Stephen Fortner Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 I'm on the floor at Summer NAMM when this comes across my feed. This one hits close to home in a very good way. I've talked to Tom many times about how much he'd like his trademark back, and once got in Gibson's face at a very high level and said, "Yamaha did it for Dave Smith, you can damned well do it for Tom." I don't think this has anything to do with that as the leadership (JC Curleigh) is totally different, but applause and kudos to Gibson for doing the right thing. Hopefully we'll see the old logo on some new synths! https://guitar.com/news/industry-news/gibson-returns-tom-oberheim-trademark/ Quote Stephen Fortner Principal, Fortner Media Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Quote When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Quote CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Fortner Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 Here is full text of press release: NASHVILLE, TN (Friday, July 19, 2019) In a gesture of good will for the music instrument industry, Gibson and its President and CEO, James 'JC' Curleigh, have granted possession of the Oberheim brand and intellectual property back to its original owner and company founder, synthesizer pioneer Tom Oberheim. Gibson has owned the Oberheim brand name for several years as it sought to expand into other categories. With the renewed focus on its core business, Gibson is rationalizing their legacy portfolio accordingly, but the Oberheim brand deserved special attention. A chance encounter at Winter NAMM turned into a quest to return the Oberheim brand name back to its original owner and founder. 'Of the many stories I have heard and decisions I have made since joining Gibson, this situation seemed simple,' says James 'JC" Curleigh, President and CEO of Gibson. 'Let"s do the right thing by putting the Oberheim brand back in the hands of its" namesake founder Tom Oberheim.' The team have been working on this solution for the past few months, and recently, JC and Tom had a discussion to 'seal the deal". 'After over thirty years of being without it, I am thrilled to once again be able to use the Oberheim trademark for my products,' said Tom Oberheim. 'I am very grateful to the new leadership team of Gibson for making this possible.' Tom Oberheim continues to make classic analog synthesizers that are direct decendants of the legendary machines from the '70s and '80s that first carried his name (http://www.tomoberheim.com). In the spirit of collaboration and working together to create a healthy music industry, the new team at Gibson is excited to have Tom Oberheim officially be able to use his trademark once again and wish him the best for the future. Quote Stephen Fortner Principal, Fortner Media Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJUSCULE Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Great news. Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Indeed, great news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad’Dib Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wright Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Quote "I cried when I wrote this song Sue me if I play too long" Walter Becker Donald Fagan 1977 Deacon Blues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazKeys Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Why has it taken so long for these companies to do the right thing? https://www.dropbox.com/s/cuf74sgr51pvkdm/IMG_1134.jpg?dl=0 Looks I won't need to buy any more decals for new Obies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 I wonder if money talked in that deal? It so often does... Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 AWESOME! Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy! The new sheriff at Gibson had no use for the trademark - kudos for returning it back to Tom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Thanks for sharing this news, Steve. You just made my day! So happy for Tom Oberheim and synth fans everywhere. Best, Geoff Quote My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Quote "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightbg Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Score one for common sense. Jake Quote 1967 B-3 w/(2) 122's, Nord C1w/Leslie 2101 top, Nord PedalKeys 27, Nord Electro 4D, IK B3X, QSC K12.2, Yamaha reface YC+CS+CP "It needs a Hammond" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBarker Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Still needs to release an OB-GYN... ...I'll show myself out. Quote Puck Funk! Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Tom is getting up there. I hope he has an opportunity to bring his instruments out again under the original name. Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Still needs to release an OB-GYN... ...I'll show myself out. please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Star_Guy Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 This is literally the most heartwarming thing that I have read today! It is an honorable and inspiring action by the new Gibson CEO. Quote ---------------------------------------------------------- Gig: Yamaha MODX7, NumaX 73 Piano Studio: Kawai ES-920; Hammond SK Pro 73; Yamaha Motif ES7 w/DX,VL,VH; Yamaha YC 73; Kawai MP-6; Numa Compact 2x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzzz Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 I wonder if money talked in that deal? It so often does... If it did, I hope it was like $1.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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