Munro Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 ... I would introduce the following guitar. Model: Gibson AG (American Guitar - made in USA solely of US wood) Wood: Ash body, Ash neck, Walnut fingerboard Shape: Slab, flat-top, single-cut LP-style with a rounded horn, similar to a 335 Inlays: Small blocks (not traps, not dots) Pups: Mini-HBs in P-90 housings (to allow for owner mod to P-90s) See here Finishes: Satin thin nitro over faded colors (blue, red, white, green, TV yellow) Wiring: 1 Vol, 1 Tone, Switch, all in a short row on the lower bout Pickguard: Black single ply, no bevel MSRP $799 Probable Retail $500 No import duties on wood, simple wiring, minimal finishes to keep costs down. Mod opportunities. Many colors to suit everyone. Other entry-level Gibsons - MM, LPJ - have only single-pups. No fun for players looking for flexibility. Henry, take note. This idea is all yours. I don't need a cut. Just give me Gibson AG001 off the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slashadler Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 I'd buy it right away.... nice thinkin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munro Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Thanks. Came to me in a waking dream this morning. Anyone could buy it and play it. A 13-year old shredder in his basement. A sideman at Montreaux. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Maybe put a small pickguard on it to mount the pickups like an SG? That way you could put a normal humbucker in it and swap as desired with a different pickguard. Makes modular swaps and changes fairly easy. No Mahogany, no standard humbucker = no Gibson-oriented buyers. Fender guys will simply buy Fenders to get the Ash body and install their own P-90 - like I did. Cheapskates will simply buy imported. You cannot win in any market segment on price alone. The customer has to feel like he's getting something special that he can't get anywhere else. None the less, good thinking and a cool idea! One more thing - make gloss colors available, even if the upcharge is substantial. Some people will pay for it and the fatter profit would help you keep the cheaper stuff on the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Maybe put a small pickguard on it to mount the pickups like an SG?That way you could put a normal humbucker in it and swap as desired with a different pickguard. Makes modular swaps and changes fairly easy. No Mahogany' date=' no standard humbucker = no Gibson-oriented buyers. Fender guys will simply buy Fenders to get the Ash body and install their own P-90 - like I did. Cheapskates will simply buy imported. You cannot win in any market segment on price alone. The customer has to feel like he's getting something special that he can't get anywhere else. None the less, good thinking and a cool idea! One more thing - make gloss colors available, even if the upcharge is substantial. Some people will pay for it and the fatter profit would help you keep the cheaper stuff on the market.[/quote'] I don't know... there are a few people I'm aware of that are using Melody Makers for music that you don't normally see a Melody Maker in, solely because it's a Gibson USA instrument. People will sacrifice for that logo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 No offense, but if I was Gibson, I wouldn't make a guitar that sold for less that about $1000 street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 I agree. How does trolling for the bottom-feeders improve the product line? Did the Chevy Vega/Citation/Cavalier help Corvette sales? Does a new apartment complex across the street raise the value of your home? Gibson is cheapening the brand bad enough as it is over the last couple years. Long term, it will work to their detriment. Look how badly the Norlin Era Gibsons are disparaged, and they were American made! There were some turds, but by and large those were good guitars. So, in comparison, how will the market view Chinese Maestro acoustics and the blurring of the lines between Epiphony and Gibson when they look back in 30 years? Fender already gets plenty of bad-mouthing for obscuring the country of origin on their guitars. You need a score card to sort out which product is Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, American.... Confuses the consumer and pisses off the ones who find out the hard way - too late. And like I said, no manufacturer of any sort of durable goods has ever won on low price alone. If the market sees no value in your product, they won't buy it - no matter how cheap it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeVeeWee Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 ...I would restructure my marketing department for a number of reasons:-k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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