Gibson Authorized Partnership Program announced

stonevibe

Gibson's CEO JC is launching a new program to get boutique guitar builders to work with Gibson

https://www.gearnews.com/gibson-ceo-announces-gibson-authorized-partnership-program/

tekbow

Gibson can suck my hairy ballsack.

KrisGee

Would be funny if they had to match gibson's QC.

JayGee

Right. So the new business model is extortion?

Anybody know how much Gibson are paying C.F. Martin for the rights to sell square shouldered dreadnought acoustics...?

Philly_Q

Come back Henry, all is forgiven.  This "JC" bloke is like Mike Ashley.

terada

Philly_Q said:

Come back Henry, all is forgiven.  This "JC" bloke is like Mike Ashley.

NelsonP

"I gotta tell ya. I put the noise cancellation headphones on".

That is a massively dick-ish thing to say. 

I'm starting to dislike this JC character. I remember him being interviewed at NAMM, several weeks into the new role. He was asked whether he'd spoken to Henry and almost took pride in saying no. He obviously wanted to poo poo the old regime but it was a pretty cheap shot.

PS I have no idea how to turn italics off
PPS Terry Morgan will be pleased

Sassafras

None of which does anything to counteract the Chinese counterfeits that are the only things threatening Gibson.

JD50

Sassafras said:

None of which does anything to counteract the Chinese counterfeits that are the only things threatening Gibson.

I'd say these threaten the consumer more, in that the guitar players or folk buying guitars for their kids who aren't geeky about guitars get caught out with fakes.

Danielsguitars

The high end replica makers won't make a blind bit of difference to Gibson's bank balance, it's a small but completely different market imo, Gibson doesn't have the resources to build them properly to vintage spec, they take too long to make money

I agree it's the mass produced chinese stuff that'll cause a problem, if they did what people want and put a gibson headstock on epiphones that would probably stop most of it and make them much more money

It'll be interesting to see how Gibson come out of this, surely we've got enough guitars being made right now by big companies selling good but similar products cheaper

He does come across as a proper dick though which might be their downfall 

markj

KrisGee said:

Would be funny if they had to match gibson's QC.

I’ve just bought one of the new 2019 range les Paul special in tv yellow. The build on the guitar is absolutely top notch, really impressive. Over the years I’ve had guitars from all makers, PRS Fender and lots of Gibson’s. They seem to have really got it right this time, the guitar was also set up to perfection by Peach Guitars what also helped.

gilby

It's nothing new. Before JC tuned up they went for Funko for producing this....
  https://i.imgur.com/UiMOwdB.jpg

Musicman20

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/346071-law-suit-threats-seem-to-spread-dingwall-next/

IvisonGuitars

Danielsguitars said:

The high end replica makers won't make a blind bit of difference to Gibson's bank balance, it's a small but completely different market imo, Gibson doesn't have the resources to build them properly to vintage spec, they take too long to make money

I don't really agree with this, I have to say. If anyone has the resources and buying power to make a dead on '59 Burst replica cheaply, it's Gibson.

They could do it far cheaper than you or anyone else can making replicas - they've spent the time getting their plastics 'molecularly correct' or whathaveyou, they need to CNC map a good example of a '59 Burst and work from that. I know for a fact that they've had Bursts and TM's in their workshops studying them, they need to chose a nice one and base it on that. Yes, they are all marginally different due to the hand sanding but that's not beyond the guys in the Custom Shop surely??

They could knock them out at £5999, they'd kill the high end replica market dead and they wouldn't be able to make enough of them IMO. 

As a Gibson fan I was really hoping the CC range would utilise this but they didn't....my question would be why they haven't and it's probably because, as you say, the replica crowd is such a small market and half the appeal of it is the fact that it's 100% hand built and not a CNC/cookie cutter shell to begin with so I don't think it would make that much difference to them financially or even worth them tooling up the factory for a replica build.

The counterfeit/fake aspect is a different matter entirely of course and i'd hope that that's where they are heading with all this eventually.

wesker123

I take it JC's honeymoon period is over then? 

terada

wesker123 said:

I take it JC's honeymoon period is over then? 

Ended when the intention moved from upping QC and making stuff people want, to getting the lawyers out and generally breaking rule number 1. 

Kittyfrisk

tekbow said:

Gibson can suck my hairy ballsack.

Manscaping is very much the look these days 
But, you are spot on the sentiment 

dazzajl

It seems that while Gibson are making guitars that people enjoy, they have backed themselves in to a position where they can do no right in the eyes of the community. A sad state of affairs!

OilCityPickups

So being a 'Gibson authorised builder' will mean you are effectively doing Gibson's custom shop work with you paying Gibson rather than the other way round. Smart move JC ... lay off your custom shop workers ... outsource to authorised builders ... save on staff and get paid for it.

SteveRobinson

How will they manage QA? Can I sign up, import crappy Chibsons and pay a fee to make them "authentic"?

tekbow

Kittyfrisk said:

tekbow said:

Gibson can suck my hairy ballsack.

Manscaping is very much the look these days 
But, you are spot on the sentiment 

I'm usually well trimmed, but I've been growing it out good and curly since the news of Gibson's latest PR blunder appeared.