Gibson not attending NAMM 2018

davismanLV

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I think Gibson made a smart move... why?

I don't think we'd have this many posts about Gibson, on a Guild forum, no less, if they'd just gone to NAMM.

They've got us talking about the brand! I think that's a score.
Hey JC, this is that old "There's no such thing as BAD PR...." which is always put out there by lackluster talents who are going down the tubes and desperate for attention. Ask Jayne Mansfield or any such people.....

Contrary to what some may think, bad PR is a bad thing. We're all talking about them in a negative way. That CAN'T be good. But it's their decisions so let them do their thing...... Poor Gibson. I may be wrong, but......
 

dreadnut

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No, the Martin is way uglier. Probably built way better than the Gibson though.
 

chazmo

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I still think you guys are way off talkin' trash about those anniversary Martins... I mean, *I* wouldn't want one, but I still think they're cool. To each his own I guess! :)
 

mavuser

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No, the Martin is way uglier. Probably built way better than the Gibson though.

+1

craftsmanship and quality is there im sure (on both guitars), just a textbook fail on the Martin here, from the very beginning on this one. should never have made it off the drawing board. there are just too many other things they could have done instead.

whatever with the Gibson. the crack they are smoking these days might be worth 2 million
 

sailingshoes72

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I still think you guys are way off talkin' trash about those anniversary Martins... I mean, *I* wouldn't want one, but I still think they're cool. To each his own I guess! :)

I think that both these guitars are kinda cool! Especially the Martin. You gotta look at them as works of art or pop culture. If you like a guitar with an understated aesthetic, both companies make a lot of those! The Martin "Timepiece" guitar is amazing... sorta like an mc escher drawing. And the artist used metals, semi-precious stones and colored wood marquetry for inlay materials.

I think the artist on the Gibson did a good job of portraying the cultural icons, personalties and historic events of the 20th Century. It's like looking at a collage. It's fun to see how many I can recognize...Peanuts, Woody Guthrie, King Kong, Harley Davidson, Thomas Edison, Chuck Berry, Albert Einstein, Rosie the Riveter, James Dean, the Wright Bros., Les Paul & Mary Ford, etc. And I think that it is the Space Shuttle on the back of the neck!
 

crank

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That Martin is really fugly. WTF were they thinking?
 

richardp69

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I'm with Bill. I think they are both interesting and pretty cool as well. I think that sometimes it's pretty easy to criticize or put down something most all of us could never afford anyway. Kinda low risk and go with the crowd.
 

bobouz

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I don't think we'd have this many posts about Gibson, on a Guild forum, no less, if they'd just gone to NAMM.

Gibson & Guild. Historically and still today, my two favorite lines of instruments!

Both companies have had their ups & downs, but the important thing, imho, is that they're still with us & building guitars in the USA. Hopefully they'll both find a way to thrive in the decades ahead.
 

Nuuska

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I think that both these guitars are kinda cool! Especially the Martin. You gotta look at them as works of art or pop culture. If you like a guitar with an understated aesthetic, both companies make a lot of those! The Martin "Timepiece" guitar is amazing... sorta like an mc escher drawing. .....


PLEASE

Maurits Cornelis Escher is/was on totally different planet than that whoever someone, who´s done that Martin.

Just my 0,02€ opinion...

And it has nothing to do with wether or not I could afford it or produce anything like it or respect to that artist or ..... Just because someone makes it and no matter how dear it is to its maker - I have no obligation whatsoever to like it. And I may say so - and being me I certainly do :single_eye:
 
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GuildFS4612CE

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Gibson was never consumer friendly at NAMM...only booth/room that limited morning hours to buyers only.

Up close and in person, the Martin referenced here was an interesting work, fascinating to observe, tho not to my taste in particular.

On the other hand, the 'Millionth Martin' was an absolutely gorgeous instrument visually...and, since Mr. Martin kindly allowed me to hold it and play it briefly...a lovely player as well...that one's likely under glass in their museum now.
 

PittPastor

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My Luthier told me he can almost tell the age of a Gibson guitar by looking at the craftsmanship. Better made = older, with quality steadily decreasing every year. He was a huge Gibson fan once upon a time, so this was said with much sadness.
 

Quantum Strummer

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My experience with Gibson acoustics is mainly pre-1950, though I do own an early B25N (same as a late LG3). A lot of the flattops are kinda scary under the hood, though as long as the basic construction is okay they tend to play good and sound great. My c. 1941 L-50 archtop is very well made, clean on the inside and even looks pretty (aside from the plain neck) due to the figured body woods they were using at the time even on mid-line archtops. Carved top too.

However the wartime flattops are on another level. They can have weird wood & parts combos due to lack of supply, but the construction is really good. I've seen some of these guitars on the bench…always impressive. After the end of WWII the quality level dips back down. The 1950s are generally considered Gibson's "Golden Age" in terms of electrics, but in my experience that's not true at all of acoustics.

Kudos to the Kalamazoo Gals. It ain't hype.

-Dave-
 

Westerly Wood

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I would like a J45 still in my arsenal. I dont really need it with the Br and all as my workhorse, but the J45 is one of my all time fave acoustics.
 

richardp69

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I agree with you Wood. I have 3 of them now. One is the traditional Mahogany, one a Flamed Maple and one is the Mystic Rosewood. All exceptional and all with very different tonal qualities. I love my Guilds but the J 45 is right up there and I consider it one of the finest models Gibson ever developed and produced.
 

bobouz

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My Luthier told me he can almost tell the age of a Gibson guitar by looking at the craftsmanship. Better made = older, with quality steadily decreasing every year. He was a huge Gibson fan once upon a time, so this was said with much sadness.
This is the kind of huge generalization which can cause people to pass by some truly fine instruments.

Vintage Kalamazoo pieces from the '40s, '50s, and '60s can all have very high potential. But my next favorite era would be from 1999 on through 2014. In 1999, Ren revamped the acoustic line, with a much greater emphasis on vintage models & specs. Some truly fine instruments have come out of Bozeman since that time. My last new Gibson purchase was in 2014, so I can't speak first-hand re production since then, but there are many recent Gibsons that are truly stellar, both in the acoustic and hollow-body electric realm.
 

bobouz

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On the other hand, the 'Millionth Martin' was an absolutely gorgeous instrument visually...and, since Mr. Martin kindly allowed me to hold it and play it briefly...a lovely player as well...that one's likely under glass in their museum now.

Just goes to demonstrate once again that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

When the "Millionth Martin" was first released, it struck me as one of the most garishly unattractive Martins I'd ever seen. I understand how these instruments are an exercise in over-the-top craftsmanship, but they typically do nothing for me.

On the other hand, if I'd actually held it and played it as you have, my feelings towards the guitar would be coming from a rather different reference point which would include tone & playability, as opposed to just a glossy photo!
 

dreadnut

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I'd like to read that book!

Of course, Gibson also made some of the finest mandolins and banjos ever produced!

It was sad when Gibson left town (Kalamazoo.) My buddy's uncle worked there and about 1976 he got an awesome Gibson Mastertone banjo.
 

Neal

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I just acquired a 1930 Gibson L-0 that, in every respect, is of equivalent quality to my '34 Martin 0-17. Maybe even a little better. It is the first Gibson I have ever owned.

Say what you will about modern Gibsons, but they had it totally going on before WWII.
 
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