[t muir (tedm)]

Well done Henry and Gibson for this opportunity to air our views, which should hopefully go some way to get rid of the impression that Gibson operate a "take it or leave it" attitude to customer concerns.

[E Willson (Gitfiddlened)]

Hi Henry, I will be writing about more things as they come to mind and I thank you for this great chance to get involved in the future of a great company with a rich history. The first thing I'm wondering about is, why did you guys discontinue the Les Paul Standard Faded? I am a vintage and used dealer and when ever they come my way I buy them because they sell right away. Now people are screaming for them (and have been sense before you stopped making them)and there just aren't any because no one wants to sell the ones they have. There is a good reason for this. It is one of the best playing and sounding L.P.'s that have been made in a long time. They are light and with the pleked fretboard the tuning is a breeze. I think that these quality's and the low price point maybe what led to it's demise because overall it was a better all around instrument than most L.P.'s with higher price points. If you need to reissue it at a higher price point, so be it. I still believe it would sell. Thanks again for taking the time to listen to us. Ned Willson

[K Young (KevinY)]

J Beckett (b3john), on 15 July 2010 - 12:58 PM, said:

Next, the same applies to the "exclusive" to Japan models. I'm sure this generates some certain amount of buzz for those models in Japan, but it would be nice to be able to pick up these models in the States or in Europe or wherever. I'd buy that ebony Les Paul Doublecut Classic today if my local dealer could sell it to me.

John,

Funny you should bring this up. Keep an eye out in Q4 for the Les Paul DoubleCut Classic and other Japan exclusives being offered in the U.S. One of our largest Web dealers will begin carrying these.

And thanks for all of your ideas.

[c adkins (casper330)]

hello mr. Henry J i have a question why has gibson snubbed me i have went through all of you proceedures with my 08 lp std and never got it fixed if taken it to your repairman your company has sent me to and he even called you on the spot about this guitar.i have sent pics and letters from 16 diffrenet luithers and i still have this guitar wich is unplayable.i offerd to pay to have my guitar sent back and guess what nope.i offerd to down grade to a traditional.but nope i have a full warnty i have sent the card in as well as my receipt.and when i did hear back from gibson via phone i was told to send the guitar and 1426.00 to repair it keep in mind it is new and unplayed.the reasons is this the back bow on the neck is so bad it can not be fixed,there are white marks in the paint and runs in the paint the pots do not send out a signal and the bridge pickup reads at 4.2k i have sent you proof of all of this a i have heard nothing from you.im so sad it took me 20 yrs to save up for this guitar wich is my dream guitar and i have had nothing but problmes with it.i cant even play it.now i sold my perfect 50's reissue strat to get this les paul and that strat never failed me not once.and this gibson has failed me from the start.and just so you know this is not a bull stuff.sir i sent pics and letters to your c service to a guy named reehem and is instant reaction was omg how did this guitar get out of the dooors.and he put in a request for you to send me a new guitar and gibson denied it in 2 hours.the fastest reply reehem had ever seen.as well as i take the guitar to your repairman you sent me to.and he was floored he called you and told you everthing im telling you now.and guess what send us 1400.00 and the guitar.this is wrong wrong wrong i have never felt this sad.and i play music 3 nights a week 4 hours a night.and i sold me fender that never never never failed me to get this gibson bc of jimmy page's tone.now im stuck using a first act guitar that is so un tone happy it makes me sad.and i cannot afford to go buy another guitar as i thought id never have a problme with my gibson.but turns out this guitar and whole experince is soooooooooo heartbreaking.i just dont know what to do i know gibson is not goin to fix this problme iv tried and tried iv done everything you asked of me and i still have a hunk of wood sittin here that cant be used.

