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The UK division of Toys R' Us went bust today. So did the massive electronics retailers Maplin. Both those stores had the same basic problem: Amazon. 20 years ago if you wanted an Action Man or a cable to connect your microwave to your toilet, you'd go to Toys R' Us or Maplin respectively. Now I can get those things online at nearly half the price without having to talk to the kinds of people who populate toy and electronics stores. In news from planet Juszkiewicz, Gibson's CEO has made a speech blaming retailers for the company's problems. A few relevant facts for those not so familiar with the guitar industry: - Gibson has a policy whereby if a retailer wants to stock Gibsons, they have to stock the whole range. That means that the Mom and Pop guitar store has to stock $6000 monstrosities before they can sell the $2000 guitars that people might actually buy - MIGHT. So they don't bother and stock PRS, Godin, ESP, Schecter and a dozen other manufacturers with less crazy policies (and better guitars for the money). I know 4 guitar store owners in the UK and US. None of them stock Gibsons, primarily for this reason. - Gibson's quality assurance is so bad that even the guitars on display on their website have visible defects. The reason nobody wants to buy a Gibson online is that without examining the guitar for faults in person, they don't know what they're getting. I would have no confidence buying a new Gibson online without trying it first, but I have bought other manufacturers' guitars off the internet because I know what I'm getting. - The equivalent guitars from ESP, PRS, Godin and the like cost about $1500-$2000 compared to $3000+ for a good Les Paul. Not only are the specs comparable, but these other makers have way more consistent quality, better choice of specs/finishes, and better customer service. For a price-conscious pro musician who needs a reliable quality instrument rather than a 50-year-old lawyer buying a guitar as a wall ornament because he was too chicken to slake his midlife crisis with a motorbike, it's no contest. All these things hint at the main problem - Juszkiewicz thinks Gibson's brand is waaaay stronger than it is. Maybe 20 years ago they could bully guitar store owners and overcharge customers, but now both the retailers and the consumer can just say "nope, don't care about Gibson" and leave them behind. Young guitarists just don't want Gibsons, because their heroes don't play them - Metallica and Avenged Sevenfold, play ESPs, Nickleback and Opeth play PRS, Steve Vai and Tosin Abasi play Ibanez (in part because Gibson treat all their endorsees who aren't Slash like garbage), and they can go on the internet and learn how bad Gibsons are. Who cares if Peter Green made great records with a Les Paul in the 70's - who the gently caress is he?
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Feb 28, 2018 16:29
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Yawgmoth posted:Are they the only ones who use PRS or did you choose two laughably lovely bands on purpose? They're two bands that sell a lot of records and have PRS endorsements, but thanks for sharing your opinion I guess. And yes, Santana was one of the first PRS endorsees that anyone had heard of.
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Mar 1, 2018 22:29
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