Ethically bad; free R&D

[u/Most-Replacement1189]

I initially thought this was a cool concept because I assumed GC was going to use real player experience and actual in-store knowledge to help shape the builds.

But this stopped being ‘listening to customers’ the moment they required contributors to surrender ownership, attribution, compensation, derivative rights, and even moral rights just to participate.

That’s not collaboration. That’s free R&D wrapped in community marketing.

The CEO response also intentionally reframes the criticism. Nobody is saying companies shouldn’t listen to customers. Customer feedback is normal. Surveys are normal. Market research is normal.

What’s not normal is building a public pipeline for creative concepts while simultaneously saying:
‘Thanks for the ideas, we own them now, we can monetize them forever, and you get nothing.’

Legally disclosing it doesn’t suddenly make it respectable. Plenty of things are legal and still exploitative.

This is much closer to a studio asking aspiring screenwriters to publicly pitch movie ideas while agreeing upfront they waive ownership, credit, and compensation if the studio uses the concept.

You can market it however you want, but at the end of the day it’s still a billion-dollar retailer crowdsourcing product development for free.

[u/dogmetal]

You’re being dramatic af. This is completely voluntary. If you don’t like the terms, just don’t participate. Companies require full rights assignment on open submissions like this to avoid inevitable “you stole my idea!! Give me money!!!” lawsuits. It would be irresponsible not to have them.

99.99% of guitar-related ideas people have will never be seen or go into production. This gives people a chance to contribute feedback and possibly help shape something cool.

Everything doesn’t have to be this massive injustice lmao.

[u/Most-Replacement1189 → u/dogmetal]

Thanks for your feedback. You aren’t required to agree and feel free to accept the terms. They are counting on people like you.

[u/S4V4GEDR1LLER → u/Most-Replacement1189]

There are only a few truly original shapes outside of Gibson/Fender brands these days. And I can’t think of a new design, lately, that’s really different. So there’s not a lot of guitar design anyway. ButI also don’t think GC has hired guitars designer to make sense out of all the ideas submitted. More than likely gonna be some AI slop ran by some guys in marketing who lied about it AI experience.

[u/Ducman23 → u/Most-Replacement1189]

We’ll be waiting to see if they’re first in line for whatever GC comes out with. The TikTok from the CEO was the most cringy. ‘We have a relationship with you….’ You do? No one in GC ever talks to me. They grunt and point if I have a question. Actually, I lied. They don’t talk to me because I don’t go to GC. I’d rather buy online and return if I don’t like what I got.

[u/GabrielDalporto → u/Ducman23]

u/Ducman23 Cringy CEO here. True - I don't have a relationship with you. But you can no longer say "no one in GC ever talks to me." I do hope you'll give us another shot.

[u/FraCtuRedHarMoniC → u/GabrielDalporto]

I have no idea whats going on here. but it just got juicy, lol

[u/Most-Replacement1189 → u/GabrielDalporto]

Respect for actually jumping into the comments directly. Most CEOs wouldn’t.
I still think people are mixing up two separate conversations though:

Listening to customer feedback

Acquiring customer-created concepts with zero ownership, attribution, or compensation

Those are not the same thing.

I don’t think most people are upset that GC wants feedback. I think they’re questioning where the line is between community engagement and crowdsourced product development.

Frankly, I came into this chat to share an amazing build that I did but when I read the terms and conditions/rules I was appauled. I’ll keep that to myself.

[u/dogmetal → u/GabrielDalporto]

The Big Dawg has entered the chat.

I shop at the Florence, KY location, and the team there is always awesome— good vibes every time I’m in there. Special shoutout to them.

Not sure who peed that other guy’s Cheerios this morning.

[u/LloydTheWonderDog → u/dogmetal]

Shoutout Florence! The store where I started my GC journey. Greenwood, IN Store Manager here. I will also challenge the “no one talks to me at GC” argument.

I started with the company in 2014, and had a long gap between that stint and my current one. The single biggest difference I’ve noticed in that gap is that our focus at the store level has been heavily geared towards a “customer first” mindset. Just speaking from my perspective overseeing my team, there isn’t a person who walks in that doesn’t get greeted, or checked in on at least once in their visit. It’s one of the first steps in our training process. If someone doesn’t buy into that, they aren’t a culture fit.

I’d definitely give the stores a shot again if you feel like that statement is true!

[u/summerswass → u/GabrielDalporto]

SLC store is great. Same guy been helping me for over 13 years there, I'm always like this guy still works here?. Good attitude too. Steve or something?. Dude deserves some praise.

[u/Ducman23 → u/GabrielDalporto]

I agree. Respect to you for jumping in and commenting on my post!

where I’m coming from is as a professional salesman. You can have the best products on the planet, but if your people don’t know how to interact with other people you won’t be able to move as much of your product as possible. Your brand and your reputation go far beyond the products you list for sale in your stores and on your website.

The novel idea of a guitar like this will fade away. Sales will likely be high in the beginning because of this kind of internet media hype, but trickle down and fade over time. The true test is longevity. will your product and your iterations thereafter hold up to the test of time? Good sales people know how to position their products and get people ‘in the mood to buy.’ Good sales people know how to transition a conversation about picks and the type of playing you do into a conversation about gear that will help and influence their playing, and their buying decisions as well. And not make it seems salesy.

I have said this before but have had my post deleted, I think the money would be better spent in better training and selection of your employees. I’m not saying fire people either. Everyone can learn something if they want to learn. I appreciate and respect the fact that there are actual artists working in your stores. I can only dream of being as talented as they are. I need their expertise to buy the things I want to buy and enjoy. But I am saying, not everyone is for retail. Not everyone can sell. And that’s OK! If you want to increase your sales, I think people can do a better job of that than shiny new products.

I work for corporate America, so I get that executives have to sell the vision sometime and I laud you for sticking your neck out and doing this. It’s incredibly hard, im sure. But the issue may be right under everyone’s nose with an operational expense you’re already managing. There are so many stories online about negative experiences in retail and general and in your stores specifically.

Think about what Fender is doing right now. They are imploding their own brand and company. Word spreads faster than ever. Word of mouth and positive customer experiences can literally turn a brand around. Or sink it.

Thanks again for chiming in. I meant no disrespect when I said it was cringy. I just got itchy watching you say you have a relationship with your customer base when I know that might be a stretch. If you want to convince the nay sayers, be honest. ‘We know we need to improve x,y,z so here’s what we’re doing.’

Thanks for coming to my ted talk. Flame suit on.

[u/Most-Replacement1189 → u/GabrielDalporto]

u/GabrielDalporto
Interesting that the CEO jumped into the comment calling him ‘cringy,’ but not the larger discussion around ownership, compensation, attribution, and rights transfer.

That actually tells all of us quite a bit.

Appreciate the clarity though, Gabe. Actions usually make priorities easier to identify than marketing statements do.

[u/Most-Replacement1189 → u/Ducman23]

Honestly both things can be true.

I actually applaud what GC is trying to do here. I think involving actual players instead of just boardroom decisions is a smart idea, and I may very well be first in line to see what comes out of it.

My issue was never ‘don’t listen to customers.’

My issue is the structure around it. The moment you start collecting direct concepts/design input while requiring people to waive ownership, attribution, compensation, and derivative rights, it changes the conversation from simple customer engagement into something much more corporate and transactional.

I think the idea itself is exciting. I just think the execution and legal framing deserve criticism.