Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: Ian Price on July 06, 2011, 07:15:02 PM
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Anyone else catch this?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14045539
Personally I thought it was a load of rubbish. His demo of the Firebird X is about as good as the guitar itself.
If I was the interviewer I would have asked him why he has released so much sh!t over the last few years. I would also have picked him up on his bad haircut.
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Henry also gets a pasting from some of his employees (ex-employees)
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Gibson-Guitar-Reviews-E6869.htm (http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Gibson-Guitar-Reviews-E6869.htm)
Sounds like Gibson could benefit from better communication lines from the shop floor all the way up to the board room
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I didn't see that interview on BBC Breakfast, but I did hear Henry J being interviewed on the Today programme on Radio 4, saying much the same thing and trying to demonstrate the Robot tuning.
Fair play to Simon Jack having a go on the SG, but gosh isn't Henry a terrible player? (and that's coming from me!) There's something about the bloke, he is extremely difficult to warm to.
I was all set to buy a Firebird X but now I've changed my mind. :wink:
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HOly cow - there is some seriously bad stuff going on there then. Absolute fundamentals of management as well. Jeeeezus.
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I didn't see that interview on BBC Breakfast, but I did hear Henry J being interviewed on the Today programme on Radio 4, saying much the same thing and trying to demonstrate the Robot tuning.
I also heard that this morning. That's what lead me to look for it on the BBC website. I found it funny when he was giving the robot tuning the thumbs up and someone jumped in (can't remember who) and said something like "surely any decent musician wouldn't need a gimmick like this". Genius, I don't think Henry J had a decent answer for it.
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I've only been listening to Today the last couple of weeks, never realised how much they "share" guests with Breakfast. Almost everyone who appears on one programme pops up on the other 10 minutes later, or vice versa! :lol:
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I think it's a sign of me getting old that I now listen to Radio 4 on my commute into and back from work. There is some pretty interesting stuff on there though.
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Yeah, it's good informative stuff. I've only started listening to the radio because I'm now spending ages in the kitchen every morning preparing lunch (no more off-the-shelf sandwiches).
I was listening to Planet Rock for a while but it's actually pretty bland and too mired in the past - even for an old fogey like me. Name any band and they will only play the most obvious song associated with that band. I just got sick of it and decided I'd rather listen to people talking! :roll: :)
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I think it's a sign of me getting old that I now listen to Radio 4 on my commute into and back from work. There is some pretty interesting stuff on there though.
Fridays The Now Show (comedy- 6.30) was excellant!
I have to have certain shows download on podcast : Thinking allowed, Word of mouth, Material world , file on 4 or else I miss them during the working day
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I've also started getting into the world of podcasts. Never really been interested until a few weeks ago when I saw a Mark Kermode review of Sex and the City 2 on youtube.
I constantly have them on in the kitchen now when making lunch or dinner. I used to have music on all the time but now find listening to people talk far more relaxing.
I'll give those podcasts you mention a look up when I have a bit more time.
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One of the employees: ''the products need just to be 90 procent right before shipping''. Now I understand why I see so much young, sometimes brandnew Gibson Traditionals and Standards on offer on E-bay.
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I'll give those podcasts you mention a look up when I have a bit more time.
I like the educational, informative , or thought provoking ones usually - or comedy if it's decent (News Quiz and Now Show seem ok)
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Radio 4 is great. When I drove to work, the Today programme kept me informed every morning.
But I saw the Breakfast interview yesterday - it was a bit car-crash. Although it DID have me lusting more after an SG...
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Henry also gets a pasting from some of his employees (ex-employees)
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Gibson-Guitar-Reviews-E6869.htm (http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Gibson-Guitar-Reviews-E6869.htm)
Sounds like Gibson could benefit from better communication lines from the shop floor all the way up to the board room
You know, I've always had this... Instinctive, gut feeling that this guy was an absolute tw@t. Scary to see that seems to be an incredible understatement. Why is this man not fired yet? There has to be SOME way of de-throning him?!
