Abstract_Zombie Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Does anyone here know of who I should talk to in regards to new models I've designed around Gibson guitar models? I have designed 9 models so far, and I've designed a whole series aimed at contemporary, punk,metal,hard rock guitarist ...I've also designed pickup variations and everything.. I've listened to actual younger guitarists and built my designs based on what they ask for.. To the younger generation Gibson is considered a "boomer" guitar company who's out of touch with them, their budget and their lifestyle, so with my 5 guitar series I've fixed the issues based on their input and comments.. I've upgraded things like finishes, materials, specs to fit the needs and wants of a variety of contemporary players.. I know Gibson is set in their ways but you have to progress to keep yourself working and flourishing... I've specifically designed these models to be made and sold cheaper and thus more available to a variety of players and ultimately bringing Gibson to a new demographic of players... I've contacted several Japanese and Asian guitar manufacturers but I'm reluctant to share my ideas with them as I feel these guitars should be made in America by Americans and then shared with the world.. I've also designed an ultra cool extreme instrument that screams custom art and could be a game changer.. As well as a few new never before models based on classics for Gibson USA most of which have easily made variants,I've designed some to be 6+12 string electrics with little modification... I'm just stuck because I don't know who to contact, and I'm a little hesitant, as I'm the inventor of a prominent item people use everywhere on earth, I told a company my idea and they shot it down well fast forward a few years later and my invention is literally all over tv in commercials and selling millions and I'd never made a penny off of it so I'm nervous and apprehensive about sharing these designs... I know these designs will be a hit with the contemporary demographic as I've used their feedback to make the designs and I really want to see Gibson being more widely used and loved by all demographics of players of all generations... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 Well there is no one to really speak to on here about it. Im fairly sure Gibson will have their own R+D department but I guess thats who you would want to talk too. I have been making my own guitars on and off since about 2012 now. I have realised that it seems that when you make guitars that dont conform to peoples expectations that there is only ever going to be a limited market for that. Its why Gibson and Fender are still the two biggest companies. And both companies pretty much rely on their history to sell guitars. Its what they do and when they do try and make something new/modern or just different it generally doesnt sell well and gets panned. It seems when it comes to their gear, a lot of electric players are very conservative. And both have tried over the years for pretty much all of it to fail. So they stick to what they do. The prices go up and up and crazy as it seems they keep selling. And they seem to be going further in that direction as Gibson seem to be getting rid of their lower end models and that space is now being taken up by the higher end Epiphone models (which to me are ridiculously priced just for having Gibson electronics in them. I think that new Epi Firebird is something like $1800.. For a frikken Epi made in the same place as all the others. So Gibson.. Probably wont be interested at all. You would be better off starting your own guitar company if you think your designs are that good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abstract_Zombie Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 Basically give up,don't even try? point taken..Gibson is in a serious rut,the newer generation doesn't play Gibson or Epiphone guitars,Coachella, and all of the current music awards shows/live shows prove that Gibson doesn't offer the younger generation anything they really want..35 yr old and younger guitarist are leaning towards other options over Gibson and Epiphone..All Gibson RD is concerned about is new a Slash, Joe B,Page, and other signature guitars or doing the exact same thing they've been doing which has it's place but as time progresses Gibson and Epiphone will be completely obsolete,and personally I don't want to see Gibson fall into the place where many guitars companies have fallen over the decades.. I'm not bashing at all it's just reality.. Gibson isn't selling like you think they are, they're being outsold 20 to 1 sometimes 50 to 1 by import brands, F•nder, ect..Even current Epiphones are a hard sell today.. The market is flooded with used instruments currently, and if you're offering what's already available at a lower price used why buy new? Has the LP Standard really changed that much in the last few years outside of finish options? Not really, so why would someone buy brand new if the exact same thing is available used at a nicely discounted price?Music store employees will confirm this, there's still brand new 21-22-23 Gibson guitars sitting on racks in shops that aren't being sold even at store discounted prices(they're only allowed to discount so much)..Ask around, Gibson guitars don't move like people think,they're a hard sell today... I based my designs off of Gibson guitars, if I were to make them myself I'd catch a lawsuit in no time.. I'll just go ahead and submit my designs to Tokai,It's probably for the best anyway.. I appreciate the feedback, have a great day Sir... Also thanks for helping me realize this forum and brand definitely aren't for me... