Is Gibson Losing its artist?

kaputme · Nov 16, 2018

Coming to think of it, in the last few years, the only artist involved and marketed By Gibson is Slash. Joe Bonamassa has his loyal Historic Gibson that he plays on his shows, but during the recent 2018 rig rundown he was playing more fender than Gibson.

Lot of great artists are leaving the company, Bill Kelliher, Bernie Marsden and so on..

Will Gibson Just be a brand for Lawyers and Wall street guys? Just for show and no go?

All opinions welcome! Lets fight
[h=1][/h]

renderit · Nov 16, 2018

They are clearing oot all the chaff so they can move in the heavy hitters.

Like me.

I passed them my list of guitars I want made and they are on it.

I also gave them the list of what I expect in my hotel room when I visit.

My waist size and inseam are in there as well.

As they did not send it back, I am sure they accepted it and I will be the new

Gibson Sporkperson for the Millenium and Beyond!©®℗™℔℞℃Ω

You may kiss my ring.

I'll stick it through the grid...

metropolis · Nov 16, 2018

Personally I've never thought of Gibson as a brand that relies on artist endorsements like some other companies do. I think they can still trade on heritage and historic users alone and to some degree their exclusivity, while other brands focus almost entirely on their artist roster.

Interestingly (as a marketer) Fender have adopted a new approach for the Mustang amp by using a larger group of lesser known individuals like a micro-influencer strategy within their advertising. Many smaller retail brands have used this approach successfully (like the clothing retailer Boohoo in the UK) but it's unusual to see such a big brand use it. It does give a 'brand of the people' perception which fits well with the product and could be a trend we see other brands use in future - ie. a move away big celebrity endorsements and more towards lesser known artists who may be influential to distinct groups.

Tom Wittrock · Nov 16, 2018

kaputme said:
Will Gibson Just be a brand for Lawyers and Wall street guys? Just for show and no go?

All opinions welcome! Lets fight
[h=1][/h]

No, no and NO. :ganz

Axelorox · Nov 16, 2018

Gibson need current artist endorsers? Who are they - Ernie Ball? :hee

sonar · Nov 16, 2018

No idea about big name artists, but in the local clubs (catering to rock) there's roughly the same amount of 335's and SG's as always, with less LP sightings than I used to see 10-12 years ago. Non-Reverse Firebirds were a thing for a time, but that has seemed to have died down recently.

Seeing a little more Epiphone Semi-Hollow guitars in the Blues clubs, while Gibson Hollow still appears to be king with the Jazzers.

As always Fender is everywhere.

Mars Hall · Nov 18, 2018

Gibson was one of the earliest, if not the first, company to use an artist to promote their products with Roy Smeck. I'm sure the tradition will continue under the new regime.

musekatcher · Nov 18, 2018

Mars Hall said:
Gibson was one of the earliest, if not the first, company to use an artist to promote their products with Roy Smeck. I'm sure the tradition will continue under the new regime.

And he, like Duane Allman, John Lennon, Earl Scruggs, Freddie Green and more artists that for any other brand of almost anything, are still endorsing Gibson everyday.

Thundermtn · Nov 18, 2018

metropolis said:
Personally I've never thought of Gibson as a brand that relies on artist endorsements like some other companies do. I think they can still trade on heritage and historic users alone and to some degree their exclusivity, while other brands focus almost entirely on their artist roster.

Respectfully, this site and Gibson popularity pay homage to a signature series guitar. It has in the past and continues to rely on famous players to make and keep it relivent. Now the guitar is great, no doubt about it but celebrity players matter to the model/brand.

Les Paul, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, Slash, etc. etc.

Elliot Easton · Nov 19, 2018

musekatcher said:
And he, like Duane Allman, John Lennon, Earl Scruggs, Freddie Green and more artists that for any other brand of almost anything, are still endorsing Gibson everyday.

Freddie Green was the guitarist with The Count Basie Orchestra, and played Epiphone, D'Angelico, Gretsch and Stromberg mostly. I think you mean Freddy Green!

metropolis · Nov 19, 2018

Thundermtn said:
Respectfully, this site and Gibson popularity pay homage to a signature series guitar. It has in the past and continues to rely on famous players to make and keep it relivent. Now the guitar is great, no doubt about it but celebrity players matter to the model/brand.

Les Paul, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, Slash, etc. etc.

I agree except for the part about keeping things relevant today. I don't think they need a roster of new, young artists to keep them going because of all of those artists you'll listed who will forever be synonymous with the brand and will influence more people. Some brands always have to have the latest trending players to push their newest model but I never had Gibson down as the same.

musekatcher · Nov 19, 2018

Elliot Easton said:
Freddie Green was the guitarist with The Count Basie Orchestra, and played Epiphone, D'Angelico, Gretsch and Stromberg mostly. I think you mean Freddy Green!

