| Gibson Guitar Corporation | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Founder | Orville Gibson |
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee, USA |
| Area served | Global |
| Key people | Orville Gibson, Ted McCarty, Les Paul |
| Industry | Musical instruments |
| Subsidiaries | Epiphone, Baldwin, Garrison, Maestro, Wurlitzer, Tobias, Valley Arts Guitar, Slingerland, MaGIC, Gibson Amphitheatre, Hamilton, Chickering, Kramer, Steinberger, Electar, Aeolian |
| Website | Gibson.com |
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, of Nashville, Tennessee, USA, is a manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars. The term privately held company refers to ownership of a business company in two different ways first referring to ownership by non-governmental organizations and second An entrepreneur is a person who has possession over a company enterprise, or Venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome Orville H Gibson ( 1856 - August 21 1918, Chateaugay New York) was a Luthier who founded the Gibson Guitar Corporation Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Orville H Gibson ( 1856 - August 21 1918, Chateaugay New York) was a Luthier who founded the Gibson Guitar Corporation Ted McCarty was a pioneer of electric guitar design and production which began when he was President of the of Gibson Guitar Corporation. Les Paul (born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9 1915) is an American Jazz guitarist and Inventor. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. A subsidiary, in business matters is an entity that is controlled by a bigger and more powerful entity The Epiphone Company is a Musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos The Baldwin Piano Company is the largest US -based manufacturer of Keyboard instruments most notably Pianos It is a subsidiary of the Gibson Guitar Garrison Guitars was founded by Newfoundland and Labrador native Chris Griffiths The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, is an American company formerly a producer of stringed instruments woodwind brass instruments Tobias is a brand of Bass guitar originally made by Luthier Michael Tobias starting in the 1970s and later bought out by Gibson Guitar Corporation. Valley Arts Guitar is an American Electric guitar manufacturer currently owned and operated by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. The Slingerland Drum Company is a historic Drum company which is linked to the rich history of Jazz drumming The Gibson Amphitheatre (formerly Universal Amphitheatre) is a Theatre located in Universal City California, USA. Chickering and Sons was an American Piano manufacturer located in Boston, known for producing award-winning instruments of superb quality and design Kramer Guitars is an American manufacturer of Electric guitars and basses Steinberger refers to a series of distinctive Electric guitars and Bass guitars designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages A steel-string acoustic guitar, is a modern form of Guitar descended from the Classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter louder sound An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder The company's most popular guitar, the Les Paul Standard, is a solid-body electric guitar. Gibson also owns and makes guitars under such brands as Epiphone, Kramer, Valley Arts, Tobias, Steinberger, and Kalamazoo. The Epiphone Company is a Musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos Kramer Guitars is an American manufacturer of Electric guitars and basses Valley Arts Guitar is an American Electric guitar manufacturer currently owned and operated by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. Tobias is a brand of Bass guitar originally made by Luthier Michael Tobias starting in the 1970s and later bought out by Gibson Guitar Corporation. Steinberger refers to a series of distinctive Electric guitars and Bass guitars designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. The Kalamazoo Electric Guitar was produced by Gibson during the 1960s/70's In addition to guitars, the company makes pianos through its Baldwin unit, Slingerland drums, as well as many accessory items. The Baldwin Piano Company is the largest US -based manufacturer of Keyboard instruments most notably Pianos It is a subsidiary of the Gibson Guitar Company namesake Orville Gibson made mandolins in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the late 1890s. Orville H Gibson ( 1856 - August 21 1918, Chateaugay New York) was a Luthier who founded the Gibson Guitar Corporation Gibson used the same type of carved, arched tops in archtop acoustic guitars, and by the 1930s was also making flattop acoustic guitars and electric guitars. Charlie Christian, one of the first well-known electric guitarists, helped to popularize Gibson's electric guitars with his use of the ES-150 and ES-200. Charlie Christian (Charles Henry Christian ( 29 July 1916 &ndash 2 March 1942) was an American swing and Bebop After being bought by the Norlin corporation in the late 1960s Gibson's quality and fortunes took a steep decline; by 1985 it was within three weeks of going out of business before it was bought by its present owners. [1] Gibson Guitar is a privately held corporation (company stock is not publicly traded on a stock exchange), owned by chief executive officer Henry Juszkiewicz and president David H. (Dave) Berryman.
