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2015 Gibson Price Increases


Luke17

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29% list increase on Les Pauls, , no more satin finish guitars, discontinuance of some models, wider necks, etc

lots of changes coming down for 2015.

..wondering if that is going to start a surge in sales for the remaining 2014 stock and if your older Gibson will be commanding higher prices when you sell?

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I guess Epiphone will no longer be a "poor man's Gibson", but rather a "non-rich person's Gibson".

Jeff, I never thought of it that way i.e 'rich man, poor man' but I guess you are right,some peeps probably do.

 

I have both Epiphones and Gibsons and I love them both equally.

Peace,

Luke

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I would never feel any hesitation to play in a public gig with an Epiphone. In the 1960s, many of my fellow players (including me) were brand-conscious. Gibsons and Gretsches were king, Fender was good (but not very hip until Hendrix), while Guild and Epiphone were definitely 2nd tier. Then the Beatles all bought Casinos, Paul bought a Texan, and Epiphone wasn't so bad after all. But did the audience care what the people were playing? They didn't even notice the color of guitars no less the name on the headstock.

 

If I came back from a jazz club down here and someone asked me the brand of saxophone played, I'd think they were nuts. But I'd have ascertained the guitar name immediately. :-)

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I go back that far too,

I remember most kids in garage bands playing Silvertone Danolectros from Sears..they were cheap and easily available, and damn , they didn't sound that bad either ..

Any other guitar you would have to wait weeks for your local mom and pop Music 'Emporium ' to order them and they were mostly sold at near retail.

A Fender Strat back in the mid sixties could go for $250 while a Silvertone lipstick pickup could be had for 50 bucks.

 

I see the Silvertone guitars and amps selling for some really decent prices now at Guitar Shows...maybe because of the nostalgia factor but also because they were pretty good guitars and the amps were kinda like Fender Champs...

I know quite a few guys using them in the studio for recording or for practice.

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I go back that far too,

I remember most kids in garage bands playing Silvertone Danolectros from Sears..they were cheap and easily available, and damn , they didn't sound that bad either ..

Any other guitar you would have to wait weeks for your local mom and pop Music 'Emporium ' to order them and they were mostly sold at near retail.

A Fender Strat back in the mid sixties could go for $250 while a Silvertone lipstick pickup could be had for 50 bucks.

 

I see the Silvertone guitars and amps selling for some really decent prices now at Guitar Shows...maybe because of the nostalgia factor but also because they were pretty good guitars and the amps were kinda like Fender Champs...

I know quite a few guys using them in the studio for recording or for practice.

 

I'm pretty sure my Gibson ES-335 w/HSC went for $349 at the Mom and Pop store in Chula Vista. I think a Fender strat went for about $249. This is around 1964-65.

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Guild and Epiphone were definitely 2nd tier. Then the Beatles all bought Casinos, Paul bought a Texan, and Epiphone wasn't so bad after all. But did the audience care what the people were playing? They didn't even notice the color of guitars no less the name on the headstock.

I was gigging in the mid/late '60's and using one of these (Starfire IV):

022_zps13cdd656.jpg

 

Mine was a '63 that's long gone, but I picked this '66 a couple of years ago. It rocks. Might have been considered second tier at the time (and I don't disagree), but it's one hell of a guitar in its' own right. And I love all my Epi's too [thumbup]

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I really knew nothing about Guild other than its purported use by Duane Eddy. I was later surprised to hear that Guild guitars were built by ex-Epiphone employees who stayed behind when Epiphone moved. Sort of like the same scenario with Gibson and Heritage.

Yup, I have Duane Eddys first album on vinyl, Album cover shows him and his guitars, one is a Guild and their is even a Danelctro in the mix too.

What stuck me was that was one of the first times I ever saw an album cover with an artist showing off his gear.

Pretty cool.

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Sorry about hijacking this thread into a Guild thread.

 

Getting back to Gibson price increases, it would seem that Gibsons will become all but unreachable to most non-professionals and many younger enthusiasts. With Gibsons in the $4k to $5K range, Elitists might not be a drain on the Gibson line. I doubt that they will resurrect the Elitist line again, so perhaps youngsters will have to look at getting Chinese Epiphones and modding them with USA electronics.

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To my senses, the "our quality - your prices" policy introduced for 2014 didn't catch on as desired. Furthermore, like with the 2013 models, there seems to be some overstock of the 2014-ers, too. Announcing rising prices for the forthcoming model year is intended to promote blow-outs with less discount I think.

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Intesting...most of the complaints, on 2014 models, I read here are about the "anniversary" inlay, in the fingerboard.

There's never going to be the "perfect" guitar, for everyone, no matter how many models, or versions of

the same models, they make! I (still) think, "Ludite" that I may be(?), Gibson makes too many variations

of the same basic models, of their guitars!

