Sad news. Gibson is about to ruin yet another company.
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2013/09/23/cakewalk-to-be-sold-to-gibson/ (http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2013/09/23/cakewalk-to-be-sold-to-gibson/)
Remember when Gibson just made guitars? They were great at that. But then the business assholes took over and ruined the company. Not content with that, they started buying up other companies they know nothing about so they can ruin them too. What a waste. :(
I think there's an arrogance about Gibson that's really annoying. They know they have an audience of rock-solid Les Paul / SG / Flying V / ES-335 devotees, so think everything they touch will turn to gold. They should just stick to what they know and learn to do it better / cheaper (as many of their copyists have done...).
There must be a wider business strategy gong on, but God knows what it is. Just seems like out of touch idiots jumping on a bandwagon they don't understand.
The Gibson Dark Fire and Tiger Dusk were just two examples of them putting products out there that totally misjudged the mood and taste of the audience. Is it 4 bungled attempts at Robo-tuning now?
I know it seems harsh to criticize a company for not living in the past, but if the past is good and where the love is, why dilute the offering?
Rant over!
Quote from: Greeny on September 24, 2013, 06:24:30 AMThe Gibson Dark Fire and Tiger Dusk were just two examples of them putting products out there that totally misjudged the mood and taste of the audience. Is it 4 bungled attempts at Robo-tuning now?
Yeah, that 'robot' tuning thing is ridiculous. Learning to tune a guitar is part of the game, and actually improves a players ability to hear notes. If you can't/don't want to tune a guitar, then you should stick to synths.
henwrench
??? A lot of mixed-feelings over on the Cake Forums.
Personally, I can understand Roland owning - or whatever - a software company, but Gibson. ???
Here's Roland's letter of intent regarding the transfer of Cakewalk to Gibson.
http://www.roland.com/ir/pdf/2013/20130924.pdf (http://www.roland.com/ir/pdf/2013/20130924.pdf)
Although there's a whole paragraph about their "reason for share transfer", it's not very clear to me. It sounds like they're saying that they decided the music software business is not a good fit for Roland (I agree). But then they close with "Roland continues its commitment to development for the PC music business and Roland's core strength", which sounds like they're still planning to market music software of some sort.
I don't know what they have in mind but I hope they'll put more effort into their digital multitrack recorder line now. I'd like to see some more advanced BRs at a reasonable price. Maybe something like the TASCAM DP-24 but with a few special features to make it uniquely Roland.
I cannot wait to get my meat hooks onto a Gibson frozen apple pie. Artificial color, artificial flavor. Natural taste.
im using "acid" software and was hoping to find a "study buddy" on this site.
termanoligy is my biggest problem with it.so many options.
you know anyone thats used it? and kind enough to help me get my stuff out there?
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Cakewalk-Announcement-m3687511.aspx
Well, guess we are proved right. Utterly disgusted. >:(
Download Reaper.
It's really very good.
Quote from: 64Guitars on September 23, 2013, 05:04:24 PMSad news. Gibson is about to ruin yet another company.
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2013/09/23/cakewalk-to-be-sold-to-gibson/ (http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2013/09/23/cakewalk-to-be-sold-to-gibson/)
Remember when Gibson just made guitars? They were great at that. But then the business assholes took over and ruined the company. Not content with that, they started buying up other companies they know nothing about so they can ruin them too. What a waste. :(
Wow You really called your shot!!!lol
im using reaper now
its different but i learning how to get around on it
Quote from: guitarron on January 25, 2018, 05:55:50 PMim using reaper now
its different but i learning how to get around on it
I use Reaper pretty much exclusively. It's rather good.
Quote from: Flash Harry on January 26, 2018, 09:02:15 AMQuote from: guitarron on January 25, 2018, 05:55:50 PMim using reaper now
its different but i learning how to get around on it
I use Reaper pretty much exclusively. It's rather good.
are you on a commission? or do you just love reaper.
a couldnae get ma heid roon it.
not a whole lot commission on 60 bucks worth of software!
i couldn't see putting another big wad of cash on another DAW.
tried some demos of studio one, acid and cubase but reaper edged them out for me
i still wish cakewalk would be salvaged by another company-its the only DAW ive known until recently
Reaper has a TON of videos to get you going.
The following article says that Gibson is now facing bankruptcy.
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2018/02/19/gibson-faces-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.
Wow that would be a massive shock if it were to go under. If it really was near the end I think a lot of the worlds richest rock stars who made their name posing with such guitars should chip together and give them a dig out.
Actually... reading another article on the same topic... seems like the falling popularity of rock music in general might be playing its part in Gibson Guitar sales, and Fender too for that matter. Scary stuff! :(
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/gibson-guitars-bankruptcy-slash-santana-bob-marley-nashville-post-debt-a8217886.html
I gave my Les Paul to one of my children. He had gotten good enough to perform with bands.