[x x (KernelofWisdom)]

c atkins (casper330), on 16 July 2010 - 12:46 PM, said:

hello mr. Henry J i have a question why has gibson snubbed me i have went through all of you proceedures with my 08 lp std and never got it fixed if taken it to your repairman your company has sent me to and he even called you on the spot about this guitar.i have sent pics and letters from 16 diffrenet luithers and i still have this guitar wich is unplayable.i offerd to pay to have my guitar sent back and guess what nope.i offerd to down grade to a traditional.but nope i have a full warnty i have sent the card in as well as my receipt.and when i did hear back from gibson via phone i was told to send the guitar and 1426.00 to repair it keep in mind it is new and unplayed.the reasons is this the back bow on the neck is so bad it can not be fixed,there are white marks in the paint and runs in the paint the pots do not send out a signal and the bridge pickup reads at 4.2k i have sent you proof of all of this a i have heard nothing from you.im so sad it took me 20 yrs to save up for this guitar wich is my dream guitar and i have had nothing but problmes with it.i cant even play it.now i sold my perfect 50's reissue strat to get this les paul and that strat never failed me not once.and this gibson has failed me from the start.and just so you know this is not a bull stuff.sir i sent pics and letters to your c service to a guy named reehem and is instant reaction was omg how did this guitar get out of the dooors.and he put in a request for you to send me a new guitar and gibson denied it in 2 hours.the fastest reply reehem had ever seen.as well as i take the guitar to your repairman you sent me to.and he was floored he called you and told you everthing im telling you now.and guess what send us 1400.00 and the guitar.this is wrong wrong wrong i have never felt this sad.and i play music 3 nights a week 4 hours a night.and i sold me fender that never never never failed me to get this gibson bc of jimmy page's tone.now im stuck using a first act guitar that is so un tone happy it makes me sad.and i cannot afford to go buy another guitar as i thought id never have a problme with my gibson.but turns out this guitar and whole experince is soooooooooo heartbreaking.i just dont know what to do i know gibson is not goin to fix this problme iv tried and tried iv done everything you asked of me and i still have a hunk of wood sittin here that cant be used.

Sounds like a job for 19 Action News!

[H Juszkiewicz (HenryJ)]

P Monné (Paul), on 15 July 2010 - 03:26 PM, said:

Henry,

Thanks for the opportunity to chat. John Hall has been (pro)active on the Rickenbacker forum for a few years. Contentious threads over there get locked or deleted pretty quickly. It's a nice forum over there. I hope this one maintains decorum.

I'll get to the point.

1) I miss the Epiphone Elitist line. I have an Elitist Byrdland, and it really does compare very favourably with Gibson branded instruments. I wouldn't be surprised if you were cutting into your own market share. The Elitists were, (are) incredible instruments for the price.

2) I wish Gibson archtop jazz guitars were more available to audition in my part of the world. I'd really like to compare a Super 400, (Kitchener Ontario's Mel Brown played one), with am ES-5 Switchmaster, (Toronto's Jake Langley) with a Tal Farlow, (I saw Duke Robillard play one). There is no local dealer willing to bring in almost $30K MSRP of guitars on the chance I might buy one of them. Just about any trim level of a Les Paul is easy to find, but the limited market of jazz guitars leaves players like me wanting. <sigh> It's almost easier to get my hands on a Linda Manzer instrument than many of the higher end Gibson jazz boxes.

Peace,

Paul Monné
Brantford ON
Canada

Part of the reason for Gibson carved top scarcity is we don't build very many. This is an incredibly manual process which takes a lot of skill. We can only put a few instruments, far short of demand.

I would suggest you call us at our customer service number, or we can put you in touch directly with the Custom Shop. Either we can let you know which stores have inventory. Hopefully, there will be a few near you.

They can also find out what the plans for the Elitest Epiphones are.

Lastly, you might also call Long and McQuade. With the number of stores they have, they might be able to assemble a few pieces for you to check out.

Hope this helps.

[k blakely (Judge)]

Hello Mr.Juszkiewicz,
I had a question concerning an earlier gibson limited run model, the Gibson 1984 reissue explorer. I was wondering if there would be even the slightest possibility of another run of the model or maybe even a full run model. I stumbled across this explorer while browsing on Ebay and fell in love with it. I began searching around the internet and came across forums and the like talking about the explorer and how much the product was desired by others beside myself. Here is an examples of theses forums

http://acapella.harm....php?p=38268045

And comments on videos on youtube such as these





Thank you for your time.

