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So It Begins- Gibson Implosion


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I believe the idea with Gibson Memphis is to find a smaller location, probably one that is not in the middle of PRIME real estate. That location also has a lot of space that they honestly never utilized. They wanted to make it a music venue/destination/etc and it did not pan out.

This is really not surprising, considering the large debts that Gibson has.

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7 hours ago, gtrdaddy said:

If they sell off all of the companies they acquired the last several years and stick to building guitars they’ll be alright.

Also a bankruptcy is not necessarily an implosion or death knell. If anything it's a way for them to actually stay in business.

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8 minutes ago, Hbom said:

After forcing the Mom & Pops out of the picture it looks like Gibson's new marketing plan is to kill off the big boxes and just do it all themselves. :wacko:

http://store.gibson.com/

Exactly - when Gibson unveiled their menu-driven, "Made To Measure" program (shortly after Fender's similar "Build Your Own" deal), I figured it was only a matter of time before they started cutting out the middle men.

 

 

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Yep, agree with a lot of this.  Chapter 11 just allows options such as debt restructuring, consolidation and asset sales to occur, so doesn't necessarily imply the final bankruptcy of Gibson.  In reality, there should be a restructuring team put in place if they go this route as Henry and the board seemed to get some pretty bad advice going the route of a "musical lifestyle brand" with all those small related company acquisitions they made (many of them highly leveraged, btw).  Think that going direct to market with a rethought and more focused core Gibson guitar product line is the right way to market, doing away with all the things that nobody is asking for (boogie van and funky pink finishes, robot tuning systems, etc) and offering the Custom Shop as an adjunct to their main line.  Ironically, it seems that their Epiphone line is perhaps the most successful subsidiary co., so not too much to fiddle with there perhaps.

In the end, if Gibson has to fold their tent, it's hard to imagine the brand not continuing as it has tons of historical value and cachet.  Perhaps the new owners would create a more workable and successful business and marketing model than Henry et al did the last 20 yrs.

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I was never able to figure them out......Fifteen or so years ago there was periodically a huge tour bus with large "Gibson" artwork all over it, parked in Beverly Hills. Ironically, not at the "talent agencies" but in the so-called "Industrial Area". (Same block where our lowly band of rascals rehearsed----Not that they ever stuck their heads into out get-togethers, y'unnerstan'). And that was a couple miles west of "Guitar Row" on Sunset Blvd.

I guess they were entertaining SOMEONE. At least possible that included hookers from Sunset Blvd, who could often be seen still staggering down the sidewalk in front of Guitar Center/Sunset Grill as late as  noon on Saturdays.

They must have had their finger on SOMETHING.....

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Direct to market may sound petty sweet to Gibson... but a made to order sounds like a nice

way of saying non cancellable, non returnable... fine for a high end custom order,  but

a stock Gibson SG?   doubt they'll stick around for a non returnable SG at MAP pricing.      

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14 hours ago, crunchee said:

No more Gibson Memphis?  So, where are they gonna build 335s at?  Or are they gonna build them at all?

AS93FM_VLS_5B_01.png

 

You'll still be able to get a good version from Japan, though you may want to get some Classic 57 pickups for it.

 

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2 hours ago, Studio Custom said:

Direct to market is the future.  Retail space costs too much to rent, to heat, man and insure.  With stagnant wages, the only way is remove parties from the transaction, why do you think Amazon is doing their own deliveries now? 

Carvin/ Kiesel has been doing this for many years and is doing better than ever. Unless you get something way out of the box, it is returnable. I do have to say however, their prices are getting way too high in the last few years. They are getting kinda pricey.

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17 minutes ago, black magic said:

Carvin/ Kiesel has been doing this for many years and is doing better than ever. Unless you get something way out of the box, it is returnable. I do have to say however, their prices are getting way too high in the last few years. They are getting kinda pricey.

I just googled them, an American made guitar for $1200 is pricey?  What does a Fender USA cost now? 

https://www.kieselguitars.com/customshop/

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2 hours ago, gtone said:

In the end, if Gibson has to fold their tent, it's hard to imagine the brand not continuing as it has tons of historical value and cachet.  Perhaps the new owners would create a more workable and successful business and marketing model than Henry et al did the last 20 yrs.

