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2015 Clearance stock?


tokairic

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Whats going on with Gibson. First a 30% increase in price for the 2015 Les Pauls and now in the UK we are seeing Standards at under £1300, Classics under £800 and Studios at under £500. Not long ago I paid more than that for an Epiphone Prophecy.................

It seems that now is the time to buy, but what of the future?

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The 2015's have been greatly reduced since the arrival of 2016 T models.

 

I'm not seeing that. A 2015 SG Standard has only gone down $70, which is nothing to get excited about. I was going to pick one up if they went down enough, but I've pretty much moved on.

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The 2015's have been greatly reduced since the arrival of 2016 T models.

 

The later arrival of the 2016 HP models are essentially more 2015 spec guitars, but at a much higher price.

 

 

bottom line: If you like the 2015 USA models, right now is a great time to buy. I did.

 

The 2016 HPs do offer a few relatively significant changes over the 2015s... namely the titanium nut, fast access heel, and the slightly reduced neck width (still wider than the T line of course). The neck at the nut was 1.795" in 2015, now on the 2016 HPs it's 1.745".

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Some great bargains to be had due to overstocking in Europe.

 

Its been a perfect storm by all accounts - high yield, low demand on 15 models, struggling economies everywhere, a lot of quantitative easing going on in the EU and ever higher taxes (20% now on every new Gibson is tax) and stagnant wages. There are also fewer and fewer kids learning to play guitars. Guitar music is no longer what kids listen to - most forms of mainstream metal/rock have become subcultures again. Then to top it all rather than making a high quality affordable product, Gibson have priced themselves out of most people's grasp (a market eagerly and well catered to by the Made in Asia zeitgeist) and put the brand firmly in the Harley/mid life crisis demograph .. and those guys are buying used more often than new now thanks to all of the above.

 

I just got a duff mail order 15 Trad (hoping to get an exchange) but the price was right at only £900 down from a 2k rrp. The 2015 studios are (imho) an absolute bargain - the 57's got swapped for bursts again this year and there's no gloss finish unless you pay extra. I also totally love the coil tapping, again not included in the 2016 'faded' range. The hard case is replaced with a flimsy gig bag. The tuner is gone (love it or hate it). No brass nut. No wide neck.

 

You get a lot less guitar (subjectively as well as literally in terms of accessories and features) for about £100 less vs a new-old 2015 studio. I'm totally buying one if/when they can't exchange my Trad like for like.

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The 2016 HPs do offer a few relatively significant changes over the 2015s... namely the titanium nut, fast access heel, and the slightly reduced neck width (still wider than the T line of course). The neck at the nut was 1.795" in 2015, now on the 2016 HPs it's 1.745".

 

I didn't know the neck was reduced again. That .050" reduction is half of the 2015 increase. That makes me even more glad I got a 2015 because who knows if that neck width will ever be reintroduced again. [smile]

 

They also have not kept the Less-Plus for 2016 (Which of course didn't need the fast access heel anyway).

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  • 3 weeks later...

Saw a couple of nice 15s in my local shop today. Owner said make an offer, but be careful or I might end up with one I didn't think I'd get.

 

If I didn't already have 2 Gibby LPs and a PRS LP-style I would be all over the honeyburst trad he has. Tuners and nuts can be changed. I haven't tried a '15 neck though

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people will realize that the 2015 are one of the best features Gibson has ever done ,but the people will realize much much later.

Im sure the 2015 will be a searched item in the very near future.

I've been thinking about this for a while now.

 

I don't think the '15s will ever have very much appeal to the majority of Gibson players for a variety of reasons but mostly because of the width of the neck. I fully understand that a number of the good folks here in the Forum do actually prefer the extra width outside of the strings (and I'm happy for them) but from what I've heard both from other players and dealers the reaction of most people who tried them found that the strings were just too far inboard to make for comfortable playing.

 

Other things - such as the G-Force; peghead logo; brass nut; hologram; fret-over binding detailing and so on - are lesser issues but the neck width is un-alterable and, put simply, appeals to fewer Gibson buyers. This isn't an opinion; sales figures (and current clearance deals) backs this up very clearly.

Nor do I think that Gibson players' preferences will change any time soon.

 

For those of you who DO like the '15s then now is clearly the time to buy. Many dealerships here in the UK are offering their '15 stock at less than half-price...

 

Pip.

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Your '59 175 was an absolute steal!

And came without all the '15 LP appointments, of course.

 

Back in the late '70s early '80s I used to buy my guitars from McCormacks Music in Glasgow (I'm a Falkirk Bairn)....I occasionally wonder if they are still in business...

 

:-k

 

Pip

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Your '59 175 was an absolute steal!

And came without all the '15 LP appointments, of course.

 

Back in the late '70s early '80s I used to buy my guitars from McCormacks Music in Glasgow (I'm a Falkirk Bairn)....I occasionally wonder if they are still in business...

 

:-k

 

Pip

 

Another Scottish strummer? Nice to meet you :)

McCormack's is gone I'm afraid. Biggars went too but somehow came back from the dead lol I've been to Falkirk a couple of times myself to buy stuff from hifi corner (the Glasgow branch closed) and it's a nice drive up; especially with the new canal wheel

 

Fwiw, Amazon just processed a partial refund of £300 (because the pickgaurd came loose during transit), so in the end I got a brand new 2015 '59 ES-175D for £1,699 :)

 

Derek

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