Anderson Bulldog Is No More (Gibson Involved)

[cardinal]

I remember them going after ESP. Seems like maybe the way to avoid the lawsuit is to make the lower horn sharp (rather than round) and use some other knob configuration. They left ESP alone after that.

 

[BackCrack]

...the bolt on neck doesn't factor into a design trademark...

Which is exactly why you don't see Ken Warmoth offering Gibson style parts anymore.

If Henry would take the salaries of his fraud staff and put that money back into elevating quality by taking care of his employees, he wouldn't have to worry about what others are doing because the guitars would sell themselves and outsell everybody else.

 

[tarices22]

So, so, so uncool Gibson. What a bunch of ass clowns they are these days.

 

[fretout]

If Gibson just wanted to sue the "little guys", why wouldn't they sue Ken Lawrence for his Explorers? Theres a small outfit that is copying a copy of a Gibson (for those that don't know, the KL Explorers are modeled after the ESP EX series, which was a larger-bodied copy of Gibson's Explorer).

I understand why Gibson would put heat on anyone using a single it design, because the 2015s are the biggest flop since the Nighthawk, but no one is buying them. Gibson is even sending surveys to people that try a 2015 LP and decide to pass on it.

I think the LP redesign was supposed to push customers to buy the more expensive Historics, but it backfired, and instead of people buying the high-priced Gibsons, people turned to the used market and independent luthiers.

I understand why Gibson would sue anyone trying to sell a singlecut, but it only casts Gibson in a bad light and shows that Gibson is worried about another company building a better solution. Bad move Gibson.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Yes Fuck gibson. Fuck em in the mouth and ass.

 

[Fordman65]

If Gibson just wanted to sue the "little guys", why wouldn't they sue Ken Lawrence for his Explorers? Theres a small outfit that is copying a copy of a Gibson (for those that don't know, the KL Explorers are modeled after the ESP MX series, which was a larger-bodied copy of Gibson's Explorer).

I understand why Gibson would put heat on anyone using a single it design, because the 2015s are the biggest flop since the Nighthawk, but no one is buying them. Gibson is even sending surveys to people that try a 2015 LP and decide to pass on it.

I think the LP redesign was supposed to push customers to buy the more expensive Historics, but it backfired, and instead of people buying the high-priced Gibsons, people turned to the used market and independent luthiers.

I understand why Gibson would sue anyone trying to sell a singlecut, but it only casts Gibson in a bad light and shows that Gibson is worried about another company building a better solution. Bad move Gibson.

Minor change.

 

[cardinal]

I understand why Gibson would sue anyone trying to sell a singlecut, but it only casts Gibson in a bad light and shows that Gibson is worried about another company building a better solution. Bad move Gibson.

I don't understand all the ins-and-outs, but my understanding is that to maintain protection, you have to actively defend your mark. That's how Fender lost the Strat body shape. Xerox and Kleenex nearly ran into big trouble when their trade names became adopted as universal shorthand for copies and tissue. So to maintain a credible threat against the direct clones, Gibson has to go after companies every so often.

But they also have to pick the target carefully, because I doubt they enjoyed their fight with PRS, so poor Tom got the nasty letter probably because they figured that they get to defend their mark against someone with no appetite to spend the money on a fight over it.

 

[thiswaythatway]

I understand why Gibson would sue anyone trying to sell a singlecut, but it only casts Gibson in a bad light and shows that Gibson is worried about another company building a better solution. Bad move Gibson.

I don't understand all the ins-and-outs, but my understanding is that to maintain protection, you have to actively defend your mark. That's how Fender lost the Strat body shape. Xerox and Kleenex nearly ran into big trouble when their trade names became adopted as universal shorthand for copies and tissue. So to maintain a credible threat against the direct clones, Gibson has to go after companies every so often.

But they also have to pick the target carefully, because I doubt they enjoyed their fight with PRS, so poor Tom got the nasty letter probably because they figured that they get to defend their mark against someone with no appetite to spend the money on a fight over it.

Paul Reed Smith said himself in an interview, " You go to NAMM and you see Single Cut guitars in dozens of booths, why am I being singled out"?

 

[cardinal]

^ I assume that was a rhetorical question from Paul. Gibson obviously miscalculated because they lost the case, but imagine the knockout punch they land if they had won. How many single cuts would have been at the following NAMM show? A win against PRS may have sent shocks through the industry.

 

[rupe]

...the bolt on neck doesn't factor into a design trademark...

Which is exactly why you don't see Ken Warmoth offering Gibson style parts anymore.

If Henry would take the salaries of his fraud staff and put that money back into elevating quality by taking care of his employees, he wouldn't have to worry about what others are doing because the guitars would sell themselves and outsell everybody else.

They already do that simply on the strength of the brand...why sink more money into QC if the marketplace fails to demand it?

 

[Kevin11]

I understand why Gibson would put heat on anyone using a single it design, because the 2015s are the biggest flop since the Nighthawk, but no one is buying them. Gibson is even sending surveys to people that try a 2015 LP and decide to pass on it.

I think the LP redesign was supposed to push customers to buy the more expensive Historics, but it backfired, and instead of people buying the high-priced Gibsons, people turned to the used market and independent luthiers.

