Sad - Gibson files for bankruptcy

My favorite guitar manufacturer, and an American icon. I'm still saving for an ES-335. One of these days...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...uptcy-with-deal-to-renew-guitar-business

I see Guitar Center is not far behind (I never liked those places anyways). I wonder how long Fender will last.

The guitar doesn't have the impact it once had.

I honestly don't get this at all, nor the overwhelmingly positive comments...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyAbwF_4ehg

Can you imagine this happening in the 1970's?

It looks like Gibson tried making DJ equipment. It is sad to see an American icon like Gibson struggle. Maybe they should have just stayed small and just stayed in the business of making high end guitars.

All things must pass. Can't buy a '74 Trans Am SD455 any more. Heck, you almost couldn't buy one in '74!

The soul of the world has become electronic noises composed and controlled by computers controlled by children.

Yes, I believe that. But...

I am sure my parents believed the same thing about the music I listened to.

The BIG difference is the YEARS invested LEARNING to PLAY an instrument.

No dues payed = Not a clue

Amen.

Anecdotal, I know...

My 80 year-old father keeps a crappy little table radio on all day. He doesn't like volume and has no interest in quality, but he does listen almost exclusively to Classic Rock (Eagle 98.1 in Baton Rouge). So musically, we get along great when we're working together, as long as I don't mess with the volume too much. But when we don't need to talk, I put my headphones back on which easily drowns out any ambient noise from his radio.

I have a old friend who lives in Austin Texas. He played guitar in a blues band for decades. He made extra cash that way in the many bars there who had live music. In the last few years he has switched to being a DJ who plays that type of music in the video Mark G. showed. He is making more money now than he ever did as a guitarist. Adapt or die, I guess.

My favorite time in Atlanta, GA. I was in a band then (90's) and after playing we just walked around town hitting bars.
We had just left a lesbian bar (our forward observer said, "hey, the place is full of girls") after getting our asses kicked playing pool we walked up
the block and heard some blues. They were closing, but let us in if we bought doubles (wasn't a problem), was a very old black guy was just playing
the #%&*$# out of an old Les Paul....wonderful. He finished with a 20 minute rendition of Mustang Sally.

I'll add a little optimism...

I bet I've seen more guitar-centric concerts in the last 3 or 4 years than I have in all my years previous, and that's not going to change anytime soon. Now, they may be mostly cover, tribute and washed-up bands, but they're still real musicians playing real instruments, and almost always put on an *excellent* show. So guitars are still being played regularly.

Walking the streets of downtown Nashville around midnight on Friday of April 6 (among an incredible crowd of people), I heard all kinds of Classic Rock being played in different places: Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Journey and Foreigner (who I've been listening to since). That kind of blew my mind! Nashville?! I said, "Oh, we gotta come back here and soon!"

I know I have posted this before. This my cousin's band. He is the guitar player. His name is Jimmy Adams. He always has been a Gibson guy, and he used to tease me about being a Fender guy.

^ That still puts a big ass smile on my face!

Glad I bought one before they went the way of the dinosaur. 1959 Reissue Les Paul. Sweet guitar.

Just reading this. Sad news . I hope it works out for them. I always gravitated to the Fender style neck and sound for electrics, but Gibson makes fine instruments

Plenty of people are still learning real instruments. Perhaps Gibson tried to expand into an area they have no real recognisable presence in, and they invested too much. Should have stayed with guitars only, fat slice of a small pie > thin slice of a large pie.

DM is right. Gibson made a bad business decision and they are now paying the price.

Is the entire guitar manufacturing sector declining or is it just Gibson? It would be interesting to know.

Any pics? I was thisclose to buying one and then found I was to be a father, got married and yada yada I didn't buy the RI. Now I have neither the wife nor the Les Paul. The kid's great though

Gibson makes my favorite guitars, and this news is hard to take. I have two Les Pauls, and love 'em.

I’ll see what I can scrounge up

Yes, let's turn this in to a show your Gibsons thread in honor of the (arguably) greatest American guitar company (I own Fenders too). I'll snap a pic of my LPs later too.

