Up to 3 grand off new Gibsons at GAK?

drippycat · September 2017

I just received an email from GAK offering things like a Historic Select 1960 LP standard heavy aged from an eye watering 9 grand down to an eye watering 6 grand. I'm pretty certain that it's Gibson who are authorising these massive reductions so I'm wondering what's happening here. A weak pound? A whiff of Gibsperation? It's dawned on Henry that guitar buyers have limits about how much they are willing to pay for a 'lifestyle statement'?

Ok; maybe I'm inviting a bit of Gibson knocking, but I was genuinely surprised to see a) such pricey guitars and b) such reductions.

digitalscream · September 2017

Well, it's not like we don't all know Gibson are in trouble. Their credit rating's in the toilet, the product line is a nightmare (seriously...it must cost them a fortune retooling for all these minor spec changes every year without making their products any more attractive to folk) and they've just borrowed a fuckton of money to get themselves out of the shit with their existing debtors - given their "junk" credit rating, the interest on that will be even more eye-watering than their guitar prices.

I can't see them ever going under, but I can see them being bought out by people who might actually know what they're doing.

clarkefan · September 2017

Sounds like good ole supply and demand to me, 9k for a Les Paul never works, it's too little for anything vintage and too much for anything else. Wakey wakey Gibson, it's not exactly a new economic law

Sassafras · September 2017

Only 6 grand?
Cheap as chips then.

guitars4you · September 2017

drippycat said:

I just received an email from GAK offering things like a Historic Select 1960 LP standard heavy aged from an eye watering 9 grand down to an eye watering 6 grand. I'm pretty certain that it's Gibson who are authorising these massive reductions so I'm wondering what's happening here. A weak pound? A whiff of Gibsperation? It's dawned on Henry that guitar buyers have limits about how much they are willing to pay for a 'lifestyle statement'?

Ok; maybe I'm inviting a bit of Gibson knocking, but I was genuinely surprised to see a) such pricey guitars and b) such reductions.

if it is a Gibson promo then there is likely to be a similar promo elsewhere at the regular outlets - A Gibson run promo will involve dealers buying additional stock at a more 'realistic' price and then run the promo accordingly - ie Gibson want additional orders from the dealers

Otherwise it could just be GAK looking at turnover, stock holding, cash flow etc and deciding to free up some funds on 'slow moving' inventory

Telejester · September 2017

Sassafras said:

Only 6 grand?
Cheap as chips then.

Leaves some money to get a decent nut ........yay !!!!

Moltisanti · September 2017

if they reduce those black and gold custom SGs and Vs down by 3 grand i'll have one of each!

ICBM · September 2017

My wife is buying a new (to us) car this week - a nice little modern 4x4 - one previous owner, FSH, 35000 miles or so on the clock and it's in almost pristine condition.

Just over £6k.

Or I could buy a Les Paul.

Hmmm… let me think about that.

aord43 · September 2017

ICBM said:

My wife is buying a new (to us) car this week - a nice little modern 4x4 - one previous owner, FSH, 35000 miles or so on the clock and it's in almost pristine condition.

Just over £6k.

Or I could buy a Les Paul.

Hmmm… let me think about that.

The LP is more likely to keep its value! But it won't help you get the shopping home.

ICBM · September 2017

aord43 said:

The LP is more likely to keep its value!

Not for at least the first couple of years probably. Spend £6k on a new guitar and it's worth no more than £4k the next day. Given the overpricing of Gibsons relative to current second hand values I think you'd be lucky to get £3k.

All of that aside, one is a 1.2-tonne complex assembly of sophisticated mechanical and electrical engineering systems, and the other is a carved block of wood with some bits of metal and a few wires attached.

clarkefan · September 2017

Yeah and the insurance is probably similar

midlifecrisis · September 2017

aord43 said:

ICBM said:

My wife is buying a new (to us) car this week - a nice little modern 4x4 - one previous owner, FSH, 35000 miles or so on the clock and it's in almost pristine condition.

Just over £6k.

Or I could buy a Les Paul.

Hmmm… let me think about that.

The LP is more likely to keep its value! But it won't help you get the shopping home.

the guy who bought one last week for 9 grand might disagee about keeping its value

ThorpyFX · September 2017

ICBM said:

My wife is buying a new (to us) car this week - a nice little modern 4x4 - one previous owner, FSH, 35000 miles or so on the clock and it's in almost pristine condition.

Just over £6k.

Or I could buy a Les Paul.

Hmmm… let me think about that.

Nice little diesel?

ICBM · September 2017

ThorpyFX said:

Nice little diesel?

Haha

. No!

It is actually possible to buy 4x4s which are not diesels

. If anything replacing my MPV might be more difficult.

Sassafras · September 2017

I'd be surprised if @ICBM didn't have a solar or wind turbine powered car.

Telejester · September 2017

You know the way you have the bourbon burst or the greeny burst, is the 9k Les Paul known as the fucking mug burst ?

drippycat · September 2017

Telejester said:

You know the way you have the bourbon burst or the greeny burst, is the 9k Les Paul known as the fucking mug burst ?

... so the tea in the mug spilled all over the guitar? That's known as the iced tea burst.

rico · September 2017

I'm struggling to even get my head around £6k for a new guitar let alone £9k. It's utter madness.

ICBM · September 2017

I can accept that sort of money for a hand-carved archtop, the sort of thing that takes an expert luthier two or three months to build. But not for a solid-body electric.

These prices are also *far* higher than the equivalent real-terms price a Les Paul cost new in the 1950s.

A Les Paul Standard cost $375 in 1959, which according to the US inflation calculator is $3,164 at today's prices, or £2,330.

Even allowing for the fact that the case was priced separately in 1959 and is included today, that would still only make it about £2,500.

Jack_ · September 2017

Alternatively, you can buy my Strat, I was selling it for £1500, but now it's just £300, saving you £1200.

Evilmags · September 2017

I'd not wish to spend that on a Les Paul made by Gibson either. You could get a Terry Morgan or Gil Yarron for less for starters. Your into Bennedetto territory for that money. That said the burst market is a lot bigger than the arch top market (and look at what they charge for Citations). I would pay a lot of money for a Monteleone mind you.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Up to 3 grand off new Gibsons at GAK?

Comments