>>127550441
Gibson only gives a shit about selling $2k guitars to boomers for $6k and up. They'll float out custom models (like the RD) under the guise that if they sell well, they'll release a standard at half the price sometime in the future, as if the people pinching pennies to buy a standard are going to shell out 3x as much money for the custom because it's their only option. Even their on-roster artists have to pay for guitars, though I've heard of them giving away freebies to touring bands just to get the image out there but the artists I'm referencing aren't affiliated outside of being gifted sixers. My explorer is the best playing guitar I've ever owned but it took months of trying multiple different models across multiple different years to find one that played well and wasn't a QC nightmare. They're a marketing company that makes guitars and they are VERY good at the first part.