I have to say first of all that I do like Gibson and their products but they are literally putting out a new product through either Epiphone or themselves every week. Wow. Fender seems to have maybe a tweak or two every year to some instruments and I'm not sure if a new artist series guitar has been released since I've been aware of this forum and website. Think of this what you will but I find it odd the a company that is so well thought of keeps dropping new stuff weekly.

Last year they did one a month.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Phh, they're just making them to be well known, I bet you half of them are useless peices of junk. That being said though, I did say half.

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riley

Yep, I agree with you.

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It's a marketing ploy aimed at collectors...not players. that's why QC has suffered.

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Live guitars: 2009 LTD Truckster, 1989 Strat Plus, 2001 Am Standard Strat, 1996 MIJ Jaguar, 2007 Gibson Explorer 76 reissue, 1999 Ibanez RG7621, LTD MH-301, LTD FM400, 1999 Jackson Kelly, Mystery Les Paul, Hamer Chaparel, Fender FM 62SCE A/E Mandolin

I'll stick with my Fenders.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

so sonce march last year you dont know of any new guitars fender have done? erm ok.......the american special series? jim root strats? billy corgan strat? lee ranaldo and thurston moore jazzmasters? jim adkins tele? squier john5 tele? squier classic vibe tele thinline? simon neil strat? will that do for starters?
Im not knocking fender at all. I love their instruments, but you cant say something about someone and it not be true.

Some of these releases are no more than ploys by Henry J. to attract back a lot of their lost market share but it's backfiring because the quality is still 3rd rate.Eppys are still the better alternative.Having said that I'd rather stick to Fender's tried and true practice of having fewer models but superior product.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

i doubt it, they are already one of the top 2 most known gutiar brands.

Well a couple of those are quite old but I get your point. I'm not kidding when I say it has been a new one per week with Gibson recently though and that seems excessive. When I think of something like the American Special it replaces something so it makes sense. Maybe it's because the Squier line has it's own separate page too. If you hit up gibson.com right now it has en Epi on its title page. Regardless Fender doesn't have a new signature guitar on it's title page every week. I've seen the Sammy Hagar, Slash, Joan Jett and whatever that V is on there now in the last 5 or 6 weeks tops. Gibson should be a bit above that.

Gibson is in serious trouble of being driven into the ground. Ever since Henry has taken the reigns they have really been on the decline. There new designs as I had mentioned in another post look like they are made by a group of old Dead Heads and there quality control issues are now the joke of the industry. I would even be embarrassed to put a Slash Appetite for Destruction Les Paul when he played a copy on the album. It is obvious that this guy should just sell the company to someone who can return it to its former glory.

Now I hate to disagree with mr Cat as he's one of the nicer blokes on these boards but....

I always understood that Henry J bought Gibson from the brink of collapse in the 80's when he took over. Much like FMIC's takeover of Fender from CBS. I thought his recent spate of unwise decisions was entirely down to crystal meth addiction or something. After all the late 80's and 90's were golden years for the big G.

If I'm wrong and have just fallen for a self marketing ploy by some crack Hitler then please inform me. I dont have a great deal of time for Henry, but credit where its due if it is the case.

Anyway I'm gonna send Henry J a book on how to fret a guitar for Christmas. Nah but I am considering knocking up a few pauls. I've a chance to buy some 59 araldite templates and now access to a workshop with a brilliant pin router.

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No no and no

Certainly we can poke fun at these companies pandering to the public to make sales. But the larger question is why would they do it if it didn't work? The truth is that we have become a nation of consumers that can't be satisfied with the timeless elegance of a Fender Strat, Gibson Les Paul or a Rickenbacker. All these companies have to do is come out with a 'new' guitar with the Zak Wylde Signature Tone Control Knob, and sales pick up.

It's a shame, really, that we can't be satisfied with simple excellence.

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"To Be Is To Do" --Locke
"To Do Is To Be" --Thoreau
"Do Be Do Be Do" --Sinatra

Maybe that's what was my problem in the first place. I come on here and I see the GDEC slide and an American Special slide. When a new artist guitar is brought in it's not advertised. It's not like either Fender or Gibson needs to be showing weekly specials on their web sites. It cheapens the image in my eyes.

I have to say that even though it seems that Gibson has a new guitar per week they have failed to improve their MAJOR lines since 2008. Everyone hates the neck on the current Les Paul models and the very limited finishes.

They need to go back to the 50's and 60's profile instead of this crappy angled neck that is supposedly the "MOST COMFORTABLE" neck ever.

Fender sticks to a formula and really has made some seriously innovative moves this year from price points to finishes to new pickups.

As far as Artist models go....who cares? Clapton has new finishes that he uses on tour. I saw him this March and he played the Pewter finish that was released the whole concert. Fender's website is a little behind because some of the models listed are discontinued.

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2007 Fender MIM Strat Midnight Wine
1965 Univox HR-2 "Lawsuit" ES-335 Knockoff
Ovation Celebrity Shallow Bowl