It takes a special kind of stupid...

[Pilgrim]

This should be part of the "It takes a special kind of stupid" thread!   

Oh, wait...it IS! 

Well done.

[doombass]

Insane.

[Dave W]

So today they're featuring a new MIM Tele

What's next? A $79 Rogue Rocketeer from Musicians Friend?

[Dave W]

More Gibson stupidities:

Comment under the video: "These must be Chinese fakes because not one headstock broke." 

Comment under another video discussing this video: "I bet that as JC was driving that, he was saying over and over 'you don't want authenticity? You don't deserve my authenticity. Authenticity.  Authenticity.  Authenticity.  Authenticity. 'Right until he needed to change his underpants." 

[Rob]

This should be part of the "It takes a special kind of stupid" thread!   

Oh, wait...it IS! 

Well done.

 

[Chris P.]

This just came into my magazine's mail box:

Gibson-Response Regarding Firebird X Video:
 
 
The Firebird X destruction video that surfaced months ago was an isolated batch of Firebird X models built in 2009-2011 which were unsalvageable and damaged with unsafe components. This isolated group of Firebird X models were unable to be donated for any purpose and were destroyed accordingly.
 
 
Gibson recently announced its re-launch of the Gibson Foundation. Since 2002, the Gibson Foundation has provided thousands of guitars and donations to schools and charities in excess of $30 million. As a starting point, Gibson has committed to giving a guitar-a-day away over the next 1000 days. 100% of donations to the Gibson Foundation go directly towards giving the gift of music, re-affirming Gibson’s commitment to giving back, helping under-served music education programs, empowering music culture and encouraging the creation of music.

[slinkp]

What the heck is an unsafe component on a guitar?

[Basvarken]

What the heck is an unsafe component on a guitar?

Windows 98 software?

[Pilgrim]

Windows 98 software?

Love it!   

[Granny Gremlin]

Windows 98 software?

In all seriousness Windows 98 SE was safer (and faster) than Win10.  I was still using it up until all browsers stopped supporting it just a coupla years back.  It flew and I never had malware issues.

[Dave W]

Didn't Gibson buy back almost all the inventory of Fireturd X from their retailers, or am I remembering wrong?

Regardless, the amount of guitars destroyed in that video doesn't look like an isolated batch. That's probably a lot more than ever were bought at retail.

[clankenstein]

It think taking the stupid circuitry out with a soldering iron would be better than with a bulldozer.

[Dave W]

Despite Gibson's suspicious explanation, here's the an extensive interview with BJ Wilkes, the man who took the video and uploaded it.

According to Wilkes, who says he was a facilities guy with Gibson, this was done post-Henry, and was done because the new investors needed to get these guitars off the books. That still doesn't make sense to me.

Rob's joke may not be a joke at all. From the interview: “...horrible guitar with too much technology all based on Windows 98 or something.”

[Chris P.]

I guess it's too expensive, but take out the pots, the pickusp, reuse the necks...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Despite Gibson's suspicious explanation, here's the an extensive interview with BJ Wilkes, the man who took the video and uploaded it.

According to Wilkes, who says he was a facilities guy with Gibson, this was done post-Henry, and was done because the new investors needed to get these guitars off the books. That still doesn't make sense to me.

If they were buy-backs from dealers, they were listed as material inventory and had to be destroyed to be claimed as a loss so they could be written off.

I guess it's too expensive, but take out the pots, the pickusp, reuse the necks...

They were already a loss and any further investment in tearing them apart only compounded that loss in labor dollars while devaluing the deduction to be made from declaring them lost material.