# Henry J: The next Steve Jobs?



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

...In his own mind, perhaps....Not new, but an interesting piece written about a Gibson product launch event, by Alex Skolnick, a fascinating character in his own right (former thrash metal guitarist, also played with Trans Siberian Ochestra, and son of 2 university professors).

http://www.guitarplayer.com/default.aspx?tabid=259&EntryId=4

It gives us insight to something that a lot of us have suspected for awhile....that Gibson may be out of touch with the market, or lack self-awareness.


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)




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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

That was a great article! Very well stated.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Well written, well thought out, and bang on.

If music magazines usually contained stuff like this I would still buy them. Instead, the articles are basically ad copy, often positioned directly beside an ad.

TG


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

GONE


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Wait....he _couldn't break an SG_? Cripes, _Jason frickin' Becker _could break an SG!!

The difference between Juszkiewicz and Jobs is that Jobs had a better understanding of the user, and a real aesthete's eye. Juszkiewicz has....well, I direct you to the Zoot Suit SG, the Dusk Tiger, and the Firebird X. It's the kind of aesthetic that would have been entirely suited to director of marketing at Eko, Egmond, or Goya in the 60's, but now not so much. Jobs, I think, had a better handle on what made for a better experience, and more useful product. As I am fond of saying, the difference between good and disposable technology is that good technology makes a guy my age exclaim "Finally!!", where disposable and ephemeral technology makes a 20- year-old mutter "Cooooll".

That "Mr. J." elected to introduce the Firebird X with that much hoopla is akin to those movies that are simply dreadful but they use all the best parts (of the few there are) for the trailer, and spend millions running those trailers on TV.....and then the reviews come out.


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

mhammer said:


> Wait....he _couldn't break an SG_? Cripes, _Jason frickin' Becker _could break an SG!!


 Not just any SG, one that had been cut in the neck to make it easier to break and he still managed to fail at it. 
This pic is from Alex Skolnick's website.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Steve Jobs?


Maybe Steve Urkel.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

That was well written and well stated.


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## The Kicker Of Elves (Jul 20, 2006)

Juszkiewicz wasn't anywhere on my radar until the Justice Dept raid last year; my first impression was: "CEO, American Standard." He sounded more like a political pundit than I expected to be attached to Gibson...

The clenched and shaking fist, along with "this will not stand!" was it for me. I love the iconic Gibson guitars but have no love for the corporation and its leader.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

mhammer said:


> Wait....he _couldn't break an SG_? Cripes, _Jason frickin' Becker _could break an SG!!


Funny but... oooh! (cringe)



mhammer said:


> The difference between Juszkiewicz and Jobs is that Jobs had a better understanding of the user, and a real aesthete's eye. Juszkiewicz has....well, I direct you to the Zoot Suit SG, the Dusk Tiger, and the Firebird X. It's the kind of aesthetic that would have been entirely suited to director of marketing at Eko, Egmond, or Goya in the 60's, but now not so much. Jobs, I think, had a better handle on what made for a better experience, and more useful product. As I am fond of saying, the difference between good and disposable technology is that good technology makes a guy my age exclaim "Finally!!", where disposable and ephemeral technology makes a 20- year-old mutter "Cooooll".


Once again you hit the nail on the head!


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Jeff B. said:


> Not just any SG, one that had been cut in the neck to make it easier to break and he still managed to fail at it.
> This pic is from Alex Skolnick's website.


Aww, HENRY! We've gone over this before, it's in the grip. Hands closer together, and whip them hard as you come to the impact zone. Bend forward slightly from the waist, get your body behind it!

Waitaminute, is that a bolt neck? Look at where the body meets the neck. Also, neck not painted like your 'typical' SG.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I know Gibson is not a public company, so I figure it would be near impossible to find out how many Firebird X guitars (and I use the word guitar loosely) have been built and sold.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Hamstrung said:


> Funny but... oooh! (cringe)


Yeah, I know. I'm vying for Ricky Gervais' hosting job at the Golden Globes next year!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

keto said:


> Aww, HENRY! We've gone over this before, it's in the grip. Hands closer together, and whip them hard as you come to the impact zone. Bend forward slightly from the waist, get your body behind it!
> 
> Wait a minute, is that a bolt neck? Look at where the body meets the neck. Also, neck not painted like your 'typical' SG.


