Gibson.....people are not pleased with the new prices

[Nitrox]

ive been bumming around all the Gibson facebook pages and such and every post is people flat out ripping into Gibson over the new prices and robo tuners and what some are saying is lower quality!!!

whats behind the increase and robots, ive heard tell of rumours that Gibson is doing this to increase the estimated value of the company so they can get a biger buck when it comes to sell the company :rumour:

your thoughts

also not sure if ive posted in the correct area if not ......sorry mods

 

[Dave_Death]

Not sure what's going on but I'm not feeling the new range at all. Frets over the binding and zero frets? No thanks. I'll buy second hand. The 2013 range was great.

 

[Greg Connor]

I think Gibson needs a business model with more than a 6 month window. They are all over the place.

I bought 2 SG Standards, brand new, for less than $800 each a couple years ago.

I bought the Kirk Douglas SG for $1,175 when it came out a year ago (also brand new from a dealer). I actually had to wait for it, and they still discounted the price.

They need some consistency, but I suspect that they have a couple table pounders in the board room bouncing between: "We need to get our prices up" to "We need more sales"​

​

​

On a positive side, I like their guitars and I have a lot of them. I also think their customer service is very good.​

 

[dbb]

GOOD!

THEY (Henry J) HAVE IT COMING

with the price rises, BS, bad designs, crappy metal nut, dropping the cheaper USA models, etc.

I just hope it hurts the CEO and the brass more than the workers.

I still like a lot of their guitars....which is the only saving grace.

 

[Biddlin]

"ive heard tell of rumours"
Overheard hearsay?
No one knows what Gibson's financial condition is except Henry Juszkiewicz, David Berryman, their accountants and possibly the IRS. No one knows what the sales figures are because they don't publish financial reports, they just tell one another over morning coffee.
What I can tell you, anecdotally and with no firm data, is that new customers are buying and liking the wider fretboards and either chucking the G force or reading the manual and learning to use it. Some are PRS and Ibanez users, as I predicted, but some are brand new players, moving up to their first "good" guitar. If you can wade through the butthurt, blood and guts whining from old guys, you find these wonderfully objective reviews and pertinent questions from someone who has played and liked a 2015 Gibson. I've played a few 2015s and found nothing but good fit and finish. Not to my tastes, but beautiful guitars.
I think the recent survey taken by Musician's Friend/Guitar Center is a message to Henry and David about who isn't buying the new gear. I think we may be missing Henry's perspective. He knows that old farts want traditional guitars and he's making them, at the custom shop. He also knows that younger guitarists are paying big bucks for gear most of his current, aging customers wouldn't consider at any price. He wants that piece of the market. .
I think Henry is very smart when it comes to making money. He is financially committed to making Gibson the premier brand name for all musical instruments. It's his money, not investors' or share holders'. He could certainly sell the guitar division to any number of buyers and build his retirement palace in the South of France, but he stays on in Nashville, running Gibson. I can't even imagine how much a public offering of stock in the brand might be worth, but I'd bet Warren Buffet wouldn't sneeze at it, but he'd rather pay the cost to be the boss.
I think that, like many really fabulously rich people, Henry is an eccentric, whose eccentricities allowed him to see opportunity, where others saw decay, in 1986. Without Henry and David, Gibson would be but a notation in the encyclopedia.
My thoughts are that we have the luxury of buying or not buying new guitars, because there are certainly more used ones available, in all price ranges and styles. Barring any special runs or mid-year spec changes, I won't be buying a 2015 Gibson guitar. I believe that if Guitar Center sees most of the 2015s gathering dust and taking floor space in March, they'll start blowing them out, they have to, to make their nut, and if they decide that Gibson isn't listening to them, they may drop Gibson in future and that would send a loud and clear message to Henry. I hope the sales figures and survey I just took will do that.
I think General Music is the right one, mods?
;>)/

 

[Tobacco Worm]

From a personal view here's what I can say.

I'm not impressed with the new line of instruments. Too many gizmos hung on 'em. I'm an old timer and I don't like gizmos...

Last few Gibsons I've owned were poorly made and I didn't keep 'em long. I think most now are pretty crappy examples compared to what they used to make. I won't buy any newer Gibson now, and if you gave me one I'd trade it or sell it as fast as I could.