Possibly one of the best-known Gibson players, and definitely the most notorious! No effects, no signal processing, no pedals, just a guitar and an amp.

Mark G, the pain is too real

Although you kept yours right?

Yeah, that [piece of] pic was last month, on the way to NYC. I'm going to get another electric one day.

There are plenty of women walking around with rings that were once some guys pride and joy.

Yep, the motor city madman is one

Other well-known Gibson players (well if you're a guitar player)

Les Paul -- err, Les Paul
Jeff Beck -- Les Paul
Eric Clapton -- ES-335, SG, and many Les Pauls, including the Beano Burst (1960)
Billy Gibbons -- LP (Pearly Gates '59)
Jimmy Page -- Les Pauls, his number one being a '59. Also the iconic double-neck EDS-1275
Pete Townsend -- LP Deluxe
BB King-- ES-355 Lucille
Slash -- Les Paul
Randy Rhoads -- Flying V
Ace Frehley -- Les Paul
Duane Allman -- mostly Gold Top Les Pauls
Bob Marley -- LP Junior

Well I could go on a long time... Peter Green, Zach Wylde, Angus and Malcolm Young, Alex Lifeson, Joe Bonamassa, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Bloomfield, Dicky Betts, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Derek Bond....

Most players have many guitars, and of course some of these players are more well known for playing other guitars, such as Clapton and Beck who are more known for using a Strat. But most everyone has a Gibson in their lineup. Fantastic guitars (with exceptions). Sorry to see them go.

Another sad tail of the tail wagging the dog financially when a company strays from it's core business.

Hindsight being what it is, why didn't they just make an agreement with a successful company to make and sell the same equipment under their name?

Much like when Mazda wanted to get into the US light truck market and just sold Ford Rangers, changing the badging and a few minor features. Every single one of them was made by Ford, in Ford plants, out of Ford parts, and shipped to Mazda dealerships for sale.

With electronics, one would only have to handle the sales and piggieback on the manufacturer's storage and distribution infrastructure. The profit margin would be much smaller, but it would be profit.

Eventually though those band members will die and most likely will not be replaced by anyone new. Or at most will only be partially replaced.


No, the electric guitar will not disappear totally from music but it's already well on its way to being an instrument that is played mostly by niche music bands.

Niche? Every genre but hip-hop and R&B uses electric guitars.

Have you seen what the Top 40 has looked like for the past several years? The majority of the artists are hip hop, R&B, and Reggaeton.

Well I wouldn't go that far... opera, polka, bluegrass, classical and more

The guitar, and more specifically and especially, the electric guitar, is part of who I am. I bought my first electric guitar, a '76 Fender Strat when I was 10 years old with grass cutting money that I had saved for several summers. That was 40 years ago.

Deep down I always wanted a Gibson, but I can remember slagging them as too heavy or too same-sounding or whatever else, but after actually owning my first Gibson I realized it was just that I couldn't afford it. They are excellent guitars, for the most part.

Gibson made some misteps, especially the 70's era Norlin guitars with the 'pancake' body, which in all honesty weren't very good. Les Pauls were actually discontinued for several years in the early to mid-60s due to slack sales. But then the Bluesbreakers, and the Yardbirds, and Zep came along and the guitar found new fans while Gibson started making them again. Even the most iconic Fender player of all time, Jimi Hendrix, played Gibsons from time to time.

Well, if nothing else, I guess my Les Pauls will become more valuable.

I better start looking for that J-45 I've been wanting to add to the collection before prices are out of sight.

It will be interesting what this news will do to the vintage guitar market. It was getting ridiculous there for a while, then the recession came in and put a big damper on it. I think Gibson sales will pickup for a while as many enthusiasts try to make sure they get one.

Don't forget Country...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHlmYlwUKHU

I think Brad mostly plays a Fender Telecaster (my personnel favorite). I love that "twang" sound.

I don't know if it is possible to play American country music without string instruments.

Top 40/pop is a minuscule segment of music as a whole, though. Metal, hard rock, rock, country, and jazz/fusion all use electric guitars and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Guitar sales isn't the problem. Gibson's issues stem from venturing into other markets and losing their ass in the process.

