After posting a video in which Mark Agnesi of Gibson warned other guitar companies that Gibson would be coming after them if they think they’re being copied to closely, Gibson ended up removing the video.
Here at Budget Guitarist Dot Com, we have an opinion on this. Here it is: Gibson just clearly demonstrated that despite new leadership, they are still clueless. Anyone in the industry could have told them that putting out a video threat would be a bad idea – many guitarists saw it as being petty. Yes, other companies have copied ideas from Gibson. The time to go after those companies was when they did it. They went after PRS for the Les Paul shape and eventually lost. What the hell were they thinking putting out this video?
Actions speak louder than words. So far, the new Gibson’s actions have been to raise prices and threaten competitors. Neither of which play out very well. I’ve already vented about sticking dot fret markers on the Gibson Les Paul Tribute – nothing says “This is not really a Les Paul” like putting on dots. Yes, I know, the dots don’t affect tone. But those fret markers are iconic. Remove the iconic fret markers and jack up the price? Has Gibson really changed?
And I’m tired of hearing “Yeah, but the quality control is better now.” If I drop two grand on a guitar, top notch quality is an expectation, not something that should surprise. South Korea can make a guitar for $800 that is virtually perfect – certainly Gibson can do it for two or three times that amount.
I think the real problem is more and more players don’t want to drop two grand on an instrument. Especially considering what the competition is.
I love my two low end Gibson Les Pauls. I won’t ever get rid of them. They sound and play killer. Some of the Les Paul alternatives out there are basically outperforming their Gibson counterparts for half the money. It is what it is. I still say they need a sub-$1,000 Gibson Les Paul that actually looks like a Gibson Les Paul, but I would say that, writing for this site and all.
