The Day the Firebird X Died | Why Did Gibson Do It and How Many Are Left?

[@rudolphdrasler2697]

The day the Gibson factory got flooded, they had HUNDREDS of guitars that were high enough on the wall to avoid water damage, yet Gibson destroyed them for an insurance claim. Learned that from a guitar tech in my local area who worked for Gibson at the time of the flood.

[@Rick_Cleland]

😦😦😦

[@thestratman7903]

Man...To be one of those workers....I would have snagged at least one, and a few 335s for projects...IMAGINE THAT!! A legit 335 body/neck to build on....Just makes me sad 😭😭

[@Shuffit]

Man, Gibson is just hellbent on ruining their public image.

[@maxmustardman298]

right, atm it doesn't matter if it's common practice for every guitar maker, if stuff like that surfaces more often it's gonna be very bad PR for G.

[@chrisreynolds7164]

The wunderkid that thought this stunt up....needs a quiet flogging....

[@arturoacosta6583]

Why gibson?

[@iiWNMii]

Reminds me of the car Homer designed, The Homer.

[@zdcyclops1lickley190]

That's because people don't realize, the ONLY reason they exist is to make a profit. They didn't do what you believe would be better. They did what costs the least.

[@mmmanutd]

Firebirds X look awful but come on, there isn't a guitar bad enough to destroyed in that horrible way.

[@thelowmein9143]

no se yes exactly! Even if it was a completely awful design, they were functional and would have been great for someone.

[@Turboy65]

Yes, there is. And the Fireturd X is that guitar.

[@TheBrianRaglandChannel]

the guy who filmed the video featured explains what is really going on; kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZfXZn1nob1nY9E

[@msmoniz]

@@Turboy65 I couldn't agree more. Good riddance!

[@edorissen]

rip-off guitars from AliExpress??

[@herrfriesel]

They Destroyed a Gibson with A stable Neck. a Stable Neck!

[@spencerbrayall8678]

Gibson will sue who ever posted that video. That’s not a joke, I don’t think we were supposed to see that.

[@srv3355]

We were definitely supposed to see this ! That had to have been done purposely. If they wanted to just get rid of them , they would have just smashed them and done, they took a lot of time to set this up , hours of unboxing and setting them up in nice rows, multiple cameras and camera angles, an excavator...it was done for show.

[@spencerbrayall8678]

The demo guys set it up, Gibson is off in Nashville burning cash and suing folks.

[@roberthouston936]

The insurance company was supposed to see it. But they should pay Gibson squat. If I'm building something and destroy it and try to file an insurance claim on it I would be going to jail for insurance fraud. But Gibson executives won't suffer the same fate. They'll get large bonuses if the can right the ship. PR shit storm may preclude that.

[@arturoacosta6583]

Who the hell is running Gibson!

[@squirrel7t7]

@@roberthouston936 They are not claiming on them. They are removing the asset from their books for tax purposes.

[@jasonalbert9939]

Did you notice that none of the headstocks broke off with the trackhoe running over them, Gibson should use that as an example for how to build a guitar neck.

[@jasonalbert9939]

D R that’s funny, I know what you’re saying.

[@Trog]

You can say what you want about the electronics of a Firebird X... but you can't deny they are VERY easy to play guitars. It is a little sad to see so many of them go, but it makes for another interesting chapter in Gibson History. The Firebird X now has a REAL reason to become collectible now besides just being infamous. I say buy them before they get crazy expensive! haha reverb.com/item/25440672-gibson-firebird-x-blue?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly Episode Guide: 0:19 - The Story 0:36 - Firebird X History 2:18 - How Many Were Destroyed? 4:07 - Could've Been Donated 4:42 - How Much $$$? 5:45 - Why Were They Destroyed? 8:32 - My Thoughts 9:03 - Values Up? + How Many Left?

[@MP422ownz]

This video was really good bro.

[@TheBrianRaglandChannel]

the guy who filmed the video featured explains what is really going on; kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZfXZn1nob1nY9E

[@JoshuaCruz23]

Do you really think these will become valuable one day?

[@sguerilla6142]

@@TheBrianRaglandChannel i also posted here in comments Brad's video and what BJ said about this but people are lazy . it's better to believe in some bs story. just read the comments, that is not normal... cheers.

[@TomTobin67]

Hey Austin! www.ebay.com/itm/2018-GIBSON-ES-335-BLOCK-MEMPHIS-SEMI-HOLLOW-w-FIGURED-MAPLE-BLUEBERRY/362652973715?hash=item546fcd3a93:g:NocAAOSwx79c3vpd

[@matttucker3]

bro graphic content warning for that es-335 (8:06) jesus that really hurt to watch

[@hkguitar1984]

+1 to that.......................horrible

[@USMC-1911]

What a crock of shit if a company can afford to destroy that many guitars it tells me they are way over priced on their others .

