You must have seen the video where hundreds of Gibson Firebird X guitars are destroyed. It's the Gibson bad buzz of the day on the Internet. A quick search will quickly get you the video in question.
Gibson's official response
Below is a screenshot of the official response received this morning at 1:27 am on August 1, 2019.
Gibson bad buzz analysis
Here is my very personal take and analysis on this latest Gibson bad buzz:
- It is an official communiqué so inevitably to take with a grain of salt. You have to read between the lines and decode.
- The video deals guitars built from 2009 to 2011 so must we wonder why all the fuss now in 2019 ? I guess it is a slow summer for some web sites.
- Gibson says that these are guitars that were not recoverable and built with unsafe components: one wonders what can be unsafe on a guitar anyway. Especially to the point of destroying them.
- All major brands, regardless of product category, can make the decision to destroy products rather than try to sell them one way or another. This is a common practice. This helps protect the brand image by not circulating declassified products.
- Keeping unsalable products in stock is expensive for nothing so we can understand the reasoning behind the destruction.
- Internet users who shout their outrage about this video would probably also be the first to be outraged at the poor quality of these guitars if they came into their hands in one way or another.
- One wonders about the quality control of Gibson that was to be so non-existent that the factory manufactured instruments as bad and in such numbers. Let's hope it's more serious now ..
- As always, when you see this kind of news, try to take a step back, to cross sources. This allows for a more informed opinion or at least try to do it.
- Surely Gibson could have recycled these unsalable guitars rather than destroy them but at what price? Gibson is a company like any other so the goal is to make money (which is, let's remember, the normal function of a company). So there is someone who made that decision to destroy those guitars for obvious accounting reasons.
- Of course it hurts to see these guitars pass under the tracks of a construction vehicle. We say (me included): it's a shame to destroy a musical instrument, as bad as it may be.
Conclusion
Right now it's fashionable to bad mouth Gibson, I will not particularly defend them here but again, let's try to stay zen while considering this video.
Let's hope that this legendary brand continues to make us dream for a long time and that it takes a more inspiring path than it has in recent years.
Until the next article or the next interview, keep playing the guitar!
Pierre Journel
[cta]
