Guess he stiffed Obama on the protection money this year.
"Sorry Juszkiewicz, but I find your contributions this year to be a bit...disappointing. Nothing personal; just business, you understand."
Posted on 09/09/2011 6:18:40 AM PDT by Hojczyk
Gibson Guitar Henry Juszkiewicz was invited to Obama’s speech to Congress tonight. (TPM)
Gibson Guitar Corp. CEO Henry Juszkiewicz slammed “big liberal” Obama after his partisan speech to Congress tonight. The Corner reported:
Henry Juszkiewicz, the chief executive officer of Gibson Guitar Corp., tells National Review Online that President Obama, a “big liberal,” has done “untold damage to business” and should not be applauded for his jobs speech. ”He’s a government fan,” he says. “He has a problem with successful businesses. He thinks they’re the problem, that they shouldn’t be quite as successful.”
“He is using the levers of government to not only redistribute, but to penalize,” he adds. “I see a difference between what he said and what he’s doing.”
Gibson has been under federal investigation in recent months, reportedly for its importation practices. Juskiewicz blames the Obama administration for causing his company, an iconic American brand, to lose money and lawyer up.
“We’re under attack,” Juskiewicz says. “It’s pretty interesting to see that one of the points in Obama’s speech was to cut back regulationand promote jobs, when, in fact, he’s done just the opposite with us.
Right on, Henry. We are all with you brother.
No. I just checked and I don't see them in Collings' standard line of acoustics, mandolins, ukuleles, archtops, and electric guitars. I think Taylor may be the only one of the large manufacturers and the medium-sized manufacturers that makes an acoustic baritone (in both eight- and six-string). I don't see one in Martin's offerings, but I'll bet the Custom Shop makes one. They made a tenor guitar for me a few years ago, when it was not a catalogue item.
A few years ago - given that Bill Collings started as essentially a 'one-of' custom shop - you probably could have ordered one then. I doubt that's the case now.
The addition of mandolins, ukuleles, archtops, and electric guitars is fairly new.
Collings started out trying to make modern versions of pre-WWI Martins. They've done it better than anyone else, in my opinion (and in the opinion of most). I own several Collings - as well as several Martins, both standard and Custom Shop models, that are built to pre-WWII specs, down to the bracing, type of glue, etc.
The Martins are wonderful guitars, but the Collings simply blow the Martins away (including a Martin Brazilian Rosewood D-28 Golden Era, made to pre-WWII specs) if you're looking for a pre-WII sound. They boom like cannons. If you were a flackpicker playing a Collings D2H in a bluegrass group, I sometimes joke with banjo players that a vintage Gibson Grenada would need a mic to play leads over the Collings.
Every standard Collings matches the quality of a Custom Shop Gibson, or high-end standard or Custom Shop Martin - and is above the quality of most Custom Shop Fenders I've owned.
Um... Obama’s pretty far to the left of “Liberal.”
In fact, he’s pretty far to the left of Fidel Castro.
I’m a Fender guy. I don’t like the sound of humbucker’s high end. I had one that I did like though, but it was stolen in ‘71. 1958 Flying V. Back then, it was just a used, undesirable, and ugly guitar! But it sounded great through my white Showman amp, which was stolen at the same time.
That said, I sure like an ES-5, or ES-295 with P-90s!
“Does Collins make acoustic baritone guitars?”
National does. but ya gotta like resos.
I’ve got a Guitar of the Week zebra wood top Les Paul. That’s all I’m gonna say.
Guess he stiffed Obama on the protection money this year.
"Sorry Juszkiewicz, but I find your contributions this year to be a bit...disappointing. Nothing personal; just business, you understand."
Respectfully, that's true for vintage Gibsons, and it's true for some Custom Shop, limited edition, and reissue Gibsons.
Like the rest of the guitar industry, there are so many more guitars being made now than in the past that guitars aren't always a good investment. eBay has thousands of mint Gibson guitars, from a month to a couple of years old, that have already lost hundreds to over a thousand dollars in value.
It's not just true of Gibsons, it's generally true of new guitars.
I speak as someone who's been a serious collector of guitars for 40 years this year. Tiny things make a difference. You bought a 2010 sunburst Gibson ES-339? You'll be losing money. You bought a Custom Shop 2010 Gibson ES-339 in Pelham Blue or Inverness Green? Hold on to that puppy.
My electric Gibsons (all vintage, Custom Shop, reissue, or limited edition) have gained value except for two - but none except the vintage ones have appreciated more than 5% a year.
The Gibsons have held their value much better than my Fenders, except for a few reissues and some Custom Shop models.
Acoustic Gibsons don't hold their value as well. I own a Southern Jumbo, a Custom Shop Hummingbird, a J-200, a J-45 (incredible guitar), and a L-200 (incredible guitar), all mint, which are worth less today than when I purchased them within the last twelve years. Eventually, they'll climb back - but they'll never be priced like a 1942 J-45 or a pre-war D-45.