[@Teen_Drama]

Always wanted a 335, would even love a bear-bones one to mod. Breaks my heart too.

[@matttucker3]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

[@RadityoPramAdi]

as someone who struggle to have a decent guitar (yes I'm broke), it is feckin sad watch those guitars destroyed. Yes, they probably did it because of QC policy or former management already put it in motion, etc. I don't know.. If you have a guitar take care and love it, because some poor child out there couldn't have it... That video is just really hard to watch.

[@gilessteve]

I hate what Gibson has become, a purveyor of overpriced collector's items. The guitar equivalent of Franklin Mint.

[@stevedixon8567]

should have given the guitars to penniless young musicians and driven the JCB over Henry

[@WalkenDead]

Guitologist has a video talking to the guy who took the video, this is post Henry. It's on JC's watch

[@billwilenski]

Steve Dixon exactly 👍🏿

[@rickenbacker40011]

seriously wtf

[@TheBrianRaglandChannel]

the guy who filmed the video you featured explains what is really going on; kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZfXZn1nob1nY9E

[@tianxiaocai2497]

welcome to captalism may i take your order

[@derpimusmaximus8815]

Maybe the Firebird X is going to be the new '59 - only 1,000 were made, and by 2050, only 3,000 will be left.

[@jonbush7467]

You have brought up a very good point. Who knows what the future holds. Now no one will get the chance to make such a history again. Someone else mentioned the enormous cost in old growth trees that were fell for nothing!

[@sohamsengupta6470]

You mean they're gonna multiply?

[@mikewhitfield2994]

lol +1

[@bikerdhill]

didn't you mean 300 not 3000?

[@derpimusmaximus8815]

@@sohamsengupta6470 I've got 2 and am going to try and breed them....

[@waterlemon3915]

Definitly not environment friendly. So many good trees put to waste!

[@williamwinn948]

Wiping your ass with Toilet paper is also not environmentally friendly. just ask the Canadians.

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

Not sure what the bodies were on them, but the necks were maple, which is pretty sustainable cause it’s quite fast growing.

[@nothorren]

@@williamwinn948 yeah sure, fuck electric cars, they use electricity to function right? We might as well keep using oil

[@zdcyclops1lickley190]

What is a good tree? Homes which have enough to build hundreds of guitars per each house, are demolished every day. Were these homes all made from good wood, or bad wood, or maybe OK wood? Trees grow back! dig a hole plant a seed or sapling and wait.

[@daveyboy8907]

@@williamwinn948 we dont wipe our ass withflame maple t paper..

[@samcowell5465]

That es-335...I actually cried out loud

[@bipbipletucha]

Waaaah me too

[@claymationwaves]

@@bipbipletucha that why im scrolling i cant take it and all the wasted top wood wtf

[@johntailing5283]

You and me both, , , , , , !

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for the mention. Yeah, this is a disgraceful move by Gibson. I'd held out hope this new bunch would change the company, but now, for me, this was the last straw.

[@TheChadPad]

Well now that I read the statement from them which you posted to your community tab, I can see why they did it. They had unsafe parts, and fixing them all would be ludicrous because they were never going to make money off those abominations in the first place. And of course, they couldn't donate them because they were unsafe. As far as I can see, their hands were legally tied! Still, I wish there had been another solution

[@will2741]

@@TheChadPad It's nice that you are trusting enough to believe that, but even with so called 'unsafe' electronics, there are pickups, bridges, tuners, bodies and necks that could have been recycled. Also it's not true. They had this unsold stock and thought it'd be cool and funny and go viral to destroy them, and they WILDLY misjudged that.

[@timmiller4205]

The Chad Pad Dude you are as twisted as the Monkeys that Run Gibson....... let's see how many UNSAFE parts there are?1strings you could hang your self.2 A rouge tuner could put out your eye! 3unsafe wiring you could burn down the house or electrifie your self!! 4 you could....... yeah well that's all I have.Best solution CRUSH Them because after all they are UNSAFE Right Gibson said so and Gibson wouldn't Lie to us would they?????

[@magicaltour1]

@@TheChadPadNever take a company line at face value, bull**** is their lingua franca. It’s more likely they just couldn’t sell them, and decided simply to destroy them for a write-off. Then the video footage brought a blow back, so they’re running damage control.

[@heathlane2086]

Pickups and hardware could've EASILY been "salvaged" into usable, desirable guitars. Even the necks could've been steamed-off and reused for something else. OR, here's an idea: they could've stripped these down (as far as gadgetry and "unsafe components") and made them into budget instruments. Nah, that would've made sense...

[@nickbellinger1047]

one three way switch is worth 4 bucks they destroyed over 2 grand worth of good switches

[@unculturedcapybara8301]

Although a fuggly guitar, the Firebird X didn't deserve what it got

[@arturoacosta6583]

The people that work at gibson,should be ashamed at themselves! Those guitars shouldn't be crushed like garbage!

