Gibson Discontinues Most Dobro Models

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 30 Apr 2006 11:10 pm

In the interview in the link I posted above with Gibson's CEO Henry. He talks about how when he took over he double the price on some instruments and they stated selling more.
Quote from story;
I said we are going to increase prices. Prices were ridiculously low. And people said, the price has been decreasing 20% a year, how can you reverse that? I said I'm just going to double the prices on a lot of models. I actually tested it and got an inverse price curve. Basically it showed that every time I raised prices a certain amount, volume would go up.

 So that's part of Gibson marketing now, that if an instrument isn't selling well, then just raise the price of it.

If that doesn't work then just shut down production on that line of instruments.

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 30 Apr 2006 11:25 pm

There is no shortage of competitors.

This is a case where independent builders had a huge effect on the sale of Gibson's Dobro. Gibson dropped the ball.

Seems like everyone and their brother are making dobros now a days.
Even my cousin is making dobros now. Of course he can't call them "Dobros®", but he's making instruments better than Gibson.
I believe the reason there are so many independent builders out there now is because Gibson dropped the ball and left a market looking for other options.[This message was edited by Alvin Blaine on 01 May 2006 at 12:27 AM.]

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 1 May 2006 4:36 am

All I can say about Gibson right now is that they are on my list as the worst customer no-service musical instrument company. They put me on ignore for so long, I had to fix the problem with my Gibson guitar myself so I could play it. (Thin arched body electric that the top had come unglued from the center section!!! About a $4500 list price guitar!) When I emailed the head of customer service to relay the details of the crappy service I got, he sent me back a nasty self serving note.

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 1 May 2006 5:11 am

A couple weeks ago I noticed on the Gibson website that they were down a bunch of models.

Drew

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Drew Howard - website - Fessenden guitars, 70's Fender Twin, etc.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 1 May 2006 5:23 am

Seems like everyone and their brother are making dobros now a days.

Especially the Dopyera brothers

They put the bro in the Do

Even my cousin is making dobros now.

Cobro?

I think I'll start making resophonic guitars and open a Gentlemen's Club at the same time. We'll call my guitar The Ho'bro

[This message was edited by HowardR on 01 May 2006 at 06:25 AM.]

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 1 May 2006 7:53 am

Speaking of how horrible that company is now, has anyone checked out their $5000+ F5 mandolins? They are total crap. Can I say "crap" here? The binding work is complete slop with bad paint and filler to "fix" the bad work. The tops are too thick and they sound horrible. The nut, frets, and general setup are atrocious. The $300 imported Kentuckys sound worlds better. Gibson has become a total sham of a company. Their new instruments are below average at best. Shame, shame, shame...

Brad

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 1 May 2006 8:07 am

Well, it appears that Gibson doesn't give a ......Hoot

Stephen Wells · Post by **Stephen Wells** » 1 May 2006 8:43 am

Isn't it interesting that the company that is so touchy about the use of dobro as a generic term, and sued to stop PRS from making a single cutaway guitar, is currently offering a dead knock off of Brent Mason's Telecaster. Which, by the way, the one I have seen doesn't even have the middle pickup mounted proprerly.[This message was edited by Stephen Wells on 01 May 2006 at 09:44 AM.][This message was edited by Stephen Wells on 01 May 2006 at 09:45 AM.]

Ben Sims · Post by **Ben Sims** » 1 May 2006 9:05 am

It's kind of pointless to complain about the quality of Gibson's instruments at this point. Gibson isn't a musical instrument company anymore, apparently - another excerpt from the interview with the CEO:

Q: I'd like to talk about what you are trying to make Gibson into.

A: Well, we want to be the musician lifestyle company.

When you buy a guitar from Gibson, you're buying a lifestyle - the instrument is just a symbol. If they're thinking about it that way, why should they even try to make their instruments a good value?

Sounds like he is basically saying, if you just want a quality instrument at a good price, buy elsewhere. I will happily comply.

Ben

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 1 May 2006 12:59 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> quote:Even my cousin is making dobros now.

Cobro? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I kind of like that, I also like the Hobro. Maybe I could get my cousin to make one for me and call it the cuzbro.
It seems that he like putting long names on them and calls 'em Schoonover Resophonics.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 1 May 2006 1:13 pm

There's a guy named Hogan who built his first reso, and he calls it HoBro, so the name is already taken. I hear that he is hiring Gibson's lawyers to take the case if anyone else tries to use the name...

Alvin-so your cousin is "Schoonie?"

He is making some outstanding guitars!

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Mark

Ben Jones · Post by **Ben Jones** » 1 May 2006 1:35 pm

as long as I can buy a bolt on neck Gibson at Target its cool.

the shark has been jumped i guess.

Jim Bates · Post by **Jim Bates** » 1 May 2006 4:54 pm

Another great line of musical instruments that Gibson has virtually destroyed is the Baldwin pianos. Gibson bought the Baldwin company a few years ago and it (Baldwin Co.) has since died - at least THE Baldwin pianos that were top of the line are now gone. Oh well...