Gibson has always been real proud of themselves too. They refuse to allow their instruments to be sold in smaller shops despite the many that are of solid and sound reputation as being great shops. If you don't have enough square feet in your shop and don't have big bucks in annual sales you ain't gonna get to sell new Gibsons or even Epiphones in your shop. Snooty bastards!

If I were in the market for a brand new guitar I'd go buy a Fender or a PRS but I'd not even look twice at anything Gibson has to offer. I think Gibson has priced themselves right outta the market. But what do I know? I'm just an old coot that lives in the woods with too many critters around him.

 

[Vinlander]

The price increase is less of a problem for me; it is quite easy to get back what you pay for initially when you sell later provided you cared for your instrument. I paid 1295$ for my Gibson LP Standard back in 1993...
One of the few brand that can be called "investment".
With each price increase second hand market also increase.
Problem is more with what they do since 10 years or so to cut corners and speed up production like : PCB or getting rid of the nibs (I like them despite their issues and they are part of what I expect in a brand new Gibson)
The zero fret / robot tuner while it might have its merit should have remained an option only or stock for some specific cyber series...
It is a gimmick for me and will remain until Custom Shop stuff and higher end Archtops also sport them ...not gonna happen any soon.

 

[gball]

I'm warming to them a little. Not to the price increase, because I think it was unfounded, but to the guitars themselves. When I first played a couple I couldn't get my head (hand?) around the wider neck but I picked one up the last time I was in the shop and I had to admit it felt really nice, and the extra real estate gives you some ground to move around on without mistakes. Like anything else, takes some getting used to but I think they are OK. As far as the nut...meh, can't tell any difference in tone. I just think people generally don't like things that are different. I could personally do without the robot tuners (not once have I had one get the guitar into perfect tune but that may be the strings) but that is an easy replacement/upgrade.

As far as the quality/fit-and-finish complaints, I just don't see it. I honestly believe Gibson is making guitars today that are as good as anything they have ever made. I have been playing Gibsons for 36 years and the guitars they have been putting out the last few years are by far the best quality of any I have seen them make during that time.

 

[Relic61]

Here's my 3 cents. I'm OK with Gibsons fretboard layout (spacing & zero nut). They play with precision & ease. Reminds me of when I bought my Gibson MII & found an increased ability due to how easy that fretboard was laid out & fit the hand.

And as I've said before, there is no player usable reason to have plastic nibs (ala now old type binding) on the fret board. The fret plain should be one smooth continuous metal surface for that string to not only rest against, but move across when using finger vibrato , string bends & pull offs! Those Nibs were a mistake that Gibson corrected in my book.

Robo -ETune (whatever they are now) are fine n dandy but I've held up a live show more than once when my ETune struggled to accurately pull my strings in tune for me. Kind fuv'n retarded feeling actually. A big WTF Gibson from me on that one! At this point in life I'm still better than a robot tuner (thank you lord). They can keep that $#!t or at least make it an option or we can keep ripping them off our new guitars. But every guitar coming with one?? WTF huh? Board Room Fist Slammers inflicting their will upon the masses indeed!

Prices!? They will have to adjust as the sales reflect. They are trying to see how much they can get right now & will simply have to come around when stagnant sales confront them. But on the other hand, if things do well as they are, all us complainers are SOL or as I like to say, fuct!

 

[dbb]

"ive heard tell of rumours"
Overheard hearsay?
No one knows .....
;>)/

OK, the voice of reason......

 

[eS.G.]

I was QUITE happy with the price of my 60's Tribute
However its been sitting in warehouse since 2013.......could that in itself be an indicator of how folks feel about the NEW Gibson prices??
OR is it just because folks didn't like the 60's and 70's Tribs and SAm Ash needed to "blow them out"?

Either way ---I am happy happy happy

 

[LeadFinger]

I've yet to try a 2015, and don't really have much interest in doing so. I agree that 2013s are Grreat. That's why Gibson still builds them! 2012s, too. I've bought one 2012 and two 2013s that were built in 2014. I'm sure many of the 2015 production models will be older ones, with those horrible nibs, graphite nuts, thinner boards and everything.

Get ready for the online sellers to "find" a whole crapload of new SGJs, too.