[@arturoacosta6583]

R.I.P firebird X

[@SilojensenDK]

I think it did.

[@del5582]

I was looking at it trying to figure out what was off, and it is the maple neck. I can imagine it with an ebony fretboard, maybe with dots or maybe blank, and it would be passable. But the maple fretboard is wrong on a non-Fender style guitar.

[@johndelgadillo2815]

This actually made me cry i really wanted to buy one when they came out now they destroy these guitar

[@josedealva4205]

now everybody wants them. maybe they are trying to put the guitar up on a "rare" category in the market. people always seem to want more and pay more for what they cannot have.

[@michaelworse6034]

That‘s what Gibson did ????? Can‘t believe ....... omg , how sick 🤢

[@roberthouston936]

There are some still out there but the price just went through the roof and they weren't even worth the previous price according to the reviews.

[@MisterJawaman]

As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.

[@rudybigboote3883]

Hmmm, nice comment that is.

[@jirapatthaenphromrat2910]

Yo. Where is that from, I swear I heard/read it in a manga or movie.

[@sageanderson8527]

Lmao

[@rudybigboote3883]

Jirapat Thaenphromrat Yoda said it when the clone attack started.

[@oscaradamvinall9901]

wrong. it was ben kenobi when alderaan was destroyed

[@jamesatkinson4386]

That is unforgivable, so many uses for them, so many new players who would like a guitar. Shameful.

[@allentkatch1762]

What we need to happen now is for some idolized celebrity guitarist to record some really popular music with a Firebird X to piss off Gibson with no supply to meet the demand.

[@crisp9929]

They'll just reissue it as a signature model at 3x the price

[@richardbinder9662]

Thought about giving Gibson another chance by buying a new SG. A treat to myself for getting my Associate's degree at 54 years old. After viewing this, I will never buy another Gibson product ever. Even though I don't like the Firebird X, I would have paid a few hundred for one just to play around with.

[@nono5638]

Lol

[@Olwehn]

"The amount of waste in the world is truly sickening, if you start to think about it", oh yes so true bro! Keep up the good work!

[@grantcleveland4506]

You know what in going to bust out my metal zones, crank the tone nob, buy a fire bird X and rock till there is no tomorrow! When you are driving through colorado and you hear the tone of a dying vulture and a weird gutiar coming from the Rockies, just know that is the noise of a legend!

[@perihelion7798]

One might think that Gibson, needing some good press, wouldn't do this horrible, destructive thing. And yet...they did. It was actually painful to watch. Especially for those of us who cannot afford a new Gibson guitar. The 'optics' were sickening. Gibson is nothing but a sad kabuki play now.

[@TheChadPad]

Apparently they had unsafe parts, and that's why they were recalled. They had a bunch of safety hazards that they could never make money off of basically

[@toucancant5354]

Maybe they thought that people would love seeing them destroy their most hated guitar

[@magicaltour1]

And they wonder why people buy Epiphone instead.

[@strat0871]

My god, what a shame...why didn't they sell them for 1$ each instead of doing that ? This shows us how business manners is far from musicians.

[@FrazySting]

Cause if people bought these guitars for $1, it is unlikely that they will buy another one from Gibson i.e future models cause they've already owned a Gibson. This is purely a business decision. Gibson is not making any money selling them for cheap or transfering them to another location anyway, so the most logical thing is to destroy them. It sucks I know, but it's just right in terms of business.

[@TheBrianRaglandChannel]

the guy who filmed the video featured explains what is really going on; kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZfXZn1nob1nY9E

[@strat0871]

@@FrazySting I understand, but I just can't stand this way of proceeding, it just makes me vomit. That's for counterfeits watches, generally. (will they buy some Dean guitars and do the same ?:) For example, they could have kept all the pickups, all hardware, and even the necks to create a new limited run "cheap" model, and just destroy the bodies full of cavities and no more usable windows 98 electronics. But not a penny to put on the table for that in their minds; as said Craig Eubank, they don't respect themselves, AND they don't respect musicians. ( who are their customers ? they forgot it ?) Now add to this the recent Mark Agnesi's video, and you have the full package...

[@garycoates4987]

even at cost would, even at a percent of cost they probably would sold them.all

[@TheChadPad]

Apparently they had unsafe parts, and that's why they were recalled. They had a bunch of safety hazards that they could never make money off of basically

[@brananherndon6947]

Being from Memphis, I was proud that I had a Gibson factory in my hometown. I was mad that they moved. Now, not so much so...

[@TheFunktipus1]

My heart stopped when he stomped on that 335. 😭

[@celticwolff5429]

I'm willing to bet the Gibson Execs who made the this decision each have a dozen sitting at home.

[@ferox965]

I was thinking the same thing. Bet you're right.

