Sunday, January 7, 2018


Word is, come NAMM 2018, there will be no Gibson participation. Gibson prefers to showcase their products in consumer electronics show (eg: Consumer Electronics Show by CTA) which has no guitar limitations. This is in tandem with the manufacturer's move to embrace music technology as opposed to just a focus on instruments.

This is strictly my take on what's taking place, I might be wrong on grounds of insufficient first hand information but I will say what I have to say. Gibson is embracing music technology, evident in its brand name product acquisition/ termination. They have to make this move because when it comes to innovation, do you really think the Les Pauls, SGs, Explorers & gang will manifest revision without rejection? Think of those robot tuners for a start but let's not go deeper into that topic, it's a deserving rot that deserves to disappear but it's not up to us for sure. They need an avenue for innovation that works & it's not likely to be the musical instruments but it has to be a very close associate so that's where softwares, monitors, etc. come into the picture. 

Is the brand name formidable enough to enter a different market? Not in the mean time considering what they have to offer & the marketing presence hence the leave of absence from one niche product conference into another. They have to make this move to buffer their self-renewal. It trickles unto issues of survival, so to speak.

In doing so Gibson leaves its instrument legacy vulnerable. Many of us (yours truly included) still look up to the brand name as the industry standard, liking what's offered is another chapter altogether.  Due to a shift in focus, we'd seen the fester along the way; sinking QC, negligent personnels (that broken neck & dented body in the product catalog, lest you forget)... we need these to be checked. You can dive into the toilet bowl & garden manure market for all we care but you have a legacy to uphold. If you forgo an aspect of what makes your company tick to embrace another, it shows a lot about your dedication to goodwill. 

5 comments:

YusTech said...

I visited CTA site but I couldn't see the participants list. Maybe Gibson had foresee itself be drowned by many competing brands in NAMM (already for the past 7 years). Displaying their products in a less hostile environment is smart/unwise but risky move. At those debt situation they'll be willing to do anything including targeting non guitar enthusiast crowd . Let's just wait and see how Gibson does this year. ;)

subversion.sg said...

I'm not quite a fan but from the bottom of my heart, I do not wish them to fail. Yes, let's see what 2018 holds for Gibson.

Ijau D. Koceng said...

i would buy their heavy grease though :)

subversion.sg said...

On that note, I will still watch all Mel Gibson movies. :-D

YusTech said...

Mean while in KD, someone is listening to Debbie Gibson hits. Lol