I wanted guitars that had more advanced features and Gibson guitars did not meet that requirement.
Just got more expensive for the same old same-old.
Gibson wasted a massive load of money buying up businesses they had no idea how to market, or improve the products. Cakewalk is a prime example.
I wanted high quality tremolo tailpieces and it seemed that Gibson never intended to put such devices
on the Les Paul. That device is still a great part of my playing technique.
There is also a simple mod that cleans up the muddy sound of hot pickups when using the tone control.
Costs less that two dollars for the parts and anyone handy with a soldering iron can install them.
Again, Gibson failed to impress me.
So long, Gibson. It wasn't all that nice to know you.
Quote from: 64Guitars on February 19, 2018, 01:00:37 PMI suspect that the resale value of Gibson guitars will skyrocket after the company's gone.
No doubt.
Sad news indeed.
Quote from: Speed Demon on February 19, 2018, 05:19:41 PMI wanted high quality tremolo tailpieces and it seemed that Gibson never intended to put such devices
on the Les Paul.
There is also a simple mod that cleans up the muddy sound of hot pickups when using the tone control.
Costs less that two dollars for the parts and anyone handy with a soldering iron can install them.
true-no gibson trems since the vibrola-ive got a old firebird with one-tuning issues
fender just got around to putting treble bleeds in some of their models
AAHHH but they did force feed the public Robo tuners
which nobody wants
Quote from: Speed Demon on February 19, 2018, 05:19:41 PMI wanted high quality tremolo tailpieces and it seemed that Gibson never intended to put such devices
on the Les Paul. That device is still a great part of my playing technique.
The Alex Lifeson Les Paul has a Floyd Rose.
http://www.gibson.com/products/electric-guitars/les-paul/gibson-custom/alex-lifeson-les-paul-axcess.aspx (http://www.gibson.com/products/electric-guitars/les-paul/gibson-custom/alex-lifeson-les-paul-axcess.aspx)
Mind you, I don't know a lot of guitarists who can justify spending $5,500 on a guitar. That's what really killed Gibson in my opinion - the greed of the beancounters who took over the company and made Gibson guitars unaffordable by all but the wealthiest of guitarists.
OUCH!
Even God doesn't make enough money to afford that guitar!
I use Kahler bridges on all my electric guitars and they are well made, totally adjustable
and do not go out of tune when using the stick shift. And the price is between 100 and 200 dollars.
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
Quote from: 64Guitars on February 19, 2018, 01:00:37 PMThe following article says that Gibson is now facing bankruptcy.
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2018/02/19/gibson-faces-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
Quote from: Farrell Jackson on February 21, 2018, 08:12:36 AMI 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.
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.
Quote from: 64Guitars on February 21, 2018, 10:35:00 AMI 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.
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.
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?
Quote from: cuthbert on February 21, 2018, 02:08:38 PMThat 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.
Apparently, there may be some hope. :-\
https://www.soundonsound.com/news/cakewalk-sonar-lives
Quote from: SteveB on February 23, 2018, 07:38:16 AMApparently, there may be some hope. :-\
https://www.soundonsound.com/news/cakewalk-sonar-lives (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/ (http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2018/02/23/cakewalk-lives-gibson-sell-to-bandlab/)
The new Cakewalk site is at http://cakewalk.bandlab.com/ (http://cakewalk.bandlab.com/).
Now if Gibson can sell off some of their other brands, maybe they can continue making guitars.
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 (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 (http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43967923)
Gibson is now looking for a new CEO (about time): https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/gibson-drops-new-guitars-ceo-amid-financial-mess-719342/amp/
And in 2020, Gibson seems to have had so many additional debacles and restarts you really do wonder what's up.
Meanwhile Cakewalk by Bandlab is fantastic and is free.
Quote from: WarpCanada on November 03, 2020, 05:04:55 PMAnd in 2020, Gibson seems to have had so many additional debacles and restarts you really do wonder what's up.
Meanwhile Cakewalk by Bandlab is fantastic and is free.
It's funny, I'm reading this thread again 2 years later.
I was a longtime paying customer of Cakewalk. (still a little red assed about it lol). But, before BandLab came to the rescue (thank you BTW), I researched what my next DAW would be. Settled in with Reaper. Best 60 bucks I ever spent on software.
Now when I go into my old cakewalk projects, it feels restrictive to me. It's good solid,still a bit innovative software, but I'm not looking back. Reaper is rock solid. No bloat ware. Simple solid plugins.
You don't need to use all the customization it can do. You use what works for your individual workflow.
Right, Sometimes it just feels like you can't stand in the same river twice.
I never went back to Cakewalk, after buying Cubase Pro. But I keep Cakewalk by Bandlab installed out of nostalgia for my years of messing around half heartedly in there before I actually learned or made anything finished that could be called a song.