# Gibson Canada



## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

hey folks I just saw the L&M flyer with Gibson acoustics Canadian Made! was this the reason for buying out Garrison? Hoefully theyre better than the stuff out of the US which I find are kinda lifeless.Any info or thoughts? STAY TUNED....


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

I saw some in the US last summer-don't get your hopes up


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## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

*prices*

I just checked the info and it seems the 'LIMITED EDITION" models we make only cost about one third as the us made regular series{ $900-1250}.Kinda like high end epi ,gad,or entry blueridge ;Are we compromised? Are we building our own imports? ps i own 3 gibsons NOT NEW


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

If you are expecting dovetail neck joints,nitro finish etc,you won't find them on these Canadian Gibsons-IMO they remind me of early Norman guitars-lacking finesse.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

i just tried out the 4 models today at l&m...kinda plain...very little finish on them...high action...i asked a guy where the canadian gibson factory is...he told me garrison in newfoundland...


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## Ship of fools (Nov 17, 2007)

*Well*

You either love them or hate them, and I wasn't very impressed with the quality for the price point, but then I know some ( okay a very few ) folks who think they are great.
I guess it really comes down to personal taste, as for why they bought Garrison who knows, maybe they wanted the wood they had in their storage bins.Ship


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## stoptail (Sep 22, 2009)

One detail that turned me off about them is that the headstock is glued on to the neck , not one piece like Yankee made Gibsons .


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## Rideski (Feb 25, 2009)

They are built by Garrison. Apparently, from a good source, they are really only about $500 guitars in quality, similar to the average Seagul, but due to the Gibson headstock they can charge 1k. Still 1k for a decent accoustic is not too bad. I'll be currious to try them and if I found a real player I wouldn't hesitate to grab one. I have yet to find an accoustic from Gibson USA that blows me away though. 
A couple Taylors I've played in the 1k area have been really nice...


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## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

I think I would pass on a 500 dollar guitar that sold for 1k cause it said gibson,or martin or even supercalifragilisticexpealidoshush!!! A 500 dollar git should be ...um.... 500!! This mad corporate rape of the manufacturers idenity is setting us up to pay for names not quality.I still buy inexpensive imports but big name items gotta be older,at least 10 years. STAY TUNED....JIM


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## kazzelectro (Oct 25, 2007)

Finally got a chance to get my hands on the Gibson Songmaker which they now carry at the Long & McQuade store in town....and they truly are just like Taylors. I played a CSM and a DSM ...a dreadnaught and OM sized guitar both with mahogany back and sides.
They even look like Taylors...I walked past these two guitars the first time thinking they were Taylors. These two models are most like the 300 series that Taylor produces...gloss spruce top and satin magohany back and sides. Perhaps the Taylors are made with sapele (less desirable to most). I thought the guitar played well, was nicely finished and sounded pretty decent (every bit as good as a Taylor)...but the most impressive thing was the pirce...the CSM at $899 Cdn and the DSM at $999Cdn. Pretty good value for a solid wood guitar with the name Gibson on it...and a whole lot less than money than a 300 series Taylor. In fact they are priced more in line with Taylor's 200 series that have laminated back and sides. If you're buying in the $1000 range I'd recommend taking a look at the Gibson Songmaker.


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## terry9317 (Sep 14, 2009)

*ehh*

Eh I saw some the other day but they weren't ..all star caliber


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## Evilmusician (Apr 13, 2007)

I love my Garrison but it's a Custom Job ,and was made before they sold out to Gibson ..............


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

the garrison /Gibson factory is shut down in st johns Newfoundland they moved of there equipment to the states i don't even think there making garrison or what Gibson called songwriter series don't even use the garrison bracing . i seen this on the local news last week , so i guess there in limbo right now


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## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

seems like some companys used to care about quality AFFORDABLE gits like the J 45 used to be and now price thier stuff so high we buy their offshore stuff which is now priced so high Im gonna stick to used gear,Goodbye new gibson, goodbye new Martin. Hello classifieds!!!


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## newf46 (Oct 11, 2009)

copperhead said:


> the garrison /Gibson factory is shut down in st johns Newfoundland they moved of there equipment to the states i don't even think there making garrison or what Gibson called songwriter series don't even use the garrison bracing . i seen this on the local news last week , so i guess there in limbo right now


Hi, Folks,

Just talked to a music rep this morning - trying to chase down a Gibson Songmaker DSR (rosewood version).

