fortyearspickn

Dd, is that pounds or kilos ? Asking for a friend who likes fatties.

First company I looked at - General Motors. In their past 36 quarterly reports only ONCE was their net margin above 10%. Average was around 5% and that one quarter was only 10.15%. Margin is after taxes. Asia can do it because they pay their workers $.50 an hour and we pay them $20. Asia can do it because they don't have all the laws regarding safety, environment, etc. we do.

I don't know what Gibson's profit margins are. But most companies are lucky to make 10%. If Gibson cut their prices by 20% - 25%, they would experience a Net Loss and would be back in bankruptcy. As JVI noted, their alternative would be to try to produce more guitars ( {sarcasm font enabled} to offset their loss per unit by increasing production {sarcasm font disabled} ). Assuming they are smart enough to be using their full capacity efficiently, the only way they could offset a 20% reduction in Cash Coming In - would be to reduce quality. Cheaper Materials, Labor, Etc. by trying to produce 20% - 25% more guitars. Believing Gibson can just tweak their 'modern equipment' to get it to crank out 25% more guitars is ... well, like believing they can acquire 25% more aged tone wood at the same price. Can you say "sapele" ? Option 2 is to a subset of 'reduce quality' - move all production offshore. Of course, that is why we have Epiphone as an alternative. Either way - if Gibson went out of business or reduced quality to offset a 20% - 25% reduction in revenues - the 'value' of the Gibsons we currently posses would drop. Probably by the same rate. So - if you want a $4000 guitar for $3000 ... buy a used one in "excellent' condition. If you want a used $3000 guitar for $2400 - buy one in 'fair' condition. And so it goes...

In 20 years, given the short attention span of 95% of the population (enhanced by the dumbing down of History Books), whoever comes after GenX will not know anything about "Global Warming". They will be reading articles in State Approved Truth Networks about Global Cooling and taping them to their refrigerators. For example, our VP just told us that Solar Panels can replace Battery Packs. Follow the science !

Both points well taken. 62B, My banjo - unfortunately - sounded the same with or without hearing aids ! I don't think a First Act guitar could be made to sound better either. Fester I thought you were going to go for the Yellow Snow. Well played with Cataract Surgery ! The older you get, the more time you spend in The Repair and Reconditioning Shop ! edit: Woke up today with an ear ache. Deja vu or Freudian Slip... I'll have to see if it impacts the tone on my bell wether J45

The Stimulus Trillions we are spending on top of budget over-runs and proposed budgets that are $6 Trillion - will result in something more painful than an inflationary speed bump.

"I know a guy who bought a house not long ago. 10% down & monthly pmts on a 30 year mortgage.. He had the best Tax deduction an average guy can have.. The pmts he made over the next few years didn’t come anywhere near the cost of the house... He just sold it at a $350,000.00 profit after paying off the balance he owed on the mortgage... He is married so that is a Tax free Capital Gain.. " Without more detail - I can only question your definition of 'an average guy'.

As opposed to "Location, location, location," "It's all about the economy." , "Buy Low and sell high." and other cliches - we here (hear?) by and large, feel Tone is what we look at as the #1 factor in evaluating a guitar. Yeah, I know, playability, looks, price - are all close seconds, but assuming they are acceptable - TONE is the big variable we focus on once we've narrowed it down based on the secondary criteria. We know that things like strings, picks, saddles and technique can affect sound - but want the built in sound of the guitar itself to be very close to what we are looking for. What we want to hear. My wife convinced me to begin using 'hearing aid's a few years ago. The kind with a little 'receiver' that sits behind your ear and has a little wire with a transmitter on the end that fits inside your ear. Danm things cost more than a couple of Gibsons when I got them. I used them only for 'conversation' or 'tv' for years. Because I KNEW what my guitars sounded like. Until the day I left them on after some guests left and picked up my J45. The hearing aids today adjust that portion of the sound range where you have the loss to compensate for it, they don't 'just make everything louder'. So, I now really know what my guitars sound like. Mucho Better ! And, since everyone's hearing is a little different - I'm pretty sure they all hear slightly different tone when listening to the same guitar. Which isn't a 'bad' thing. It explains why choosing a guitar is a much more personal thing than I realized. (Hope I didn't pass on any 'keepers' before I got these hearing aids !! )

I'm not worried. As long as the Minimum Wage keeps pace with inflation, I'll be able to buy new Gibsons.

