Gibson's Shortcomings

[AndrewRoush]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm an avid guitar player and I'm doing a consulting project on Gibson for my strategic management class. We're supposed to pick a focal problem of a company and suggest solutions to avoid it. Problem is, with everything I know about Gibson, and all the research I've done through business journals, I can't find one thing I think Gibson's doing wrong. What would you like to see Gibson change, or what do you think they can do better? Any opinion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Tim Plains]

Half the people will probably tell you the price is too high.

 

May I suggest two things...

 

1. Quality control. Gibson has been known to produce junk from time to time.

 

2. Gibson owns Epiphone, which manufactures guitars in China. Other Chinese companies copy these guitars and sell them as real Gibsons...even though they're fake. Although Gibson can't stop these counterfeits from being produced, they can pull production out of the country.

[DamienAzrael]

I'd like them to go back to the original way of making Les Pauls and stop chambering them...I know they did it to make them lighter, but I still prefer a nice weighty old Les Paul to one of the new ones.

[Bluemoon]

One thing that Gibson doesn't do well--from a business standpoint--is leverage it's name on guitar-related products.

[Murph]

I think they're doing it right.

 

Fenders can be made in Mexico, China, Korea, ect.

 

Henry has kept the Gibson name to mean "MADE IN USA"

 

While other companies have gone the other way, I believe in Gibson. It's THE LAST product I can buy without question.

 

Murph.

[littlekenny]

better quality control standards at a slightly lower price would be nice

[L5Larry]

You might want to take a look at their marketing/advertising/dealership stategies. Decisions they made a couple of years ago had a incredible impact on their dealer network, and really hurt the "mom & pop" stores and smaller dealers.

[Thundergod]

I think they're doing it right.

 

Fenders can be made in Mexico' date=' China, Korea, ect.

 

Henry has kept the Gibson name to mean "MADE IN USA"

 

While other companies have gone the other way, I believe in Gibson. It's THE LAST product I can buy without question.

 

Murph.

 

[/quote']

 

 

+1

 

At last! A member who doesnt Whine!

 

I applaud you Murph

[RichCI]

1. Prices are ridiculous.

2. Quality control needs to be a LOT better to justify the ridiculous prices.

[djroge1]

As stated - Gibson owns Epiphone. Epiphone used to make an Elitist line and those guitars played as good as the finest Gibson, but at least 1/2 the cost. From everyone I've talked to that has one they all are top quality - consistant quality. They have stopped production on all but one model of Elitist. Gibson should bring that line back because it was a great bridge between the two and/or they should make the Gibson's with that consistent quality and affordable price.

[retrosurfer1959]

(1) The way they require dealers to participate at such a high level mom and pops can't play and

(2) they have no supporting products Like shirts hat's etc. take a look at Harley Davidson Fender even Coke etc. etc. it's hard to be a true fanatic without any way of showing it other than the primary product.

 

In other words sell some damn t-shirts

[Mark]

I have a Gibson hat that I ware and people ask me about it, what it is, what they do

 

I don't think Harley Davidson people ever explain what their product is

I could drive 1/2 hour in any direction and come back looking like a guy from Road Hogs

I have to drive to Nashville to get a T-shirt?

 

Heck my 73 year old mother knows what a Harley is!!

 

I think the term is branding, Watching Keith Urban play a Black Beauty means nothing to 99% of people

 

Good Luck with your project

[albertjohn]

1. Outside the USA (and possibly Canada) the warranty given with each new guitar is only enforcable against the shop or importer. In the current economic climate and Gibson's occasional QC issue, this is important. I understand that there are different laws but if I bought an American car in the UK, I would expect a manufacturer's warranty just like BMW, Mercedes, Volvo etc etc.

 

2. I'm a huge Gibson fan and a huge Fender fan. More merchandising would be good. You have to feel part of a brand to build loyalty and to do that you have to be accessible. Fender are much better at it. Look at their website - it's crammed with technical stuff and you could spend days on their site. So, be more accessible Gibson.

[SRV-Zeppelin]

Stop making so many Slash models!!!!!

[dpgumby62]

Stop making so many Slash models!!!!!

 

I have a Slash model' date=' and even I agree. I can't afford them all for a start...................

 

 

they have no supporting products Like shirts hat's etc. take a look at Harley Davidson Fender even Coke etc. etc. it's hard to be a true fanatic without any way of showing it other than the primary product.

 

In other words sell some damn t-shirts :D

 

 

 

exactly...... it doesn't take much, and brand awareness is invaluable.

[badbluesplayer]

Andrew -

 

It seems to me that the most important thing Gibson can do is to protect the value of their brand name. I don't know what they're doing wrong, but if they're going to make any major strategic mistakes, it'll probably have something to do with degrading or devaluing the Gibson name.

[ninety1vee]

the ever changing specs!!

 

i hate that chambering crap too

[RudyH]

I was repulsed by their marketing and their obscure catalogs. I would not have bought a Gibson unless I had played one first. The one I got to play was excellent, and that's the only thing that got me interested in Gibsons, which otherwise seem to use advertising approaches that almost seem calculated to turn people away.

[Thundergod]

I was repulsed by their marketing and their obscure catalogs. I would not have bought a Gibson unless I had played one first. The one I got to play was excellent' date=' and that's the only thing that got me interested in Gibsons, which otherwise seem to use advertising approaches that almost seem calculated to turn people away.

 

[/quote']

 

 

...like having the jonas brothers play only gibson guitars (and high end ones) and have the same little nuggets playing on a les paul shaped stage (gibson logo and all)?

 

I agree with you. Most people wouldn't buy gibson out of their marketing strategies, but once they play one... oh man... there's no going back...

[Rick]

1) Prices are high.

 

Ok,there is quality, but 30% of the price is in the logo "Gibson". And the quality sometimes sucks

 

2) Controls.

 

Sometimes guiatrs aren't well examinated, so they come with bad finish, ugly fingerboards and some other things...

 

3) New way of making guitars.

 

oooooh a bad point. i hate all those robot and hyper technological guitars. c'mon gibson, turn back and stay on wood and steel guitars, not auto-tuning or in-future guitars.

[KSG_Standard]

Robots and Dark Fire!

[dark]

Robots and Dark Fire!

 

Hey mj?

 

I could not agree more. The Gimmick Guitars belong with VG strats, Variaxs, and Roland guitar synths - in the guitar graveyard.

[brundaddy]

1. Make the solid-bodies neck-through! Or at least make each model with a NT counterpart.

 

2. Give away a tshirt with each guitar sold.