[@taterlysaladman9377]

@@dlux703 exactly.

[@TheZooropaBaby]

@@dlux703 I think Henry played guitar?

[@BenJayToken]

@@dlux703 they probably don't play... but they know they'll be able to resell them and scalp hard working musicians even more...

[@cjw3129]

I am a mechanic by trade and when I was younger in the 90s I worked for a Nissan dealer and I got to prep Nissan mini Van's that had so many recalls nissan bought them all back we drained all the fluids dumped acid in the eng an trans and trucks came an picked up 100s of them to be destroyed so I get it but damn the waste with these guitars damn

[@cjw3129]

@@chairman-jenkem-yogurt cash for clunkers put a hurting on the used parts market for alot of years

[@fjpd8702]

Gibson's new motto: "Play authentic... if we leave any"

[@teemoleague907]

Fj Pd there post modern guitars are really bad anyway. some Indonesian guitars have better playability. they lost the magic in mid 90s.

[@SeanCorpuz31]

This video just let my heart sink. ;(

[@alabamahebrew]

Hey Austin, that BJ guy worked for Gibson, his job that day was to help oversee the destruction of any materials such as the X's left behind. He chose to not relocate to the Nashville plant. If you watch the interview on the Guitologist today he knows a lot about Gibson and the new CEO. Man there are a lot of "dumb" people talking trash about Gibson over this. As you have pointed out, and I have tried to in my MANY comments on Brads channel, what we see Gibson doing here is done every day at ALL guitar manufacturers place of business. Not only guitars but EVERYTHING, they have to do this for insurance and tax related issues. It is cheaper to do this than to try and resell or even give away these instruments. They are not allowed to sell even just one guitar due to the restrictions of the insurance companies. Now I use the word "dumb" to describe those talking trash because all they seem to do is blame Gibson or threaten to never buy another Gibson without even checking into as to WHY Gibson is being FORCED to do this. They act as though Gibson loves to do this stuff. Man some of the stuff I saw in the clips you showed a lot of guitar builders would have loved to have picked up!! Anyway, like you said - anyone who owns a Firebird X, yeah your guitar just shot up in value!!

[@mcdingus5081]

Yeah, the amount of dumb people that come out of the woodwork at any opportunity to disparage someone in pure ignorance is kind of discouraging. I sometimes wonder where common sense has gone in the world. Maybe they are just smart enough to ignore all of this, or at least I hope that's the case.

[@leetaylorchristian]

it's still quite the shame and Gibson is still a heartless pos

[@alabamahebrew]

@@CaptainCraigKWMRZ Bragging? First of all, the people you see in the video are the ones who decided to destroy these instruments in this manner, Gibson did not tell them to do it this way.

[@alabamahebrew]

@@leetaylorchristian lol yeah I am sure the other guitar makers are all just so warm and cuddly;

[@alabamahebrew]

@@mcdingus5081 - it seems to me that Gibson is a favorite target in the guitar world. If this was Fender or PRS or Martin I bet half the comments would not be here. People look at businesses through an emotional eye rather through profits and losses which is the ONLY way to have a successful business. When I first saw the video I too was angry and thought it was just so wasteful, but then my business mind took over and I realized that companies like Gibson really have no other choice but to do this.

[@gooseabuse]

the sound of those guitars being crushed is truly horrific!

[@logananglin2074]

I remember seeing that guitar in a sales ad when I was a kid and wanting one so bad. I didnt realize how bad they were until later but I still want one for a novelty if not anything else (as he said, they still function as normal guitars with a battery). Kind of depressing seeing so many destroyed.

[@stephanvenner2939]

Instead of destroying them why didn't they donated them to music schools or took the stock and reworked them into a cheap guitar for beginners. By the way, the finish looks cool, has a little bit of a Sixties Vibe.

[@aWildJosh213]

I want a firebird x but Gibson destroyed them like they didn’t care. What idiots!

[@masonharris9166]

Not idiots. The fewer there are, the higher the used market value. Which means the small collection they kept will be worth a fortune eventually.

[@aWildJosh213]

mason harris that’s true, but it’s stupid to break good guitars.

[@TheChadPad]

Apparently they had unsafe parts, and that's why they were recalled. They had a bunch of safety hazards that they could never make money off of basically

[@aWildJosh213]

The Chad Pad that totally makes sense

[@Darkaxelgaming-tt7ip]

Never buy a gibson people

[@joeyguitar2056]

I weirdly think they look great! Especially in blue. It's really sad they couldn't have found something better to do with them. :(

[@agustinfernandez5115]

So glad this Is out in the open, Lets hope this man doesn't get sued or anything for shareing this kind of info

[@mikemccourt6225]

Don’t worry - they’ll pass the costs to the next Les Paul customers

[@sadenb]

Not only are they destroying it, they also demean the trees in that process.