Yep. Yep, you can lead a dog to water, but you can't make him jump through hoops!

Still too early here too to report on what I did today... but YESTERDAY, we went to SeaWorld. It's been 5 or 6 years since we'd been back. Lots of changes. Sort of a reminder that things change constantly. They use to have a trained dog show (I know, you're asking "At a marine aquarium type venue?") which we loved as did our grandkids. That's gone. Feeding the dolphins, discontinued because the great unwashed public was smacking them when they ran out of fish. Underscores the fact you should enjoy today because once it's over - it truly is over. And we enjoyed the day immensely - it was great. Went with our son, daughter in-law and 9 year old granddaughter. SeaWorld was giving veterans free tickets in honor of Memorial Day, so it was crowded.

Half of us are below average in just about something DT.

We were at a nursery last week. Unlike most retail establishments, they have to put the prices (not bar codes) on each pot the plant is in. They usually also have signs with the prices. Most prices were double on the pot what the older signs showed they were charging a year ago. Golly, inflation is being brought back like we had in the good old 70s and 80s. Similar trends in crime. My last haircut at Walmart cost me $20. THAT'S A CRIME !

Hospice use to be for helping patients who were thought to be terminal and near death. Its value has been expanded to bridge the gap between that and Home Care. My Mom was on Hospice for 3 years. That was under Medicare. Sounds like your friend already bought the equipment, etc. he felt was needed. But, he might look into Hospice if he hasn't. Get her doctor to refer his wife.

I've found in playing mine that if I position my humerus along the bottom bout, and do not have it laying across the edge of the face - so that my shoulder isn't being pulled out as much and half the angle is taken up by my elbow and wrist - it alleviates the mild shoulder pain I've developed from doing stupid things in my younger days.

Wowsers! I hope that was a insider joke/ reference to Gibson's CEO having just come from Levis..... or sarcasm.. I can't think of anything that would 'cheapen the brand' more than dressing these icons up like a pair of Levis made in Mexico. (Unless it would be putting NIKE swoosh logos on them.)

I think it was sarcasm. Bagpipes to Banjos - every instrument can be poked now and then. Harmonicas, harps - no instrument is 'perfect'. Except, of course "The Mouth Harp" aka "The Jews Harp".

KB, Agree. We put so much reliance on doctors and science - it is hard to accept the reality that some part of our body, which includes our minds, is going to fail no matter what. But, non-acceptance of the passing of loved ones paves the way for us not accepting our own mortality. A day does not go by that I do not struggle with accepting the passing of my own parents - years ago. Fortunately they did not suffer from dementia. But, one wonders if losing your own mental functions softens the anxiety of knowing your time is limited. This is one thing every human has in common - should bring us closer together. Sometimes it does. Sometimes the opposite.

Boston, Thnx for the Recap. Sounds like everyone did the right thing here. ENJOY !

Assuming the intonation is correct - Nut/Saddle/Fret Placement - I think it is worth considering, especially at this price. Good case - seems the Original Owner took care of it.

You had it for awhile, as I recall. Was the problem evident from day one? Curious about the extent of the issue - so as to get a better understanding of what is covered by Bozeman.

Will hit Mile Marker 74 this week. The '60s battle cry - "Never Trust Anyone Over 30" has changed to "Never Trust Anyone Under 30" . Realized this Spring that every time I cut the lawn for the first time of the season - it's harder than I remembered. Have attended 3 minor league games here, great seats - second row behind Home. Prices on tickets jumped 20%. I guess to make up for no season last year. $10 for a beer! That was even harder to swallow. With inflation on necessities increasing faster than me getting older - I may have to make this, my 10th year, the last time I get season tickets - get a Library Card and sit on my front porch yelling "Get Off My Lawn".

Google "Little Jimmy Dickens".

I think dementia is something that affects your mind - but the real "YOU" is still there. Your mind is a tool - like a computer. If it goes haywire, YOU are still OK. Sometimes our minds go haywire and we can get them back on track. Maybe some day 'science' will find a way to fix dementia.. Sort of like having three boilermakers - you don't remember the names of your drinking buddies or where you parked your car (hopefully), but your 'soul' is still in there in tact. Wondering when your mind will stop rebelling against reality. That said, I think I'd rather slip away in my sleep, to spare my family the pain. As I noted in the similar thread on 'How Do You Want To Go?'.

2 long neck, square shoulder Rosewoods .... clearly you need a J-45.