No Gibsons

richardhomer

AlexC said:

So does this mean that Gibsons are so popular they're flying off the shelf, or they're not popular and shops aren't stocking them? Genuine question.

The issue for most small dealers is Gibson's stocking policy - most shops simply can't afford the commitment which is required to be a Gibson dealer.

AlexC

richardhomer said:

AlexC said:

So does this mean that Gibsons are so popular they're flying off the shelf, or they're not popular and shops aren't stocking them? Genuine question.

The issue for most small dealers is Gibson's stocking policy - most shops simply can't afford the commitment which is required to be a Gibson dealer.

So effectively Gibson are doing themselves down and probably losing sales as a result. Great business sense!

professorben

AlexC said:

richardhomer said:

AlexC said:

So does this mean that Gibsons are so popular they're flying off the shelf, or they're not popular and shops aren't stocking them? Genuine question.

The issue for most small dealers is Gibson's stocking policy - most shops simply can't afford the commitment which is required to be a Gibson dealer.

So effectively Gibson are doing themselves down and probably losing sales as a result. Great business sense!

In the same way you can't buy an IPhone new from your local 'unlocking and cases' phone shop on the high street. 

Gibson a few years ago decided they were a 'lifestyle' brand and part of 'aspirational living' meaning they wanted only flagship stores selling the majority of the range, this translated into roughly a £50k buy-in at the time (early 2000's?)
I worked in MI at the time that the UK distribution list the contract, pretty much every store I knew jettisoned Gibson overnight. 

Danielsguitars

GSPBASSES said:

Well very few and most of them were second-hand. Spent the day in London yesterday, first call Denmark Street and surrounding area, went in all the normal guitar shops, the one thing that struck me more than anything else, apart from the high price’s No new Gibsons in most of the shops. Loads of Fenders and Gretsch a few PRS and Musicman, plus a few other well known makes and some lesser well known makes (lesser for want of a better word).

 

Anyone who is a 59 burst worshipper should visit Hanks in Denmark Street they have a real one on show (I don't think it was Terry Morgan) Price on application and no I did not ask.

While I was in Hanks, I noticed that from the last time I was there the stock of good quality vintage guitars has diminished greatly, I don't think I will be too unkind to say it was more like a second-hand junk shop. They still had a few very interesting vintage guitars, but nowhere near how it used to be. I was very, very disappointed.

To make up for my disappointment  I had afternoon tea at the Ritz.

afternoon tea at the Ritz is a great afternoon to me, I've only been once

Flanging_Fred

In 12 - 18 months time, you might not be able to buy Gibsons anywhere if Moody's projections about the company are to be believed. It ain't looking rosey.

jeztone2

Ravenous said:

Why do I get the feeling nobody takes music seriously any more?

What ever happened to all the fun in the world?

The government/ establishment are trying to end it.

The tech companies have helped make music unprofitable so there will be less new artists hitting the mainstream. So kids won't dream of being a rock star.

Despite it being not true that music is Haram. There are certain religious mischief makers( in a tiny minority) who are trying to have kids excluded from music lessons in primary school. My missus used to teach in Slough and had many a battle with a mischief making Imam.

Then there's the slow erosion of the lower middle class proposition in western countries. So people have less time & money for the arts. 

I dont think the future will be very bright, hope I'm wrong.

olafgarten

jeztone2 said:

Ravenous said:

Why do I get the feeling nobody takes music seriously any more?

What ever happened to all the fun in the world?

Despite it being not true that music is Haram. There are certain religious mischief makers( in a tiny minority) who are trying to have kids excluded from music lessons in primary school. My missus used to teach in Slough and had many a battle with a mischief making Imam.

It really annoys me when Muslims make up things about our religion, it's as if they haven't even read the Quran sometimes. 

prowla

Smaller shops can't afford to stock a wall of Gibsons.
If they're pricing themselves out of the larger ones too, then they're not going have an outlet.

fandango

prowla said:

Smaller shops can't afford to stock a wall of Gibsons.
If they're pricing themselves out of the larger ones too, then they're not going have an outlet.

There's always Amazon.

guitars4you

richardhomer said:

AlexC said:

So does this mean that Gibsons are so popular they're flying off the shelf, or they're not popular and shops aren't stocking them? Genuine question.

The issue for most small dealers is Gibson's stocking policy - most shops simply can't afford the commitment which is required to be a Gibson dealer.

It is also a very dictatorial stocking policy that is far more strict than other companies persue

Whitecat

Yup - not only a huge buy-in but no say in what you actually get to carry - Gibson sends you what they want you to sell and you have no choice but to try to shift it. Then you'll have a kick in the nuts when Amazon starts undercutting you by 30% and the only way to get rid of the stale inventory is to slash and burn your prices, so in the end you make almost no money anyway. 

Gibson knows that a lot of shops still want the "halo effect" being a stockist brings... 

It's a model that's had its day but with Gibson apparently still sitting on a stadium full of unsold inventory I can't see it changing under the current management. 

Bucket

Macari's on Denmark Street has closed - all it stocked was Gibsons, and apparently they had some kind of falling out with Gibson which meant they lost a load of stock - I guess the shop had nothing left by the end of it and they had to close it.