Contents |
History
Orville Gibson (born 1856, Chateaugay, New York) started making mandolins in Kalamazoo, Michigan USA. Orville H Gibson ( 1856 - August 21 1918, Chateaugay New York) was a Luthier who founded the Gibson Guitar Corporation Chateaugay (ˈʃætəˌɡeɪ is a Town in Franklin County, New York, United States. A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The mandolins were distinctive in that they featured a carved, arched solid wood top and back and bent wood sides. Prior to this mandolins had a flat solid wood top and a bowl-like back (similar to a lute) made of multiple strips of wood. Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from These bowl-back mandolins were very fragile and unstable. Disdainful of the shape, Orville Gibson characterized them as "potato bugs. " Gibson's innovation made a better-sounding mandolin that was immensely easier to manufacture. Orville Gibson's mandolin design, with its single-pieced carved sides and a single-pieced neck, was patented in 1898; it would be the only innovation he patented. Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [2]
In 1902, the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Co, Ltd. was founded to market the instruments.
During the 1920s the Gibson company was responsible for many innovations in guitar design, and became the leading manufacturer of arch-top guitars, particularly the Gibson L5 model. An archtop guitar is a steel-stringed acoustic or semi-acoustic Guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top whose sound is particularly The Gibson L-5 Guitar was first produced in 1922 by Gibson Guitar Corporation, then of Kalamazoo Michigan, U In 1936 they introduced their first "Electric Spanish" model, the ES-150, generally recognized as the first commercially successful electric guitar. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Gibson Guitar Corporation 's ES-150 Guitar is generally recognized as the world's first commercially successful Spanish-style Electric guitar. An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder
As a result of the strong sales of the Fender Telecaster in 1950 Gibson decided to make a solid-body guitar. This was despite the fact that Gibson, like most other guitar manufacturers, were contemptuous of the concept of a solid-body guitar. Although guitarist Les Paul was one of the pioneers of solid-body electric guitar technology, the guitar that became known as the Les Paul was developed with very little input from its namesake. After the guitar was designed, Les Paul was asked to sign a contract to endorse the guitar to be named after him. At that point he asked that the tail piece would be changed, and that was his only contribution. (Ironically, this tailpiece was changed in 1954. )[3] The Les Paul was released in 1952. The late 1950s saw a number of innovative new designs including the eccentrically-shaped Gibson Explorer and Flying V and the semi-acoustic ES-335, and the introduction of the "humbucker" pickup. The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of Electric guitar. The Gibson Flying V is an Electric guitar model first released by Gibson in 1958. The Gibson ES-335 was the world's first commercial semi-hollowbody Electric guitar, released by Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1958. A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of Electric guitar pickup that uses two coils both generating string signal A pickup device acts as a Transducer that captures mechanical vibrations (usually from suitably equipped Stringed instruments such as the Electric guitar The Les Paul was offered in several models, including the Custom, the Standard, the Studio, the Supreme, the Special and the Junior. The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s In 1961, the body design of the Les Paul was changed, due to the demand for a double-cutaway body design. [4] Les Paul did not care for the new body style and let his endorsement lapse, and the new body design then became known as the Gibson SG. The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s The Les Paul returned to the Gibson catalogue in 1968 due to the influence of players such as Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Peter Green. Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943 is an English Guitarist, Songwriter, Singer, producer and a founding member of The Rolling Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer Peter Green (born Peter Allen Greenbaum, 29 October 1946, in Bethnal Green, London) is a British Blues-rock Both the Les Paul and the SG later became very popular with hard rock and heavy metal guitarists; Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, the twin-lead line-up of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson of Thin Lizzy, Duane Allman, Slash of Velvet Revolver and Ace Frehley of Kiss are known for their preference for a Les Paul. The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Led Zeppelin were Scott Gorham (born William Scott Gorham March 17, 1951 in Glendale California) is an American guitarist and songwriter Brian "Robbo" Robertson was born on February 12 1956 in Clarkston, Renfrewshire (now part of East Renfrewshire Thin Lizzy are an Irish Hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969 Howard Duane Allman (November 20 1946 – October 29 1971 was an American, Lead guitarist of the Southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band Saul Hudson (born 23 July 1965 more widely known by his stage name Slash, is an English - African American Guitarist best known as the former Velvet Revolver is a Hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (born April 27 1951 is an American Guitarist best known as an original member and lead guitarist for the rock Kiss (also typeset as KISS) is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972 Pete Townshend of The Who, Angus Young of AC/DC, Frank Zappa of Mothers Of Invention and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath are some of the more well-known SG players. Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born 19 May 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock Guitarist, Singer, The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Angus McKinnon Young (born on 31 March 1955 is the lead guitarist songwriter and co-founder of the Australian Hard rock band AC/DC. AC/DC are an Australian Hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director The Mothers of Invention was an American Rock and roll band active from 1964 to 1975 Frank Anthony "Iommi (born February 19 1948, in Aston, Birmingham England) is an English Guitarist and Songwriter Black Sabbath are an
Between 1974 and 1984 production of Gibson guitars was shifted from Kalamazoo to Nashville, Tennessee. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) In early 1986 the Gibson Guitar Corp. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) was bought by Henry E. Juszkiewicz, David H. Berryman and Gary A. Zebrowski. The survival and success of Gibson today is largely attributed to this change in ownership. Currently, Juszkiewicz stands as CEO and Berryman as president of the company. More recently new production plants have been opened in Southern and rural areas, such as Memphis, Tennessee as well as Bozeman, Montana. Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Bozeman is a city in and the County seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state The Memphis facility is used for semi-hollow and custom shop instruments, while the Bozeman facility is dedicated to acoustic instruments.