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One of the employees: ''the products need just to be 90 procent right before shipping''. Now I understand why I see so much young, sometimes brandnew Gibson Traditionals and Standards on offer on E-bay.
And probably why nearly every Gibson I've played in the past 10 years has had terrible fretwork or badly cut nuts. Terrible.
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Sure that I have told this story before - one of my colleagues in the USA (really keen muso) left the world of IT for his dream job at Gibson - he told stories of employees' phones being tapped, CCTV everywhere to 'spy' on people and generally mistrust etc. He was so disillusioned that he only lasted about 6-8 weeks...
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The Firebird X - surely this thing should finish Henry off, I mean it seems inconceivable that anyone would buy one. I'm sure sales must be absolutely terrible. And he looks like an alien to me - possibly a Zillon from Tharg.
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i think there was a point where henry was asked 'is this dad rock?' and he responded 'no, this is beyond that' ;)
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i think there was a point where henry was asked 'is this dad rock?' and he responded 'no, this is beyond that' ;)
:D - Genius. Will have to give it another listen when I have a bit more time.
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... and upon hearing Henry play, everything about Gibson now makes total and utter sense to me.
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... and upon hearing Henry play, everything about Gibson now makes total and utter sense to me.
:D
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I have some issues with this
A: Why cant the BBC studio get a goddamn guitar tuner?
B: The 'new and advanced' gutiar is vastly inferior to the old design, that does the job, sounds good and is made to play, not piss about. Though no danger of these two 'playing' anything.
C: The owner of gibson cant play gutiar for shite. Proper dreadfull.
D: The owner of gibson is a retard.
E: Maybe if he was a player the newer guitars wouldnt be retarded too
F: You cant see it here, but it reminded me that gibson need to move further away from the jack daniels distillery, stop designing utter tripe, and put that R&D (Retarded and Drunk) money into quality control
G: If either of the people that actually bought a Firebird X read this, your guitar could suck a golf ball through a garden hose. So there.
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:D
I heartily agree with everything you have said there. Although I have no real experience of running a company (I know quite a bit of the theory) I would absolutely love to have a go at sorting Gibson out. It's been said a million times before but they should really be making easy money by sticking to the basics and making classic models with maybe a little bit of a twist. I would be embarrassed working for them in the state they are in.
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i dont think being a good guitarist has anything to do with the quality of the guitars... it doesnt stop me being able to tell if they play well or not, i just have to hand them to someone else to play them well - which is exactly what henry should have done! somebody that doesnt make it sound like a 13 year old with a new zoom multi fx
leo didnt really play either, but he did listen to players and what they wanted and that was enough- again its something henry could take a lesson from
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Henry also gets a pasting from some of his employees (ex-employees)
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Gibson-Guitar-Reviews-E6869.htm (http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Gibson-Guitar-Reviews-E6869.htm)
Sounds like Gibson could benefit from better communication lines from the shop floor all the way up to the board room
You know, I've always had this... Instinctive, gut feeling that this guy was an absolute tw@t. Scary to see that seems to be an incredible understatement. Why is this man not fired yet? There has to be SOME way of de-throning him?!
They would be sooooo much better off with Paul Reed Smith in charge
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i dont think being a good guitarist has anything to do with the quality of the guitars... it doesnt stop me being able to tell if they play well or not, i just have to hand them to someone else to play them well - which is exactly what henry should have done! somebody that doesnt make it sound like a 13 year old with a new zoom multi fx
leo didnt really play either, but he did listen to players and what they wanted and that was enough- again its something henry could take a lesson from
True!