Rep says that St. John's had trouble keeping up to demand so the line was moved / cancelled - apparently it's only the last year or less that they've been available in Canada.


Really sad to see that disappear.

Newf46


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## shane (Oct 13, 2009)

I was recently in the Market for an Acoustic, and got to try 3 of these.
I thought that the price was fair, and contrary to what a lot of people re here are saying, these where a lot better than a $500 seagull guitar.

What I didn't like was that with each model you picked up you could tell exactly what it was missing, IE. this one is all mids, this one has no low end etc. None of them seemed really well rounded.

Ended up going with a Larrivee L-03R.


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## Stephen W. (Jun 7, 2006)

newf46 said:


> ... St. John's had trouble keeping up to demand so the line was moved / cancelled...


Yeeaaa... right. More likely that Gibson kept the factory open just long enough to satisfy any legal / government issues related to the sale. Heaven forbid they live up to their purchase promise of increasing staff and production figures.
Also, I'd be very surprised if Gibson didn't get something, (hand out, tax break, what ever) from the US government for keeping (bringing) work in (to) the States. You know their mantra, "Buy 'merican! Built by 'mericans in 'merica."

If I sound bitter it's because I am! Reganomics took the company I use to work for from over 200 employees (with a planned expansion into a new factory and work force increase of up to 4 times) to an R&D office with a staff of about 30.


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## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

Stephen W. said:


> More likely that Gibson kept the factory open just long enough to satisfy any legal / government issues related to the sale. Heaven forbid they live up to their purchase promise of increasing staff and production figures.
> Also, I'd be very surprised if Gibson didn't get something, (hand out, tax break, what ever) from the US government for keeping (bringing) work in (to) the States.


Unfortunately, there's a high probability that you're exactly right. I once lost a job to outsourcing in India. The company kept pretty quiet about the layoffs because at the same time they were receiving government grants to create (other, unrelated) jobs here in Canada.


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## billdraper (Oct 28, 2008)

*Gibson songmaker*

That is the guitar made in the old Garrison plant now available in Canada. I first saw them at L&M at a sale price and had to try one out...ie a Gibson under $1000 all solid wood got my interest. Nice looking guiitars...the one I played had so-so intonation though it seemed to me...hmmm.

So anyway, I got interested in these Canada Gibsons from a business sense, and googled it and found a good thread about the original purchase. Here:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=1703324 

Its all speculatioin, but maybe Garrison was in financial trouble, because of returns and warranty claims, and Gibson took on more than they could handle ie bad PR.

Bill


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

billdraper said:


> That is the guitar made in the old Garrison plant now available in Canada. I first saw them at L&M at a sale price and had to try one out...ie a Gibson under $1000 all solid wood got my interest. Nice looking guiitars...the one I played had so-so intonation though it seemed to me...hmmm.
> 
> So anyway, I got interested in these Canada Gibsons from a business sense, and googled it and found a good thread about the original purchase. Here:
> 
> ...


That's a very interesting thread, I just read the whole thing. The thing never discovered or disclosed is whether Garrison ever went into bankruptcy or not. If they did, well, warranty (on the old ones, read the thread for details) is probably no good. If they did not, they are responsible for it...tho enforcing it may be another story altogether.

Also interesting but logical theory proposed in that thread, that the fibreglass bracing system doesn't flex like wood with humidity changes, and this *may* be responsible for some cracking of Garrisons.


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## billdraper (Oct 28, 2008)

*Exactly!*

Hey Keto. Thats exactly what I was thinking. Good summary.


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## overdriver (Jul 24, 2008)

The fret has some http://www.12fret.com/new/Gibson_Canadian Acoustic_pg.html


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## Tycho (Jan 3, 2007)

newf46 said:


> Hi, Folks,
> 
> Just talked to a music rep this morning - trying to chase down a Gibson Songmaker DSR (rosewood version).
> 
> ...



Especially because Gibson made all kinds of noise about how happy it was to be supporting the local economy when it bought Garrison. Of course no company can afford to keep a plant in business where it's not profitable, but it still makes me sad for the people who used to work there.

Is there anyone here from the Rock who can tell us more?


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