Randall Smith Gone From Mesa Boogie/Gibson?

[[Nathan]]

GuitarBilly should apply for a job at Gibson. It’s been a fascinating insight to how people can constantly miss the larger context that’s played out here.

 

[Jarick]

1. Randall sold the company. He lost all ability to complain about the handling of the company, including his own involvement, the second he cashed the check
2. Fluff had no business airing company info in public.
3. I wish the new DR was about 20% cheaper

/end

4. Gibson, who've faced PR nightmare after PR nightmare, looks bad yet again for mishandling Randall's exit and cutting ties with a visible sponsor over that mishandling

 

[GuitarBilly74]

GuitarBilly should apply for a job at Gibson. It’s been a fascinating insight to how people can constantly miss the larger context that’s played out here.

And you shouldn't apply for a job anywhere if you're this ignorant about work policies.

At least you got a little video out of it lol
"Don't forget to like and subscribe!! Click the bell for more bullshit content every day".

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

And you shouldn't apply for a job anywhere if you this ignorant about work policies.

At least he recognizes that this issue is not about work policies? Fluff has never worked for Gibson.

 

[spawnofthesith]

To be clear, I have no problem with Gibson terminating their relationship with him.

My problem is with all of your analogies - they are all related to an employee and/or contractor mishandling the kind of routine information they receive as part of that relationship, which is not what happened here. Fluff didn't spill the beans on some early access amp he got from Gibson/Mesa as part of his relationship with them. He got some info seemingly from a 3rd party that put Gibson in a not awesome light and made the wrong decision about what to do with it. That's completely different than all of your analogies.

As to your last post -- but Gibson didn't say "we have chosen to part ways." They said he retired, which also has connotations that Randall might not have been too pumped about. I doubt both parties agreed to that statement.

He cited his source as “employees at Mesa” not a third party. Disclosing internal company stuff like this is firable for most people working real life jobs regardless whether it’s official inside information from the top, or just internal rumors

The fact that he didn’t have any real info on the whole thing kind of makes it all the worse…

 

[spawnofthesith]

At least he recognizes that this issue is not about work policies? Fluff has never worked for Gibson.

Right not as an “employee” he had some sort of independent contractor type deal with them, and all these points still stand

 

[GuitarBilly74]

At least he recognizes that this issue is not about work policies? Fluff has never worked for Gibson.

Incorrect. A paid endorser iis a work contract with a 1099 attached to it.

 

[Shredder777]

Correct. it was not. It was Fluff who disclosed it without clearing it first. If you think that's ok in any shape or form, I don't know what to say to you.

The other thing no one has mentioned, is that what Fluff said may not actually be (entirely) true.

Randall Smith could be going senile and took a dump in the lobby planter. We just don't know what happened, and its not for "fluff" to say what happened. Randall Smith might have gotten a severance, been fired for cause, who really knows? Only an idiot looking for street cred and internet views weighs in on something like this.

IOW, Fluff is only reporting second/third/fourth hand something he heard. His reporting of it is probably not a true representation. He's just a vulture.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

To be clear, I have no problem with Gibson terminating their relationship with him.

My problem is with all of your analogies - they are all related to an employee and/or contractor mishandling the kind of routine information they receive as part of that relationship, which is not what happened here.

It's exactly what happened here. Personnel information is considered sensitive information by law.

If you have a job or a contract with a large company, try to do what he did at your job and post the outcome. It will be very similar to his.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

It's exactly what happened here. Personnel information is considered sensitive information by law.

If you have a job or a contract with a large company, try to do what he did at your job and post the outcome. It will be very similar to his.

Again, I have no problem with the outcome. If I tried to do what he did at my job, it would be like me hearing some information about a business that has my picture on their website, and that occasionally floats me some free gear and posting that on my personal Facebook page. My employer could give two shits about that as long as I didn't do it from their computer or disparage them. The business would probably take my picture off their website, and give me an angry phone call telling me they're never floating me free gear again.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Right not as an “employee” he had some sort of independent contractor type deal with them, and all these points still stand

Do we think he was receiving regular payments from Mesa? I certainly never assumed that. MAYBE an occasional one-off contract of "make a YouTube video, we pay you $500".

 

[Whizzinby]

Gibson puts a vague message out implying Randall has retired. This spreads among employees, dealers, affiliates of Mesa and eventually reaches forums and social media. Not just that he’s sailing off into the sunset, but that it’s a bit messier than that.

Boilerplate farewells are sent out everyday in the corporate world. They don’t say “We pushed the old bastard out to pasture, thank god he’s gone”. This is done in deference to the people involved. Fluff electing himself as the arbiter of truth was just inappropriate and naive. If anything more needed to be said, it should have come from Gibson or Randall. (Assuming keeping the affiliation mattered, otherwise YOLO!!!)