Now the only Gibsons you'll find at Macari's are in the old Charing Cross Road shop, gathering dust in the window.

For all the talk about Henry's "business sense" saving the company 30 years ago, it does seem rather like he's let the power go to his head. He's certainly not done them much good for the last decade or so.

Whitecat

Bucket said:

Macari's on Denmark Street has closed - all it stocked was Gibsons, and apparently they had some kind of falling out with Gibson which meant they lost a load of stock - I guess the shop had nothing left by the end of it and they had to close it.

Now the only Gibsons you'll find at Macari's are in the old Charing Cross Road shop, gathering dust in the window.

For all the talk about Henry's "business sense" saving the company 30 years ago, it does seem rather like he's let the power go to his head. He's certainly not done them much good for the last decade or so.

He thinks he's the Steve Jobs of guitars. Telling people what they want rather than listening to what customers say they want, forcing innovation for the sake of it, acquiring other *tech* firms and running the place top down with an iron fist. 

Sadly for him, the MI world is not like the world of smartphones, laptops and music streaming. 

Neil

Perhaps he is going the Rolex route?

You can buy any number of watches in H.Samuels etc etc but Rolex are only stocked at a few high end stores or their own boutiques.

Similarly Rolex dealers get what Rolex want you to have, don't ask for any Daytonas.  

It doesn't hurt luxury brands to take themselves out of the hoi polloi. 

SimpleSimon

AlexC said:

richardhomer said:

AlexC said:

So does this mean that Gibsons are so popular they're flying off the shelf, or they're not popular and shops aren't stocking them? Genuine question.

The issue for most small dealers is Gibson's stocking policy - most shops simply can't afford the commitment which is required to be a Gibson dealer.

So effectively Gibson are doing themselves down and probably losing sales as a result. Great business sense!

Or is this a sign they arent able to supply dealers in the great numbers weve come to expect due to their ongoing financial issues.......?

professorben

Neil said:

Perhaps he is going the Rolex route?

You can buy any number of watches in H.Samuels etc etc but Rolex are only stocked at a few high end stores or their own boutiques.

Similarly Rolex dealers get what Rolex want you to have, don't ask for any Daytonas.  

It doesn't hurt luxury brands to take themselves out of the hoi polloi. 

Very sensible when you have a legendary build quality to back it up. 

BloodEagle

Neil said:

Perhaps he is going the Rolex route?

You can buy any number of watches in H.Samuels etc etc but Rolex are only stocked at a few high end stores or their own boutiques.

Similarly Rolex dealers get what Rolex want you to have, don't ask for any Daytonas.  

It doesn't hurt luxury brands to take themselves out of the hoi polloi. 

Gibson aren't by any stretch a luxury brand though, and they're looking cheaper and naffer but costing more with pretty much every new guitar they put out

Neil

professorben said:

Neil said:

Perhaps he is going the Rolex route?

You can buy any number of watches in H.Samuels etc etc but Rolex are only stocked at a few high end stores or their own boutiques.

Similarly Rolex dealers get what Rolex want you to have, don't ask for any Daytonas.  

It doesn't hurt luxury brands to take themselves out of the hoi polloi. 

Very sensible when you have a legendary build quality to back it up. 

Rolex are not better built than most other much cheaper watches but are far more expensive - the legend sells.

I simply thought that Gibson may be eyeing up the Rolex merchandising method. 

PhilKing

Sounds like it's going back to what it was like when Rose Morris used to be the distributor back in the 70's.  I ran JSG in Bingley and they wouldn't let us be dealers because Kitchen's objected.  Now Kitchen's couldn't sell a Gibson to a younger guitar player, because they wouldn't let you try it unless they thought you had the money to buy and wanted full price for everything.  We would let anyone try anything.  We also set up all the guitars when they came in (Gibsons shipped with medium gauge strings and a high action).  We ended up doing a deal with a large Gibson dealer to take a lot of their stock, which we sold at a big discount.

btw.  Breitling are nicer than Rolexes, and you can get them at discount!

stickyfiddle

Neil said:

professorben said:

Neil said:

Perhaps he is going the Rolex route?

You can buy any number of watches in H.Samuels etc etc but Rolex are only stocked at a few high end stores or their own boutiques.

Similarly Rolex dealers get what Rolex want you to have, don't ask for any Daytonas.  

It doesn't hurt luxury brands to take themselves out of the hoi polloi. 

Very sensible when you have a legendary build quality to back it up. 

Rolex are not better built than most other much cheaper watches but are far more expensive - the legend sells.

I simply thought that Gibson may be eyeing up the Rolex merchandising method. 

You may well be right, but Gibson sells maybe 10% of the number of units that Rolex does each year (i'm assuming ±1m watches and 100k guitars). And Gibson will only ever (generally) sell to people who already have half a clue how to play guitar. ANYONE can buy a Rolex, because you don't need any skills to use it, other than having arms and eyes. Add to that that Rolex has a huge market in the Middle East and China where it can throw diamonds at a watch and multiply the price by 5 (and margins by 10), Gibson has tried that a number of times and got laughed at.