[J Kimble (FLICKOFLASH)]

c adkins (casper330), on 16 July 2010 - 01:46 PM, said:

hello mr. Henry J i have a question why has gibson snubbed me i have went through all of you proceedures with my 08 lp std and never got it fixed if taken it to your repairman your company has sent me to and he even called you on the spot about this guitar.i have sent pics and letters from 16 diffrenet luithers and i still have this guitar wich is unplayable.i offerd to pay to have my guitar sent back and guess what nope.i offerd to down grade to a traditional.but nope i have a full warnty i have sent the card in as well as my receipt.and when i did hear back from gibson via phone i was told to send the guitar and 1426.00 to repair it keep in mind it is new and unplayed.the reasons is this the back bow on the neck is so bad it can not be fixed,there are white marks in the paint and runs in the paint the pots do not send out a signal and the bridge pickup reads at 4.2k i have sent you proof of all of this a i have heard nothing from you.im so sad it took me 20 yrs to save up for this guitar wich is my dream guitar and i have had nothing but problmes with it.i cant even play it.now i sold my perfect 50's reissue strat to get this les paul and that strat never failed me not once.and this gibson has failed me from the start.and just so you know this is not a bull stuff.sir i sent pics and letters to your c service to a guy named reehem and is instant reaction was omg how did this guitar get out of the dooors.and he put in a request for you to send me a new guitar and gibson denied it in 2 hours.the fastest reply reehem had ever seen.as well as i take the guitar to your repairman you sent me to.and he was floored he called you and told you everthing im telling you now.and guess what send us 1400.00 and the guitar.this is wrong wrong wrong i have never felt this sad.and i play music 3 nights a week 4 hours a night.and i sold me fender that never never never failed me to get this gibson bc of jimmy page's tone.now im stuck using a first act guitar that is so un tone happy it makes me sad.and i cannot afford to go buy another guitar as i thought id never have a problme with my gibson.but turns out this guitar and whole experince is soooooooooo heartbreaking.i just dont know what to do i know gibson is not goin to fix this problme iv tried and tried iv done everything you asked of me and i still have a hunk of wood sittin here that cant be used.

I would like to see pix please. Sounds like a Gibson Counterfiet

[C Barker (Rockbl)]

Dear Henry,

Let me add my thanks to you for starting this forum. This is a great way to get feedback directly from the people who love Gibson guitars.

I am also happy to have a chance to personally thank you for rescuing Gibson Guitars some 20 years ago. You did the world a great service by saving a company that had been making unique and wonderful musical instruments for decades. There is nothing out there that sounds like a Gibson. And without your efforts, I suspect that the entire company, with its deep reservoir of knowledge and its superb artisans and craftsmen, would have disappeared. Under your leadership, the reputation of Gibson has been restored to its pre-Norlin status. Many people feel that the quality of Gibson acoustics made at the Bozeman plant is even better than in the old glory days of Kalamazoo. (I don't know much about Gibson electrics.)

For all that you have done for Gibson Guitars -- and thus for music fans around the world -- I offer my sincerest thanks.

If I can use this forum to offer one suggestion, it would be to get your fine acoustic guitars back into more small retail music stores. There are literally millions of us guitar plunkers who live in small towns across America. There is no place within 150 miles of where I live in East Texas that sells new Gibson acoustics. Some of the retailers I've talked to tell me that Gibson -- and some other large guitar manufacturers -- require them to carry so much inventory of their guitars, that they have been forced to drop those lines. That has made those retailers bitter, and as a result some of them bad-mouth Gibson acoustics. (I think some of them may also still be remembering problems with the Norlin-era Gibsons.)

Small retailers may not sell as many guitars as the big box chain stores, but they offer the customer something unique: sales people with genuine expertise. Buying a new guitar is a very big deal to most of your customers, so it helps to have a sales person who really knows music and guitars -- rather than a 20-year-old kid working on commission at a big box store.

One of my favorite music stores is Fuller's Vintage Guitars in Houston. They carry the full line of Gibson acoustics, including many high-end special editions. They used to have their Gibson acoustics listed on-line at their website, but for some reason, there is now a message posted that says they are "working with Gibson" to get their guitars listed on-line again. Perhaps a phone call from you to the right person at your company could expedite that process. I'd like to see a loyal retailer like Fullers be treated with deference. Such retailers can be your best evangelists and foot-soldiers. A year or two ago I bought my special edition Southern Jumbo from Fuller's after reading about it on-line at their website.

