Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz has responded to online accusations of patchy quality control on the company’s guitars in recent years.
In an exclusive interview with Guitarist magazine, Juszkiewicz states, “Well, to quote some politicians, I would say that’s ‘fake news’.
"It’s easy for people to troll on the internet, but you’re in the media and I think you’re probably more aware than most folks about the negativity that exists and, sometimes, the lack of truth in that negativity.”
Juszkiewicz goes on to detail Gibson’s 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week customer services, noting that less than seven per cent of calls they receive are regarding an issue with a guitar.
The CEO continues: “Our quality today is better than it’s ever been, which is not to say that we’re perfect.
“The second thing I would say is our sales are increasing; we are growing much faster than the industry is growing, and so that would be a good indicator that there are maybe a few satisfied people. So if we really made junk, then people wouldn’t buy it, especially at the price that we charge.”
For more exclusive insight from Henry Juskiewicz - including his thoughts on how Gibson plans to recover, as well as his own future, and the company's new models, technology and pricing - pick up a copy of Guitarist issue 435, out now.