Today, one model of Gibson guitars ("Robot Guitar") can tune itself in about 10 seconds using robotic technology developed by Gibson and Tronical Gmbh. A robot is a mechanical or Virtual Artificial agent In practice it is usually an electro-mechanical system which by its appearance or movements [5] While the product was advertised in the American—United States—popular press as a "world's first" similar—some external—systems have been in use for decades for example to tune guitars made by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and Washburn Guitars. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation of Quincy Illinois is a manufacturer of stringed instruments such as solid-body Electric guitars including the Washburn Guitars is an American Guitar manufacturer It was established in 1883 in Chicago Illinois.
Subsidiary companies
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Many other instrument manufacturers are owned by Gibson including Kramer and Steinberger guitars. Kramer Guitars is an American manufacturer of Electric guitars and basses Steinberger refers to a series of distinctive Electric guitars and Bass guitars designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. It is now a brand used by Gibson-Baldwin Musical Education, which sells various student guitars under different brand names. Most recently Gibson has purchased Canadian guitar manufacturer Garrison Guitars, at this time it is unclear what Gibson's plans are for this brand. Garrison Guitars was founded by Newfoundland and Labrador native Chris Griffiths
Heritage Guitars
Another related company is Heritage Guitars—an independent guitar company founded by former Gibson employees after Gibson's relocation from Kalamazoo to Nashville. Heritage Guitars is a Guitar manufacturer in Kalamazoo Michigan. The company set up their factory in Gibson's former Kalamazoo premises, and manufactures handmade guitars that are very similar to the Gibson originals.
Authorized copies
On May 10, 1957 Gibson purchased the Epiphone guitar company which at the time was one of their main competitors. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The Epiphone Company is a Musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos The original plan was to continue selling Epiphone's successful upright bass, but soon after Gibson realized they could satisfy requests from music stores by producing Epiphone branded guitars. [6] From the early 1970s the Epiphone brand name has been increasingly used by Gibson for lower priced guitars manufactured in countries other than the United States. Epiphone guitars have been made in the US, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and China. Orville by Gibson was another Gibson authorized brand of guitars that were made and sold in Japan. Orville by Gibson オービルbyギブソン (also known simply as Orville オービル was a brand of guitars that was managed by the Gibson Guitar Corporation
Unauthorized copies
On multiple occasions, Gibson has sought legal action against other guitar manufacturers who implement similar body styles in their designs. The first such action was against Ibanez, which had fabricated near-identical (in looks) copies of the Les Paul. Ibanez (ˈaɪbænɛz or /aɪˈbænɛz/ is a Guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki and based in Nagoya Aichi, Japan. The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s This 1977 lawsuit was not over Ibanez's copy of the Les Paul's body shape, but instead for their use of Gibson's 'open book' headstock shape (even though Ibanez had redesigned their headstock to be a near-identical copy of a Guild headstock in 1976). The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s The Guild Guitar Company is a USA -based Guitar manufacturer founded in 1952 by Alfred Dronge. More recently, Gibson sued PRS Guitars, forcing them to stop making their Singlecut model, which is much less similar to the Les Paul in appearance. PRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer based in Stevensville Maryland. The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s The lawsuit against PRS was unsuccessful, however. In 2005, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed the lower court decision and ordered the dismissal of Gibson's suit against PRS. The decision also immediately vacated the injunction prohibiting the sale and production of PRS’s Singlecut Guitar. Paul Reed Smith Guitars announced that it would immediately resume production of its Singlecut guitars.
Forgeries can generally be identified quite easily upon close inspection. The most prominent identifier pertaining to Chinese Gibson Les Paul forgeries is in the truss rod cover being affixed to the headstock of the forged guitar with three screws whereas an authentic Gibson guitar employs two.
