Gibson went bankrupt?

[Aceman]

On a plus note - often Gibson's innovation is sooooo innovative it takes a decade or so for it to hit...

V/Explorer were NOT big movers when they came out. 70/80's LOTS of love.

[Lewguitar]

Originally Posted by Aceman

On a plus note - often Gibson's innovation is sooooo innovative it takes a decade or so for it to hit...

V/Explorer were NOT big movers when they came out. 70/80's LOTS of love.

But what has Gibson done lately?

The Les Paul, 335, Explorer and V were created a full half a century ago! Over 50 years ago!

Guitarists don't really want innovation - there's to much copy cat fantasy involved. We want to play the same stuff our heroes played.

The last real innovation was probably the Floyd Rose vibrato over 30 years ago - and it wasn't by Gibson.

[Zhangliqun]

The Robot tuner guitars seem about as innovative as it gets, more innovative than the Explorer, V, LP, 335 put together.

[Lewguitar]

Originally Posted by Zhangliqun

The Robot tuner guitars seem about as innovative as it gets, more innovative than the Explorer, V, LP, 335 put together.

Yep. But I don't think to many people were interested. When we're in the learning stage (and maybe way after...) we want to pose in front of the mirror with the gear our heroes use thinking that'll get us the girls. But that's a guy thing. The girls don't respond to gear.

[Zerberus]

Originally Posted by Lewguitar

But what has Gibson done lately?

November 2006:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/05/g...ts-the-market/

Met by a huge ****storm of purists denouncing anything digital as crap without ever having used the system or even seen one first hand.

November 2007:

http://www.gibson.com/robotguitar/guitar.html

Met by an even larger ****storm of purists, many of them idiotically denouncing this as a step towards uneducated kids not even learning how to tune properly anymore. And of course, like the digital guitar, "It will never work properly becasue it´s made by Gibson".

November 2008:

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyl...son-dark-fire/

Gibson announces the introduction of the "Dark Fire" Les Paul, denounced again by guitarists as the ultimate in crap because it now has 2 "screwed up" technologies (that most detractors have still never tried), both just second generation meaning "improved to suck harder". Despite guitarist´s opinions, these were heralded worldwide by many luthiers as "finally bringing the guitar into the 21st century".

Unfortunately guitarists themselves prefer to remain neanderthals, so they´re simply incapable of comprehending and utilizing such advanced tools... especially if they´ve never tried them

I am VERY interested at what Gibson is going to toss our way this year to kick off the holidays.... Of course it´s introduction will once again be accompanied by throes of people that have actually started to believe their own propaganda, but people that truly care about the state of the industry and music in general will likely once again take notice

TBH if I gould get a Dark Fire without all the bundled software like Guitar Rig and Live!, I´d probably go for it if possible...

[Empty Pockets]

^^ Truth.

I wasn't totally stoked about the Robot and Dark Fire at first either but when I started workin at a shop with one of each i started to understand pretty quickly...

I honestly like the robot system now that it's coming on affordable guitars. It just aides creativity. Dudes who bought them just because it was a $999 Les Paul that happened to tune itself are also happening to experiment with slide guitar and DADGAD for the first time.

The Dark Fire just kind of took it up a notch...personally I wasn't totally convinced by 'chameleon tone'...i.e. it doesn't do a Tele sound, it does a Les Paul trying to be a Tele sound...but it gets you close and is great in conjunction with the faster robot tuners...

I dunno. There's still no better guitar than a 50's or 60's Gibson Special but it's cool that they're pushing boundaries.

[beandip]

I wouldn't mind a guitar that could tune itself...Could become very handy in a gigging band.

I'd like to see something like a Variax in conjunction with a standard analog guitar. Much like the Darkfire but better.

[Zerberus]

^^ yeah, but if Gibson were to license out Line 6 technology the purists and screw-counters would all drive to Nashville with pitchforks and torches to lynch HJ personally

[beandip]

Originally Posted by Zerberus

^^ yeah, but if Gibson were to license out Line 6 technology the purists and screw-counters would all drive to Nashville with pitchforks and torches to lynch HJ personally

Isn't that the truth. Honestly, I'm a "purist". Actually, I'm more of a traditionalist. I like the older style stuff. But if I can have a guitar that feels and looks like a 59 LP or 52 Tele, but sound like 70 other guitars and do it well, I'd be all over that like stink on ****.

[Zerberus]

^^ hellyeah, especially if the fooker tunes itself, too

[ksmith63]

The Dark Fire guitar is tits. Plain and simple. Do they plan on doing a production run of those, or just keeping the "limited first run" models? Anyone know?

[Zerberus]

They´ve been in production for almost a year now, the first ones just came with a special cream-colored guitar case (Betcha Dimarzio wishes they woulda trademarked that! ) and a glass display case

[ksmith63]

Originally Posted by Zerberus

They´ve been in production for almost a year now, the first ones just came with a special cream-colored guitar case (Betcha Dimarzio wishes they woulda trademarked that! ) and a glass display case

I thought they only made a few at first for the 'collectors'....thats why the cream non-dimarzio case said something like "limited first run". Or maybe just the first 500 or so said that. My knowledge is not up to date.

[Zhangliqun]

Look folks -- again, this is about as innovative as it gets. Everything suggested as a "real" (or at least marketable) innovation so far in here seems to have only to do with the shape of the body or the option of Halloween graphics to help pimply teens feel like bada$$es. Self-tuning and digital seems to me like much more serious stuff than skull volume knobs or bat-shaped bodies.