Gibson Guitars

[jff]

Gibson Guitars. You may remember them as the company that sued Paul Reed Smith for making guitars that looked a little too much like Gibson Les Pauls. Well, take a look at what Gibson is about to sh*t out onto the market:

 

http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/jimi-hendrix-electric-guitar-packages-220786

 

[lamradio]

Gibson Guitars. You may remember them as the company that sued Paul Reed Smith for making guitars that looked a little too much like Gibson Les Pauls. Well, take a look at what Gibson is about to sh*t out onto the market:

 

http://www.musicrada...packages-220786

 

 

That's a travesty.. Makes me want to puke.

 

Gibson has really gone down hill the last few years. Their quality has been slipping and now this..

[Ghost of Electricity]

That's a travesty.. Makes me want to puke.

 

Gibson has really gone down hill the last few years. Their quality has been slipping and now this..

 

...and Fender is a money grubbing corporation who bought Gretsch and is cheapening that brand. hopefully they won't run it into the ground completely like they did with Guild (note to self:check yer facts here). Vintage guitars are too expensive. Asian guitars are unethical. What is there left to play?

[jff]

...and Fender is a money grubbing corporation who bought Gretsch and is cheapening that brand. hopefully they won't run it into the ground completely like they did with Guild (note to self:check yer facts here). Vintage guitars are too expensive. Asian guitars are unethical. What is there left to play?

 

Vintage and Asian are hardly the only options.

 

In Fender's defense, some of their Squier guitars (the "classic vibe" series) that are on the market right now are pretty impressive (although they probably are Asian made).

 

I can sort of understand why the Hendrix family is willing to cash in without regard to historical accuracy. Maybe Gibson offered them more money than Fender, but that Gibson would make an obvious Fender Strat copy is just baffling. They're really making a mockery of themselves with this.

 

I wonder if the Hendrix estate can get Mattel to make some reproductions of Hendrix's octavio pedal.

[Guest Speed Racer]

Vintage guitars are too expensive. Asian guitars are unethical. What is there left to play?

 

My first electric was a great Mexican-made Strat. Definitely the best I could get for my money, and fairly well-made. Fender has a lot of higher-quality American-made stuff that is very reasonably priced right now, in terms of electrics at least.

 

If you can't find an affordable vintage, you're looking in the wrong places. My current acoustic is a '67 Gibson that has seen a LOT of love, but plays like any other. I could have gotten a new Martin or Gibson of slightly lesser quality for only $400ish less. Willie's American Guitars has pre-CBS Jazzmasters for about the price of a vintage reissue - slightly more expensive if they come with the original case. If you're looking purely for a quality guitar and not a collector, you can definitely find an affordable vintage.

 

That Hendrix reissue IS very barf-worthy. To say that Gibson was able to capture some sort of "Hendrix sound" as if it weren't readily available on existing Fenders is just laughable.

[Atticus]

That Hendrix reissue IS very barf-worthy. To say that Gibson was able to capture some sort of "Hendrix sound" as if it weren't readily available on existing Fenders is just laughable.

 

yes, but how would you get the Hendrix trademark sound without a "Voodoo Child" amplifier and a Foxey Fuzz pedal?

[Guest Speed Racer]

yes, but how would you get the Hendrix trademark sound without a "Voodoo Child" amplifier and a Foxey Fuzz pedal?

 

It's a wonder Hendrix was able to pull off that feat himself without that gear! A true indication of his genius, indeed.

[Golden Smoghead]

Eh I don't think this is as big a deal as you guys are making it out to be. Just look at all the other sellout family estates (Bob Marley certainly comes to mind)... This kind of thing is more or less bound to happen. Shame it's Jimi, but I suspect he was experienced enough to handle this, wherever he is.

 

Also, don't glamorize how Gibson ever used to be. They only built the Les Paul after Fender came on the scene, there is a great NPR interview from a couple years ago where he talked about it pretty bitterly. Add in the way they mishandled the whole SG situation (putting his name on that guitar without asking in 1961), etc, etc and I think Gibson winds up as the most cynical and misguided of the guitar companies on this kind of issue.