Bluegrass
Many of Gibson's bluegrass instruments (such as the banjo, mandolin and the Dobro) are assembled at the "Gibson Showcase" at Opry Mills Mall in Nashville. The banjo is a Stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments A mandolin is a musical instrument in the Lute family (plucked or strummed Dobro is a Trade name now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of Resonator guitar. Opry Mills is a mega Shopping mall owned by Simon Property Group, formerly by its initial owners Mills Corporation and Gaylord Entertainment. The mini-factory is open to the public and also houses a store selling the full line of Gibson products and a small concert venue which doubles as a restaurant.
Gibson serial numbers
In the 1970s, Gibson standardized the serial number system that is still in use today. The typically eight-digit serial numbers on Gibson guitars are stamped on the backside of the headstock. The first and the fifth number combined show the year that the instrument was made. The second, third, and fourth numbers show on which day of that year the instrument was made. The sixth number represents the location where the instrument was made, and the last two digits show the "production run" number.
For example, the serial number 90992487, shows that this guitar was made on the 99th day of 1992 in Nashville, TN, and that it was the 87th guitar they finished at that facility on that day. A '7' in the location spot means Memphis, while a '4' means Nashville. All electric and semi-electric guitars are built in Memphis and Nashville. Gibson also has an acoustic guitar facility in Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman is a city in and the County seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state Montana ( is a state in the Western United States. One-third of the state in the western part contains numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named of the northern
Instruments
Electric guitars
- For an attempt at a complete list of Gibson electric guitars: Gibson Guitar Corporation product list
Gibson is especially well known for their electric guitars, especially the Les Paul, the SG, the Flying V, the Explorer the ES-175 and the ES-335, among many others. This is a list of Gibson brand of guitars manufactured by Gibson Guitar Corporation, alphabetically by category then alphabetically by product (lowest numbers first The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s The Gibson Flying V is an Electric guitar model first released by Gibson in 1958. The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of Electric guitar. The Gibson ES-175 is one of the most famous Jazz guitars in history The Gibson ES-335 was the world's first commercial semi-hollowbody Electric guitar, released by Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1958.
Acoustic guitars
- For an attempt at a complete list of Gibson acoustic guitars, see: Gibson Guitar Corporation product list
Gibson's acoustic guitars are widely celebrated and used by many professional rock and country musicians. The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s This is a list of Gibson brand of guitars manufactured by Gibson Guitar Corporation, alphabetically by category then alphabetically by product (lowest numbers first
Bass guitars
- For an attempt at a complete list of Gibson bass guitars, see: Gibson Guitar Corporation product list
Despite being such a revered six-string guitar manufacturer, Gibson has had much success from their line of bass models such the Thunderbird (based on the Firebird), the EB-0 and EB-3 (based on the SG), the Ripper, and the Grabber, both first manufactured in the 1970s. The Gibson J series was a series of Acoustic guitars manufactured by Gibson Guitar Corporation. This is a list of Gibson brand of guitars manufactured by Gibson Guitar Corporation, alphabetically by category then alphabetically by product (lowest numbers first The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric Bass guitar made by Gibson. The Gibson Firebird is a solid-body electric Guitar manufactured by Gibson from 1963 to the present The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s
Bluegrass instruments
- For an attempt at a complete list of Gibson bluegrass instruments, see: Gibson Guitar Corporation product list
Artists who use Gibson instruments
See also
References
- ^ Hembry, Gil;Gibson Guitars: Ted McCarty's Golden Era 1948-1966; GH Books; Austin, TX; 2007. The Gibson EB-3 is an electric Bass guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. This is a list of Gibson brand of guitars manufactured by Gibson Guitar Corporation, alphabetically by category then alphabetically by product (lowest numbers first This is an alphabetized list of musicians who have made use of Gibson Guitar models in live performances or studio recordings The prewar Gibson Mastertone Banjo is the most sought-after vintage instrument for bluegrass banjo players The Epiphone Company is a Musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos Kramer Guitars is an American manufacturer of Electric guitars and basses Heritage Guitars is a Guitar manufacturer in Kalamazoo Michigan. p 306.
- ^ Electric Guitars, An Illustrated Encyclopedia. London, Backbeat Books, 2000.
- ^ Hembry, Gil;Gibson Guitars: Ted McCarty's Golden Era 1948-1966; GH Books; Austin, TX; 2007. p 74-85.
- ^ Hembry, Gil;Gibson Guitars: Ted McCarty's Golden Era 1948-1966; GH Books; Austin, TX; 2007. p 110.
- ^ Yuri Kageyama (The Associated Press). "World's first robot guitar takes care of the tuning", Seattle Times, December 3, 2007. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song.
- ^ Gibson Guitars 100 years of an American Icon, Walter Carter
External links
- Official website, Gibson Guitar Company
- Official web page, Gibson Acoustic Guitars
- Official website, Gibson Custom Shop
- Gibson Montana Division
- Gibson Serial Numbers
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