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 First, this is just a fan forum. As I understand Gibson doesn’t really pay too much attention to the chatter here. they may check in occasionally but we don’t have an inside line to the company. sorry if that was what you are looking for. I can tell you right now, from many years in business, you won’t get anywhere with an approach that just bashes how badly a company is servicing a potential customer base. All the disclaimers about it being the truth, isn’t going to make you look any less than just a crank who thinks they know better than the folks that are actually running the company. Did it ever occur to you, they may be perfectly aware of the “wishes” of a different demographic and just really don’t care? Now maybe if the company was tanking again, and needed a shot in the arm, they would cast around for a new market niche, and you could catch their eye, but right now there are no indications they actually need to. Gibson is doing the business model they want to do. See, their goal is not crank out pieces just to outsell other makers, but to make the best guitars they want to make. Shrug. They really don’t need a basement hobbyist, with no track record, to tell them how to run their company, no matter how great your designs may be. Think about how you look through “their” eyes. What you need to do is start networking at the shows, show real interest in their designs, and you enthusiasm for the brand. Or better, get a job in the company. Do an outstanding job, prove your real goal is to help the company become even better than it is, then your ideas may be taken seriously and you will be positioned at the right time for your ideas to have the most impact. I know what it is like to have an idea nicked. I interviewed at a high end ad agency once, and part of the hiring process was to produce a sample ad campaign for a product they gave you. I submitted mine, geeked out at the interview with an icon in the field, literally got tongue tied, didn’t get the job, but my campaign showed up 6 months later on tv and print. Shrug, I knew it was a risk when I entered, but I had to pay to play. If you can really prove you had the other idea first, you do have recourse, although it probably would have been safest to patent your idea before you shared it. I’d at least do that for the specific mods you are doing to the Gibsons. At least it would give you leverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 32 minutes ago, Abstract_Zombie said: Basically give up,don't even try? point taken..Gibson is in a serious rut,the newer generation doesn't play Gibson or Epiphone guitars,Coachella, and all of the current music awards shows/live shows prove that Gibson doesn't offer the younger generation anything they really want..35 yr old and younger guitarist are leaning towards other options over Gibson and Epiphone..All Gibson RD is concerned about is new a Slash, Joe B,Page, and other signature guitars or doing the exact same thing they've been doing which has it's place but as time progresses Gibson and Epiphone will be completely obsolete,and personally I don't want to see Gibson fall into the place where many guitars companies have fallen over the decades.. I'm not bashing at all it's just reality.. Gibson isn't selling like you think they are, they're being outsold 20 to 1 sometimes 50 to 1 by import brands, F•nder, ect..Even current Epiphones are a hard sell today.. The market is flooded with used instruments currently, and if you're offering what's already available at a lower price used why buy new? Has the LP Standard really changed that much in the last few years outside of finish options? Not really, so why would someone buy brand new if the exact same thing is available used at a nicely discounted price?Music store employees will confirm this, there's still brand new 21-22-23 Gibson guitars sitting on racks in shops that aren't being sold even at store discounted prices(they're only allowed to discount so much)..Ask around, Gibson guitars don't move like people think,they're a hard sell today... I based my designs off of Gibson guitars, if I were to make them myself I'd catch a lawsuit in no time.. I'll just go ahead and submit my designs to Tokai,It's probably for the best anyway.. I appreciate the feedback, have a great day Sir... Also thanks for helping me realize this forum and brand definitely aren't for me... Well no.. But in terms of what Gibson sell.. Its just what they want to do, so they do what they want. In 2015 Gibson did something