[M Weaver (Awfers)]

Dear Mr. Juszkiewicz & Gibson Staff,

First, I would like to thank you for creating this forum. It's rare these days to be able to express one's concerns and ideas to the head or heads of a large company.

Second, I would like to thank the people on here who contribute much meaningful dialog and information, both the Greg detractors and the Greg promoters, those who don't give a toss and just want to talk about guitars, and those who will defend their chosen brand at any cost.

Thirdly, I would like to apologise to you and to the members of this forum. I used to be one who would defend a brand at any cost and some of the members of this forum were the unhappy recipients of the venting of my frustration (more about that later).

Among the guitar culture in my area, Gibson has a high reputation. It is considered one of the better brands and is perhaps one of the more expensive brands. Naturally, one expects quality to go hand-in-hand with cost. The BFG that I have is an absolutely fantastic guitar, I thoroughly enjoy playing it every chance I get. Ok, it buzzes, but apparently this is easy to fix. I still love my BFG.

I'm also a believer in the small Mom n' Pop shop, as I feel this is the only way to deliver genuine customer satisfaction through long-term customer service, it's a relationship built on trust, which I personally am willing to pay more for. In my experience, it's simply not possible for a large chain store to provide that level of service.

Recently I have been looking to buy an SG Standard as my third guitar (and my second Gibson). But unfortunately the one's I've seen here locally have me worried, namely the one shop where I have been able to actually see an SG Standard, both of them have orange peel on the finish. I posted the photos on this forum.

I would also like to express my frustration at seeing the difference between Gibson image and marketing vs. the reality in terms of the quality, something that I have seen with my naked eyes and a topic that has been brought up by a lot of people on this forum.

While I think I understand that Gibson may be boxed into a corner, so to speak, with big online retailers and chain stores, to which Gibson is required to be more flexible in the product offerings (if it wants to or not) and to lower the prices of their guitars, I cannot understand the overwhelming number of voices who say that Gibsons are not what they used to be in terms of quality, especially when you are saying it's your biggest concern. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. Those orange peel SGs should never have left the factory.

So, I have a confession to make. I have bought my third guitar already. But it's not an SG. You may understand, the SG is a guitar I dearly love, and I wish I had bought one.

But unfortunately the guitar I bought is not even a Gibson.
It's a Framus. I won't go into why, but the points above have a lot to do with it.


I would like to offer you a challenge. In 3 months I will have my end of the year bonus, meaning I will be able to buy an SG "cash on the barrel" as you Americans say. I beg you, please restore my confidence in the quality of "regular" Gibson guitars, and not with mere words. Allow me to love your brand again, not because of the marketing you do, but because of the quality that I know goes through and through.


Sincerely,

M. Weaver

[G Feder (Gary F)]

M Weaver (Awfers), on 20 August 2010 - 01:03 PM, said:

Dear Mr. Juszkiewicz & Gibson Staff,

First, I would like to thank you for creating this forum. It's rare these days to be able to express one's concerns and ideas to the head or heads of a large company.

Second, I would like to thank the people on here who contribute much meaningful dialog and information, both the Greg detractors and the Greg promoters, those who don't give a toss and just want to talk about guitars, and those who will defend their chosen brand at any cost.

Thirdly, I would like to apologise to you and to the members of this forum. I used to be one who would defend a brand at any cost and some of the members of this forum were the unhappy recipients of the venting of my frustration (more about that later).

Among the guitar culture in my area, Gibson has a high reputation. It is considered one of the better brands and is perhaps one of the more expensive brands. Naturally, one expects quality to go hand-in-hand with cost. The BFG that I have is an absolutely fantastic guitar, I thoroughly enjoy playing it every chance I get. Ok, it buzzes, but apparently this is easy to fix. I still love my BFG.

I'm also a believer in the small Mom n' Pop shop, as I feel this is the only way to deliver genuine customer satisfaction through long-term customer service, it's a relationship built on trust, which I personally am willing to pay more for. In my experience, it's simply not possible for a large chain store to provide that level of service.

Recently I have been looking to buy an SG Standard as my third guitar (and my second Gibson). But unfortunately the one's I've seen here locally have me worried, namely the one shop where I have been able to actually see an SG Standard, both of them have orange peel on the finish. I posted the photos on this forum.

