Which would you rather?

[Polo]

Option A

Heritage Guitar succeeds at producing 6 standard models that are of extremely high quality each on par with any of the high end competitors comparable products, (Collins, Gibson Custom Shop, PRS, Ect). The caveat being that the newly increased quality in combination with the lower production numbers will undoubtably increase the price of each guitar to being roughly the same as any of the other brands which would mean a minimum of 3k-7k depending on the model.

 

Option B

Meng or one of his affiliates manages to acquire a newly bankrupted Gibson Brands later this July and then brings a portion of Gibson's production back to 225 replacing the Heritage brand all together with a newly formed Gibson Kalamazoo Custom Shop location.

 

=====================================================================================================================================================

 

Personally, I would  LOVE to see  Option B  prevail as reality! 

Why on earth, you ponder?  Well, on paper, I see it as the best looking scenario for anyone who's actually got some skin in the game with anything 225 related or even for those who are still finding themselves torn (or torn up) about what's gone on with Heritage over the last few years. 

a few positives:

- The original Heritage founders were actually able to sell off the company they created and maintained for 30 years as opposed to just shutting the doors.

- The Heritage Guitar story and the uncompromising commitment to it's legacy will go down into the history books as an incredibly unique story with a generally happy ending...for most involved anyhow :-( 

- The current employees will likely continue to stay on building guitars only with a different name on the headstock.

- All existing Heritage Guitars would become even more special/unique than they already are.

- The whole 225 Parsons St as a destination thing with get a SERIOUS boost in legitimacy/relevancy with Gibson back under the roof.

-  Undoubtably, Gibson would bring more jobs to Kzoo...maybe they could even bring back the folks who were let go.

- The idea of buying newly built Custom Shop Gibson built in Kalamazoo sounds a lot cooler to me than buying a "newly improved" Heritage for 3k-7k.

-  Gibson would get a fresh start in the familiar and legendary place where it all began. It's a freakin marketing dream come true.

 

 

 

 

 

[Yooper]

Hmm. It would seem both A and B could increase the value of our Classic Era guitars. 

And the other positive for choice B would be no more "circle H" logos on headstocks. 

 

[davesultra]

Very well thought out. I would absolutely love for option “B” to come to fruition. To me that would be the best, and most dignified way to sunset the Heritage name. It would also mean the continuance of guitar building at the legendary location.

[houndhome]

My estimate of Heritage's formation was of a company building a Gibson like product but with a quality that Gibsons

shoddy production seemed unable or unwilling to match.I would have no confidence in any product having the name Gibson on the

headstock,I'm not American so have no reason to have to buy an American product as a matter of national support.

As an acoustic guitarist in the main,my top 6 guitars to use are made by 3 companies (2 each) and all British.The largest company,Brook guitars

have workforce of 4 people,the others Dave King  and Wootton Guitars 1-2.None of them have a CNC machine in sight,and all produce guitars

of a higher quality and better price than,for example,Martin and Gibson (and yes I have examples of both of these makers)

[kidsmoke]

B

[Gitfiddler]

[deytookerjaabs]

I don't know, it really depends on what happens with A & B in terms of what they build and how they do it. If after the current year of Heritage tooling down they come back in 2019 with custom ordering and more archtops again along with more surprises I'd rather see Heritage continue. 

 

I want a soft tool company that will build a variety of models, including arches (if not add flats & mandolins), for a reasonable price alongside bread & butter stuff. Gibson Custom is basically a mass production guitar factory but if you want anything remotely "custom" be ready to rob a bank. A new Gibson Super 400 starts at $16,000, think about that for a minute! Gibson Custom means buh bye Heritage in more ways than just the headstock.  

 

[notbillgelder]

 

 

[Polo]

I knew it. I should have gone with my gut and done the butt-hurt questionnaire.

[ElNumero]

So like Gibson eating its young eh? No thanks, I wouldn't want to see Gibbons anywhere near Kalamazoo, not now or ever! Solid 10

[StephenK]

Only oldsters remember or care about Gibson from Kalamazoo.

 

[FredZepp]

1 hour ago, StephenK said:

Only oldsters remember or care about Gibson from Kalamazoo.

 

Ha... yeah, even Bonamassa is 40 now.   You young kids will own it all one day.  

[rockabilly69]

I would like Heritage to stay Heritage in Kalamazoo and build guitars the old school way but don't let the untrained monkees or visually challenger senior citizens do the fret and nut work. And if they must use Nashville bridges, keep them off the H150 and H535. 

I would like Gibson to stay in Nashville and be run by Edwin Wilson and have Henry thrown in the La Brea tarpits to never return again

[Kuz]

Honestly, anymore, I don't really care.  But option B has a better chance of success.