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i dont think being a good guitarist has anything to do with the quality of the guitars... it doesnt stop me being able to tell if they play well or not, i just have to hand them to someone else to play them well - which is exactly what henry should have done! somebody that doesnt make it sound like a 13 year old with a new zoom multi fx
leo didnt really play either, but he did listen to players and what they wanted and that was enough- again its something henry could take a lesson from
Different time, different market, different objectives. Leo was an engineer. He figured out a manufacturing process that allowed guitars to be churned out cheaper and faster. We dont need that now. Henry is a marketing clown thats trying to run gibson as 'cutting edge' as it was (occasionally at least) in the late 50s and early 60s. He wants his explorer, his V. Its not happening. Different game; gibson have set benchmarks and standards for traditional instruments that people have grown to love them for, and for some mysterious reason some people still connect the name with quality. Satisfying that should be their absolute number one priority. What I want to hear from gibson is
"Les pauls, SGs, explorers, Vs and firebirds as you know and love them made with top quality woods and the most stringent quality control in the industry"
And have the guitars to back it up. Or
"Traditional Gibson instruments made with modern methods: Introducing the new Les Paul Rock Solid, 3 piece mahogany neck, carbon fibre reinforced for enhanced vibration transmission and stability, earvana nut, stainless steel frets. Les Paul tone, rock $%&#ing solid"
But dont call it the Rock Solid, thats clearly gay.
Gibson dont need to inovate, then need to catch the $%&# up on what have long since become comonplace features of high end guitar construction, and they need to cater to the customers that WANT to love their bread and butter products, but the bindings coming off, the inlays were set in by a chimp, the frets havent been seated properly, the neck is practically made of a new species of 'Jelly mahogany and the bridge is positioned a mil too far to one side. But, if you pay £1000 more you can get one that tunes itself, because machineheads dont work, and are so 1998. They dont know their market. And I think it could very well be because Henry clearly isnt really a Guitarist (capital G) because his focus and aims are clearly not on making high quality usable instruments, its on making marketable novelties. The Firebird X is a wooden computer. Leave it to fractal audio fercryinoutloud. Other companies have that covered. No one wants your guitar shaped pedal board. Good business = make money supplying what people want, maintaining an appropriate image for the company, a clear identity in the consumers eyes, using or finding a niche and exploiting and expanding it...that sort of thing. Henry seems dead set on making gibson do the opposite of all those. Hes trying to pedal things that no one wants, hes character assissinating gibson in a huge number of guitarists eyes, and hes ignoring, indeed doing everything he can to destroy the niche and reputation (high quality guitars for serious musicians) that the company already bloody well had! So, yeah, maybe if he actually really played he'd have a little more sympathy for what guitarists actually bloody well want.
/rant
Really didnt intend that much rant. You'd almost think I really care what gibson do; I dont even like the good ones. Make a 25.5 scale fixed bridge superstrat and we'll talk, Henry :lol:
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I have a Firebird Studio that I love despite it's many flaws. I believe these guitars were made only from 2005 to 2007 or somewhere around those years. I paid £600 for mine but they appear to have retailed for £1000 +. The frets are poor - they're playable but I'd like to replace them. The nut has barely been cut. One of the saddles has it's groove way off centre. There is a very strange blemish on the body. Despite all this it sounds great (although this a lot to do with the Rebel Yells, I didn't care much for the Gibson pups), plays really well, looks gorgeous (despite the blemish) and has great balance on a strap.
Henry claims that they take a chainsaw to anything that doesn't meet quality control. HaH !!! - my friend's £200 Pacifica has better attention to detail. These kind of flaws at that kind of price are totally unacceptable.
However, despite Henry's efforts to destroy the company there is still something a little magical about Gibsons. I went to a jam night last week and played a friend's new LP Junior with a single P90 which sells for around £600. I didn't have a chance to really examine the guitar but it was really comfortable to play and the P90 sounded terrific. If I had the cash I'd go straight out and buy one. I can't think of anything I'd rather have at that price.
If Gibson got rid of Henry and stopped wasting vast amounts of cash on his increasingly stupid ideas they could easily get back on top of their game again.
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Karma Police, arrest this man - his Hitler hairdo is making me feel ill....
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MDV rant
i dont disagree with any of those points, except the idea that henry needs to be an awesome player for Gibson to be able to achieve them
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I didnt say needs to be, I said it could concievably help