Gibson Breaks New Wind With $5500 MIC POS

[Kazz]

Did someone say something about Gibson guitars in this post? All I see is a BEAUTIFUL Telecaster :-)

[wingsdad]

I suppose we should have seen the evolution coming.

The Gibson brand proudly built their legendary status instruments for 80-something years in Kalamazoo, Michigan -- Epiphones, as well, since they acquired that company in the early 60's... but then sold out and moved on to be Gibson Nashville, Gibson Memphis and acoustics made in Bozeman, Montana. Then they built and launched (2004, I think) their own factory in Qingdao, dubbing it 'Gibson China' and exhiling a team of Gibson USA management to run it 'the Gibson Way' and teach their crew of Chinese how to build various Epiphones. And control costs and profits that had grown too high for them doing it otherwise.

Having top quality Epis built for them by Samick in Korea from about 1983 - 2002, with Saien, Fine, Un Sung, Aria, Peerless and a couple of other Korean factories hanging on a couple of more years, til Korea got too expensive, turning more and more to subcontracting to Chinese factories such as Dae Won, Sae Jung and Muse since 2002, the pace picking up since 2004, even as Gibson China was starting up...because the initial QC in Qiangdao sucked.

So perhaps this new hot rod, priced like it's a USA Gibson but manufactured at MIC costs, is the harbinger of the ultimate shutdown someday, perhaps sooner than we may realize, of Nashville, Memphis and Bozeman, just like they did Kalamazoo.

Gibson's eroded market share and sales that's transpired over the past 30 years, as more and more quality guitar makers/brands got into the game has forced them to adapt and find ways to squeeze more profit out of selling less guitars so they could sustain growth and satisfy their investors.

What better way now than to just take it all to China?

EDIT: Syo makes a good point in his post following this one of mine...so NOW, no longer assuming that MIC is a factual statement as this thread alledges through the opening posts, I go to the link for the Firebird X on the Gibson site and it IS shown as a Gibson USA product....where did the basis of the MIC allegation come from?

Regardless...I stand by my theory that Gibson China was not built to be an Epiphone factory forever. Gibson will simply do what so many American manufacturers have had to do to survive, and did it long ago...companies like GE, RCA (that's a hoot....Radio Corporation of America...I have an RCA TV...made in China): pull up stakes and take their manufacturing elsewhere.

[syo***]

Unless I'm missing something, it does appear to be made in the U.S.
Regardless of where it is made however, I find it hard to believe that this isn't some kind of joke.

I just wrote and deleted a long (really...) rant about the major U.S. makers corporate culture. Let's just say that I think it's completely out of touch. They should move away from the penthouse and rediscover the garage...

[wingsdad]

Unless I'm missing something, it does appear to be made in the U.S....

Thanks for pointing that out. I'd assumed the MIC thing to be factual. Appears not to be so. I went back and edited my post after checking out the thing on Gibson's site.

It's hilarious to call that a guitar. Electonic device, yes. I'd call it a Wannabe Guitar Hero Computer Interface.

[FrankenFretter***]

Thanks for pointing that out. I'd assumed the MIC thing to be factual. Appears not to be so. I went back and edited my post after checking out the thing on Gibson's site.

It's hilarious to call that a guitar. Electonic device, yes. I'd call it a Wannabe Guitar Hero Computer Interface.

I couldn't find anything on the Gibson site about country of manufacture, but I'd had third hand info that it was MIC. If this was erroneous, I apologize.

[wingsdad]

I couldn't find anything on the Gibson site about country of manufacture, but I'd had third hand info that it was MIC. If this was erroneous, I apologize.

No need for you to apologize, ff, as you were simply passing on 'expert', seemingly credible, info from whatever site or sites you got it from.

If you were duped into believing it, you're not alone, as now 'the telephone game' has already begun out there.

You might want to pose the question over there as to what their 'expert' assessment was based on.

Actually, the only indication on the Gibson site for this Toy of where it's made is implied by the site's page header: Gibson USA. Nowhere among all the silly specs minutiae could I find a clue.

In other words, I didn't see anything that stated unequivacally where it is or isn't being made.

For all anyone knows, this Toy has its components and modules made all over the globe and the sum of those parts is merely being assembled. Somewhere. By a team of unemployed Fishing Lure Craftsman. Master Baiters.

[syo***]

I couldn't find anything on the Gibson site about country of manufacture, but I'd had third hand info that it was MIC. If this was erroneous, I apologize.

On the Gibson homepage it says "New from Gibson USA" and on the product page for the FirebirdMachXLimitedEditionTurboUltraConforlite(TM) it says Gibson USA at the top left.

But let's face it where it is made is the least of Gibson's problems on this one...

[NWBasser]

It appears to me:

Gibson - Out of touch with its customer base.

Epiphone - Completely in touch with its customers and develops products that will be appreciated by the buying public.

[mapka]

Did anyone happen to see the "contest" to win one of those POS Firebird X? Funny, to win a 5K Fender (when they have a contest) all you have to do is enter your name and pray. Gibson wants you to post this or do that. And I agree about the comparison to "sport cars". What the hell is that? And what sports car are they referring to? Pontiac is no more so it cannot be comparing to the car by the same name

[riverrick]

As much as I like Gibson guitars....this is just a BIG joke, not only is the thing over priced it's down right butt ugly!!! What's up with this company. Seems like all they put out anymore is over priced crap. All these different singnature models and fancy smancy models that can tune themselves cook you dinner and give you a back rub. Why not just make a quailty guitar at an resonable price??? Who's running this company anyway