Gibson is nuts...

Mr. Quimper · Post by **Mr. Quimper** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:28 am

...seriously, this has to be the most brilliant move they've made since they bought out and destroyed Opcode.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archi ... ibson.html

Keep in mind that Gibson has been officially licensing its products to be an integral part of the above for 3 years now.

jgest · Post by **jgest** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:22 am

Maybe they will destroy guitar hero as well. Then what? kids would have to actually learn and play a guitar. Seriously though, it is ironic that they wait 3 years until sales topped a billion to get legal on the matter.

On a side not cool avatar, reminds me of a funkadelic/parliment type of album cover art.

Resonant Alien · Post by **Resonant Alien** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:22 am

NEWS FLASH! Gibson sues all makers of electric guitars.....claims a patent filed in 1949 which defines an electric guitar as a "musical instrument, having 6 strings and being made of wood". Gibson insists that other manufacturers are infringing the patent because they make musical instruments having 6 strings and made of wood. Ibanez has filed a similar suit against all guitar makers of 7 string instruments. To ward off the attack, many guitar manufacturers have begun turning out 8 stringed guitars made of plastic.

Gibson....what a bunch of wankers. This is even more silly than when they tried to sue PRS for making a single cutaway guitar.........why didn't Fender sue Gibson for making a double-cutaway LPS? They should focus on improving the price/quality ratio of their instruments and stop being stupid. Makes me very happy to support guys like Terry McInturff and Paul Reed Smith who are making superior instruments for a much better price/performance factor than Gibson ever could.

RA

jgest · Post by **jgest** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:27 am

Resonant Alien wrote: Makes me very happy to support guys like Terry McInturff and Paul Reed Smith who are making superior instruments for a much better price/performance factor than Gibson ever could.

RA

I do love my brian moore guitar, one of the best I have ever owned including gibson.

MIDI Life Crisis · Post by **MIDI Life Crisis** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:57 am

To quote Yoko Ono: Unberivable!

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:24 am

MIDI Life Crisis wrote:To quote Yoko Ono: Unberivable!

LOL!!!!

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:29 am

Geez... how many times can these dopes shoot themselves in the foot. I've played the game (not very well I might add) and Gibson should be paying the makers of the game for the HUGE exposure to Gibson instruments. Players can go to "Guitar Center" to spend gig money on guitars and it's almost exclusively Gibson instruments they can purchase... Les Pauls, SGs, Vs, Explorers... it's one giant Gibson ad. Does anybody wonder when these kids want to buy a REAL guitar someday, what brand will have made an impression.

This really comes as no suprise from a company that I've pretty much come to dislike over the years. I've said before that Gibson hasn't been merely resting on their laurels (well-deserved due to the hard work of earlier years), but they've been fast asleep on them. They've become so smarmy and corporate it's not funny. I remember going into the Gibson room at NAMM (one of the years when they wouldn't refuse to let you in if you weren't a buyer with an appointment) and it was full of guys with bad suits who were better suited to selling used cars. They've got no soul whatsoever.

Any way, I'm sure there will be savvy guitar companies that will be all over this opportunity in no time flat and contact the game maker. I hope the "virtual Guitar Center" stops carrying the Gibson line. In fact, I know of a really hip, great guitar company that I will suggest this to ASAP.

Mr. Quimper · Post by **Mr. Quimper** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:06 pm

jgest wrote:On a side not cool avatar, reminds me of a funkadelic/parliment type of album cover art.

It's from the release "Il Tempo Della Gioia" from Quella Vecchia Locanda aka QVL, one of the finest Italian progressive rock bands of the '70s.

jgest · Post by **jgest** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:33 pm

Mr. Quimper wrote:
jgest wrote:On a side not cool avatar, reminds me of a funkadelic/parliment type of album cover art.
It's from the release "Il Tempo Della Gioia" from Quella Vecchia Locanda aka QVL, one of the finest Italian progressive rock bands of the '70s.

at least the same era the 70's......does have an "afrocentic" artistic vibe to it.....

rcannonp · Post by **rcannonp** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:48 pm

They may suck as a company, but I still really want a ••˜67 SG Special Reissue w/P-90••™s.

Guitar Gaz · Post by **Guitar Gaz** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:26 pm

This is even more silly than when they tried to sue PRS for making a single cutaway guitar.........why didn't Fender sue Gibson for making a double-cutaway LPS? They should focus on improving the price/quality ratio of their instruments and stop being stupid. Makes me very happy to support guys like Terry McInturff and Paul Reed Smith who are making superior instruments for a much better price/performance factor than Gibson ever could.