Don't get me wrong; Gibsons don't tank in value like Taylors.
Some of my Martins have lost value, most are stable, but most Martins I've purchased in the last decade are worth more today than when I purchased them. Several have double or tripled in value in a decade. A couple of Custom Shop guitars and one standard Martin have more than tripled in value in less than a decade.
Collings are also good at holding their value, as are 'one of' guitars like and Olson or other guitars made by small, excellent luthiers.
I have good hopes for things like Gretsch Jet Duo reissues and the "English Gentleman", and Rickenbacker artist model limited editions, and some special Goodalls, old Gallaghers, Froggy Bottoms, highly inlaid Larrivees, etc.
Some of the guitars I owned that are documented to have been owned by and played by famous guitarists are good investments, I think.
But not all Gibsons (or Martins, or any other guitar) is as good an investment as gold, respectfully. They aren't making any more gold. They're cranking out Fenders, Gibsons, Taylors, and Martins daily.
Sweet. Sounds gorgeous. What model Les Paul (Studio, Standard, etc.)? Kluson-type 'green tulip' tuners by any chance?
what’s a resos?
Ohhhhh... resonators... got it .. sorry
What are your thoughts on Mossman and Santa Cruz acoustic guitars as investments?
I’ve got a 1990 Les Paul Standard, cherry sunburst, that I bought a couple years ago. I bought it as a player, not as an investment, but it seems to be holding its value pretty well.
Dick,
I played one a couple of months ago, and it was very, very nice!
I've only held one other guitar I've felt like that besides my first Fender and that was about 25 years ago I played with a guy's Les Paul. My gawd, it sounded like molasses and velvet. The action was so perfect that if I thought of the note or chord it just seemed to play itself.
I had to just put it down after awhile cause I thought I'd be tempted to steal the dang thing. It had to have been tainted with heroin and cursed by the devil, I just wanted it SO MUCH. It was just too much money and it wouldn't have been played as much as my acoustic or Fender.
THis is just my opinion, but you buy a guitar and ya gotta play the thing. That's why I never got into collecting them. Felt almost silly to me to have all these beautiful works of art and they're just hanging there with nobody playing them.
I think I'm older now and would play the Les Paul and I'm almost positive that a Greenfield Baritone would get most of my attention.... but I can only dream of that stuff so far. hahahahahaha
While I've dealt with tenor guitars (and soprano, tenor, and concert ukuleles), I've never seen nor played a baritone guitar. Sorry I can't help you, but you have me interested.
I have several guitars that are for playing (right now in my bedroom, it's all acoustic: a Gibson, two Martins, and two Collings - and a Gibson banjo, a Weber mandolin, a Gibson mandolin, and an old Martin ukulele), not for investment. Most are for investment.
You probably love your Taylor because the neck reminds you of your Stratocaster; Taylor's have a bolt-on neck instead of a dovetailed neck, and the neck's much more like an electric guitar than virtually any other acoustic you'll find.
Bob Taylor's a nice guy; I first met him when he was still delivering his guitars out of his car. I was in a guitar store near the Haight-Ashbury District of San Francisco, looking at a Santa Cruz guitar, when he drove up to deliver some guitars. His car and trunk were full.
I've met him a couple of other times since then, including at NAMM.
They are beautiful works of art. And I do part with them.
All my kids are driving cars that were paid for by selling guitars. They've helped with college tuition, too. And when it comes time to sell, I'm always willing to take less money from a player than a collector.
Wow, that is such a cool story. The Taylor I have has a low action but the radius of the neck is slightly bigger than my strat or ovation. Had the weirdest time adjusting to just the slightest increase in size. Affected my barre chords from the 6-7 th fret down but I’ve been able to adjust the neck and it turned out I just needed to adjust the neck.
I’ve told my wife that if the Internet had been around when I was a kid I would gave been in a band playing guitar. It’s so amazing the stuff I’ve learned to play over the last 7-8 years with tabs, videos and interviews about different tunings and tapping techniques.
I read through your posts on this subject, but not convinced there is not a price being paid here for not going along. Sorry, this administration is thug all the way.
I agree with you that this administration is thug all the way.
Are you referring to my posts in this thread?
I have some detailed posts in other threads that include links to and quotes from filings in Madagascar Ebony litigation, Gibson internal email, and many other issues that no blogger, no Fox News, and no Gibson press release writer has ever provided.
For example, you know this is all about Gibson being the non-unionized guitar manufacturer, right?
Well, did you know that Fender, Gibson's largest competitor, is not unionized?
That Martin is not unionized?
That Taylor is not unionized?
That Collings is not unionized?
Yet the bloggers and FR posters continue to jump on "Gibson's the only non-unionized guitar maker" nonsense?
What, exactly, is it that Gibson didn't go along with?
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