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Wish I could see this better but there will be lower end models still?

Low end.. but nothing under 1k

 

No more faded/satin sub 1k guitars.. well not for next year any way... who bloody knows what 2016 will bring :P ;)

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BobF_

BobF_

Posted
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Low end.. but nothing under 1k

 

No more faded/satin sub 1k guitars.. well not for next year any way... who bloody knows what 2016 will bring :P ;)

 

It won't matter to me. I already bought the last new Gibson I'll ever buy. It got here today and it is a thing of visual and sonic beauty :)

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Blueblooded

Blueblooded

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I stopped by one of my local GC's this afternoon and saw the 2015 Gibsons on the wall already. Saw the insane prices, the zero fret BS, the fly over the fret BS, etc.... YUCK!

 

The Firebird new street price in 2012 was $1249. In 2013 it went to $1549. In 2014 they screwed up the fretboard with those fly over the frets and ugly 120 marker, and raised the price again to $1799. Now for 2015 it's at $2099. Les Pauls, SG's and all the other models are getting similar hikes. That's it - i'm done looking at new Gibsons. Bunch of greedy you-know-whats ruining an American Icon.

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charlie brown

charlie brown

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Gibson's are steeped in "Tradition!" It's what we LOVE about them! Now, they've even

changed the "Les Paul" logo, to a "scribble" looking thing! WTF??! DON'T MESS WITH A

PROVEN FORMULA! You want to introduce new (different) MODELS, fine! Do that! But,

leave the Les Paul, and SG, Firebird, etc. alone! We love them just the way they are!

Otherwise, we'll "mod" them ourselves, and make them "different/personal" that way!

Sheesh!! And, WHY raise the prices, to the point you lose your core customesrs???

I don't get that, at all! Increases, to match inflation, ok! But, 28-30% is INSANE,

Henry!! [cursing] Especially, in this sluggish (at best) economy! Most disappointing!

 

If you want to cater to the "cork sniffer's," elitist collectors, and Rock Stars, fine.

But they are NOT the one's that made Gibson, what it was, is (or, should be)! IMHO, as

always.

 

 

CB

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Jeff-7

Jeff-7

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The extra grand must be be because they include the HS case now...

 

I hope they come back down to earth in 2016. I was really hoping for a pelham sg with lyre this year (I'm sure many, many others would like to see them hit the market) and I've been looking at semi-hollows but I'll either go used or look to a different maker.

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mickeybo89

mickeybo89

Posted
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Gibson pricing out of the market this year with an underwhelming selection. The headstock decal is still hideous and the mini humbuckers really take away from the loom of the deluxe. In my honest opinion. I still love you gibson but you this relationshio is getting rocky

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ErickC

ErickC

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I was gonna say - since when is a Les Paul Standard - emphasis on 'Standard,' i.e. base model - a premium guitar? The Custom is the premium offering, and always has been. The Les Paul Standard is just that. The base model. The stripped down budget models have always been priced lower, sure, but that's because they're stripped down budget models.

 

It's like I said in the Billie Joe ES-137 thread: a $1000 premium on what amounts to a semi-hollow ES-125 over a genuine 1960s ES-125? That's not a terribly difficult choice to make.

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cody78

cody78

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Saving vs Payments is what it amounts to now. You would think a manufacturer would want your payments instead of you saving to buy their stuff second hand.

 

I know and agree totallly!

 

It would be interesting to know during the past couple of decades how the internet giving musicians greater access to find vintage/ second hand instruments from all over the world may have impacted manufacturers sales, if at all?

 

For instance; I was just looking at a used 1967 Barney Kessel model which is actually cheaper than the new LP Standard!!...and as you probably know, you can pick up old LP Customs, Standards & Deluxes from the 70's, 80's & 90's for a lesser price than a new model in many cases.

 

I do love buying a brand new guitar though, opening the case, getting the smell of 'new' & seeing it in pristine condition, but equally with older instruments the history involved & the craftmanship from another era is equally exciting - especially if you can own one from Gibson's golden era (which sadly I don't at the moment!)

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pippy

pippy

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Going off at a tangent and just for fun...

 

I was gonna say - since when is a Les Paul Standard - emphasis on 'Standard,'....

Since 1960.

From 1952 until that time the 'Standard' was not called the Standard.

Within Parson's Street it was usually referred to as the 'Regular' to differentiate it from the Custom, Junior, TV, etc...etc...

 

And if we are questioning the terminology used by Gibson we might also wonder why the model below the 'Standard' is called the 'Special'.............[blink]

 

P.

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IanHenry

IanHenry

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I think, in real terms, a Gibson Les Paul is probably cheaper than it's ever been, they were always top price guitars, especially here in the U.K. I can remember as a teenager dreaming about owning a real Gibson, as my ates and myself played cheaper Les Paul copies made by firms like Ibanez,Antoria and CSL. There was even a one up man ship over who could afford the best copy!