 

[Biddlin]

Many of the ones turning up through online wholesalers come from jobbers, liquidating a store or warehouses stock. One of my friends just got a nice 13 LPJ, fresh in the box.
;>)/

 

[eS.G.]

 

[LeadFinger]

Many of the ones turning up through online wholesalers come from jobbers, liquidating a store or warehouses stock. One of my friends just got a nice 13 LPJ, fresh in the box.
;>)/

That's true, Bidldlin, like my Sig T LP, (which was built in Jan 2013 but somehow didn't need much of a setup in Dec 2014, hmmmm). But the paperwork gives the game away on some of the ones I own. They were 2012, 2013 models built in 2014. Fresh as a daisy. I think the Midtown was a special run, but my Epi Sorrento -- they started a new X of 1962 numbering scheme, the dicks.

Doesn't bother me a bit, go ahead and do special runs of guitars people actually want.

 

[Bullfrog]

When I bought my 2011 special last year it was brand new. Still had the plastic protective coating on the pickguard.

 

[frankd]

Well B.A lets face the facts most 15-26 year olds just don't have the cash
to get upper level Gibsons . I know I didn't at that age.
Most of the guys buying Lp and SG standards are us butt hurt old
over 40 guys.Funny I spent a good while looking over all the gibsons
and I don't like want or need 98% of them I don't want and need
robots Im not sayin do away with all minetune but I am saying we don't want or need them on every SG or LP standard classic and traditional model ! whats next they going to have mandatory rocket equipped and shooting smoking on fire model oops ACE FREHLEY already did that 40
years ago. Man I just want a good playing sounding guitar with
regular Paf old style PUPS Grover or tone pro tuners. No turbo boosters rocket launcher's robo tuners etc etc. and I have the money to get
one but the way things are going it wont be a Gibsons cuz I aint paying
over 2g for just a name NO MO.
frankd
will it be this who know's but its a damn sure possibility ! at 1599.
www.sweetwater.com/images/guitars/EclipseEIIFMTSB/ES1419316/ES1419316-body-large.jpg

 

[PermissionToLand]

Yeah if they're trying to go after the younger demographic, they're failing. I'm 21 and I wouldn't ever want one of those weird new '15 models. I became a Gibson fan because of the classic models I saw my heroes playing just like everyone else, and that's what I want. I don't think they're going to steal away buyers from any other brands either. Besides, young people are the last demographic that is able to pony up even more money right now. And needless to say they're pushing away their older fans as well, so IDK who these things are supposed to appeal to.

I think most young Gibson fans right now are either buying used Gibsons or new Epiphones (I played a few and the quality has really improved a lot since they opened the Chinese factory, and you can finally get them with decent pickups now too). Not to mention they're closer in specs to classic Gibsons than the new Gibsons are in many ways.

My best guess is that they're just trying to make the Custom Shop models more exclusive in that you can only get something even remotely close to classic specs by shelling out big time. That would explain the complete abandonment of popular cheaper models. I think it will backfire just like every other lame attempt they've made to be trendy in the last decade (anybody remember the Dusk Tiger? The Eye guitar? Enough said).

 

[lunchbox]

I haven't tried a 2015, and have no desire to, really. From what I've seen online and read...

- I have no use for a G-Farce tuner; I can tune a guitar myself, and enjoy that process. I know it's removable, but then I would have to buy new tuners along with the price of the new guitar.
- I don't like the brighter tone that a brass nut has. I had one on my old Kramer DMZ and didn't like it.
- I like the look of nibs. They're classy, show workmanship and detail, and have never gotten in my way when I play.
- I don't think a wider fret board would fit my hand all that well. I could see myself having trouble reaching my fingers all the way to the lower strings.The standard fb width does just fine for me (and thousands of others that came before).
- The chicken scratch sig on the headstock is laughable, especially when they put it on SG's.

Just imo.

 

[lunchbox]

Yeah if they're trying to go after the younger demographic, they're failing. I'm 21 and I wouldn't ever want one of those weird new '15 models. I became a Gibson fan because of the classic models I saw my heroes playing just like everyone else, and that's what I want. I don't think they're going to steal away buyers from any other brands either. Besides, young people are the last demographic that is able to pony up even more money right now. And needless to say they're pushing away their older fans as well, so IDK who these things are supposed to appeal to.

This nails it!