 

Make fewer variations, and Let the customers "mod" them to their preferences (they do, anyway :rolleyes:)!

And, do so at a "Fair=reasonable" price. One that allows decent profit, but doesn't alienate your

customer base. Leave the "special editions, and truly historic reissues, to the "Custom Shop," as

most are now.

 

But, Gibson isn't the only one that makes too many models, or versions of the same model. Fender is as

bad, or worse! [scared] IMHO, as always. [biggrin]

 

CB

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Intesting...most of the complaints, on 2014 models, I read here are about the "anniversary" inlay, in the fingerboard.

There's never going to be the "perfect" guitar, for everyone, no matter how many models, or versions of

the same models, they make! I (still) think, "Ludite" that I may be(?), Gibson makes too many variations

of the same basic models, of their guitars!

 

Make fewer variations, and Let the customers "mod" them to their preferences (they do, anyway :rolleyes:)!

And, do so at a "Fair=reasonable" price. One that allows decent profit, but doesn't alienate your

customer base. Leave the "special editions, and truly historic reissues, to the "Custom Shop," as

most are now.

 

But, Gibson isn't the only one that makes too many models, or versions of the same model. Fender is as

bad, or worse! [scared] IMHO, as always. [biggrin]

 

CB

 

Where there's a distinction between Fender and Gibson though, is that Fender at least aim to make a version of a Strat and Tele to suit every taste - from reissues of classics through to the IOS compatible models - Gibson make unilateral decisions such as "hey, these self tuning machine heads are cool and they're only going to add $300 onto the retail price, let's put them on every model!" and "people like Les Paul, don't they? Let's stick a really shakey looking autograph on every headstock, whether it's a Les Paul model or not, they'll love that!" Lots of models, little choice where it matters seems to be Gibson's current issue.

 

I've no problem with Gibsons being expensive if we're paying for US labour, premium materials and great build quality. If they're suddenly 20% more expensive because of a bunch of gimmicky features I'm definitely out.

 

I can't help thinking the only interest Gibson have in new models nowadays is as a way to force dealers to dump stock and buy into a new line of guitars every January.

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Where there's a distinction between Fender and Gibson though, is that Fender at least aim to make a version of a Strat and Tele to suit every taste - from reissues of classics through to the IOS compatible models - Gibson make unilateral decisions such as "hey, these self tuning machine heads are cool and they're only going to add $300 onto the retail price, let's put them on every model!" and "people like Les Paul, don't they? Let's stick a really shakey looking autograph on every headstock, whether it's a Les Paul model or not, they'll love that!" Lots of models, little choice where it matters seems to be Gibson's current issue.

 

I've no problem with Gibsons being expensive if we're paying for US labour, premium materials and great build quality. If they're suddenly 20% more expensive because of a bunch of gimmicky features I'm definitely out.

 

I can't help thinking the only interest Gibson have in new models nowadays is as a way to force dealers to dump stock and buy into a new line of guitars every January.

 

 

I love Gibson's but you really need to look at all the specs to find the guitar you want for the reasons you stated.

 

I have said before I am not spending the kind of money for a Gibson to mod, though I know many do. I want all the stuff I want right the first time.

 

My 2011 Traditional LP had the keystone Klusons and 57s and that is what I wanted a plain stock Gibson LP.

 

You really have to look at every Gibson model to figure out what they have done this time with tuning keys, PUs etc.......

 

 

Fender's branding makes so much more sense, if I want an American Standard it is going to stay the same "specs" for a long run just have to wait for your color to pop into the run.

 

The rest of the line they offer every option but the stock Strat/ Tele stays basically the same and you can go up in line from the Squier line to the top CS tier of a basic Strat or Tele.

 

Gibson has such a confusing model line and price structure.

 

Until the SG Original no way to get the Maestro on what was then the 61 RI at $2000 then the same guitar offered as a VOS for $3500 with a Maestro so an extra $1500 for just the Maestro!?

 

Happy to have my Original and happy with the price Gibson put on it so not a problem buying one.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The CEO of Gibson, Henry J., has his own personal agenda, as he owns the company. He wants Gibson to be an exclusive line like Louis Vutton, Gucci, Cartier, et.al. where only the rich can and do have the disposable income to buy his guitars and show them like art in their homes. He is not interested in the musicians who earn a living playing music to own his guitars.

 

This was stated outwardly on another forum by someone who was at a meeting wherein Henry was speaking at Gibson, and this person happened to be present when Henry was stating this.

 

Henry has absolutely no interest in the regular working stiff. His only inrterest is in the rich buying from him. No one else matters.

So the QC which has been shoddy and the mistakes which, as guitar players, we find on the guitars doesn't matter, because the people buying these pieces won't probably know the difference or really care.

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