 

I think we see this kind of crap more in the music world b/c musicians (and luthiers etc) are basically artists and not business people. So when they hit on a good idea, with rare exceptions, sooner or later the artists are economically compelled to move over and let some suit who thinks they know music make the decisions.

[GtrPlyr]

The logo on the pickguard is oh so tacky. That alone would send me running.

[anthony]

Ugghh..

 

I used to be a big defender of Gibson who generally takes a bad rap among guitar snobs. I defended the ludicrous naming conventions, the often shoddy quality, the inflated prices, ... all of it.

 

But more and more, I am loosing my faith.

 

I would suggest that Gibson would do better if it focused on the things that put them into the upper echelon of guitar making. I would suggest having less models. Focus on the classics: Les Paul, SG, LP Jr, J-45, SJ-200, 'Bird, etc.. Make those the best they can be. Leave out the gimmicks. It only tarnishes the (perceived) image.

 

Just my two cents.

[pmancini100]

that guitar looks like shit. i had a gibson doublecut faded les paul briefly, it fucking sucked. mexican fenders are the way to go. at least its on the same continent.

[Golden Smoghead]

I actually really like the old Gibsons, quality-wise. I have one of those SG-"Les Paul"s and it kicks ass. I just think it's not surprising to see them pull crap like this.

[Guest Speed Racer]

Eh I don't think this is as big a deal as you guys are making it out to be. Just look at all the other sellout family estates (Bob Marley certainly comes to mind)...

 

What bothers me the most is that they created a Fender copy on a Gibson and are selling it as his "original" sound. If this were Fender it would still be tacky, but much less so.

[In a little rowboat]

Asian guitars are unethical.

 

 

wtf is that supposed to mean??

 

 

Ive done this subject to death on other forums, I knew it would make its way here...as I recall, hendrix also played occasionally on an SG and a flying V...Id think gibson would have been better off making a hendrix sig model of one of those designs...but Im not a CEO, so whatever..

[cooperissup3r]

an old allman brothers messaged board i used to frequent had a great article on the horrible production of gibsons these days. wish i could find it..

[Ghost of Electricity]

wtf is that supposed to mean??

 

 

Ive done this subject to death on other forums, I knew it would make its way here...as I recall, hendrix also played occasionally on an SG and a flying V...Id think gibson would have been better off making a hendrix sig model of one of those designs...but Im not a CEO, so whatever..

You vote with your purchases, and so when you buy a made in China gutar you are voting for child labor, human rights abuses, etc. I'm as guilty as all the rest. One made in China, one made in Korea, one made in Indonesia. All good guitars.

[jff]

I would have no problem at all if Fender had a Hendrix model. I own a Fender Muddy Waters Telecaster, and it's a fantastic guitar. What's the difference?

 

Likewise, I would have no problem with Gibson making a Hendrix model based on any of the Gibson guitars Hendrix was ever known to have played (such as the Isle of Wight Flying V).

 

Also, I would have no problem if Danelectro made a Hendrix model of one of these:

 

[lamradio]

an old allman brothers messaged board i used to frequent had a great article on the horrible production of gibsons these days. wish i could find it..

 

Prime example:

 

The other guitarist in my band has a $2000 dollar Les Paul Custom. The thing NEVER stays in tune, so it sits in it's case collecting dust. He also had to replace the nut after he bought it (can't remember why).

 

I have a $600 Epi Les Paul Custom that stays in tune better than my American Strat and I play it almost every show. When I compare his Gibson and my Epi side by side sound-wise, you can't tell the difference. The epi might even sound a little better with more sustain.

[moxiebean]

shame it doesn't come with a can of lighter fluid & matches.

[Ghost of Electricity]

shame it doesn't come with a can of lighter fluid & matches.