Corporate debt is a #%&*$#. Debt to asset ratios matter.

As promised, here are my Gibsons.

Les Paul Studio Plus with a touch of flame and a Les Paul Classic in Honeyburst. The Studio Plus is the best guitar I've ever played, sounds amazing. Very lightweight for a Paul, and very resonant. My number one.

Nice, DBond.

As promised, 1959 reissue Gibson Les Paul. Jimmy Page was my guitar idol when I bought it.

This thread just got a whole lot better.

Sweet LP. That '59 neck profile is one of the best. Of course I've never held a real '59, but I bet your R9 comes close!

My Studio is a '59-ish D, while the Classic is the slimmer '60 C shape.

You have a great guitar man.

He was mine when you bought it too

It is fun to play. I have been meaning to do a full setup on it but right now it's a closet queen. I have been doing most of my recent playing at church so I've been playing the 2006 PRS Custom 24 almost exclusively. Better to get the "worship sound."

Judge not lest ye be judged. But man, she is beggin' for it

Got a good tech in your area? One that you trust lol?

Or maybe you set 'em up yourself? I do intonation, saddle height/length stuff, but I leave the neck, fretwork and nutwork on my LPs to a pro. The Fenders I just start cranking allen wrenches until it seems about right haha.

I have a PRS too and I know what you're saying. Ya know I've never really bonded with that one, it's like antiseptic or something, I dunno. Sterile in a way. Beautiful, but lacks soul or something. Hard to describe. She is my closet queen. I have a Tele too, but with this big huge neck on it like the early 50's Broadcaster. I shouldn't have bought it really. But if I have a weakness, it is guitars. It sounds great and looks the part, just not the most comfortable for me. I should sell it, but I've been buying them for 40 years and ain't parted with one yet.

Three Strats as well. And those I really like The Strat is like the most perfect design. It's like the Jeep, or the M1 Garand, ya know? Exquisite in it's simplicity.

We should have a guitar porn thread.

It's the death (perhaps?) of Gibson, but we should be thankful for what we managed to get.

Yeah, I do them myself. They play so nicely after a little tune up.



The PRS is a work of art but you're right. It really lacks the qualities that make the Les Pauls and Strats sound so great. Sounds really great as a platform for a bunch of effects though, and it plays like a dream.



I recently got a Hendrix signature Strat with the flipped headstock and upside down pickup arrangement. Love that guitar, and Hendrix . I agree...it is probably the most versatile guitar ever.



Absolutely!!!

Big Hendrix fan myself. When I bought the Strat 40 years ago it was because of him. Even at 10 years old I was in to that music. A few years later I got a Marshall JCM 800 half-stack to complete the look

When I got that Strat I didn't have an amp. I was talking to my shop teacher and he said he had one. It didn't work, but I could have it if I wanted it. I did. It was an old Silverface Fender Champ. My dad took me to a local radio repair guy who agreed to look at it. Don't know what he did, maybe a couple of caps or new tubes. And it worked! Man, I loved that little amp. Tone monster in a tiny box. A few years later I was starting to play in a band and parties to impress the girls and felt I needed an amp with a bit more projection. I traded that Champ on a Peavey Bandit which had all sort of whizbangs, Push-pull knobs and overdrive, a second channel and a speaker called a Black Widow which I thought made me so cool. To this day I regret that trade and wish I still had the Champ.

Here's a video of a guy playing through one. Miss that thing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOzjOiDT-3o

Cool stories and beautiful guitars!

Before I purchased an amp, I was plugging in to one of the microphone input channels of my parent's tape deck (originally my brother's first component system). I'm surprised I never blew something up.

I think I see a way for young guys to get interested in guitars again,



Actually she has a great channel. She is pretty talented.

In France they have a talent coming up in the shape of Tina S, not heard anything from her in over a year tho




She did play with other guitars before settling on the Vigier but those videos are not on her youtube channel any longer.

Good stuff there Alicat. This Laura girl can really play.

I had an Epiphone version of that guitar, $800.00 CAD.

