Gentlemen's Agreement Between FMIC & Gibson

[Grandturk]

I don't think Kramer is much competition for Charvel at the moment. Kramer is essentially on life support. Zero distribution and production in the handful amounts.

[RacerX]

Pre FMIC policy was no production or USA select Gibson shapes were allowed but if you ordered it through the CS that was fine.

From what I heard from a Jackson-guy-in-the-know last week, this policy will live again....

[AK47]

From what I heard from a Jackson-guy-in-the-know last week, this policy will live again....

Oxblood firebird here I come

[StukaJU87]

I am among those who have said I will never buy a NEW Jackson again. However, if I can get a Gibson body shape neck through flying V in the future, I will have to eat my words.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Want to know why Gibson is so sucessful?

They don't sell imports under their Gibson brand name. When Dean, Fender, Hamer, Jackson and other companies did, I viewed it as greed and nothing more

I think there's some truth to what you say. And to add to this, there is also the fact that the method of identifying what was USA and what was not, as well as the wildly varying level of quality of the import instruments, have caused a lot of confusion.

I myself remember when I bought a Jackson Professional (Fusion HH) in the early 90's and I think it's a great guitar (I still have it) but when I returned to the store a few years later there were all these junky plywood "Jacksons" and it turned my stomach.

Then there's the whole "just Jackson means USA" back then and NOW, "just Jackson" means it's Japanese or even Indian and if it doesn't say "made in USA" it isn't.

Sure, I understand they wanted to go after the "kids" and "the kids" don't have a lot of dough and the import business might have sold them a lot of guitars, but at least they should have kept two different brands instead of blurring the identity of what I considered the "end all of quality high-performance instruments" into something ranging from $250 plywood junk to $10K+ custom instruments.

Not that this has anything to do with the "Gentleman's Agreement" but I think it might have something to do with why the Jackson and Charvel brands have a little bit of a struggle today.

[FlyingSkull]

saving up for Guitarmageddon, if it ever comes.

Don't you mean Ragna-ROCK?

[RacerX]

I think there's some truth to what you say. And to add to this, there is also the fact that the method of identifying what was USA and what was not, as well as the wildly varying level of quality of the import instruments, have caused a lot of confusion.
...there were all these junky plywood "Jacksons" and it turned my stomach.

Then there's the whole "just Jackson means USA" back then and NOW, "just Jackson" means it's Japanese or even Indian and if it doesn't say "made in USA" it isn't.

Sure, I understand they wanted to go after the "kids" and "the kids" don't have a lot of dough and the import business might have sold them a lot of guitars, but at least they should have kept two different brands instead of blurring the identity of what I considered the "end all of quality high-performance instruments" into something ranging from $250 plywood junk to $10K+ custom instruments.

So you would have wanted "JACKSONETTE" on all imports ? :idea::ROTF:

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

So you would have wanted "JACKSONETTE" on all imports ? :idea::ROTF:

No. That whole Charvette thing was pretty dumb, too.

So you want "Jackson" on Korean plywood guitars? I don't think you do any more than I do.

[The Rossness]

No. That whole Charvette thing was pretty dumb, too.

So you want "Jackson" on Korean plywood guitars? I don't think you do any more than I do.

Wll, as far as names go, thy could have called their import line "Seymour" or "SJ" or "SeyJak".

[Grandturk]

why Seymour?

[Ben...]

From what I heard from a Jackson-guy-in-the-know last week, this policy will live again....

Which custom shop guy from your tour said that?

[Jacksonite]

I am among those who have said I will never buy a NEW Jackson again. However, if I can get a Gibson body shape neck through flying V in the future, I will have to eat my words.

you might wanna get your salt and pepper handy just in case

[The Rossness]

why Seymour?

Oops! thanks for that one. I guess I had a brain flub there. I meant to Say Grover. An Import like could have been called- "Grover" or "GJ" or "GroJak" or some other play on the grover jackson's name.

[Grandturk]

Oops! thanks for that one. I guess I had a brain flub there. I meant to Say Grover. An Import like could have been called- "Grover" or "GJ" or "GroJak" or some other play on the grover jackson's name.

I think that's why they made Charvel the import first - so as not to sully the Jackson name, which by 86 was outstripping Charvel as a the brand to buy.

They could have just stuck with that.

[toejam]

Oops! thanks for that one. I guess I had a brain flub there. I meant to Say Grover. An Import like could have been called- "Grover" or "GJ" or "GroJak" or some other play on the grover jackson's name.

There already was a Grover Jackson line for the Japanese market. It later turned into Jackson Stars.