[@gregputman]

I don't know why they could not donate on to some music program for troubled teens or something like that

[@Jke-bg4yu]

yeah, ik this is a late comment btw, but im 14 and am stuck with a 10 watt practice amp and a squier jazzmaster. id happily take a firebird.

[@pawnmack]

Might be more bad publicity? I think that's a given. .

[@vlxxx]

I would have loved to have had one! I love the concept of having all the gadgets and gizmos where you can reach them as you go.

[@chasing_dragons]

I'm still pissed off about that crime against innocent musical instruments. The souls of the trees that went into making those guitars are livid. With the amount of money that Gibson puts into suing people, those guitars could have easily been fixed and or modified and then donated. We are in a resource depleted world now and destroying those guitars was at minimum, an obnoxious display of "we don't care if there are poor people in need of free guitars."

[@anpunefru]

😕 Oh man that is painfull to watch...

[@benson1963]

what an incredible waste of instruments , i,m only a beginer guitarist but i would,ve loved to own a Firebird X in blue , couldn,t afford one but looks like Gibson have made it even more difficult for me to have one to collect and play , what a crazy world we live in !

[@davidmathews2599]

I ran out of the woods and grabbed one before it was run over. It's a miracle that no one saw me. 🎸🎶

[@stevesolo16]

My heart skipped a beat when that 335 was broken. I just bought one and paid a boatload for it! It would have been cheaper for me to fly out to Tennessee and grabbed a leftover or three! And all of those patterns, just sitting on a dirt old shelf . Why Gibson, why?

[@_charwyn]

This is pure vandalism for no reason and a company being a shitnugget. Who thought this was a good idea? Gibson are dead to me.

[@mcdingus5081]

Like you ever owned a Gibson. You're too dumb to ever have afforded one. This isn't the only guitar company that has done this, it's part of business unfortunately.

[@NathanChisholm041]

Mate you're the only dumbass here! Fucking abusing ppl in the comment section!!

[@NathanChisholm041]

Mate you're the only dumbass here! Fucking abusing ppl in the comment section!!

[@michaelworse6034]

Gibson owner here , but that‘s just sick

[@matth9321]

any musician worth their salt would cringe at seeing this many musical instruments destroyed. At least donate them!

[@hkguitar1984]

At the very least Gibson could have done with them what Austin wanted to do. Pull all the bells & whistles out of them and convert them to a normal guitar! What a bunch of Dumb-Heads.

[@mcdingus5081]

@@hkguitar1984 You know what's stupid? Thinking that Gibson could possibly make any money by doing that. They would never recoup their money as it was obvious that their brand suffered enough from the beating they took when the guitar first came out. The way that bankruptcy works, I'm sure it was the best move they could make financially.

[@hkguitar1984]

@@mcdingus5081 Yeah, I certainly must agree with you about that, it is the way things work in business. At the very least Gibson should have done this privately if for no other reason than to avoid the bad press. It really is sickening though, over 300 flamed maple fretboards destroyed. At the very least that is enough maple to heat your home in the Winter for a month!

[@arturoacosta6583]

Those guitars could have helped many,many people in need such as the homeless,sick children and education scholarships!

[@mcdingus5081]

@@arturoacosta6583 No, they aren't worth it. Gibson donates a lot of guitars for that very purpose already. You guys are getting up in arms about 300 guitars, yet Gibson has donated more than 30 million dollars for that purpose since 2002. Why must everyone focus on the negative? Those guitars could have been a liability just as much as they could have helped someone. It's not worth it.

[@BSIII]

I actually think they are cool looking guitars. Idk why they didnt just sell them at the $400, or Epi price range to get rid of the stock. They would've sold.

[@acoffeewithsatan]

I just gotta love how these companies proudly justify cutting off rosewood, ebony and higher quality pieces of wood to protect endangered species and all that shit, only to turn fine guitars into plywood. Sure, they weren't desirable, but price them half off and see them disappearing off the shelves - better than total loss, at least. Even those defective models could certainly be sold as factory B-stock for visual blemishes, or the bodies or necks (whichever was fine) salvaged for lower-end models, but hey, if you make affordable products, how you maintain the lifestyle brand status, right?

[@rudiyantohalim736]

Man, that makes me cry blood through my eyes. Why they didn't learn from the Play Authentic? Should have donate 'em all to children foundation, all maybe do some auctions that all the result goes to charity. Did they even consider how many trees were brought down to build those guitars? At least they can modified it to more usual guitar and sell it on nice price if the reason is financial things, such ashame

[@Buffrt66]

Maybe we will get a video from Mark Agniesie about this.

[@davidozab2753]

#breakauthentic

[@lance134679]

A guitar company destroying their own guitars on purpose is really messed up.

[@danmac2654]

I really want to start playing again but I have no guitar and I'm on a fixed income.I can't afford one.Im from ,mi and always dreamed of working at the old Kalamazoo,mi plant.Anywho ,yeah what a wast of guitars

[@wynnschaible]

Gibson's execs "know the price of everything and the value of nothing!"

