Gibson Hendrix Strat – The People Are Pissed!
(5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5)
Loading ...September 24, 2009 by Chaz
9.28.09–Update: Gibson removes Hendrix Strat content from official website
Gear-Vault was first to break the story: Gibson to create Strats for Jimi Hendrix’s new Signature Model?
However, the question remains the same, “did Gibson screw up?” After reading Gibson’s Lifestyle blog, it appears that people are more than pissed at Gibson for creating the knockoff Fender Strat and calling it the “Hendrix” Electric Guitar Package; they are down-right outraged at Gibson–And it wasn’t long ago when Gibson created the “Eye” guitar that didn’t turn out so well in the guitar world either.
How is Gibson handling it?
We don’t know, when we called Gibson to ask – they refused to comment. However, there were reports of Gibson deleting comments off their blog, but we can’t verify this. Gibson was happy to post images from the production line at the Gibson USA factory–see images below.
Here are some comments that weren’t deleted (yet)
John-
“Anyone who remembers and respects Jimi’s legacy should be ashamed to buy this guitar. How can you call a guitar a Jimi Hendrix model when it didn’t even exist while Jimi was alive? I spend around $500,000 a year on guitars and musical equipment but because of Gibson’s unbelievably bad descisions on new guitar models and their unethical treatment of their dealers I don’t spend any of that money on new Gibsons anymore. I buy vintage or used Gibsons so that the company doesn’t get any of my money.”
Jamie-
“The extremely litigious Gibson company now goes around ripping off other companies designed.
Let’s see how quickly Fender gets sued when they decide to make a single cutaway duel humbucker guitar like PRS.
Gibson should be ashamed of themselves. The only guitars I want from “Gibson” are the ones coming out of Kalamazoo since the mid 80s. Next time… Heritage will be getting my money.”
Geosh-
“Wow, this could be the single worst idea that anyone at Gibson has ever had!! I was starting to get back into Gibson instruments, but with “great ideas” like this coming out of the factory I don’t know what to think anymore. Next will have a Danelectro clone? It can be on my list of things never to buy.”
Joey-
“this is so terrible, Fender should make an angus young signature sg just to piss off gibson cuz im sure fender is angry”
Greg M.-
“Are you out of your minds?
Expect to have crates of these collecting dust in that warehouse where you have to stash all those worthless “Robot” guitars!
Ever heard of something called “Market Research”?
NOBODY is going to buy this junk!”
We can quote the pissed off guitar community all day long, but the fact is simple; this trend isn’t going good for Gibson.
We wonder how pissed Fender is?
The Fender Strat was Hendrix’s guitar-of-choice, why didn’t “Authentic Hendrix LLC” collaborate with FENDER to create the Hendrix FENDER Stratocaster electric guitar package? Did Authentic Hendrix LLC run to the highest bidder? We don’t know…. but it appears Authentic Hendrix LLC and Gibson USA would rather mind-rape a legendary dead man for the $$$,$$$,$$$ rather than keeping the heritage alive.
See Images:
R.I.P Jimi, we got your back!
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Chaz Man! You goin’ after it Bro!!!
“We can quote the pissed off guitar community all day long, but the fact is simple; this trend isn’t going good for Gibson.”
I don’t know if it is not going that good for Gibson… At least, the whole guitar community is talking about it!! Even those who never had a Gibson
Yes, but people also talk when a wise old beloved preacher gets caught in a hotel room with a hooker and a mountain of blow. Not all publicity is good if you’re the preacher.
True, as they say… “bad publicity is still good publicity”. Mmhmm, I wonder how many good little boys and girls are going to get a Gibson Authentic Hendrix Stratocaster package for Christmas???
The next question, is Gibson going to get slapped with a lawsuit from Fender Guitars by Christmas? Probably not.
Unreal — Has Gibson absolutely gone off the rails? About the dumbest most ill-conceived idea in the history of guitar making and marketing. I pray they lose money on these and have to sell all of them overseas at a loss. First the goofy expensive gimmicky pointless-for-real-guitar-players Roboguitar that works only iffy at best. Then the pathetic Reverse V — WHAT? BARF! now this heinous abomination of corporate tone-deaf concept and tastelessness — Poor Jimi is spinning in his grave. Who’s running the show at Gibson? FIRE THEM IMMEDIATELY.
Now we just need a reissue of the M series… oh wait.
Plenty of companies and custom shops make strat knockoffs. I don’t hear any body gripin’ about them. Virtually every amp manufacture ripped off the Fender Bassman circuit design too. So vote with your wallet, what a bunch of whiners.