Now hold on a moment here from your biased diatribe. The PRS case was different in that PRS advertised the Singlecut originally as a superior version of the Les Paul - and Gibson thought this was going too far. They of course allow other copies of the Les Paul (you'd have to be stupid to pretend they don't) but PRS for some reason decided that rather than stick to their own product thought they would try and take Gibson's market. I know Gibson got a lot of stick for this case but no-one seemed to question why on earth PRS would want to produce a copy of the Les Paul when they have their own niche market. Falling market share ? Lack of vintage credibility? Who knows (other than the fact that is staring most people in the eyes but they don't want to see it i.e. the Les Paul is still one of the coolest guitars around and loads of people in bands want to play them still).

Don't make me laugh by calling Gibson soulless - ever played a PRS? Their reputation for a long while was boutique with them being bought by executives who didn't really play them. Up to you but I hate them - but sorry I am a Les Paul player so I'm biased. But so are loads of pros - and don't believe the crap people peddle about them being crap in quality compared to other makes. Yes they need a proper setup - PRS come better setup - but they are not poor quality in my opinion. People have tried for years to make out that PRS are becoming the guitar of choice - but I still see loads of Les Pauls being played. I thought it interesting that Alex Lifeson despite having played PRS's for years still didn't want to play them on the road and went back to Les Pauls. He isn't the only one - we know they aren't perfect and are not as easy to play as some other makes, but that isn't the point (Gary Moore has spoken on this aspect).

If you prefer your Dean's and your PRS's that's great - but you protest too much about how much better value and quality they are to Les Pauls. I don't need to justify to anyone (least of all myself) why I chose a Les Paul. I didn't buy it cos it was better value than other makes. They are iconic and I love mine.

As for Guitar Hero - I can't answer for Gibson and their protection of their brand - there is obviously something going on but as an Opcode lover I am not happy with some of their business practises. But I can't stand the continual PRS victim mentality. Get over it - Gibson lost that battle but PRS didn't really win much in the end.[/i]

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:14 pm

With all due respect, I've owned numerous Les Pauls and the quality may very well be better when you spend the dough for Custom Shop Les Pauls, however I own a Les Paul Standard that was pretty poorly made. It sounds good and after replacing a string saddle that was notched wrong at the factory and other fixes I like the guitar. I bought it to be a player and that's why I don't mind the fact that a half-dollar-sized paint flake came off on the back because the paint wasn't done properly.

As far as "soulless" goes... I level that charge against the corporation... not necessarily the instruments. As I said, I still own and sometimes record with my Les Paul, but for a lot of practical reasons as well as others, it's not my first choice... well, maybe that Ethernet guitar would be cool.

Guitar Gaz · Post by **Guitar Gaz** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:46 pm

Gibson bashing is always going to be there - not many corporations are Ben and Jerry lets face it (even apparently Ben and Jerry). Neither are PRS which was my main point and why I wanted to redress the balance a bit when the court case was exhumed to somehow justify the bashing over Guitar Hero. And this whole value/quality argument which I see trotted out time after time. If you don't like them you don't buy them - simple. Or you sell them and get a PRS or Dean or whatever. It has to be a personal emotional thing - thats my view anyway when buying a guitar. Its not just about factory finishes and setup.

Who really gives a hoot about Guitar Hero and whether the poor company are being bashed by the big bad corporate? They can cry all the way to the bank and can afford it. Its easy rock guitar for those who can't be bothered to learn properly - so honestly I don't really have much sympathy. I love real guitars.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:53 pm

My observation was just that it seems pretty silly of Gibson to be going after the makers of Guitar Hero given the prominent and favorable positioning (dare I say free advertising) of their products. If I was the company that made the game, I'd vow right now to make certain there were no more Gibsons in the virtual Guitar Center in Guitar Hero 4.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:10 pm

Guitar Gaz wrote:And this whole value/quality argument which I see trotted out time after time. If you don't like them you don't buy them - simple.

Well value/quality is pretty relevant in most of our lives. And I don't go out of my way to avoid Gibsons. I just don't have a desire for any more at this time.

Or you sell them and get a PRS or Dean or whatever. It has to be a personal emotional thing - thats my view anyway when buying a guitar. Its not just about factory finishes and setup.

The quality of the guitar's manufacture affects my emotion about an instrument because it affects the overall "experience." I liked my Les Paul okay after I spent some money to fix some of the manufacturing issues and dialed it in the way I like it. As far as the poor paint quality of mine, well, it's black and it's a player not something I'm collecting so I don't really care.

Its easy rock guitar for those who can't be bothered to learn properly - so honestly I don't really have much sympathy. I love real guitars.

It's also for those who have no desire to learn properly... they're just video gamers. However, those who might become curious or aspire to learn to play a *real* guitar as a result of playing the game, have been bombarded with images of Gibson's product line through it. It would be interesting to see if they then go on to purchase REAL Gibson guitars or not.