Thank you again for listening!

Sincerely,

Rockbl (Southern Jumbo and Hummingbird Historic edition)

[M Westphal (mlwestphal)]

C Barker (Rockbl), on 16 July 2010 - 04:08 PM, said:

Dear Henry,

Let me add my thanks to you for starting this forum. This is a great way to get feedback directly from the people who love Gibson guitars.

I am also happy to have a chance to personally thank you for rescuing Gibson Guitars some 20 years ago. You did the world a great service by saving a company that had been making unique and wonderful musical instruments for decades. There is nothing out there that sounds like a Gibson. And without your efforts, I suspect that the entire company, with its deep reservoir of knowledge and its superb artisans and craftsmen, would have disappeared. Under your leadership, the reputation of Gibson has been restored to its pre-Norlin status. Many people feel that the quality of Gibson acoustics made at the Bozeman plant is even better than in the old glory days of Kalamazoo. (I don't know much about Gibson electrics.)

For all that you have done for Gibson Guitars -- and thus for music fans around the world -- I offer my sincerest thanks.

If I can use this forum to offer one suggestion, it would be to get your fine acoustic guitars back into more small retail music stores. There are literally millions of us guitar plunkers who live in small towns across America. There is no place within 150 miles of where I live in East Texas that sells new Gibson acoustics. Some of the retailers I've talked to tell me that Gibson -- and some other large guitar manufacturers -- require them to carry so much inventory of their guitars, that they have been forced to drop those lines. That has made those retailers bitter, and as a result some of them bad-mouth Gibson acoustics. (I think some of them may also still be remembering problems with the Norlin-era Gibsons.)

Small retailers may not sell as many guitars as the big box chain stores, but they offer the customer something unique: sales people with genuine expertise. Buying a new guitar is a very big deal to most of your customers, so it helps to have a sales person who really knows music and guitars -- rather than a 20-year-old kid working on commission at a big box store.

One of my favorite music stores is Fuller's Vintage Guitars in Houston. They carry the full line of Gibson acoustics, including many high-end special editions. They used to have their Gibson acoustics listed on-line at their website, but for some reason, there is now a message posted that says they are "working with Gibson" to get their guitars listed on-line again. Perhaps a phone call from you to the right person at your company could expedite that process. I'd like to see a loyal retailer like Fullers be treated with deference. Such retailers can be your best evangelists and foot-soldiers. A year or two ago I bought my special edition Southern Jumbo from Fuller's after reading about it on-line at their website.

Thank you again for listening!

Sincerely,

Rockbl (Southern Jumbo and Hummingbird Historic edition)

I agree with what you've posted. I really love Gibsons but, they need to make it more possible for the little guy to carry their guitars. My favorite small shop Schoolhouse Music in the Danville/Bloomsburg area of PA (I lived there back in the early 90's), had to stop being a Gibson dealer. I bought several Gibsons from them over the years. Sure, places like M.F., Dave's Guitar (in Wisc.) and Fullers in TX are great but, it's really nice when small town types can see Gibsons w/o a long drive. I'm now in northern NJ, so it's not an issue for me personally, but it only makes sense. Just my 2 cents.
Mark

[S Bleeker (winebrew)]

Hi Henry,
My name is Simon Bleeker and I play lead guitar for a band named Wine Brew.
I am 17 years old and play music from the 60's and 70's like The Yarbirds, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Cream, Ten Years After,etc...
Our band plays shows every week and I was wondering if Gibson gives sponsorships if you use their gear?
One reason I ask this, is that a few weeks ago, I had the oppertunity to have my 1958 Reissue Gibson Les Paul VOS signed by Jeff Beck.
This $4,000 dollar guitar is now worth a lot more, and I hate to play it at shows but I have to because it is my favorite and most playable guitar.