[@jaarriaga1978]

I had never even heard of this model, but yet this video really bothered me. I tried to figure out why and my conclusion is that these videos (demolition and this one) show that gibson no longer have any respect for themselves or their products. Despite that infamous video, they don´t really care about "their legacy" and those guitars that they happily sell us at inflated prices, are nothing but disposable crap for them. In the end, what I see is a huge waste of good wood, not at the destruction point, but at the time these guitars were made.

[@Thinksterboomster]

I played a Firebird in the early 80's...It was a solid guitar...sounded pretty good too...

[@johngudgeon7454]

there's a fully functioning red firebird x in my cave with all the accessories....the only thing missing is the windows editor. There's a spare rotary encoder/pickup switch with it. serial number fbx 567

[@skeleton-key]

And what about the environmental impact ? It’s insane...

[@hkguitar1984]

I agree 100%, the amount of waste in the world, no, wait, strike that............ I agree, the amount of waste in the Western World is Sickening. Anyone who works on guitars would be disgusted by just the wood they left behind as evident/shown on one of those production carts, never mind the destruction of completed and half completed guitars. Ugh, I really would like to have this waste explained (I don't believe it really can be explained though). To not donate those finished instruments says a lot about how Gibson must feel towards future/current players. Just my $.02 Cents, rant over.............

[@mcdingus5081]

This was not a statement by Gibson of how they feel towards future or current players. The fact that this was the best financial move for Gibson is not Gibson's fault. If you don't like the way the system works, be part of the solution rather than a virtue signaling bitch.

[@platypuspracticus]

It pains me watching someone just walk over the necks.

[@goddessintriptych7046]

@@mcdingus5081 You're virtue signaling to all the people that don't like virtue signaling, so shut the fuck up.

[@hughbarton775]

Regrettably, this kind of corporate insanity happens all the time, in all sorts of industries. Back in the 1970's, I was a car - crazed Levittown, Pa guy who became a real proficient parts guy at Ford dealerships. I usually handled all the factory high performance parts sales, often to my street-racing peers. It was announced one day that Ford was discontinuing all support of high performance businesses: racing teams, technological support, and of course selling stuff to amateur car geeks; and would be buying all the parts at dealers, which would be scrapped. Yea, they threw away/destroyed everything from little shiny bits to entire aluminum racing engines, ready to slap into your car and head for the track. Anything that could not conveniently melted down was buried in landfills in north Jersey. No, this actually happened...not an urban myth. P.S. : my dealership sent NOTHING back...I personally sold every single piece we had....suddenly everybody racing Fords (self included ) in the Philly area had lots of neat new stuff on their rides...but what a waste....

[@billyvitale8994]

Gibson and Fender represent something enormous in the electric guitar world. A world that grew into an enormous industry thanks to the growing guitar market through the sixties until recent years...where let's face reality guitar heroes are a plenty .. with very few left to be saved by these heroes. Gibson represented classical production methods while introducing innovation during the late 50s and 60s.. this became a curse for Gibson.. attempts at further innovation never really took hold.. and many attempts were made... in the end it's the classic models of yesteryear that sell.. The firebird X was the most daring attempt .. in a sense it was half baked .. introducing innovation with the shape of an existing reverse firebird.. it just couldn't work... it is as if they were afraid to go all out and create a new body shape and new ergonomics like many other companies have.. So Gibson has this tough position.. and has in effect gone back to focus on tried and true classic models.. models that almost every brand has versions of...and a lot of these "immitations" are just as good or even better than many Gibsons.. also because these companies can take liberty in making some innovations that are more readily accepted .. So we are left with Gibson as a "Designer Name" .. a must have for anyone who plays and has multiple guitars.. But more and more people don't care about "Designer Name" guitars .. and the market has many alternatives to choose from.. the recent things going on in the Gibson world including this .. have put the hardcore Gibson supporters to test.. and for many the "spell" that made Gibson a thing of glory and wonder.. has broken.

[@EmptyDomoKanti99]

that seems like a waste

[@djgaryowens]

Looks a fine guitar to me, but what a tragedy to see all those guitars being destroyed.

[@jimbob9714]

Crush Authentic

[@jonathankeith524]

The people that are complaining about Gibson guitars getting destroyed and not given to people, are the same people that swear they’ll never own a Gibson.

[@wickid_chyld]

The guitologists channel has a little more info including an interview with bj (he was a former Gibson employee) and he also has the official gibson statement statement in his community tab.

[@TheChadPad]

Wow, this needs to be known

[@fullclipaudio]

That was authentic Gibson all the way.