[In a little rowboat]

You vote with your purchases, and so when you buy a made in China gutar you are voting for child labor, human rights abuses, etc. I'm as guilty as all the rest. One made in China, one made in Korea, one made in Indonesia. All good guitars.

 

Oh man, cmon...little children are not making guitars in china and s korea...unreal. Yes those countries have some labor rights issues, but Fender does not have a sweat shop....they are not idiots, look what happened to Nike. Are you suggesting an isolationist consumer policy...all american products, all american resources? Because if you are, there would be no guitars. Where do you think East Indian rosewood, Mahogany, Ebony, magnets for pickups and electronic components all come from? Not here. Guitars are built over there (asia) not simply because of cheaper labor, but because of the availability of raw materials and cheaper transportation.

 

Make your purchases as you see fit, but dont vilify others for the wrong reasons.

[Guest Speed Racer]

Oh man, cmon...little children are not making guitars in china and s korea...unreal.

 

Are you aware of their labor practices, or are you just guessing? You're right, nine year-olds are not likely slapping pick-ups on Squire Strats, but their labor laws are considerably more, uh...permissive? Gut instinct question: would you rather work in a factory in China or the U.S.?

[Ghost of Electricity]

Are you suggesting an isolationist consumer policy...all american products, all american resources?

um, no. I don't even live in the U.S.A.

Make your purchases as you see fit, but dont vilify others for the wrong reasons.

If I vilified anyone it was myself as I readily admitted to owning a made in China guitar. The body is mahogany too, so if there's any justice in the guitar afterlife I will undoubtedly be going to the other place.

 

And yes, I would rather work in a factory in the States

 

Just sayin'.

[In a little rowboat]

Are you aware of their labor practices, or are you just guessing? You're right, nine year-olds are not likely slapping pick-ups on Squire Strats, but their labor laws are considerably more, uh...permissive? Gut instinct question: would you rather work in a factory in China or the U.S.?

 

OK...I work for Farm Aid part-time right now, and have edited for a consumer rights periodical since working on my degree...but Im not any expert. I do know guitars however...

 

First of all, the Squier line is made in Taiwan, not mainland china...so chinese guitars yes, but not the PRC...and taiwan is a modern democracy with an internationally recognized set of labor rights laws...same with korea, same with indonesia...the factories are modern with high tech manufacturing equipment operated by people who have to be trained and paid fairly on a scale appropriate to their respective nations (yes, not our standard of course). Most guitar companies have legal departments that know better than to get involved in something unethical, certainly anything illegal...

 

 

I would prefer not to work in a factory anywhere, and yes, the US would be preferable...Europe more so

 

But lets be serious here. Is it really an ethical crisis we are discussing here? If so, you better feel worse about the origins of the cup of coffee you drink, the environmental and economic impact of the factory-farm produced food you eat...or the gasoline you burn...or the marijuana you dabble in. If you shop at Wal-mart, you are buying products of far more questionable origin. i agree that one's purchases reflect a sort of complicity or approval of said business practices...but to indict the asian guitar industries as unethical is hypocritical unless you subscribe much more rigid set of buying habits and product research.

 

 

um, no. I don't even live in the U.S.A.

 

If I vilified anyone it was myself as I readily admitted to owning a made in China guitar. The body is mahogany too, so if there's any justice in the guitar afterlife I will undoubtedly be going to the other place.

 

And yes, I would rather work in a factory in the States

 

Just sayin'.

 

There are no villains here...none of us are saints...and Im no tree hugger; I simply hate uninfomed, stereotypical opinions. It isnt a fair characterization to label purchasing a asian produced guitar as 'unethical' Meth, maybe...

I dont know about guitar afterlife and all...but the way i figure, if you use you powers of rock for good and not evil, karma will forgive the use of a rainforest produced tonewood...

[anthony]

I dont know about guitar afterlife and all...but the way i figure, if you use you powers of rock for good and not evil, karma will forgive the use of a rainforest produced tonewood...

 

I sure hope so.