by Uncle Fiesta » 26 Feb 2018, 00:56
I just posted this on another guitar forum so may as well repeat it here.
There are still large numbers of young people taking up the guitar, but the vast majority give up after about 18 months when they realise how much time and effort they will need to invest before they become even half decent. On the other hand downloading a drum track and assorted other noises off the internet, and putting what passes for singing these days over the top of it, takes no effort whatsoever and is exactly what all the other young people want to listen to anyway.
My explanation for Gibson's problems is as follows:
1 - the above; kids not learning guitars due to the work involved, and today's so-called 'music' not needing them.
2 - Gibson's insistence on trying to sell new models when all the guitar buyers want (don't forget, we're all old gits now) is guitars that are exactly like the old ones.
Gibson need to have a range of reasonably accurate replicas of their 50s/50s/70s models (like Fender have done with their American Original Series) such as Les Pauls, 335s, SGs, Firebirds, Vs, etc, at a reasonable price point. Also a range of budget guitars for beginners so that people can start on a Gibson, then they will be more likely to stay with them when they feel ready to upgrade.
Someone on another forum has suggested that Gibson should 'do a Monkees', - in other words, sponsor a band of young people, playing the sort of crap today's youth insist on listening to, but using Gibson guitars to do it. You never know, it could work