Leaving Gibson

This is Bill Kelliher. Bill is the guitar half of Mastodon. Bill used to play Gibson guitars.

This is Bill once more. He had since moved on with ESP guitars. The switch was rather bitter.

That's right folks, until recently, this episode was kept under wraps. Besides being news fodder (who wouldn't wanna read about a big name guitar thrashing by some frustrated metal dude, yes?), it's a reality check. When you are talking about custom shop dealings, it has to be deserving. If you cannot adhere to specific instructions by an endorser, then you just have to drop it. Your custom shop is simply one churning out custom jobs for your own interest, not that of the endorsers. 

According to Bill, Gibson couldn't even avoid doing a chambered body for his instrument. It seems that someone in there is bent on pushing their craftsmanship philosophy unto others even if it means offending them on a personal note. I believe that if there is an endorsement going on, the key to longevity is listening. Moving on to ESP, these people are wonderful listeners. Their foothold in the US market recently should give a wake up call to the other players in the industry. It's really upsetting to know a big name like Gibson couldn't get the fundamentals right when it comes to professional dealings. Gibson is not just a brand name, it's one of the benchmarks in guitar craftsmanship. It's sad to know that something is hinting at the manufacturer going askew.