Just thought I'd revisit this thread to say that it was much ado about nothing. They may have claimed bankruptcy, but otherwise never seemed to miss a beat. I kept waiting for them to fold (not wishing, just waiting) and their social media presence never wavered, and as far as I can tell Gibson seems mostly unaffected. I'm glad for that, as I love their guitars, but their death was obviously premature.

I'm glad as well that they seem to have survived...........even though I'm a Fender guy

didn't they have a problem with using imported wood a few years ago?

Yes they did, and started using laminated rosewood on there neck´s post 2006. They did a bunch of wierd builds with there lesters then, aside from there custom shop guitars which had insane price tags, but thats another story...

Gibson had a great number of setbacks, flooding and fires in their plants and the confiscation of a huge stash of illegal Madagascar rosewood hasn't particulalry been helping their survival.

Gibson ES Artist Active here (the one with Moog electronics), but I've also owned a 73 SG Custom and a 20th anniversary Les Paul. All 3 are great guitars but the ES is a wall hanger now. Have a 25th anniversary Strat too that weighs a tonne and sits unplayed on a cheap guitar stand. Neck is flaking all over the place but it has a great sound still, looks a bit reliced and smoke ridden. It's silver color has turned into gold lol.

Too old to gig now, so bought myself 7 high end acoustics, just to keep playing and find out which brands are great. I play em in turns but I'm sad to say that I do not own a Dove or even a Jumbo, three dreads though, rest are all smaller models because they're not for gigging. It's sad to see Gibson leave the scene, perhaps a shrude business man will take over but it won't be Gibson anymore. Of the dreads I think I love my Martin 1932 Authentic best, love that CSN&Y sound of that guitar, iconic. Martin doesn't appear to doing too bad but there's a lot of competition nowadays and they're also not getting any cheaper.

Wish I could plug into an amp again though and blow the windows out, man I love Rock!

VonBeerhofen

What do you mean? They still have a full line of acoustics. Did they cut it back?



Come on over, got a JCM 800 2203 half stack (with attenuator). The neighbors only get mostly annoyed

Yeap, there sure is alot of competition nowdays. If I had the money, I would not mind one of the Mayones guitars...

From Poland with love!





Also form Poland, Laboga amps of which Iam a proud owner...

Laboga Mr. Hector.



Laboga The Beast (my choice/head version) 7/14 watt as I don´t gig. I also have ZT Lunchbox Junior for when jamming at friends house or a take-away setup.



Keep on rocking

So I finally picked up the 335 I've been wanting for last 10 yrs. Craftsmanship is excellent. Tone is better.
Just fun to play.

That looks nice Piper. How about a closer picture of the body and then the neck. I want to admire the coloration they do.

Have some work to get done tonight, but will post some pictures later.

In the meantime, here's how they are made. It's a cool video if you have the time to watch.

Cool vid, love that stuff

Piper, I love the 335, congrats, and thanks for posting the pic. My very first teacher, when I was 10, had a 335. I was in awe of it. So beautiful, and played so effortlessly. I was so new to guitars, and this thing may as well have been from outer space. My guitar was a 1965 Fender Malibu acoustic, so that was my reference. It has a standard body with a Strat-style neck on it. Still have it actually. Anyway, looking at the 335 I noticed the inlays, and the tuners and the neck/body binding and I could see how well-made it was. Tone was great, and at that stage I knew acoustics sounded clean, and electrics sounded dirty. But yet here was something altogether different. An electric that was mellow and clean and loud. Mind blown

A year or two later I bought a '76 Strat with grass cutting money that I had saved for three summers. It cost $350 and that was a lot of money to a 12 year old back then. I wanted a Gibson, but just no way I could afford one. It wasn't until I was 23 that I could finally afford one lol. Anyway, just a few memories that your 335 brought back.

