I'm sorry but I can't stand spin doctoring and making excuses for anyone, including an entire company, and that's all this is. This company has been mismanaged for a long time while their product line has been overpriced with lesser quality and poor customer service; they had it coming. And I couldn't care less how old the company is; totally irrelevant. PS, I wish their employees no ill will but have absolutely no financial or ethical responsibility to them, so telling me to support this company to help them get along is absurd. PS #2, I am hardly rich myself, so I go where I get the best bang for my buck. If that's a Gibson, great; if not, I'm buying elsewhere, so let's put away the violins. If Gibson wanted more business, they should have managed the company better and made a better product for a better price.