Gibson 2015 prices!

[Max Morton]

also a good video game can cost $8-$60 and there's a lot more work gone behind it than a fucking guitar. (of course there's production costs but still wtf)

Well, video games are waaay more popular than guitars. Just look at the top letsplayers' subscriber numbers. Even the best of the best in guitar world can't have that popularity.

Plus, thinking like that may become a bit tricky. For someone (especially the bands), being a sound producer is not a big deal, and they wonder why some guys work for free while others charge 10k+ Euros per album.

 

[greyskull]

What's worse as far as I'm concerned (as a buyer) is that this also jacks up the value of used Gibson's ... You know the ones that they once made that were good.

 

[sprack]

Collectors ruin shit. What is binding you to Gibson besides the name on the headstock? There are tons of clones out there with ≥ quality at better prices?

What's worse as far as I'm concerned (as a buyer) is that this also jacks up the value of used Gibson's ... You know the ones that they once made that were good.

 

[LBTM]

What is binding you to Gibson besides the name on the headstock? There are tons of clones out there with ≥ quality at better prices?

Absolutely nothing actually. If you want to have a "Gibson" then you just pay for the brand name. And that actually works for them so why not? haha.

You can find great LP style guitars for $400. I've recorded so many great sounding tracks with just what the band had. Some muffling, intonation, carefull tuning and you're ready to go. Unfortunatly many guitar players I come across struggle so much to understand that tone comes from the hands/composition than the guitar itself. Has anyone else got any guitar players in your studios with loaned Gibsons because "that sounds the best so I don't want to use my guitar"?

 

[greyskull]

Collectors ruin shit. What is binding you to Gibson besides the name on the headstock? There are tons of clones out there with ≥ quality at better prices?

NOTHING.
I play Fenders.

Got a lovely SG at home though...

 

[Terminus]

Collectors ruin shit. What is binding you to Gibson besides the name on the headstock? There are tons of clones out there with ≥ quality at better prices?

I grew up in the 80s when the Nike/Reebok shoe craze hit. 120 bucks for air jordans, basically for the name and some plastic air bag in the sole that kids thought made you jump five feet higher. They didn't even last that long. You're paying for prestige and the cork-sniffer brownie points, pretty much. I have played some great Gibbys but overall, never been a big fan.

 

[schwinginbatman]

When you get a good Gibson, it's incredible. I played an Explorer once that played like butter and sounded great. But the good/lemon ratio is too high for my tastes, and honestly, if I spend more than $500 for a guitar, I shouldn't have to worry about how well it's put together. ESPECIALLY if I'm paying $2,000+. There are guitars of similar quality with more consistent craftsmanship for less.

 

[sprack]

I'd take a Tokai or Edwards over a Gibson.

 

[MoTang]

By this point I have given up on Gibson...if I'm going to buy a guitar anything resembling a Paul I'll just get an ESP, ibanez, or other Les Paul copy. Why pay a fortune like that when the quality isn't represented in the price? While Gibson guitars are good they aren't that good to justify the price. If I'm going to drop 4000 on a guitar I might as well but a fully loaded custom guitar or something that's actually hand made to my specifications exactly.

Around my area too there are a lot of purists when it comes to Gibson...they think that what is on the headstock is what makes the guitar and that price=quality as in the relationship between quality and price is linear when it imo is not at all. I was talking to a smaller music store right across the street from our largest music store here and they sell brands like esp, schecter, Washburn...perhaps less known brands then Gibson. He told me that he gets customers asking him "do you sell Gibson?" And when he answers with no they ask "then what do you sell then?" before leaving the store.

 

[egan.]

It would be worth 29% more if they spent the increase on QC.

 

[Boerboel666]

It's a huge shame, there is something about the tonal character of a good Les Paul that I haven't been able to find in another instrument. I need one for work but as everybody else has stated the quality control is in the toilet. Over the last two years I have tried to buy one with no joy, how that is possible amazes me!
I have held guitars on sale for thousands of uk £ with major issues both cosmetic and structural. This does zero for your confidence when thinking about the significant financial outlay. There are many other companies who do it right and for half the money, even Fender start their Custom shop guitars at less £ than a Les Paul standard. Anyway the final insult is a hefty price increase, they clearly don't give a fuck.

 

[sprack]

I would bet they're trying to follow the trend of selling a marque brand. They drop low-end ranges, make their old stuff more collectible and drive margins up. 18-25 isn't their target market, its 25-55 with lots of disposable. Fucking accountants.

 

[Fragle]

I would bet they're trying to follow the trend of selling a marque brand. They drop low-end ranges, make their old stuff more collectible and drive margins up. 18-25 isn't their target market, its 25-55 with lots of disposable. Fucking accountants.

This. Especially since they're targeting the lower/mid part of the price spectrum with Epiphone. Their pricing policy simply reflects their marketing decisions, and by that logic is perfectly reasonable.

Think about it, anyone who is able to spend 4k on a guitar without having to worry about it too much most likely isn't a full time musician anyways....and those people don't care about the fact that 4k would get them a really nice handcrafted custom shop axe specificially tailored to their needs, they just want a nice gibson to show off and maybe sell later on as a collectors item.

In other words: Gibson quite obviously doesn't care about us musicians, maybe we should just stop caring about Gibson, too.