When comparing my recent experiences with Gibson's and Fender's company to customer connection after the sale, Fender stays in constant touch, whereas Gibson is invisible and forgotten.
When I registered my Strat with Fender, they sent me an email welcoming me to the family and they keep those emails coming, too, with product info, artists who play Fenders, etc.
When I registered the LPs with Gibson, the website said to print a copy for my records and that's it. No confirming email. No follow up. No nothing.
Compared to Fender's new owner experience, with Gibson I feel like I'm chasing that girl who's too good for me and she's just ignoring me. The harder I try to connect, the more she ignores me.
It wasn't always like that. Gibson was awesome in 2011- 2012 about welcoming you into the Gibson family, but there's no welcoming or anything at all now.
Now their welcome to the family is just "Print a copy for your records."
What a missed opportunity!
The guy running Gibson now is not well liked. Even by his employees!
Of other guitars I have owned and played, find Gibson grossly overpriced, for what they are. Fender is moderately overpriced. PRS is both expensive and moderately overpriced for what you get. Ibanez is not bad, though I never found a model that suited my playing style. Taylor is expensive but worth it - although I was terrified to take mine out of the house before I sold it. :)
Kiesel and Godin offer the best value for the dollar in electric guitars. But there are many very good instruments (especially Korean-made) available at a $500 price point today - and that just wasn't true back in the 70's/80s when a lot of us started.