[@twootters7433]

BJ Wilkes, supposedly worked for Gibson. "The video was posted by a former Gibson employee, BJ Wilkes, who explained to KZbinr The Guitologist that the guitars were unsellable and that the company needed to get them off the books as the new owners looked to change the company’s fortunes after its well-publicised financial problems and former CEO Henry Juszkiewicz’s ousting." Some are selling for over $3000.

[@RPSchonherr]

I did a check on e-bay and they are now selling for over $3,400 from a source in japan. I found a few selling around $2,600.

[@mwarnken1234]

thank you for not playing the audio to that clip... it's a very annoying sound!

[@12ryudragon]

Gibson: We´re going to get out of business if we keep making expensive guitars that no one can afford. also Gibson: Instead of selling them at cheap prices and recover some of our money we are going to destroy all of our stock!!

[@mcdingus5081]

Whether you choose to understand it or not, it costs money for Gibson to go and sell these guitars. Putting a bunch of guitars on the market that consumers dubbed a "failure" does nothing to help their cause. Because of all of the backlash they got about them, they don't need to have a bunch of these on the used market reminding people how much Gibson "sucks". Plus, I'm sure it was just financially more feasible to destroy them. So, for the people that liked them and bought them, Gibson just did something that will increase their value. In a lot of ways Gibson just rewarded some of their customers for their loyalty.

[@goddessintriptych7046]

@@mcdingus5081 "they don't need to have a bunch of these on the used market reminding people how much Gibson "sucks". " Yea- they're preserving their PR by destroying their PR.

[@mcdingus5081]

@@goddessintriptych7046 Hey, when it comes to a certain segment of the guitar playing world, Gibson will never be good enough. But, the funny thing is- Gibson has no interest in trying to convert these people either. The reality is Gibson lives off of it's cachet of being "unobtainable" to a certain percentage of people. Because of this, in reality- people desire the brand more and aspire to own one some day. That's why they tend to hold their value, much more than other brands. So, everyone can whine all they want- Gibson still is Gibson, and you don't have one.

[@kimdossett1]

OMG. I'm a disabled veteran and guitar player. I was homeless for a year. Only been off the streets for a year and a half. I am saving penny's for a cheap guitar. Any guitar. I don't care what brand. I was going to buy a Glarry and work my way to an epiphone because I like Gibson products. I showed this video to other low income vets. We all got pissed and swore off Gibson products. Hey, Gibson!!! Those guitars are therapy for us. You couldve made two hundred disabled veterans very happy and helped them with their therapy. But, instead. You destroy them! You could've donated them for a tax deduction!!!!!!!!!!! My God!!!!!! I'm going to cry now. Those where beautiful. Two hundred vets really could've used them!!!!!! BUY GIBSON. THE COMPANY THAT DOESN'T GIVE BACK TO THE ONES PROTECTING THEIR FREEDOMS AND FAMILIES!!!!!!!

[@butchlauer]

JC cleaning house, what a shame. Big business is brutal and this video should never have surfaced, but apparently social media has no filters either. Thx BJ's world.

[@The.Adam.D]

Lmao I was going to send the vid, but figured a thousand others would... glad I didn't haha

[@noahb498]

So much waste... Even if you didn’t care for the electronic components, I’m sure some people would put in more traditional wiring and pickups. They had potential for a cool sort of modded Gibson-offset guitar.

[@tonym7051]

True about the grocery shop, I used to work at a pizza place and it was insane how many pizzas we threw away because they were “expired”, in other words, they were in the heater for like less than an hour, but they were perfectly edible

[@erchamojosue8530]

I want to cry

[@AKARAY7]

ALL THE TREES THAT GAVE THERE LIVES TO MAKE THESE DESTROYED GUITARS SHOULD HAUNT WHOEVER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ATROCITY.

[@tavicotavio]

Their*

[@PigMCplayer]

I still don’t know how anyone can still support Gibson.

[@chrisullery3386]

PhantomLord I don't. Plenty of other guitar company's that actually have QC for much better prices! To hell with over priced crap Gibson guitars!

[@yeetusdeletus9]

Yeah I dont anymore. Bought a gibson les Paul studio in 2012.....still like my 15 year old $200 squier strat more. The toggle switch broke within a few months of owning my Gibson, which was weird since I hardly ever used the switch. One tone knob stopped working recently. G string never stays in tune. But hey, it looks good hanging on my wall :P

[@chrisullery3386]

Angelo, yea I have a squier cv 50 telecaster and it's a great player and the pickups sound great. No need to spend a small fortune to get a great guitar. I have a Gibson sg that has the same issue as your lp, toggle switch is hit and miss. Im going to sell it so no more Gibson crap in my stable.