I would also like to express my frustration at seeing the difference between Gibson image and marketing vs. the reality in terms of the quality, something that I have seen with my naked eyes and a topic that has been brought up by a lot of people on this forum.

While I think I understand that Gibson may be boxed into a corner, so to speak, with big online retailers and chain stores, to which Gibson is required to be more flexible in the product offerings (if it wants to or not) and to lower the prices of their guitars, I cannot understand the overwhelming number of voices who say that Gibsons are not what they used to be in terms of quality, especially when you are saying it's your biggest concern. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. Those orange peel SGs should never have left the factory.

So, I have a confession to make. I have bought my third guitar already. But it's not an SG. You may understand, the SG is a guitar I dearly love, and I wish I had bought one.

But unfortunately the guitar I bought is not even a Gibson.
It's a Framus. I won't go into why, but the points above have a lot to do with it.


I would like to offer you a challenge. In 3 months I will have my end of the year bonus, meaning I will be able to buy an SG "cash on the barrel" as you Americans say. I beg you, please restore my confidence in the quality of "regular" Gibson guitars, and not with mere words. Allow me to love your brand again, not because of the marketing you do, but because of the quality that I know goes through and through.


Sincerely,

M. Weaver

Thanks for letting us know your concerns - that feedback is truly important to us. As GM of the division that makes the SG, I appreciate your desire to own one, and share your disappointment that the guitars you have seen at your local dealer do not live up to your expectations. At Gibson USA, we take great pride in our work, so to hear we have lost a fan to another brand bothers us. I can assure you that our focus on quality has never been stronger, as we have recently resumed operations after the devastating floods that hit Nashville in May. Our guitar builders and inspectors are 100% focused on making sure every guitar that leaves here lives up to the Gibson brand. But the proof will be in the pudding, and ultimately you will be the judge of whether or not we have achieved that. You have challenged us to re-affirm your belief in our brand, and I accept that challenge. I am confident that you will be very pleased with the quality of our newly-built guitars as they reach your market, and I look forward to hearing from you once you receive your bonus, use it to purchase the SG you love, and are thrilled with the guitar.

Again, thanks for your feedback.

[S Lowe (Steve Lowe)]

M Weaver - that was a well written letter, nice job!

[r akers (wrick)]

MR.Feder orange peel was never a issue with me,been playing in bar rooms every weekend since the late 70s, dont care what they look like anymore.Gibsons and Fenders have always been there with me.So why can I not get a answer from the top as to why one cant get a structurely sound neck and angle correct.I paid for repairs myself because I became tired of the game and only would like to know why I went through this .I dont think I was able to explain myself well, as the emotions and anger took hold.A simple explaination and acknowledgment from a senior member such as yourself whether private or on forum on my dabacle, would solve this difference and return some needed respect on both sides.This my first forum as you can probably can tell,every time I get on here to look to see if they have been answered, I read something else and felt compelled to say something negative and dont thank it is helping matters.I would rather be off here working on music so if you can help bring this to a close I would be greatfull.Thanks

[S Sill (Scott Sill)]

I will be curious to see if you buy that SG too. I am sure you would be buying one if they put out the SG supremes again! Those were beautiful, but they just needed a Bigsby to go on it. That would be one sweet guitar!

Scott Sill

[G Feder (Gary F)]

r akers (wrick), on 20 August 2010 - 05:09 PM, said:

MR.Feder orange peel was never a issue with me,been playing in bar rooms every weekend since the late 70s, dont care what they look like anymore.Gibsons and Fenders have always been there with me.So why can I not get a answer from the top as to why one cant get a structurely sound neck and angle correct.I paid for repairs myself because I became tired of the game and only would like to know why I went through this .I dont think I was able to explain myself well, as the emotions and anger took hold.A simple explaination and acknowledgment from a senior member such as yourself whether private or on forum on my dabacle, would solve this difference and return some needed respect on both sides.This my first forum as you can probably can tell,every time I get on here to look to see if they have been answered, I read something else and felt compelled to say something negative and dont thank it is helping matters.I would rather be off here working on music so if you can help bring this to a close I would be greatfull.Thanks

Let me talk to our engineers and production managers, and have someone get in contact with you on this. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

[r akers (wrick)]

Thank you Mr.Feder and sorry I had to go on here and make it public. Tried by written letters,phone over the last two years and nothing.Customer service can only act as a middle man,because I went to very great lengths to head this off and believe they tried ,but it was on the other end that didnt follow through.I almost took a flight down there after the last one,but the wife said enough, after money spent on the first two.You can see how it escalated and thing were rather heated.Any info on my repair reciepts they requested and my wrench.Thanks again

[T Schmidt (trosse)]

Great letter yes, but I'm afraid that our beloved Mr. Juszkiewicz will cry all the way to the bank...

