Cakewalk is doomed

[TPB]

Loved my Cakewalk  But Gibson went in a hundred different directions expanding into things they had no business in. I have not seen anything in a Gibson new Model I can not mod or buy for cheaper by another Manufacture You know the name on the head stock does not make the sound. Sounds good get it nobody knows what your playing, and the recording or performance is the final result
Tim

[Farrell Jackson]

The following article says that Gibson is now facing bankruptcy.

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2018/02/19/gibson-faces-bankruptcy/

I suspect that the resale value of Gibson guitars will skyrocket after the company's gone.

I have two Gibson guitars ( LP and  SG) that I've had for some time and didn't pay no where near the prices they are asking for them today. They both play and sound good but don't get any more use or sound any better than my $175 OLP guitar. If they do go up in value, due to Gibson going out of business, I guess my children will benefit from that because I'll still hang on to and play them as I do my other guitars. I agree that Gibson continues to shoot themselves in the foot by the high cost of their instruments, especially when you can get something that suffices at a fraction of the cost. Still, they've been part of the rock n roll scene since the beginning so it'll be a real shame to see them go. Just my thoughts.

Farrell

[64Guitars]

I have two Gibson guitars ( LP and  SG) that I've had for some time and didn't pay no where near the prices they are asking for them today. They both play and sound good but don't get any more use or sound any better than my $175 OLP guitar. If they do go up in value, due to Gibson going out of business, I guess my children will benefit from that because I'll still hang on to and play them as I do my other guitars. I agree that Gibson continues to shoot themselves in the foot by the high cost of their instruments, especially when you can get something that suffices at a fraction of the cost. Still, they've been part of the rock n roll scene since the beginning so it'll be a real shame to see them go. Just my thoughts.

I also have two Gibson guitars which I love and I will probably never part with them. I bought them in the early 1970s when Gibson guitars were reasonably priced. Gibson and Fender were the two major brands then and their pricing was pretty similar. So it didn't matter if you were a Fender fan or a Gibson fan; a good guitar would cost about the same. But then the greedy business types took over and raised the prices way beyond the means of the average budding guitarist. At the same time, lots of other guitar companies started popping up with very good guitars at a fraction of the price of a Gibson. If Gibson executives had any sense, they'd have stood up to the competition by lowering the price of their guitars. They still had excellent brand recognition and respect back then and could have continued to be one of the top-selling guitar companies in the world if only they'd priced their guitars competitively.

[Mike_S]

I would have to agree 100% with you 64. I think if they had kept their prices above, but not too far above their direct competitors it would have worked. They do seem outrageously priced. At the end of the day it's just a few nice bits of wood, with some hardware same as any other guitar. Also pricing in the bracket they do goes against the rock and roll spirit if you ask me. Almost like trying to cater to rich business professionals.

I also have two Gibson guitars which I love and I will probably never part with them. I bought them in the early 1970s when Gibson guitars were reasonably priced. Gibson and Fender were the two major brands then and their pricing was pretty similar. So it didn't matter if you were a Fender fan or a Gibson fan; a good guitar would cost about the same. But then the greedy business types took over and raised the prices way beyond the means of the average budding guitarist. At the same time, lots of other guitar companies started popping up with very good guitars at a fraction of the price of a Gibson. If Gibson executives had any sense, they'd have stood up to the competition by lowering the price of their guitars. They still had excellent brand recognition and respect back then and could have continued to be one of the top-selling guitar companies in the world if only they'd priced their guitars competitively.

[Speed Demon]

I do wonder who it is that Gibson's "smart" new executives thought would be willing to pay their outrageous asking prices for their guitars.

I would ask them to listen to any song they'd care to select, from fifty years ago till today and tell me what make of guitar(s) are being used. They couldn't do it. Subjectively, they all sound the same. The difference to me is the style of the person playing the guitar and the amp it is being played through.

When I play live gigs I do not use an amp with built-in effects. I use a Peavy 5150 head driving two cabinets. All my effects are rack mounted. Far superior to anything built in. If more horsepower is required I have more cabinets and two stereo amps rack-mounted to drive them. I can generate any sound I want from this rig. The guitar is just a device to send a signal to the rack effects and amps.

What Gibson is now asking for a top of the line Les Paul is about what I payed for all of my gear combined. Hope they enjoy standing in the unemployment line. They deserve it.

[cuthbert]

It seems to me that Gibson's pricing of their newest, best guitars may somehow be based on their estimate of the guitar's future collectibility. This approach is speculative, at best. And when your competitors are running much leaner, it's also likely a fatal business mistake.

That said, is Gibson really going to go away? Or is this a Chapter 11 restructuring of their debt?

[64Guitars]

That said, is Gibson really going to go away? Or is this a Chapter 11 restructuring of their debt?

Good question. I would hope that the brand somehow survives, perhaps under new ownership. It isn't just Gibson guitars that's at stake here. They also own many other respected brands including Epiphone, Kramer, Steinberger, Dobro, Slingerland drums, Baldwin Pianos, TEAC, TASCAM, KRK Systems (studio monitors), Philips audio and home entertainment products, Onkyo, Cerwin Vega, Stanton, etc. I can't believe that all those famous brands will just disappear. Somebody's bound to acquire them somehow.

[SteveB]

Apparently, there may be some hope. 


https://www.soundonsound.com/news/cakewalk-sonar-lives

[64Guitars]

Apparently, there may be some hope. 

https://www.soundonsound.com/news/cakewalk-sonar-lives

Yeah, I was just reading about that on SonicState:  http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2018/02/23/cakewalk-lives-gibson-sell-to-bandlab/

The new Cakewalk site is at http://cakewalk.bandlab.com/.

Now if Gibson can sell off some of their other brands, maybe they can continue making guitars.

[64Guitars]

Gibson filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, May 1, 2018.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gibson-brands-bankruptcy/legendary-u-s-guitar-maker-gibson-files-for-bankruptcy-idUSKBN1I23VR

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43967923