the company is intent on both reaching a new new guitar players that range from eleven to Orville started making, borrowing from what
generation, but not at the expense of alienating twenty-year-olds who are now making waves. we were making in the 20’s and 30’s when we
Gibson diehards. Can you share what that One of the different genres of music that we are started making entry guitars, and then when
vision looks like from your perspective? embracing in an organic way of making music Ted McCarty joined, that was the golden era
is not just using guitars, but other instruments of innovation, and so we have that in our DNA.
[Cesar] Our vision is really to be the most as well. So, our Entertainment Relations team, We are going to continue to apply it by testing
relevant, most played, and most loved guitar in which is spread out globally, is managed to be constantly new features that we can apply to
the world. We have a hundred and twenty-six culturally connected and engaged with music. the way that we make guitars.
years of history, so we look back and leverage That spans from icons that have defined genres our iconic past, and making a new collection for generations, and new potential icons that [WM] Guitar strings play a vital role in the
of original guitars and custom shop historic will take music to a new level. You will continue sound and feel of an instrument. Can you tell
collection guitars. Equally as important as to see us do a lot more when it comes to that. us about Gibson strings and how you approach
looking back and leveraging our iconic past is
sending a guitar out into the marketplace
looking into the future. Leaning into the future [WM] Speaking of Instagram, a comment knowing that the owner will potentially change
means how we make guitars, what kind of from your Winter NAMM recap post reads, brands as well as gauges - that must have its
guitars we make, and that’s why we launched “Gibson was the best in 2020…" That must be challenges?
the Modern Collection across both electric and affirming to hear.
acoustic guitars, where we bring more features,
[Cesar] It certainly has its challenges, strings
different playability options, and different ways [Cesar] It’s really awesome to see those kinds are a very personal thing, I have my own
of making the instrument. Like we talked about of statements out there. We don’t say them, personal preferences of what gauges I use
earlier, to provide a new price point and a new but whether it’s at NAMM or any other event, for both electric and acoustic depending on
entry point into a Gibson guitar. Looking back that is really reassuring that we are on the right the tunings I have on the guitars. That was a
and learning from our past and leveraging our path. However, we don’t take that for granted. challenge which we tackled early on, which
iconic past is very important, but equally as We are always working hard to be engaged was designing our new Gibson string that’s out
important is leaning into the future in a way that and connected to music, and our initiatives are on the market now. It was a result of decades
makes Gibson relevant, played, and loved. always going to be in service of that. of work from our luthiers, taking all of their
experience and applying what they learned to
[WM] Slash has certainly done a lot for [WM] Getting back to the guitar that’s here, our new Gibson string. What we’ve chosen
Gibson, but in looking at your Instagram feed it’s got a streamlined body, your Advance to do was capture what a majority of players
I was surprised on a couple of fronts. First Response neck, and a 16” radius on the use, which for our electric guitars is a 10
off, you’ve got a post featuring KJ Apa who is fingerboard. This is a new kind of Gibson that gauge, and in acoustic guitars a 12 gauge, and
both a strong believer and is starring in a very is friendly to electric players as well as those setting those guitars in standard tuning. It’s the
Christian movie. And a post for the G-45 has who are smaller in stature. I take it that’s not combination of the string, which is the gauge
25,000 likes, that’s pretty cool. How do you see an accident? and the quality and the features of the string,
the brand and its audience evolving?
and then also the tuning, which plays a major
[Cesar] Absolutely that is not an accident,
part.
[Cesar] AS we talked about earlier, as its that is by design. When we looked at what important to look back and work with our the features were that we wanted to bring to We have an offering of guitars strings now that
icons, and celebrate our icons who have made a new generation of guitars, that 16” radius for is broad enough to try to capture everybody’s
history with Gibson guitars across genres of example, which is a flatter profile, allows you preferences with a really high quality, made in
music and generations, we also look at ways to to play a little faster and to bend notes. The the USA, string.
lean forward and stay relevant and drive a new way the neck feels, the way that the neck is movement of guitar players. One of the things shaped with that contoured feel, all of those [WM] Thanks again for joining us Cesar, this
that we put in place is our Gibson Alliance, things are not accidents, it’s a process of has been a pleasure!
which is composed of all of those icons such as testing. When we took over a year and a half Slash, and then also a Gibson New Generation ago we launched the Gibson Lab, and the Lab [Cesar] Thank you very much for having me,
group, which we call the G3’s, where we have is all about innovation. It’s borrowing from what the pleasure is all mine!
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April 2020
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