I plan on pursuing music through college at USC Thorton School of music, and play everyday for at least 3 hours, no joke. It is my life.
I also have been in touch with Carl Verheyen. Carl wants to have an evaluation of me in LA. He is a first call session man out there.
I have also been talking to Terry Lawless of U2. He gave me his number and email and told me to call if I needed anything, so if you need a reference???
Here is a video link of me playing at a festival in Santa Barbara, California
I hope maybe we can work something out.
Thanks,



-Simon Bleeker
winebrew@hotmail.com
1-951-970-5727

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[C Stoddard (CW Stoddard)]

Hello Boss!

Suggestion. You should know the history of Gibson better than anyone by now. Product quality has gotten Gibson where it is today, however, there is turmoil brewing amongst the masses when the guitars they want are being priced out of their reach, and the only offerings are "odd" models that don't have the true Gibson vibe.

I realize that new products create income, but at what price further down the road? Has anyone done cost/trend/model analysis of all Gibson electric guitars over the last 15 years? I bet there is some good information in there that pretty much tells what is really wanted by the public and sustainable by the company.

They way the price of nice Les Pauls have been going, there is a risk of pricing yourselves out. Nobody would like to see that...except maybe Fender.

S/f

CW
Bozeman, MT
LtCol USMC(ret)

[J Logan (Jimmy Logan)]

Dear Mr. Juszkiewicz,

Right now, I am not a Gibson owner. I have in the past owned an 86' Les Paul Standard, an 83' Les Paul Studio, which was an interesting guitar, as the body and neck had binding, but had dot inlays on the neck. I had my friend's father's 68' Goldtop Deluxe with mini humbuckers. I've owned a 92' EDS 1275, which had mahogany necks. I owned a 01' SG Standard, an 03' SG Faded with the Half Moon's and a neck the size of St. Louis(my Bengal cats broke the headstock of it, locked them in the basement for two days with just water for that one), two different Epiphone 1275's, and the last Gibson that I owned, was an R9, about an 03'/04'. That guitar was so toneful, I cried when I lost her due to a debt and dispute with an ex friend of mine.

My teen to adult life has been spent traveling all over the world, working as a musician, and tradesman/artisan. I lived in the north of England for 9 years. I have lived in Australia and toured there. One thing I have noticed sir, about your company's products, is the lack of competition between distributors and retailers. I noticed it's not a very level playing field for the consumer. I don't know, sir, if you have noticed the negative feedback on the products pages in regards to the M.S.R.P., or list price. I am wondering if perhaps is might be better for your customers and enthusiasts if you allowed more "competition" between outlets and stores. Based on the situation now, it seems more like you have cartels in place.

Let's face it. I can buy a Les Paul R9, or Standard or what ever model from Gibson from Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, A.M.S., Sam Ash here in the U.S., and the only difference in price would be sales tax if I bought it in the state I live in. Which to me, makes the most sense, because I am a person who likes to try my instruments before I commit my scarce and hard earned cash to one. In England, you only have one distributor, Rosseti, if I am not mistaken. Yet another cartel. No competition. No chances to own something that normally we, the majority of your demographic, can't afford. We never see special offers, or sales on Gibson. Just the launch of another artist model that only the wealthy can afford.

When I got my R9, I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right person as a manager. It was his last night working for the company after 15 years. I had tried about 5 of the models they had that were in the $3000.00 to $3600.00 range. They all sounded great, but the last guitar, this guy brought out. He informed me that they had taken it on trade the previous day. I tried it without an amp first, and all I can say is I giggled. When I plugged it in, it answered every question I asked her. THAT WAS AN INSTRUMENT. Not a guitar. The manager asked me how I liked it after a 15 minute session that was like sex. I told him I would put down $2000.00 on it. He asked me how much money I had on me. I said I had more, but could not spend it all. Then he went on about scratches and bucklerash that were not there, and said, "$2,800.00 + tax, out the door" to which I replied "WRITE IT UP!!!" He informed me as I was leaving that he knew that there would be bucklerash and scratches on it by letting me take it home that night, and he was right.

