Editorial: Possible demise of an iconic American brand

BB King ... playing Lucille, his guitar made by Gibson.

It was news that not so much struck a chord, as hit a sour note.

Gibson guitars is reportedly struggling financially and may go bankrupt.

That may not alarm those who have no aspirations of owning one of the world's iconic guitar brands.

As Harley Davidson and Indian are to motorbikes, Gibson is synonymous in the music world with high quality American craftsmanship and top-notch materials, including some of the most decorative fiddle back maple you'll find.

Fingers point at possible reasons for Gibson's demise, including declining sales in a world with waning interest in making music, and looming loan repayment deadlines.

But one wonders if it is symptomatic of something larger.

America's high waged economy has in the past survived competition from low-cost overseas-made copies by being better, way better.

But that's increasingly becoming a harder argument to make.

Epiphone for example, a Gibson subsidiary, makes its guitars in several Chinese factories – at a fraction of the cost of a Gibson and which to all but the purist play, look and feel, beautifully.

The same could be said of products that once existed as cheap knock-offs and would barely last the ride home from the store before they broke.

Now China produces some of the best quality products on offer.

Perhaps what Gibson is experiencing is a shift in the economic realities of the day, away from US and towards China where low wages and strategic vision keep product costs down, and increasingly, quality high.

I truly hope Gibson survives. And if that means they might one day be made outside of the US, I'm confident it won't be as BB King once sang - "the thrill is gone" - but perhaps more like "let the good times roll."