Gibson’s First-Ever Global Brand Ambassador

[Rob]

Obviously not, but he's still dead wrong. The Strat became a sensation in 1957 thanks to Buddy Holly. I was in fifth grade, and believe me, any kid who wanted to play guitar noticed it. My first was a Melody Maker in 1959, thanks to the fact that my folks were paying for it and the store where I took lessons didn't see Fenders. If you went to a store that sold both in the early 60s, it was the Strats that got far more attention from young players. Solidbodies were second-string at Gibson, the ES series were their bread-and-butter.

As to where Gibson and Fender would be without the big stars that came along later, who knows? Hard to say.

I have also read that Fenders in general were really hard to get in the UK and Cliff Richards gear was an exception.
As to Jeff Beck going to Fender uhhhh that Tele from the Yarbirds was pretty Fenderish.

[OldManC]

Both John and George had Strats (George's ended up with psychedelic paint for Magical Mystery Tour). I happen to like Les Pauls when I want an LP sound, Strats when I want a Strat sound, and Teles when I want a Tele sound. And (IMO) all three are about the best you can get for what each of them does,

[Basvarken]

Geez guys. I thought this was a bass forum?

[lowend1]

Kirk Hammett is a knucklehead. Fender was the original "rock n roll" guitar - as noted by Dave. Scotty Moore used an ES-295 and later a Super 400 with Elvis but those didn't exactly set the world on fire with teenagers. Actually if you read up on it, Scotty tried Fenders first, but found them a little too "feminine" (his words) for his hands. Uwe's point about Hank Marvin is also correct - lots of young Brits lusted after Fenders, but the prices were prohibitive. Even if they weren't able to afford them, though, Hank and his Strat were the inspiration. Not until Clapton, Bloomfield, Green, etc hit the scene did the Les Paul become a star.

[OldManC]

Geez guys. I thought this was a bass forum?

You're absolutely right, sir! My apologies. 

[Highlander]

Here you go, Ken, just what you need.

Gibson Announces Slash Les Paul Model in New "Anaconda Burst"

Snakes on a Plane... (even the smiley's the right colour)

[the mojo hobo]

Hm, I'd never heard this before:
"When the British Invasion hit big in February 1964, Fender instruments were not a prominent part of its armaments. The post-war U.K. import ban on U.S. musical instruments had only recently been lifted, and Fender guitars, basses and amps were only then starting to reach England in significant numbers."

They're making excuses. Most British Invasion bands played American made guitars, Paul's Hofner a notable exception. Gibson, Gretsch, Epiphone and Rickenbacker were all popular British Invasion instrument brands. Gibson and Rickenbacker especially for bassists.

[Dave W]

The Henry J was a big flop. Even back when most buyers weren't looking for luxury, it was spartan. I saw a few. Our '49 base model Chev, which came with nothing standard, not even a heater, was way nicer than a Henry J yet it cost very little more. And it had plenty enough power for the highway, which the Henry J didn't.

Did you know that Sears sold the Henry J through the catalog? It was rebranded as the Allstate. Even as big as Sears catalog was back then, it was a flop.

Not sure why the Kaiser and Fraser didn't last that long. Maybe being named Kaiser that soon after WWII didn't help. Buying Willys saved the company. The Jeep was an icon.

Geez guys. I thought this was a bass forum?

Whatever Gibson does affects Gibson basses. I'd rather Slash have some input than just leaving it to Henry J, wouldn't you?

Now that I think about it, an all-baboon advisory panel could probably come up with better ideas than Henry.

[Dave W]

Hm, I'd never heard this before:
"When the British Invasion hit big in February 1964, Fender instruments were not a prominent part of its armaments. The post-war U.K. import ban on U.S. musical instruments had only recently been lifted, and Fender guitars, basses and amps were only then starting to reach England in significant numbers."

From http://www2.fender.com/experience/guitarchive/the-stratocaster-in-the-1960s/

If true, that would explain why strats, so common in the US in the early 60s, were rare in British Invasion bands...

That article also repeats the assertion that Strats were "not a dominant electric guitar by the middle of the decade" and credit Hendrix for the revival of popularity.
I wouldn't assume an article by Fender to be unbiased and accurate, but it's notable that they specifically mention a mid-60s dip in popularity.

This was all before I was born (1970), so of course I give more credence to those of us who were around at the time.

I have also read that Fenders in general were really hard to get in the UK and Cliff Richards gear was an exception.
As to Jeff Beck going to Fender uhhhh that Tele from the Yarbirds was pretty Fenderish.

They're making excuses. Most British Invasion bands played American made guitars, Paul's Hofner a notable exception. Gibson, Gretsch, Epiphone and Rickenbacker were all popular British Invasion instrument brands. Gibson and Rickenbacker especially for bassists.

There was never an import ban in effect in the UK. They did have import controls postwar for quite a while, maybe until about '60, but that was to allow time for major industries to rebuild. I find it hard to believe that MI manufacturers were ever considered essential to postwar recovery. In any case, Gibson and Gretsch had UK distribution well before the rock n' roll era. Not sure when Rickenbacker did, but they hit the jackpot with Rose Morris, who did a great job for them.

Fender didn't have any UK distributor until '61. Jennings and Selmer did not do a good job for Fender, including overpricing them compared to the other American competition. Jennings were only concerned with getting Vox amps into the hands of the bands. By the time Fender pulled distribution rights, they were several years behind in getting a foothold in the market. That's all there is to it.

Hank Marvin was playing with Cliff Richard's band and wanted a Strat. Cliff somehow got one for him in '59, not sure from where. But there's a video on YT where Hank says that Cliff only loaned it to him, he just never gave it back. 

[Highlander]

Now that I think about it, an all-baboon advisory panel could probably come up with better ideas than Henry.

I just got this flash of both Shakespeare and Douglas Adams...

[slinkp]

Yeah, that all makes sense. Thanks.

[Chris P.]

The big reason all Brit bands started with Framus, Egmond/Rosetti, et cetera, was that it was prohibited to import luxury goods from the US into the UK. This had to do with the war and economics.

[uwe]

There was a lot of dearth in post-war UK - economically, the Empire had almost bled itself to death in WW II and the ensuing loss of the colonies didn't help either. There is a scene in the new film Viceroy's House where a - just arrived in India - Lady Edwina Mountbatten eats the chicken prepared for her dog by the Indian servants because (this happened in 1947, historically confirmed) she had been starved for chicken in wartime England. And you might think that a member of the Mountbatten family should have had access to more than just rationed food.

I once read in an interview that Pete Townshend was amazed at even the Phillips screws holding down the pickguard of his first Strat - he hadn't seen anything like it before.

[Chris P.]

Nice little fact: Lord Mountbatten was German and named Battenberg. But because of the war and the anti-German sentiment, he changed it to Mountbatten.... .....but WWI and not II.

[Highlander]

My dad saw him (Mountbatten) give his brigade a pep-talk before they went in, and then Wingate, his commanding officer told them, "You are all going to die..." Dad would not hear a word said against him...
Mountbatten, Prince Phillip's uncle, was also a direct descendant of Queen Victoria... Queen Victoria had a German accent that she was taught to lose... her original language was German... her parents original language was German...
But of course, the House of Hanover is the British Royal family, so there...

Now er... what were we talking about...?