Paul Stanley CS Bombshell!

[J.D.]

Hmmm...now where have I seen a finish like that before?

 

[marshall1987]

The latest printed glossy TH catalog says, verbatim:

200 56 gold tops
300 57 gold tops (100 aged)
200 57 customs
300 58 LP (50 aged)
800 59 LP (150 aged)
200 60 LP (25 aged)

I don't know whether these are 2016 totals or 2017 planned production figures.

I do think however that it would not take an impossible amount of effort to streamline and improve the CS: they make fantastic guitars, but communicate very poorly and their marketing strategy and product segmentation is bad.

Wow! 3,000 True Historics. That is not exactly limiting the market. This must not be the current plan for 2017.

Hmm:hmm

How did you arrive at 3000 guitars?

My "new" math says it adds up to 2000 guitars, not 3000. :dang

 

[drog1602]

Hmm:hmm

How did you arrive at 3000 guitars?

My "new" math says it adds up to 2000 guitars, not 3000. :dang

must be the " alternate facts" math! :laugh2:

 

[lpthomas]

A lot of LPs that the CS posts to their Facebook page are custom order M2M's.

Thats true, but what exactly is a Standard from the Custom shop then? Is it chambered?

 

[gibsonguitar1988]

Yeah man, I agree. This situation DID make me pull the trigger on a TH that otherwise may still be up on a rack in the store.

Yes, that is reactionary buying, but it is the fact of it.

Don't feel bad, I just did the same and "she" should be here on Monday...

The Gibson Custom Shop has always had a special place in my heart, business or not. I went up there and toured it during the last Summer Jam they did. I wasn't crazy about the heat outside or the performances (at least the ones I caught before I left) but getting to see the Custom Shop and play a few Historics was really cool. And what's even cooler is that they reached out to me and invited me and up to 2 others to come. I didn't know about it until I got the email from someone there. I thought it was a very kind gesture as I am a nobody and I'm certainly not their biggest customer in terms of buying. I mostly enjoyed it. I also tried out a Firebird X for grins and I couldn't get it to make any sound until the rep came over and said to "hit the power button". At that point I got up and stayed in the CS truck and played Historics, lol. I remember it because they had the Don Felder models there, that had just been announced and I'm a huge Eagles nut, and that was a treat to play them. At that point, I hadn't owned a Historic.

I have a lot of issues with HJ, but the people who work(ed) at Gibson, especially in the Custom division, man my heart goes out to all of them.

I was torn about buying this one because of that but I also felt it was reactionary but I had been oogling it for awhile, even before the news broke.

All in all, I'm glad I made my purchase. I really hope things straighten out and I hope Edwin finds another job soon. He and Rick really were/are the main guys there in charge. And then all of the great employees. I really wish the best for all of them. I really do wish Edwin could come back to CS.

For me, I couldn't be any less interested in the new stuff Gibson USA has been trying the last few years. I find that even on the more "traditional" stuff, the QC is all over the place. I bought a Memphis ES-Les Paul that was a great guitar but the fret ends were very sharp and unplayable. I had to have it fixed locally by a luthier. And that was a Memphis-made. I really am not a nit picky guy, but when it physically hurts to play because it's almost cutting you, there's a problem. Most other stuff can be fixed with a setup or just not being so picky (within reason). But that was crazy.

I really wish the best for everyone @ Gibson. My first guitar was a Gibson and while I own other brands, I'm a Gibson man at heart. Always will be.

 

[GotTheSilver]

Hmm:hmm

How did you arrive at 3000 guitars?

My "new" math says it adds up to 2000 guitars, not 3000. :dang

must be the " alternate facts" math! :laugh2:

The new math is YUGE! Bigly. Bigly.

Ok, so I messed up my math.

 

[CAGinLA]

Thats true, but what exactly is a Standard from the Custom shop then? Is it chambered?

It's short for Standard Historic (to distinguish from True Historics). Not chambered.

 

[McHenry]

I would love to see someone at Gibson Custom embrace a new and all together unique marketing scheme and production method.

For a couple of years I have grown aggravated with their current method of "most accurate ever" or "as close to the real deal as you can get," as I know many other players and forum members have stated ever so frequently. They have a flooded market and that's entirely their fault, although I'm sure this current method is still profitable to an extent.

If Gibson was to re release the critical year models 1958 (half year goldtop other sunburst),1959 and 1960 as small batch runs (maybe something like 550 guitars per year of each model year = 1700ish every three years :jim) and seriously made the effort to embrace what companies like Historic Makeover have done and return completely back to the originals in every way (Hondorian mahogany, Brazilian rosewood, real checking nitro) and let them be exactly as they left the factory while charging whatever was necessary to turn this method profitable, those babies would sell. Heck, I'm certain that's exactly what they were trying to do with their "True Historic" lineup but guys are still buying those and having them made over.

This method would be essentially be for the first year 275 goldtops at 1957/58 specs for the first half of the year with 1958 sunburst standards in their full cherry finish that each buyer could fade or preserve to their liking, same for the second year only solely 1959 specs, and the third year 1960 specs. THERE WOULD be the demand, and the supply would be superb and a new era for Gibson Custom could begin.