OG, here are my Gibsons if you're interested in seeing more. Shamelessly reposted from the preceeding page. But maybe folks are just hitting 'show latest post' and not seeing them The sunlight shows them well On the left is a Les Paul Studio Plus. I think at the time Gibson was calling this finish Desert Burst, but today Desert Burst looks different, much lighter in the center. The Plus designation is for the flame maple top (the striping). On the right is a Les Paul Classic in Honey Burst, which is made to resemble an old Cherry Burst LP that sat too long in the music store window. This guitar is a 1960 reissue of sorts, but with uncovered ceramic humbuckers instead of PAF-style ones. It has 'aged' inlays that have a sort of greenish hue to them. The Studio is my number one.

What a fun read DBond! And I hadn't read the entire thread so the pictures are great! (I don't flightsim much anymore so don't visit this site as often as I used to).
This just goes to show we need a separate guitar thread so everyone can post a picture.

BTW, that studio plus...is that a '59 Claw????? Love the look! Bet it plays great.

It has a touch of that yes, assuming you're referring to Keith Richards' LP (which, I think, Joe Bonamassa owns now)? But not a reissue or tribute guitar. It's light for a Paul, very resonant. Stock pickups, which I've always kicked around replacing, but who plays guitar and doesn't consider this from time to time? It has a 498T and a 490R in there. Great tone clean through a Fender amp or dirty and crunchy through the Marshall. Endless sustain (seemingly). Good slide guitar too.

I'm all for a guitar porn thread, I've lots to show

A question for any Les Paul players. You might notice that my LPs are top-wrapped. That means the strings are strung over the tailpiece instead of through it. This allows me to 'slam' the tailpiece (hard against the body), and results in a little slinkier string action as the break angle over the saddles is lessened. The slammed tailpiece might give better sustain, but I've never tested it, just going with what feels best. Who does the same with their LPs? Or I suppose any Gibson with a ABR-1 or Tune-O-Matic bridge.

I do not top-wrap, although it is certainly all the rage on some Les Paul forums. I've therefore never A-B'd it, so that might be a fun test!

If you do test it let me know your thoughts on the whole thing. I've been top-wrapping for so long now that I don't really remember how it was before lol. I'd say that top-wrapping makes the strings feel like they are a half a gauge lighter. I use .10s on my LPs and they feel lighter than that.

Some folks like it, some don't, just as you'd expect. Thanks for the reply RR.

I use a Faber tailpice, studs (tone-lock kit) and ABR-1 bridge (brass saddles) kit for my LP STD. Much better then stock.

Faber replacement parts:
Faberguitars replacements

The "My LesPaul" forum is a great site for info and know-how. Real nice folks there, I don´t stop by as much as I used to now days.
MyLesPaul Forum

Red

Yeah, but do you top-wrap?

Good forum Red, and I am also a member here

https://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/index.php?s=

LOL no, just with my girfriend! hehe.

Seriously, I have plenty as is, and only worry about tone as much. The tail kit did improve my tone/sustain, that´s why I mentioned it.

I use 10s as well, but I am used to 10s on a Strat, so the shorter scale length Paul feels pretty slinky already. Any slinkier and I might slide right off the board!

Haha, yeah good point.

The Strats are all strung with hybrids, 9-46, LPs with 10-48 and the Tele has 11s. Not sure what's on the PRS, as it's been so long since I picked it up., but probably hybrid slinkys.

D´Addario 09 EXL120-3D (nickel wound, don´t like half-round) for my LP, been using them for quite along time. Personally I find 010 to heavy for LP type guitars, LP´s already have a thick sound to them, but that´s just me. For strat/tele types then yaeh I could go for 010 or higher. Martin Phosphor Bornze 012-054 for my acustic (Yamaha LL-6). Forgot what I got on my bass (Warwick), they last longer so easy to forget LOL.

Use to use GHS Boomers, which I remember were quite slinky.

After seeing that video , I understand why Gibsons are so expensive

Yeah Archie, they are works of art, in my view anyway.

Gibson guitars feature a variety of things not found on many other guitars, particularly Fenders. I love Fenders too and am in no way putting them down.

But things like body and neck binding, set necks, top caps and more all add to the expense. Even the finish. Most, if not all, Gibsons have a nitro-cellulose finish, which isn't very durable, but it smells really good

I happen to have a Strat with nitro too, so it's not like it's exclusive to Gibsons. But they don't cut any corners. That's why I had to wait until I had an adult job to afford one haha.