Mr. Juszkiewicz, that's what dreams are made of. That's what makes life sweet, and that's where I think your company may be missing something. I would buy another Gibson sir, and not quibble about the fact that on a $5000.00 guitar, the treble pickup kept unscrewing itself into the pickup cavity, because I got a great deal on it, and I'm just happy to own one. What has happened over the past 8 years is disappointing, and was even more disappointing when I lived in England. You sir, are an artisan are you not? Ask yourself, can the artisans and tradesmen on your factory floor afford one of your better instruments if they did not work there? I hope you found this post insightful, and I wish you and your company all the best, and perhaps someday I will again be able to afford another instrument like my old R9 with the Loc Tite on the treble pickup screws.

Respectfully,
Jimmy Logan

[s roy (guitarplayerwantabee)]

Hi Henry J, nice to be on this forum. A friend of mine is left-handed and this was a question he pondered when he first took guitar lessons. His Instructor convinced him to learn right handed, as he would be much better off with his choice of guitars in the future. He bought a old Gibson (right hand)that a musical repair shop had put a new top on because it was worn through, it was a 3/4 size. It turn out to be a great guitar and we both have had Gibsons in our blood every since.
I have a question though, lemon oil or boiled linseed for the fretboard, which is better?
Thanks Steve

H Juszkiewicz (HenryJ), on 14 July 2010 - 12:47 PM, said:

Good point.

Left hand guitars are a real problem for us, not because they are difficult to produce, but very difficult to sell through our channel partners. The guitars often do not look different when hanging on the wall and they tend to get lost in the merchandise selection. With reduced sales volume, both large retailers and small ones avoid carrying them entirely. If they do carry left hand models it is limited in stock. The result is we do not get many orders for them.

Our policy has been to run a batch of left handed guitars, once in a long while, and have inventory stock available for an order when it comes in.

This system has not worked well for our valuable left handed customers or ourselves. I will be forming a group a Gibson to see if we can somehow address this unmet need.

Thanks for bringing to my attention, and thank for becoming a member of the forum! -- Henry

[k blakely (Judge)]

Mr. Juszkiewicz,

I had a question concerning one of gibsons older limited run models, the Gibson 1984 explorer reissue. I was wondering if there was even the slightest possibility of another short run of the model or maybe even a full run model. I saw this guitar on ebay and instantly fell in love with it, and upon searching the internet discovered that many other people loved and wanted this guitar and still do. I know that there is an epiphone 1984 explorer reissue but Gibson guitars are understandably of better quality than epiphone.

[H Juszkiewicz (HenryJ)]

s roy (guitarplayerwantabee), on 17 July 2010 - 04:44 PM, said:

Hi Henry J, nice to be on this forum. A friend of mine is left-handed and this was a question he pondered when he first took guitar lessons. His Instructor convinced him to learn right handed, as he would be much better off with his choice of guitars in the future. He bought a old Gibson (right hand)that a musical repair shop had put a new top on because it was worn through, it was a 3/4 size. It turn out to be a great guitar and we both have had Gibsons in our blood every since.
I have a question though, lemon oil or boiled linseed for the fretboard, which is better?
Thanks Steve

We use either Linseed Oil or Boar Oil [used for vintage violins].

All the best

[J Beckett (b3john)]

K Young (KevinY), on 16 July 2010 - 12:25 PM, said:

John,

Funny you should bring this up. Keep an eye out in Q4 for the Les Paul DoubleCut Classic and other Japan exclusives being offered in the U.S. One of our largest Web dealers will begin carrying these.

And thanks for all of your ideas.

Kevin, you've made my day!! I'll look forward to this!

[J pierce (Jason P.)]

Hi Mr. J.,
I know this is extremely strange but....

I recently finished Musicians Institute's Guitar Craft classes in Hollywood CA and moved back to my home town Wilmington, NC. I have been constantly checking out the job openings on the site. The only thing that really keeps me from applying is that i obviously do not reside in TN. I am more than willing to make the 10 hour drive to furtther investigate the job possibility and possibly move to the area ASAP. Anything you could tell me would be greatly appreciated.

below is a picture of the final project i made (including the pickups).

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[P Esbend (Pierre)]

Good day Henry

I would just like to find out about my grandfathers gibson guitar. I'm told by my uncle that it is 1 of 5 that was manufactured without any serial numbers. I'd like to know if possible the value of this guitar please. As soon as I get a photo of it, I will post it.

Thanks

Regards
Pierre Esbend
Durban
South Africa