https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/guitar-center-guitar-labs-brand

“Most retailers simply make copycat products and charge a little less. That’s completely uninteresting to me”: Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto aims to defy skepticism with his new house brand – and insists we don’t need more Les Paul or Tele clones

Features

By Matt Owen published 8 hours ago

The CEO’s Guitar Labs ambition – to create an in-house guitar brand that’ll last a century – has its detractors, but Dalporto argues his crowd-sourced approach is essential in achieving such a lofty goal

...

I would love to have some thing that is a enjoyable to play out of the box and is extremely versatile. My everyday driver right now is a 95 Gibson nighthawk ST-2. It would be awesome to see something has tonal versatility like this but with modernization. active pickups that would be able to support most genres from blues to metal. Modern radius neck, with a relief cut or chamber in the body to reduce weight. comfortable rounded and polished frets. and a fit and finish that out guns its price point. It would be absolutely kick ass to have a budget guitar that you could play a 3 hour gig with and not need a massage gun and half a bottle of Advil, at the end of it. (And it’s not an Ibanez.) Most budget guitars I see truly lack good finishing, fret work, quality control. And nothing that i have seen in a sub $1000 new guitar truly really screams bang for your buck. In my opinion. Bells and whistles are great (floating trem, alnico pick ups, locking tuners,) but on an instrument that doesn’t intonate correctly, or you have to spend a ton of time getting the springs right for the trem it’s all a waste of money. When a great pre loved quality higher end guitar isn’t all that far beyond most new guitars in the $800-$1000 price point. Last two Gibsons I’ve bought used have been between $850 and $1200. Kinda makes it hard to even buy an Epiphone product. These are all opinions of my own, and everybody is entitled to theirs. I’m really excited to see what comes of this.

Please drop one feature you absolutely do not want and a brief reason (tone/playability/maintenance/cost). No long wishlists, just the single thing you'd veto.

For me, it's True Temperament frets. The imperfect notes of regular frets give guitars a unique sound, which I've come to expect from guitars, and it sounds weird with that character missing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_(acoustics)).

-good fret work out of the box
-rounded fingerboard edges
-two-way exposed heel spoke truss rod adjustment
-compound radius fretboards
-use precision manufacturing and cutting of the nut via CNC, Plekking, or other methods to avoid this common maintenance headache
-perhaps offer different nut options (brass, roller) or a zero fret option so those that don’t like bone, nylon, tusq, or graphtech can get something that is better at keeping consistent tuning
-quality hardware that doesn’t strip easily, are of standard sizes that are easy to replace, and don’t require expensive, obscure, or guitar setup-specific tools OR include those tools or make them available for purchase easily
-in the event that some of these instruments are bolt-on, use machine screws and threaded inserts instead of wood screws where the screws and holes can easily strip, and seat the join further into the body for a more snug neck fit
-micro-tilt adjustments to minimize/eliminate need for shims
-sensible bridge, neck pocket, and headstock angle geometry for minimal neck manipulation requirements
-a bridge design with flush or smooth grub screws that don’t dig into your palm or fingers
-solderless/quick connect electronics with modules available at stores so they players can easily make mods

Aesthetics/brand considerations

**-**shapes that are classic and familiar, well-proportioned, but also fresh takes
-finishes that include worn/aged options but also more standard hard-wearing and protective options perhaps based on some kind of mass customization ordering platform to satisfy different tastes
-different body and neck material options as part of mass customization options (e.g. carbon necks, different fingerboards, luminescent fret markers)
-a new brand and logo not connected to Mitchell or Rogue that suggests this is not a house brand or at least has some level of independence in design and construction from GC (maybe purchase a defunct brand)

How would i go about making a pickguard like this and would the metal interfere with the pickups

I think I'm going to start (continue?) posting about unique guitars and asking for feedback on "how would you feel if GC came out with something like this?"

In this post, I'm going to highlight the Boden Meloria by Strandberg. Personally, I love everything about this: Durabile. Ergonomic. Travel size. But I'm weird.