Earlier this year I was saddened to see that David Gilmour was auctioning many of his guitars. I am a huge Gilmour fan, perhaps the most influential player for me. So to see him giving them up didn't seem right. Well, I hadn't heard the results of the sale, and never really looked. But today I did, and while searching came across this cool list of the most expensive guitars. Gilmour's Black Strat, that we've all seen and the whole world has heard, now tops this list, and by some margin. Some rich guy is very lucky today The auction was in June.

World's Most Expensive Guitars

I'd take any of those Strats, Gibsons and Martins

I am a long time Strat player. I currently own a 1983. It was originally a Korean model but it now has Fender noiseless pickups and a Mighty Mite alder hardtail body and bridge. Only the neck is original. I just love the feel of this neck and have never found another like it. A fluke of nature probably

I always found Les Pauls just too heavy. SGs are nice but I like the feel of the fender fret spacing. That being said I would LOVE to own a Gibson semi solid body , but I have several acoustic guitars and a couple of basses so I can't really justify the expense any more

I think if you are someone of David Gilmour 's quality, it doesn't matter what you play, you will still sound like you!

Some really nice guitars and good stories in this thread. I've always been a Fender Telecaster fan myself (and I'm not into country music that much). I just can't help to think of this clip when reading this thread.

diworsification at its finest. gibson could have and should have done many things differently. bad management.

True. And especially Gilmour, who is so unique for me. Still, I'd feel better if these guitars were still with him. I am sure I am more upset by it than the man himself

Longbow, any specifics? Aside from the rosewood fiasco, what do you think were the missteps?

LB4LB, that's a great scene, one of my favorites. Look at all those awesome guitars. I own a Tele, but I've never really bonded with it. I shouldn't have bought it really, but I felt my collection wouldn't be complete without such an iconic guitar. The issue is the neck is just too beefy. So it's not the Tele per se, just the one I took home. A slimmer neck profile would be better for me.

There have been a few comments about the scale length differences between guitars, and for myself, I prefer the shorter Gibson scale. I still love Stratocasters, but Gibsons feel better in this regard. After a bit it's a non-issue really, but when switching back and forth it's pretty evident.

New management got them into industries they didn't have experience in, and that were not guaranteed to be profitable. They got hugely invested in them, and continued pouring money into them even when the figures were poor. They had ample opportunity to cut unprofitable portions of the business but instead chose to keep going without making cuts to ensure the business survived. Then let it run into the ground, and eventual bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy declaration may have been the only good management move they made. I haven't checked the details of their declaration, but depending on how they did it, they may be able to restructure and revive the company - they should stick to guitars and other areas they're intimately familiar with and find a way to make those profitable again.

I think it's unlikely the brand will disappear or change significantly unless the management is insanely inept.

I hope you're right. We need Gibson to keep building fine guitars

At first, I thought this thread was about Mel Gibson declaring bankruptcy!

Sad about Gibson. And guitar manufacturers in general. All is not completely lost though. Many bands that are mainly electronic still use guitars and even guitarists and solos, not just session people. Depeche Mode's Martin Gore for instance. Ministry's Al Jourgensen et al. Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor/Robin Finck/et al. And some bands are still huge though long in the tooth and still play guitars such as The Cure.

But yeah I don't get how a DJ becomes considered a musician/artist. How thousands come to see him play (didn't they use to come to dance, not to watch?). OK, maybe the art is in mixing other people's music into something new and unique--BUT IT'S OTHER PEOPLE'S MUSIC!!!!

I also feel bad for the guitarists that are tied to pop acts. The pop star gets all the exposure and the real music is being played by someone in the background that no one even pays attention to nor even realizes exists. Or they get hung out to dry like years and years ago with Ashley Simpson...

v6,
boNes

Some of those musicians that tour and record with mainstream pop acts make pretty good money. It would just suck knowing you have talent, but have to play crap every night. I'm sure musicians have had this issue for a very long time.