IMO

 

[GuitarBilly74]

Do we think he was receiving regular payments from Mesa? I certainly never assumed that. MAYBE an occasional one-off contract of "make a YouTube video, we pay you $500".

He had an endorsement contract with them. Whether he's getting paid regularly, occasionally or receiving compensation in form of equipment, that's still a work contract and he needs to follow the company's policies like anybody else.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Fluff electing himself as the arbiter of truth was just inappropriate and naive

He shouldn’t have said anything at all, but a comment on someone else’s facebook post in the midst of a load of discussion isn’t really a clamour for attention or breaking announcements in the way many make it out to be. A facebook comment that was deleted, and then answering a question about it 6 months later. I don’t think anyone is suggesting he was right to say anything at all, in the circumstances. It’s more Gibson doing stuff in a way that will only draw negative attention towards themselves.

Boilerplate farewells are sent out everyday in the corporate world. They don’t say “We pushed the old bastard out to pasture, thank god he’s gone”.

For sure. And it’s easy enough to read between the lines, so Fluff didn’t need to say anything at all.

Either way, the result is they have one less influencer flying the flag for them. Good for them if that’s how they want to do things, it’s their company to run however they like.

But how anyone here is choosing to side with a bureaucratic corporate entity over some youtube guitarist is baffling to me. I’m not arsed about Fluff at all, so it feels weird that I’m defending him. I can relate with him a hell of a lot more than however Gibson are trying to do things.

Gibson definitely have a stigma attached to them - stuff like this is not easy to shift. In the long run, if makes it much harder for them to sell guitars and amps if they aren’t seen as “cool”. Quite telling when watching Glastonbury (or any other festival) footage here how Fender are everywhere and are seen as cool and “for the musician” and there’s barely a Gibson/Marshall/Mesa in sight. Stuff like this will make people who do use them seem like narks.

FWIW you can tell Marshall are VERY aware of their association with (mostly) old white men, and they plough tons of money into their label and festivals to get visibility showing they’re cool/young/diverse/trendy.

 

[LCW]

So… When’s the Fluff Marshall vid dropping?

 

[EOengineer]

The other thing no one has mentioned, is that what Fluff said may not actually be (entirely) true.

Randall Smith could be going senile and took a dump in the lobby planter. We just don't know what happened, and its not for "fluff" to say what happened. Randall Smith might have gotten a severance, been fired for cause, who really knows? Only an idiot looking for street cred and internet views weighs in on something like this.

IOW, Fluff is only reporting second/third/fourth hand something he heard. His reporting of it is probably not a true representation. He's just a vulture.

“We don’t know…so let’s make up any ridiculous narrative our minds can cook up.”

Glad we’re all being level headed here.

 

[Badonkey Kong]

I find it funny that this thread is still going. What more is there to say that hasn't been said? Asking for a friend. or something or other.

*Don't mind me. I'm cranky on Prednisone after having an allergic reaction to antibiotics following an emergency surgery on an abscess on my back that became necrotic and ate into the muscle...

 

[EOengineer]

*Don't mind me. I'm cranky on Prednisone after having an allergic reaction to antibiotics following an emergency surgery on an abscess on my back that became necrotic and ate into the muscle...

That’s one hell of an email signature.

 

[EOengineer]

Do we think he was receiving regular payments from Mesa? I certainly never assumed that. MAYBE an occasional one-off contract of "make a YouTube video, we pay you $500".

If Gibson is ever dumb enough to give me $500 to make a video about them, I promise to put every cent of that money into making the most ridiculously sarcastic video that has ever existed. I’ll try to get the spinal tap guys.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

But how anyone here is choosing to side with a bureaucratic corporate entity over some youtube guitarist is baffling to me.

It's not about that at all. I'm not a fan of Gibson current management with all the lawsuits and BS.
I like Gibson guitars, particularly Les Pauls, but I buy them used. I haven't bought a new Gibson product in over 20 years. (Actually I did buy a new Kramer recently. It was a POS and I returned it)

That said, I like to see ANY companies taking employment information security seriously, because it's an issue of privacy. And privacy matters. I know for sure that if I was terminated from my company, I wouldn't want them or one of their spokesperson talking about it online without the company's consent or mine.

So to me, the question is not about "Gibson". To me, the question is: should employees/employers have discretion about if/when/how they disclose terms of their employment or termination? And to me, the answer is a resounding yes.

And Fluff, as someone who does social media professionally should've known better. I can't relate to what he did at all and I think the outcome was well deserved. Hopefully he learned something valuable from this.