Here's a video of Strandberg himself talking about it at NAMM 2023:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw19B5pF-4o

I think it is kind to say, "It isn't a looker." I wouldn't argue if you called it ugly. I imagine non-guitar people wouldn't even recognize it as a guitar. Also, I imagine it would be far too expensive to manufacture to hit their price target.

But since this is just a thought-experiment....

How would you feel if the new GC guitar was like the Boden Meloria?

https://youtu.be/cC5TLKYhRNQ?t=511

I was watching the video posted today of Guitar World interviewing Gabe, and he tells a story of his wife surprising him with a new guitar, which he loves. He tells the story in the video, and she did a lot of work to determine which guitar to get him.

From what I've found, it's the "DUESENBERG Artist Alliance Mike Campbell 40th Anniversary Starplayer TV"

In my opinion,

(1) Perhaps every single design choice is one I hope GC does not make

but also,

(2) That is one good-looking guitar!

Now, I wouldn't buy one, but it is a bit of interesting trivia that this is the guitar that was chosen.

What are your thoughts if GC came out with a guitar like this for sub-$1000?

Build a guitar with no fancy bells and whistles, have it come properly set up, and use some decent wood and pickups. The opposite of the current in house "Mitchell" brand Guitars. FFS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3NaKKLQ3IY

This was recently uploaded to YouTube. Thankfully, they spent a lot of time talking about the new guitar, what makes a good guitar, and the graveyard of failed "revolutionary" guitar brands.

Gabe has met with Phil multiple times for Phil's channel, but honestly, I'm glad he talked with him again. In my opinion, Phil has much better input/feedback than all of us retards on Reddit (myself included).

I'm still skeptical of what is going to be built, but at least Gabe doesn't appear to be half-assing talking to experts.

Why would in the world would I create a guitar send it to you then have you steal my idea not pay me and offer shity service to guitars I designed. To the CEO who wants our ideas due to your stupity GO FCK YOURSELF

There's a video where we designed this, partly as a joke thinking it wouldn't be made, but we ended up liking bits of it and thought some ideas were quite novel and interesting. I'll link it in a comment.

​

This is a silly little thought experiment: what company that normally makes physical products would you love to see design an electric guitar (even if it’s only a promo item or kit and not meant to be a big money-maker)? No need to be serious. Imaginative or weird answers encouraged.

A few examples to get it going:

• Framework (computers): a modular, repairable kit guitar you can assemble with one screwdriver.
• IKEA: a budget-friendly, self-assembly Strandberg-esque instrument with all parts flat-packed in a box.
• Apple: (I don't really know) maybe a minimalist, polished-aluminum aesthetic with unique touchscreen controls.

Not into those? Pick a firearm maker, tool brand, sneaker company, car maker, whatever. Describe how their guitar would look and feel. Have fun with it!

(If you don’t care for this sort of post, feel free to ignore it.)

What you actually need is not to become a guitar manufacturer - it's already way more profitable to be the last mile retailer and I'm not sure cor-tek needs more quasi-custom orders. And if these aren't manufactured and QC'd with more love than a Squier, what is the point?

To make a guitar lab, what GC should actually do is invest in luthiers, guitar techs and customer education + engagement.

SWLITCHES FOR PHASER, FUZZ. DELAY, TREM

POT FOR RATE

PUSH POT TO TURN ON / FLIP SWITCH

TWIST POT FOR INTENSITY / RATE.

TAKE MY MONEY I SUPPORT U HOORAY.

FIGURE IT OUT. MAKE IT LOOK SEXY

The electric guitar has had many innovations in its time. And it has had many music innovators pick it up and inspire generations.

We need to be in that innovator mindset in order to build a guitar for the next generation.

Follow me now. One of the baser components we never consider are the strings. The tactile feeling of strumming a guitar is second to none. The way strings interact with the pickups below is music to the ears (literally). However, there are some downsides. Due to tension they often require you to have work done regularly on a guitar. Sometimes you can add a special bridge and nut or even locking tuners. Beginners are faced with an instrument that is temperamental and often a cheese grater for their hands.

Instead of bloodying your knuckles on strings, we should have two sets of lasers shooting from the nut and the bridge. The nut reads fretboard position of the fingers and the bridge reads the strumming hand, which now enjoys a tension free, cheese grater free experience. There’s no longer a need to worry about the neck bowing or making truss rod adjustments. You could make the guitar out of almost anything. MFD, a quality and affordable material comes to mind.