Btw I don't think he check any posts around here. Mails are just given to Gibson Cusmer Service (which has the wrong name as it's not for customers and there is no service )

[D Schulteis (Deej)]

S Sill (Scott Sill), on 20 August 2010 - 04:19 PM, said:

I will be curious to see if you buy that SG too. I am sure you would be buying one if they put out the SG supremes again! Those were beautiful, but they just needed a Bigsby to go on it. That would be one sweet guitar!

I love the look of the Bigsby's, but don't like them to play so much. I once saw an Emerald green supreme, all gold with a Bigsby... I tried to buy it from the guy, but he changed his mind last minute.

Have you seen that new green quilt one?! OMG... I've been thinking that Gibson needed to do another round of green, and that delivers! Too high a price for a "player" for me, but if my finances were a little different... I'd call and get one loaded with a Bigsby.

With the releases of the shred-x's, Axcess, and tribals, with floyd's and Kahler's... it'd be nice to see a re-release of the SG Special 400 with Kahler (I have an 87, my only Gibby with a trem bar - and one of 2 of them all that has one), or just an SG with trem bar in general (Bigsby, Floyd or Kahler).

[F Johns (Frank)]

r akers (wrick), on 20 August 2010 - 10:20 PM, said:

Thank you Mr.Feder and sorry I had to go on here and make it public. Tried by written letters,phone over the last two years and nothing.Customer service can only act as a middle man,because I went to very great lengths to head this off and believe they tried ,but it was on the other end that didnt follow through.I almost took a flight down there after the last one,but the wife said enough, after money spent on the first two.You can see how it escalated and thing were rather heated.Any info on my repair reciepts they requested and my wrench.Thanks again

Hello Mr. Akers,
Can you please explain the issue you had with our necks and neck joint and I will do my best to answer your question?
We go to great lengths to ensure that are necks are stable and our neck joints are very tight. From monitoring the harvested wood,
kiln drying, and machining of the necks we put a lot of effort into our quality. If you had come down to see the plant you would know the commitment it takes to making a great instrument daily. I'm very sorry you had a bad experience and we will see what we can learn from this and move forward.
Thanks
Frank

[r akers (wrick)]

MR.Johns,I have mentioned this vaguely on another post(warranty and replacement)and and no response, believe Gibson will never take responsility or admit to the QC problems.I again will say this, isnt about flaws in the finish cause I could careless,this is a tool and if it made structuraly well a tech can get it within reason.This about respect and treating the customer as he is right.I know Gibsons well and have been at my side.I know it cant be compared to my 68 but, the first was a real player til neck went bad,then every one that followed was worse than the prior.To be told I dont have or heard of such a thing,treated as if I was asking for a hand out, made to think I should just except it and not bother Gibson is nuts.Ask to speak to a manager told no we will take care of it,tried to offer money to have one picked out,pay the differance to upgrade(thinking better quality)denied and pay to have one pleked prior to shipping denied(still have email from B.BURNS saying they have one pleked and shipping it)just to get let down with misaligned fingerboard that would have required lots of sanding and a paint job.CS requested that I send in my repair receipts totaling $540 spent on repairs on the first two from three different places and keep the guitar and paper work sent another guitar instead without receipts and my wrench.I want them back.Look at the work forms they will tell you whats the matter and thats the first two.I swallowed the $400 spent on the refret on this last one and ill have a neck reset done to make it play better and stay in tune or again is it in my head after thirty plus years playing out that there isnt a problem.I will never deal with customer service again and without a reasonable explaination as to why Gibson done this to a customer and many,many others I lost my faith in your company.very sad way to do business RECEIPTS AND WRENCH PLEASE.