What if Fender retaliate with a Fender Authentic Les Paul Standard Guitar? Then what? Could be fun…
Jimi has to be rolling over his grave right now.
Gibson deleted the page with the factory images and the angry comments. Mmmmmm…
Another vote against the stupidity that is Henry Juskiwiecz. He was lucky when he was able to rescue Gibson in the 90s, and now we all see what a hack he really is, since ALL that comes out of them is directly approved by him (if not his ideas, since HE knows better than all of us).
I feel bad for all those who still work for that ***hole.
Just waiting for Gibson to announce the new Lil Wayne Signature Les Paul…don’t think it can’t happen…
At least if gibson makes it instead of fender… the “angry people” will be able to afford it.
Hey George S — I mean this respectfully and not in some a-hole way, just responding to your post — OF COURSE the Strat has been used as a base (Ibanez, Schecter, Jackson, others and a million custom shops and bargain packs) — But you gotta see the HUGE difference here regarding the two biggest and most history-making ICONIC guitar companies ever and arguably the biggest rock icon associated with the Strat — This is beyond corporate tone-deaf and so wrong on every level from history, concept, specs, price point, product development, corporate identity, etc. — you just GOTTA see why this is beyond retarded on every possible level… it the kind of thing that signals a company’s complete detachment from the world outside the boardroom.
And Gibson apparently pulled the plug after getting hammered — they could’ve avoided all the waste if they’d just coughed up 2 grand for a marketing test —
Gibson should maybe consider designing a whole new model that feels like a Gibson rather than cynically pillage the signature model from their main competitor.
This is wrong on every level. I’m a Gibson man, but they seem to be determined to commit commercial suicide. All their recent models are vile, their behaviour over the PRS Singlecut was outrageous, and the whole idea of a Gibson Strat is obscene’ What next? A Duane Allman Strat? Or a Fender BB King Lucille? I’m glad Gibson have been burned over this, maybe they’ll fire some people and get back to making high quality guitars instead of horrible half-assed gimmicks!
So when is this guitar gona hit the market? I cant wait to buy it
(And yes, im being sarcastic)
The HEat
And remember this.. The Heat has spoken
The HEat
WLEK EH DEWEJ!!!!!
KOOXELHEATFIREASS
Okay, Gibson and Authentic Hendrix LLC Fucked up major. Wonder if this LLC is tied to the same dude who put a picture of Jimi Hendrix on vodka bottles and sold it for quite a while before being found out to not be supported or own the rights to the namesake. Why didn’t they just design a flying V copy of the one Jimi was seen playing live? Doesn’t THAT make more sense instead of fucking with Fender and pissing off the entire guitar community. Even if the guitar is a good player, it’s disrespectful to Jimi’s legacy and to the Fender axes he chose to rule the world with. It would be like Rogue marketing a Matt Bellamy signature Mattocaster-style guitar with a midi control pad and internal fuzz factory mod, saying it’s the offical Bellamy signature. Manson guitars would be pissed and Matt would probably burn every Rogue instrument on the planet!! (sorry rogue- you make quality instruments for the beginner) -Mike
I believe that Gibson has been making copies of strats for quite some time now:
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Divisions/ValleyArts/
After wasting time reading all of these irate guitarists, all i want to ask is has anybody played this guitar. how does it sound, play and feel. The Fender and Gibson brands will never be what they were in the “old days” when the workers barely got paid, had very hard working conditions, and magically were all guitar lovers and afficianadoes, even the janitors. What about cbs fenders. What about the G&L line. Better than any strat I have played made in the last 20+ years. Give me a squier from the early 80s from old strat stock let me put 20 hours work and a couple hundred bucks and it will kick the crap out of any new strat. I remember how everyone hated those squire at the time also. So what, The old legacy is the same as the new, try to make a good guitar people will buy. I really despise people complaining and whining about others trying to make a living. Live and let live, In the immortal words of Frank, shut up and play your guitar, he never mentions what kind of guitar, what year, or pedigree, just shut up and play it!
I think the point of the story is Gibson is stamping “Jimi Hendrix’s” name all over a guitar that replicates his Fender Stratocaster. If this guitar didn’t have Hendrix’s dead stamp of approval, I don’t see any problem. Gibson is using Jimi’s name to sell the guitar.
I think the company would be better off if they dedicated their time and energy to building quality guitars that players want, instead of their using resources on a ‘think tanks’ to sell a legendary name.
Lastly, I’ll take a G&L over any Fender Stratocaster built today.