THOSE Beautiful to look at GIBSON Steel Guitars..........

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

My first lap steel was a mid-1940's, Gibson, with beautiful sunburst finish topped off with a white band around the edge of the body. (see: JBFC About Ray)

When I aged to 15 years, I grew tired of the single neck and wanted the flexibility that I saw with Roy Wiggins/Don Helms, I next wanted the popular GIBSON double neck.

Thinking back in time.....I don't recall seeing all that many Gibson Double-necks out in the real world.

It was a world seemingly dominated by double/triple neck FENDERs....with a few Nationals/Magnatones here and there. I don't feel the longer, later model FENDERs had as long a stage life as did the first issue of triple-8's.

What was your assessment about the Gibson multi-necks? WHY didn't they hit the TOP of the MARK like Fender managed so successfully to do. Fender remained on top for several decades and Gibson just sorta faded out of the picture.

There just had to be a reason........?

Eric Davidson · From: Kentucky, USA

Its funny that you posted this, i was just thinking something similar today and considered posting it. I am pretty new to the steel guitar but have spent time listening to as many players as I can. Having said that, I dont remember seeing anyone other than Don Helms play a Gibson Console Grande. Ive never played one but it seems like the fact that Helms played one would be a great endorsement, so is it that just not many people favor them for one reason or another. They really are beautiful guitars, actually much better looking than my Fender D-8 Pro (which I love) but like I said, Ive never played a Gibson. Very interesting question though.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

It was pretty much dominated by Fender. First because Leo worked the circuits heavy with promotion, and second, that promotion gave them big sales which then made the Fender sound and look popular, and off they went. Nobody else pushed their product like Fender did. Plus they could take a beating, unlike most others.

Laurence Pangaro · From: Brooklyn, NY

Could a difference in price have contributed substantially?

(I know at least one of y'all has pricing info in old catalogues.)

LP

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I think the preponderance of Fenders in relation to Gibsons and etc. was probably a sign of the times.
Previously, we were used to a different type of music. With the birth of rock and roll, we experienced a more "in your face" kind of music.
And this fitted the Fender guitars more so than the others. Leo was an advocate of a more treble sound and wound his pickups accordingly. Gibsons always had a darker more mellow sound to them. Fenders jumped right out at you. When I started looking around for a multi-neck guitar, I was immediately drawn to a T-8 Stringmaster. A similiar Gibson Console Grande was much larger and thus less appealing.
Your mileage may vary. Very Happy

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

I would guess that location played a big factor in Fender's popularity over Gibson. Fender was in Fullerton, California, not far from the Los Angeles-based recording industry and the extensive country music scene in the 1950s. He was in a perfect spot when rock and roll came along.

Gibson was based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, close to nothing. Smile

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Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

I have to agree with both of you.

Sherman & Clay, the Gibson store was trying to push off one of those Gibson Elctra Harps on me and I didn't want the ugly thing. I'd not seen Roy Wiggins playing one.......end of story.

FENDER on the other hand, was on display in the store window of Burke-Arenz Music here in Portland and it was truly impressive with three necks glistening in the sunlight. They took my Gibson in trade on a Triple-8 with small monthly payments and I never looked back.

Several local bands had steel players using the Fender triple-8, one a blond, one the black walnut or whatever. FENDER also gave the player lots of horsepower with their line of amps. My Gibson amps were described by the band leaders as being "too mushy" while they were really impressed by the punch of the Fender Bassman that I purchased.

It was a trouble-free combination all the years I had it, until I rec'd my Bigsby Quad, and wife #1 insisted I sell it as I didn't need all of those guitars.......so she said.

Paul Warnik · From: Illinois,USA

Ray-I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of
Andre Duchossoir's 2009 publication "Gibson Electric Steel Guitars 1935-1967" It is a hardbound book filled with everything you could ever ask about Gibsons. There are chapters on who we have already established are the leading two players (Helms and Wiggins).
Every model of Gibson is shown in nice color and production totals are listed.
I too, have sometimes wondered why Fender steels are seemingly more popular. Of course we know that Gibson was pretty much a failure as far as pedal steels go (after the Pre-WWII Electraharp) But their non-pedal guitars were certainly some of the most beautiful ones ever made. You really can't compare the looks of a Century,Ultratone, or Royaltone Gibson with a Fender Champion, and perhaps that's part of it. Looks alone don't make the horn great.
I think Gibsons have the sound and playability as well. I like my Console Grandes and my Stringmasters!
I made several visits to Ted McCarty (at Bigsby Accessories when he still owned the company) in Kalamazoo, MI.
(Yes Brad B. something else there besides Gibson Shocked

).
Ted, Gibson's president 1950-1965, was adamant in our conversation about the overall superiority of Gibsons over Fenders. He dismissed Fender's work as making "plank guitars" that had none of the nice contours of his Gibsons.
Yet, he was aware of Fender's higher sales in steel guitars. That is the reason he re-designed the Console Grande in 1956,
to make changes in effort to keep up with the changing player/customer preferences.

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

Don't get me wrong. I think Gibson made some of the most attractive steels ever, and some great sounding instruments as well. The deal was, though, that Fender had the right product, in the right place, in the right time, for the right price.
_________________
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A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Les Paul had to take a 2 x 4, cut a Gibson guitar in half, glue it to the 2 x 4 and take it to Gibson to show them what he wanted before they would build him one.
My guitar teacher loved Gibsons. When I wanted a multi-neck he dragged out an Electra-Harp for me to try. I couldn't get that sucker back to him soon enough. Then I bought a Fender!

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

There are many factors involved, I think. At the start, Fender made products for the working musician and Leo truly had his ear to the ground about what people needed and wanted ... replaceable parts, durability, practicality, stage looks, etc. Fender was a non-musician who loved Hawaiian music. He had a sound in his head for these guitars that eliminated mid range in favor of bass & treble and the engineering skills to realize that vision. In general, Gibsons live in the mid range.

Gibson was a much larger, much older company that was a lot less nimble on its feet in reacting to trends. Fender was at the right place and time to ride the wave of the larger shift to a youth-oriented culture we've ever seen - and we're STILL in the throws of it 55+ years later! Kids didn't want their dad's guitar, they wanted the hip, new look and sound for their hip, new music. Add on a couple of brilliant designers and marketing people, an aggressive sales management team, Leo's endless desire to tweak and tinker and you had a potent force to contend with.

I also think Leo benefited from the trend toward, clean, simple uncluttered industrial design that emerged in the 50s from Scandinavia and is still present in brands like Ikea. A sunburst, however pretty, has a vaguely antique feel in comparison with the scandinavian aesthetic

Mark Roeder · From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Didn't Gibson go to outside design people for the look on their instruments? I've always felt Gibson was always going for a more "expensive" look. In Andys book Don Helms makes a comment about how proud he was of the Gibson in the interview with him, seemed like he was refering to the look of it. They were definitely going for something different than Fender.
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