 

This makes me wonder about the future for guitar manufacture, after all, we are constantly led to believe that the older a guitar, the better it is, and are we not going to reach a point where there are far more used Gibson's than there are guitar players? After all, I can't imagine that many Gibson's ever actually "die", they just get passed on.

 

As regards gimmicks like the Mini Tuner, at the end of the day, it's a piece of technology, and consequently two years or so down the line it will be old hat. Looking at the history of, for example the Les Paul, everything on a 59 guitar is as relevant today as it was when the instrument was built.

 

Also, whilst I'm on a roll :rolleyes: I always find the subject of re issues amusing, it's like Gibson are admitting that the guitars that they built 60 years ago were better than the ones that their building now, but you can have one like the older versions for a premium!

 

Ian

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Also, whilst I'm on a roll :rolleyes: I always find the subject of re issues amusing, it's like Gibson are admitting that the guitars that they built 60 years ago were better than the ones that their building now, but you can have one like the older versions for a premium!

 

Ian

That point is certainly not lost on me and the "Collectors Choice" series just rams it right home - the "best" were made long ago!

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pippy

pippy

Posted
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Yup, Ian, you are on a roll! Great Post!

 

[thumbup]

 

Some excellent points raised;

If I may?

 

I think, in real terms, a Gibson Les Paul is probably cheaper than it's ever been, they were always top price guitars, especially here in the U.K. I can remember as a teenager dreaming about owning a real Gibson, as my ates and myself played cheaper Les Paul copies made by firms like Ibanez,Antoria and CSL. There was even a one up man ship over who could afford the best copy!

When I started my first job a Les Paul Standard was the equivalent of ten weeks' wages. Work that out for yourselves and see what you should be paying if all else is equal.

I, too, used to dream of owning a real one as I played my 'Grant' Gold-Top copy...

 

This makes me wonder about the future for guitar manufacture, after all, we are constantly led to believe that the older a guitar, the better it is, and are we not going to reach a point where there are far more used Gibson's than there are guitar players? After all, I can't imagine that many Gibson's ever actually "die", they just get passed on.

This could be a thread all on it's own.

I can't speak comprehensively as I've (obviously) only amassed a limited experience of Gibson guitars through the decades - I've only played one '50s Les Paul (a '57) and one other '50s Gibson (a '58 ES-175), for example - but the experience I DO have tends to suggest that the guitars built throughout the '90s and '00s are amongst the best the company has ever produced.With the recent adoption of dubious changes and the introduction of questionable 'innovations' I doubt the 2015-on models will be as attractive to a high percentage of players in comparison with these older examples.

Also, as was said elsewhere, the decision to produce certain models has been baffling.

The Firebird-X? It was a small-scale limited-run model yet there are still some examples to be found brand new on dealers' walls almost four years after it was released.

What does that suggest?

Not only have they failed to sell; they have failed to sell even when they are offered with a massive price discount!

You may label me a Luddite, Henry, but clearly I'm not alone.

 

As regards gimmicks like the Mini Tuner, at the end of the day, it's a piece of technology, and consequently two years or so down the line it will be old hat. Looking at the history of, for example the Les Paul, everything on a 59 guitar is as relevant today as it was when the instrument was built.

Which makes the decision to factory-install the G-Force on practically every single Electric even more shameful.

 

Also, whilst I'm on a roll :rolleyes: I always find the subject of re issues amusing, it's like Gibson are admitting that the guitars that they built 60 years ago were better than the ones that their building now, but you can have one like the older versions for a premium!

Again; we could debate the reasons for page after page.

When the 'Nashville' replaced the ABR-1 it was seen to be an improvement over the older design.

At some point the original Kluson-style tuners were replaced with much better-quality units.

The 'Volute' drastically reduced instances of peg-head breakages.

From the early '80 the increasing mass of the body-blanks was reduced by the practice of 'Traditional Weight Relief'. This made the guitars easier on the shoulder and back without any loss of tone.

Yes it did. Don't argue!.....LOL!

 

BUT.....if we are prepared to pay a price premium we can buy a Re-Issue with all the old-fashioned crappier bits fitted! How Crazy is That???

 

Yet the four best LPs I've ever played in my life are so equipped. How do we explain that?

 

P.

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IanHenry

IanHenry

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"Yet the four best LPs I've ever played in my life are so equipped. How do we explain that?"

 

Pippy, the answer to that is quite simple, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I think your right about the guitars built in the 90's and 00's, from the ones I've played they are very nice guitars, but, on the whole I think the newest models are the prettiest!

 

Ian

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pippy

pippy

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...the answer to that is quite simple, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I think your right about the guitars built in the 90's and 00's, from the ones I've played they are very nice guitars...

Since 1974 Gibson had been trying to re-create, as close as possible, the '57 - '60 LP Standard. Sometimes with more will, sometimes with less will.

Putting the Re-Issues to one side for a moment the USA plant finally got it right with the 2013 Traditional. This aim, as you can see, took FORTY YEARS to achieve.

 

Why, then, did they change it just when they got it right?

It truly beggars belief.

 

P.

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