I read about the 2015 LP changes before I actually got my hands on one to try. I balked at first, but then thought maybe the changes were geared to appeal to the younger generation of players (robo-tune, wider, flatter neck, etc.). Some of it actually sounded good on paper. I balked at the Alex Lifeson Floyd LP too and loved it when I played it. So I figured maybe they're taking a gamble that requires a bit of long-term sight. Well, I tried a couple of them a few weeks ago. Not one of my better Gibson-related experiences. Holy cow what a pile that thing is. Poor Les.

And poor Tom. He's one of THE nicest human beings in the business building some of the best guitars you can get your hands on. Sad to see him getting jerked around like this.

 

[BackCrack]

...the bolt on neck doesn't factor into a design trademark...

Which is exactly why you don't see Ken Warmoth offering Gibson style parts anymore.

If Henry would take the salaries of his fraud staff and put that money back into elevating quality by taking care of his employees, he wouldn't have to worry about what others are doing because the guitars would sell themselves and outsell everybody else.

They already do that simply on the strength of the brand...why sink more money into QC if the marketplace fails to demand it?

Actually, they don't. My sister-in-law has four relatives that work for Gibson; two in Nashvile and two in Memphis. I've chatted with all of them. The vast majority of the employees aren't treated well by management. Been that way for years. The name of the game is quantity over quality. The custom shop is the only division that pays more attention to end product details.

 

[thiswaythatway]

I understand why Gibson would put heat on anyone using a single it design, because the 2015s are the biggest flop since the Nighthawk, but no one is buying them. Gibson is even sending surveys to people that try a 2015 LP and decide to pass on it.

I think the LP redesign was supposed to push customers to buy the more expensive Historics, but it backfired, and instead of people buying the high-priced Gibsons, people turned to the used market and independent luthiers.

I read about the 2015 LP changes before I actually got my hands on one to try. I balked at first, but then thought maybe the changes were geared to appeal to the younger generation of players (robo-tune, wider, flatter neck, etc.). Some of it actually sounded good on paper. I balked at the Alex Lifeson Floyd LP too and loved it when I played it. So I figured maybe they're taking a gamble that requires a bit of long-term sight. Well, I tried a couple of them a few weeks ago. Not one of my better Gibson-related experiences. Holy cow what a pile that thing is. Poor Les.

And poor Tom. He's one of THE nicest human beings in the business building some of the best guitars you can get your hands on. Sad to see him getting jerked around like this.

Yup, I tried another LP the other day just for shits and giggles. I find the 2015 LP unplayable, the neck is horrible.

 

[PlayAndersons]

Lame…

 

[rupe]

...the bolt on neck doesn't factor into a design trademark...

Which is exactly why you don't see Ken Warmoth offering Gibson style parts anymore.

If Henry would take the salaries of his fraud staff and put that money back into elevating quality by taking care of his employees, he wouldn't have to worry about what others are doing because the guitars would sell themselves and outsell everybody else.

They already do that simply on the strength of the brand...why sink more money into QC if the marketplace fails to demand it?

Actually, they don't. My sister-in-law has four relatives that work for Gibson; two in Nashvile and two in Memphis. I've chatted with all of them. The vast majority of the employees aren't treated well by management. Been that way for years. The name of the game is quantity over quality. The custom shop is the only division that pays more attention to end product details.

So what does that have to do with what I said? Gibson sells everything they make, and they make a lot. I was replying to a comment that stated they should do something differently to get the guitars to "sell themselves" by pointing out that the guitars already do that regardless of the QC issues. It doesn't make a shit bit of difference how they treat their employees (which isn't good...I was Gibson dealer for years and talked to many disgruntled Gibson workers) or how bad their QC is if the brand has the strength that it does in the marketplace. That could certainly change, but as of now Gibson and Fender are the biggest games in town in spite of some poor QC and questionable business practices.

 

[Mesa\Kramer]

The Bulldog is still listed on his website

Did Gibson back off?
http://www.andersonguitars.com/product_ ... dogfam.cfm

 

[snowdog]

I have seen plenty of Bulldogs for sale on Reverb.

 

[glassjaw7]

As pissed as I was when they went after PRS I also sort of understand it, as I imagine they (PRS) sell high enough volume to actually make a small dent in Gibson's LP sales. But the Bulldog?? It looks far less like a Les Paul than many other copies from companies that I assume sell loads more!!

 

[Metlupass2]

The Bulldog is still listed on his website

Did Gibson back off?
http://www.andersonguitars.com/product_ ... dogfam.cfm

Nope it's been discontinued.

http://www.andersonguitars.com/product_ ... models.cfm

Tom has a new model that is very similar to the Bulldog, but different enough to not piss off Gibson. It's called the Bobcat. He sent me some pics of a finished one.


Meanwhile here is my Bulldog that I believe was one of the last ones made last May.

 

[lespaul6]

The Bulldog is still listed on his website

Did Gibson back off?
http://www.andersonguitars.com/product_ ... dogfam.cfm

Nope it's been discontinued.

http://www.andersonguitars.com/product_ ... models.cfm

Tom has a new model that is very similar to the Bulldog, but different enough to not piss off Gibson. It's called the Bobcat. He sent me some pics of a finished one.


Meanwhile here is my Bulldog that I believe was one of the last ones made last May.

What a top!