines that while Gibson's official numbers cite that they made something like 500 Les Paul Customs during 1958/59, there's apparently more than three times that in circulation. 

I doubt they really know what left the plant to be honest.  Ridiculous serial numbering/poor record keeping etc.

[Hellzero]

15 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

I'd take that with a pinch of salt.

I read a cracker of a quote recently.  It went along the lines that while Gibson's official numbers cite that they made something like 500 Les Paul Customs during 1958/59, there's apparently more than three times that in circulation. 

I doubt they really know what left the plant to be honest.  Ridiculous serial numbering/poor record keeping etc.

Never heard of fakes ? The first well known being the one owned by Slash... At that time Gibson had a strict serial system, so the quote is correct, the rest is only because it's the more sought after model and that they are very easy to fake.

Money, money, money... 

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

I'd take that with a pinch of salt.

I read a cracker of a quote recently.  It went along the lines that while Gibson's official numbers cite that they made something like 500 Les Paul Customs during 1958/59, there's apparently more than three times that in circulation. 

That is a joke though - of the 650 Les Paul Standard Sunbursts made in 1953, only 1,500 have actually been accounted for. 

Its the number of fakes, the 59 being the most faked les paul (as it is worth the most), not a lack of accounting.

[gs_triumph]

2 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

I'd take that with a pinch of salt.

I read a cracker of a quote recently.  It went along the lines that while Gibson's official numbers cite that they made something like 500 Les Paul Customs during 1958/59, there's apparently more than three times that in circulation. 

I doubt they really know what left the plant to be honest.  Ridiculous serial numbering/poor record keeping etc.

Accountancy discrepancy me thinks 🤔

Tax avoidance.... Shhhhh! 

[skankdelvar]

5 hours ago, Hellzero said:

At that time Gibson had a strict serial system...

Indeed. It's generally held is that the 5 and 6 digit serial numbering system from 1952-1960 was more or less reliable in the context of measuring output. The revised 6 digit system which ran from 1961 to 1970 seems to be viewed as the least reliable of all the numbering systems used by Gibson over the last six decades. More here: http://www.guitarscollector.com/gibson-serial-numbers.html

Another funny thing: Ted McCarty was the Gibson President whose term in office saw  the introduction of the Gibson bass, the Les Paul, the Tune-o-Matic bridge, the Gibson humbucking pick-up, the Melody Maker, the Flying V, the Explorer, the ES-335, the SG and the Firebird.

For all that he embraced innovation TedMcCarty - just like Leo - wasn't a guitar player.

Ted McCarty (right) with Les Paul

Edited February 24, 2018 by skankdelvar

[SH73]

I think lots of it is down to the vast array of cheap and good sounding guitars on the market. Let's  face it, you can buy a guitar, laptop and DAW nowadays for the price of a decent Gibson or Fender to get a quality recorded sound.

Don't forget the signature models of less famous guitar players. The guitars look modern, light and good quality.

I'd still like a Fender and a Gibson though.

[NancyJohnson]

I watched a video yesterday, three blokes discussing Gibson.  There were a lot of great comments and an interesting commentary about woodstocks used in 1980s Gibsons, but most of all this came down to a handful of things; Gibson need(ed) to stick to ten guitars, make them well and make them cheaper.  One of the guys commented that although the custom shop do great things, they are selling models that only lawyers and doctors can afford and that Gibson had lost the real musicians when prices went north of $1,500.

[skankdelvar]

35 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

I watched a video yesterday, three blokes discussing Gibson.  

By coincidence I've just been watching the same vid. Very informative.

 

[Rocker]

I think a Les Paul is still the guitar rock players look and sound best playing. For bass it is Fender. 

 

There are are lots of (better?) alternatives in shops but Gibson and Fender have the history and credibility that brings to make them still the most desired instruments. 

[Geek99]

On ‎23‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 22:04, AndyTravis said:

The epidermis models are fair guitars - just not got that ultra rare quality. L@@k - I think I’ve changed my mind. £15,000, no less. Plays like buttah this - first to see will buy.

I didn't realise that buttah played - it would be rubbish at tag, it couldn't chase you or anything.

[NancyJohnson]

 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Gibson has sold the Cakewalk brand & assets to bandlab https://cakewalk.bandlab.com/

Edited February 26, 2018 by Jean-Luc Pickguard

[EssentialTension]

http://faroutmagazine.co.uk/gibson-guitar-ceo-henry-juszkiewicz-women-arent-comfortable-going-to-guitar-stores/

[PaulWarning]

15 minutes ago, EssentialTension said:

http://faroutmagazine.co.uk/gibson-guitar-ceo-henry-juszkiewicz-women-arent-comfortable-going-to-guitar-stores/

I'm not that comfortable to be honest, they're usually run by some muso, who stands there taking sharp intakes of breath, the last time I went in one to try out an acoustic guitar I played 'That's Entertainment' and was told I was doing it in the wrong Key!

[uk_lefty]

I used to find Denmark street a really condescending place to go in my early 20's. Never felt comfortable playing a bass, especially one 10 or 20 times what I could afford. Then some smart Alec would suddenly get the whole staffs attention by name dropping who he is producing for, buy a plectrum and disappear, leaving me being glared at while playing a bass... Happy to say it's not like that now. Maybe I just look like I might be able to afford something now?

[radiophonic]

I read the interview with Henry J and the idea that guitar stores are suddenly going to appear in major shopping districts is pure lunacy. The only way they can compete with the range offered online is have a big footprint and that means locating in lower rent areas. whether the big-footprint model is a good idea is another question, but it's big manufacturers like Gibson who insist on minimum stock levels that require the capacity and define the overhead margins. The interview/discussion with Rick Beato (above) sums it up pretty well: too pricey, too variable, too many models, too many gimmicks. There is a reason PRS are successful and most of what is suggested as a remedy for Gibson seems to be things PRS do by default.

 

Edit  - and more to the point: No T-Bird, No Ripper, No Grabber? Not a fan personally, but these models have a following and presumably would sell.

Edited March 1, 2018 by radiophonic

[Woodinblack]

I was talking the other day in my local music shop, someone was saying about the prices of gibson, so I pointed out they did some cheap things and the shop owner said, yes, but the minimum order is way above what they could sell or outlay.

They had a lot of fenders, prs's, guilds. Not sure why gibson think that they are too good for that market?

[leftybassman392]

35 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

I'm not that comfortable to be honest, they're usually run by some muso, who stands there taking sharp intakes of breath, the last time I went in one to try out an acoustic guitar I played 'That's Entertainment' and was told I was doing it in the wrong Key!

I don't normally get that type of problem at my local emporium. Late last year I bought an acoustic guitar and an amp from PMT Birmingham, and the whole sequence was really quite pleasant. IMHO going in with a professional, businesslike attitude and making it clear that you're there to buy if the right item is available helps. Staff couldn't have been more helpful and went out of their way to discuss options, set gear up for me and - most importantly - leave me to it when the time came.

The fact that I've known the store manager for the thick end of 30 years may have helped of course, but thinking about it they were good from the moment they fielded my initial phone enquiry not knowing me from Adam.

[radiophonic]

6 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I was talking the other day in my local music shop, someone was saying about the prices of gibson, so I pointed out they did some cheap things and the shop owner said, yes, but the minimum order is way above what they could sell or outlay.

They had a lot of fenders, prs's, guilds. Not sure why gibson think that they are too good for that market?

Particularly since Squier and Baja really sell! Let' face it, the broke-but-gigging muso market has to be way bigger than the Tone Attorney niche.