How time flies when you're having fun. Henry Juszkiewicz bought Gibson in 1986, 32 years ago.

At first Henry's changes were considered promising, but by the late '90s it was obvious to me that he was guessing, acting impulsively, and really didn't know what he was doing. I mean really, how many permutations of a Les Paul can you offer? Remember the Studio Gem series? It was obvious that he was squeezing every last ounce of panache out of the LP.

ciointuoouzwi1ell.jpg

From there he started acquiring other dying brands--Steinberg, Slingerland, Baldwin, Tobias ... hell, I can't keep up as he bought them up, mismanaged them, and then killed them off. I'm not sure which ones remain, though Baldwin is free from Gibson and still up and running.

The Beatles lit the fire for guitar and had a ready audience--the Baby Boomers. The leading edge of the Baby Boomers were age 17 when Meet the Beatles hit the music stores, soon followed by the Ed Sullivan appearances and their first US tour. Now those leading edge Baby Boomers turn 72 this year. I'm a mid-pack Boomer and turn 65 later this year. How many more guitars can you squeeze out of an aging market with a range of of 54 to 72? Half of them are retired and the rest are planning for it.

And there were other signs; Rap/hip-hop and dance parties were taking over the pop music business over 30 years ago. All you had to do was watch MTV to see what groups were making videos and  getting air play. I bought the turntable for my home stereo at a Guitar Center. Baby boomers were followed by Gen-X and then Millenials. Do you think there's a sustainable guitar market there?

Henry's product planning through the years struck me as wishful thinking rather than studying the market, demographics, and the trends. He seemed to think that one more "collectible" variation on the Les Paul could pull the company out of anything.

 

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^^^^^

Is there a so-called Generation Y between Xers and Millenials? Some say yes and I want to interpolate an accurate reference when I speak to organizations about vintage guitars.

I'm 67, and many fellow Boomers consider vintage gear (and modern-day repros) to be "time warp machines", but we fret about whether we can inspire younger generations enough to keep the interest going beyond our own generation's demise.

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My daughters and their friends, mid to late 20's in age, are interested in guitars.  It is tilted a bit towards acoustic, but electric is certainly popular too.  They seem to gravitate either to something genuinely vintage (older than they are), or trendy and cool new design.  A new Gibson or Fender isn't of much interest, but a new Taylor or Seagull would be.  I think this is part of the problem for established brands - they are not new and cool.  Teens don't want to buy the same brand their parents or grandparents did!  Selling new guitars to the under 30 crowd means hitting all the buttons for cool, trendy, and modern.

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17 minutes ago, crunchee said:

The problem with cool, trendy, and modern is that it seems to have a short 'sell by' date anymore.

That has always been the way.

Which is why we went with all classic designs in our home, they are timeless.   Mauve toilet anyone? 

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2 hours ago, Studio Custom said:

I just googled them, an American made guitar for $1200 is pricey?  What does a Fender USA cost now? 

https://www.kieselguitars.com/customshop/

True, but the model at Carvin/Kiesel was always about the "direct to customer savings", as there's no middle man. That savings has pretty much gone away. The prices they list are also without cases, and without shipping.

And then there are those Carvin/Kiesel pickups and electronics. Their bass pickups are great. Their guitar pickups? Not so much. The single coils are good but the humbuckers leave much to be desired, unless you want to play heavy chugga chugga metal.

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1 hour ago, Studio Custom said:

That has always been the way.

Which is why we went with all classic designs in our home, they are timeless.   Mauve toilet anyone? 

Seems like the attention span is shorter nowadays, but yeah it has always been the way:

 

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8 hours ago, HAMERMAN said:

I hope you are correct - the last I heard they had shut it down and had not made an attempt to sell it.

 

 

Pretty sure you're right, sadly. As of right now, Cakewalk is finished.

 

I'm still pissed that Gibson bought out Garrison Guitars, for the sole reason to snuff them out.

Garrison was doing some quality work, and I thought their carbon fiber bracing idea was really cool....but then poof! They were gone.

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I am glad there was (and still is, but not the same) "Gibson". I have owned many great ones over the years. I still do have ONE, though perhaps not much longer, having developed other personal preferences. The antics (and apparent attitude) of the power(s) that be over there just make it nearly impossible to think about acquiring another. And that is sad.

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