[H Juszkiewicz (HenryJ)]

T Schmidt (trosse), on 21 August 2010 - 08:05 AM, said:

Great letter yes, but I'm afraid that our beloved Mr. Juszkiewicz will cry all the way to the bank...

Btw I don't think he check any posts around here. Mails are just given to Gibson Cusmer Service (which has the wrong name as it's not for customers and there is no service )

Wow.

I think that was really uncalled for.

There is a legitimate dialogue going on in this thread. I two division executives have responded. I read the original comments and I am reading yours.

Your personal affront has nothing to do with what is being discussed and it is not appreciated.

Henry

[S Sanchez (trekhead)]

Dear Mr. Henry,
You should not take offense,what you are doing is really so uncommon that I don't doubt that there are numerous people who don't expect you to really read the comments and respond to issues brought forth on this forum. Nevertheless, I appreciate seeing your comments and seeing that, in spite of all your responsibilities, you still find time to participate. I sincerely hope you will continue.

[M Weaver (Awfers)]

S Sanchez (trekhead), on 12 September 2010 - 06:07 AM, said:

Dear Mr. Henry,
You should not take offense,what you are doing is really so uncommon that I don't doubt that there are numerous people who don't expect you to really read the comments and respond to issues brought forth on this forum. Nevertheless, I appreciate seeing your comments and seeing that, in spite of all your responsibilities, you still find time to participate. I sincerely hope you will continue.

+1 to that..

thank you Henry for reading this thread and responding.

[H Juszkiewicz (HenryJ)]

M Weaver (Awfers), on 15 September 2010 - 09:55 PM, said:

+1 to that..

thank you Henry for reading this thread and responding.

I am trying to keep up with this forum. It is really hard.

The biggest issue for me is making sure I have new and entertaining information to add every time I post. Doing that every day is proving a challenge, but I am trying nevertheless.

Thanks for your kind comments!

Henry

[D Bighorn (LesPaulNut)]

G Feder (Gary F), on 20 August 2010 - 06:38 PM, said:

Thanks for letting us know your concerns - that feedback is truly important to us. As GM of the division that makes the SG, I appreciate your desire to own one, and share your disappointment that the guitars you have seen at your local dealer do not live up to your expectations. At Gibson USA, we take great pride in our work, so to hear we have lost a fan to another brand bothers us. I can assure you that our focus on quality has never been stronger, as we have recently resumed operations after the devastating floods that hit Nashville in May. Our guitar builders and inspectors are 100% focused on making sure every guitar that leaves here lives up to the Gibson brand. But the proof will be in the pudding, and ultimately you will be the judge of whether or not we have achieved that. You have challenged us to re-affirm your belief in our brand, and I accept that challenge. I am confident that you will be very pleased with the quality of our newly-built guitars as they reach your market, and I look forward to hearing from you once you receive your bonus, use it to purchase the SG you love, and are thrilled with the guitar.

Again, thanks for your feedback.

I used to work in a small local independent music shop in England and remember sending a number of Les Paul's and SG's back because they had the wrong neck angle and played like dung. In fact I know somebody that bought one of the First-run limited edition Les-bot's as an investment piece and that has a terrible neck angle. I advised him to send it back, but he refused through fear that he wouldn't be able to get a replacement.

These instruments have been shipped across the Atlantic like that, how bad is that for quality, how bad is the fact that I have never seen a 335 around 2003 2005 without finisg flaws especially where the neck sits above the top???

I suppose that means nothing though when you're only spending £2000 on a guitar.

[D Bighorn (LesPaulNut)]

Mr J?

[I Stoddard (Low-B 5-String)]

LesPaulNut,
If you truly want to get a reply, I would recommend editing your post and removing the snide remark. Quantifying "wrong" and "terrible" with some data would help, too.
Otherwise, it just looks like a small-bore cheap shot. (Just sayin', not challenging.)

[D Bighorn (LesPaulNut)]

Many thanks for that Low-B-5-String.

However, I've seen Henry reply to some pretty offensive posts on here, he's not afraid, and I was trying to be offensive, just trying to provoke a reaction.

As for him not replying, I would hazard a guess that he's away or given up the ghost completely as he hasn't logged in since 18th September, but thanks for the advice anyhow mate.

[D Bighorn (LesPaulNut)]

YOU NEVER KNOW!!!!

He could be busy, trying to remedy all of the faults listed on this forum!