that totally blew up. It was the year the put robot tuners on every guitar and had a wider neck with metal zero fret nuts. Now, some of those changes were actually kinda cool and did update the Gibson line up. And let me tell you I have never seen such a negative response maybe after the Firebird X fiasco. Honestly when ever they try to innovate people complain that "thats not a real Gibson" and when they stick to what they know people call them boring and same old same old. So in the end thats why I think they stick to what they do. Fender have tried it a few times too, again. they all failed. So I have to say. No matter what it is people are telling you they want. In the end they all come back to the classics. And if that is something someone doesnt want there is PRS, Ibanez. Yamaha, Gretsch ect who all provide a range of different styles and more modern appointments than Gibson. As well as there being more decent cheap end guitars than there has ever been before (like Harley Benton who I really dont understand how they make guitars that cheap). When I started in 2012, the market was totally different and there was room for other makers. These days, I feel the market as you say is way over crowded. So just give up, no.. But you want to talk about being realistic. The fact is theres more guitars than ever before and a lot of them are better quality than ever before (the cheap end ones). But also how many other companies can sell a guitar for 30-50k and get away with it. When I say they all sell, im talking about the high end stuff which is exactly what Gibson concentrate on these days. It is a bit sad, but what you gonna do? The shareholders need their bonuses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eracer_Team Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 (edited) Cesar Gueikian to the role of President and CEO of Gibson Brands https://www.gibson.com/en-US/About-Us# 209 10th Ave South Suite 460 Nashville, TN 37203 good luck. Edited March 13 by Eracer_Team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 (edited) This is what happened to the guitars one of the last times they tried to shake things up and do something more modern. Edited March 12 by Rabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 4 hours ago, Abstract_Zombie said: and their lifestyle Buncha hooligans if you ask me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexcb Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 I think it is unlikely that if Gibson were to see these models that they would take it any further as they dont really do that sort of thing but stick with the classic and timeless models, however there is no harm in trying and you never know. I think Gibson are more likely to take on ideas like a modified brige of new nut design rather than a new body shape. In terms of who to contact you could try Cesar Guieken (CEO) however not sure he is the best. You could also try their vice president Mat Koehler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 I was going to raise the points Rabs did. He beat me to it and did a better job too. He's quite correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 2 hours ago, merciful-evans said: I was going to raise the points Rabs did. He beat me to it and did a better job too. He's quite correct. You know, I never really thought I would say this but I miss the Henry Juszkiewicz days.. Up until the last five years or so when he went around buying up random electronic companies and tried to turn Gibson in to a "lifestyle" brand. But I always got the impression he did actually care about the guitars and getting lower end models in the hands of young players... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexcb Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 1 hour ago, Rabs said: You know, I never really thought I would say this but I miss the Henry Juszkiewicz days.. Up until the last five years or so when he went around buying up random electronic companies and tried to turn Gibson in to a "lifestyle" brand. But I always got the impression he did actually care about the guitars and getting lower end models in the hands of young players... True, but Caesar Guieken is doing a great job. Since he took over, Gibson have done very well like opening 2 garages. Credit to Mark Agnesi as well who was overseeing the first garage, he is also in charge of the Gibson Youtube and starting high production series like "The collection", "The scene", "The process" and even non related guitar series like "Metal and Monsters". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PoundLester Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 Well, bye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 (edited) On 3/12/2024 at 5:44 PM, Eracer_Team said: Cesar Gueikian to the role of President and CEO of Gibson Brands https://www.gibson.com/en-US/About-Us# 209 10th Ave South Suite 460 Nashville, TN 37203 good luck. Yeah call him he will pick right up after he is done picking out another scarf to accent his 5k leather jacket. Edited March 14 by Sgt. Pepper 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 Yes, Cesar will tell his design team he is busy this afternoon look at the designs some guy on the internet wants to implement because, you know, that's how business works. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PoundLester Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 On 3/13/2024 at 1:23 PM, Dexcb said: True, but Caesar Guieken is doing a great job. Since he took over, Gibson have done very well like opening 2 garages. Credit to Mark Agnesi as well who was overseeing the first garage, he is also in charge of the Gibson Youtube and starting high production series like "The collection", "The scene", "The process" and even non related guitar series like "Metal and Monsters". Now if only Guieken would start a QC department at Gibson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 (edited) 13 hours ago, rct said: Yes, Cesar will tell his design team he is busy this afternoon look at the designs some guy on the internet wants to implement because, you know, that's how business works. rct I think he has his minions look on this forum for what we discuss, and he then does the opposite at 3x the price. Edited March 15 by Sgt. Pepper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 On 3/12/2024 at 3:29 PM, Abstract_Zombie said: Basically give up,don't even try? point taken..Gibson is in a serious rut,the newer generation doesn't play Gibson or Epiphone guitars,Coachella, and all of the current music awards shows/live shows prove that Gibson doesn't offer the younger generation anything they really want..35 yr old and younger guitarist are leaning towards other options over Gibson and Epiphone..All Gibson RD is concerned about is new a Slash, Joe B,Page, and other signature guitars or doing the exact same thing they've been doing which has it's place but as time progresses Gibson and Epiphone will be completely obsolete,and personally I don't want to see Gibson fall into the place where many guitars companies have fallen over the decades.. I'm not bashing at all it's just reality.. Gibson isn't selling like you think they are, they're being outsold 20 to 1 sometimes 50 to 1 by import brands, F•nder, ect..Even current Epiphones are a hard sell today.. The market is flooded with used instruments currently, and if you're offering what's already available at a lower price used why buy new? Has the LP Standard really changed that much in the last few years outside of finish options? Not really, so why would someone buy brand new if the exact same thing is available used at a nicely discounted price?Music store employees will confirm this, there's still brand new 21-22-23 Gibson guitars sitting on racks in shops that aren't being sold even at store discounted prices(they're only allowed to discount so much)..Ask around, Gibson guitars don't move like people think,they're a hard sell today... I based my designs off of Gibson guitars, if I were to make them myself I'd catch a lawsuit in no time.. I'll just go ahead and submit my designs to Tokai,It's probably for the best anyway.. I appreciate the feedback, have a great day Sir... Also thanks for helping me realize this forum and brand definitely aren't for me... Hilarious. Walk in, drop a turd in the punch bowl, and then get upset and leave in a huff because people aren't happy with the turd in the punch bowl. 🤔 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 There’s a what in the what now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 On 3/12/2024 at 5:48 PM, Rabs said: This is what happened to the guitars one of the last times they tried to shake things up and do something more modern. Seen that so many times and it always makes me laugh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 (edited) On 3/15/2024 at 9:02 AM, 10PoundLester said: Now if only Guieken would start a QC department at Gibson. They have one it’s called - put it in the case and ship it no matter what the flaw, the fans will eat it up cause theirs will be unique. Edited March 17 by Sgt. Pepper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said: They have one it’s called - put it in the case and ship it no matter what the flaw, the fans will eat it up cause theirs will be unique. Or they post up a picture on here to ask 'is this normal?' other types of QC: Quartermaster Corps Queen's Council (or Horace Rumpole's version Queer Customer) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Note to self - Send rocket ideas to SpaceX. Try to think outside box without paying any dues inside box. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 (edited) I hoping for a Firebird Xl this year. I hear they will have cell phones as part of the electronics. It’s gonna have a tablet and a camera to make Tik Tok videos too. No strings though who needs those when your an internet sensation? Edited March 18 by Sgt. Pepper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 You should visit a 5 Star dealer and see if your most promising one can be built with the M2M program. If you had one built it may add some credence to your effort. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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