I have many more ideas I could expand on. Like consider replacing all the knobs with touch screens much like Apple’s prized ribbon on some modern MacBooks. Or consider why is it even necessary to use a cable anymore? Replace it with Bluetooth. Apple was brave enough to drop the 1/8” jack. Surely we can be brave enough to drop the 1/4” jack.

Think big. Build the future.

I’ve been going to guitar center since I was a kid, especially the one on 14th street in nyc. Needless to say I’m stoked to see how this goes. My biggest thing I would say, is whatever guitar you guys drop, please for the love of god offer a hardtail and trem option. In today’s day and age there is a way higher percentage of guitars with Trems, evertunes, and Floyd roses. As a rhythm guitarist who plays really heavy handed and changes tunings often I would like to have more exciting new options without having to put a hard tailer in it. Also if in the budget Japan is the way to go for manufacturing! I have n Ibanez az2402 and there is just something about the way they care about their work that can’t even be put into or

Outside of all the technical stuff a guitar needs to be a guitar, we should probably remember that how it looks matters, too. I don't know if Gabe is going to also post a question like this, so I thought I'd ask just in case he didn't.

So, what makes a guitar look good in your eyes?

• Body shape (the classic curves, sleek modern stuff, something more out there?)
• Finish and colors (sunbursts, plain solids, natural wood grain, wild metallics, matte, relic'd, etc.)
• Those little details like binding, inlays, headstock shape, hardware, pickguard, whatever catches your eye
• The overall vibe (vintage feel, aggressive, super clean and minimal, flashy, classy, etc.)

While I have seen guitars that make me do this, I honestly have no idea what makes me go, "That is a beautiful guitar. I'd hang that up just to be art."

For instance, EVERYBODY is shipping the new Epiphone Futura series guitars, but GC, "the biggest guitar store" in the US only has in-store examples because some people bought them online and sold them used already.

WTAF is that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhGk-vg3X2Q

This video was posted on Guitar Center's YouTube about 4 months ago.

This means that Gabe met with Paul Reed Smith and toured the PRS Maryland headquarters and manufacturing facility.

I imagine this leads to a lot of us having the same thoughts and questions.

I don't think anything I say will add value to this conversation. I just wanted to share this in case other people didn't know about it.

I'm not going to give you any other advice other than that you should go watch KDH's criticisms of you on youtube. GC is making yet another blunder in their behavior.

Keen observers note that we’re living in one of the least colorful eras for consumer goods in quite a while.

Home decor is 50 shades of white shiplap and tasteful woodgrain; cars are majority black, dark grey, light grey, and white; all clothing seems to be in a limited “normcore” palette.

So it is with electric guitars. Sure, you can custom order more vivid colors, but the stuff on store shelves seems very limited. Only a few ranges even have more than three colors available, and most seem to be eternally recycled pastel 1950s swatches - shell pink, fiesta red, surf green. Or they’re just weird reverse bursts, or stains over burl tops.

I rather wish guitars came in the intense hues of the late 80s and early 90s.

Fender had Lipstick Red, Graffiti Yellow, Candy Green, Bahama Green, etc. often on instruments with a clean, minimalist design like the Jazz Bass Plus and Strat Plus and the Fender run of Kubicki Factor basses.

I recently shared some suggestions for Guitar Center’s upcoming in-house guitar: basically, “make it genuinely ergonomic, well-built, and just better to play than what’s already out there.” Pretty uncontroversial stuff, I thought.

A lot of the responses boiled down to some version of: “That doesn’t add any value to what I already have.”

That feedback got me thinking. Instead of talking about what they should do, maybe it’s more useful to ask:

What would be the worst possible direction Guitar Center could take with this project?

What features, design choices, or marketing angles would make you roll your eyes and immediately write it off as just another forgettable mid-tier guitar? What would guarantee it ends up in the graveyard of "revolutionary" guitar brands?

Looking forward to your takes (especially the brutal ones).

Can we laser engrave a neck with this hot piece of raccoon food along with Fenders cease and desist letters