Why would I buy a; "Heritage Guitar  that is of extremely high quality each on par with any of the high end competitors comparable products, (Collins, Gibson Custom Shop, PRS, Ect), which will undoubtably increase the price of each guitar to being roughly the same as any of the other brands which would mean a minimum of 3k-7k depending on the model", when I can buy a Collings, Gibson CS, PRS that will retain more resale value than a new Heritage and I can probably play the other brands before buying it?

[Polo]

1 hour ago, Kuz said:

Honestly, anymore, I don't really care. 

Honestly, Kuz , neither do I.

I've been checking in and out of the entire Heritage scene for a few years now for all types of reasons. The truth of the matter is that trying to spin the current state of all things Heritage into anything that's not just mostly full of shit is getting harder and harder to do.

I suppose the right thing for me to do at this point is to hereby document my own official butt-hurt level as a strong 9.

See you in a few months party people!

 

[Kuz]

9 minutes ago, Polo said:

Honestly, Kuz , neither do I.

I've been checking in and out of the entire Heritage scene for a few years now for all types of reasons. The truth of the matter is that trying to spin the current state of all things Heritage into anything that's not just mostly full of shit is getting harder and harder to do.

I suppose the right thing for me to do at this point is to hereby document my own official butt-hurt level as a strong 9.

See you in a few months party people!

 

I feel the same way unfortunately.  Maybe it's time I left for a while and see if things have changed here and/or at Plaza/Bandlab Heritage.  And we shall see how things shake out if I make it to PSP.

[CJTopes]

I guess I would rather see Heritage guitars stick with the name and continue to make quality guitars at a decent price. That's what attracted me to them in the first place. Heritage Guitars as I've known them is done and over. The old school custom builds with seasoned employees is no more. I hope for the namesake and current employees that the new Heritage continues to be a quality guitar that can compete in todays market.  

I just dont see Gibson coming back to the Zoo regardless of who might buy them out.  

[DetroitBlues]

After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to answer your question.

 

”Which would you rather...”? 

To which I say, “I’d rather not.”

[pro-fusion]

My first thought upon reading the news of Gibson's impending date with the bankruptcy trustee was "wouldn't it be funny if the new Heritage owners bought the guitar arm of Gibson Brands for pennies on the dollar and brought it back home!"

In reality, though, I think that only works if New Gibson ditches USA mass production altogether in favor of a strategy of Asian mass production of most guitars plus a U.S. custom shop. Having the Gibson custom shop at 225 Parsons Street would make a lot of sense if the idea was to make the facility into a tourist destination.

The other reality is that Gibson Guitars, for all of its slipshod quality (production guitars) and bad Henry J management, is still profitable as is. It's all of Henry's stupid brand acquisitions that have brought his kingdom down, not the guitar business. It's probably worth enough as is that the Heritage owners won't be in the running for it.

[ElNumero]

12 hours ago, pro-fusion said:

My first thought upon reading the news of Gibson's impending date with the bankruptcy trustee was "wouldn't it be funny if the new Heritage owners bought the guitar arm of Gibson Brands for pennies on the dollar and brought it back home!"

In reality, though, I think that only works if New Gibson ditches USA mass production altogether in favor of a strategy of Asian mass production of most guitars plus a U.S. custom shop. Having the Gibson custom shop at 225 Parsons Street would make a lot of sense if the idea was to make the facility into a tourist destination.

The other reality is that Gibson Guitars, for all of its slipshod quality (production guitars) and bad Henry J management, is still profitable as is. It's all of Henry's stupid brand acquisitions that have brought his kingdom down, not the guitar business. It's probably worth enough as is that the Heritage owners won't be in the running for it.

Ironically, 225 Parsons St WAS the Gibson Custom shop up until around 1984. When Gibson built the Nashville plant in 1975, they moved the mass production of guitars there, since it was a modernized plant with lots of new equipment. In fact, Jim Deurloo spend quite a bit of time in Nashville training new workers. In the meantime, the Kalamazoo plant of Gibson was relegated to producing only custom orders for Gibson. But how cool was that having folks like Chet Atkins, James Burton, and other celebrity guitarists ordering their custom guitars to be built right in the same place our Heritage guitars were built!

[bolero]

I think this is a pointless discussion really

the new owners are going to do, what they need to do

but I guess we can fantasize about all kinds of stuff...

I hope Heritage gains wider popularity in the general populace, who seem smitten by G & F branding almost exclusively

-->and establishes their own high quality status, independent of Gibson. ( IMO they've already done this, but they need some solid marketing to expand )

[LittleLeroy]

They can do whatever....  I don't see myself buying a new Gibson or "Heritage".