Why I Dont Sell Gibson Guitars. Never Meet Your Heros Part II

Why I Dont Stock Gibson Guitars Part II

I don’t stock Gibson guitars. I’m often asked why, so I’ve put my full explanation on this page in my own words.

I’m not a Gibson hater. I started playing at 8 years old. Opening my shop and becoming a Gibson dealer in the late 90s felt like a dream coming true.

But my lived experience as a dealer from 1998 onwards is why I closed my account and would never support them again. The video below is my 2018 follow-up where I tried to put that experience clearly and fairly.

What changed my mind

Within weeks of opening the dealership, I saw trade offers for new Gibson stock with broken truss rods and twisted necks, offered opportunistically at a discount. Any guitar tech will tell you those are not minor fixes.

Then around 2000 came direct selling online via MusicYo.com. Gibson-owned, selling brands they’d bought up — including Kramer, a guitar I personally loved — direct to players, bypassing the specialist shops that set guitars up and looked after customers.

My view at the time: you can’t say you support dealers while setting up a system that removes focus on quality, setup, advice and care, and undercuts the very shops trying to do it properly.

Why quality mattered more than colours or specs

In my first video I got distracted talking about headstock fonts and bright pink / blue fades. I apologised for that in this video — that’s taste, and we all like different things.

The core issue for me was always quality control and how dealers and players were spoken about. I’d seen too many examples of poor QC getting through, and I felt the leadership at the time showed contempt for the trade rather than taking responsibility.

Watch the full video below — it’s raw, early-days YouTube, dodgy lighting and all. It explains in my own words why I made a conscience decision to stop selling Gibson.

My philosophy hasn’t changed since: purity of wood, tone and craftsmanship. Proper setups. Honest advice in a quiet room. No hype, no beat-trading.

If you want to hear what a properly set-up, honestly-sourced guitar actually sounds like, book a private appointment via

Every guitar we sell plants a tree in the Forest of Richards Guitars.

Note: This video was filmed in March 2018 during the Henry Juszkiewicz era, before Gibson’s 2018 bankruptcy and change of ownership. It reflects my historic experience as a dealer at that time and explains my long-standing position.

Channel: Richards Guitars

Questions & Answers About Richards Views On Gibson Guitars

Q: Why doesn’t Richards Guitars stock Gibson? A: In Richards’ stated view, his experience as a Gibson dealer from 1998 left him unable to support them on conscience. He cites poor quality control, trade offers of defective stock, and direct selling that bypassed specialist dealers. He closed his account and has maintained that position since.

Q: Is Richards a Gibson hater? A: No — in his own words in this video, he is not a Gibson hater. He describes becoming a Gibson dealer as a dream, and says this video is to share his personal history and love for guitars, not to bash the brand.

Q: What did Richards apologise for from the first Gibson video? A: He apologised for focusing on the Les Paul signature font / hologram and the bright fade colours. He says those are personal taste, they distracted from the main issue, and he should not have made them a focal point.

Q: What is the broken truss rod claim? A: Richards says that within weeks of becoming a dealer he saw standard trade practice of offering new Gibsons with broken truss rods and twisted necks at discount. This is his personal account of the trade at that time.

Q: What is MusicYo.com and why does Richards mention it? A: Richards describes MusicYo.com c.2000 as Gibson’s direct online sales operation. He says it sold brands Gibson had acquired, including Kramer, direct to consumers, bypassing retailers, while taking large amounts of guitar press advertising that UK dealers did not benefit from.

Q: Does this apply to Gibson today? A: No. Richards states this video was filmed in March 2018 under CEO Henry Juszkiewicz before the 2018 bankruptcy and ownership change. It explains his historic experience and why he formed his position not to stock Gibson.