Thanx,
Jim

Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 3 May 2006 1:28 am

There's way too much to say at this late hour, bur I'll just state that I spent some time advising the OMI Huntington Beach GM Mike Replogle and artist/products guy Richie Owens about non-resonator Hawaiians--Weissenborns, Konas and such. All their creativity and commitment to making a great product managed to somehow irritate Nashville (that is, Henry). No matter about that, Henry's fascination with being able to see a Louisville Slugger baseball bat made before a factory visitor's eyes spelled the inevitable doom for OMI and Flatiron, both of which factories got the fateful word on the same day--the day of the North Hollywood Bank of America LAPD Shootout. (I watched it unfold live on a fuzzy b/w convenience store TV as I made my way back from HB to LA.) Such was the original conception of the Opry Mills location: see mandolins progress through the stages of production. When OMI was shut down, only one employee opted to make the move to Nashville--accountant Larry Flatt, who has family there. One big reason you didn't see any new Dobros for two or three years there. Managers put in charge of getting Dobro up and running would tell the big cheese what he wanted to hear, then get axed when progress on a thankless from-the-ground-up mission ran into obstacles.

Part of what Mike and Richie did was tap into the combined legacy of the companies' forebears. Admittedly, a Kona Hawaiian is a little outside that description (OMI never made any Weissenborn-style hollow-neck instruments; there's a post-script story about that for another time), but that led to what was called a parlor guitar--in truth a copy of an early '30s Gibson L-1--albeit with the Kona/Weissenborn batwing bridge. Occasionally, I see Dolly Parton (Richie's cousin) playing one of these.

Another interesting excursion probably had roots in the thin-body Dobrolektric models. Taking a page from early '60s National/Valco catalogs, Dobro made a line of Val Pro electrics--not resoglas but chambered wood bodies with either Firedbird minihumbuckers

<img src=http://home.earthlink.net/~wardrobewitc ... jr1115.jpg>

or P-100s. The pic above is the Val Pro Jr. I just got off of eBay. I've been wanting one of these since I saw them in the factory a decade ago. There was a larger Val Pro model--same basic look, in various pastel colors. This is a powder blue and I've tweaked this pic a bit for contrast. In real life, the lacquer and pearloid are yellowing after ten years such that the body's tending toward seafoam green in places and the headstock looks like someone's been stabbing their cigarettes onto the string ends.

There are a lot of as yet-untold stories about OMI in the early and mid-nineties and an earnest desire to do things right and with ambition. But, then, behind every heartbreaking failure and frustration, there's a Harvard MBA in the woodpile nearby.[This message was edited by Ben Elder on 03 May 2006 at 02:33 AM.][This message was edited by Ben Elder on 03 May 2006 at 02:35 AM.]

Roman Sonnleitner · Post by **Roman Sonnleitner** » 3 May 2006 3:12 am

Ben, wow, that is a VERY cool guitar!

Ron · Post by **Ron** » 4 May 2006 12:35 pm

I build the Robro reso guitars. I never named it but like it . Norman Hamlet and Jr Knight have one.

Norm Hamlet's Dobro Stolen - Reward Offered
In Tyler, TX on the 28th of April, Norm Hamlet's Dobro was stolen. This dobro guitar is a very rare and unique instrument that has been used on many hit records and many great shows. This guitar is very sentimental to Norm and this action has upset him and we would really like to get the Dobro returned. It is in a large black guitar case and was last seen on the edge of the stage in Tyler TX. A reward of $250 will be offered to enyone with information that leads to the return of the dobro. Please post information to the contact information on this website.

Info at www.merlehaggard.com

Gibson has wrecked the name again with the Dobro. While the boys in Montania were building the mandolin they did a good but Gibson said you cant do that so they bought them out and promply the qulity droppped. It is no secret how to build a good dobro. The secret is in the top and the ledge the cone sets on. Any one intrested email me.

Robro Ron

Ron · Post by **Ron** » 4 May 2006 12:50 pm

When the boys in montana were building the mandolins they were all good than gibson took over and made them cheeeeeper to make more money!!! Now they have to go to China to have them made.

I make a reso guitar named Robro. Not my idea but one of my customers. I like it!! Norman Hamlet and Jr Knight have twin robro's

Norm Hamlet's Dobro Stolen - Reward Offered
In Tyler, TX on the 28th of April, Norm Hamlet's Dobro was stolen. This dobro guitar is a very rare and unique instrument that has been used on many hit records and many great shows. This guitar is very sentimental to Norm and this action has upset him and we would really like to get the Dobro returned. It is in a large black guitar case and was last seen on the edge of the stage in Tyler TX. A reward of $250 will be offered to enyone with information that leads to the return of the dobro. Please post information to the contact information on this website.

Info at www.merlehaggard.com

There is no secret on how to build a good reso. It is in the ledge the cone sets on and the guitar top. Any one interested email me at robro2@eoni.com

Robro Ron