THE BEAST

During a conversation with Guitar Magazine, Gibson CEO James "JC" Curleigh talked about the company's plans for the Epiphone brand.
JC already said the company is "really putting attention" on Epiphone. He now added:
 "Epiphone is synonymous with being very authentic but also being very accessible for people.
 "So, we know we've got momentum and energy on the Gibson side, so why wouldn't we take that energy and bring it to the 'Inspired by Gibson' range?
 "I think it's less about Epiphone shadowing Gibson and more about what our Epiphone and Gibson fans were saying to us. Like, 'Hey, if you're going to do Originals, really do Originals. Be true to that era and go back to what you did then.'
 "So that's what we did with Gibson, and now we're doing it with the Originals in the 'Inspired By' collection.
 "What I've really learned to appreciate and love about our fanbase is that they pay attention to detail.
 "And so when we say 'Original,' 'Historic,' 'Modern,' or 'Inspired by', we have to reflect that in the details of our guitars. And by paying attention to the headstock again, and the craftsmanship around that... it all really matters."
JC then focused on the fact that the Epiphone relaunch sees the company making production guitars in the US again for the first time in decades, exemplified first by the brand-new USA Texan. The CEO added:
 "I actually love the notion of the Texan being made in the USA - there's just so much heritage and history there. Whether it's Peter Frampton or Paul McCartney, it's just amazing.
 "I think we're in that position now with Epiphone where it is one of the most authentic brands out there, so we have to ensure that we're true to that promise. So if you're going to invest in the guitar that Paul McCartney wrote 'Yesterday' on, in the Texan, expect for it to be at that price point and quality.
 "I grew up in a musical family, and my mother always played Epiphone, so that's been in our house all my life. So to me, Epiphone has always been synonymous with engaging in music. So combining the quality, build and craftsmanship, with what we can do to inspire it from the Gibson side, is the perfect combination."

Via UltimateGuitar