[@yeetusdeletus9]

@@chrisullery3386 I changed the nut to bone and the tuners to fender locking tuners. Now I could leave the guitar on the stand for a week, accidentally drop it or just abuse it and itll always be in tune. The next step is to probably change out the cheap noisy pickups, maybe do an HSS setup. If I had to get another guitar itd probably be one of those diy kit guitars. They're cheap and you can paint or stain them however you like

[@chrisullery3386]

Great idea Angelo, I have thought about that myself. The cv 50 came with a , I can't remember the name but basically imitation bone nut and it stays in tune very well. It also has the vintage tuners which are great. Im going to get the squier cv 70s Stratocaster next. Squier has really upped there game.

[@theburkett67]

That's not an R/C car on BJ's channel, for what it's worth, it's a real rock bouncer!

[@Cynic269]

Im one of those people that cant afford a guitar due to living in the real world and being an adult with bills. i used to play and it breaks my hearts seeing this happen. Gibson has made the ultimate sin for a company calming they were the first guitar company.

[@MrMisterock]

Couldn't watch this video, Whoever did this should be put in jail forever. They are a shame for the human race.

[@NOLNV1]

The fact all the big guitar companies all use rare and fairly unethical woods in their instruments and then end up destroying a lot of them is such a shame. But, at least it hasn't reached the insanity of car businesses, who will go through the process of yearly producing hundreds of thousands of cars at great impact to the environment only to let them rust or crush them.

[@MICKEYISLOWD]

I really, really love the off-set shape of these guitars. I owned a Gibson M-III guitar in Ebony black which had the hockey stick reverse guitar headstock with maple neck and arrow head inlays going on. Lost the guitar to the bailiffs after loosing my job to Covid19 last yr. After we are cleared and working again I will buy back a Gibson M-III as a top priority. Bailiff's came from out of nowhere and I couldn't force them out by law. I actually cried when they took it from me because my dad bought me the guitar a few yrs back before he died from loosing his battle with cancer quite suddenly and It feels so perfect to my hands. When I see these Firebirds being destroyed it almost looks faked or done for publicity because surely wanted to fake things GIBSON...!!!

[@fritsvanzanten3573]

The factory could have organized a competition on youtube where you could win one of these guitars. Like play you own cover of 'Save the world'. Would have generated much positive publicity,

[@Superjet113]

Shame on Gibson, I hate that company more. They should of never let this video get out. Disgusting!

[@SG-wj2qj]

Shame on Gibson? Why because they had to destroy defective guitars with potential electrical issues for insurance purposes. Yeah, shame in the company that donated 30 Million dollars worth of guitars over the past 19 years through the Gibson foundation, and shame on them for restarting the foundation and pledging to donate 1000 guitars. Disgusting.

[@Superjet113]

@@SG-wj2qj Ya, well they should of donated these guitars as some tax write off. However you look at it, it shows Gibson as ass hats in this video. This video should of been private and never been released. They should of donated them and video documented it at music schools, and they would of made themselves look like knights in shining armour with lots of media attention. Now they look like fools.

[@goddessintriptych7046]

@@SG-wj2qj That doesn't absolve them of their fuck-up. They fucked up again, and most reasonable people get that.

[@J-L79]

It's a waste of guitars to destroy them. I hate that type of waste. It's a sickening waste. Even the components, hardware etc.. Oh f**k the ES!? Even not perfect they could have been salvaged or something. This video is making me sad and angry

[@reesecunningham7187]

Oh that 335 stomp really hurt me

[@creepingdeth141]

There’s a pallet of them at the plant. They’ll re release them to the public when they’re collectors items

[@angelic_slayer]

Just wow

[@danterosales6985]

Called it

[@ronmatthews7213]

The black bags at the end of each row were not guitars in cases. That was the accessory kits that came with each one.

[@bulkheadz]

The guy who uploaded the video is a former gibson employee, he was a facilities guy at the old memphis factory and helped/oversaw the demo of the old building and the destruction of the remaining deadstock of firebird x's

[@Thamalucy]

Gibson shoots its own foot and inserts into mouth yet again. They keep pushing me towards a PRS for my next high dollar guitar. Just say’n. The specter keeps haunting them.

[@NHfiddle]

No offense Austin, but this video was really painful to watch. Instrument abuse should be illegal for any company. I get that they're theirs to destroy, but don't publically video it. I'm very sad now and lost total respect for Gibson.

[@MrCaddySlash]

Paul V. Gentile They didn’t publicly video it, this was a random employee.

[@mykemech]

Addressing the concerns of those who asked why the guitars were not donated, or their parts repurposed, Gibson said in an official statement that the video footage was of “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.”

[@thomaskafafian2871]

Taxable income is calculated as revenue minus cost of goods sold. Cost is calculated by the total cost of production, selling, and administrative expenses including other allocated overhead. Companies can deduct donations and carry forward the unusable portion for 5 years or something like that. I don't see why it would make much difference if they were taken as a donation to Salvation Army, or they scrapped them. It's just bad decisions again and again. Even if there was some sort of quicker liquidity and freeing of cash, the company would have benefited massively from the positive influence of a donation.