Well that was a faux pas trying to add in a jazz great. I was thinking he was a Super 400 guy, my mistake. Freddy Green, Freddy King, ....

Lets replace Basie-era Freddie Green with Eddie Lang - L4 and L5 jazz virtuoso!

S. Cane · Nov 20, 2018

kaputme said:
Joe Bonamassa has his loyal Historic Gibson that he plays on his shows, but during the recent 2018 rig rundown he was playing more fender than Gibson.

And he's doing a hell of a job there.

Dave P · Nov 23, 2018

Gibson ought to embrace their legacy players. I mean, it's kind of weird watching guys like Leslie West and Michael Schenker play Deans. Zakk Wylde shouldn't be playing a relabeled Schecter. It's not like these guys are playing guitars vastly different than the Gibsons they once played. Slash and Zakk are the guys who made Les Pauls hip to play again, nobody wanted a Les Paul in 1985.

Midnight Blues · Nov 24, 2018

I think what does/would speak louder are the players that play them that aren't under contract/sponsored to play them.

renderit · Nov 24, 2018

Dave P said:
Gibson ought to embrace their legacy players. I mean, it's kind of weird watching guys like Leslie West and Michael Schenker play Deans. Zakk Wylde shouldn't be playing a relabeled Schecter. It's not like these guys are playing guitars vastly different than the Gibsons they once played. Slash and Zakk are the guys who made Les Pauls hip to play again, nobody wanted a Les Paul in 1985.

WHAT?

Tom Wittrock · Nov 24, 2018

Dave P said:
... nobody wanted a Les Paul in 1985.

I can positively say [and prove] that this isn't true. :ganz

DEVILBAT · Nov 24, 2018

Exactly. I bought a new black Les Paul Standard in 1983 to tour with and that thing took a beating I can personally attest that there were lots of players playing stright up Standards or modified deluxes in the early 1980's.

In 1986. I to a local music store in central New Jersey and fell in love with a "Pre Historic" honeyburst Les Paul, which my mother was kind enough to put on her credit vard for me (I paid her back). $2500 IIRC.

I also remember the Guitar Trader bursts (around $1500 IIRC) and the Heritage 80's, which were a bit pricey at the time.

So...we all had them and a nice choice.

I think the poster was talking about the '80s possibly as the Flpyd Rose/Charvel /pointy headstock era ; thelocking trem era. I never got into them. The "old school": guys like myself were looking in the Want Ad Press weekly for good deals on Les Pauls

My first Les Paul was a modified Deluxe turned into a 3 pickup with the larger humbuckers installed. I paid $214 in paper route money in the mid '70s. That lasted until it was stolen from a club in Jersey, so I replaced it with the Black 83 Standard.

Billy Porter · Nov 24, 2018

DEVILBAT said:
Exactly. I bought a new black Les Paul Standard in 1983 to tour with and that thing took a beating I can personally attest that there were lots of players playing stright up Standards or modified deluxes in the early 1980's.

In 1986. I to a local music store in central New Jersey and fell in love with a "Pre Historic" honeyburst Les Paul, which my mother was kind enough to put on her credit vard for me (I paid her back). $2500 IIRC.

I also remember the Guitar Trader bursts (around $1500 IIRC) and the Heritage 80's, which were a bit pricey at the time.

So...we all had them and a nice choice.

I think the poster was talking about the '80s possibly as the Flpyd Rose/Charvel /pointy headstock era ; thelocking trem era. I never got into them. The "old school": guys like myself were looking in the Want Ad Press weekly for good deals on Les Pauls

My first Les Paul was a modified Deluxe turned into a 3 pickup with the larger humbuckers installed. I paid $214 in paper route money in the mid '70s. That lasted until it was stolen from a club in Jersey, so I replaced it with the Black 83 Standard.

I worked in a music store on the UK mid 80s and it was pretty much all pointy headstocks and locking twems - hard to sell LPs, teles and even Strats. I bought my used 73PLC for £350 then . A younger guy working these kept telling me it was an old guys guitar. Strangely the first thing he asked me when I met him a few years back was if I still had the LP

deytookerjaabs · Nov 24, 2018

DEVILBAT said:
My first Les Paul was a modified Deluxe turned into a 3 pickup with the larger humbuckers installed. I paid $214 in paper route money in the mid '70s. That lasted until it was stolen from a club in Jersey, so I replaced it with the Black 83 Standard.

There was a gold top, I'd guess early 70's, deluxe that was hacked up to a 3 full size humbucker guitar which came through a shop I worked at about 15 years ago. They wanted nothing for it but I didn't have the funds. That guitar had been played hard and had the mojo.

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