NeoConMan Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 I have a comment about the "improved" Gibson website - it sucks! My biggest issue is the way they seem to be expanding the publicity and exposure for the high end stuff to attract attention while actually limiting what is available when it comes to model choices. Look, I'm a capitalist and I own my own business - I get it - but I don't like what the effective result is.... The Epiphone line has now been incorporated into the Gibson site. I used to laugh at the Musician's Friend website for doing the same thing. Search for Les Paul on MF and you'd get results from the horrid Pacific Rim $99 crap to the $4k Custom Shop stuff. Gibson seems intent on blurring the lines and erasing the distinction between REAL AMERICAN GUITARS and sh!t. I lifted the following from the website for example - here's your choices.... For Style you can select All or any of these; Les Paul SG ES Archtop Explorer Flying V Firebird Melody Maker Designer Bass Then to help narrow your scope (if you're paying attention) you can look further down and choose from Brands. We're not talking brands like Steinberger, Baldwin or Slingerland. Nope, Gibson has split the line into three different brands so under Brands you can choose All Gibson USA Gibson Custom Epiphone Like the MFers site, it eliminates from the matrix anything that doesn't match the search. That's fine, except for one thing - WHAT THE HELL IS CHEAP CHINESE SH!T DOING ON THE GIBSON SITE ANYWAY? Just wondering.... Oh, and the Custom Shop now builds how many models? How many Les Pauls now come from the Custom Shop? Notice how the new Gibson USA line (remember when we called 'em Gibsons?) has been relegated to the same status as the Epiphone line? Yeah, it sure seems like Gibson wants you to believe that the Epiphone is almost the same and "just as good" as the Gibson line... For those of us who know better as the more discriminating taste, we're supposed to man up. Yep, Gibson expects us to move into the Custom Shop and pay 3, 4, 5, 8 or 12 thousand dollars. And most of these guitars are now the VOS finishes. Okay, I'm calling bullsh!t here. People, the Gibsons made 50 years ago did NOT come with sh!tty-looking paint and old hardware. They SHINED!!!! And what's with the milky red appearance on the Mahogany of every one of them? If I want to buy a reissue from Gibson now, can I get one that actually looks NEW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAS44 Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 I agree that epis shouldnt e on the gibson website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayla Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 That's fine' date=' except for one thing - [b']WHAT THE HELL IS CHEAP CHINESE SH!T DOING ON THE GIBSON SITE?[/b] I agree that the site is pretty bad -- slow to load, incomplete specs, etc. -- but am surprised that you, as a self-proclaimed business-owning capitalist, don't understand why the "cheap Chinese sh!t" is on the Gibson site. Same reason that folks can now "press 1 for English" and "press 2 for Spanish": companies exist to generate capital, period. The more consumers you can attract, the greater your potential sales, period. The greater the sales, the greater the profit, period. Not everyone can afford a USA made Gibson. Not everyone speaks English. Gibson et al understand this. Consumer xenophobia ain't got no place in the profit model, period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayla Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Another thing about "cheap Chinese sh!t": there wouldn't be ANY in the U.S. if Americans were willing or able to pay for American goods produced by American workers earning a living wage. IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 Consumer xenophobia ain't got no place in the profit model' date=' period. [/quote']Don't EVEN start that sh!t.... Especially when you follow it with; American goods produced by American workers earning a living wage. Schizophrenic much? :-) As a business owner, I sell some imported goods - from Europe. My customers buy on quality and value, not after saving their allowance money. What demographic YOU would pursue in YOUR business would be much the same choice. I buy American where I can, and this is NOT a recent epiphany. Been doing it for 40 years, because it's the right thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAS44 Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 set off the fight alarm! Yar I like me a good duel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 set off the fight alarm! Thanks for the help.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 set off the fight alarm! Yar I like me a good duel. Noobs these days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 Sick of seeing them dilute the brand. They can make more money by selling 100 Epiphones than they can on ONE GIBSON. Even if the Epiphone is $99 and the Gibson is $9,999. There's a limit to what I would do to fxck loyal customers, as a customer myself there's a limit to what I'll buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwness Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Great post Neo I will add that how many large companies if they have a web site crash don't have a backup. I believe they did and restored from June 15 for some something they might not have wanted up again. Hey out of the last 3 newsletters I've gotten one didn't work at all and another when I clicked on the forum links I got denied access. It's was linked to an area we are not to see. Everything seems cheap'ned. CW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAS44 Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Noobs these days... oy shut up you <muffled cursing> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 But if you don't mind spending just a little more money.... To wit: http://forums.gibson.