sbpark Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 I've noticed that both online vendors and local vendors have been dropping Gibson from the brands that they carry. A couple local shops explained why, with Gibson setting the amount of inventory a shop must order from them each year, and with things being more and more competitive and unrealistic demands made from Gibson on smaller shops, they simply called Gibson's bluff and said fine, we're just not going to carry your brand anymore. Two very well-known shops less than an hour from me, one was a 5 star dealer have stopped carrying Gibson for these reasons. This leaves one 5 star dealer an hour in the other direction, but unfortunately these guys are not the best to deal with and I won't be visiting their shop again after trying a few times to purchase from them. Also, they have very strict policies regarding dealers listing their current inventory online. This pretty much leaves 2 options for most people, both in my opinion are unsatisfactory; either go to Guitar Center, where the Gibson acoustic line is minimally represented and the guitars aren't cared for well, or order online, and as we all know this is a gamble because you really need to try an acoustic before you buy it. Maybe a third option is to find a reputable online vendor, like Wildwood Guitars in Colorado (who I've purchased from in person and can't say enough good things about them), or another reputable vendor like Music Villa, etc (no experience with them, but they seem to have a good following) who will have more than one of each model that could make a comparison video or pick one out that meets your criteria, but again, it's not as good as playing the guitar in person. So is Gibson sort of shooting themselves in the foot with vendors dropping them because of their unrealistic demands on dealers? I wonder how many end up with a different brand because potential buyers just don't see them in the flesh as much at their local shops, where say, Martin are everywhere, big box stores, and pretty much most mom and pop stores around me, and I do realize that Martin produces many, many more guitars each year than Gibson, but I don't know of many local shops that are dropping Martin from their inventory like shops are doing with Gibson. Trust me, I'm not a Gibson hater at all. I play my Gibson acoustics more than my other acoustics without a doubt. Just seems like a strange trend going on with Gibson and dealers who are refusing, or simply can't meet the high inventory demand they force on dealers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 That has been the subject of a lot of discussion here in the past. Basically, it's Gibson's way of doing business, rightly or wrongly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Gibson has a foot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 They are headed for the One Price, No Haggle, Only A Few Places To Buy model. Limits returns real well. Limits warranty work as less and less fixer guys are Gibson Warranty Service Centers. It works good for them, crappy for us. After that the last stop it Direct To Consumer, which will have to happen once the giant retailers collapse. If they do, never can tell with them guys. I have three really good Gibsons, they youngest is 6 years old, so I don't even shop for them. Their acoustics have never done much for me, though I try every J-45 and American Eagle or other form of L whatever that I see. I don't need one, but I feel bad for those that do, it is getting tougher to get a look at them before buying. But these kids today, when they aren't on my lawn they don't seem to mind buying with their iDroid fones and stuff, so, there it is. Fender is getting some pretty egregious dealer buying requirements these days as well, and it won't be too many years before the local shops stop hanging them too. And they are halfway to Direct To Consumer already. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Yeah. I have been hearing the same things... I heard that a fairly big shop in the UK , PMT have now stopped selling Gibson... Not good signs really but what can you do? Maybe this is the end coming for the Henry era? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trans Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Music Villa is one dealer that doesn't list Gibson Inventory as well, just in case whose isn't on the know here. Trans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mz-s Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 We are less than 10 years (less than 5 most likely) before every major guitar maker goes direct to consumer. Dealers will still exist, but they'll be competing with the manufacturers as well as among themselves. Fender is a little closer to that goal than Gibson is, but both of them are miles ahead of most of the other makers. Martin makes you give them the name of a dealer if you want to buy a guitar from their own factory while you're there taking a tour. That makes no sense to me, but it's the business model in the dealer era. I think we're less than a generation away from automobiles being sold direct to consumer as well. Before long you'll be able to buy a car on Amazon as easily as you can buy a book (provided you have the funds!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 End of the world is nigh Relax ladies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 End of the world is nigh Relax ladies We have really missed the in depth replies from BBG! [biggrin] (glad you are back, it has been a tough 2 days without you!) Now, I have been reading the same story since I joined the forum and we have also seen the reasons Gibson sell this way, many times....but I ignored it at the time so don't know. What I do know is that there was a Gibson dealer here but they were so shifty and went broke and the end of the world WAS predicted and worse...... and now you see one advertised here and another there...at FULL RETAIL, hoping someone presses the Go button. The UMGF has the same threads too - the world has ended but we are still here...guitarless but plenty of money and no food or whisky. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 End of the world is nigh Relax ladies Welcome to the Forum - you will find many interesting, passionate, talented, knowing, kool and even kind people on these pages. A rather groovy community, where members share a bit of everything - especially love for the exciting and flourishing world of acoustic Gibsons. Sometimes we celebrate, other times we argue - we come and go and sing and play (a few dance fx me). Feel free to join the chorus. Hope - and am almost sure - you'll enjoy it here ▲ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Gibson shooting themselves in the foot? This topic has come up many times over the last few years as more and more dealers drop Gibson due to Gibson's crazy dealer requirements. It's getting impossible to get an in-person look at certain new Gibson guitars without a road trip, and I live in a well populated area. And then there's Gibson's online advertising restrictions - even if you are an authorized Gibson dealer that doesn't mean you're allowed to advertise your new Gibson stock online (Fuller's is a great example). Shooting themselves in the foot - hell yes. They're pissing off a lot of potential customers. Meanwhile Henry and the boys have expanded production so much they are flirting is financial disaster yet again: . . "Moody’s Investors Service, (“Moody’s”) downgraded Gibson Brands, Inc.’s (“Gibson”) Corporate Family Rating (CFR) to Caa2 from Caa1 due to increasing concerns about the company’s liquidity position. The rating outlook is negative. ... The downgrade reflects Moody’s concerns about the company’s ability to meet all of its financial obligations in 2016 and 2017 that include over $80 million due to a consumer electronics supplier and $45 million in near-term outstanding indebtedness, if the ABL revolving credit facility is not refinanced." -Eric Garland September 27, 2016 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 No question that's how they are. It must make sense to the corporation, I mean, over the long haul they have evil plan for certain. Good for them, bad for many of us? I like used and vintage, so will mostly not add too often to this thread😒 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 I wish I knew how to use the Search function here so I could go back a few months and Cut&Paste my comment from the last time this discussion regurgitated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 I wish I knew how to use the Search function here so I could go back a few months and Cut&Paste my comment from the last time this discussion regurgitated. Too bad there isn't some kind of built-in continuous loop feature that refers back automatically/provides immediate cross-reference/categorizes pro v. anti-corporate posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mafy31 Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 No matter what, when i enter a shop and there's no Gibby, even with fine Martins and Guilds around, i just walk out. A good acoustic guitar shop must have both Martins and Gibsons to get my attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I've been buying quite a few new guitars in the past few years from 5-star dealers and have not noticed any drop off in availability. I've had to use the Gibson Warranty twice and Gibson Montana took care of the problems with no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanCarlosVejar Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Henry J probably needs to take a look at the direction the company is headed in ... Dealers should not need a minimum stock ...They should be allowed to order what they are certain they can sell . JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 No matter what, when i enter a shop and there's no Gibby, even with fine Martins and Guilds around, i just walk out. A good acoustic guitar shop must have both Martins and Gibsons to get my attention. I agree..It really gets frustrating, luckily I live with in an hour of Sweetwater and they are really fabulous but still they only have about 6-7 out at any one given time but they will bring out as many as you want to play. I think my nearest 5 star Gibson Dealer is 4 hours away and none in my state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Gibson produces a fraction of the number of mass-produced guitars Martin and Taylor do. Therefore, they cannot mathematically have as many guitars available for sale ... nor can they support as many retailers. . This is like GroundHog Day - the movie. Next, we'll be talking about how the Internet has put the Mom & Pops out of business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacamartin Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Market strategy is a funny thing, but we're not laughing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Gibson produces a fraction of the number of mass-produced guitars Martin and Taylor do. Therefore, they cannot mathematically have as many guitars available for sale ... nor can they support as many retailers. I'm sorry, but manufacturers don't "support" retailers, it's the other way around. Our last local Gibson dealer stopped dealing Gibsons probably 10 years ago. Only GC now. There are on average, maybe if you are lucky, 3 Gibson acoustics in our Guitar Center on any day, and that's a lot, I don't think there have been any for a few months now. Our local Gibson guy hung probably two dozen, for decades. I would guess that Gibson hasn't sold an acoustic in this 50 mile district in several years now. The retailers were there to support the manufacturer, but the manufacturer chose to use the single outlet big box model, pushing the smaller shops out. They don't support anyone. And in return, we can't support them by buying their guitars. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Henry J probably needs to take a look at the direction the company is headed in ... Dealers should not need a minimum stock ...They should be allowed to order what they are certain they can sell . JC 👍👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I dont find any of this surprising.. glad I bought the better guitars in the earlier years of Bozeman.. Im happy with my stash.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I'm sorry, but manufacturers don't "support" retailers, it's the other way around. Our last local Gibson dealer stopped dealing Gibsons probably 10 years ago. Only GC now. There are on average, maybe if you are lucky, 3 Gibson acoustics in our Guitar Center on any day, and that's a lot, I don't think there have been any for a few months now. Our local Gibson guy hung probably two dozen, for decades. I would guess that Gibson hasn't sold an acoustic in this 50 mile district in several years now. The retailers were there to support the manufacturer, but the manufacturer chose to use the single outlet big box model, pushing the smaller shops out. They don't support anyone. And in return, we can't support them by buying their guitars. rct 👍👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Henry J probably needs to take a look at the direction the company is headed in ... Dealers should not need a minimum stock ...They should be allowed to order what they are certain they can sell . JC Gibson to most was in a slow tailspin long ago.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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