They make some wonderful instruments and I hope they can right the sinking ship and keep production here in the US.
I hope so too, and that they can do it without hurting quality. I'm actually looking to buy my first Gibson Les Paul (or maybe one of the cheaper but still decent epiphone Les Paul) in the near future - I just can't decide which one.
The one things that Gibson and some of the other brands make it hard for a first time buyer is that there are sooo many different variations and special editions of each guitar with different pickups, hardware, neck shapes and width, weight, some with 50s style an others inspired by the 1960s models, etc. ... not to mention color and finish. Absolutely fantastic if you are a pro to allow you get the exact sound and feel you are looking for, but takes a while to sort out for people like me who doesn't know yet what I want/like - especially since the price tag also differs a lot. Take for example the iconic Les paul model - On Gibson's product page when filtered for Les Paul it shows more than 200 different guitar options plus many of these comes in different wood colors and finish. Many of these are expensive custom builds out of reach for most people, but still.
Need to hurry to get back to guitarcenter to try out some more before they get in financial trouble too.