Just food for thought.

 

[Zoomer]

I would love to see someone at Gibson Custom embrace a new and all together unique marketing scheme and production method.

For a couple of years I have grown aggravated with their current method of "most accurate ever" or "as close to the real deal as you can get," as I know many other players and forum members have stated ever so frequently. They have a flooded market and that's entirely their fault, although I'm sure this current method is still profitable to an extent.

If Gibson was to re release the critical year models 1958 (half year goldtop other sunburst),1959 and 1960 as small batch runs (maybe something like 550 guitars per year of each model year = 1700ish every three years :jim) and seriously made the effort to embrace what companies like Historic Makeover have done and return completely back to the originals in every way (Hondorian mahogany, Brazilian rosewood, real checking nitro) and let them be exactly as they left the factory while charging whatever was necessary to turn this method profitable, those babies would sell. Heck, I'm certain that's exactly what they were trying to do with their "True Historic" lineup but guys are still buying those and having them made over.

This method would be essentially be for the first year 275 goldtops at 1957/58 specs for the first half of the year with 1958 sunburst standards in their full cherry finish that each buyer could fade or preserve to their liking, same for the second year only solely 1959 specs, and the third year 1960 specs. THERE WOULD be the demand, and the supply would be superb and a new era for Gibson Custom could begin.

Just food for thought.

I agree with you 100% ---- but with Gibson's HJ on the rainforest alliance - there's no way they are going to use South American Honduras Mahogany and Brazilian Rosewood - they could never get enough legitimate Brazilian to sustain a continuous production run - though they still use Honduras Mahogany grown in Fiji (an island in the south pacific) it will never be the same as the old growth mahogany that was used in the 50's and in the early 90's to low 2000's run of historics. If you want a burst built to original specs - Gibson isn't the place to get one !!!

 

[deytookerjaabs]

I agree with you 100% ---- but with Gibson's HJ on the rainforest alliance - there's no way they are going to use South American Honduras Mahogany and Brazilian Rosewood - they could never get enough legitimate Brazilian to sustain a continuous production run - though they still use Honduras Mahogany grown in Fiji (an island in the south pacific) it will never be the same as the old growth mahogany that was used in the 50's and in the early 90's to low 2000's run of historics. If you want a burst built to original specs - Gibson isn't the place to get one !!!

Those old thick beautiful mahogany trees are dense as heck per at least half the tree. It makes very heavy stuff that was/is prime real estate for furniture builders. The younger trees, or the youngest part (top) of the old trees are where any lighter blanks come from and Gibson's 50's stock seems to reflect that. Light mahogany is more than likely young wood.

I don't think people realize that density/age on many species is related, mahogany being one of the most obvious.

It's not until the late 60's & 70's that Gibson started to use genuine old growth mahogany consistently as far as I can tell. I saw many blanks with a history come through the yard used by the builder who I apprenticed with, same story, the known older trees (when you had the benefit of knowing the source) produced heavy stuff.

A little snippet on "Honduran Mahogany" from "the wood database:"

(Older growth trees tend to produce darker, heavier, and more durable lumber than plantation-grown stock.)

http://www.wood-database.com/honduran-mahogany/

 

[El Gringo]

I just seen on Wildwood.com new instruments page several new standard historics and true historics, historic select .So the wait is over ,also with last years digit in the serial #.Also the standard historic went back to the old way of being numbered without the R letter before the serial #

 

[markguitar]

I just seen on Wildwood.com new instruments page several new standard historics and true historics, historic select .So the wait is over ,also with last years digit in the serial #.Also the standard historic went back to the old way of being numbered without the S letter before the serial #

Just checked and don't see any at all. No std. Historics with 2017 serial numbers.

 

[El Gringo]

check Wildwood's "new arrival page" 2 True Historics and one standard historic ,right at the top of the page

 

[CDaughtry]

They have 2016 serial numbers...

 

[Mark Kane]

What would be the business reason to not coordinate the sereal number with the actual year?

 

[Zoomer]

What would be the business reason to not coordinate the sereal number with the actual year?

I think they are saying there is no actual 2017 guitars available for sale yet

 

[markguitar]

I think they are saying there is no actual 2017 guitars available for sale yet

You are correct! There has been no release yet of 2017 reissues.

 

[F-Hole]

You are correct! There has been no release yet of 2017 reissues.

And Henry isn't signing off on them for release.

 

[El Gringo]

The sticker on the pickguard(on the TH ) is different from last year ? also The serial # on the standard historic series is back to the old way of just the digits without the dreaded R ? . So would this not qualify as a new year of instruments ?

 

[Zoomer]

The sticker on the pickguard(on the TH ) is different from last year ? also The serial # on the standard historic series is back to the old way of just the digits without the dreaded S ? . So would this not qualify as a new year of instruments ?

I don't know

And Henry isn't signing off on them for release.

So they are built they're just holding on to them ???