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=285346post285346 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 oy shut up you <muffled cursing> Yarr!!!!!!! I was once a Police officer, cook, stirper and a king but i like pirate the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayla Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Schizophrenic much? I don't think it's schizophrenic at all. I just meant that if many (most?) people buy cheap' date=' it's because their main criteria for buying is low price, for whatever reason. Maybe they don't have enough to buy expensive goods, maybe they don't want to. Given a choice between a $17 American Apparel T-shirt, made in the U.S. by American workers earning a living wage, and 3 GAP T-s for $5 made who knows where by somebody making 15¢ a month, I'd bet that the majority of American consumers would purchase the latter. Like it or not, as I'm sure you're aware lots of folks believe cheaper = better. As a business owner, I sell some imported goods - from Europe. My customers buy on quality and value, not after saving their allowance money. ... I buy American where I can, and this is NOT a recent epiphany. Been doing it for 40 years, because it's the right thing to do. I agree with you about buying for quality and value, which is what I also do. When American products fit that bill, I buy them, even if they're more expensive; when products from another country fit that bill better, I buy those. I may be wrong but think that's not the case for most folks, otherwise we wouldn't have so many WalMarts, Sams Club, Price Club, etc. Oh and we're not alone. I do a fair bit of travelling; giant stores like those exist in many countries, not just in the U.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 +1 to Neo. The fact of the matter is that some people make more money or are better at saving it or are willing to work harder for it or are simply born into it. Conversely, some people do not make a lot of money or piss it away or aren't willing to work hard or were not born with silver spoons in their mouths. Those who have or can earn more money will be able to afford Gibson guitars and those who don't will buy Epiphones but that is no reason to blur the distinction between the two brands just to make somebody who couldn't or wouldn't buy a Gibson feel better about themselves; it's the same crap as the "everybody is a winner and nobody is a loser" crap pushed in American schools today. Screw that. Life isn't fair - wear a helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Lol... Rich, in the sambuka today? Yar !!! more rum for me mateys!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Actually... yes! lol! Man, I gotta unfriend you on Facebook or something - you know me too well! Still though, I agree with what Neo is saying. I know I ranted a bit, but that kind of stuff pisses me off in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 Given a choice WalMarts' date=' Sams Club, Price Club, etc. [/quote'] Even my wife has gotten in on the game since we were married four years ago. She grew up poor on a farm, worked her way thru school, and was a single mom. She can pinch a penny until it squeals. Took me awhile to explain how those Michelins on her truck that cost $800 are worth the money. (French company, I know - shut up....) :-) Instead of blowouts every three months and ALWAYS having sh!t tires, she got 92,000 miles with never a flat. Now she's a believer. And she looks at every label when she's looking at purses, jewelry and such..... If it's nice, okay. If it's made in the USA, okay. If it's made in Bangladesh and is still priced and marketed as Fine Goods she walks away. Her sister is actually what I would consider wealthy, and has very particular tastes. She's a label hawk and probably the most discerning buyer I've ever met with all her designer stuff. 20 years ago, Wal Mart advertised stuff that was made in the USA. Seems they would have trouble doing that now. I still shop there for groceries and staples due to price - it's all American grown/made/produced. Well, except much of the frozen seafood... Durable goods? Not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre S Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 MFers site' date=' it eliminates from the matrix anything that doesn't match the search. That's fine, except for one thing - [b']WHAT THE HELL IS CHEAP CHINESE SH!T DOING ON THE GIBSON SITE ANYWAY?[/b] Just wondering.... Hehehehe, he said MF ers...lol There was a thread about buying a Les Paul Goldtop, it was between an Epiphone Goldtop, and the Gibson Goldtop NECKTIE. I think a quite a few chose the tie.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Quite often I prefer cheap oriental guitars to real American ones :D having said that I love my US guitars too...maybe good to keep an open mind! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruznolfart Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Quite often I prefer cheap oriental guitars to real American ones :D :)having said that I love my US guitars too...maybe good to keep an open mind! Matt The problem with oriental guitars is an hour after you buy one, you wanna buy another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre S Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 The problem with oriental guitars is an hour after you buy one' date=' you wanna buy another. [/quote'] I've heard of stories where people received Epis with the fingerboard coming off, with the inlays cracked, tuners installed crooked etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauline Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 WHAT THE HELL IS CHEAP CHINESE SH!T DOING ON THE GIBSON SITE ANYWAY? Just wondering.... Who do you think makes the $$$$$$$$$$-Profit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauline Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 I've heard of stories where people received Epis with the fingerboard coming off' date=' with the inlays cracked, tuners installed crooked etc...[/quote'] Those "stories" are around from other (higher priced than Epi) brands, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruznolfart Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 wanna? or need to? the other might have broken... I've heard of stories where people received Epis with the fingerboard coming off' date=' with the inlays cracked, tuners installed crooked etc...[/quote'] I was just a-whoofin', compadre. You know...like eating Chinese? As for Epis, both of mine are problem-free, one came all the way from Nashville. Throw a set-up at 'em and they're a joy to play. My most expensive guit, though, took several trips back to the builder to get right. I can only speak from personal experience, though, I don't put much (any) stock in "I've heard...". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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