More on the Gibson front.

walrus

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Yes, I saw that too - I agree, "brutal" is an accurate assessment...

walrus
 

bobouz

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Yes, the LA Times piece lays everything out quite clearly.

This is the first time I've heard of Henry actually accepting some responsibility for the mess he's made.
 

fronobulax

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"Gibson has chosen to go into that market where they're competing with the really big dogs. In the guitar market, we were the big dogs."

Interesting comment. Not sure how true it really is. In my bubble FMIC is the ubiquitous Top Dog. Perhaps the failure to break the bubbles of people like me contributed to the current situation? Or maybe the Gibson employee who said that was delusional?

"retailers have stopped selling the brand altogether, "citing unmanageable demands that include annual credit checks and upfront orders for a year's merchandise.""

If I had read all the press about how GC is going down and taking FMIC with it, those steps sound like what I might try to protect myself from dealer financial problems. It looks like HJ and I are both wrong on this one ;-)
 

mavuser

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no Gibson electric guitar manufactured in the last 20+ years, for sale in a Guitar Center, Sam Ash type of place...should have been more then $1,200 brand new. and they should have mostly been up around there other than Jrs and Melody Makers. they really watered down the Les Pauls with too much middle of the road and hybrid stuff. a couple "specials" in limited supply sure, for the holiday season maybe- and that is it. and either keep the Jrs low in price if high in numbers, or low in numbers if higher in price. and don't use cabinet door/furniture fake wood for the fretboard after 55 years...man, i am in the wrong industry!

Acoustics are a different story, they had a good run w Ren, those were great gits priced right. ( I played a couple but unfortunately purchased zero). but yeah they screwed that up too.
 

ClydeTower

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no Gibson electric guitar manufactured in the last 20+ years, for sale in a Guitar Center, Sam Ash type of place...should have been more then $1,200 brand new. and they should have mostly been up around there other than Jrs and Melody Makers. they really watered down the Les Pauls with too much middle of the road and hybrid stuff. a couple "specials" in limited supply sure, for the holiday season maybe- and that is it. and either keep the Jrs low in price if high in numbers, or low in numbers if higher in price. and don't use cabinet door/furniture fake wood for the fretboard after 55 years...man, i am in the wrong industry!

Acoustics are a different story, they had a good run w Ren, those were great gits priced right. ( I played a couple but unfortunately purchased zero). but yeah they screwed that up too.

I'd pick-up an ES-335 '63 reissue with block inlays any day of the week...
 

Stuball48

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Clyde:
I have a 1962 Epiphone E422T and friend who has played both my Epi and the his 335 said it played and sounded just as good as his Gibson 335. Of course, he could have been spreading a little extra butter on my biscuit.
 

txbumper57

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bobouz

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no Gibson electric guitar manufactured in the last 20+ years, for sale in a Guitar Center, Sam Ash type of place...should have been more then $1,200 brand new.
Have to disagree when it comes to such a sweeping statement.

Over the years, many hollow & semi-hollow bodied models in particular have been worth (almost) every penny of their selling price, imho. The same Les Paulish overpricing frequently appears with them, too - but as with everything Gibson, the gems are really worth the hunt when you find them.
 

shihan

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I notice Henry is holding one of his design abortions in the picture; that says a lot right there.
 

Quantum Strummer

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When it comes to 33x-style semi-hollow electrics I'll take an Ibanez AS (Artist Semi) or AM (Mini) model from 1981 (AS-200) or '82 (any of 'em). In fact that's what I did! The Fuji-gen Gakki and Terada factories were on it during this period, and the Maxon Dry/Super 58 pickups in these guitars are fantastic. Last year I bought four of 'em, all in excellent shape, and ultimately kept two. Didn't pay more than US$1500 for any one of 'em.

-Dave-
 

dreadnut

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My friend has a '63 Hummingbird that he bought new from the factory in Kalamazoo. Those were the days.
 

Neal

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Too bad, really.

Their vintage acoustics (pre-1955) are among the finest I have ever held in my hands.
 

dreadnut

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It would be more appropriate if he were holding a "Gibson Maestro."
 

refret

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How true. I would even expand that up to 1961, I have a '61 J-50 that is quite good. After that they sort of went down the tubes.....
 
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