Sunday, August 16, 2015

Less Gibson

Hear ye, hear ye- Gibson prices are on the down. That's right, the manufacturer had decided to trim their asking prices for the 2015 models which had been reflected by the US stores (actual list prices are even lower). I have no idea if this is going to be the case here but it's the sign of the times, really. It's the effect of tampering, that's right- tampering. Gibson fans are largely traditionalists, they don't like it if the current Gibsons don't sing & feel like the Gibsons of yore. Why is this the case? Because those Gibsons are true gems which set a standard in the industry & they should be respected. I'm not a Gibson fan but I respect well-made & good-sounding Gibsons; we should accord this to all guitars for that matter. Componding the situation are features which nobody looks forward to have- brass nut, differentiated scripts, pretentious tuning system, wider neck width & the most rotten of all, citing the fact that the Les Paul pickguards are now removable- when were they not? Let's not think (too hard) how much these instruments are going to be worth in the after-market.
Putting things in perspective, the 2015 SG Standard you see above is $1,000 more than its 2013 predecessor (because I bought one then- thank goodness!)- how is this current manifestation much more desirable than the 2013 (or even the 2014) version? I'm not a Gibson basher by any means but the people behind the brand are not doing its heritage any good in the mean time. Yes, we deal with inflation & increasing production costs as we go along but to misrepresent this with perceived improvements reeks of desperation.

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