From most war stories, all he needed to do was lean it up against something, but not balance it right. And yeah, it looks like a bolt=on neck to me, too.


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Probably fair to say at this point that Gibson won't (can't) change until it's ownership is gone.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)




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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

Milkman said:


> Steve Jobs?
> 
> 
> Maybe Steve Urkel.


Best post, ever! 

Thanks for making me laugh.


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

Very well-written article. I have always had a lot of respect for Alex. One thing I found interesting was his aversion to expensive new instruments, despite his musical successes. Interesting. 

You know, as much as I don't especially like Gibson and am nine-tenths luddite, I do appreciate it when people at least try to achieve something new. The Firebird X was a direct miss, but perhaps something will come out of these attempts--just probably not from Gibson. At least not while Mr J is leading them.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

ronmac said:


> Best post, ever!
> 
> Thanks for making me laugh.


LOL, it's just that I think very highly of Steve Jobs. 

Mr. Juszkiewicz strikes me as more of a pitch man than a visionary.


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

Milkman said:


> LOL, it's just that I think very highly of Steve Jobs.
> 
> Mr. Juszkiewicz strikes me as more of a pitch man than a visionary.


An off-pitch man, perhaps.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

When I had lunch with George Gruhn, he didn't have many kind words for Henry, although he begrudgingly admitted that Mr J. was a fair guitar player, and he respected that. Not all people who run guitar-manufacturing organizations are.


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## Destropiate (Jan 17, 2007)

I originally posted this in another thread about the Paul Kossoff Les Paul but because of Alex Skolnik's $9000 Randy Rhoads comment I think its relevent here too......

Im a Gibson fan, but a fan of their standard line mainly. I also have no idea how they come up with the pricing for these or any of the stuff above and beyond the regular Gibson lineup. Can one nice chunk of mahogany and maple really be worth $8-12 thousand more dollars than another nice chunk of mahogany and maple? Even being a higher grade of wood and aged and made mostly by hand with better parts and pickups 8-12 grand extra seems.......well, pretty grand.


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## cwittler (May 17, 2011)

mhammer said:


> When I had lunch with George Gruhn, he didn't have many kind words for Henry, although he begrudgingly admitted that Mr J. was a fair guitar player, and he respected that. Not all people who run guitar-manufacturing organizations are.


Some folks will tell you that business is war, dog-eat-dog. Mr. J is in it to make money, not friends. Not all businessmen are like this, but sometimes you have to be. One prominent CEO once said to me "business is like a street fight, hit your opponent in the gut and he retaliates by hitting you in the gut. Kick him in the nuts and he goes down holding his nuts". It was a crude analogy but one by which he turned his company around and made it profitable. I'll take his word for it.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

keto said:


> Waitaminute, is that a bolt neck? Look at where the body meets the neck. Also, neck not painted like your 'typical' SG.


LOL. It's not even a real Gibson. No wonder it didn't break.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

cwittler said:


> Some folks will tell you that business is war, dog-eat-dog. Mr. J is in it to make money, not friends. Not all businessmen are like this, but sometimes you have to be. One prominent CEO once said to me "business is like a street fight, hit your opponent in the gut and he retaliates by hitting you in the gut. Kick him in the nuts and he goes down holding his nuts". It was a crude analogy but one by which he turned his company around and made it profitable. I'll take his word for it.


Probably true but it would appear Mr J keeps kicking himself in the nuts, at least as far as credibility is concerned.


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## cwittler (May 17, 2011)

Hamstrung said:


> Probably true but it would appear Mr J keeps kicking himself in the nuts, at least as far as credibility is concerned.


Agreed. They don't call him "Jerk-O-Witz" for nothing.


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